eternal life
TRANSCRIPT
Eternal Life: The Beauty Of Living And Never Dying
Henrietta Aliku
i
Copyright © Henrietta Aliku, June 2016
All rights reservedNo part of this book should be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means- electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without
written permission from the author and the publisher.
Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are taken from the original King James Version of the Bible.
Published & Printed by:Dynamic ERA Global Services Limited15, Anuoluwapo Street, Shomolu, Lagos
Tel: 234+08038279377, 0805547065008146304250, 08156835565
E-mail: [email protected]@yahoo.co.ukWebsite: www.degsltd.com
ISBN: 978-978-54162-8-2
ii
A publication ofA publication of
JOYINHEAVEN EVANGELICAL MINISTRIESJOYINHEAVEN EVANGELICAL MINISTRIES
I dedicate this book:
To God the Father for giving us eternal life
through Jesus Christ, His only begotten
Son;
To God the Son, for paying the price for us
to obtain eternal life;
To God the Holy Spirit, for revealing the
way of eternal life to us through the gospel
of Christ.
I also dedicate it to all the saints who by
striving, longsuffering and patience believe
Christ unto eternal life.
iii
Dedication
My special appreciation goes to Dr. D.K Olukoya, the General Overseer, Mountain Of Fire And Miracles Ministries (MFM) Worldwide, for his distinguished mentorship and how inestimable his works have greatly influenced my spiritual journey with the Lord.
My heart also goes out to my heartthrob, my husband, Mr. Arthur Aliku, for his large heart in giving me all the moral, spiritual and financial support I need to keep the heat high for the Lord.
I appreciate my brother in the Lord's vineyard, Peter Chukwudube Emeka, for all his support and not forgetting all the team members of Joy In Heaven Evangelical Outreach for their commitment and hardworking spirit to the Lord's mandate of spreading the gospel of Christ far and near.
Mr. Shafe Ewuola, editor, thank you for your professionalism in making this book what it is.
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Dedication iii
Acknowledgment iv
Introduction vi
CONTENT
Chapter 1Eternal Life Is A Gift 9
Chapter 2Eternal Life Is Having TrueKnowledge Of God 21
Chapter 3Eternal Life Made Easy 32
Chapter 4Eternal Life And The KingdomOf Heaven 42
Chapter 5Even The Dead Are Not Free! 50
About Our Ministry 63
v
nce born into this world, everyone is involved in a race towards eternity. Eternity begins for everyone when life O
here on earth ends either by death or by rapture. Every day, we are all heading towards eternity to face another kind of life.
Our daily business activities and weekly religious activities can so occupy us that we give little or no thought to the reality of eternity. Yet, every new day brings us nearer the brink of eternity than before. On the day of Pentecost, after the Disciples of Christ received the Holy Spirit baptism with tongues of fire, the first warning they gave to their listeners was to make a u-turn from the direction the world was heading.
Peter stood among them and said 'And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.' Acts 2: 40. As it was then, so it is today: the world is heading somewhere and mankind is becoming increasingly helpless. Eternity is as real as the life
vi
we live every day. The awful thing about it is that there are only two destinations in eternity.
There is eternal life and there is eternal death. Eternal life is sharing in the life of God and living forever with Him. God has a place He lives and we really cannot imagine the glory of it. Our minds are too small to conceive the glory and splendour of the place of God's abode. Eternal life is what qualifies us to share with Him in that world. It is a world of living forever.
On the other hand, eternal death means separation from God. There is no better way to describe life without God other than to use the word 'death'. We are familiar with death; we have seen people die and we are sure to die. As death brings a separation between the living and the dead, eternal death is everlasting separation between God and those who choose to be lost forever.
The pains and agonies of hell would never be long enough to appeal to God's pity anymore. The sorrow of hell and the punishments reserved for those who choose to go there would never be deep
vii
enough to attract God's attention. In hell, which is the final place of those who choose to be lost forever, God would not even remember that there are people there.
As we bury our dead and walk back home, never going back to the grave, those who choose to spend eternity in hell will never be remembered forever. It is frightening to imagine going through unbearable pains without hope of rescue forever and ever. Our daily activities keep us on the journey towards eternity and where we end it is about the choice we make.
If you are certain that life here on earth is going to end for you one day, it is also as certain that after here, there is another life that never ends. It is therefore wise and urgent to consider our destinations in eternity and make conscious efforts to avoid everlasting sufferings. This book explains the concept of eternal life and God's passionate efforts to ensure that no one is lost. You will discover after all that your fate in eternity is about the choice you make today.
Henrietta AlikuJune, 2016
viii
9
Chapter
1
Eternal Life Is A GiftEternal Life Is A Gift
ternal life is a gift from God through Jesus Christ. A gift is evaluated on two bases: the worth of the giver and the status of the E
messenger to deliver it. There is an inestimable value attached to eternal life as a gift from God. And the fact that God did not choose any of His angels but His only begotten Son to deliver the gift to us shows that we must not joke with it. Our respect for the Giver and the Messenger should naturally make us accept the gift with continuous appreciation.
Romans 6: 23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
There are two words in this scripture that require careful attention. They are 'wages' and 'gift'. A wage is the reward for a labour or service. In a modern language, it is a salary for a service rendered. The 'wages' of sin therefore refers to what every sinner rightfully deserves as a result of living a sinful life. The salary to be paid for a life of sin is death, perdition or condemnation in hell.
The Bible talks about the 'gift of God' in contrast to the 'wages' of sin. A gift is something of value freely given to someone. Nobody works or labours for a
10
gift. A gift is only of value as long as it is unmerited. Against what the life of sin merits (death), God offers us a gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. Eternal life is a gift we don't deserve for our lives of sin.
The fact that eternal life is a gift makes it interesting to obtain. By its nature as a gift, God does not discriminate on who should receive it or not. This leaves everyone of us with a choice to receive or reject eternal life. It is left for those who choose to reject the gift to face the consequence of their choice. What you do with the gift God has given you is what determines what God is going to do to you. God is not going to punish you for being a sinner but for rejecting the way of escape He makes available to you by His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
John 3: 19: And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Condemnation or justification comes from the choices we make in the face of the offers that God has for us. Men are not condemned for what they do as sinners; they are condemned for rejecting
11
God's offer of eternal life. What it means is that no matter how sinful you are before God; you are not standing condemned yet until you make a choice of whether to accept or reject God's gift of eternal life. Jesus did not come into the world to condemn us for our sins. He knows we need help and that is the offer God makes to us in the package of eternal life.
You are responsible for the choice you make about God's offer of eternal life. The gift is available for everyone no matter our social class, education, race, tribe, colour or religion. Yes, religion does not have anything to do with God's gift of eternal life. What is religion? Religion is defined as people's beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of a deity. Another dictionary defines religion as 'The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.'
We would not need God's gift of eternal life if our religions, education, social life, family background, etc could help us obtain it. But God knew that even if we were given a billion years of religious practices, educational pursuits, etc, we
12
would never be able to attain to eternal life. Eternal life is a gift from God and it is only made available on the goodwill and discretion of the giver.
God has made eternal life available through Jesus Christ. Interestingly, He made this gift available to the world of sinful men. Eternal life is not what we deserve by virtue of our sinful living. God set aside what we deserve and gave us an offer of what we could never have merited. Eternal condemnation is therefore the result of rejecting God's offer of eternal life. Your sin is not what is primarily taking you to hell but rejecting the Saviour's offer to be free from sin.
Eternal life is made available to all men, giving everyone equal right and opportunity to it. There is no separate eternal life for the rich and another for the poor. God does not have a different eternal life for people of one race or tribe and another kind of eternal life for other people. In His sight, all men have sinned and all men need eternal life through Jesus our Lord. Eternal life is thus made available to all men and the choice is yours.
13
Romans 3: 23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
All men need eternal life because all have sinned. The only person who does not need eternal life in the whole world is the man or woman who has never sinned. If there is no such man or woman, it means there is no one who does not need eternal life. The fact that you admit your sinfulness is evidence against you that you need the Saviour. If you agree that you have sinned, you have also admitted that you need eternal life. God's gift of eternal life is to enable us avoid the wages of our sins.
Indulging in any of what the Bible calls the works of the flesh is evidence that you need eternal life. 'Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God'.
14
The works of the flesh are more than those mentioned above. Paul refers to other sinful practices, saying '…and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past,… and says ' …that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God'. Other sinful practices are mentioned in other parts of the Bible. Each of the items listed is enough to rob a believer of eternal life and take a sinner to hell. The kingdom of God to come is the final place of living the eternal life we receive through Christ Jesus.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
The choice you make in response to God's offer of eternal life is what determines the next divine pronouncement on you. God is not going to punish any sinner for his inability to save himself. Nobody can. We are offered eternal life as against the wages of the sins we have committed against God. There is nothing better than jumping at this offer at once. Eternal life is not something we should postpone till another moment.
What would you do with a special gift put in a beautiful wrap and specially presented to you?
15
You will be excited; you will receive it and eagerly unwrap it to enjoy it. Until you receive and unwrap God's gift of eternal life, you would not know the unquantifiable value of it and its unlimited benefits. God's offer of eternal reveals His infinite goodness. We have sinned against Him and He has the right to judge and condemn us all but instead, He chose to offer us a way of escape. Only a good God can do that.
It would have been different if we had sinned against a lesser god and the Supreme God came to our rescue. That would be understandable. But where the One who gives us the opportunity to escape the consequences of our sins is the very One against whom we have sinned is something that points to the goodness and mercies of the Almighty God.
Psalm 51: 4: Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
David makes a point we should give a serious thought. Primarily, all of us have sinned against God and God alone. The reason is that God is the one who gave the commandments we broke; the
16
words we violated; the instructions we disobeyed; the counsels we set aside; and the offer we rejected. Even though our sins affect fellow humans, in reality, against God and God alone have we sinned because what we break are God's laws.
Seeing us in this helpless condition before God should naturally put us in a state of fear because of the rightful consequences of our sins that should follow. Rather than bringing us into His court of judgment to make His pronouncement against us, which we deserve, God exercises the prerogative of mercy to offer us eternal life.
Now, if our sins naturally make us stand potentially guilty before God and we reject God's way of escape given to us, we bring upon ourselves double tragedy of divine wrath. First, there is the tragedy of the sins we have committed and are guilty of and secondly, there is the tragedy of rejecting God's offer of escape. It is therefore a terrible and fearful thing to fall into God's hands by rejecting His offer of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
17
Hebrews 10: 31: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
At this point, you should begin to personalize the question of eternal life as some people did in Bible days. You should be asking 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?' [And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?' Matthew 19: 16. Among the multitudes around Jesus, just one man stepped forward to ask the most important question from Him. You need not wait for anyone else before asking question about how to obtain and prepare for eternal life. You can step out of the crowd to do so now.
The gospel according to Mark says the man ran after Jesus, knelt before Him and passionately asked the question. 'And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' Mark 10: 17. The reality of eternal life dawned on this man and he could not hold back from making necessary enquiry. Whoever you are in the society, eternal life is something that concerns you. Ask questions
18
about it; obtain it; and live it. Be passionate about eternal life. The present life you have is extremely limited.
The question about eternal life is personal. You have to ask it personally and obtain it personally. Those who approached Jesus to ask the question did not do so to have a general knowledge of it. The question they asked was to address their personal need on the subject of eternal life. 'What Shall I do to inherit eternal life' was their concern. Eternal life is not something you must wait for others to decide before you ask questions about it. It is a question to meet an individual need. Obtaining and living eternal life is never a group decision. Every individual is personally responsible for the question of eternal life.
Eternal life places a responsibility on everyone. The question is 'What shall I do to inherit eternal life?' There is something you must do to obtain eternal life. It is available and free, but you have a responsibility to obtain it. God is not going to give eternal life to everyone simply because it is free. Only those who seek and ask for it shall obtain it.
19
There is nothing anybody else can do for you to obtain eternal life. Parents cannot help children; friends cannot help friends; pastors cannot help their church members; individuals have to help themselves to seek and obtain eternal life. Before looking at the simple thing to do to obtain eternal life, let us look at how the Bible describes eternal life.
20
21
Chapter
2Eternal Life Is Having True
Knowledge Of GodEternal Life Is Having True
Knowledge Of God
any people profess to know God but that does not change anything because God knows those who belong to Him. M
On the subject of eternal life, you should be concerned about whether God knows you or not. We cannot influence the records in the hands of God about His own people. All we can do is to become members of God's family and become known by Him.
It is one thing to say you know God and it is another for God to know you. There is hardly anyone in the world who would not claim to know God but God alone can tell those who are His. What makes anyone qualified as a member of God's family is having eternal life. Eternal life is God's kind of life.
2 Timothy 2: 19: Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
It is a terrifying reality that God knows His own people. Anybody can claim to know and serve God; it does not change anything about what God
22
knows concerning His people. It is therefore wise to review our knowledge of God and be sure it is true. Eternal life is having true knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ His only begotten Son. 'These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent'. John 17: 1-3
The beginning of this text calls for caution and attention from every reader. It says 'These words spake Jesus…' to inform us that the rest parts of what we are about to read are the direct words of Jesus Christ. This introductory part already informs us that no human opinion is necessary in what is to follow. Eternal life is not what you think it is; it is what Jesus says it is. As we progress from the introductory part of the passage, we observe that Jesus mentions eternal life twice in verses two and three. By mentioning eternal life in two verses out of three, He is already giving us an insight into the importance attached to what He has to say and where the emphasis belongs.
23
Everything else He mentions in the whole passage finds its stand on eternal life which He came to give.
The first thing He attached to eternal life is His personal authority. He said 'As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him'. By this word, Jesus makes Himself different and superior to every prophet that ever came before Him or that shall ever come after Him. No one among men has the power to give eternal life to anyone except Jesus Christ. And the reason is that only Jesus has eternal life in Himself. 'And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son'. 1 John 5: 11.
The eternal life God has as a gift for the world of sinners is packaged in Christ Jesus. We cannot get eternal life elsewhere outside Christ. Such special gift of God that Jesus carries puts Him in a class of His own among all men that ever passed or shall ever pass through the world as God's messengers. Jesus is given power over all flesh to give eternal life to as many as would allow Him to do so. This truth cancels the notion that Christianity is the
24
white man's religion, introduced to us to make us forget our traditional modes of worship. The power of Jesus to give eternal life covers the entire scope of mankind. No one else has such power and authority over all flesh other than the Almighty God Himself.
Te hear about eternal life from Christ is therefore to hear the truth from the horses' mouth. And this is what He has to say: 'And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent'. The true of knowledge of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ, is eternal life.
The source of eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ. Anyone who professes to know God without knowing Christ does not have eternal life yet. Jesus Himself associates eternal life with the knowledge of God and of Himself as the Son of God. These words from the Master's lips further reveal His identity as a Deity, far superior to anyone in the world. Otherwise, no one can claim equality with God in the sense in which Jesus did without being considered a blasphemer.
The reason I am explaining this to you is to help you realize that Jesus has the power to give you
25
eternal life. You can trust and depend on Him. And you cannot obtain God's offer of eternal life outside Jesus Christ.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO KNOW GOD?
We need to understand what it means when Jesus says eternal life is to know God and to know Jesus Christ Himself. The word 'know' as used here does not refer to mere awareness of God. Almost everybody seems to know God or everybody claims to know Him. By looking at the Bible meaning of the word 'know,' you may be disappointed in yourself to realize that you really did not know God as thought.
The word 'know' is used to express something deeper than head knowledge or mental awareness. It is used in the same sense as it expresses the intercourse between Adam and Eve which resulted in a child. 'And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD'. Genesis 4: 1
Adam knew his wife is a Bible language for sexual intercourse. It expresses the idea of personal
26
intimacy and oneness between a man and a woman that leads to childbearing. Therefore, to know God and Jesus Christ means to come into that personal 'intercourse' and oneness with the Father and the Son. Another word used for the oneness and personal intimacy with God is 'communion'. 'The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.' 2 Corinthians 13: 14
To know God in the sense in which Jesus spoke in John 17 means to come into that personal encounter, closeness, oneness and intimacy with God which produces results that everyone can see the same way sexual intercourse between a man and woman produces a child for all to see. Eternal life is having that productive, personal relationship with God.
The knowledge of God that produces eternal life leads to transformation in the lives of those who possess it. This knowledge is not about being a church member or holding any position of leadership in the church. You can be a church member, worker and even a leader without having eternal. Those who steal from the church or in
27
their offices, commit fraud, divert funds, commit immorality, wrongly amass material wealth to themselves, hinder the progress of others, engage in church politics, malign and bring others down do not really know God or Christ.
The Jews thought they had eternal life through their professed knowledge of God until Jesus came and showed them that the so called knowledge of God they had only made them religious. They were even fanatical about their professed knowledge such that they were seeking every opportunity to arrest, prosecute and condemn Christ and His disciples. Any propagation of the knowledge of God that sets Christ aside does not produce eternal life.
John 7: 19: Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?
John 8:37: I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
John 8:40: But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
28
There are three categories of religious people Jesus talks about in the above references. Each category has a tendency to be fanatical. The first people represent those who think they know God because they have access to the law of God. These are people who are proud to carry their Bible about but they don't live by what is in it. They have the word of God but they don't live by it. They therefore lack eternal life because they really don't know God.
The second category of people is made up of those who have a long history of producing priests, pastors and other ministers of God in their family lineages. They think they have eternal life simply because they are from the family of God's servants. They don't realize that eternal life is not transferable from father to son or from mother to daughter. Eternal life is not a family heritage. Everyone must seek and obtain eternal life individually.
The third category of people is those who oppose the truth of the word of God because it does not agree with their religious dogma. The religious Jews of Jesus' days had a religious dogma about
29
God and worship system. But when Jesus came with the gospel of grace and truth, they were busy checking everything He taught against their dogmas. Whatever did not agree with their religious heritage was withstood and rejected. There are people like that today. They lack eternal life because they are rigid with religious matter. Anyone who wants to obtain eternal life must be open to the revelations of God's truth, irrespective of what religious heritage or beliefs already held.
Eternal life through the knowledge of God cannot be obtained without the corresponding knowledge of Christ. The reason is that in these last days, God decided to reveal His totality to mankind in the person of Christ. If you don't know Christ; you don't know God. And you cannot truly know God without knowing Christ. 'God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;' Hebrews 1: 1-2
God revealed Himself in the past generations before Christ came through the messages of His
30
holy prophets in different dispensations. Under those dispensations, people obtained eternal life based on the revelations available to them. But since the era of Christ, eternal life has been packed into just one Person, that is, Jesus Christ. He is the One who has come to reveal the totality and finality of God to mankind. Outside Christ, there is no such thing as eternal life.
This is the reason Jesus Himself tells us that: 'And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.’John 17: 3.
Christ is the centre of eternal life in the New Testament era. From His days unto the end of the world, God does not provide another means of obtaining eternal life for mankind. Any knowledge of God therefore that does not originate in Christ or by Christ does not produce eternal life.
31
32
Chapter
3
Eternal Life Made EasyEternal Life Made Easy
n this world, the best standards of life are the most expensive to afford. The human society is organized in such a way that if you want the I
best, you will pay the highest price for it. On the contrary, God's kindness, mercies and love have made eternal life easy for anyone to obtain. It is free for asking!
It is wonderful to know that such a life that does not originate from this world has been made available to men and women in this world. One would have thought that to obtain eternal life is something to cost us a high price. Conversely, God has made it so simple and easy for all to obtain and enjoy. Thus, eternal life is not only available; it is affordable and obtainable by faith.
Eternal Life By Faith
You can obtain eternal life by faith in Christ Jesus. Faith in Christ means accepting and believing His testimonies about Himself. It takes such a simple and easy excise of our hearts to obtain a made-in-heaven kind of life. It is incredible that eternal life is yours once you ask for it through faith in the Lord Jesus. 'He that believeth on the Son hath
33
everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him’John 3: 36.
He who believes in Jesus has eternal or everlasting life. What kind of believing is it that the Bible talks about here? It is the acceptance of Christ that produces absolute surrender and obedience to Him. It is the entrusting of your totality to Jesus Christ as the One who alone can make you escape the wrath of God to come.
Believing Christ is leaving your fate in His hands the way an accused person leaves His fate in the hands of his lawyer or advocate. The accused does not bother about the outcome of his case anymore. He believes his lawyer is professionally capable enough to defend and get a good verdict for him. Believing Jesus is leaving everything to His hands. And as the accused would take and follow his lawyer's instructions, we must daily take and follow Christ's instructions.
Many people have not obtained eternal life simply because they have not been asking question about
34
it. Until you ask and seek for something, you may never know that it is available. You should ask every question you can to enable you obtain eternal life. Question your religious stand; question the doctrines you believe; question your mode of worshipping God; question your profession and confession; question your relationship with God; and question your eternal destination. Your questions may just be the door to the discoveries you need about eternal life.
The Most Important Question In Life
We live in a world of many questions. But there is just one most important question to ask in life. Unfortunately, of the millions and billions of questions we generate on daily basis in the world, only very few people of our growing global population ask this most important question.
A British newspaper, The Telegraph, reported in one of its editions that in the United Kingdom, children ask their mothers almost 300 questions in a day. The study indicated that the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has fewer questions to answer per hour than mothers do.
35
With over 3.38 billion population of females in the world, we can imagine how many questions children ask their mothers on daily basis. The study says mothers are the most quizzed people in the UK.
Girls within four years age range are found to be the most curious according to the study. They are said to ask 390 questions per day! Primary school teachers, doctors and nurses come next in the category of people confronted with many questions on daily basis. On the questions that teachers ask, a source says anyone who has '…been teaching for around 14 and a half years may have asked up to one million questions. Teachers ask up to two questions in a minute; they hit 400 questions in a day, 70, 000 questions in a year and between two and three million questions in the course of their career'.
Of all the questions the world generates on daily basis, which one is the most important? It is the question on eternal. 'What is eternal life' is the most important question in the world. Every other question we daily ask can only help us to live a better life in this temporal world. Whether we
36
like it or not, life in this world is going to end and another life that never ends will begin for everyone. It is therefore important to begin to ask questions about where to live forever.
The question about eternal life was a serious concern to many people in the days of Jesus Christ. They saw the miracles He did: the healing of the sick, the casting out of demons, deliverance of the oppressed, supernatural provision of food, raising of dead people back to life and a host of other great works He did, but none of these could satisfy the question of eternal life in their minds.
The Bible summarizes everything Jesus did as 'good works'. It says 'How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.' Acts 10: 38. Some of the people who came to Jesus to ask question about eternal life had seen and tasted of His good works, but there was an inner quest that miracles, signs and wonders could not satisfy. They wanted to know about eternal life and that is the most important question to ask.
37
Among the professionals in the days of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, were lawyers. There were other scholars and professionals in other fields. As Jesus taught about life after existence in this present world, they grew curious and wanted to know more about the concept of eternal life. A lawyer stood up among his colleagues and asked the question about eternal life from the Master. 'And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Luke 10: 25.
Whatever the area of your professionalism or scholarship, the question of eternal life should be of concern to you. Every form of knowledge we acquire in the world will go with the world. It is wise to begin to ask questions about what form of knowledge shall remain after the world is no more. Have you ever asked yourself the most important question in life? Yes, you ask questions every day. Some of them are directed to people and others are directed to yourself. But have you ever asked yourself the question about eternal life, how to obtain it and where to spend it?
38
What Is Eternal Life?
§ Life After Death: Death is not a means of escape from the reality of eternal life. Eternal life is another life after death. 'Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. John 5: 28-29. Death is the gateway to eternal life. Everyone who dies begins another life. It is a either a life of justification or a life of condemnation.
§ Gift From God: As earlier explained, eternal life is God's gift. It is not something you have to labour to get. What you labour to get is no longer a gift; it is a reward. But what you don't work for before you obtain it is a gift. 'For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' John 6: 23.
§ Immortality: Eternal life is immortality. It is a life above the power of death. The life we all live in the world is subject to the power of death. For that reason, we cannot continue here forever.
39
God has made eternal life available so that death will not interrupt our living anymore. Eternal life is living without dying. 'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15: 26
§ God's Kind Of Life: Eternal life is God's kind of life. God is eternal; He lives forever. He never dies; He never grows old; He never ages; He never changes. Eternal life is forever living. Eternal life is continuous existence after death. It is life in spiritual bodies.
Different people have different ways of looking at the mission of Christ in the world. Some see Him as a good man; others see Him as a miracle worker. In different religions, Jesus is given different identities and His mission is defined based on these identities. But the question is what exactly did Jesus come into the world to do? The primary mission of Jesus in the world is to give eternal life to mankind. Every miracle He performed was just a means of drawing people to Himself so that they could learn about eternal life and obtain it. Eternal life is something greater than the most spectacular miracle that anyone can ever receive from the Lord.
40
Are you a miracle seeker? Are you a beneficiary of God's miracles? Are you an instrument of working miracles? The greatest miracle is that of obtaining eternal life. Whatever blessing God has given you is nothing without eternal life. Everything in the world cannot stand the exchange rate for the human soul. Eternal life is the greatest gift, the biggest miracle and the most enduring blessing you can obtain from God.
41
42
Chapter
4Eternal Life And TheKingdom Of HeavenEternal Life And TheKingdom Of Heaven
e receive eternal life to prepare for the kingdom of heaven. The Bible tells us that our natural life of flesh and blood W
cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven.
1 Corinthians 15: 50: Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
God's kingdom is the realm of everlasting life. Without receiving eternal life, nobody can be part of the kingdom. Hence, the eternal life we receive through our Lord Jesus brings us under a serious obligation of living our lives under the authority of the heavenly kingdom. Having partaken in the everlasting life of the everlasting God, our lives are subject directly to the power of God's kingdom.
The eternal life in you would not allow you to live as you please. You are carrying about God's kind of life and you can only express it by godly living. God's life in us produces godly living whereas our natural life produces sinful living. The new birth experience is an essential
43
requirement for anyone to be part of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus calls the new birth experience being born again.
John 3: 1-3: There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Without receiving eternal life through being born again, you cannot see or become part of the kingdom of heaven. God's kingdom is a spiritual kingdom and only the spiritual can see it and inherit.
Nicodemus' experience makes us to understand that anyone could be deprived of eternal life while still deep and active in church activities. He was a ruler of the Jews and a teacher of God's law, yet he
44
knew nothing about what it takes to become part of God's kingdom. His example helps us to understand that being part of church membership or leadership has nothing to do with having eternal life. There are many lost souls right in the church.
MORALITY IS NOT SALVATION
Nicodemus sounded like a moralist and an easy-going worshipper in the synagogue. Today, he is comparable to religious moralists who just attend church services and go back home without dragging anything with anybody. You could be a moralist without having eternal life. Your morality is not a substitute to eternal life and it can never qualify you to inherit the kingdom of heaven.
In a world where competition for positions is high among worshippers, eternal life is reduced to the background in favour of temporal positions and titles. As a result, we have so many 'churchly' people who lack eternal life or godliness expected of them. It is very certain that what a man does not have, he cannot express or give.
45
The absence of eternal life in some religious people leads them to a life of hypocrisy. They leave in pretence of who they are not. They learn the language of the places of their worship; adopt the dress code; follow their system of worship and so appear like they are real. They are difficult to know and differentiate from the real people of God but we have the assurance that God knows those who belong to Him.
The ignorance of Nicodemus, a leader and teacher of God's people, was a surprise to Jesus Christ. If a religious head or leadership in a church is dry and empty of eternal life, where would such life flow into the membership? Nicodemus had no idea of what Christ was talking about until further explanations were made to him. Read John3: 4-10.
In His discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus maintained the condition for being part of the kingdom of heaven. Repeatedly, He told Nicodemus that 'You must be born again'. The matter of eternal life cannot be wished away in a hurry. It cannot be compromised because we are dealing with people of big titles in the church. If
46
we truly love human souls as Christ does and commands us, we would put in all the patience it takes for us to teach and explain the concept of eternal life to people.
Sometimes, we are in a hurry about nothing. Jesus should have been in a hurry to discharge Nicodemus from the discussion and rather seek the showmanship of a miracle worker but He never did. To Him, it was far more important and beneficial to God's kingdom to win a soul than to embark on an elaborate display of supernatural power that would not get anybody saved. For miracle workers who pay little or no attention to the value of eternal life, Jesus' example serves as a correction. And to seekers of miracles, signs and wonders in the church at the expense of possessing eternal life, Nicodemus' patient enquiries about it is a lesson to learn.
If you don't have eternal life, you simply don't have it yet. There is no point covering up under religious activities and titles. Eternal life is something you cannot hide from others to see. It is a life of heaven on earth that the world can notice in you. The fruits of the Spirit of God in
47
48
those who have received eternal life mark them different from other people in the world.
Galatians 5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Ephesians 5:9: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
The Spirit of God cannot produce anything less than godliness in those who have received eternal life. You could have an outward show and form of godliness, that is not a substitute to the genuine and the real thing you need to have. The desire to be part of God's kingdom of everlasting glory and joy can only be fulfilled through possession of eternal life. You will know it when you have eternal life. It cannot be denied or hidden.
1 John 5: 13: These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Believing on the name of Jesus as Saviour and Lord gives you eternal life. It is impossible to have
eternal life without faith in Christ and confession of His Lordship through the Holy Spirit. Romans 10: 8-10, 17 says: 'But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
If the reason you have been going to church or attending religious gatherings is to inherit the kingdom of heaven, the door to it is by having eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Anything else you do without this makes you a religious devotee and not a candidate of the heavenly kingdom.
49
50
Chapter
5
Even The DeadAre Not Free!
Even The DeadAre Not Free!
here is this notion that the dead are free from the pains and sufferings in the world. In a sense, this is right. The dead T
can no longer partake in the sufferings and pains of this present evil world. But are the dead really free? The Bible reveals many cases of 'after death' scenarios to show us that the dead are not as free as we think.
So if you have been thinking that death is a good way to end a life of pains and sufferings, you need to have second thought. The question you should be asking is 'Where do the dead go?' Two things are going to happen to all dead people across the world. The Bible calls the experience resurrection to life or resurrection to condemnation. ‘And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.' Daniel 12: 2
Death does not end living. It only ends life on earth and opens the door to another life beyond the grave. Nobody has control over this experience because the power of resurrection belongs to God. The dead shall 'awake' or rise from the dust of the ground and face either
51
justification or condemnation. This experience which no one can avoid points to the fact that the opportunity to determine our eternal destination is given to us only when we are alive. After death, what follows is judgment. Those who think they could be given another opportunity to make right their wrongs after death have been deceived by the devil.
Hebrews 9: 27: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
There is an appointment we shall all keep with death. God fixed the appointment and no one among men has been able to avoid it. Ever since God fixed the appointment, holy men have been dying as much as unholy men have also been dying. The godly and the ungodly have been dying. Men and women of all categories and classes have been dying. What happens to the dead after they leave the world is what the Bible calls judgment.
Death, rather than being a means of escape from the sufferings and pains in the world, is the door to the courtroom of divine judgment. After death, what follows is judgment. This reality limits our
52
opportunity to possess eternal life to the time we are alive. The opportunity you have to escape eternal judgment and condemnation is now that you are still alive.
2 Corinthians 6: 2: (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
There is a time acceptable for everyone to possess eternal life. And God is willing to listen to us at the time acceptable. The time acceptable for us to obtain salvation is when we are alive. Your time is now; tomorrow may never be! If there is a time acceptable, there is also a time not acceptable. You really don't have control over when you should have eternal life other than seizing the opportunity to do so now.
The choice you make on the subject of eternal life before death comes is what shall be used in evidence in your favour or against you in the courtroom of God. Yes, God's justice system has room for evidence and defense. For all those who have eternal life, the evidence is their names in the book of life and Jesus, their advocate presents
53
Himself to defend them with further evidence of His blood. Halleluyah!
The law of evidence is a crucial aspect of legal studies. No courtroom of competent jurisdiction to sit over a matter makes a pronouncement without considering available evidence in the suit. Evidences must be overwhelming and convincing and the defense or prosecution counsel must be able to prove his or her case beyond reasonable doubt to win the case for the client. The fact that Jesus rose from the dead for our justification is evidence beyond reasonable doubt that the devil cannot deny and God cannot ignore! Halleluyah! His resurrection is eternal evidence in favour of those who believe on Him for eternal life.
The evidence of His blood which was shed on the cross of Calvary is another point in favour of those who believe on Him. By the shedding of that blood, provision has been made for the remission of our sins. Anyone who comes under the power of that blood by faith enjoys removal of sins and justification instead of condemnation. When God sees the blood over the lives of those who obtain eternal life through Him, He passes over them!
54
His blood is one of the testimonies for our justification.
Revelation 12: 11: And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
TIPS ON ETERNAL LIFE
· The way of eternal life is like passing through the narrow gate. It is not appealing to multitudes but the choice is yours. 'Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.Matthew 7: 13-14
· You can have your name secure and sure in the book of life by receiving and keeping eternal life in you while in the world. 'He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that
55
hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Revelation 3: 5-9
· Acknowledgement, confession, repentance and turning away from your sins; and acceptance of Jesus as Saviour and Lord make you to obtain eternal life. And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Acts 16: 30-31
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3: 19
· The wicked shall not inherit the kingdom of God except they repent. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
56
nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11
· You cannot deceive God on the issue of eternal life. God knows His own people. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.2 Timothy 2: 19
· The devil would want to rob you of your eternal life. Stand against him and resist his offers to keep the eternal life in you. 'Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you'. James 4: 7.
· Expect to encounter trials on your way to heaven. Stand firm and committed to the Lord for His grace to always overcome. 'Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of
57
your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 1: 6-7
· Making it to heaven is about receiving eternal life and doing the will of God on earth, church membership and titles do not matter. 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7: 21-23
The choice to accept or reject eternal life is before you today. Choose life that you may enjoy the beauty of living and never dying. In the following verses, the Bible gives us a glimpse into heaven, the home of eternal life:
§ Heaven is a place of no tears. Just imagine the number of things that cause tears such as death, disappointments, failure, sickness, disease,
58
poverty, divorce, defeat, debt, pains, sufferings, betrayal, etc. None of them will be experienced in heaven. 'And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.' Revelation 21: 4.
§ Heaven is a place of God's architectural design. Think about the splendour and architectural wonders of some most beautiful cities in the world like, Budapest in Europe, Bruges in Belgium, Vancouver in Canada, Florence in Italy, Amsterdam in Netherlands, Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, Lisbon in Portugal, Prague in Czech Republic, Paris in France, Venice in Italy and others are nowhere to be compared to God's architectural design and master plan behind the mansions in glory. You just need to be there! 'In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.' John 14: 2.
§ Heaven is a place of glory beyond what human imagination can figure out and beyond what human words can express. 'For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
59
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.' Romans 8: 18.
§ Heaven is a place of everlasting newness. There shall be a new heaven and a new earth. Everything about the world to come is new and will remain new forever. Can you imagine a world where nothing ever grows old? That is the picture of heaven! 'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.' Revelation 21: 1.
SALVATION PRAYER
'Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.
I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.
You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our
60
hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.
Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved.
Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself.
Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life. AMEN'.
61
PRAYER POINTS1. Lord redirect my path from the wide road of
life and help me through the narrow path to eternal life.
2. Every Foolish and hurtful lust which drown men in destruction and perdition will not swallow me up.
3. Spirit of end time and demon of anti Christ you will not rule over my destiny in Jesus name.
4. Holy spirit expose every unknown sin in my life.
5. Lord open my understanding to know you more.
6. Oh lord give me a heart of flesh and remove the heart of stone.
7. Jesus shine your light in my heart and let me know my wrong.
8. Oh lord let your purpose for my life be fulfilled toward your Eternal glory.
9. Power of contentment in life fall upon my life in Jesus name.
10. Let the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5: 22 -23 manifest in my life.
11. Oh God instill your fear into my heart.12. I refuse to believe the lie of the devil.
PRAYER POINTS
62
Joy In Heaven Evangelical Outreach (JIHEO) is not a church. It is an evangelical outreach dedicated to soul winning. It derived its name and focus from Luke 15: 7 which states that ' I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.'
rdIt was incorporated on 23 of November, 2013. Ever since then, it has been involved in several crusades and film evangelism in different towns and villages across Nigeria and beyond.
Our aims include:Commitment to reach every people and place for the kingdom of God, turning sinners to the Saviour, Jesus Christ, through the preaching of the gospel of peace and reconciliation as the Bible commands.
Commitment to reach sinners in the church-world and make them embrace the Saviour, irrespective of their denominational affiliation and profession.
Our vision is:To evangelize as many rural, riverine and difficult to reach communities as possible both locally and internationally.
To visit trouble spots and regions around the globe, spreading the good news of Christ.
To uplift the spiritual and physical needs of humanity by preaching the gospel of salvation and building of orphanages, boreholes and rendering of other general humanitarian services to all.
Our aims include:
Our vision is:
63
ABOUT JOYINHEAVEN EVANGELICAL MINISTRIES
64
Contact address
JoyInHeaven Evangelical Ministries
Red Brick Building, suite 2, Off Assembly
Hall Road, Bogije, Elemoro, Ibeju Lekki,
Lagos, Nigeria
Email:
Web: www. Joyinheaven.faith
Facebook: joyinheavenevangelicalministry
Phone:08050276097, 07087188861
Contact address
JoyInHeaven Evangelical Ministries