Tag: Faith

INTERNATIONAL: Nigeria’s Oldest Catholic Priest Dies at Age 104

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JEFF TURNER

The Catholic Diocese of Auchi in Nigeria announced the death of Right Reverend Monsignor Thomas Oleghe, who passed away on November 24, 2024. At 104 years of age, Msgr. Oleghe held the distinction of being Nigeria’s most senior Catholic priest.

Bishop Gabriel Dunia of the Auchi Diocese confirmed that Msgr. Oleghe died in the early hours of Sunday morning at 2:30 a.m. The Diocese plans to hold funeral services for the late priest on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

The announcement came through an official statement from the Diocese of Auchi, located in Nigeria’s Edo State. Bishop Dunia shared the news with the Catholic community through both formal channels and social media.

The Diocese of Auchi made preparations to honour Msgr. Oleghe’s life through a funeral service, acknowledging his lengthy service to the Catholic Church in Nigeria.

This news marks a significant moment for the Catholic community in Nigeria, as Msgr. Oleghe’s age and position made him a notable figure in the country’s religious history.

God’s Goodness: Our Reason to Be Thankful

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Adapted from a sermon delivered by George Whitefield (C 1735)

Want to know one of the clearest signs that we’ve drifted from God? It’s how hard we find it to be thankful. Think about it – when things are going well, how often do we actually stop to say “thank you”?

When God first created humans and placed them in paradise, they were naturally filled with gratitude. They used every breath to praise God, recognizing that their very existence depended on Him. Even now, when we imagine heaven, we picture angels and perfected souls constantly praising God, acknowledging His worth and power.

What was natural for humans at creation, and what will be our joy in heaven, should be part of our life now. But let’s be honest – how rarely do we feel moved to praise God! Even when guardian angels watch over us, they must be amazed at how seldom we express gratitude for all we’ve been given.

We never lack reasons to be thankful, especially those of us saved by Jesus. We see God’s goodness everywhere – in sunshine, in daily blessings, in His care for all people. But few of us have reached the point where we can genuinely rejoice in others’ blessings as much as our own. That kind of perfect love will only be fully achieved in heaven, where every blessing given to others will give us new reasons to be thankful.

What usually moves us to gratitude is personal blessing – things that directly affect us. This makes sense – when something touches our own lives, it feels more real. When God shows us special favor or delivers us from trouble, it hits different. It’s like the Psalmist who kept saying, “If only people would praise God for His goodness and for the amazing things He does for them!”
The Psalmist’s passionate plea shows both how important gratitude is and how often we neglect it. It’s like the story Jesus told about the ten lepers – they all cried for help when they were sick, but only one came back to say thanks when they were healed. Sadly, that’s pretty typical of how most of us act.

For four months, we’ve been at sea together. We’ve seen storms that lifted waves high as mountains. We’ve felt our courage melt away in trouble. But we cried out to God, and He brought us safely through. He calmed the storms and brought us to our destination. Shouldn’t we praise Him for His goodness? Shouldn’t we tell others about what He’s done for us?

Don’t just say “thank you” with your lips while your heart is far away – that’s just pretending. God didn’t save us from storms just to hear empty words. He wants our lives to show our gratitude.
Give God your whole heart. Let His love draw you to honor and obey Him. You couldn’t serve a better master – His service brings freedom, His requirements become easy with practice, and His rewards are amazing: love, peace, and joy now, plus eternal glory later.

If we don’t respond to God’s kindness with changed lives, we’re in serious trouble. God is both merciful and just. The more blessings we receive, the more responsible we are for how we use them. Don’t let God’s blessings become reasons for greater judgment.

But I believe better things for you. I’ve seen positive changes among you. The cursing has decreased, and recent hardships have made you think more seriously about eternal things. Keep going in this direction. Nothing would make me happier than to hear you’re living according to truth.

Remember, you’re entering a new world with new challenges. Show by your lives that God’s mercy hasn’t been wasted. Let your gratitude show in how you live, not just in what you say.
May God bless you, guide you, and bring us all finally to that eternal haven where we’ll praise Him forever for His goodness and declare the wonders He has done for us.

Faith, Not Works

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TEXAS GOSPEL CANADA STAFF

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9

We often think we need to earn good things. Want a paycheck? Work for it. Want respect? Earn it. But God’s acceptance works differently. It’s not about what we do—it’s about what Jesus has already done.

This is why faith is the only requirement. Not good works. Not perfect church attendance. Not a spotless past. Just simple trust in what Jesus has done for us.

God made it this simple for a reason: so none of us could brag about earning it. We all come to Him the same way—empty-handed but trusting.

Understanding the Importance of Religious Revivals

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Based on a writing by Rev. CHARLES G. FINNEY (1792–1875)

Let’s talk about religious revivals – what they are and why they matter. It all started with an ancient prophet named Habakkuk who, facing troubled times, prayed for God to “revive” his people’s faith. This idea of revival has been important ever since.

At its core, religion is simply about people choosing to follow God willingly and sincerely. But here’s the challenge: we naturally drift away from this commitment. Think of it like a New Year’s resolution – we start with good intentions, but slowly slide back into old habits. This is why revivals become necessary.

Throughout history, most religious growth has happened through revivals – periods of intense spiritual awakening. Imagine a sleeping person needing an alarm clock. People get spiritually drowsy, distracted by life’s many demands and entertainments. These distractions are like a strong current pulling us away from shore. To swim back, we often need a powerful burst of energy.

Looking at history, we see a pattern: God creates a period of spiritual excitement, people turn to Him, then gradually drift away as daily life takes over. Think of it like a family that grows closer after a crisis, then slowly drifts apart until another event brings them together again.

Ideally, we wouldn’t need these spiritual wake-up calls. In a perfect world, faith would grow steadily, like a well-tended garden. But reality is different. Just as political campaigns and advertising bombard us with messages that shape our thoughts, these worldly influences need to be countered by equally powerful spiritual experiences.

Here’s what’s important to understand: a revival isn’t a miracle that suspends natural laws. It’s more like waking up and using abilities you already had but weren’t using. Think of a couch potato – they have the muscles to run, they just need the motivation to use them.

When a revival happens, it starts with Christians rediscovering their original enthusiasm for faith, like couples remembering why they fell in love. This renewal then spreads. Spiritual truths that seemed dull become vivid and real. People develop genuine concern for others’ spiritual well-being. Often, the change reaches even those considered “hopeless cases” – the most unlikely people can have complete changes of heart.

The whole process involves three key players: God, someone sharing spiritual truth, and the person being changed. Think of it like helping someone learn to swim: there’s the designer of the pool (God), the swimming instructor (the teacher), and the swimmer (the person changing). The truth itself is like the water – essential to the whole process.

Even small actions can have big effects. Sometimes just seeing someone’s genuine concern can start a chain reaction in a community. It’s like how one person’s smile can brighten a whole room. The key thing to remember is that revival involves both God’s work and human participation. While God provides the truth and power, people must choose to share and respond to it.

That’s what revival is about – a return to spiritual health through a combination of divine influence and human response. It’s as natural as waking up from sleep, as practical as farming, and as personal as falling in love. It happens when people are deeply moved to make real changes in their lives and turn back to God.

Justification by Faith

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This is a simplified sermon based on a work by John Wesley

Based on Romans 4:5 – “To the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.”

Introduction

How can a sinful person be made right with God? This is one of the most important questions anyone can ask. Until we’re at peace with God, we can’t have true peace or joy in this life or the next. How can we find peace when our own conscience condemns us, let alone God who knows everything? What real joy can we have while God’s judgment hangs over us?

The Foundation of Justification

Let me explain how this all works:

Originally, humans were made in God’s image – perfect, holy, and pure. We were made to love God completely and live in perfect relationship with Him.

God gave humans a perfect law requiring perfect obedience. We were fully capable of following it.
But humans disobeyed God. Through Adam’s sin, death and separation from God entered the world. This affected all of us – we all inherited this broken relationship with God.

But God loved us so much that He sent Jesus, His only Son, to save us. Jesus became human to represent all of us. He took our sins upon Himself, suffered the punishment we deserved, and died to make things right between us and God.

What is Justification?

Justification is God’s pardon – His forgiveness of our sins. It’s important to understand what this means:

It’s not about making us actually righteous – that’s sanctification, which comes later.
It’s not just about clearing us from Satan’s accusations.
It’s not God pretending we’re righteous when we’re not.

Simply put, justification means God forgives our past sins because of Jesus’ sacrifice. He treats us as if we had never sinned, not because we deserve it, but because Jesus took our punishment.

Who Can Be Justified?

Here’s the amazing part – God justifies the ungodly. Not the good people. Not the almost-perfect people. The ungodly. The sinners. The broken. The ones who know they need help.
This is crucial to understand: You don’t need to become holy before God will accept you. In fact, you can’t. That’s backwards. God accepts you first, then begins making you holy.

How Are We Justified?

There’s only one requirement: faith. But what kind of faith?

It’s more than just believing facts about God.
It’s a deep trust that Christ died for your sins personally.
It’s believing that God loves you and gave Himself for you specifically.

This faith is the only condition for justification. You don’t need to do good works first. You don’t need to clean yourself up first. You just need to trust in what Jesus has done for you.
Why Faith?
You might wonder why God chose faith as the only requirement. One reason is that it completely eliminates human pride. When you come to God by faith:

You must look only at your own sinfulness
You can’t claim any goodness of your own
You must come as a sinner needing mercy
You can only rely on what Jesus has done

If you’re reading this and feeling the weight of your sins, here’s the good news: You’re exactly the kind of person God is looking to save. Don’t try to make yourself better first. Don’t wait until you feel worthy. Come to God just as you are – broken, sinful, and needy. That’s when you’ll find His mercy.

Don’t plead your good works. Don’t plead your sincerity. Don’t even plead your humility. Plead only what Jesus has done for you. If you feel completely unworthy of God, you’re exactly where you need to be to receive His grace. Trust in Jesus Christ right now, and you will be reconciled to God.