RECOGNIZING OUR UNION IN CHRIST JESUS

The SCOAN Service of Sunday 4th July, 2010 started with The Synagogue Church of All Nations choristers rendering melodious songs and the congregation cultivating an atmosphere of worship. Soon after that, Prophet T.B. Joshua arrived to give some words of exhortation using the book of Mark 11:25 -26. He said ‘we have a role to play. It is not all up to God certainly not all up to us. If you stand praying, forgive’. He encouraged the congregation that if they honestly examine their hearts in the light of God’s word and they would discover such spirits of unforgiveness towards others. He said that as believers, in order for us to pray effectually, there must not be anything between us and God and that the harboring of such a spirit towards others, breaks our communion with God. He concluded by telling the congregation to say to one another ‘I need to forgive because I need to be forgiven’. One of the wise men, Racine, came to give the main message for the morning. It was titled THE WORD OF FAITH. He started by saying that many are people of sense knowledge truth trying to get acquainted with God through their natural minds. For such people, when the goings are good, Jesus is the lord and when the goings are tough, they begin to murmur and rebel because their lives are centred on how they feel and how they are treated. They are tossed back and forth by every wind of trial. His main text was taken from the book of Romans 10:6-8 ‘but the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?'” (That is, to bring Christ down) “Or ‘Who will descend into the deep?'” (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming.” He said that a believer does not have strength as long as he operates in the natural because our natural strength is as perfect weakness. Those who operate in the natural are those who rely on the sensory senses. To live by sight is to give all our attention to the physical things which are temporal. But the things of the spirit are indistinct. He explained that in Christ Jesus, we have perfect evidence of faith. For faith is the unshakeable confidence in the reality of the yet unseen world. As Christians, we are to live by faith and not by sight since we are called to God’s kind of lifestyle, and only then can we recognize our union with Jesus Christ. It is a lifestyle of positive thinking, positive talking and positive acting. These are our roots in God. Act 3:6, “Then Peter said, what a means of blessing is the look of faith to Jesus. Peter looked at the paralytic and took his position in the believer’s authority and sent forth the word of faith ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong’’. He said that Divine faith when expressed in prayer, is a force and has God behind if for its accomplishment. When you believe absolutely, you believe it is done before the prayer because very much is promised to our believing. He challenged the congregation saying ‘Show me your doubt and I will show you that faith exists’. The name of Jesus Christ has power indeed but only among those who are committed to the glory of God. It is absolutely necessary to believe in the name of Jesus Christ for very much is promised to our believing. Christians are commanded to walk by the Spirit. Walking in the spirit is so exciting. There you hear Jesus most clearly. When the Holy Spirit begins to speak to us, changes are beginning. He said ‘Ask Abraham and he will tell you that it honors God to believe him even when every sense contradicts him’. HEB 6:15 “And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised”. Our looking unto the promises of God is a good reason for looking unto God for mercy and favor and there is no reason to stop looking until God withdraws his word. We that walk with the Lord, walk by faith. Faith sees the invisible, believes the impossible, and receives the incredible. Abraham simply believed the word of God, that God will do exactly what he promised. Whatever we receive from God will come as a result of our actively reaching out and claiming God’s promises. For God’s Word must be our rule and His grace our principle. And this is God’s invitation to prayer and his assurance that our prayers would be answered.
How to get our prayer answered? To get our prayers answered, we must depend upon the merits and mediations of our Lord Jesus Christ. Racine then quoted the book of 1 Cor 2:16, saying that in prayer, we do not pull God to our mind but bring ourselves to his and how do we bring ourselves to his mind? When we follow the way of the cross, we bring ourselves to his mind because in the realm of prayer service the key is not to suppress the flesh but to surrender to the spirit. Conclusively, he emphasized that faith is simply God’s Word prevailing over the senses. ‘The Bible cannot work by itself. You make it work and God makes it good. Make it work. Faith moves our words to work’. He said that when we order our word aright; God manifests to us the benefit of his mighty salvation. Using the Word of God you have read in your prayer helps ensure that your prayer lines up with God’s will and His intention for your life. God’s Word refreshes our mind while God’s spirit renews our strength. When your mind is refreshed, your objective and motives will be determined at once. You will want what God wants and you will want it for the reason God wanted it.
Testimonies
This was the testimony of Maria Monite, and her son Emmanuel Monite, who was delivered of the spirit of stealing as a result of a prophecy given in the service the previous week concerning a young boy cursed with the spirit of stealing. According to Prophet TB Joshua last week, he said ‘You climbed into the ceiling of a house and robbed it and you were caught. Now, you have just been released from prison and I can see marks from the handcuffs that have been on your hand’.
The boy came out from the midst of the congregation and was delivered of that spirit of stealing. And he then came out this Sunday to give glory to our Lord Jesus Christ for having delivered him from this spirit of stealing. Narrating her plight with tears of joy, she explains how this of her son almost tore the family apart; Maria Monite said ‘It all started when I saw Emmanuel in the dream with a group of people who cursed him that he would become useless. A day after that dream, he stole an egg in a shop and was caught and the whole family was troubled’. And from then on, he had been on a stealing spree until she watched Emmanuel TV and decided to visit The Synagogue Church of All Nations with her son. During the live Sunday service the previous week, TB Joshua prophesied about the case and that was how she came out with her son. She said to the congregation ‘As you can all see, I am very happy for what God has done in the life of my son and family’. Since his deliverance, he is free from the evil spirit of stealing. Emmanuel spoke to the congregation emotionally, saying ‘I no longer possess this spirit of spirit of stealing. I want to go to school and be a great person in this country. I thank Jesus Christ for setting me free’. There was also the testimony of Orimolade and others, who came to testify of how Jesus Christ set them free from the problems of various cancers. Oluwole Orimolade, had been inflicted with the problem of a leg cancer for many years to the extent that his leg was about to be amputated because of its degenerating state. By God’s grace, he found his way to The Synagogue Church of All Nations prayer line and was prayed for by Prophet T.B Joshua. Shortly after the prayer, the sore was healed and it closed up. Today, he and many others have been completely set free giving all glory and honour to our Lord Jesus Christ for His wonderful work in their lives.

Anointing breaks the yoke
The congregation also listened to another wonderful testimony of the Anointing Water from Mrs Forgive Obadiah who came with problem of overdue pregnancy due to a closed cervical canal and so was booked to be operated. Full of joy and gladness, she said to the congregation ‘Upon watching Emmanuel TV, my faith and belief in Jesus Christ was restored and I decided to come and get the Anointing water’. After receiving the Anointing Water, she prayed and drank some of it and the next day, she delivered a bouncing baby boy.

Our Wonderful God
Among those who were arranged at the prayer line section was Mrs Julianah Mintah, a 56 year-old lady from Ghana who came with the problem of Cervical spondylosis. Due to the degenerating state of her neck, she was wearing a neck collar as the doctors had advised her to support her neck with it. For many years, she had been unable to do anything on her own because of this problem. As one of the wise men prayed for her, she immediately felt released from this bondage of severe Cervical spondylosis and could turn her neck with ease. As she turned her neck from side to side, she knew that Jesus Christ had indeed healed her from this problem. Another spectacular healing was that of Mrs Grace Tofi from Benue state in Nigeria, who was healed from inability to walk due to bone cancer and a fracture of the tibia. A woman who was once active was confined to a pair of crutches for a very long time. As she narrated her problems to the wise man, she said ‘I believe Jesus Christ will heal me today’. And indeed it happened. As the wise man began praying for her in the name of Jesus Christ, her shattered legs came to life and she immediately threw her crutches away and began walking to the glory of God. During the mass prayer, Prophet T.B. Joshua said ‘miracle is God restoring what satan has destroyed’. As he began to pray, he told the congregation that ‘Our Lord’s works of wonders are of grace and they command our faith, so believe, for that is your connection’. Healing and deliverance began to take place as the prayer sessions started. Many who were demon-possessed came out and were delivered in the power of the Holy Spirit. The sick among the congregation were healed from the various ailments that had crippled them for many years. All in all, it was a marvellous Sunday service as the congregation left the auditorium full of joy and gladness that God Almighty had once again shown Himself strong in the lives of His people.