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PREDICATION
N°9 Harvest celebration. Bible Lessons: 2nd Lesson : The
Acts 4 : 32-37 Translated by C. Laroche (USA): |
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To start let us go to Psalm 118:21-26 "I will praise You. For you
have answered me. And have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord"
Hallelujah. all of that came from the
Eternal. When it is good it comes from the
Eternal, when it is bad it comes from the Eternal. If it rains, it comes from
the Eternal. If we not numerous or we are very numerous it comes from the
Eternal. Today, it is a day chosen by the Eternal. We are happy to be here to
celebrate the holiday. And the holiday and joy come from the Eternal. You
have the greetings from our father Agbaossi, our reverend and celestial worldwide
chief. He sends you his greetings and his words of encouragement for the
holiday to be beautiful and happy. You could ask yourselves why we are so
few . The book of Eccl. 3;1 tells us :”To everything there is a season.
A time for every purpose under heaven”. There is a time for everything a time
for us to be numerous and it is for the Eternal to decide. There is a time to
laugh and a time to cry. Last year during the predication the temple was full
and that came from the Eternal.
Read Judges 7: 1-7 : ” Then Jerubbaal, who is
Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and
pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on
the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. ¶ And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are
with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands,
lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the
people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and
depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and
two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. ¶ And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are
yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for
thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall
go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee,
This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water: and
the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his
tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one
that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting
their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the
people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred
men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand:
and let all the other people go every man unto his place.” The Eternal told Gideon Listen
the people who have with you is too numerous for me. If I give you
victory you will draw glory from it and say it is from your strength. They
were 32000 and God said it is with 300 men that I will save you. How many
came back without having to go to war. 31700. If last year we were 32000 and
today 300, it is the will of God. This comes from the Eternal. Those who come
to join with us today are those that God wants to use for his glory. We thank
him for all his good deeds. Let us glorify him and honour him. Let us be
blessed in the Lord. This is the path that God choose. He blessed it, he
sanctified it, Let the blessing be a feast for us. Let everyone go back to
his home filled with joy., filled with happiness and spiritual strength.
Amen. Now let us read the first quote from
the book of Kings 5:4-8 " But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every
side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. And, behold, I purpose to build a house unto the
name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy
son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build a house unto
my name." God has given some rest to King
Solomon. There was no more war. all his foes had been beaten and God had
wiped out his adversaries. there was peace and he could concentrate on a
thing close to his heart . the building of the temple. when you have a
project for which you have saved money, when problems and calamities are
brought to you and you are at work and cannot do anything with those
problem. Solomon has known wars, even a war against his brother and now all
his foes are down. God has given him some rest he has peace and wants to build
a temple to God. Let God give us peace, victory over sickness, victory over
those who march against us. Let the parish of Saint Raphael have peace.
Amen. Let us carry on with the reader. " Now
therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my
servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy
servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there
is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians. ¶ And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of
Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this
day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered
the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire
concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. ." When the king of Tyr heard this words
of Solomon. he was very pleased. Are we pleased when God's word is sent to us
?. Do we carry his word with a gracious heart, do we act for the glory of God
or do we act to get a promotion ? But the king of Tyr was very pleased
to hear what king Solomon wanted to do. Is God happy with you ? What do you
do to glorify God. Are you in your parish to help God's command to be
obeyed or are you there like a log. Yes I am the father of the parish and all
must kneel in front of me and worship me. Is it this that you love to
do when there is peace? Let us look at proverbs 16 1-2 " The preparations of the
heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are clean in his
own eyes; but the LORD weighted the spirits." God sees what is inside us . He knows
everything. he sees everything. he knows our heart. Today he calls us to act
according to his will. “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the
fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” Prov.16:6 When everything you do is fair and
right in front of the Eternal, God sees that you act according to his will,
that you obey him. he even influences your enemies favourably toward
you. you will not have to light 99 candles and pray for victory. you
will not have to pray too much because God favours you. But do we ask
ourselves if we are acting according to God's will? If you do not do that ,
you can pray from december 31 on, without having an answer from God because
you are not just. All that you want is to wear a nice “booboo”. you
cannot do anything for the work of God. The Bible is just , it is
complete. When the Eternal approves of us, he leads our enemies astray Even
when they are one million, you still shall have victory, you shall
have health and happiness. you shalll have peace. But when you do not act, you stay like
a picture on a wall, it is hopeless. Do what is fair. The Bible teaches us
to do a lot of things and we must follow those things to be at peace. Psalms 91:1 " He that dwelleth
in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty." To be sheltered by the almighty does
not mean to stay idle but to do the will of God. You come on Sunday with
your nice “booboo” and you ask the change for 10€ but you give only 5 or 10
cents for alms. Leviticus : 26:36 “And upon them that are left alive of
you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies;
and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as
fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.“ Proverbs 3 1-6 " My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and
peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:
bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good
understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and
he shall direct thy paths. " All that one says is “amen” but what
one has in its heart is only known by God. When I said recently in
Saint-Denis, that It often takes hours to preach, everybody is happy. Papa
Sakete has preached well, but everything that has been said is
soon forgotten. When you go you have forgotten everything
that father Adeogun has said. My son, do not forget my teachings. Your
heart is filled with the spirit of God Ps: 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp
unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Do we know who called us? they say the
CCC is rotten but what is rotten is us. The church is the church. We fight over
nothing instead of glorifying the name of the Eternal. Do we think? The one
who entrusted his mission to God is gone and we will leave. When? one
does not know Matthew 7:21 " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven." The one who can go and take the wife
of his neighbour, when her husband is not there. Bad thoughts come from us.
The heart is treacherous. Jeremy 17:9-11 " The heart is deceitful above
all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the
reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the
fruit of his doings. As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and
hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave
them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.' HOW IS THE HEART OF MAN?. IT IS
WICKED HOW IS THE HEART OF MAN.? IT IS WICKED HOW IS THE HEART OF MAN.? IT IS
WICKED ALLELUYAH. LET GOD HAVE MERCY ON US. When we speak, some say they were here
when God called the prophet Oshoffa. Some say they knew the church from its
beginnings. It is not quantity but quality that counts. Do we do what God
asked us to do ? Malachi 1:6-8 " A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a
father, where is mine honour? and if I
be a master, where is my fear? saith
the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy
name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine
altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is
contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for
sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye
offer the lame and sick, is it not evil?
offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or
accept thy person? saith the LORD of
hosts." where is the fear of God? the
high dignitaries and the low dignitaries and you the high mothers and the low
mothers. we despise the name of the Eternal and we say hallelujah, we offer
in sacrifice a puny animal that limps. Malachi 2:1-2 "And now, O ye priests, this
commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will
not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I
will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have
cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. " If we do not take to heart to glorify
God, the person who earns 10000 euros will lose his money before he gets
home. you can say that the enemies of your parents or of your
grandparents did it. no no. God is in them. It is because you did not glorify
his name. Malachi 1 14 “But cursed be the deceiver, which
hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the LORD a corrupt
thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is
dreadful among the heathen.” You look for a job and you come to ask
the Leader in charge to pray for you. You say that if you get the job,
you will pay your tithe. The Leader in charge prays for you. Once you get the
job, other projects are on your mind.: your house is in disrepair, the living
room has to be refurnished, your house is too small and you buy a nice
car. When you come see the preacher, you give him an envelope with only 25
euros and a few bottles of milk. You ask for the chorus to sing 7 songs
" Okpey okpey .. (or) dagbe de nan Klunon wa na
mi " and in your tray there are 3 boxes of
candles or only 3 candles. who are you making fun of? The King of Tyr was
pleased, he made a vow and kept it. When God makes you a promise he keeps it.
when you make a vow to God, keep your vow. One should not make a vow if one
does not intend to keep it. Let God have mercy on us. Eccl 5 :2-5 " Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter
any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore
let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the
multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer
not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast
vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not
vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. ' Hallelujah, let us go to the 2nd
reading. When you see the lion going slowly it is not because he is afraid. I
have not seen the result of what you have heard. Act 4:32-37 " And the multitude of them
that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them
that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all
things common. And with great power gave the apostles
witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them
all. Neither was there any among them that
lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought
the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles'
feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was
surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a
Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and brought the
money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. " Those who have believed were
united because in union there is strength. Is there union among us? do we
understand each other? Is there love, we want the spirit of 1947 to
come back. Do we do what Papa and the ancient ones did at that time for the
spirit to show itself through us? No, now the I is the most important thing.
Even tithe are wrong. Deut 10:12 " And now, Israel, what doth
the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in
all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy
heart and with all thy soul " Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. " The witless ones mock science and
wisdom. It is why they always have problems. They say why the tithe?
You prefer to go grocery shopping and eat well with your girlfriend and then
you go to the hospital for surgery. Prov 9:9 “Give instruction to a wise man, and
he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” Today is the feat of the harvest. We
thank God who assembled us here. Among us there are those of Togo, the islands,
Benin, Ivory-coast, Cameroun, France, London, everybody is here. Deut 16:16-17 " Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy
God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and
in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not
appear before the LORD empty: Every man shall give as he is able,
according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.
" We won't show up before the Eternal
empty handed, with only 5 cents because angels do not give blessings for 5
cents. What did we bring to God today? He
gave us rest, he defeated our enemies. He gave us peace. How are we to thank
him today? Will you do it from the heart or for the Leaders in charge to see
you? Will you do it for your own gain? Prov 3:10 " So shall thy barns be filled
with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." Those who give blank check, and those who give promises but do not come
back. Who do you cheat? One cannot cheat God. Let the Eternal have mercy on
us. Let him give us his spirit, his blessing, his strength. Let the parish of
St-Raphael grow, let his parishioners grow in happiness and peace. let the
Eternal give the CCC peace and union. Let everyone be blessed. Let the world
chief be blessed. In the name of our Lord Jesus-Christ. Amen. |
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Translated by C. Laroche (USA) Predication
: Pastor Benett ADEOGUN 27/7/08/ECC St-Raphaël /Bobigny /FR. © JL. Degnidé
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