The City

"when i dip, you dip, we dip."

gametime! lol.

let's go chiko! ... chiko! ... chiko! ... CHIKA!

congrats chiko ... i mean chika!

now now now, baptism doesn’t save us … it’s just an outward demonstration of an inward transformation! romans 6! identifying with Christ’s burial & resurrection! let’s go!

get her in the water quick! lol.

congrats kathy!

lol hey nina!

that. just. happened. congrats nina!

the infamous baptism get-up.

on june 26th, 2011, chika nwachukwu, kathryn simmons, nina imo and 2 other women (i don’t have the list or clear pics forgive me lol smh) demonstrated their faith in Jesus Christ via baptism! the city @ good hope is excited to say “congratulations!”

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free download of “Never Stops” here.

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Sometimes you just have to reintroduce yourself to people, and yourself.  “Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hov … “

Who am I?

We work our whole life to build who we are. We pick majors that we hope will eventually create us into the people we want to be. We defend ourselves against attacks toward our character.

People feel the need to justify themselves due to the lack of understanding of who they are. For instance, someone asks if you finished a task they told you to do, & you tell a lil white lie. That white lie is told because you are so scared of what they will think about that you must lie. The sad thing about lies is that one lie will inevitably lead to another.

one righteous man?

There has existed one man who knew exactly who he was. He was so assured of who he was that when he was literally standing in the face of death, he spoke not a word to defend himself. He was as silent as a sheep lead to the slaughter.

This man, Jesus Christ, was placed in front of the highest court in the land and was asked if the accusations about him were true. He responded in a manner so offensive that he was punished with death, even though he was perfectly innocent. Due to the understanding of his identity, he knew that no matter what they accused him of, his purpose was far more important than what someone else thought of him.

This man, Jesus Christ, proved that life was all about knowing who the Father said he was. Jesus spent time in prayer so deep that he began to sweat blood before he was sentenced to be crucified. In solitude, Jesus was reminded of the Father’s absolute love for him. The Father’s love, being so pure and beyond understanding, overwhelmed Christ to the point that He said, “not my will, but Your will be done”.

please die, please?

This plays out practically in your life by understanding that you are dead, but alive in Christ.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20

Once you realize that your identity is so identified with Christ, you are set free from justifying yourself. The Christian faith is so simple that it is complex. The Christian faith is simply that Jesus Christ did all the work and therefore you have no work left to do.

This is hard because we all desire to attribute in some way to our own righteousness. Jesus says “stop, trust me. I put in work. It is finished.” Although he assures us that we have nothing left to do, why do we still work? My prayer is that Part Dos will help some.

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as we saw in part 1, one of the definitions of power, via meriam-webster, is a possession of control, authority, or influence over others. according to the depiction of malcolm x by academy-award winner denzel washington, it is safe to say that malcolm x had some power.

i’m not just talking about any power, i’m talking about that “gimme a crisp pair of jeans, *** button up” power that literally ended the throwback jersey era. i’m talking about that eddie murphy in coming to america, “bark like a dog” power. that’s power.

in order to communicate a demand that will eventually become a reality is authentic power, power that Jesus exemplified above malcom x, jay-z, and prince akeem combined.

read mark 2:1-12 right quick and peep the power of Jesus!

in this instance, Christ Jesus showed his authority over forgiveness & sickness. not only did He heal the paralytic, but Christ forgave the paralytic’s sins – which seems to be of first importance. now that’s ultimate authority! Even the scribes were tripping at the fact that Jesus, a man, was talking like he was “God” or something! Only God can forgive sins, right? True, but the beauty is, although that Jesus is a man, He is God! And He has the same authority/power to this day!

no one man should have all that power – but a Godman should

pray. sit. meditate. look around. look inside. how is God’s power manifesting in your life today?

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with one click,
i slip into your system
and i linger inside of you subconsciously
when you (ex) out of me.

eyes glued to the tube, sometimes
youtube, i know what you like to use
to entrap yourself with me,
quietly – secretly – away from the world.

i am the reason you can’t stay in
a healthy relationship because i set
the standards for you, i create an image
that, in your reality, is intangible.

but you don’t know this, i have consumed you.

i create an urge within you that cannot be
contained in public places which forces you to
rise out of your seat, dash into the restroom stall
to satisfy the infidelity that has become your master.

you are addicted to me, even though you know i’ve
injected within your system a virus that cannot be cured,
a virus that will never be cured because you refuse to confess,
this weakness to those you call your “friends.”

then you wonder why you can’t stay in a relationship.
i laugh, i giggle, i cackle at you and your denial because
i even know the cure that’ll deplete this wicked desire i’ve implanted
within you. i even know that you can’t get over me on your own.

you read His word all the time, even while you tune in to watch me
and He’s said to you, that you should put to death the sinful and
earthly things that lurk around you, to have nothing to do with sexual
immorality, lust, impurity and evil desires!

HE SAYS IT TO YOU, but you still give in to me. still, i laugh.
you’ve been washed clean and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus,
so why do you still give in to me? when all i offer you is
toxic relationships and selfishness and evil desires?

when will you quit me, for good?

yours truly,
pornography.

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Man this is the realist blog I ever wrote.

During this Christmas break I had been extra lazy in all aspects of life, I have seriously been “doing me.” Lately, I have been pursing whatever makes ME happy (<_<) yes! I have been going to church, blogging about God, leading different groups speaking about God, and talking to those who would like to confide in me about their faith and/or struggles. I have been doing all the “good works” to get my golden ticket into heaven. I had been talking about God but not talking TO GOD. In my daily activity, I have been lacking my one-on-one time with God, my Creator, the Creator.

Man! if i wasn’t hanging out with other Christians you probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between me and someone who live for the world, thats how bad i was “doing me”

I had to stop and look at myself and ask “Do I truly believe?” because my actions were not reflecting ones of a believer. Thoughts rolled around in my head, as to why I was not repenting? Honestly, why was I not remorseful at the time? I understand that once the Holy Spirit resides in every crevice of your heart and never leaves, so why did I not hear anything? Or was I even listening to hear something? I knew my actions were horrible, but I did nothing to correct it. It was not until I had a conversation with an old friend that I finally heard the Holy Spirit.

The old friend and I were going back and forth with updates on our lives, minutes into the conversation I was asked about my beliefs and if I still believed. After I spoke about God and the changes in my life, my friend then went into the many reason as to why they did not believe. Nevertheless, the argument used for their opposition is one I have heard before time and time again from a close friend. Oddly, this time hearing the argument of objectives truths and what not took a toll on me. Minutes into listening to their views I felt depleted. In hindsight, I have no idea it was by God’s strength, and His strength alone, that I sat their with a straight( if even) face. Minutes into this conversation my heart truly hurt. My heart hurt because with the same breath God has graced us with, my friend denies Him. My heart hurt because they refuse to see the beauty of God. This is when I heard God speaking to me, This is when God placed that thirst and hunger in me to seek His face in all things.

Time and time again I have to watch my actions and make sure I am not trying to work my way in to heaven with good deeds.I cannot fill my schedule with deeds for God then turn around and live an unrepentant sin filled life. It’s an oxymoron.

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.”-I John 1:5-6

I say this time and time again, one can not serve two masters (I can not serve God and the World) Either i will love one and hate the other.(Either i will love the world and hate God)

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.-Matthew 6:24

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.-Luke 11:23

I truly know that conversation was God ordained…on God’s perfect time. That conversation just held a mirror to my face and forced me to see what I had already realized. So i pray i continuously seek God in all things daily, minutely, secondly, with every breath God allows (YES! its that crucial) I pray that everyday Jesus doing all the work on the cross is at the forefront of my thoughts. Lastly, I pray I realize daily that  God has given me the strength to walk it out.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.-Matthew 6:33

” Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” -Philippians 2:12-13

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we all need to know that Christ is Christmas. even charlie brown.

sent down to save the world from sin, that’s why He came, my friend. they really need to know.

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I asked someone, “what do you desire the most?”

They responded, “heaven”.

The remarkable thing about her answer was that she doesn’t believe in the afterlife.

I asked another person, “what do you desire most?”

They responded, “heaven”.

The unremarkable thing about his response is that he believes in the afterlife.

Upon deeper questioning these people had the same motive for wanting heaven – materialism.

Heaven is not fire insurance

Heaven is not a place for people who fear hell, but a place for people who love & are loved by God. The first woman that I asked feared hell, but at the same time did not believe that anyone could definitively prove that the afterlife even exists. Quite a contradiction.

Before I knew the gospel I would have told her, “what do you have to lose in believing in Heaven besides living a good moral life free from the repercussions of sin?” (#fail)

Now that I’m learning the gospel I told her, “Eat drink, for tomorrow we die.”

If heaven is not a reality then why care? Why sit in school learning some stuff you could care less about? Why sacrifice your goods to help feed a homeless person? Why not go out & gratify your fleshly desires?

The gospel of Christ is that you get the desires of your heart now & after you die. The tragedy of that truth is that apart from being born again you have a desire for everything that is not God. The desires of man are to fulfill this God-shaped void with everything but God. No one seeks God, no not one (Rom 3:9-18).

Christ kidnaps our hearts and transforms our affections toward him. One of the greatest blessings from God is to be allowed to worship Him. If we are not worshiping God we are worshiping something (Rom 1:25). On the cross Jesus replaced our hearts with his perfect heart.

“The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” -Genesis 6:5

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” -Jeremiah 17:9

“And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,” -Ezekiel 11:19

So now the desire of your heart is Jesus. You will get Jesus now & after you die.

How do I know there is more to life than this earth? Because Jesus rose from the dead & told me so, &  if it were not true he would not have told me (John 14:2).

Heaven apart from Jesus is hell

The other person I spoke to wanted the pearly gates & golden roads. Heaven basically became about material & being rich. Heaven was merely fire insurance & his moral living was a response to the idea of earning heaven.

It saddened me for a moment, but because I’m learning the gospel I knew how to respond.

I told him, “Heaven without Jesus is hell“.

“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” - Revelation 21:23

Heaven without Jesus is a dark barren place with beautiful sights but no way to see them.

Desire Jesus & you will get him. Hell is simply the desire of your hearts, the unblemished wrath of God.

Jesus absorbed God’s wrath on the cross & is giving away his absolute peace with the Father as a free gift. Sadly there is no afterlife: There is only the here & now, but the here & now will last forever.

Forever apart from Christ is a long time.

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Brothers and sisters there is an epidemic in Haiti.

Cholera:

• Over 60,000 have been taken ill by it,
• As of Nov. 24 1,415 have been killed by it.

As Christians we should take an active concern when calamities such as this strike.

We were all victims of the worse epidemic to strike mankind: sin.

While we lay dying, hopelessly addicted to the very source of our sickness, the love of God manifested through the life, wrath appeasing death, and promising resurrection of Jesus Christ, brought light, hope, and new life to our situation.

Instead of allowing us to die in our illness, God through Christ brought the full remedy: freedom from the punishment of our sins (the punishment we deserved was given to Christ), new life complete with a heart change freeing us from the enslaving desire to live in sin, and the power to flee sin through the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in all who have come into new life through Christ.

As we have been given love, life, and hope, so we ought to share.

A nation needs help.

1 John 3:16-18 tells us that we are to love in sacrificial action as is reflective of the sacrificial love that saved us; those who have ought to give as they see their brothers in need.

Christians, in this time of great need for Haiti let us give, tangibly and bountifully.

Here are some ways:

• World Concern (a Christian Non-Profit): Cholera Kits, Church Partnerships, 44 Cent Cure, or
• AmeriCares Haiti Initiative

Or research your own ways. But, decide to do something!

Let us give as we can and seek to share the eternal hope and comfort that was given to us.

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