Today's Rhema Outreach

SMALL CHURCH, BIG CHURCH.

My beloved friend, a firebrand, hardline, do-it-as-you-should preacher, eager to grow his church numerically, found an opportunity when confronted with a childless woman who desperately needed a miracle.
My pastor friend launched into fervent prayers, prolonged fasting and all manner of spiritual intervention he could muster.

By the way, his church was a one-room makeshift, where-two-or-three-are-gathered kind of church in a humble neighborhood of Agege, Lagos; not the kind of place you expected to meet a great man of God.
It reminded you of the early church in the Acts Of Apostles that met in the homes of members.
One day, as the Lord directed him, he announced to the couple that they were going to conceive in a certain month, and true to his declaration, the woman conceived!

Critics and naysayers doubted the development. Some said it was fibroids and not pregnancy. Others said he was fake and satanic. The decadence and corruption of modern societies is such that supernatural occurrences are ascribed primarily to magic and diabolical manipulations rather than to the wonder-working God. A descent into hell.
Verdict came after nine months when the woman brought forth a baby boy!
Jubilation followed.
Pastor Emmanuel’s thrill in all of this was that this major miracle would bring the attention of all to the wonder-working God in his church, so he waited earnestly for the day of Child Dedication. This was going to be something special.
It would certainly increase the membership of his church and perhaps, begin their journey out of the one-room-church status. Who knows?
To his greatest chagrin, however, the couple went to a "big" church with a beautiful cathedral and dedicated their miracle baby; and as an icing on the ugly cake, they stopped attending his church.
My pastor and friend was, to say the least, offended and disappointed at their treachery. Why would they do such a thing?
His disappointment was understandable, if you ask me. Having hoped that the celebration of this miracle would give him a lift in ministry, he was utterly disheartened.

After a few months, however, when the passage of time had simmered his displeasure, he turned his petition to God.
The answer he received from God was astonishing:

“Emmanuel, why are you troubled and angry? Was it you who gave them the baby?
Was it you who answered their prayer?
They have thanked you and they have thanked me. It doesn’t have to be in your congregation.
Let it go and let them be.”

Aah! God did not rebuke them? My pastor repented quickly and repositioned his mind on the subject of ownership of church members. God is the owner of the church.

He would later say to me that the people in his church were neither all born into his church nor did they all get saved in his church. Many of them came from somewhere. If they move on for a good reason, do not despise them. Encourage them still.

“And other sheep have I who are not of this fold ...” John 10:16

Remember: every one who is called into ministry and who works for the Lord, has one boss; Jesus!
ONE BIG FAMILY!

WHY THE ALLAH OF THE QURAN AND THE GOD OF BIBLE CANNOT BE THE SAME.

(1) Who Was Hell Originally Made For?

According to the Quran, hell was created for both humans and jinn.

“I will surely fill Hell with jinn and humans altogether.” (Quran 11:119, also 32:13)

So in that system, hell was always part of the plan for many humans.

But the Bible says something quite different.

“Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41)

Notice that carefully.

Hell was prepared for Satan and the fallen angels, not humans.

Humans only end up there if they reject God’s salvation.

So according to the Bible, humans were not the original target audience of hell.

(2) Do Believers Go to Hell First?

In Islamic tradition, many scholars teach that even Muslims may enter hell temporarily before being taken out later.

“There is none of you except he will pass over it (Hell). This is a decree your Lord must fulfil.”
(Quran 19:71–72)

Meaning:
Everyone takes a quick trip past the furnace first, then Allah decides who gets out.

Now compare that with what the Bible says about believers.

“Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)

“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

According to the Bible, believers are not taking a detour through hell.

They go straight to God.

(3) Predestination to Hell?

The Quran teaches that some people are created specifically for hell.

“We have certainly created many of the jinn and mankind for Hell.” (Quran 7:179)

That sounds like some people were designed with “destination: fire” already printed on their spiritual passport.

But the Bible teaches the opposite.

“[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
(Timothy 2:4)

“The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (Peter 3:9)

According to the Bible, God is not in heaven designing people for destruction.

He actually wants everyone saved.

(4) Does God Love First?

In the Quran, Allah’s love is described as conditional.

“Indeed, Allah loves those who do good.”(Quran 2:195)

“Allah does not love the disbelievers.” (Quran 3:32)

So love appears tied to performance and obedience.

Now compare that with the Bible.

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“We love because He first loved us.”(John 4:19)

In Christianity, God doesn’t wait for humans to behave first.

He loves first, then invites us into that love.

(5) How Are Unbelievers Treated?

Some Quranic passages contain curses against disbelievers.

“Indeed, Allah has cursed the disbelievers and prepared for them a blazing fire.” (Quran 33:64)

But in the Bible, God spends this age calling people to repentance.

“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17)

Judgment exists in Christianity, but it happens at the end, not as the main message now.

For now, the mission is salvation.

(6) Who Sends People to Hell?

In the Quran, Allah ultimately decides who ends up in hell.

But the Bible emphasises human choice.

“I have set before you life and death… therefore choose life.”
(Deuteronomy 30:19)

“Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

In other words:

God opens the door to heaven.
Humans decide whether they want to walk through it.

So when you place the Quran and the Bible side by side, the characters they describe behave very differently.

One describes a god whose love is mainly earned by obedience.

The other describes a God who loved humanity so much that He entered His own creation as Jesus and died for sinners.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…” John 3:16

So we do not worship the same God. Salvation is found only in Christ Jesus come to Him and be saved.

As an ex-Muslim, let me tell you why you need to keep praying for Muslims.

Muslims are simply in a cult. They won’t agree with me, and honestly, I don’t expect them to. If I were still a Muslim today, I would probably react the same way because I used to do exactly that.

When I was a Muslim, I served Allah with all my heart. I was completely devoted. I became so radical that I even created an entire song mocking Christianity and Jesus. Many Muslims will tell you that no genuine Muslim mocks Jesus. That is only because they never reached that level of extremism. I did.

Whenever Christians came to our village to hold crusades, our malams would stir us up against them. I even had a group of young men with me. We would hide, throw stones at them, and destroy their equipment. The only thing I never did was take someone’s life, and that was simply because I never had the opportunity. From the age of seven, we were taught to defend Islam with our lives.

That is why when people speak against Allah, many Muslims don’t react the same way they do when Muhammad is mentioned. The moment you talk about Muhammad, everything changes, they get angry immediately. Do you know why? Because Muhammad taught them to defend him at all costs. Most of the things people say about Muhammad are not insults. They are simply pointing to things he did. Yet people can lose their lives just for mentioning those things.

Why would Muhammad tell people to defend him at all costs? Why tell them to attack those who speak against him? Why discourage people from asking questions? Because he knew that once people started asking sincere questions, many of them would walk away. He knew his lifestyle is enough proof to let you reject his self proclaimed religion. That is why so many Muslims have been deceived without even realizing it.

I’m telling you, most of the people terrorizing others and causing havoc are not evil people. They sincerely believe they are doing the right thing. I know because I used to be one of them.

Now that I have given my life to Christ, those same people stone me. They attack me. The very song I composed to insult Christians is the same song they sing whenever I return to preach the Gospel. They use it to mock me.

Do you know why I receive it gladly?

Because now I know how those missionaries I used to stone, insult, and ridicule must have felt. The same mockery I once gave to the Church is the same mockery I now receive. God has allowed me to experience both sides, and I accept it with joy.

Do you know why I am so radical for Christ? Because I know whom I saw. Let all those people insulting Jesus online have one genuine encounter with Him, and watch what happens. Nobody will have to convince them. Nobody will have to force them. They will humble themselves.

The people who truly know me know I’m not a storyteller. It’s only those who never knew me who claim I was never a Muslim. But anyone who knows my past and sees the boldness with which I speak today knows that this kind of transformation only comes from a real encounter with Jesus. Anyway, I am not even proud that I was once a muslim, so my dear muslims can choose to believe me or not.

Only God knows how many times I have escaped death because of this assignment, and by His grace, we are not stopping now.

All I’m asking you to do is keep praying for Muslims. For many of them, debates will never be enough. Prayer is what will reach them. Yes, exposing falsehood has brought many to Christ. For others, it has strengthened their faith. But there are still many whose lives will only change through prayer and a genuine encounter with Jesus.

Anytime you see someone who is fiercely devoted to Allah, don’t give up on them. Let that person encounter Christ, and the same passion they once had for Allah will become passion for Christ.

I know that because it happened to me.

゚viralシfypシ゚viralシalシ ゚

This is one of the most pervasive themes in Paul's theology: God's sovereign purpose never eliminates human responsibility; it establishes it. Divine certainty and human action are not competitors but companions.

Paul himself embodies this tension throughout his ministry.

In Acts 27:22–31, God gives Paul an unequivocal promise:

"There will be no loss of life among you..."

The outcome is settled because God has spoken. Yet moments later, when the sailors attempt to escape in the lifeboat, Paul declares:

"Unless these men remain in the ship, you cannot be saved."

There is no contradiction. The God who ordained the end also ordained the means. The certainty of God's promise did not render the sailors' remaining on board unnecessary; it made their remaining the very instrument through which the promise would be fulfilled. Divine sovereignty does not bypass human agency—it governs it.

The same pattern appears repeatedly in Paul's writings.

1 Corinthians 3:6–9 — "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."

Paul refuses two opposite errors. He neither attributes everything to human effort nor dismisses human effort as irrelevant. Planting was real. Watering was real. Both required labour, wisdom, sacrifice, and obedience. Yet neither planter nor waterer possessed the power to produce life. Growth belonged exclusively to God.

The farmer cannot manufacture life in a seed, but he must still plough the field.

The preacher cannot regenerate a sinner, but he must still preach the gospel.

The believer cannot sanctify himself apart from grace, but he must still pursue holiness.

God alone gives the increase, yet He ordinarily gives it through means He Himself has appointed.

This is why Paul can write in Philippians 2:12–13:

"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do according to His good pleasure."

Notice the logic. He does not say, "Work because God is absent." He says, "Work because God is at work." Human obedience is grounded in divine operation. God's working is not an alternative to ours; it is the reason ours is possible.

Likewise, in Colossians 1:28–29, Paul describes his ministry:

"For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me."

Paul genuinely toils. He genuinely struggles. Yet the strength by which he labours is not self-generated but divinely supplied. The harder Paul works, the more he magnifies the grace that empowers him.

This same principle governs salvation itself. Faith is indispensable, yet salvation is entirely of grace. Repentance is commanded, yet it is God who grants repentance. Believers are called to persevere, yet it is God who preserves them. Scripture never treats these truths as rivals. It presents them as complementary realities within God's redemptive purpose.

Paul therefore rejects two extremes. Fatalism says, "If God has determined the outcome, my actions do not matter." Self-sufficiency says, "The outcome ultimately depends on me." Paul embraces neither. Instead, he proclaims a God whose sovereign decree establishes—not abolishes—the meaningfulness of human obedience.

The biblical pattern is remarkably consistent:

God ordains the harvest; therefore we plant.

God grants the increase; therefore we water.

God promises preservation; therefore we remain in the ship.

God works within us; therefore we work without.

God guarantees His purposes; therefore our obedience becomes the appointed means by which those purposes are accomplished.

In Paul's theology, divine sovereignty never negates human responsibility. It is precisely because God is sovereign that human actions are meaningful, effective, and caught up in the accomplishment of His eternal purposes.

Men,brethren and fathers!

Get your terms right first

People throw three different things into one pot. Separate them or you will fight the wrong man.

1.Perseverance of the saints.
The Reformed teaching. God keeps His people — and He keeps them holy. The warnings in the Bible are real, and God uses them to keep you. This one actually demands a changed life.

2. Once saved, always saved.(OSAS)
The altar-call version. You prayed a prayer in 1997. Done. Nothing after that counts.

3. Hyper-grace. Don't confess sin. Don't repent. Don't examine yourself. If you feel convicted, that's the devil.

What is troubling churches in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt is number 2 and number 3. It is not Calvin. So don't waste your bullets on Calvin. Shoot what's actually shooting at you.

Now look at Acts 27. Look closely.

God gives Paul a promise. Flat, plain, no conditions: "there shall be no loss of any man's life among you" (27:22-24). An angel said it. 276 men will live. Full stop.

Then the sailors try to sneak off in the lifeboat.

And the same Paul — the man carrying the promise — turns to the centurion and says:

"Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved."(27:31)

Read that again.

He didn't say "relax, God promised."
He didn't say "if they leave, they were never really passengers."
He said: if they get off, nobody gets saved.

And the word he uses for "saved" is the salvation word. The word for "abide" is the same word Jesus uses in John 15 — abide in me.

So here's the shape of it:

- The promise is 100% certain.
- The condition is 100% real.
- The promise happens through the condition, not around it.
- And they didn't leave it to feelings — the soldiers cut the ropes(27:32). They made staying the only option.

The OSAS mistake is simple: God promised, therefore the warning is just decoration.
Acts 27 kills that. Paul himself kills it. The ship is how you get saved. Getting off the ship is possible. Getting off the ship kills you. And the reason everybody lived is that Paul warned them.The warning is not proof the promise was weak. The warning is how the promise worked.

Same pattern elsewhere:

Ezekiel 18:24 — the righteous man turns back, and "all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned." God doesn't say he was never righteous. God says his righteousness won't be mentioned.

Ezekiel 33 — God says the wicked will die. God still commands the watchman to shout. If the man hears and turns, he lives. God's sovereignty and God's warning are not enemies.

The Bible is soaked in "if"

This isn't one or two awkward verses. Open anywhere.

- Colossians 1:22-23 — presented holy and blameless... "IF ye continue in the faith."

- 1 Corinthians 15:2— saved... "IF ye keep in memory."

- Hebrews 3:14— partakers of Christ... "IF we hold... stedfast unto the end."

- Romans 11:20-22 — branches broken off. You stand by faith. "Otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." And he's saying this to Christians.

- John 15:2,6— the branch IN ME that bears no fruit is taken away, cast out, withered, burned. It was in the vine. That's the whole point.

- Galatians 5:4— "ye are fallen from grace." You cannot fall from where you never stood.

- 2 Peter 2:20-22 — people who escaped the pollution of the world through knowing Christ
then got tangled again. "The latter end is worse than the beginning." The dog goes back to the vomit. You cannot go back to what you never left.

- 1 Timothy 1:19-20— Hymenaeus and Alexander made shipwreck of the faith.Another ship. Another man who got off.

- 1 Corinthians 9:27— Paul beats his body "lest I myself should be a castaway."If Paul believed OSAS, that verse is a performance.

- Hebrews 10:26-29 — a man "sanctified by the blood of the covenant" who tramples it. Sanctified. By the blood. That is the language.

- Revelation 3:5— "I will not blot his name out of the book of life." Why say that, if it can never happen?

The escape hatch: "they were never really saved"

Every time you show these verses, you get one answer: "They were never truly saved." Then they quote 1 John 2:19.

Look at what that move actually does.

It can never be wrong.No matter what happens, the doctrine survives. Man serves God 30 years and walks away? "Never saved." There is no possible evidence that could disprove it. A belief that can't be wrong isn't strong. It's empty.

It contradicts the text. Hebrews says sanctified by the blood. Peter says escaped through knowing the Lord. Jesus says in me.OSAS has to cross out God's own words and write its own.

It destroys the very assurance it's selling. Think about it. If a man who prayed the prayer, preached, cast out demons and then walked away was "never saved" — how do you know you're not that man? OSAS promises you certainty and hands you a lottery ticket. It tells you to be sure, then tells you that being sure proves nothing.

And 1 John 2:19 doesn't say what they think. John is talking about specific false teachers who denied Jesus came in the flesh. He is not making a universal law. And read five verses down: "If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son" (2:24). There's that word again. Remain.

Their favourite verses — read them properly

John 10:28— "neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." True! Glorious! But read it: **no outsider can sn**ch you. It says nothing about a sheep who stops following. Look at verse 27 — "My sheep hear my voice... and they follow me." Present tense. Ongoing.

Nobody could sn**ch a sailor off Paul's ship. A sailor could still climb into the lifeboat himself.

Romans 8:38-39— look at Paul's list. Death. Life. Angels. Powers. Height. Depth. Any other creature. He lists the whole universe. He never lists you. Nothing outside can separate you. Paul isn't talking about the man who walks out.

Ephesians 1:13-14 — sealed with the Spirit. Yes! But turn two pages. Ephesians 4:30 — don't grieve that Spirit. Ephesians 5:5-7 — to those same sealed people: no fornicator has any inheritance in the kingdom, "let no man deceive you with vain words."

Philippians 1:6 — "he will perform it." Beautiful. Now read chapter 3:12-14, same letter, same man: "not as though I had already attained... I press toward the mark." God is faithful. That is not permission to be careless.

Why this is troubling?

Let's be honest about why this doctrine found such good soil here.

It fits perfectly with prosperity teaching, where you're always God's creditor and never His debtor.

It gives cover to a "believer" whose life you're not allowed to question, because grace already settled his account in advance.

Jesus gave us the test: "By their fruits ye shall know them"(Matthew 7:16-23).

And catch the terror in that passage. The people He rejects are not atheists. They are prophesying. Casting out demons. Doing many wonderful works. In His name. We have more of those per square kilometre than almost anywhere on earth.

That passage was written for us.

Be honest about the pushback

If you want to convince a thinking person, handle the real objections, not the weak ones.

A Reformed man will claim Acts 27 for himself— and he has a point. He'll say God ordains the end and the means, and the warning was the means. That's fair. So be clear: Acts 27 destroys popular OSAS. It does not destroy classical Reformed teaching. Either way, the man in the lifeboat has no confidence left.

Real Reformed preachers preach holiness. Spurgeon. Edwards. Whitefield. Piper. None of them would recognise what's being sold in these auditoriums. Careless Christians have never had an honest right to quote them.

Our side has its own danger.
Preach conditions carelessly and you'll create terrified believers who never rest. Wesley wrestled with this. Shouting about hell doesn't fix it.

Assurance is real — 1 John 5:13 is real — but it's 'present tense' resting on a living relationship with Christ today, not on a receipt from something that happened in 1997.

Remember, Hebrews 6 has a minority reading you should know about before you assume the argument is over.

The whole thing in one line

'Stay in the ship'

God promised the ship gets there. He never promised the man who lowers himself into the lifeboat at 2am gets there.

And the apostle carrying that promise is the one who said so.

Dear PASTOR please listen 👂

In church growth you cannot "Pray-through" or Pray- away a TRAINING DEFICIT.

Church workers play vital role in church/ministry growth, and they cannot give what they don't have....

They must be TRAINED to understand the VISION of the ministry/church.

They must be TAUGHT the importance and benefits of SERVICE in God's heart.

Their minds must be RENEWED to understand kingdom commitment and how to express their love for Jesus Christ through KINGDOM SERVICE.

Most pastors will rather PREACH than to TEACH & to DISCIPLE, because TEACHING TAKES TIME, DISCIPLESHIP takes energy, consistency and patience before the desired transformation becomes evident in the life of CHURCH WORKERS.

Jesus said we should go into the world and TEACH, MAKE STUDENTS/DISCIPLES...

But we'll rather take the easy way out, which is the regular Sunday morning PREACHING.

Hear this, for your church workers and ministry departmental heads to understand the VISION and actively get involved, YOU CANNOT PREACH-AWAY A TEACHING/DISCIPLESHIP DEFICIT!

Na who dey PRAY for YOU? 🤔

There are certain dimensions in PRAYER that NOBODY, NO PASTOR can PRAY for YOU! There are DEPTHS IN GOD THAT ONLY YOU CAN ACCESS THROUGH PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT, WITH CONSISTENCY & INTENSITY, bcos this kind of prayer is not for you to 'get something from God', it is MEANT TO PROGRAMME YOUR SPIRIT TO ALIGN & BECOME...

In July 2022, my father in the Lord, Apostle Arome Osayi, was scheduled to minister in Owerri at the first Eastern Apostolic Conference of RCN Imo State.

Like many sons would do, I was excited.

A team of pastors from Anambra had already planned the journey.

Everything looked normal.

Except one thing.

I couldn't find peace.

For days, I had prayed about attending the meeting.

The more I prayed, the less convinced I became.

It wasn't fear.

It was simply that quiet witness of the Holy Spirit saying, "Don't move."

Then one of the pastors travelling with us called me.

He said,

"Apostle... I don't feel we should go. I don't have peace in my spirit."

I laughed.

I told her,

"It's Papa that is ministering. We have to go."

Looking back today...

I now know the difference between honouring a spiritual father and ignoring the Holy Spirit.

That Friday afternoon, we set out.

I instructed two disciples from my church not to join our vehicle but to use public transportation. They might not understand but I had covering over them to instruct them.

I never knew that simple decision would later preserve their lives.

As we approached Owerri...

Everything changed.

Unknown gunmen opened fire on our vehicle.

Bullets.

Everywhere.

I was the one driving.

To this day, I still cannot fully explain how we escaped.

We abandoned the vehicle.

Ran for our lives.

Jumped into the bush.

Two brothers serving as protocol in our vehicle were hit by gunfire...

Yet by God's mercy, they survived.

While hiding inside the bush...

I picked up my phone.

And I sent my wife a message.

Not because I was sure I would die.

But because I wasn't sure I would return.

It was one of those messages you send when eternity suddenly feels very close.

We hid for what felt like forever.

At one point, I found myself lying under a tunnel, praying silently while armed men searched nearby.

Eventually, we escaped.

But we never made it to the conference.

The news reached Owerri.

It reached my father in the Lord.

Later, when we spoke, he asked me one question.

A question I have never forgotten.

He said,

"Before you started this journey... did you have the leading of the Holy Spirit to come?"

I answered honestly.

"No, sir."

"We prayed."

"We didn't have peace."

"We came because you were going to be there."

Then he said something that permanently changed my understanding of sonship.

He said,

"The purpose of raising sons is not for them to be led by me. It is for them to be led by the Holy Spirit."

That sentence corrected something inside me forever.

A true spiritual father is not trying to replace the voice of God in your life.

He is trying to teach you how to hear Him.

Many people think maturity is doing everything your father in the Lord does.

No.

Maturity is obeying God.

If your father clearly gives you an instruction, obey it.

But where no instruction has been given, don't replace the witness of the Holy Spirit with sentiment.

That is not honour.

That is immaturity.

Since that day, I have learned something.

Never violate divine peace because of emotional excitement.

Not even for a good meeting.

Not even because your favourite preacher is ministering.

No meeting is more important than obedience.

Interestingly...

July has always been a month filled with strange near-death encounters for me, dating back to my university days.

But one day, the Lord spoke to me.

He said,

"July shall no longer be remembered for danger. It shall be remembered for perfection."

That word has stayed with me.

And this is my prayer for everyone reading this.

May this July become your month of perfection.

May every unfinished story be completed.

May every delayed promise find fulfillment.

May every trap set against your life fail.

May the voice of the Holy Spirit become clearer than every other voice competing for your attention.

And finally...

Permit me to celebrate my Spiritual Parents in the Lord.

A man secure enough not to make sons dependent on him, but determined to make them dependent on the Holy Spirit.

That is rare.

If this story blessed you, take a moment to celebrate my PAPA Apostle Arome Osayi and MAMA Rev Dinna Osayi in the comment.

And if you're a young believer learning to follow God, share this post.

Someone needs to know that sentiment is never a substitute for the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Share it. Apostle Arome Osayi