[Benny4real]

This is very wholesome. One thing I really do like is the fact that these points you’ve noted are very relatable.
Your first point, which talks about the source of this music, is extremely important. But what really caught my attention is the part where you spoke about violence and aggression, I couldn’t agree more.
Violence and aggression are the opposite of fruits of the spirit which we as believers should possess.
Sometimes, Christians tend to say things like “does it really matter as long as we are singing to God?” Oh Yes it does. We cannot glorify, worship and praise the King of Kings with a pattern of beat that excites the flesh more than it stirs up the spirit.
This kind of music is loud and distracting and could hinder the free flow of the gifts of the spirit. The goal is to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24) Furthermore, you spoke about the lyrics and performances of this genre of music and how they do not reflect Christ. Paul said follow me as I follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Christ is the example; He has set the standard all we need to do is follow. As believers, we should be sensitive to the leading of the spirit at every point in time. We believers are to look out for spirit inspired songs rather than songs that excite people. It is true that we minister to people, yet they are not the focus, God is the focus. God pays attention to our singing (Praise and worship). He is interested in everything that concerns us.

[Benny4real]

Hi

[Benny4real]

This is very wholesome. One thing I really do like is the fact that these points you’ve noted are very relatable.
Your first point, which talks about the source of this music, is extremely important. But what really caught my attention is the part where you spoke about violence and aggression, I couldn’t agree more.
Violence and aggression are the opposite of fruits of the spirit which we as believers should possess.
Sometimes, Christians tend to say things like “does it really matter as long as we are singing to God?” Oh Yes it does. We cannot glorify, worship and praise the King of Kings with a pattern of beat that excites the flesh more than it stirs up the spirit.
This kind of music is loud and distracting and could hinder the free flow of the gifts of the spirit. The goal is to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24) Furthermore, you spoke about the lyrics and performances of this genre of music and how they do not reflect Christ. Paul said follow me as I follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Christ is the example; He has set the standard all we need to do is follow. As believers, we should be sensitive to the leading of the spirit at every point in time. We believers are to look out for spirit inspired songs rather than songs that excite people. It is true that we minister to people, yet they are not the focus, God is the focus. God pays attention to our singing (Praise and worship). He is interested in everything that concerns us.

[Benny4real]

These points are very relatable. But what caught my attention the most, was your third point which talks about shifting our focus from ourselves and the situation and putting it back on God. You talked about sensitivity; you said praise helps one stay watchful and keeps you in a sensitive or alert mood.
This is worthy of note because our sensitivity to the things of God shows our level of maturity in our Christian Walk. (Rom 8:14) It is very easy to forget and fix one’s gaze on all that is going on around you, it takes sensitivity and discipline to stay focused on God. What God has already said to you through His word, through your Pastor and even your brother or sister in Christ (RHEMA). As believers, we are all at different stages of our Christian Walk, but there’s one thing we know, we have a RHEMA word from God to carry us through these seasons, through these storms.
If we are not sensitive to the impulses of the Holy Spirit, we would easily miss out on the things God has for us. Some people go as far as saying, God, please give me a sign and then I will believe, Gideon for example (Judges 6:36-40).
God works miracles but He is no magician. The devil looks out for ways daily to distract us from the promises of God and put us in a circle of worrying and complaining. When we praise God, we do not give the enemy the opportunity to mess with us. When he expects us to worry, complain or cry, we are singing praises to God and dancing with joy in our hearts. This does not relate to others, but we believers know that we walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:17) The mature sons and daughters are moved by the impulses of the spirit and not the situations and circumstances surrounding them. When we develop an habit of praise, our sensitivity to the things of God are heightened.

[Benny4real]

NAME: Owhondah Ugochi Benedicta
COURSE TITLE: Prayer Basics
LECTURERS: Pastor Nkechi Ene (Mrs.) and Pastor Sola Akinwale

Praising God should be a lifestyle for the believer. God’s praises must continually be in our mouths. Before we think to worry, we should first Praise God for all He has already done and all He can and will do. The importances of praising God before your answers cannot be overemphasized, because they are a lot. But I will mention as many as I can in this assignment

1) Praise is the Language of Faith:
Praise is the language of faith. Praise is an act of faith; it is the evidence that proves that we’re in faith. When we praise, we express our faith in God. You cannot have faith, fear and worry in your life at the same time. It’s either one or the other. When we praise God even though we haven’t seen a tangible manifestation of our prayers we have shown unwavering faith. We praise God before we see our miracles. Faith is our lifestyle.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
For we walk by faith, not by sight

Praise receives the answers to our prayers. Prayer asks but faith takes. Praise exclaims gratitude and thanksgiving. It says “Thank You, Father, for the answer! It’s mine. I have it now.” We cannot tell the story of faith and praise without speaking of Father Abraham. His Faith in God was outstanding. His story is marked with faith and praise.

Romans 4:18-25 (NKJV)
20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,

From the Strong’s Concordance, the Word “Glory” according to Romans 4:20 is the Greek word “Doxa” which means Praise, worship, honor, dignity, etc. The focus is the meaning “Praise”. A story of faith would not be complete without praise. Faith believes and praise receives.
How about Jesus who is God Himself? He always gave thanks whenever He wanted to perform a miracle, He understood the principle of Praise and faith. When He fed the Five Thousand
Matthew 14:13-21 (NKJV)
19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples and the disciples gave to the multitudes.
From the Strong’s Concordance, the word “Blessed” is the Greek word “Eulogeo” which means bless, to speak well of, praise. This simply means that your Praise seals your faith. Therefore, we ought to always give thanks to God.

2) Praise Assures Us of the Continued Goodness of God:
When we praise God, we affirm His supremacy and Lordship in our lives, and we keep Him in control of our everyday existence. God is sovereign and His sovereignty is for good. God is excited when we trust that He is good.

Psalm 100:4-5 (NKJV)
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

God’s glory (Doxa) is tied to His goodness, and God’s goodness is tied to His name, which reveals His character Therefore, praise produces an assurance of a future filled with the goodness of God. God desires to give us all we could ever ask for if only we.

Exodus 33:19a (NKJV)
Then He said, “I will make My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you

3) Praise Speaks of the Power of God to all who will hear / It paves the way for God’s power to be displayed:
Praising God displays His power, awesomeness and ability. When we praise God, we speak of what He has done, what He will do and what He can do. We give others hope when we maintain an attitude of praise and thanksgiving no matter the circumstance. It is good to praise the Lord and tell of His goodness because those around us will hear as well.
Praise affects the hearers.
a) The listening unbeliever: We can evangelize unbelievers through our praise
Acts 16:25-34 (NKJV)
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them
30 And he brought them out and said “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Paul and Silas reached out to the keeper of the prison through their praise, and he was saved.
b) The listening believer: We can encourage and inspire others through our praise
c) You, the one praising: We get inspired ourselves when we praise.
2 Samuel 6:14
14 Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a line ephod
d) The enemies of God: The enemies of God are sickness, poverty, depression, confusion, any appearance of evil and their master. The enemies themselves quit because of your praise.
The walls of Jericho. Even the enemies of God hear our praises. (Joshua 6:1-27)
e) God: God is excited when He hears us praise (Psalm 50:23)

4) Praise Does Not Let One Forget (Leaving no room for negativity and complaining)
When praise becomes a habit, you become more conscious of all God has already done for you and less worried about the answers you haven’t seen. This gives you an attitude of gratitude while you wait on God.
Psalms 103:2-4
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul. And forget not all His benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies.
We have a constant reminder, that what God has done before He can do again. We are reminded that He knows all that concerns us and can take care of all that burdens us.

5) Praise Magnifies God Above All Else:
There is power in acknowledging the hand of God in our lives. God wants to have first place in our lives. When we praise God amid chaos, we show Him how important He is to us. God desires our whole heart. He longs for us to know the power of His presence in our lives.
As we praise God as Creator and King, we admit and recognize that we’re not in control, but He is. He is above all (Psalms 95:2-3, 35:18).

[Benny4real]

NAME: Owhondah Ugochi Benedicta
COURSE TITLE: The Art of Music Ministry
COURE CODE: TAMM-207
LECTURER: Mrs Namsey Okung

I believe, to critically discuss the topic on whether Christians should use the heavy metal genre of music, a background check would be of great help.

OVERVIEW:
Heavy metal music is a popular type of music. It is a genre of harsh-sounding rock music that is characterized by distorted guitars, aggressive drumming, loud beats and raging vocals. Black metal and death metal are sub-genres of heavy metal. Black and death metal are often referred to as heavy metal because they all employ the same techniques and features,
It is a subculture and those that listen to heavy metal music are known as metalheads or head bangers. Metalheads are typically associated with a negative attitude towards the world and authority. It is characterized by pervasive alienation.

HISTORY AND MENTALITY:
The heavy metal music emerged during the 1960s and the 1970s in the United States. As rock music evolved throughout the 70s, it gradually began to adopt heavier, more aggressive, tones and darker lyrical themes. The sound became more distorted, heavier, the riffs more intense and the performances more electrifying. This evolution paved a way for the birth of heavy metal.
The British heavy metal band. The beginning of the decade witnessed the rise of three iconic English bands; Led Zeppelin, deep purple from London and black sabbath form Birmingham. The heavy metal bands that followed Black sabbath typically conveyed a dark, angry and anti-establishment. Heavy metal could be called protest music, often challenging the wrongs of politics, the economy and society. There had been some concern about substance abuse amongst the thrill seeking and delinquents amongst the heavy metal subculture.

INSTRUMENTS:
Guitars. Bass guitars, drums, electronic keyboard amongst others.

SUBCULTURE APPEARANCE:
Long and straggly hair on men, leather jackets, band patches, band graphic tees, black clothing, chains, spiked wristbands and neck chokers.

Music is a force that influences our feelings and actions. Music can shape perceptions and attitudes across various dimensions of life. From the definition of music, it comes from the word “muse” which means “To think”. This suggests that music affects our minds and our thoughts.
Based on the history of heavy metal music, this kind of music portrays rebellion, anger, fury, violence, noise, hatred, darkness, aggression and many more.
Furthermore, music as used in the word of God was for:
– The worship, honor and glory of God
– Influence
– Encouragement
– Edification etc.

REASONS WHY CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT USE THE HEAVY METAL GENRE OF MUSIC

1) INFLUENCE:
Like I stated earlier, music can influence our feelings and actions, it can also shape our perceptions and attitude. As Christians, we should listen to word-based music that stirs up the right spirit on the inside. Listening to songs with beats or rhythms that excite the flesh will not help a Christian achieve grow in their walk with God. Whatever you spend your time listening to begins to shape your mind, therefore we should guard our ear gates jealously.
Philippians 4:8 (MSG)
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
Heavy metal music portrays violence, stirs up anger based on its origin and history, it also stirs up rebellion. As a Christian whatever kind of music, you listen to should either worship God, edify you, encourage you or others, entertain you or others (positively), else it’s not worthy of your time. If it does not stir up the right spirit on the inside of you then one should stay far from it as it will profit one nothing and could even do harm physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The story of David and Saul is a perfect example of how much music can influence one
1 Samuel 16:23 (NKJV)
And so it was, whenever the spirit form God was upon Saul, that David would take the harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and then the distressing spirit would depart from him.
The influence of music cannot be overemphasized. Therefore, we should spend time listening to songs that influence the smooth release of the gifts of the spirit such as prophecy, word of knowledge etc. Whatever we have on the inside begins to come out on the outside. We listen to music that stirs up violence, anger, rebellion and before we know it, we start acting in that manner.

2) THE SPIRIT BEHIND THE MUSIC
As Christians, when we listen to or sing songs not knowing the spirit behind those songs, we could be opening ourselves up to unfamiliar spirits. This is why songs should be sung purely to worship, glorify and praise God, to edify oneself and to encourage oneself or others.
I strongly believe that if certain songs could drive away evil spirits based on 1 Samuel 16:23 then some songs could invite the wrong spirits without our knowledge. If listening to the right word-based music could drive evil spirits away, then listening to world-based music we have no knowledge about could invite these spirits.
From the history of heavy metal music, it was born purely out of a rebellious spirit, this is to say that the spirit behind heavy metal music is one of rebellion, violence, anger, hatred etc. Listening to this kind of music could stir up wrong attitudes on the inside of us and further cause those spirit themselves to be at work through us.
Of cause, as children of God we have been delivered from the evil one, this does not mean that we should be ignorant of the devices of the devil
2 Corinthians 2:11
Lest satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices
Does this mean that you can have the Holy Spirit on the inside of you and still have strange spirits at work through you? Yes. As New Testament saints, we have been delivered from the works of the devil, but this does not mean that evil spirits do not hover around.
1 Peter 5:8-9a
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith
When we give them room in our lives, they use us and then we realize that something out of the normal just happened to us.

3) APPEARANCE:
We are to walk worthy of the call with which we have been called. Before we became music ministers in a local assembly, we are first ministers to God our Father. We are to appear with garments clothed with lowliness and gentleness.
Ephesians 4:1-2 (NKJV)
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love.
The appearance of those bands who sang heavy metal music were and still are provocative clothing’s.
Our appearance conveys a message. Using the heavy metal genre of music would pass the wrong message. When we begin to sing these songs, we begin to act like them and before we know it, we begin to dress like they do.
You may have no bad intentions, but this could repel people from wanting to hear the music.

4) EVANGELISM
One may think only the words of a song matter, but the pattern used to convey the message in the song also matters. People would rather pay attention to what they can hear and comprehend rather than listen to loud banging music. With no exception to the individual playing or listening to the song.
1 Corinthians 9:22b
I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some
If the music is somewhat distracting, it wouldn’t be able to properly convey the message of Goodnews as it should. People listen to music for different reasons. When they feel down, exhausted or during persecution. Like Paul and Silas who sang praises while imprisoned (Acts 16:25-26) and won the prison warden to Christ. I believe if they were playing loud banging music, it would have felt like noise to the prisoners who listened to them.
Any genre of music that could stand as a barrier between you the minister, the people and God should not be considered.
If this kind of music would in any way prevent the comprehension of the message being passed, such songs shouldn’t be sung as Christians. Even for the sake of entertainment. Because entertainment should be pure and healthy with songs that even if you were to go back and listen to them, they would still be comprehensive and relatable.
Using heavy metal music would convey the wrong message to believers and not fully express the Goodnews to the lost. This could stand as a barrier and prevent one from being able to truly reach the hearts of those who need the Goodnews.

CONCLUSION
As Christians the goal is to worship God in spirit and in truth. We are to seek out the principles from His word and abide by them. This does not mean we do not get revelation on more ways to worship and praise God as we grow in the knowledge of Him, because we do. Our eyes are being enlightened to find more ways to do this.
Something worthy of note is that these patterns must align with the principles from His word.

[Benny4real]

This encounter happened in September of this year. And I spoke with him about John 3:16 and John 14:6

[Benny4real]

Reply to Nnachi
I sincerely love the part where you spoke of balancing diligence and grace, because this is a core part of our lives as believer’s that is often taken for granted. We just want to sit down and expect grace to do it all. Sometimes believer’s think they can just do things anyhow they please because of grace. The reverse should be the case, we should take diligence personally keeping in mind that it is still by grace that we have been saved. Apostle Paul said, shall we sin that grace may abound? God forbid. As believer’s we should set the pace for others to follow and not the other way round but sadly this is not the case most times. You sometimes find believer’s display a high sense of mediocrity in all they do. They do it because everyone else is doing it and whichever they choose to do it, not necessarily the right way it ought to be done. But I believe a consistent renewal of the mind will be of help to this character of mediocrity.
I also love the part about mind transformation. This is a major part of our growth as believers. Without the actual transformation of our minds then we would not be able to experience righteousness in it’s fullness.

[Benny4real]

Name: Owhondah Ugochi Benedicta
Course Title: Christian Character
Course Code: CC-105-LC
Anchor: Pastor Nkechi Ene (Mrs)
The renewal of the mind is central to the development of your character as a believer. Write a post on 5 ways renewing your mind can help develop your character as a Christian.
The renewal of the mind is the key to guaranteed success in every area of your life.
1) When we renew our mind through the word, we are transformed into the express image of Christ. When we renew our minds consistently we get an example in Christ to compare our conduct and character against His:
According to 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. This scripture says that as we behold we become (paraphrase). Also in James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Jesus Christ was and still is the perfect example of what it means to walk in good conduct and sterling character. He showed this through His actions and responses whenever His character was questioned at various times e.g at the garden of Gethsemane “Luke 22:50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. :51 But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his ear and healed him. He has shown us that true character comes from the inside. It is not a question of what was done to you and what your expected response should be.
2) A consistent renewal of our mind allows God shape us into the very image of Christ through the help of the Holy Spirit:
John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. When we study the word and or listen to messages, go for word based seminars and others, we are doing our part in the renewal of our minds still the Holy Spirit shapes us into the very image of Christ. When we behold and are transformed in our hearts then we begin to see a physical manifestation of the character of Christ Himself through the help of the Holy Spirit. Character is both imparted and developed character. Therefore we are to work hand in hand with the Holy Spirit to develop this character that has been imparted through the new birth.
3) The renewal of our mind shows us what we need to do instead of what we ought to do:
According to Matthew 5, Jesus gives us various guides of what we need to do instead of what we ought to do. Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy’. According to the scripture above, you ought not to love someone who hates you, yet Jesus tells us otherwise in the next verse, Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. This is definitely not what we ought to do but what we need to do as Jesus has shown us. Whatever character you choose to display at any point in time, do not compare it with what others would do, rather compare it with what Jesus did or expects us to do. We should always ask ourselves “What would Jesus do”.
4) The renewal of our mind helps us become more knowledgeable and less ignorant:
1 Peter 1:14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. 17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
The more we renew our minds, the more knowledge we have of who we are in Christ Jesus. This forms a basis for our character as believer’s. We are no longer bound by the law of sin and death, we know that being raptured to see our maker on the last day is what is the goal, therefore our focus is living a life that is pleasing to God.
Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. We have been liberated through grace into righteousness and right standing with the Father. We know how to act because we know the Word.
5) Renewal of the mind purges and cleanses us and ignites fire on the inside of us:
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
God’s word has the power to cleanse us no matter how messed up we think out characters may be. When we open our hearts to the pure word, it is able to help us learn and unlearn. It doesn’t matter how corrupt your mind may be, consistent renewal of the mind will purge it of everything that is not of God. When the fire inside of us is stirred up it burns to ash everything that needs not be there and makes us hungry for the Word of God even more.

[Benny4real]

Name: Owhondah Ugochi Benedicta
Course Title: Christian Character
Anchor: Pastor Nkechi Ene (Mrs)
Good works that stem out of a relationship with Christ Jesus are witnesses for Jesus.” Bearing in mind that we are not saved by good works (Ephesians. 2:8-9), give validity to this statement or state otherwise.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Firstly what does it mean to witness?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, To witness is to bear witness : TESTIFY to bear witness to one’s religious convictions
According to the Oxford English Dictionary To witness is to present personal religious testimony; to preach at (someone) or on behalf of. It also means Attestation of a fact or event; testimony.
From the definitions above, The word testify is used as a synonym for the word witness. This is to say that we are witnesses to Christ. Therefore our good works that stem out of a relationship with Christ show forth the life of Christ in us yet, therefore we are witnesses to the world. Our good works that stem from a relationship with Christ display His personality because we are representations of Christ here on earth. We are letters to the world.
The next verse of Ephesians 2 which is Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. These good works were prepared beforehand, all we need to do is walk in them. We don’t work out our salvation by our strength. We are His workmanship in Christ Jesus already complete in Him.
This good works stem from a constant renewal of the mind till we know Christ’s perfect will. We renew our minds daily.
Acts 1:8 says” But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
When we realize that it is Christ who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, then we know that we are always a work in progress. These good works have been attained by Grace, the Holy Spirit and Christ’s finished work.
When we do not show forth these good works then there are no evidences that Christ is at work in us. So we have to be conscious of the Father who we represent here on earth and of His spirit indwelling on the inside of us. John 15:26-27
26“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
27And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
We testify of Christ to the world through our lives.

[Benny4real]

You made a valid point when you said “Jesus did not make Himself son of God by developing good works; he did good works because he is the son of God
[6]But without faith it is impossible to please Him
The seed imparted need to be developed constantly, to make it a pattern of life wherever and and whenever;” Though I still believe the Holy Spirit in us is the actual witness for Christ. We are witnesses to our Faith in Him. Because with or without your good works, Christ is still Christ. So whether you choose to do good works or not He is still the same person He is and will always be. We are His own workmanship in Christ Jesus, and these good works were prepared beforehand. According to Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Ephesians 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
And also in John 15:26-27
26“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
27And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

[Benny4real]

Name: Owhondah Ugochi Benedicta
Course Title: Christian Character
Anchor: Pastor Nkechi Ene (Mrs)
Good works that stem out of a relationship with Christ Jesus are witnesses for Jesus.” Bearing in mind that we are not saved by good works (Ephesians. 2:8-9), give validity to this statement or state otherwise.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Firstly what does it mean to witness?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, To witness is to bear witness : TESTIFY to bear witness to one’s religious convictions
According to the Oxford English Dictionary To witness is to present personal religious testimony; to preach at (someone) or on behalf of. It also means Attestation of a fact or event; testimony.
From the definitions above, The word testify is used as a synonym for the word witness. This is to say that we are witnesses to Christ. Therefore our good works that stem out of a relationship with Christ show forth the life of Christ in us yet, it is not our works that are witnesses for Jesus Christ. It is the Holy spirit in us that is a witness for Christ Jesus. We are witnesses “to” Christ Jesus.
The next verse of Ephesians 2 which is Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. These good works were prepared beforehand, all we need to do is walk in them. We don’t work out our salvation by our strength. We are His workmanship in Christ Jesus already complete in Him.
Acts 1:8 says” But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
When we realize that it is Christ who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, then we know that we are always a work in progress. These good works have been attained by Grace, the Holy Spirit and Christ’s finished work.
We are witnesses to our faith in Jesus Christ . John 15:26-27
26“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
27And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
We testify of Christ and our faith in Him.

[Benny4real]

I can relate to this experience because it’s a bit similar to the one I had experienced as well. This experience goes a long way to show that evangelism is not by our power or ability and it shows that we need to be totally depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit for evangelism.
It encourages us to keep on spreading the word and at the right time the holy Spirit will complete what he has started Since you were not able to get him to make decisions to rededicated his life back to God, but you were interested in how moving forward in his christian life especially in getting a new church without offending his Mother or cousin, also our sessions was cut short because his boss shut down the business and he had to move, no phone number to use to contact him and he refused to give his mother’s number to contact him. He took mine promising to call when he gets another job. I think one other thing you could have also done was relating this with other believer’s because people have similar experiences and no one should be a one man squad when it comes to Evangelism.

[Benny4real]

Name: Owhondah Ugochi Benedicta
Course: Evangelism and Follow-up
Anchor: Rev Joe Uwareme

I was in a moving vehicle to a location and I forgot my purse. Didn’t notice it was missing till the very next day. I searched for it but it was nowhere to be found, I talked to the Holy Spirit about it and he told me to be calm. By noon I got a call asking if I had forgotten my purse in a cab and I was so excited. When I met with the person who found the purse, I was led in my heart to share the word with this person. I hesitated for a moment but then I thought, what harm could it do so I went for it. I engaged this person in a conversation generally, I started by introducing myself, asking for the person’s name and I expressed my gratitude with kind words and also made this person realise it was a miracle for me because nothing was missing. When I started talking to this guy about Jesus Christ and how He worked miracles, he opened up to me about a lot of things that were going on in his life and how he needed those words at that very point in his life. He just went through a separation from his wife, his children had nowhere to stay, he couldn’t afford to feed them so he was just moving them from one place to the other. He also spoke about how he wanted to remain a good person but life was making it hard. I responded with words of encouragement because I knew he was really down. He was really open and responsive because I knew he needed help. I wanted to lead him to Christ right there on the sidewalk but then he insisted that he was a member of a church still I knew he wasn’t born again, I didn’t push further. I invited this person to my church, took his contact details but I haven’t been able to reach this person for the longest time. My only regret was not insisting on him becoming born again, but I trust the Holy Spirit will continue what he already started. I was busy recently when I got a call from an unknown number, it turned out to be this guy, we couldn’t talk for so long and then the number was no longer reachable. He had lost his phone and other belongings and was trying to reach me, I was trying to talk to him about meeting but the call ended abruptly.

[Benny4real]

Reply to Nnachi:
Indeed the way of God is a path of servanthood He showed us this by offering us the best of Himself according to (Matt 23:11-12; Mark 10:43-45). There is no end to service and therefore it cannot be outgrown and cannot be retired from or brought to an end. It’s a continuous process. Even Where you think, there is nothing to offer; check well to identify, anticipate or create the opportunity to serve. Serving is of extreme importance to our growth as believer’s. Life is a believer is in stages therefore servanthood is also in stages. You grow by bringing up others to follow you but you must lead by example. The more faithful you are in your service, the faster you grow.
A great leader is first a servant, once a leader has this as an inner disposition then their actions will naturally align. Using Paul as a case study in Titus 1:1 Paul was one of the greatest apostles to walk the face of the earth, as a matter of fact he wrote most of the books in the New Testament, yet he called himself a bondservant of God. Therefore his apostleship was only as credible as his servanthood, he didn’t attribute his success to his achievements rather he attributed it to his servanthood.

[Author]

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