Let’s thank our Maker, let’s thank Him again, let’s give Him thanks, let’s bless His holy name. Let’s thank Him for bringing us here safely, let’s bless His holy name, let’s worship Him, let’s give Him praise, let’s give Him adoration; He’s the One that led us here, thank You Father, thank You Lord, what a mighty God You are, glory be to Your holy name, in Jesus mighty name we have given thanks.
Let’s ask God for mercy, let’s call upon Him for mercy, my Father and my God, please have mercy on me. Pray unto Him, call on Him, ask Him for mercy because His mercies endureth forever, they are new every day. Oh Father, have mercy on me, remember me in Your mercy in the mighty name of Jesus. Thank You Father, blessed be the name of the Lord, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.
Let’s go ahead and commit the rest of today and indeed the rest of this week into the hands of the Almighty God; let’s invite Him to take absolute control of all that concerns us this week, let Him lead us, every crooked path let Him make it straight in the mighty name of Jesus. The Lord will order our steps aright this week in the mighty name of Jesus, whatever we lay our hands on shall prosper and the name of the Lord shall be glorified. Thank You Father, blessed be the name of the Lord, in Jesus mighty name we have given thanks.
We are all welcome to today’s service in Jesus name. Let me first of all thank the Almighty God for this opportunity to stand before you to minister the word of God; I will also thank our father in the Lord, the APICR and indeed the entire pastorate for this wonderful opportunity to also be standing to minister to share the word of God in our presence, the Almighty God will bless and prosper all that concerns you in the mighty name of Jesus. So you are all welcome to today’s service.
Just before we go into the word of God, let’s remember we have prayer chain for tomorrow and the topic for tomorrow’s prayer chain is Divine Shield, the Lord will provide divine shield for each and every one of us in the mighty name of Jesus. And the text is taken from the Book of Genesis 15: 1 – 5.
Now our text for today is taken from the Book of Acts 9: 36-42 and I’ll read quickly. Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms deeds which she did. 37And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. 38And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. 39Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
40But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body, said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. 42And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord. Praise the Lord. The Lord will give you a miracle like this in the mighty name of Jesus, your miracle will surprise everybody in Jesus name.
The topic for today is “The Power of Care”. Praise the Lord! Today marks the grand finale of the helps weekend; the weekend commenced last Thursday, we had a wonderful province-based vigil on Friday night, it was awesome and I believe that God will answer all our prayers in the mighty name of Jesus. If you missed the vigil, I pray that next time you will be there in Jesus’ name. The prayers we offered at the vigil will also affect you even if you were not there in the mighty name of Jesus, the Lord will answer all our prayers in Jesus’ name.
Quickly, the helps ministry is made up of four departments in the church – we have the choir, the ushering, the prayer warriors and of course the welfare department, but without prejudice to other departments in the mission, these four departments play a vital role in helping the pastorate and indeed the congregation. The major difference between these four departments and other departments in the church is that the help ministry prioritizes serving every aspect of the mission while other departments focus on specific areas, so let us celebrate the choristers, the ushers, the prayer warriors and of course the welfare department, let’s appreciate what God has used them to do all these days. Praise the Lord.
There are two different words in our topic for today, the first one is power and then the second one talks about care. What is power? Power is usually described as ability to produce an effect; you want to open a bottle that is cocked, you exert a little bit of power to be able to turn it around so that it can open. What about care? Care is usually associated to well-being; you want to care for somebody, you want to send some help to somebody, it’s usually associated with well-being or looking after someone as the case may be.
Let’s look at what happened in the Book of Genesis 1: 1 – the end, of course, we will not be able to read it because of time but I’ll just paraphrase what happened there. It talks about creation, God’s creation, and man was eventually created in Genesis 1: 27 and in verse 28, God empowered man to have dominion over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Praise the Lord. That is simply the power of care that God has shown to man; He created everything, created man at the last and then gave man the power to have dominion over everything that He had created, that talks about the power of care that God has given unto man. You will have dominion over everything that is moving on the land that God has created in the mighty name of Jesus.
But God didn’t stop there, even at the point where man fell in the case of Adam and Eve, God did not stop there. Genesis 3: 21, unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them, that is also the power of care, despite their disobedience in the garden of Eden, God did not stop there, God still showed that power of care to Adam and Eve, He covered their nakedness, that is the power of care, certainly, that is not a license for us to disobey God.
The Bible says that God’s ways are different from ours, we should obey Him in every aspect of our life because He will continue to extend that power of care unto us in the mighty name of Jesus.
Quickly let’s look at the case of Tabitha or Dorcas that we read in our text for today; there are some major learning points I would like us to take away from what happened, these are the things we face on a daily basis as we go about in our daily businesses as the case may be, we need to exercise the power of care for the needy in our midst.
We have a typical example of what Dorcars did, the power of care of the needy in our midst. Acts 9:36, we’ll go through it again, it says, Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms deeds which she did; in Deuteronomy 15: 11, it says, “For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to the needy in the land”.
That is also God acknowledging the fact that yes, we need to extend that hand of fellowship to the needy, not all fingers are equal, we are here together as brethren, there are various needs, there are various shortcomings amongst us, we are here to uphold each other, to send that measure of care to each other. Just like the four departments under the helps ministry, render help not just to the pastorate alone but also to the congregation. I pray that God will inspire us to do so in the mighty name of Jesus.
In our welfare department for example, they are doing quite a lot, in fact, I like to always call them the pay master because of what they do to the brethren at each point of need; they pay school fees, they pay hospital bills and then at Christmas or whatever seasons they also bless us with one gift or the other through the support of course of the pastorate, let’s put our hands together for the welfare department, we just want to give them thanks for the good deeds that they do to us, and of course, we are not forgetting their sponsors because I’m aware that they have certain sponsors amongst us.
The second thing we also need to learn from the works of Dorcas in the book of Acts 9:39 says that then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them; this was a practical way that Dorcas applied to express her faith in God, she did whatever she did without expecting any reward from anybody.
Whatever sge did, she never expected any reward, she did it out of love for God and out of love for the brethren, we should also be able to emulate such good habits showing that love we have for the brethren and God at His own time will be the one to reward us. And that was why she was able to attract that miracle of resurrection, God called her back to continue the good works she had already started among the brethren.
The third thing we also do, in Acts 9: 40, it says but Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body, said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. This miracle of resurrection implies that God is actively involved in the lives of those who care for others, because you care for others you will not miss your miracle in the mighty name of Jesus. The Lord will visit you with your own miracle in the mighty name of Jesus, the Lord knows your areas of need, He will not overlook you in the mighty name of Jesus.
And the fourth point I want to make before we look at other aspects of our ministry today, the power of care is a great tool for evangelism. Acts 9:42 says, and it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord; the Lord will advertise our good deeds via evangelism in the mighty name of Jesus. Everybody in Joppa and around got to know about this miracle, it started by the good deeds of Tabitha, and when she came back to life again, the whole thing was advertised all over Joppa and you can imagine the number of people that gave their lives to God because of that, our deeds will advertise us in the mighty name of Jesus, it will advertise the Almighty God through evangelism in the mighty name of Jesus. Praise the Lord.
So how do we exercise this power of care? What can we do to exercise this power of care? There are many things we can do but I just want to focus on three major areas that we can do that we can focus on in order to exercise this power of care. The first one is receiving God’s care; the second one is caring for others; and the third one and not the least is also caring for yourselves. We need to care for ourselves, yes, we receive God’s care, we also extend that care to others and then but we also need to care for ourselves too.
Now talking about receiving God’s care, just like we talked about the case of Adam and Eve at the opening, we also need God’s care. Matthew 6: 26 says behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? That is the question our Lord Jesus Christ asked me and you, are we not better than the fowls of the air? If He can care for them, they don’t toil, they don’t reap, they don’t sow, but God takes care of them; they are fed three times daily as the case may be and yet God takes care of them, how much more me and you that are created in the image and the likeness of God. We will not miss God’s help in Jesus name, in every area of our lives that we need help, God will send help to us in Jesus name.
Also book of Psalm 23:1 says the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want, you will not lack anything good in Jesus name. So why not cast that burden onto Him? Why not cast that burden onto the King of kings and the Lord of lords? He actually invited us to cast our burdens on Him and you can find that in the book of First Peter 5:7, it says casting all your care upon him; for He careth for you, He will continue to care for us in the mighty name of Jesus. Praise the Lord!
Care for others, I want to talk briefly about briefly care for others. A typical example is the case of the good Samaritan, we have read that story all over and over in the Bible, you can find it in the book of Luke 10: 25-37, we will not be able to go through it because of time but you can find time during your Bible study to go through that scripture, it’s very informative.
The power of care in us should be sacrificial of some of the lessons from the act of the good Samaritan; the power of care in us should be sacrificial. The Levites, the priests, they all came by to the man that was robbed and hurt, they all passed through the other way, but the Samaritan who incidentally should be a nobody, a sinner as the case may be, was the one that took interest in the person that was robbed and injured and he took him where he could receive treatment and even deposited some money for him to be taken care of. That is sacrificial offering, sacrificial giving, the power of care for others.
You will find also in Matthew 25: 35- 40, what the Lord Jesus Christ also expects me and you to do as the case may be, as we care for others we are also caring for Him. It says and the King shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me; as we extend this help to people, sacrificial help as the case may be, the Lord Jesus is telling us that as we have done it to others, we have also done it unto Him, and our Lord our God never owes anybody, whatever good act you do in His name and for Him, you will get your reward in the mighty name of Jesus.
So caring for others builds unity amongst us, it brings us together so that we can fight a common cause as the case may be. Take for example what happened in 1st Corinthians 12: 25, it says that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care for one another; it brings unity among the brethren.
And lastly on this, Psalm 133:1 says behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity; these are some of the things that bind us together and we should continue to practice them in the mighty name of Jesus.
Then let’s talk about caring for ourselves; yes, we extend care to others but we also need to care for ourselves, we need to take care of ourselves. Our typical example is the case of our Lord Jesus Christ, He cared for Himself, and why do I say so? You can find that in the book of Matthew 14: 23, it says, and when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray; and when the evening was come, he was there alone; He didn’t neglect His spiritual life, He took care of himself, He took care of his spiritual life and we are all expected to emulate Him in all that we do.
How often do we have our quiet time with Him? Be in His presence, speak to Him, taking care of our spiritual lives, He has led the way, He has shown us the way to go. I pray that we’ll also follow suit in the mighty name of Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 6: 19 – 20, it says, what? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. We need to take care of ourselves.
The spiritual aspect we’ve talked about it, now, our physical body, exercise your body once in a while, do your exercise if you can on a daily basis, take a walk around, it’s good to keep your body fit as the case may be. And also, as much as we can afford, even if it’s once in a year, try to do medical examination of your body to know your state of health, the world says that a stitch in time saves nine. I pray that the Spirit will lead us to do what we should do in Jesus name.
And finally on this aspect, Matthew 22:39 says and the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, we should also extend that care to our neighbors. We’ve talked about loving our neighbors, but the Bible did not tell us that we should love our neighbors more than ourselves, therefore, we should be able to take care of ourselves as the case may be, let’s be committed in caring for ourselves and for our loved ones.
As I begin to draw the curtain to a close, there are some practical aspects I would like us to also look at this morning; there are some practical steps we need to adopt in this regard of applying the power of care in our daily living, there are some practical steps we need to do. The first can be found in the book of James 1: 19, it says, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath”; give a listening ear to that brethren that run to you for advice, for you to listen out to the brethren. Don’t just wave the brethren away because you don’t want to be disturbed as the case may be, listen, even if you don’t have something maybe physical to give unto him, you can offer words of advice, words of encouragement instead of waving that brethren away.
After all, Proverbs 18:13 says he that answerth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. I pray that our responses will not bring shame to us in the mighty name of Jesus; our reactions in every situation will never bring shame to us in the mighty name of Jesus.
Secondly, what else can you do? Ephesians 4:32 says, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you; let’s also extend that measure to the brethren, what has that person done that you cannot forgive? If God can forgive you all your sins, all our sins, why can’t you forgive your fellow brethren? It is a word in season.
Number three, encourage those who are discouraged, but do it in such a way that your left hand will not know what your right hand is doing, if you can afford it, encourage those who are in need. After all, Matthew 6:3 says, but when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; encourage brethren, whatever you can do, don’t just go about and advertise it, God will advertise you in His own way in the mighty name of Jesus.
Number four, share the good news to all and sundry, tell everyone about the Lord Jesus Christ, that’s also another way you have caring for others. Proverbs 11:30 says, the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that win souls is wise. God will give us the wisdom to know what to do at each point in time in the mighty name of Jesus.
And then number five, defend those that are defenseless. Not everybody can defend himself, that’s why we have lawyers in our midst and the rest of them, when we have cases and the rest of them, we run to lawyers because we know that they know the better way to defend us. There are people around us we can also defend in our own little knowledge of what happened, Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow,” let’s defend those that are defenseless that approach us for help as the case may be. Praise the Lord.
Number six, visit people when and where necessary especially the sick amongst us. Visit them where they are when it’s necessary and when imyou can make time to do so; pray with them, encourage them in prayers and whatever other ways you can also deploy in helping them, I’m sure they will appreciate that. Matthew 25:36 says, naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came unto me. I know we have the prison ministry here, they also visit the brethren that are unfortunate for one thing or the other to be in prison, let’s also continue to support all these ministries.
And finally, the point I have here says pray for others. Let’s remember to lift each and every one of us up in prayers, that shows Christlike compassion; praying for the brethren, praying for the people you don’t even know, just continue to lead each and every one of us in prayer as the case may be. Job was blessed when he did so, remember the story of Job after all the afflictions, after all that he suffered, he was blessed when he did so. Job 42:10 says, and the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
And as we pray for our brethren, as we pray for each other, the Lord will remember us, the Lord will visit us in the mighty name of Jesus. That issue, that area that you are asking God to intervene in your life, the Lord will remember you and He will intervene in Bthe mighty name of Jesus and it shall be well with us in Jesus name. Praise the Lord!
As I begin to round up, I also need to speak to each and every one of us, you have heard the word of God and you are yet to accept our Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior, and if you are here in our midst, you want to take that step to say, “My Lord Jesus, I want to accept You this morning as my Lord and personal Savior,” you may have done it before but one thing or the other you are no longer sure of your salvation.
[Altar call]
Let’s just give thanks to the King of kings, let’s bless His name, let’s thank Him, let’s thank the Almighty God, let’s thank Him again for His mercies upon us, for all the provisions that He keeps on making for us, glory be to God. Let’s just give Him thanks, let’s pray especially for the help ministry, for the choir, the ushering department, the welfare, and of course the prayer warriors, let’s commit each and every one of them into the hands of the Almighty God, let’s ask God to strengthen them in the mighty name of Jesus. Father.
We commit these four critical departments in Your church into Your hands, oh Lord, we ask that You continue to strengthen them in the mighty name of Jesus. Avail for them, they will never be weary, they will never be tired in serving You. In the same vein, let’s pray for other departments in the church, let’s commit all the other departments in the church into the hands of the Almighty God; God, use Your people, use Your children to glorify Your name in Your ministry in the mighty name of Jesus, please uphold each and every one of us. Thank You Father, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.
Let’s also pray forbeach and every one of us that this week shall be a wonderful week for us, it shall be a glorious week for us in the mighty name of Jesus. All our expectations as we step out for this week, the Almighty God will meet us at our various points of need in the mighty name of Jesus. Thank You Father, blessed be the name of the Lord. In Jesus mighty name we have prayed.
