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Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 27, 2023 | MATTHEW 5:9 KEY VERSE: Matthew 5:9 (NIV) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. MESSAGE: Peace-making is one activity that the United Nations has undertaken in many parts of the world and continues to spend billions of Dollars on pursuing. The world since the Fall has been a battleground of individuals in families and in society and of nations against nations. One would have thought that with civilization advancing humans would be more peaceful, but we have become more and more at war as the years have progressed. The Kingdom of God is here said to require citizens who are peacemakers. A peacemaker is one with a disposition to peace and quiet. It is first an inner orientation that manifests in general conduct. They are peacemakers because they have benefitted from the peace of God which came through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and have become agents of the peace of God. Peacemakers desire, love and work for peace; they seek the preservation of peace and its restoration as quickly as possible when it is broken. Peacemakers are blessed because they have the quiet of their inner state, something no one can take from them. Their inner disposition removes all turmoil that could spell or be the cause for various kinds of emotional diseases. Their spirits are at rest and can communicate better with God. They are children of God because they reflect the character of God, the God of peace (Phil. 4:8) FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Is there any situation of confusion around you? Any situation of disagreement or sharp difference. What can you do to bring peace? PRAYER: Dear God of peace, thank you for restoring me to yourself through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please help me to be an agent of your peace. And may I truly be a child of God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 26, 2023 | MATTHEW 5:8 KEY VERSE: Matthew 5:8 (NIV) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. MESSAGE: We are used to the external expression of things, and often in the matter of spirituality, we use external expressions to cover up what are the realities in the sight of God. The heart is often used in the Bible to refer to the inner man, the spirit part of our being. It is possible to have a corrupt heart, a sinful infested poisoned spirit, and appear before people as worshipping God. The Lord Jesus demands and indicates that those who are His true Kingdom citizens must be people of pure hearts. A pure heart is one that has been cleansed by God of the contamination of the original sin of Adam and Eve which we inherit as humans. It is a heart that has been yielded to God as His throne and in which God rules by His Spirit through His Word. A pure heart is one which has determined to sacrifice all the allurements and attractions of sin and to honour God in all things, even to the point of dying for the truth of God and His Kingdom. We need pure hearts! The reward for the pure-hearted is that they will see God. They will see God means that they will experience God in this life. Their Christianity will be one in which God is not a far-away ancient personality trapped in the pages of an ancient book. They will come to the place where they receive interactions with God. The Lord Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." John 14:21 (NIV). Wow, what a prospect that God will visit you and me! When God visits us, He will meet our needs. “They will see God” means that they will experience God in Heaven. The state in which we shall see God face to face and live in His presence forever in Heaven. The pure in Heart alone will enter into God’s holy Heaven (Rev. 21:27). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Search your heart before God and see the state in which you are. Is the heart pure or polluted, or even mixed up? Determine to maintain a pure heart always. PRAYER: Lord, I bring my heart before you and ask that you reveal me to myself as I wait in your presence. Forgive every pollution of my heart, make me pure, and help me keep pure. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 25, 2023 | MATTHEW 5:7 KEY VERSE: Matthew 5:7 (NIV) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. MESSAGE: The human condition is a pitiable one, and people around us need the show of mercy to support them in their affliction. However, the natural trend in society is for each one to look towards their own welfare and care less about what happens to other people. The Kingdom citizen is called to a character of being merciful. To be merciful is to have the attitude of having pity on other people and taking steps to bring them out of their challenges. This call to Christian mercifulness does not deny the fact that each of us may have our own burdens to bear. When we are merciful it shows that we have become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), for God Himself is merciful. Mercy for humanity will move us to want to share the Gospel with those who do not know the lordship of the Saviour Jesus Christ. The merciful are blessed because: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' (Acts 20:35 NIV). “… if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." (Matt 6:14 NIV). “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” (Prov 19:17 NIV). “The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.” (Ps 41:2 NIV). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Look around you for people who may need your help. Overlook personal burdens and reach out to the needy. Expect God to show you mercy from above and through humans around you. PRAYER: Merciful Father, thank you for reaching down into the darkness to save me and bless me. Please make me desirous of reaching out to people around me in mercy, to share physical and spiritual blessings. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 24, 2023 | MATTHEW 5:6 KEY VERSE: Matthew 5:6 (NIV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. MESSAGE: A universal human feeling that is overpowering and calls for satisfaction is hunger and thirst. The Lord Jesus uses this reality to teach us how much the desire for righteousness should overpower and identify the Christian soul. The true follower of the Lord Jesus must have a great desire to see righteousness done, for His Kingdom is a Kingdom of righteousness. Followers of Christ must have an overwhelming desire to see righteousness in their own individual souls. The believer weighs themselves in the scales of God, finds themselves deficient of some virtue, and yearns to see those godly traits formed in them. They seek justice and righteousness for the harms done to them by evil people and an evil world, in view of their meekness, and like the saints under the altar of God cry out "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" (Rev 6:10 NIV). They hunger and thirst after righteousness, not only as a momentary one-time experience but as a repeated experience of their soul, where they hunger and thirst over and over again. Our hunger and thirst for righteousness must move us to work for righteousness. Our time alone with God in reading the Bible, meditating on it and praying, our time with God’s people in joint worship at home and in Church, our advocacy for justice for those who are treated unfairly in society and in the Church, all of these must form ongoing work to see righteousness done. “They shall be filled” by the gratification that the desire and pursuit of righteousness itself gives. The journey of holy living is an exciting adventure, try it. But Heaven is the fulfilment of the truest satisfaction of the righteousness that righteous souls hunger and thirst for. The Apostle Peter captures it for us “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:13 NKJV). The believer's quest shall receive its fullest satisfaction by the ambience of Heaven and the righteous rule of God. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Be sensitive to the pangs for righteousness in your inner man. Yearn for righteousness in your thoughts and actions. Work for righteousness in your environment. Trust God to receive satisfaction in this life and in Heaven. PRAYER: Righteous King, thank you that you have put in Kingdom souls, a hunger and thirst for righteousness. May I be a righteous person, in thought, word and deed. May I promote righteousness wherever I find myself. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 23, 2023 | MATTHEW 5:5 KEY VERSE: Matthew 5:5 (NIV) Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. MESSAGE: Aggressive loudness and self-projection are the marks of the worldly astute person. Quick retaliation is the norm of the worldly person. The Lord Jesus calls His followers to be contrary to this, they are to be meek. The true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ on the contrary are meek people. The hymn writer refers to the Lord as “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild.” A meek person is one who remains calm under extreme provocation, though they may have the power to ruthlessly deal with the assaults on their dignity so suffered. A meek person exercises power under control when angered and forgives. They are able to control themselves and not react in ways that will escalate differences. The meek person lives so as ”to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.” (Titus 3:2 NIV). They are to be like the Master who said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11:29 NIV). By worldly standards, a meek person is often considered a weak person. A meek person is often taken advantage of by godless people who think their evil against the meek is smartness. The meek person is often disposed of their possessions and are seen to be losers of what this world has to offer. The Lord Jesus compensates the loses of the meek with the assurance that “they will inherit the earth.” What this means is that even though their disposition may lend them to being disposed of their goods, they have control of their inner orientation which makes them healthy, their gentleness lends insights into their business which yields profit and success. Their amiability makes them the best company for socializing and for business. Meekness, therefore, gives a certain power to master and possess the earth. But it also means the assurance of a place in Heaven. The promise here is fetched from Ps 37:11 where it reads “But the meek will inherit the land, and enjoy great peace.” “The land” here refers to Canaan, which was a picture of Heaven, and therefore the assurance is of a place in God’s eternal home. In effect, meekness has promise for this life and the life beyond the grave. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Determine to master your spirit and pursue gentleness, especially when you live in a provocative environment, at home, at work or even in the Church. PRAYER: Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, please help me to be like you. Give me that self-control that takes away the triumph from those who use force and violence to enrich themselves. For your dear Name’s sake. Amen. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 22, 2023 | MATTHEW 5:4 KEY VERSE: Matt 5:4 (NIV) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. MESSAGE: The world multiplies its means of entertainment, and people generally seek out ways to appear happy. The Lord Jesus however indicates that the citizens of the Kingdom of God are accustomed to mourning. He Himself was known as Man of Sorrows, accustomed with grief (Isaiah 53:3). Have you noticed that some of the things we do to appear happy and mirthful compromise us to choices and behaviour that result in sin. We sometimes lose our sense of individuality so as to be part of the crowd, and in so doing let down our guards to speech and behaviour that offend God. We smile in every mirror and in every photograph to say that we are happy. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes 7:6 asserts “Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.” (NIV). Kingdom citizens in their hatred of sin and in their determination to avoid godless mirth tend to be a people who may aptly be described as mournful. They mourn over their own sinfulness and their temptations. They mourn over those who have fallen into the grips of the enemy. They mourn over the injustice in this world. They mourn with those who mourn over their losses in this life. They mourn because humanity does not fear God nor subdue to Him. The promise is that “they shall be comforted.” The godly mournful shall be comforted in this life, for God comes in strongly and gives joy for all the sorrow they bear. “For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” (2 Cor 1:5 NIV). But they shall be comforted eternally when they reach Heaven. There, my dear friends, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev 7:17 NIV). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Kingdom mourning is not wearing a long face and being anti-social; it is an inner attitude of dissatisfaction with what the world calls joy and seeking to bring the rule of God into one’s life and environment. Begin to mourn! Look out for God’s comfort!! PRAYER: Lord, give me a heart that mourns, like you mourned when you walked this earth. And please Lord, comfort me for my mourning. For your dear Name’s sake. Amen. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 21, 2023 | MATTHEW 5:3 KEY VERSE: Matt 5:3 (NIV) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. MESSAGE: In the next few days, we will be working our way through the eight beatitudes that the Lord Jesus gave in the sermon on the mount. The beatitudes show the character that the citizens of the Kingdom, believers in and followers of the Lord Jesus, have to show. The Old Testament begins with the threat of an impending curse that could come upon the nation of Israel: "⁵See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. ⁶He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." (Mal 4:5-6 NIV). The Lord Jesus Christ begins His ministry by pronouncing blessings, to show that, as the carol writer says “He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found.” God intends for humanity to live in His abundant blessings, but the Fall into sin has erased the blessing and made us cursed or unhappy. The Old Testament stressed the curse and its consequences, so when Israel was to enter Canaan the curses were recited (please read Deut. 27:12-26). Because the ministry of Christ in the New Testament was to restore the original blessing, Christ in this first sermon declares the blessings associated with Kingdom citizenship and Kingdom living (Matthew 5:3-10). In the first beatitude, the Lord Jesus teaches us “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (NIV). The Lord does not praise material poverty by this teaching. He intends to communicate to His disciples that Kingdom citizens are people who acknowledge that in the light of Heaven’s evaluation, they are insignificant, bankrupt, deficient and of no value. It is the admission of our guilt as sinners, and our dying need of a Saviour, and the sustaining grace of God for us to live the God-kind of life. There are materially poor people who are proud, and even reject God’s offer of free salvation in Christ. Such people are far away from the Kingdom of God. Truly happy people (blessed) are such as accept the verdict of God that, “²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Rom 3:23-24 NIV). Till one accepts the verdict of God that we are sinners from birth, and deserving only of an eternity in Hell, and that we humbly accept the free offer of new life in Jesus Christ, we are proud opposers of God and can never live the truly blessed life. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Acknowledge the truth of your spiritual bankruptcy and accept God’s loving free salvation in Christ. You will be a blessed person indeed. PRAYER: Dear God, I am a sinner from my mother’s womb, and I need your life to truly live. Come into my heart and help me to live as a true citizen of your Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 20, 2023 | MATTHEW 5:1-2 KEY VERSE: Matthew 5:1 (NIV) Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, MESSAGE: Matthew 4 identified the main components of the ministry of the Lord Jesus as teaching, preaching, and healing. Examples of the healings He performed were mentioned in that context. Hereon Matthew in chapters 5 to 7 gives an example of the teaching-preaching ministry of the Lord, what has become known as the Sermon on the Mount. The Master-Teacher/Preacher explains clearly how Kingdom citizenship should affect the behaviour of those who are Kingdom citizens. The rules of the Kingdom are demanded of Kingdom citizens, and non-believers are not to be held to those standards. The Kingdom of God makes a distinction between citizens and strangers to the Kingdom. Christians often make the mistake of expecting non-Christians to live by the law of Christ. The Apostle Paul corrects us ⁹I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case, you would have to leave this world. ¹¹But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. (1 Cor 5:9-11 NIV). The Lord saw” the crowds,” but when He sat down it was “His disciples” who drew near to receive instruction. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Ask yourself if you are only part of the crowds that surge after and around Jesus (because they seek and desire to see miracles) or if you are a disciple, drawing closer to a wonderful Preacher/Teacher, to receive the wonderful words of life, which prepare you to receive the bounties of miracles in God’s way and in God’s time. PRAYER: Lord, I want to know you more and more. Please speak to me, and may I hear your teaching each time I read Bible or hear the Word preached. For your dear Name’s sake Amen. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 19, 2023 | MATTHEW 4:23-25 TEXT: Matthew 4:23-25 (NIV) Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. MESSAGE: Jesus Christ was a popular person in the context of first-century Israel. Our text shows that His fame spread throughout the nation. He was noted as a teacher, a preacher and a healer, and these factors attracted multitudes to Him. Do you feel attracted to Jesus Christ? What is it that attracts you to Him? It appears to me that the miracles of the Lord, which here in our text covers the healing of diseases He accomplished among his countrymen are the major attraction to Him. The human condition worldwide has not been cured of the challenges of disease, in spite of the advances in the field of medical science. Demonic oppression is a reality in the modern era, just as it was in the ancient world. In more economically advanced and politically better-organized countries, demonism and satanic oppression have taken different forms, and are sometimes reduced to and explained away by the fields of psychology and psychiatry. Understood for what it is, it is the same Satan who oppressed the first-century world that disturbs modern humanity. It is important to stress that the Lord Jesus was also a great teacher and a powerful preacher. His teachings have served the purpose of advancing His Kingdom on earth but have gone beyond the walls of the Church into the public arena, with Human Resource, Administration, law, economics and other secular specialists fetching principles for their fields from the words that fell from His lips. Jesus Christ is still a great attraction! FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: As we seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, let us embrace the totality of His continued ministry of teaching, preaching, and healing. Let us join the ancient crowds on the shores of Galilee, in the fields and in the Temple courts and receive from the Lord instruction for life and godliness, and miracles of all kinds, at the times and in ways He chooses to work. PRAYER: Jesus my Teacher, Preacher, and Healer, I worship you and seek to experience your ministry more and more. Please let me hear you in each work you do through your people in the Church. May I see you and hear you working your great ministries, for your dear Name’s sake. Amen! SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 18, 2023 | MATTHEW 4:18-22 KEY VERSE: Matthew 4:20 (NIV) At once they left their nets and followed him. MESSAGE: Our text for today narrates the call into discipleship of two pairs of brothers, Peter and Andrew, and then James and John. They were all fishermen, and busy about their business. It seems here that the Lord appeared to them as a complete stranger, but the Gospel John fills in the gap by telling us that they had had some contact with the Lord through the ministry of John the Baptist: see John 1:40-42 ⁴⁰Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). ⁴²And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter). NIV Our focus for today, however, is the prompt manner in which they responded to the call of the Master (vv. 20, 22). Afterall they were minding their business which brought them food and wealth. Following an itinerant preacher, even if He had been introduced by another preacher, calls for a lot of determination. But we note that in both instances, they responded immediately, leaving everything behind. The Lord Jesus Christ still makes calls to us and on us, in our time and circumstances. For all humans, His first call is that to faith in Him as the one and only Saviour. He claims that no one can get to God the Father except through Him. To those who have accepted His offer of salvation and passed the first post, He calls us to a deeper and closer walk with Him, to obedience to His teaching, and claims upon our lives, upon our time, talents and treasures. And it would do us much good to respond promptly and excitedly. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Ask Jesus to come into your life if you have not done so already. If you are already a believer, take the next step of seeking to know Him better and committing to serve Him more, promptly and faithfully. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you came to earth freely and died for me willingly. Please help me to love you fully, to follow you nearly, and to obey you promptly. For your dear Name’s sake. Amen. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 17, 2023 | MATTHEW 4:12-17 KEY VERSE: Matthew 4:17 (NIV) From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." MESSAGE: The mission of the Lord Jesus Christ was to inaugurate the Kingdom of God and open the door to it by His sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary. The Kingdom of God is not a geographical political space, it is the rule of God in the hearts of individuals who submit their wills to God freely. The Kingdom of God is the invasion of light into the realms where darkness ruled and giving of the God-kind of life where the shadow of death hung over human souls. The Lord Jesus chose to start His ministry, as here, from the region of Galilee to further identify with the state of humanity in darkness and in bondage to the forces of death. Galilee was a backward backwater part of Israel. In doing this He established the bases of acceptance into the Kingdom, repentance. From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." We must repent, and have a change of mind, which should result in a change in the way we think, talk and behave. Repentance is not remorse felt for having been caught for our wrongdoing. Repentance is the acknowledgement that our sin is an offence to the holy God and that we willingly choose to re-align our ways to His will. Repentance is not a momentary emotional flash in the pan. Its true quality is shown in an abiding hatred of sin and results in a new personality, a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). The call to repentance is more pertinent now in view of the admonishment, “ And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. (Rom 13:11 NIV). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Tell God that you acknowledge the sin nature we were born with and that you reject its power over you, accepting the forgiveness that the blood of the Lord Jesus offers us. The blood of Jesus deals with the root of sin. Determine to stay away from the fruit of sin, the continual choice to disobey God. PRAYER: Lord, I was born a sinner, a slave of Satan and his evil rule. I renounce sin and the rule of the forces of darkness, in the Name of Jesus. I desire to and ask you to help me by your Holy Spirit to live the life that shows true repentance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen! SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 16, 2023 | MATTHEW 4:8-11 KEY VERSE: Matthew 4:10 (NIV) Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' MESSAGE: In the third Temptation, we see Satan as a legalistic daring bad devil; he stood before Jesus, the Word made flesh, the Creator of the universe, in His self-humiliated state as the God-Man, and dared, to ask Him to bow down to worship him, so that he, Satan could give Him all the kingdoms of this world. See the thief shouting the wares of his theft in the marketplace! Adam and Eve did sell our birth-right as agents of God to the Devil in the first temptation in the Garden of Eden. And in the third Temptation in the wilderness, Satan sought to seal the evil done to humanity by asking for the endorsement of that ancient transaction by bowing as Adam and Eve virtually did. The response of the dear Lord Jesus is the answer we must give when Satan seeks our allegiance and demands our worship. Whether the Devil comes as a mental suggestion, a human personality, a philosophical system, as a supposedly Christian leader or as an outright physical manifestation, to demand our worship, our answer must be one and only one, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' When the enemy has been dislodged, God will send angels, God will send helpers, God will provide for you when you worship Him only (v. 11). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Make a vow to the Lord that you will worship Him, and Him only will you serve. Determine to say no to anything or any person that seeks to have more space and authority over you than the allegiance you owe to the Lord Jesus Christ. PRAYER: O Lord my God, I pledge my worship to you and you only all the days of my life. Please help me to stay strong in the face of the calls from the enemy demanding my worship. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!