These messages were taken from sermons given by ministers of Apostolic Faith Churches around the world.

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Give God Your Burden! by Francis Odudu

When Jesus was on earth, He gave an invitation. He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus knew that people bear burdens in life. There is the burden of decision making such as choosing a career or a spouse. There are burdens that are challenges: broken relationships, unforgiveness, loneliness, illness, and many other difficulties.

The greatest of all burdens is the burden of sin. Jesus would like to lift that burden, and then He can solve the remaining problems too. He is in the business of bearing people’s burdens. Logically, we should be the ones seeking for Him, but He initiates action by looking for us, even when we are not searching for Him. His Spirit urges us to do something about the burdens we carry.

Satan is a wicked taskmaster. He burdens sinners until their loads become unbearable, yet he keeps reassuring them that there is no problem. For all the labor and toiling and the heavy weight he puts on the sinner, all he offers at the end of the day is Hell. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. That is what the devil has to offer.

The irony of life is that although people go about with burdens, they often ignore the main burden and only try to relieve the smaller ones. I did that some years back. I was deep in sin and suffering the repercussions of my actions. But rather than seeking the right solution, I was just trying to reduce the consequences of my deeds. We have the freedom to determine our actions, but we cannot determine the consequences; that is left to God to determine. In 1978, the Lord helped me to know that all my efforts were futile, because sin was the cause of my problem. When I went to Him in prayer and confessed my sins, asking for forgiveness, God forgave me and gave me victory.

God is a God of mercy. Even when we are not seeking Him, He is seeking us. Jesus paid the price for every soul’s salvation, and His invitation to “Come unto me” is open today. If you will come to the Lord with your burden of sin and tell Him you are sorry for all the sins you have committed, God will have mercy upon you.

Rev. Francis Odudu is a minister at the Bexley Apostolic Faith Church in London, England, as well as a Board Member for the United Kingdom Board of Directors.

Ingredients for Revival by Donald Fittin

If you have ever baked anything, you know that the right ingredients are important. Years ago, my wife and I owned a bakery, and we worked night and day. Some days I would go in about 1:30 or 2:00 in the morning to make donuts. After doing this so many times, I could almost make them in my sleep. We had a big mixer, and we used specialty flours to produce different kinds of mixes. Next, warm water had to be added, and at first, we were very careful of the water temperature. But after a while, I knew by just running my finger under the faucet what temperature the water needed to be. The last but most important item was yeast. After all the ingredients were combined, the mixer would stir the dough for about twenty minutes. Then the dough was put in the proofer, where it would start to rise. Eventually, if everything had been done according to the directions, we would have perfection! People lined up to buy the donuts.

However, there were times when I was so tired that I forgot an important step. That batch of forty or fifty pounds of dough was worthless! There was a hog farmer who came around once a week. He would pick up all the mistakes from the back of our shop and feed them to the hogs.

When making donuts, we had to use the right ingredients and follow the directions carefully to achieve the desired result. That’s the way it is with following God. His Word gives the “ingredients” for revival, but we must follow the directions. We find a “recipe” in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Four ingredients are given here. The first is that people must “humble themselves.” We need to realize that we are coming before the Almighty God who spoke everything into existence. We cannot receive anything from God unless we humble ourselves before Him.

The second ingredient is to “pray.” If we have children or neighbors who are not saved, we need to pray for them. I was raised by my grandparents, and I’m so thankful for a grandmother who would kneel beside my brother’s and my bed and pray for us. That did not save me, but it gave me an example of prayer. Also, we must remember that communication with God goes two ways. We pray to God, but we need to listen to what He says. Often we bring a list before God, but perhaps we do not stay long enough for Him to bring His list to us.

Third, God said to “seek my face.” This is an intense desire to know God and to know Him better and better. Those who are seeking God want to be one-on-one with Him; they are focused on seeking His face.

Fourth, it is necessary to “turn from” wicked ways. Those who are not saved need to turn from their sins. And once we are saved, we need to retreat from anything that displeases God. If we start to veer away, God will prick our hearts. He will let us know that there is a straight way ahead.

We have to be willing to follow God’s directions. We cannot skimp or cut corners. The recipe has to be executed exactly the way God wants. And then, He has promised that He will hear from Heaven! God can give each one of us revival.

Donald Fittin is a minister of the Apostolic Faith Church in Van Buren, Arkansas.

Use Your Talents! by Roque Fiegalan

One of the lessons that Jesus gave is known as the Parable of the Talents. This parable was not only for the disciples at that time, but it has a lesson for us today. It will encourage us to be faithful servants of our Master, Jesus Christ.

The parable states, “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability” (Matthew 25:14-15).

The master in this parable was passing his goods to his servants, but there was an uneven distribution. In our present lives also, we do not receive the same amount of “talents” as others. Each of us has our own opportunities and responsibilities, according to our abilities. Because of that, it is not healthy for us to compare ourselves with others. Rather, we should work with what we have been given.

“Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two” (Matthew 25:16-17). Despite having a different number of talents, the first two servants responded the same way. They went to trade what they had received. They gave their all and did their best to work it out. In the end, they both produced a one-hundred-percent return. This shows that it does not matter how much we have; what matters is how we handle what we have been given.

In the Philippines, this is the planting season, and most of our farmers are buying expensive seeds. They buy good seeds, and then they really need to take care of those seeds. For them to germinate, they must be irrigated and then transplanted. If a farmer takes good care of expensive seeds, he can expect to produce a plentiful harvest. This is what God wants us to do. Despite how little we may have, if we apply our strength and resources, God will give the increase.

We do not want to be like the third servant in the parable. “But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money” (Matthew 25:18). He did not handle what he was given in the proper way. Instead of using it, he hid it. We don’t want to waste the blessings that God has given us. Rather, we want to work to produce more.

Eventually, there will be a reckoning day. The two servants who had traded what they had been given were told, “Well done thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21, 23). If we will be faithful to do our best for the Lord who entrusted us with what we have, we will hear these words, “Well done.” I do not know your situation, and you do not know mine. But all of us need to be faithful to take advantage of the opportunities that are given to us, for the glory and honor of the Lord.

Rev. Fernan Fiegalan is the Apostolic Faith District Superintendent of the Philippines, and pastor of the headquarters church in Bagong Sikat.

Keep Moving by Samson Jimaza

Staying in one place for too long can cause problems. I grew up on a farm in Nigeria, and during the rainy season we had lots of rain. In our area there were ponds, but they didn’t flow. They were just stagnant, and that gave an opportunity for many things to breed in them. At times, when you got close, you could tell how stinky that pond was, and you didn’t want to get any nearer to it.

In Deuteronomy, Moses recounted for the Children of Israel some instructions that God had given them. “The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and until all the places nigh thereunto, . . . behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers” (Deuteronomy 1:6-8).

This exhortation was given in the fortieth year of the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land. Their journey could have been made in a much shorter time, but they had been in the wilderness because of their unbelief.  At this time, God commanded Moses to encourage them to move forward.

God wants to encourage us as well. If you have been too long where you are spiritually, it’s time to do something significant. To dwell too long can cause dormancy and stagnation. No good will come from remaining in such a condition.

If any of us find ourselves in a state of stagnancy or inactiveness spiritually, it’s high time to turn to God and ask Him to help us leave such a condition. It’s time to move forward. We do not want to come around the altars of prayer and leave without it having any impact. We want to come to pray and get ahold of God!

If you are not saved, the Lord will save. He will sanctify, and He will baptize with the Holy Ghost. Come before God and pray, “This is enough of my stagnancy. It’s high time. I want to get the blessing You have for me.” God will do it for you!

Samson Jimaza is the leader of the Apostolic Faith group in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Pick Up the Mantle by Harlan Lee

God calls every person, first to salvation and then to some area of service. When Elijah was taken into Heaven, the Bible says of Elisha, “He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him” (2 Kings 2:13). There is a “mantle” that falls to each one of us—a role we are to fill. We are all a royal priesthood, a chosen people with a calling from God (see 1 Peter 2:9).

Previous chapters in 2 Kings indicate that Elisha had been a farmer, plowing in a field. He was industrious and hard-working, busy in agriculture. I can identify with that because as youngsters in Garden Valley, my brothers and I worked on a farm. We didn’t have oxen, but I’ve spent time on a tractor. We were just working people when God called us.

Then one day, Elijah came by Elisha’s field and threw his mantle upon Elisha. And Elisha answered immediately! His only request was that he could kiss his mother and father goodbye, before following the prophet and becoming his servant. At one point when someone asked who Elisha was, the reply was that he poured water on the hands of Elijah.

Apparently he helped and served in that role for several years. We do not read much about him during that period of time, but there came a day when it was known that Elijah would be taken away. Though Elijah told Elisha to tarry at various points, the younger man determined to stay with him. Finally, Elijah asked what he wanted, and Elisha said, “Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me” (2 Kings 2:9).

Elijah said that he had asked a hard thing, “nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee” (2 Kings 2:10). Elisha paid attention and when a whirlwind took Elijah to Heaven, he saw it. And down came that mantle.

It seems to me that when Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha at their initial meeting in the field, it was not Elisha’s choice—the mantle was cast upon him. But when it fell on him by the banks of the Jordan, Elisha took it up by choice.

Today, it is up to each one of us to take up the mantle that falls. God has chosen to call us to salvation, but we must choose to answer and follow Him. Then He calls us to serve Him. Because of His love for us and the price He paid for our salvation, we should pick up the mantle He places upon us out of thanksgiving.

Where should a person serve? Wherever you are! If you are a young person and go to school, that is where you serve. If you are a young mother, your children are where you serve. If you work at a job, that is where you serve God.

The mantle will not be thrust upon us. It falls from above, and it is up to us to reach down and pick it up. God has saved us for a purpose. He has called us, and His love constrains us to answer. Won’t you reach out and take up the mantle to follow the call that God has on your life?

Harlan Lee is a minister of the Apostolic Faith Church in Roseburg, Oregon.