Peniel Bible Study Group

  Topic: Possessing Your Possessions 2 Corinthians 8:9 (KJV), “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."_ Ben found today's text interesting because he was from a poor home. He had read this verse so many times that he knew it by heart. Sadly though, his situation did not change; he sometimes had what looked like a “breakthrough" but things returned to the way they were. Many Christians are like Ben. They have come to put their faith in Jesus Christ and on that basis claimed the blessings on the pages of the scriptures only to be disappointed because although they claimed such promised blessings by faith (the best way they knew faith) those things were not made manifest in their lives. For this reason, many have resulted in ungodly means such as bribery, cheating, stealing, etc, just to have a "good" living and some have turned away from following God. ...

  FAITH  *Bible References: Hebrews 11:1; Roman's 10:17; James 2:26* *"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 KJV)."* *"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)."* *WHAT IS FAITH?* 1. Faith is the substance of things hope for; the evidence of things not seen.  *WHAT ARE THE FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH?* Faith is founded on the following: (A) The Word of God. *(Romans 10:17).* (B) Spiritual Realities. (C) Works. *(James 2:20-26).* *(A) THE WORD OF GOD* 1. This is the most important foundation of faith.  2. We develop faith by reading the Word of God and meditating on it to gain understanding.  3. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. *(Romans 10:17)*. How do we hear God's Word? Well, whenever we get a revelation from the Word of God, we hear God and faith comes. Whenever the Holy Spirit speaks to us, we hear God and faith comes. Whenever a man of God ...

Topic: Called To Show Forth His Praises* _1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light._ It happened that Every male child in Segun's family was dedicated to a god and this god had the prerogative to choose his next priest from any of the male children in the family. If anyone was chosen, he could never marry, he must serve the god as a priest all his life. Segun was chosen by this god the day he was named, however, before Segun grew to the age of accountability, his father encountered some missionaries and believed in the Lord Jesus. It was after this that his name was changed to Oluwasegun, meaning our Lord has conquered. Shortly after this, the high priest of this god came demanding for Segun claiming that he had to start training. Segun’s father refused to hand over his son to the priest even when the king and the ...

 *THE ABILITY, FAVOUR, AND DIRECTION TO PROSPER ~ PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME* _And…I will bless thee…and thou shalt be a blessing (GENESIS 12:2)_   There’re lots of beautiful definitions for the word “blessing” or the infinitive, “bless”; one of them is the invocation of the ability, favour, and direction to prosper. When you’re blessed, the ability to prosper is invoked in your life; it’s inherent in you and works all the time. You have the ability to succeed, such that anything that concerns you turns out excellently.    The invocation of favour means divine favour works in your life in a way that even your detractors are compelled to favour you. Even when you’re not interested in certain privileges that are yours, or don’t have enough information to desire them, that divine favour causes them to come to you. How important it is for you to recognise, and walk in this consciousness!  The third element in our definition of blessing is the direction to prosper. That...

  The Empty Cross Is Full of Hope "to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." -  Acts 1:3 (NKJV) The cross represents doom for sin and hope for sinners. It condemns sin and cleanses souls. The cross is where Jesus was crucified in our place and where Christ brings resurrection life to mankind. The bloodstained cross is gruesome to some, but the empty cross is full of hope. Satan, overly eager to thwart God’s purposes, overstepped his bounds, and God turned what seemed to be life’s greatest tragedy into history’s greatest triumph. The death of Christ, perpetrated by evil men, was thought by them to be the end, but His grave became but a doorway to a larger victory. The resurrection empowers faith in Jesus Christ. If we do not believe that Christ overcame death on the cross and bodily rose from the grave, why should we be a christian?. I...

*Topic: The Word Sanctifies* _John 17:17 (KJV)Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth._ Fabian: Pastor, I don’t think I can ever be holy like you. I have been bad all my life. I have never loved anyone. My heart is full of immorality and I can’t help it. I am selfish, that’s how I’ve been for as long as I can remember. I don’t know how to make myself become holy. Pastor: you are not the one who will sanctify yourself, God is the one who will sanctify you and make you holy. He sanctifies you through His truth. The reason why you were unholy is that there are many things you believe that are not true; they are not God’s truth. As soon as you begin to believe and walk in God’s truth, it will sanctify you and make you Holy. God’s word is truth. Fabian: I do not understand, sir. Pastor: for example, one of the reasons you have not been able to conquer sin is because you believe it is impossible for you to conquer sin. Even though that was your reality as an unbeliever, now that y...

*Seated With Christ*  *And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus*  Ephesians 2:6 To be raised up together with Christ means you’ve been promoted with Christ to the position of power.  The Bible tells us that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. This is a position of absolute power and authority. So, Jesus occupies the position of power and authority where He reigns and rules over all things. And guess what? He isn’t sitting there alone, for the Bible says we’re seated with Him. In other words, you occupy the same position of power and authority with Jesus, to reign and rule in life. No wonder Romans 5:17 says, “…those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” Hallelujah! *📖 Scripture Reading* Ephesians 2:5-6 *🗣 Say This* I’ve been raised up together with Christ to the seat of power and authority where I reign and rule over situations, circumstan...

*SALVATION* Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: *(1 Corinthians 3:21)* Happy Easter everyone! ‘Salvation’ is a word that represents all the good things that the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ gave us. You came into these blessings the moment you were born again.  What are these blessings? They are, divine health and healing (1 Peter 2:24), a sound and intelligent mind (2 Timothy 1:7), and many more beautiful things revealed to us in the Word of God. Every child of God has the right to enjoy all the blessings of salvation because they were all paid for with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  If you desire to know more about them and learn how to enjoy them, study and give attention to God’s Word. *📖 SCRIPTURE READING* 2 Peter 1:3 *🗣 SAY THIS* I walk in all the blessings of salvation and I live the good life full of health, success, excellence and peace. Hallelujah!

 YOU’VE CRUCIFIED THE FLESH - PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (GALATIANS 5:24). There’re Christians who are enslaved by certain habits, which they keep praying to God to help them overcome. Unfortunately, for most of them, the more they pray, the more they find themselves controlled and dominated by those habits.  This has left them confused, and thinking their situation is beyond remedy. Some have even backslidden, because they thought they couldn’t be free. But in studying the Scriptures, we find that it says in Romans 6:14, “For Sin shall not have dominion over you....” Our opening verse is also unequivocal: “…they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts”; meaning that if you’re in Christ, you can’t be bound by any habit. So, what then is the problem of those who seem to be in bondage to certain habits? It’s simply their lack of knowledge. God never asked us to fight t...

 Resist Sickness Just as You Resist Condemnation There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Rom. 8:1) Sickness doesn't have any right to impose itself upon us. And Satan, who is the author of sickness and disease, doesn't have any right to put sickness and disease on us. Why? Because we're free! And when symptoms of sickness or disease come, all we need to do is treat them exactly the same as we would treat our old sins. It's the easiest thing in the world to do. You see, the devil may try to put you under condemnation by reminding you of your past sins. But you can say, "Satan, there is therefore now no condemnation to me, for I am in Christ Jesus." Jesus has dealt with those sins and put them away. And you can say to Satan, "You can't get them. Jesus put those sins away. He hid them in the depths of the sea - in the sea of forgetfulness." God said, "...

 Topic: Accomplish Holiness 2 Corinthians 6:18- 7:1(NET)”...I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the All-Powerful Lord. Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that could defile the body and the spirit, and thus accomplish holiness out of reverence for God._ Henry: We have been praying about this matter for weeks. But you just showed up yesterday and prayed and everything changed. What's your secret? Demian: I walk in my sonship as a child of God. Henry: But we too are children of God. Why is your own special? What is the secret to the special sonship? Demian: The secret is holiness. Ever since I became more dedicated and consecrated to God, I observed that I could walk more in God’s power. We can see from today's scripture that in order to walk in the promises of God for us as His sons and daughters, there is the need for us to be holy. If a believer does not accomplish holiness, he woul...