Meeting: Sunday Service
Minister: Pastor Olaide Olaniyan
The first and most basic unit of the community is the home. Also the first and most basic place given for the expression of the church is in the home. The first place that is given to you to express faith is within the home and not even outside. (1 Timothy 5:4) – “4 But if any widow has children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.” Scriptures even said that the first level of piety or kindness should first be shown in the home. This is why Satan attacks the home so severely.
Satan isn’t against the preaching of gospel but against the application of the word of God in the home. Satan has an agenda to ensure people do things that are against the word of God in the home so as to promote sin and wickedness. This is why we have bad leaders and all – everything started from the home.
(Proverbs 22:6) – “6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Scripture says we should train up a child in the way he should go, so when we see someone that is doing contrary to what the word of God says, it means the person was not trained. This means that God expects us to do a pure work in our homes, a work that cannot be repented of. “…and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”- If there is a departing, then the work was not done well.
Part of the assaults of the enemy is to ensure that people don’t get it right: getting it right as husbands and wives, parents and even children.
The Apostles were not presumptuous in leaving the matters of life application of the truth of scripture to the interpretation of every individual. (1 Corinthians 1:2) – “2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s.” The church in Corinth needed apostolic sight to set things straight in the church and the home. This is why spiritual authority should not be excluded from matters of one’s life because of oversight. Spiritual Authorities and ministry gifts are to guide to truth and its life application.
As people walking in light, we think we can always get it right, but this is false because by reason of experience, spiritual authority can guide and counsel us better on some matters.
The home begins from a union called marriage. It’s beautiful when people are in Christ before they get married – that way, the foundation for a spiritual home will be well laid. It is good for a believer to be enlightened before entrance into marriage. But it isn’t everyone who is privileged to have known Christ before marriage. However, this shouldn’t be justified thinking the marriage will magically be blessed to be a spiritual home. However, we should note that the times that Jesus encounters people differs. But it’s beautiful when people choose their spouse according to light in Christ.
The issue about marriage is not even the joining but a whole lot. Marriage is not a social construct. It is the construct of heaven. When God was thinking of marriage, He wasn’t thinking reproduction and child bearing, He had a purpose! So, marriage is not for procreation like animals do. God had something in mind for Marriage. Marriage in God’s heart represents a union between Christ and the church. There is an eternal play in the mind of God that He wants to play out in man.
The relationship between Christ and the church is the relationship between the saviour and the saved – MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP IS SALVATION CENTRIC. Marriage is God’s intention for salvation.
Marriage was made for the man who had not sin, it predated the fall. The man laden with sin cannot fulfil or interpret God’s intent concerning the union. A man will only interpret God’s intent concerning marriage to the degree he has been purified from sin. That’s why the concept of a perfect marriage is only possible amongst people growing in light.
To understand marriage we must understand God’s plan for individuals. A wrong concept about marriage is the concept of partnership. Though this is true in a sense but beyond partnership, God wants to bring two persons together who will both attain salvation or eat of the tree of life. God has a salvation package for the man and for the woman in the union of marriage.
After the fall, there was no man, even David could not attain the intent of God in marriage. This is because sin has beaten man down to a level he can’t appreciate the judgement and standard of God concerning marriage.
Marriage must birth life, a man’s soul under sin cannot relate to the commandments of marriage. It’s a commandment a sinful man cannot take. The commandments God gives is in the degree to which we have been purged.
When we say marriage is till death do us part, we usually think it’s only death that makes marriage void – this is a misconception. The first ground that actually voids a marriage is unbelief or departure from the faith. The truth of the scripture is that a soul who is not staying in faith is dead. Marriage is for people who are alive and progressing in life – life of Christ.
For instance, being a victim of circumstance can make one get intimate with an unbeliever, however, it is not a ground for being yoked with them, because scriptures have warned us to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
The very first ground to annul marriage is departure from faith. As believers we shouldn’t have any basis for marrying someone who is not of our faith, because to fully interpret the counsel of God in Marriage, the two parties must be in light. (2 Corinthians 6:14) – “14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”
(1 Corinthians 7:12-15) – “12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. 13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. 15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.”
We see here that before a believer can stay in the marriage union with an unbeliever, the unbelieving person must be pleased to dwell with him/her. This means the unbelieving person must be content with the laws of the God of the believer. But if the unbelieving person wants to depart, we should let him depart in peace.
Faith is a principal part in which a union in God can be voided! The faith is core to the home. When a man loses faith, he loses the licence to hold a family according to God, because he will make a mess of it. When God gives a man a wife, she isn’t sentenced to perpetual bondage under a faithless man.
Central to the core of marriage is holding onto faith, or journeying in light. The business of man is to primarily care for the things of the Lord – “32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:32) The time in singlehood has a purpose, it’s to be given to the lord. We can sometimes waste our free time as singles on other things, insomuch, scripture says anyone below the age of 60 should marry, so as not to waste time on other things.
Scriptures saying that the person that is married careth for the things of this world, doesn’t mean the married person is now carnal. What scriptures mean is that the Lord has given the man a woman to wife, and as the man pleases the woman, his wife he pleases the Lord.
Marriage is a privilege – a privilege to have someone in close proximity that will interpret the laws and expressions of salvation. This is also because to complete the program of salvation without marriage is difficult.
The core of marriage is faith, some might enter into marriage with faith, but if any party wishes to depart, then none is bound by the covenant of the union. One of the ground rules in a family is that they should be using the law of God to live.
Home training is beyond learning to keep the kitchen and going to market, but it’s all about presence and training a child how to to keep the laws of God in presence. Every expression of outward activity (e.g respect for elders, going to markets etc) should ooze and stem from how to obey the laws of God. The true training of a child is a training in the way, when a child is well trained in the way, every other life expression will flow from the way. The duties of a parent is to ensure children learn ways.
Being responsible is good, however, it can be the perfect cloak to carnality.
As married men, followership isn’t commanded, it’s earned, it takes power to lead. God hates divorce, but the commandments of not to divorce given more primarily to the man and not the woman. It’s unscriptural to think marriages cannot be disannulled – “10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: 11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.” (1 Corinthians 7:10-11)
Every husband must rule the house in the fear of the Lord, He should lead in the way of God. Both the wife and children should see how the husband and father is following the lord and desire to walk in thine stead. God wants the man to live and lead in a way that both wife and children will follow voluntarily – “19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” (Genesis 18:19)
A husband is not just a provider, but an apostle and servant of the way, even one who can vividly show the way and earn compelling obedience.
The marriage, when contracted according to the law of God, runs according to the laws of life.
In marriage, the two gender roles are not equal, there is no woman right or equality in roles. The reason why women in the society advocate for gender equality and so on is because there is a breakdown in the authority of the man, when men begin to take their place, these things would stop.
In marriage, there is the head and the body – “3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. 5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.” – (1 Corinthians 11:3-5). It’s not a coming together of equals, there is order and a flow of authority. It’s not because the man has money or because he pays the bill, but it is God’s design.
Husbands are ministers of salvation, they are the saviour of the body, being the head isn’t because they have the final authority but because they have the ability to save. It’s upon the husband God rests the principal work of driving the agenda of salvation in a home. To get this done, the husband must be ready to persevere, yield ground, and tolerate until the programme of salvation is fully wrought in a soul.
For the purpose of God to be fulfilled on earth, we must have a tight family unit on the path of life.
(Ephesians 6:1-2) – “2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise.” This commandment is sometimes misunderstood. Yes, we should obey our parents, but in the Lord and according to the word of God. As Children, scriptures don’t encourage us to obey our parents when they instruct us in bizarre and awkward things which are against our faith, however, we should honour our parents at all times.
For children to obey parents in the Lord, then the instructions of the parents also must be according to light, this is why every parent should be a seeker of light. Even when we disagree with our parents, we should do it with the spirit of meekness and honour. As parents, we should have an atmosphere and culture of honour in our home. Children should learn honour in the home.
It’s the responsibility of parents to teach their children to honour presence even though they can’t see God and also they should be taught how to revere the Lord in meetings.
The secret to long life and prosperity is honour – honouring our parents. There is no shortcut to this. When we honour our parents, first it will be well with us, and we will live long. Under no circumstance should we dishonour our parents because violation of the laws of honour will make the earth revolt against us – this is why sicknesses come to us as a result of dishonour. Some infirmities that cut the life of man short on earth will depart from us if we keep the law of honour.
As parents too, we shouldn’t provoke our children to wrath, we shouldn’t favour one over another, even if the Lord has spoken. Just like with Jacob and Esau, because the Lord said He loved Jacob, we saw how the parents acted favourably towards Jacob than Esau which became a problem. So provoking our children is not about flogging them all the time but can show in how we favour one child over another.
(Matthew 18:10-11) – “10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” We must culture the presence of supernatural beings, and angels around children, they must know atmosphere of the spirit and know how to receive and entertain them (strangers).
When our brethren offend us, we are admonished by scriptures to speak with our brethren to settle it, sometimes we do not need to tolerate it with the mind of forbearance or use it to grow – this is because our brother may not know that what he does offends us – “15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” (Matthew 18:15) The essence of this is for salvation, so that we can gain our brethren. With this, you are supposed to speak with the offensive brethren alone.
We shouldn’t easily give up on our brethren when they offend us, we should go every length, and do everything within our power to reconcile and be at peace with our brethren so we can gain them. God placed us as an agent of Salvation in our home and in our days, salvation will prosper there in Jesus name.
Tongues and Interpretation
I am bringing healing
I bring healing to lies that have been said to the heart
I bring healing, for hitherto, this has hindered you and limited your journey –
because you have held on to that lie.
But I bring healing to your heart
I say be free
I bring healing and you will be made free
I was sent for this purpose – to save you.
I am an angel of light
For indeed I have come to shine light to that dark place –
yea to that dirty place.
It’s a lie the evil one has painted to your heart
So I have sent angels to you to heal you of that lie and dark place
Yes this ministration is for you
It’s an help that has come to you
Receive it as the help you have been crying for
I see you, I see the matters of your heart.
For I am God and I search the thoughts and intent of your heart
And for this purpose I have been sent for to heal you of the lie
Let it go, let it go, let it go and accept my healing.
THE END