This morning I received these beautiful and encouraging words from one of our dear daughters in Christ! Read and be blessed! To God be all the glory! “Lovely Morning Malia, I see how God carries you and your words energized by the power of the Holy Ghost .To God alone be all the glory! You have often told me ( your children), that because you are my mother, I am free ‘to take anything I see in you’: This is what I see:- I see the power from on high at work in you – I see the fear of God that swallows up any other fear.- I see total dependence on the Holy Spirit. My prayer: I receive grace to cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that I walk in these glories to the glory of God. In Jesus’ name! After yesterday, I realized a gift God has given me though I have being using this gift in a little way for God’s glory. It is to manage my Facebook account as a ministry. I now see that is the reason God used you to encourage me to have a Facebook account, to make my posts public. I’m an Admin. on some platforms. I also observed that the Holy Spirit leads me to pray, send messages, speak… all to encourage others even when myself I’m going through a difficult time. I. I don’t use my strength, or my wisdom. He does the work in me and thru me. I just yield. From the overflow of the comfort and encouragement I receive from the Holy Spirit, I give to others. It is the “gift of encouragement”. I am using every opportunity to turn the eyes of people on Jesus, in whom our salvation is and who is our ever-present Help in time of trouble. May the Lord help me to use all my gifts for His glory in Jesus name, Amen!!!God has indeed filled my heart with joy and mouth with laughter. Halleluiah!!!God bless you, Malia!

Your daughter…”

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them!” (Psalm 126:2)

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL (16)

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series called: The Power of the Gospel”. Her main text was taken from the Book of Romans: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” … being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus… sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace…There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death…  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 1:16, 17; 3:24; 6:14; 8:1, 2, 37-39; NKJ)

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh said that there are two ‘countries’ or two ‘realms’: Adam and Christ! All men are either in Adam or in Christ. There is no middle ground. In Adam, Sin is king and reigns unto death. In Christ, Grace is King and reigns unto eternal life! You are either under Sin or under Grace! Sin and saving Grace are both positional. In Christ, all are under Grace! Sin is defined as rebellion against God! It is disobedience, breaking God’s law, and worse, breaking God’s heart! It is lawlessness, chaos. Grace is God’s unmerited favor to sinners.

In Christ, we are free from two negative situations. We are free from ‘condemnation’ (guilt because of sins) and we are free from ‘separation’. We are one with Christ! We were crucified with Him, died with Him, were buried with Him, and resurrected with Him. This unity of love is eternal! Not even death can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus! The lack of condemnation and the lack of fear of separation produces a holy boldness and manifests itself as joyful assurance of salvation! This is a fact revealed from heaven: Christ will never ‘divorce’ you! He said: “I will never leave you nor forsake you… I am with you always, even to the end of the age!” (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20). In Christ we are ‘more than conquerors.’ To be a conqueror means to win a battle. That is good. But to be ‘more than a conqueror’ it means to defeat your enemy totally. It is an overwhelming defeat without any strength or hope for your enemy to recover. At the Cross, the devil was totally defeated. In Christ we share in His total victory over the devil and we share in the authority gained by the shed Blood of Jesus!

God gave His law for two main reason: for men to know the character of God and for men to know what sin is, and that they are sinners. God did not give the law for sinners to be saved. Because of the sin in them, sinners cannot obey the law. The Law has no mercy, no grace, no peace, no faith, and no hope. The law came with two expectations. It insists on total (100%) obedience and (100%) punishment is case of disobedience. Trying to obey the law leads to frustration. The Holy Spirit uses this ‘frustration’ to make the law ‘a tutor, a teacher’ to lead us to Christ. Salvation is found only in Jesus Christ! No man could obey the law 100%. The only Man who obeyed the law 100% was our Lord Jesus Christ. He took human nature open Himself and obeyed all the law. In fact, He fulfilled the law. On the Cross He took our sins on Himself and died because of that. In other words, it was the Law that killed Jesus. He died so that we are free from the control, the tyranny, and curse of the Law. In Christ, a new form of righteousness is revealed. It is not by obeying the law but by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel we preach: Christ Crucified and Resurrected! You need the revelation of the Holy Spirit to believe this gospel! Halleluiah!

“The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:56, 57). Apostle Paul saw death as a monster, a poisonous snake. The word ‘sting’ in Greek means the bite of a poisonous snake or scorpion. Death is the monster snake that bites with the fangs of sin. The poison spreads and the victim die. The power to bite, the strength of its ‘jaws’ comes from ‘the law’. You see how wicked the devil is? He misuses the law of God to give strength to the monster called death. No man can defeat sin in his power. What is our hope? It is only in Christ that we have the strength to identify, hate, confront, and defeat sin! Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ for this mighty victory!   

THERE IS A GOD IN HEAVEN

This is the story of how Daniel and his three friends saved themselves and others from death. They represent King Grace! King Nebuchadnezzar has a bad dream. No magician could tell him the dream or interpret it. He then decreed that all wise men should die. That included Daniel and his three friends. The magicians asked the king for more time to discover the secret of the dream, but the king refused. Daniel asked for the same favor. He asked the king for time and surprisingly, the king granted it. (This is a great lesson: the unbelievers cannot ‘pass’ the door of life and progress, but King Grace opens it for the children of God).  Grace opens the door that the law of sin and death shuts down. Grace is always stronger than sin! Daniel prays and God Almighty reveals the dream and the interpretation. Grace gives ‘wisdom to the wise’. When talking to the king, Daniel gives all the glory to God saying: “there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets” (Daniel 2:28). The king discovers that he is not in control. The God of Daniel is! There is a God in heaven who is in control! The King and the magicians are not in control! Even Daniel is not in control! God is! God proves that no one except Him is in control! That is why He alone is worthy of our praise! Worship the Lord!

GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR HE IS GOOD!!! Dear children, we are almost at the end of the year. Looking back, and looking ahead, I see that God is in control of our lives. As you know, this July, my beloved husband of 47 years, Pastor Richmond Sisan Leigh, went to be with the Lord. It was a sudden transition. My world collapsed and I had no hope for a while. But thru it all, the everlasting arms of God held me tight. The love of Christ constrained me. His mercy did not let me fall. Both of us were a team for so many years. We are both medical doctors and colleagues. Twenty years ago we started Father’s House Bible church in Warri, Effurun/ Nigeria were we live. By the grace of God, I am now the senior pastor … alone … but not really alone, but one with The Lord Jesus Christ! When I needed it most, The Holy Spirit gave me ‘an injection of power from on high’. This supernatural power was given because of the ministry and not for my own ‘entertainment’. I am now strong and happy. I am at peace with God’s will for my life. I preach the Gospel of Christ Crucified and Resurrected! Sinners are saved and the saved get closer to God. My pain was swallowed by His ever sufficient Grace! I am a living miracle. As God blesses me daily with His compassion and true Comfort, may God bless you the same! Merry Christmas and Happy New year in advance! The worship continues… Give thanks to God always! To God be all the glory! Love in Christ alone! Your pastor and mother in Christ,Malia! “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 107:1)

16Fisayo Dare, Grace Amara and 14 others8 Comments1 ShareLikeCommentShare

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8)
This morning I had a wonderful fellowship with our daughter, Alina. She is a nurse practitioner, working in Texas. She came to visit me for Christmas. This visit makes me so happy, more than words can say. We were talking about difficult situations in life. She told me that as a nurse, she had learned so many good things, more than the medical side of the profession. The most challenging side of her job is to take care of difficult, bad mannered, or proud patients. They are sick and obviously they need help. But they prove to be difficult by making impossible demands on the nurses, and even sexual advances. The most difficult of all are the older wealthy men. Some of them are on admission in the VIPs rooms and behave like little ‘kings.’ They look down on the nurses who attend to them. They are rude, overdemanding, disrespectful, hot tempered and ungrateful. Alina was telling me that when there is a crisis, when she is provoked to respond in anger, she has learned ‘to keep calm so that I can think’ (her words). She was telling me that if her emotions overrule her best judgement, she will respond in anger. That will not be an advantage to her. She will ‘lose the battle’. She may lose her job and her reputation. So, she has learned that in all situations, the best attitude is to pray quietly, stay calm, speak with wisdom, and remain professional. She reminds herself that she is not alone. She represents the hospital management. Her behavior, for better or for worse, will reflect on her employer. And most of all, her behavior reflects on her Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

She was telling me of a particular story: a man of 86 was admitted in the hospital where she was working. He was a weak and sick man. He was using a walker. He was told to ring the bell anytime he goes to the toilet so that a nurse can assist him. But he refused to be helped. Because of that, he fell often and that created more problems for all. One morning Alina came to his room and saw that the man was struggling alone to go to the toilet. He refused to be helped by her. Alina just stood by. She left the door of the toilet opened, to observe him, and to help him if necessary (this is the standard procedure). The man got very angry and used foul language to insult Alina. She just kept calm. He finished and tried to walk back. But he could not lift his legs to climb the bed. Then he said to her: ‘Can’t you help me?’ In a quiet voice Alina said: ‘Sir, you refused my help. You insulted me. Why will I help you now?’ Immediately she said that the man started weeping. Tears were rolling on his face. He started repenting and apologizing. Crying he said: “Jesus, I offended this young nurse. Please have mercy on me. Please touch her heart and bless her…” Alina said that she was surprised at his sudden reaction. Later she discovered that he was given just three months to live. Alina was so happy that in the face of provocation she kept calm and patient with a man who needed just a touch of love. This is a good lesson: be like God: slow to anger and abounding in mercy. You can never go wrong like this. Who knows how much you can bless somebody?

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL (15)

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh continued preaching about ‘The power of the Gospel’. The sermon today was titled ‘The Doctrine of Incarnation’. Her main text was taken from the Book of Matthew. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus” (Matthew 1:18-25)

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh said that by the leading of the Holy Spirit, we shall glorify the Lord Jesus Christ! This is the true doctrine of Christmas. Jesus is always at the center of everything! Christmas is Christ! Christianity is Christ! We reject the evil spirit of religion that preaches another ‘Christ’, another ‘Gospel’ and has another ‘Spirit’. Mary, Joseph, Angel Gabriel, the wise men, the shepherds, and all the other people are not the center of Christmas. They are only assisting in ‘the drama’. The heart of Christmas is Christ the Lord! Without Christ there is no Christmas! “Oh, come let us adore Him!” 

THE DOCTRINE OF INCARNATION

*The Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, became incarnate, took upon Himself human nature. He did not become a new personality when He was born. He was still the Second Person of the Holy Trinity but took a human nature upon Himself. He is completely both God and Man! “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 2, 14)

*Jesus Christ is the Old Testament Jehovah God. He is the fulfillment of all prophesies in the Old Testament. He has fulfilled at least 350 prophecies. If even 8 out of these are fulfilled, the chance that Jesus is not the fulfilment of prophesies is this: 1 out of 10 at power 17. For example: you cover Texas (or Nigeria) with 1$ coins to be 2 feet deep. You mark one coin and hide it among all others. A blindfolded man is told to walk up and down Texas and find that coin. It is impossible! As it is impossible for the blindfolded man to find that marked coin, so it is impossible to say that Christ is not the Lord. The truth is Christ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords! He came to fulfill all prophesies! Jesus said: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17)

*To believe the incarnation you must believe the doctrine of the Trinity. It is the most difficult and mysterious doctrine of the Bible. You need the revelation of the Holy Spirit to believe it. Anyone who rejects the doctrine of the Trinity is not born again. No human being could have invented this doctrine. It comes straight from the Bible and it is not found anywhere else. It is the most exalted of all doctrines. It is mystery revealed! We cannot understand it, but we can believe it. We should look at it with wonder and worship! There is no explicit statement about this doctrine in the Bible, but it is implied. It does not mean that there are three gods. In both Old and New Testament, the Bible reveals that there is only one God! God, in His innermost nature is one! But He exists in three Persons! The Westminster Confession says: “In the unity of the Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding: the Son is eternally begotten of the Father: the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son”

*This is the truth revealed: the Second Person of the Trinity became flesh. He did not come as an appearance, or as a spirit. He came as a Man, in the flesh. It was a true incarnation. Our Lord was 100% God and 100% Man, not 50-50%! When He was conceived and He was born, He did not become a new personality (like a human baby). He was still the eternal second Person of the Holy Trinity. There was no change in His personality. The baby lying in the manger was the second Person of the Trinity. That is what the Shepherd and the Wise Men saw, with their eyes of faith. Our Lord took His human nature from Mary. He did not bring a special body from heaven. He took the complete human nature, including body, soul, and spirit, from Mary. Therefore, He was truly a Man. He was called ‘the Seed of the woman’. Long ago God prophesied: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Gen 3:15). The Holy Spirit took a cell from Mary and ‘washed’ it from all sin and pollution. This is because Mary was a sinner. Out of that cell, the Holy Spirit made the sinless human nature for the Lord. God did not use Joseph in any form at all. It shows the utter helplessness of man in the things of God. In the work of incarnation, God only used a woman and not a man. God took the woman, the weaker vessel, and made a human nature for His Son. This work was done by the Holy Spirit as He overshadowed Mary. The Angel informed Joseph about this work and Joseph obeyed the angel’s instruction. He too had great faith. Thank God for Joseph! The Word was conceived in the womb of a woman, not after the manner of men, but by the singular, powerful, invisible, immediate operation of the Holy Ghost, whereby a virgin was, beyond the law of nature, enabled to conceive, and that which was originally and completely sanctified. Her pregnancy was by God’s creative power! Halleluiah!

Jesus is the only Savior of sinners. To be our Savior He needed to be a true Man, a sinless Man. He needed to die on our behalf. The incarnation and the Cross was necessary for our salvation. Without a true human nature, He could not have been the descendant of Adam and David, according to the prophecies and He could not have saved us. Everything about our Lord was mysterious. From His conception, birth, life, miracles, teachings, resurrection, and ascension. We may not understand everything, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, we believe! And we are enabled to worship, the Lamb upon the throne! Merry Christmas to you all! God bless you! Worship the Lord!    

“As sin reigned in death, even so GRACE MIGHT REIGN through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:21). Glory to God!

(In the picture, me, as I am today)

These humble plants in our garden are healthy and happy. They praise God always. They glitter under the morning dew! They ‘greet’ me each morning. I tell them that they are singing ‘alto’ in the garden’s choir. Let us praise the Lord!
“Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord! Give a joyous shout in honor of the Rock of our salvation! Come before Him with thankful hearts. Let us sing Him psalms of praise. For the Lord is a great God, the great King of all gods. He controls the formation of the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains; all are His. He made the sea and formed the land; they too are His. Come, kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God. We are His sheep, and He is our Shepherd. Oh, that you would hear Him calling you today and come to Him!” (Psalm 95:1-7)

I received this beautiful letter from a dear daughter in Christ. May her wish be yours too! This is a good prayer! The worship continues …

“Beautiful Morning Malia, I’m in a season in my life where the Holy Spirit is helping me to appreciate spiritual things more (things money cannot buy; purely the work of the Holy Spirit) in my life and the lives of others. My heart’ desire is that I may see myself and others through the eyes of Jesus Christ, that I may continually yield my members as instruments of righteousness.

“Holy Spirit fill me to overflow in Jesus’ name, Amen!”

Malia, may the Lord fill your heart with more joy, peace, hope that is in Christ alone. May your gaze be singular: on the Lover of your soul. God bless you, Malia!”

(The evening sky above our church, our home. The glory of God!)

These are some of our Children in the church today, praying and worshiping God during the Sunday service. Father’s House Bible Church, Effurun, Warri, Nigeria! Do not look at their little bodies. Their spirits are mighty warriors, rising to heaven in prayer, intercession and true worship. Our Lord said about children: ““Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father” (Matthew 18:10). God bless Nigeria!

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh continued preaching about the power of the Gospel. Her main text was taken from the Book of Romans: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” … being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus… Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 1:16, 17; 3:24; 5:18-21; NKJ).

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh said that there are two ‘countries’ or two ‘realms’: Adam and Christ! All men are either in Adam or in Christ. There is no middle ground. In Adam, Sin is king and reigns unto death. In Christ, Grace is King and reigns unto eternal life! You are either under Sin or under Grace! Sin and saving Grace are both positional. In Christ, all are under Grace! Sin is defined as rebellion against God! It is disobedience, breaking God’s law, and worse, breaking God’s heart! It is lawlessness, chaos. Grace is God’s unmerited favor to sinners.

Regarding God’s dealings with men, there are three dispensations:

*The first dispensation is called ‘The Dispensation of the Patriarchs or Ancestors. This applies to God’s dealings with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is described in the Book of Genesis. During this time, God spoke directly to few men. It was a dispensation based on Grace. God choose them according to His sovereign will and promised them unconditional blessings.

*The second dispensation is called ‘The Dispensation of the Law’. After the people of God left Egypt, they came to Mount Sinai and God gave them His laws thru His servant Moses. God added that if they obeyed His laws they shall be blessed. If they disobeyed His laws, they shall be cursed. These laws reveled the character of God, what He loves and what He hates. The laws applied primarily to Israel. There is no other country that God dealt with by giving them His laws.

*The third dispensation is called ‘The dispensation of the Gospel’. The Gospel applies to all men, black or white, male and female, to the end of time. It is the last dispensation until Jesus comes back. It is the good news from heaven, that by the Grace of God, sinners can be saved, because of the sacrifice of God’s Son on the Cross.

What is the function and the power of the Law?

“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16, 17; NKJ). The Law is the Ten Commandments and other laws given by God to Moses for the people of God. These are all in the Old Testament. Obeying the law leads to blessings. Breaking the law leads to curses.  In case of sin, when men broke the law, God required animal sacrifices. Blood needed to be shed for forgiveness and restoration of relationships, with God or between men. This will tell you the power of the law! Blood is shed for restoration! God gave Moses the law so that we know Him, His character, what He likes and what He dislikes. In the past, God made a covenant of grace with Abraham who had faith in God. Four hundred years later, God gave the law thru Moses. The law did not negate the previous covenant of grace and faith. Spiritually, we are people of faith, children of Abraham and not children of Moses.

The Jews misunderstood the purpose of the law. The Jews continued to circumcise their boys (according to the covenant with Abraham) but they assumed that they could become righteous thru obeying the law of Moses. That was their error. The law was not given to save men. The law is not a savior!!! The law has no mercy, no grace, gives no hope, and no faith! But the natural man wants to prove that he can do something about his salvation. This is a great deception. No man can obey the law of God in his power. This is because of the sin factor dwelling in us. Salvation was, and still is, only by grace and thru faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Jews missed it and rejected Christ. Religion is the greatest enemy of grace and faith! This is God’s eternal Word: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). Salvation is always thru Jesus Christ, by Grace and thru faith in Him!  

THE RELIGIOUS SON AND HIS FATHER (KING GRACE) (Luke 15:25-32)

Most people forget about the religious senior brother. He was even more lost than his prodigal brother. He too is the son of King Grace. Jesus was telling the people this parable because the Pharisees criticized Him for eating with sinners. They hated His joy at the conversion of sinners. The senior brother did all the right things: worked hard, obeyed the Father, did not waste money. He was right outside but rotten inside. He was lost in his own home, better said, inside the church. When the junior brother asked for his inheritance, this brother is strangely silent. He was supposed to intervene and reconcile father and son. But he did not. It was his responsibility to be a family peacemaker. But he refused to do it. This is a sin of omission. “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). He loves his father and his brother too little to help them before it is too late. That fateful day, he came from the field. He hears music. He is angry that he was not ‘invited’. He asks a servant what is happening. When he hears the story, he gets angry. He was angry at the reconciliation. This proves that he did not pray for his brother. He did not share in his father’s pain. He wanted the junior brother to suffer and pay for his sins, to work as a slave. He does not understand or appreciate Grace. He hates Grace!!! He felt that the party was done by the father spending ‘his money’. He became angry! He accused his brother of spending money with prostitutes. How did he know that? In his imagination he was jealous on his brother’s ‘freedom’ and was lusting after women in his heart, while inside church. He accused his father of being a hard taskmaster and even stingy. He said that he wanted a goat to celebrate, not with the father, but with ‘his friends’ (religious hypocrites like him). He kept the letter of the law but did not kept the law of love. As you can see, both sons wanted only the father’s money and not their father’s God or grace. This describes spiritual religious pride and self-righteousness. People like him misrepresent the Gospel. They are in the church but are not saved. They criticize our freedom and our worship, in the presence of God. The father goes out to plead with his son. The father humiliates himself again. The same day, King Grace humbled himself two times to two different lost sons. This action tells us that Jesus loves even the Pharisees!!! But they do not love Him in return. The parable does not tell us what this son did that day. Jesus is King Grace, and He loves all sinners. Sinner, backslider, King Grace is calling you home! There is joy in heaven when sinners repent. Let us share in this heavenly joy! Let the music start! Grace is King! Worship the Lord!     

Prophetic scriptures

“But Israel shall be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you shall not be ashamed or disgraced forever and ever…The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Isaiah 45:17; NKJ; Psalm 37:23, 24; NLT)

TESTIMONY OF BUILDING A HOUSE More and more brethren in our church buy land and build their own houses in Warri, Effurun (Nigeria) and environs. These are not what you call ‘rich big men (or women)’. They are ‘ordinary’ people (as the world calls them). I testify that they children of God! They are all hard working (both in the church and in their businesses). They are also humble, faithful, and generous (with their efforts, time, and resources). They may ‘hide’ in the crowd but The Holy Spirit locates them. And King Grace blesses them! This is the latest picture sent to me by one of these brothers. We prayed for his land this week and today, he started the foundation. He sent me some pictures thru the inbox. He said: “Good morning Ma! Our God is helping me Malia! I am a testimony! From zero to hero! Praise the Lord!!!!” This testimony is given to the glory of God, to the shame of the devil and for the encouragement of the brethren. To God be all the glory! This is God’s Promise: You shall live in houses that you did not build (with stress and sweat).

DID I NOT TELL YOU THAT EACH EVENING GOD DISPLAYS HIS GLORY IN A NEW WAY? I took this picture yesterday evening from our church’ compound (Effurun/ Warri/ Nigeria). The reason why I take pride in writing the location is for everybody to appreciate the extraordinary love of God for us here, in Effurun/ Warri. Nigeria. I asked some young brethren yesterday ‘This colored sky and clouds, are they over London?’ They thought for a second and answered: ‘No Ma’, they are here, over us, in Effurun/ Warri’ Then they reminded me that ‘Warri no dey carry last’. We laughed… we rejoiced at God’s goodness and glory revealed. For a child of God, life is simple. We do not need millions to be happy. Just remembering who we are in Christ, and how we became who we are in Christ, as we acknowledge King Grace’s work in our lives, we become happy! Money cannot buy this joy and devil cannot steal it. Jesus said: “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11). To God be all the glory!

The Holy Spirit makes me happy in so many ways. For example, every morning, the flowers bloom and ‘greet’ me with joy… God is great! I will worship You forever! Jesus, my Lord!

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh continued preaching about the power of the Gospel. Her main text was taken from the Book of Romans: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” … being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus… Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 1:16, 17; 3:24; 5:18-21; NKJ).

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh said that there are two ‘countries’ or two ‘realms’: Adam and Christ! All men are either in Adam or in Christ. There is no middle ground. In Adam, Sin is king and reigns unto death. In Christ, Grace is King and reigns unto eternal life! You are either under Sin or under Grace! Sin and saving Grace are both positional. In Christ, all are under Grace!

Sin is defined as rebellion against God! It is disobedience, breaking God’s law, and worse, breaking God’s heart! It is lawlessness, chaos. It is missing the mark (failing to achieve the intended purpose). It is falling short of God’s glory (stealing God’s glory). There is ‘an original sin’. That is the sin committed by Adam and Eve. They disobeyed God’s command in the Garden of Eden. God told them that disobedience to His command will end in death. They knew it and still, they disobeyed God’s command. This is how sin entered mankind. All humanity was in Adam’s loins when he was created and when he sinned. That is why all men are born sinners. Sin is spiritual. Sin is not coming from outside like ‘a virus’. Sin is internal. Even the born-again Christian has to battle with sin in his ‘members’. The devil is the author of sin for he has sinned from the beginning. Sin is universal; all men are born sinners. There is no other sickness known to man that can affect all men everywhere. Except sin, this terrible soul’s sickness. All men are affected by sin. They are born in sin. This is the Bible’s revelation. Sin is extremely powerful. Next to the power of God, is the power of sin. God creates but sin destroys. King Sin has killed all his citizens. This is called ‘the sinfulness of sin’.

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh said that sin can deceive that you are saved when you are not. For a child of God sin is an enemy, something alien, like a poison. When a child of God sees sin it is the same as he sees a snake. He hates it! When a believer in Christ, falls into sin, he feels bad. He repents of it and learns a lesson. Any man or woman who says that is a Christian but continues habitually in sin, without a feeling of shame or grief, without fear of God, that one is not saved. He is only religious. This is God’s Word: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:4-9).

The Bible commands us: “Encourage one another daily … lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). The deceitfulness of sin ‘hardens’ the heart. To become ‘hardened’ it means to become ‘stubborn’.   

The devil, thru the snake, deceived Eve and she fell into sin. She said: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13). To deceive it means to lead astray, to deliberately cause (someone) to believe a lie, especially for personal gain.  Sin tries to deceive you, to believe a lie, so that he gets control over you. How does sin deceive men? By misusing the law of God; by depressing you, by telling you that you can continue in sin because you have the ‘antidote’ of grace; by telling you that God does not love you, that His ways are too difficult; by advertising itself as ‘an angel of light’, hiding the terrible consequences.  

GRACE IS KING IN CHRIST! IT IS ALWAYS GREATER THAN SIN AND THE ONLY ANTODOTE AGAINST IT!

To genuinely appreciate the Grace of God, you must study the doctrine of sin. The greatest revelation of the sinfulness of sin and the love and grace of God is at the Cross of Calvary. Jesus died because of our sins! Nothing less than the Blood of God the Son could atone for our sin. In a nutshell this is the Gospel: Jesus died and rose again, for me! This is the power of the Gospel. Salvation is a miracle. You cannot buy it with money. If you have never felt the power of the Word of God under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, changing you, it is possible that you are not saved. You are only religious. Examine your foundation!

THE PRODIGAL SON AND HIS FATHER (KING GRACE) (Lk 15:11-24)

The younger son stands for a sinner who shall be saved by grace. He is among the elect. The Father stands for God the Father, for Jesus, our Lord and for King Grace. The younger son was lost even before he left the home. He hated and rebelled against God’s command. He refused to honor his father and his father’s God. After the death of his father, he could have received 1/3 of the father’s wealth. It was his by law. But he could not sell it for as long as his father was alive. But he could not wait. He asked for his portion, he sold it (for peanuts) and took away the cash. He went to the far country of sin. He planned how to ‘enjoy life’ but he did not plan what he would do if the money got finished.  The famine made the things worse. Hungry and desperate he hired himself to a pagan pig farmer. For the Jews, pigs are unclean (Leviticus 11:7, 8). Hungry, rejected, poor and sick, the son is now at his lowest. Then King Grace comes. Grace always manifests when we are at our lowest! Grace touches his spirit, his mind. The young man ‘comes to himself’. He remembers his father and his father’s house. He decides to come and be hired. He thinks of himself as a hireling and not as a son. He has lost his identity and confidence. But he is still a son to King Grace. The Father waits for him. He runs to meet him. King Grace covers his shame and nakedness and restores him back to the family. Face to face with the amazing loving actions of his father, the son finally truly repents. Grace will never forsake His own. The wounded Love will not let go. Mercy will not turn his back to him who is elect. You see the power of Amazing Grace! Child of God, your identity in Christ and your salvation is sure! Worship the Lord!  

Prophetic scripture: “From the fulness of His Grace, we have all received one blessing after another” (John 1:16; NIV)

“Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head” (1Samuel 1:9-11)

Here you see the importance of perspective. At first glance it would appear that this is a kind of bargaining prayer of Hannah’s; that she is offering to give the boy back to the Lord only if the Lord will give him to her first, so she can enjoy him. It is possible to read this account that way. But, if we look closely at it, and we are led by the Holy Spirit, we see a different picture. Not of selfish bargaining but of mature faith. I am sure this is not the first time that Hannah has prayed at Shiloh for a child. In fact, she prayed for a child many times. All along she dreamed of having a son of her own, a little boy to love and cuddle, to teach him how to walk, to read stories to, to watch him grow to manhood, to become a strong, clean, fine young man, the pride of her life. Then her son will marry a good godly lady and give her many grandchildren. I do not blame her for dreaming like this. It is the natural dream of every woman. She wanted a son for herself. She prayed often, but her prayer was not answered. Why?

On this occasion, however, her prayer was different. Having worked through years of humiliation because of barrenness and having thought deeply about her life, she discovered, for the first time, something she had never known before. She realized that children are not just a gift to parents, but they belong, first of all, to the Lord!!! God is the Giver and the Receiver of our children. They are given to parents, loaned for a while, but the reason they are given is for the Lord to use. This should be the desire of every parent!

Thru pain, after so many years, Hannah had a deeper revelation of God’s Word: “The LORD has made all things for Himself… For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Proverbs 16:4; Colossians 1:16). Hannah now saw God as the Center of her universe. Therefore, she changed the perspective of her prayer. She prayed that God would grant her to be the mother of a son who will be given to God, for His service and glory. She prayed not for her son, but for God’s son! Certainly, this account indicates that this little boy who was ultimately born (Samuel) was God’s man to meet the need of a nation. Samuel was not only Hannah’s dream, but God’s ‘dream’! Undoubtedly, God had taught Hannah deeply through these years of struggle with her barrenness. God brought Hannah closer to Himself. She became a woman of God even before she got pregnant. That day in Shiloh, in great distress, with intense earnestness and faith, she prays that God would have what He wanted, a man for His glory and for His purposes. She interceded for God! She also prayed that by His grace, He would let her be the instrument of that blessing. In a way, she prayed to be like Mary, who became the mother of God’s Son, our Lord. Glory!

Immediately we read of a remarkable change in Hannah’s heart and countenance, for the Bible says: “Eli answered: ‘Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him’. She said: ‘May your servant find favor in your eyes’. Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast” (1 Samuel 1:17, 18). God’s peace and power from on high descended on her, guarding, and preparing her body, and her spirit, for the coming miracle. Her face looked calm and glorious. The beauty of holiness applied the ‘makeover’. She slept with her husband and she conceived Samuel. Nine months later Samuel was born. His name means “Asked of God’. The boy was clearly a gift from the God who answers prayers, from the God of grace who creates all for His pleasure and glory! Apostle Paul commands the believers to reject all anxiety so that the same peace of God will come, preparing the way for the miracle that will end in praise! Anxiety is a sin. We must reject it especially because ‘the Lord Jesus is at hand’! He is so near that He hears even the whispers of your prayers. This is God’s Word: “The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:5-7). Hannah experienced this heavenly peace that protects the heart and prepares the way for the praise! This is the mystery of prayer that is available to us the believers. We must speak peace into our hearts when we are troubled by difficult circumstances. The peace is the sign that the miracle is on its way. This supernatural peace that passes all understanding will surely end in praise! Do you know anything about this peace?

Let us pray: “Dear Heavenly Father, I worship You! Thank You, Abba Father, for the peace that You give me as I yield to You in prayer, in total trust and complete submission. I present my body to You, as a living sacrifice. Do what You want with it. It belongs to You. I reject all anxiety from my heart! Holy Spirit fill me afresh! Thank You Father that You know all what I need, and You know when I need it. By faith, I now receive the answer to this my prayer! My desire is that You use me as Your instrument of peace, and for Your glory! In Jesus’ name I prayed! Amen!”

(In the picture, my husband, I and our grandson Oliver Sisan Oakes)

How can we deal with this problem of selfishness? Love is the solution. The Agape love of Jesus is the cure against all pride, immaturity, and self- centeredness. If you have a problem with selfishness, the way to solve it is to be absorbed by someone else, to think how to help and care for another. By doing this, by investing in another, without you knowing it, you will forget about yourself, you become humble and you start worshipping God. People who ‘fall in love’ will tell you how love made them forget about themselves. Multiply this ‘falling in love’ by infinity, gaze long at the face of Jesus, and catch something of His glory. It will reflect on you. It will change you. You shall discover that salvation is not just forgiveness of sins, not just getting free from the wrath of God. We are free but not only to enjoy material prosperity; to build houses, buy cars, and enjoy ‘good life’. Salvation goes far beyond these temporal benefits. Jesus lived and died to reveal the Father’s love to us, to manifest the glory of God on earth. Jesus died on the Cross so that we live a new life, to be changed into His image. This selfishness relates to ‘slave or poverty mentality’. The selfish lifestyle hates to give glory to God.
For example, prisoners are released from prison. Some go out of the prison’ gates and have nobody to help them. They are free but they are alone. Like we say in Nigeria, ‘you are on your own’. But others, after they are released, they are taken by a limousine car to the palace of the King. These are the children of God. You are free from prison and now you become servants to the King Jesus. Once you enter the palace, all your needs are met. In the palace, the glory of the King overwhelms you, it will change you. You are not only free, but you are also made whole. You have a new vision of life. You have a glimpse of a new hope and glory in the future. You learn to love as you are loved. As you can see, the greatness of our salvation is derived from the greatness of our Savior and His glory. The effect of the glory of God on me is that I forget my petty problems and now, I can worship the King of glory getting lost in the ocean of His love.
(From my husband’s notes, Pastor Richmond Sisan Leigh)

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh continued preaching about the power of the Gospel. Her main text was taken from the Book of Romans: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” … being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus… Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 1:16, 17; 3:24; 5:18-21; NKJ).

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh said that there are two ‘countries’ or two ‘realms’: Adam and Christ! All men are either in Adam or in Christ. There is no middle ground. In Adam, Sin is king and reigns unto death. In Christ, Grace is King and reigns unto eternal life! You are either under Sin or under Grace! Sin and saving Grace are both positional. In Christ, all are under Grace!

Sin is defined as rebellion against God! It is disobedience, breaking God’s law, and worse, breaking God’s heart! It is lawlessness, chaos. It is missing the mark (failing to achieve the intended purpose). It is falling short of God’s glory (stealing God’s glory). There is ‘an original sin’. That is the sin committed by Adam and Eve. They disobeyed God’s command in the Garden of Eden. God told them that disobedience to His command will end in death. They knew it and still, they disobeyed God’s command. This is how sin entered mankind. All humanity was in Adam’s loins when he was created and when he sinned. That is why all men are born sinners. Sin is spiritual. Sin is not coming from outside like ‘a virus’. Sin is internal. Even the born-again Christian has to battle with sin in his ‘members’. The devil is the author of sin for he has sinned from the beginning (1John 3:8). Sin is universal; all men are born sinners. There is no other sickness known to man that can affect all men everywhere. Except sin, this terrible soul’s sickness. All men are affected by sin. They are born in sin. This is the Bible’s revelation. Sin is extremely powerful. Next to the power of God, is the power of sin. God creates but sin destroys. King Sin has killed all his citizens. Sin is deceitful. Sin only shows you the attractive side of sin. He never shows you the end of the story, the consequences of sin. To deceive it means to purposely make somebody believe a lie. To be deceived it means to be misled by a wicked person for personal gain. Sin is terribly wicked. This is called ‘the sinfulness of sin’. Grace is the only antidote! To genuinely appreciate the Grace of God, you must study the doctrine of sin. The greatest revelation of the sinfulness of sin and the love and grace of God is at the Cross of Calvary. Jesus died because of our sins! Nothing less than the Blood of God the Son could atone for our sin. In a nutshell this is the Gospel: Jesus died and rose again, for me! This is the power of the Gospel. Salvation is a miracle. If you have never felt the power of the Word of God under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, it is possible that you are not truly saved. You may only be religious. Examine your foundation! There are many people who are religious and go to churches but are not born again. For as long as you are alive on earth, it is never too early, and it is never too late to surrender your life to Jesus! For as long as you are breathing, humble yourself, have faith and come to Jesus! You will never regret your decision to come to Jesus, to unconditionally surrender your life to the only Savior! “Come, oh, sinner, come home!” Worship the Lord!   

Prophetic scriptures

“When my life was ebbing away (when my soul fainted within me), I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to You, to Your holy temple. “Those who cling to worthless idols (lying vanities), forsake the grace that could be theirs (turn away from God’s love and mercy for them). But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land” (Jonah 2:7-10)

My husband and I, we both love plants and flowers. God makes me happy in our garden! Simple things make me happy these days… To God be all the glory!

This is a question: what you have learned from the Bible? Is it only in your mind or it is also in your spirit? Are you able to apply the Word of God to your daily living? The Bible is the most practical Book. It teaches you how to live. The best way to discover the value of what you have learned from the Bible is to see how you react in times of trouble. Many people, who call themselves Christians, read the Bible but in times of trouble they panic; they depend on other men, pastors or the prayers of others. They claim to trust God but, they do not. King David says: God, “I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory (Psalm 63:2)”. David was used to find God in the sanctuary. But now, he was far from the sanctuary. He was in the wilderness. This is a practical question: Do we depend upon the church and its services only when they are in the sanctuary to find God for ourselves? Can we find God outside the sanctuary? For example, what will you do if you are sick and you find yourself on admission in the hospital? Can you find God, can you pray and worship God outside the sanctuary? Sooner or later we all meet with trials and temptations. It can be sickness, sorrow, or bereavement. This is called the wilderness of life. Every one of us must pass thru these trials. This is a passing world. It is also a testing world. What do you do when life is hard, when no man can help you and the sanctuary is locked? A child of God is able to pray and worship God anywhere, and at any time! Is that true of you?

(From my husband’s notes, Pastor Richmond Sisan Leigh)

This morning, in our garden, I took a picture of this cute lizard who stood up to see what is God doing this morning! I am sure that he was praising God, the Creator of heaven and hearth! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! This place is too quiet-oh!!!!