Clearing the Conscience of the Worshiper

This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. (Hebrews 9:9)

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. (Hebrews 10:1,2)

The Book of Hebrews states that the new covenant is superior to the old covenant, to the Law of Moses. It often is expressed that the new covenant is superior because it includes a better forgiveness. Although under the Law of Moses the worshiper supposedly was forgiven through the shedding of the blood of bulls and goats, in actuality the forgiveness of the old covenant merely lo oked forward to Calvary. Now, however, under the new covenant, we really are forgiven, it is claimed.

All hell breaks loose over Christian Oscar nod

Like David versus Goliath, an upstart Christian film has shocked the world by winning an unlikely victory in the form of an Academy Award nomination. Only this time, the crowds aren’t cheering for David. Instead, mainstream-media Oscar watchers across the nation have blasted the Academy for choosing the hymn-like testament to God’s presence over hits by pop artists like Jay-Z and Taylor Swift. “I can’t figure any of this s— out,” an unnamed competitor told the Hollywood Reporter, or THR, after learning his or her song was beaten out by “Alone Yet Not Alone,” the title song from the faith-themed movie of the same name. 

“It is difficult to understand why ‘Alone Yet Not Alone’ snagged an Oscar nomination over more acclaimed and high-profile competitors,” THR remarked, claiming multiple people whose songs were snubbed by Academy’s music branch wonder how “a song that has been heard by virtually no one outside the branch from a film that hardly anyone has seen” secured an Oscar nomination. Across the country, dozens of Hollywood-watching publications were quick to heap criticism on “Alone Yet Not Alone.” The Wire called the song “the year’s most WTF [what the f---] Oscar nominee,” and Ty Burr of Boston Globe penned a blog post about “Alone Yet Not Alone” titled “The Oscar nomination that stinks to heaven.” “Its inclusion is questionable, and evidence that strides still need to be made when it comes to the Oscar song field,” reads a particularly pointed criticism from the Los Angeles Times.

What Is Faith? - Part 1

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4)

The Scriptures reveal the true faith, and the understanding of the statement, "the just shall live by faith." True scriptural faith always comes from God into the spirit of the believer, not from the mental and soulish efforts of the individual. True faith always is employed to find the will of God and to do it, not to direct God to do whatever the Christian desires. True faith always lives in works. There is no such thing as an abstract faith, a faith not expressed in some kind of works. To live by faith is not to adopt a doctrinal position but to live in a close relationship with God, always depending on Him for all our needs.

We have come to the conclusion after many years of thought and experience that there are major errors in current Christian thinking. Somehow our concept of the plan of salvation has gotten off course. The fruit of the error can be observed in the pathetic state of the Christian testimony in the so-called "free" nations of our day.

It seems to us that at least part of the problem arises from our interpretation of the cry of the Protestant Reformers, "the just shall live by faith." In particular, the error springs from our understanding of faith.

What is faith ?

Homosexuality can be cured like other ‘bodily deficiencies’ such as high blood pressure: new cardinal

MADRID and ROME — Spain’s newly appointed cardinal to Rome has insisted that homosexuality can be cured with treatment and likened it to other “bodily deficiencies” such as high blood pressure.

The comments by Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, who was named one of 19 new cardinals by Pope Francis last week, provoked an immediate backlash in Spain.

The 84-year-old Archbishop Emeritus of Pamplona said: “Homosexuality is a deficient way of manifesting sexuality because [sexuality] has a structure and a purpose, which is procreation. Homosexuality, which can’t achieve this purpose, is a failing,” he said  in an interview with Malaga-based newspaper Diario Sur, published on Sunday.

Snake-handling preacher dies from rattlesnake bite in West Virginia

West Virginia preacher Mark Randall "Mack" Wolford, who believed Christians should handle snakes to test their faith, died after a rattlesnake bit him over the weekend.

Wolford was bitten on the thigh about 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, but he didn't come to the hospital until 10:30 p.m., a nursing supervisor at Bluefield Regional Medical Center told the Charleston Daily Mail. The incident occurred during an outdoor service at Panther State Forest, about 80 miles west of Bluefield in southern West Virginia, the paper said.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS TO ALL OUR READERS

Sukkot call blog will now feature news development and stories as it affect the Christian faith in addition to the regular Christian oriented kingdom teachings and worship video and audio songs. The teachings on this blog will centre on "The gospel of the kingdom" (Matthew 24:14)

Hope you find it interesting. We are also expecting great feedback from you. 

Please use the following:

sukkotcallconnect@gmail.com
@WOlakunle (Twitter)


Thanks.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Welcoming you to a year filled with pleasant promises. May your name be written in gold. May God's goodness fill your home throughout the year in Jesus name. May you overcome every challenges that come your way this year in Jesus name. May God's protection see you through this year in Jesus name. May you finish it in sound health, divine acceleration, divine provisions and greater revelations of Christ in Jesus name.

Cheers to all our readers. Happy New Year once again. 

CHRIS TOMLIN - Sovereign

Enjoy this wonderful worship song.

HERE COMES THE 4-7 SEMINAR 2013.

THEME: The Way into The Holiest 
DATE: Sat. 14-15 December, 2013.
TIME: 12 Noon daily.
VENUE: 6, Ramos Street, Opp. Dorman Long, Mosalasi B/Stop, Off Agege Motor Road, Surulere, Lagos.

SUFFERING AND GLORY – PART 1

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (II Corinthians 4:4)

Who has shone in our hearts?

The same God who in the beginning commanded the light to shine out of darkness.

What light has God shed in our hearts?

The light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ.

In what vessel are we holding this treasure, the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ?

The "Singles" Group – Part 4

As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (Matthew 13:40,41)

Notice that the tares are gathered out of Christ's Kingdom, implying that at one time they had considered themselves to be part of the Kingdom of God. Notice also the tares are not those who did not believe the correct theology or make the correct profession of faith in Christ. The tares are those who "do iniquity," who behave wickedly. Without doubt, numerous individuals who attend evangelical churches will be removed from the Kingdom of God in the Day of the Lord even though their pastors have comforted them with the thought that if they profess faith in Christ they never can be lost to the purposes of God.

The "Singles" Group – Part 3

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. (Luke 11:20)

When we come to the Lord Jesus and give ourselves to Him, He forgives our sins. Christ forgives our sins with the intention of delivering us from our sins.

The Kingdom of God comes to us as Christ enters us and the devil is removed from us. We have entered fully into the Kingdom of God when Satan can find nothing of himself in us, and everything in us has been born of Christ and is in union with Christ.

REPORT - CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP UPGRADE 2 - PART 3

Pastor Wole Olakunle of The Third Temple (Church of The Firstborn), visited the theme of the Leadership Upgrade - In The Days Of Famine - and defined famine as a period characterized by shortage or absence of food. He stated that the longer the period, the more severe the famine. Absence of food, he explained could be caused by drought, a season of no rainfall.

Painting a scenario, he made it clear that three things were crucial to the process of planting, growing and producing food. These include -

1)  Availability of soil.

2)  Availability of seed.

3)  Rainfall.

"Upgrade 6.0 cometh"

It's time for the last Christian Leadership Upgrade for the year and is the 6th edition. I am expecting the glory of the latter house to be greater than the beginning. (Hag 2:9) I am praying for the end to be better and greater than the beginning in Jesus name. (Eccl 7:8).

We hope to see you.

What a great time at Upgrade 5?

The praise of the Lord God Almighty shall continually be in our mouth for the all-round success of the Christian Leadership Upgrade so far.

When the Lord instructed me to focus on Matthew 24 for the Upgrade series this year, I never knew it contained so much. We have learned and still learning from this profound chapter of the scriptures. Everyone who has been part of Upgrades could testify so much of the tremendous insights gained about God’s coming kingdom, the events build up, the global play-out and our preparation towards it. Each edition has been a learning curve for me; it is like God teaching me to teach others. I appreciated all those who prayed for us, those who wished us well and more especially those who came. I appreciate you all. Thank you.

Behold Upgrade 5 cometh !!! (CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP UPGRADE)

Nature and humanity are both decaying. Incredible and bemusing occurrences pervading the atmosphere daily as a whirl-wind.

It was prophesied by Jesus Christ that as a sign of the end of the age, iniquity shall abound and the love of many shall wax cold. (Matthew 24:12).

At the Christian Leadership Upgrade (CLU) holding monthly in Lagos, Nigeria, differing shades and dimensions of the end-time signs are being unearthed. Closer and indeed around you are some of these signs than you may have realized.
Much more of the literal, symbolic and spiritual meanings and implications of these icons identified in Matthew 24 would again, be laid bare at the 5th Christian Leadership Upgrade. 


THEME: The Abomination of Desolation - Matt 24:15
Matt 24:15-16

"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), (Matthew 24:15) NKJV

Jesus said, whoever reads, let him understand. Understanding is what we shall gain by the power of the Spirit as we’re witnessing on a grand scale the abomination that causes desolation Jesus spoke about.


Do not miss out of this unique moment of spiritual re-awakening and sensitization to God's desire, purpose, signs and seasons at this time.

REPORT - CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP UPGRADE 2 - PART 2

From his explanation, a church ravaged by famine exhibit certain features. These include, but not limited to, recycling of old teachings or sermon; copying or replicating what other churches around do; desperation to make "things happen" one way or the other; high tendency toward seeking other source(s) of "power".

Living in God is a journey of life from one destination to another. Every church or people genuinely committed to Christ from the point of surrendering to Him, "is or are usually subjected to God's weighing scale" at one point or the other. This is clearly established in the scripture. "And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, 'Come and see, and I beheld, and lo a black horse and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. V- 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, 'A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. (Revelation 6:5-6).

REPORT - CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP UPGRADE 2 - PART 1

The firmament was bright and harmless showing no sign of an impending rainfall. The sun was milder than the usual in a hot season. Cool, calm and re-assuring was the atmosphere under which the Christian Leadership Upgrade 2, held in Lagos recently.

After the formalities of registration and exchange of pleasantries among brethren in the auditorium, a shout of “praise the Lord” pierced through the atmosphere and broke its relative quietude, more so, with a deafening response of “hallelujah", from those seated in the room. And by the third time this was repeated, the atmosphere was totally changed to that suggestive of a troop in high spirit for warfare.

INVITING YOU TO CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP UPGRADE 4

"Gban gan uuuun! Gban gan uuuuun!! Gban gan uuuuuu!!!
So it was thousands of years ago, one man began to ring the bell of truth and he did for 120 years. The man, known as Noah, was busy sounding relentlessly the alarm of righteousness to all who could hear him. Not that alone, he was also engaged by the side, with the construction of an Ark as a proof and testifier of his importunate clamour for uprightness on the earth. 

Today, another Ark let down from heaven is - The Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14), a trumpet of and for truth, clearly distinctive from all other gospels.
And in furtherance of unveiling different portions and compartments of this ark, we present this edition called UPGRADE 4 focused primarily and assuredly on "THE COMING ECLIPSE", as predicted by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24:29. I believe we all need to be informed about this coming event , hence we are expecting YOU.

The issue of Church Unity – YEMI OBIDEYI

"And He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers; v-12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry; for the edifying of the body of Christ. V-13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, "and the knoweledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-13).

Various attempts in time past to foster unity among Church denominations had failed woefully. In most cases, what usually started with an aphoristic drive to unite the churches often fizzled into a faded hope and the desired unity remains elusive.

Dis-unity among the church called by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ is an indication of spiritual immaturity. It depicts the state of being susceptible to the wind of doctrines - each of which is a measure of truth taken from the Bible, but not the whole truth (Christ Himself). 

The "Singles" Group – Part 2

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6:12-13)


The Apostle Paul never taught we could state our belief in Christ and then remain "unmarried."

The Ten Commandments are binding on all people (especially on God's Israel) for all time until they die and are raised with Christ,.

Romans 10:9,10 can be construed to mean in order to be saved it is necessary only to confess Christ and profess to believe God has raised Him from the dead. But such an interpretation requires that we ignore the remainder of the Book of Romans. The sixth chapter of Romans teaches that we must, if we would obtain eternal life, choose to be servants of righteousness.

A New Move of God Is Emerging - LOREN SANDFORD

Percolating beneath the surface for a very long time, a significant shift—a new pulse of the Spirit that may never have an identifying name—is now beginning to take shape. 

For the last several years, hunger for this new thing has been growing in the hearts of folks I've met in my travels. In many cities and nations, a vague but growing sense of disappointment has taken root in the hearts of believers trying hard to feel touched by the noise, the hype and the supernatural promises served up by well-meaning teachers with great ministries and powerful messages that nevertheless fail to satisfy the real hunger. 

CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP UPGRADE: What a blast at Upgrade 3

What a blast at Upgrade 3 (the Christian Leadership Upgrade) last Saturday! (August 17). It was a time of discovery, insight, revelation, excavation and re-construction.

There, we learned about the builders of Zion versus the builders of Babylon-the great war of values. In the first segment, we saw the architecture of Babylon and how their builders capture culture, overturn the boundaries of creation, erect pillars of pollution  destroying values and restraint, corrupting religion, weakening righteousness and promoting alternate lifestyles.  The architects of Babylon are purposely engaging mindset, shifting paradigms away from the fear of God while those God expected to build Zion and inculcate righteous values have changed their course to raising block and cement, building gigantic edifices and external paraphernalia instead of pulling down mental strongholds, overturn the high places that condition the power centres of the earth.

REPORT: CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP UPGRADE - UPGRADE I – Part 4 (CONCLUDING PART)

Again, what have you been leading people to? Are you leading people into your church or Christ? Do the people around you- friends, relations, colleagues, customers -find Christ in your conduct?

A lot of Christians are no longer sensitive to that which pollutes the heart. ''American Idol”, “Nigerian Idol” and "Project Fame'' etcetera have become their favorite television programmes. Like one in bewilderment, Olakunle asked '' does it mean the word ''idol” no longer irritate the hearts of believers in Christ? Is idol anything a Christian should allow around him, let alone embrace under any circumstance? What with the obnoxious and abominable trend whereby Christians vote as their heroes and heroine, musicians who promote immoral, despicable and carnal-minded songs?

REPORT: CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP UPGRADE - Upgrade 1 - Part 3

In this folk, only a very few had a piece of armour on them. Identity of this group was not clear, not even the more visible few standing by the banner. This was so because they kept drifting from one banner to another.

Fighting constantly broke out among members of this army especially the recruits, leaving many with bodily injury now and then. The Generals were more pre-occupied with talking about selves and thereafter engaged one another in a brawl. Pronounced among them also were erratic decisions, confusion and stagnation.