Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Let your light shine before men…

By Pastor Lazarus Muoka
11 April 2021   |   4:13 am
The word light is coined from two Latin words, luc, lux meaning light and lucere meaning to shine. Light is something that makes vision possible. The sensation is aroused by stimulation of the visual receptors...

Jubilating worshippers at the Easter Crusade tagged: God’s Covenant of Peace and Blessing at Chosen Revival ground, Ijesha, Lagos

Matthew 5:14-16, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

The word light is coined from two Latin words, luc, lux meaning light and lucere meaning to shine. Light is something that makes vision possible. The sensation is aroused by stimulation of the visual receptors; an electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength travelling at speed of about 300,000 kilometres per second. The radiation is visible to the human eye making the clarity of the environment possible. At the spiritual level, light connotes spiritual illumination, inner light, enlightenment, and truth. Our Lord Jesus Christ is an embodiment of all these attributes. It is the great importance God attaches to light that made Him create it first and said it is good; Genesis 1:3-4, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” As light came, darkness disappeared immediately.

In the context of the above scripture, light is used figuratively to connote the harbinger of good things. In the physical realm, a man who brings development to any community in terms of social amenities, such as electricity, pipe borne water, good roads or helped young boys and girls attend schools to acquire Western education will be said to have brought light to the people of that environment.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the light of the world. He brought salvation to all human beings through His sacrificial death on the Cross of Calvary; thereby making reconciliation between God and men possible. The people following His teachings and footsteps He called the light of the world. These people should continue in the good works He started and those works should shine before men to make them give glory to their Father, the Almighty God in heaven. In John 8:12, our Lord Jesus Christ presented Himself as the light of the world in this way, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”. The people following our Lord Jesus Christ are also the light of the world. The legacy Jesus Christ imparted on them is what they are meant to project to the people of the world. In Antioch, followers of Jesus Christ so projected these legacies that they were called the Christ-like people shortened to Christians. In Acts of Apostles 11:26, the Bible presents this thus, “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch”. The disciples of Jesus Christ in Antioch were seen sharing whatever they have with one another. The burden of anyone of them was shared by all and solution brought through the contribution of everyone. At the same time, having been with our Lord Jesus Christ and received the message of salvation from Him, they passed the same message to all people to bring salvation to all. This is what should be obtainable wherever Christians find themselves. The people in that environment must feel the positive impact of their good works in terms of preaching the gospel and doing good to all. It may not be a bread and butter life, as serving God and making your impact to be positively felt by the people around will not be a bed of roses. In the course of doing good, some people will hate you hence; persecution will come but be strong in the Lord. The Bible says in 2nd Timothy 3:10-12, “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”. When your Christian life grows to a level your light begins to shine before men, the kingdoms of darkness will arise against you, setting their human agents to attack and persecute you. At this point, leaning on Christ and the Grace of God, you must apply patience, longsuffering and faith and God will deliver you in the end.

Some few years back, the Lord’s Chosen, as a ministry, faced persecution from the kingdom of darkness. But we trusted in God and He delivered us from them all, and even made us stronger. Persecutions and afflictions must never deter you from fulfilling your ministry. The apostles and disciples of old accomplished their ministries despite all odds. In Colossian 4:17, the Bible says, “And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it”. Anyone that puts his hands on the plough and looks back is not worthy of the Kingdom of God. The ministry God has given you must not be abandoned half way, due to persecution. It must be fulfilled; the circumstance one faces in the course of the work notwithstanding. The disciples of old, all suffered persecutions and even death. Aside John the beloved, who wrote the book of Revelation that died a natural death, all the apostles were murdered either by hanging, crucifixion, stoning or in one painful way or the other.

However, none of them was afraid to continue preaching the gospel to ensure the fulfilment of their ministries.

Their light shined before men till death. They were always encouraged by one another and by the grace of God.

In 1st Corinthians 16:13-17, the Bible x-rays how they were encouraged thus, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 14 Let all your things be done with charity. 15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) 16 That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to everyone that helpeth with us, and laboureth. 17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied”. God is interested in you fulfilling your ministry, as He will supply you with the needed resources. When God is with you, ensure you hold Him faithfully. Keep on preaching the gospel of salvation, giving help to the needy to the best of your ability and let your actions and inactions bring people to Christ, so that through your works, they will see Christ and glorify God and both you and them will make heaven at last in Jesus name.

Testimony Of The Lord’s Doing
Saved From Domestic Accident
MY name is brother Philip. I came to the Chosen in January 2005. I reside in FESTAC town and I’m very happy and privileged to be a Chosen. I’m equally very happy that my family, my wife and children are Chosen. Now my testimony:

I call this an Easter testimony because it happened during the 2009 Easter retreat, the year I travelled to Jos. After my assignment in Jos, I was hurrying back with my wife so we wouldn’t miss the retreat. In the course of the journey, we made a stop-over in Benin and on Saturday, we rushed and came back straight to the crusade ground. On Sunday, when the crusade was supposed to end, our daddy in the Lord said, “Monday is public holiday. You should all come back on Monday.” He extended the retreat to Monday. So, I was a little disturbed, because I’m a lawyer by profession and I had a case in court on Tuesday. So, I wanted to go to my office on Monday to check my files and go to court on Tuesday. I asked my wife to go to church with the children on Monday, while I go to the office, but my wife insisted that we came to church together. I listened to her and we came to church. After our G.O finished that day, I asked them to follow me to the office, so that I could pick up some files and books, then we would go back to the house, and then I would do some work and get ready for Tuesday. As we got to the office, I opened my secretary’s office and there was no problem. But when I opened my office, the door refused to open and I was with the key. Then l pushed the door, lo and behold, I saw that the decking of the office had already collapsed on top of my seat where I would have been sitting, if I had gone to the office that morning. And there was a big chunk of concrete lying on the chair there. I really thank God, for if l had gone to the office that morning, maybe the concrete would have fallen on me, but the God of Chosen saved me, using the extension of that crusade, so that I would be alive today. Chosen praise the Lord.

Another miracle that accompanied that incident was that immediately this happened, I knew I didn’t have an office again because the debris destroyed my computer and so many other things. There and then, a client called me and I told him what happened. He said l should come, that he had prepared an office for me. Eventually, l went to see the man and surprisingly, he gave me an office, which l used free of charge from 2009 till 2016, when I left that place. God of Chosen is so great, may His name be glorified

The second testimony has to do with the encounter I had in December 1999, at Ladipo with a mechanic who was a Muslim. We wanted to go and buy an engine for my car, which had a knocked engine. All the shops where we wanted to buy the engine were closed. So, we asked the people around and they told us that a pastor was preaching, and people selling had gone there to listen to him. I was in a hurry, so I was not bothered. But as we were going, the mechanic heard our G.O. preaching. He then said to me, “Oga, wetin this pastor dey preach, e get sense ooo. Make we hear am.” So, we went there and sat down and listened to the message. In fact, I was so absorbed by the message that I asked the mechanic how I could get to the pastor. Unfortunately, the man gave me wrong information. I was told to go somewhere in Surulere, where I would see him. I went and kept searching, but I didn’t see him or his church. I said in mind, ‘this man of God, wherever you are, I want to see you.’ This continued until 2004, when I eventually discovered the Lord’s Chosen. Thank God that today, I’m a Chosen with my family. Praise the Lord!

0 Comments