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Weekly Reminder...
The Weekly Reminder is an informative tool to help people who read it consider what the man of God has said. This weekend’s articles are based on what was heard on June 20 & 21, 2009 in the Westbury assembly.written by Br. Samuel Damus
“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). The Lord has called us to be overcomers of this world. The traits of this present age are what we were born into; it is what develops us into what we are. But Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). The world that we live in can not and will not prepare us for God’s coming kingdom because the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4). The Lord has a plan that He has put into motion that is helping us to become overcomers.
God’s will for His children is not revealed unto everyone but His children. That is why we must give thanks to the Lord always just as Jesus did when He said, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Matthew 11:25). It was no wonder that Nicodemus, the ruler of the Jews could not understand what Jesus was talking about. To be born again we have to get rid of our worldly ways of living and live the way the Lord wants us to live. God’s will is what will make us His children.
The scriptures rightfully says, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17). The Lord wants us to obey His commandments and in so doing we will be “as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in our ignorance: but as He which hath called us is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Peter 1:14-15). The only way to cleanse ourselves from our sinful ways is by practicing His words (Psalm 119:9). The Lord has prepared a church for us in Westbury were we are taught His will. We are taught to imitate Jesus who lives and works to see that the Lord’s will is accomplished.
We have faith in Jesus that if we commit ourselves to upholding God’s will for our lives He will help us (Philippians 4:13). That is why, being born in sin and being the servants of sin we strive daily to become servants of righteousness and children of God. It is pertinent to live a holy life for this is the trait of a child of God, the overcomer. “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called”… “that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:1, 22-24).
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written by Br. Jean Leonidas
God has been using our pastor diligently to deliver to us profound messages; messages that have been encouraging us in these last days to keep our focus on God and to reject the spirit of this present world. Br. Antoine showed us thru the scriptures that if we stay in the church, receive the genuine Holy Ghost and diligently seeking after God thru obeying His words, we can make it to His everlasting kingdom by overcoming this present world (1 John 5:4-5). He said we need to know who God is and who Christ is.
The first scripture we received Saturday evening was in Mathew 11:25-27, where Jesus prayed and said “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes". Br. Antoine was showing us that Christ’s prayer was not so much about Himself but for us. He said Christ had a thankful spirit in approaching God and so should we when we are approaching God in our worship services and in prayer. He said that our will should never take precedent over God's will for our lives. Christ accepted and was willing to submit to whatever God wanted for His life including the cross (verse 26). As Christ demonstrated thankfulness when we are being blessed so should we when we see the work of God progressing. In verse 27, Br. Antoine went on to show us that we must know who Christ is in order to have a relationship with God the Father. Christ must be the one who reveals unto us His Father. He said we should never get to the point where we believe that God the Father is Jesus and Jesus is God the Father. When he said this I thought of the Samaritan woman, where Christ told her "we know who we worship". Christ knows who the Father was because He was with the Father from the beginning (Proverbs 8:22-24). What better person can reveal onto us the Father except someone that knows Him? God also reveals unto His people who Christ is as He did in the case of Peter in (Mathew 16:17). Today we have a man in Br. Antoine who God is using to help us have a relationship with God.
Br. Antoine continued in saying many doctors with high degrees don't get the chance to be in God's house to hear His words but each one of us have that opportunity now. He continued in showing us how important it is for us to be implementing the word of God in our lives and to have His Spirit while we are in the church. He said there is no way you can have the spirit of God in you and not be able to sit in church and hear the word of God. He said many people tend to end church after worship service. He said if the true spirit of God is in us, we should be able to nurture that spirit with the word of God because both the word and the spirit work together (2 Corinthians 3:6). While a man of God is preaching that shouldn't be the time for us to loose our attention on the preacher but the spirit of God should keep our attention to what is being said. He quoted 1 John 5:4-5, showing that we are able to overcome the world by being that new born child of God and abiding by the word of God. Br. Antoine showed us that the world is not the people out there but He said the world is a spirit; a spirit that we are able to bring with us in the church. He said that involves our character, the way we dress, our decision making etc... The purpose of the church is to help us overcome the world (spirit). He said Christ was thankful for the revelation that has been delegated to the people of God.
Br. Antoine spoke on the ten virgins in Mathew 25 and he emphasized on the five foolish that went out to buy more oil for their lamps. He said when they came back not only were they too late to meet the bridegroom but the scripture did not mention that they found any oil. He further explains that when God put you in a local assembly, God intends for you to grow and be saved in that assembly. God never makes a mistake but He plants both the man of God and His saints in His local assembly. We should be thankful as Christ was because all ten were virgins but only five were ready when the bridegroom came. After we heard such a wonderful message the question we should ask ourselves is are we a foolish or wise virgin? May God help us that our life style be able to answer that question.
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