ZION B-BC NEWSLETTER. [ A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. ] { VOL. 2. NO 71. 21-12-14.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You Free! (John.8:32). 2014 Christmas Edition. TO COMPARE JESUS CHRIST WITH AN UNRIGHTEOUS MERE MORTAL IS BLASPHEMOUS AND SACRILEGIOUS! Before the recently concluded election primaries of Nigerian political parties, SEVEN Federal Ministers resigned their plum appointments to seek for ‘higher’ senatorial and governorship positions, but only one of them with Mrs. First Lady’s tacit support, got lucky in Rivers State! Unfortunately, the others who have joined the Labour Market are dusting up their credentials for new opportunities. Can one then fail to understand the plight of unmarketable political appointees who are now singing the praise of their Paymaster with the highest pitch in other to be re-appointed in case he got re-elected? One of the crooners, ‘Doyin Okupe, Senior Special Assistant – Public Affairs, sang the wrong refrain during the week when he purred the following lyrics: “Nobody knows the trouble he bears; Nobody knows Goodluck’s sorrows; Nobody knows the trouble Ebele bears; Glory Hallelujah… Sometime Azikiwe’s up, Sometime Jonathan is down; Sometime he’s in the valley of despair; Nobody knows the burden he bears, Nobody knows his terrible pains; Nobody knows how he groans, Glory Hallelujah….!” According to this political jobber, people do not understand the burden, this President is bearing; “He’s bearing the burden of Nigeria as, JESUS CHRIST bore the burden of the World,” he unequivocally quivered! *What a brazen blasphemy; what an outburst from a typical man of the earth, a display of carnal whoredom, a sacrilegious vituperation of a sadistic mind! Which mere mortal could be compared with the Son of God, whose virgin birth through the Holy Ghost remains the greatest mystery that is beyond human comprehension! In a very clear and unambiguous declaration, the Bible says: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways my ways, declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher that the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” [Isaiah. 55:8-9]. *Okupe’s refrain was no doubt the product of an unregenerate mind, seared with hot iron; and this was confirmed in one of the publications in which he confessed that he was not sure of being a ‘born again’ Christian! [John.3:3-8]. *If he were, he would have read the Holy Bible and discovered that God the Father, (the God Head), God the Son, (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit, [i e. God The Trinity], created, the heaven, earth, all organic and inorganic elements and Man. [Genesis. 1:1-2:25]. *HE WOULD ALSO HAVE LEARNT THAT GOD THE FATHER AND GOD THE SON, ARE ONE AND THE SAME SPIRIT BEING AND SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN COMPARED TO A MERE UNRIGHTEOUS MORTAL LIKE GOODLUCK JONATHAN WHO TOLD THE WHOLE WORLD THAT HE WOULD NOT CONTEST THE 2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, BUT HAS SURREPTITIOUSLY EMERGED AS THE CONCENSUS AND SOLE CANDIDATE OF HIS VEXATIOUS PARTY THAT SWIMS IN CORRUPTION WITH IMPUNITY! [John.5:17-24; 14:6-20]. *The Lord Jesus Christ never told a LIE, He was sinless, pure, holy, righteous, honourable, incorruptible, perfect, distinguished, very outstanding and impeccable! *The first verse of the Bible introduced GOD as the creator of the heaven and the earth and not with philosophic contentions over His existence! From Genesis, the Bible bears witness to the Self-sufficient God, who speaks and acts in consistency with Himself and with the total revelation concerning Him in the entire 66 Books, written by some 44 writers within a period of 2000years! *The story of humanity in relation to God is the continuous story of the Bible and its central theme is Jesus Christ who is manifested as God in the flesh! “Great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world and received up unto glory.” [1Timothy.3:16]. *His sacrificial death and His resurrection constitute the gospel of salvation which is the ultimate expression of God’s unflinching love for mankind! “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”[John.3:16]. * Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Man, Son of Abraham, Son of David, thus binds the many books into one Book and the topmost priority of His mission to the world was to reconcile the rebellious Man back to his Creator at the very great price of His precious blood shed at Calvary, over 2000 years ago! *Did you know that the whole family in heaven and on earth is named after God and that the word, ‘family’, applies to all free moral off-spring of God – whether by direct creation, begetting, or adoption – past, present and future. [Read, Ephesians.3:14-21]. *THEREFORE, GOD IS THE DIVINE INSTITUTION WHOM ALL OF MANKIND MUST WORSHIP, REVERE, FEAR AND RELIGIOUSLY OBEY HIS HOLY LAWS, STATUTES, COMMANDMENTS AND PRECEPTS WITH DILLIGENT ALERTNESS OF BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT, BECAUSE HIS SPIRITUAL IDENTITY AND EXISTENCE, IS REAL AND HAS NEVER BEEN IN DOUBT! *The God who made the world and everything in it is the LORD of Heaven and Earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. *From one man, He made every nation of men that they should inhabit the earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. *God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being. We are His offspring! *But there are many FAITHS AND PHILOSOPHIES IN THE WORLD: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Jewish Cabalism, Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC), Hermetic, Free Masonry, Paganism, Epicureans, Stoics, Rosicrucian Fraternity, Grail Movement, Gnostics; are only but a few. *In spite of all human philosophies and scientific deductions in respect of the wonders of the universe and the supreme, supernatural power behind all the marvels of the Sun, Moon and Stars hanging there in the firmament, people of all Faiths believe in a divine existence which some describe as MYSTERIOUS! *The Christian Holy Bible says: “We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him, [Jesus Christ], the iniquity of us all. [Isaiah. 53:6]. *CHRISTMAS is celebrated all over the world to commemorate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ by whom were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions or principalities, or powers, all things were created for him and by him! And He is before all things and by Him all things consist. *DECEMBER 25, 2014, IS ANOTHER COMMEMORATION OF THE BIRTH OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHEN ALL OF CREATION SHOULD REJOICE FOR THIS WONDERFUL GIFT OF GOD’S SALVATION TO THE WORLD! “For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father; The Prince of Peace. “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth and even forever. “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” [Isaiah.9:6-7]. *The central theme of the Holy Bible is Jesus Christ whose birth the whole world celebrates annually at Christmas and His death and resurrection at Easter. *As the Seed of the woman, (Genesis. 3:15), Jesus Christ is the ultimate destroyer of Satan and his works. *As the Seed of Abraham, He is the benefactor of the world; [Gen.12:3; compare, 17:19]; *As Seed of David, He is King of Israel, “desire of all nations” (Haggai.2:6-7). *As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember that the Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled His Ministry on earth and is now in the most exalted position at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. He is Head over all to the CHURCH, which is His Body; while to Israel and all nations of the world, the promise of His return forms the one and only rational expectation that humanity will yet fulfil itself. (Acts of the Apostles. 1:11). *While we wait as members of the body of Christ, we should edify ourselves with the words of the MOST RIGHTEOUS ONE who promised, “I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also,” and to Him whom the Holy Spirit throughout this Church Age bears testimony. [John.14:3; 17:24; Revelation. 1:1-2]. *Doyin Okupe slandered against our Lord Jesus Christ, he used his tongue to defame, abuse, scandalize, belittle and blacken the holy and righteous character and pedigree of our God because of 30 PIECES OF JUDAS’S SILVER and must be ready to face the consequences of his deceitful tongue! [Exodus. 23:1; Psalm. 52:2-5]. *Jesus Christ became the Son of Man that we might become the sons of God. He was born of a peasant woman in an obscure village with neither wealth nor influence, training nor education, yet in infancy he startled the wise men and kings, puzzled doctors and professors of law. During His divine Ministry, He healed multitudes without medicine and without charging fees! He never wrote a book, yet all the libraries of the world could not hold the books that could be written about Him, He never wrote a song, yet He has furnished the theme of more songs than all song writers combined. He never founded a college, yet all the colleges together cannot boast of as many students as He! *Jesus Christ was rich, yet for your sakes, He became poor! Popular opinion turned against Him, He was betrayed and turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial and nailed to the CROSS between two thieves! * But in spite of all His travails, all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built, all the parliaments that ever sat, all kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of Man as powerfully as has this one outstanding and exemplary life worthy of emulation! *Great men have come and gone, but the Lord Jesus Christ lives on! Death could not destroy Him! The grave could not hold Him! * “Behold, the world is gone after Him; “Let us also go; “If thou seek Him, He will be found of thee.” [John 12:19; 11:16; 1 Chronicles.28:9]. *Prophet Isaiah in his prediction of the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, puts it this way: *O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say onto the cities of Judah, BEHOLD YOUR GOD!” [Isaiah. 40: 9-10]. * If we are truly the offspring of GOD, this period of the commemoration of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is best to re-appraise our spiritual life and focus more on things above and no longer on mundane things of the earth, so that when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory. *We all need to mortify, put to death, whatever belongs to our earthly nature, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry because the WRATH OF GOD is set to descend upon all defaulters. We must also rid ourselves of such negative attitudes as anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from our lips! *In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now HE COMMANDS ALL PEOPLE EVERYWHERE TO REPENT! FOR HE HAS SET A DAY WHEN HE WILL JUDGE THE WORLD WITH JUSTICE BY THE MAN, (JESUS CHRIST), WHOM HE HAS APPOINTED! *HE has given proof of this to all men by RAISING HIM FROM THE DEAD! *JESUS CHRIST IS ALIVE! HE IS ALIVE TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER! If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations. Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access,to this newsletter, log on to: facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch . I am, Yours sincerely,Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor.08130669886, 08098194390.g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com .]