I love everything in Skirts 
Gowns and trousers with Curves 
Their unique features drive me crazy 
Makes me crave for much more 
Than just a satisfying touch

Meant to be cherished
Meant to be adored
But such cravings doesn’t last long
It soon fades away
When I have had my fill

Beauty attracts
But such attraction is time bound
After the attachment,
She must do much more than just the make up
The real and inner beauty must take over
To relief the peripheral

She needs to prove something exceptional
That she has and others do not
Even the saints,
All have tendencies to look out

But a good woman
Right after the attraction
Releases other aura
That the man can’t find elsewhere
This is why he is perpetually in chains
Sentenced to the native verdict
Till death do us part.

Much more than the curves
Much more than the jingoism
Much more than the captivating phenomenon
That keeps us insatiable and asking for more
She has to present more credentials
To retain the job
When our beast is downsizing
And is overtaken by the adventurous appetite
To seek for just more than sex.

When the breast are no more attractive
The curves have lost their skills
The enthusiasm has completely wane
Age has travelled so far
Make you out of vogue
And she has now adopted the old school
Something much more special
Must be your advocacy
To make you the all time star for life.

© Olajide Adelani Lawal
2023

I love everything in skirts

Makes me crave for much more

Than just a satisfying touch

Meant to be cherished

Meant to be adored

But such cravings doesn’t last long

It soon fades away

When I have had my fill

Beauty attracts

But such attraction is time bound

After the attachment,

She must do much more than just the make up

The real and inner beauty must take over

To relief the peripheral

She needs to prove something exceptional

That she has and others do not

Even the saints,

All have tendencies to look out

But a good woman

Right after the attraction

Releases other aura

That the man can’t find elsewhere

This is why he is perpetually in chains

Sentenced to the native verdict

Till death do us part.

Much more than the curves

Much more than the jingoism

Much more than the captivating phenomenon

That keeps us insatiable and asking for more

She has to present more credentials

To retain the job

When our beast is downsizing

And is overtaken by the adventurous appetite

To seek for just more than sex.

When the breast are no more attractive

The curves have lost their skills

The enthusiasm has completely wane

Age has travelled so far

Make you out of vogue

And she has now adopted the old school

Something much more special

Must be your advocacy

To make you the all time star for life.

© Olajide Adelani Lawal

2023

WEEK THREE:
CONSEQUENCES OF OBEDIENCE
Obedience simply means willing to comply with commands, orders or instructions of those in authority. Simply put, obedience means doing what you are asked to do by those in authority. God rewards obedience and there are various people who have rewarded one way or the other by God.

i. Joseph was rewarded for obeying God’s laws (Exodus 20:1-17, Genesis 39: 7 – 12)
In Exodus 20:1-17, the Bible records the Ten Commandments God gave Moses to guide the Israelites daily living with one another.
The Ten Commandments
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; and you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
6. You shall not kill.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

All the Israelites teach these commandments to their children’s children and even generations after them. Joseph in Genesis 39: 7 – 12, was faced with the temptation of violating one of them, but he remembered the Lord, his God and ran away from sinning. His master’s wife wanted him to sleep with her, that is having sexual relationship with her. He remembered the seventh commandment which says, “Thou shall not commit adultery”. This made him run out of the house when the pressure was much on him. At the end, he became a Prime Minister in Egypt because he chose to stand with God.

ii. David was rewarded for respecting a civil rule (Exodus 20:13; 1 Samuel 26: 1 – 12)
David too was faced with the temptation of killing Saul. Saul had been hunting and wanting to kill him. While David was at the hill of Hachilah, which was east of Jeshimon, news got to Saul that David was there, so Saul took three thousand men and went to the wilderness of Ziph with the intention to kill David.
When Saul got to the hill of Hachilah, David was already at the wilderness. When he heard Saul was around, he sent spies to know his exact position. When they came to give him feedback, he went to where Saul camped at night and saw him and all his men sleeping including Abner, the son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army. David went with Abishai and they saw Saul’s spear stuck in the ground. Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day; now therefore let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” But David said to Abi′shai, “Do not destroy him; for who can put forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” Then David said that Saul will die a natural death and his death shall not come from his hand. He listed how Saul would die saying;
(a) “As the Lord lives, the Lord will smite him; or
(b) his day shall come to die; or
(c) he shall go down into battle and perish.
The Lord forbid that I should put forth my hand against the Lord’s anointed;

So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head without anyone noticing and they went away. No man saw it, or knew it, nor did any awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them. David didn’t kill Saul because he remembered the sixth commandment which says, “You shall not kill”. At the end David didn’t have to kill Saul but became king in the stead of Saul after his death at the battle front.

iii. The three Hebrew youths escaped death for obeying God to avoid idolatry (Exodus 20:3; Daniel 3:1-30)
Also the three Hebrew youths, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego were also faced with the temptation of acting contrary to the first commandment which states, “You shall have no other gods before me.” They were taken captives and brought into Babylon alongside many other Jews and were appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold and set up and at his command, as soon as all the people hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon and all kind of music, they bow and worship the golden image. He warned that anyone who fails to bow and worship the golden image at the sound of the music shall be thrown into a burning fiery furnace.

When the people discovered that Shadrach, Meshach and Abedenego did not bow, they reported them to the king. The king tried to give them a second chance to prove that it was an omission, but they refused and told the king to his face that they will not bow because it is against the laws of God. They replied the king saying, “O Nebuchadnez′zar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

This made Nebuchadnezzar very angry and ordered that the furnace be heated seven times more than it was and mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their mantles, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were cast into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was strict and the furnace very hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego. These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

Suddenly, King Nebuchadnez′zar became astonished and rose up in haste. He said to his counsellors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” He answered, “But I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnez′zar came near the burning fiery furnace and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego, servants of the Most High God, come forth!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego came out from the fire unhurt.

Everyone including the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counsellors gathered and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their mantles were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. It was then Nebuchadnez′zar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set at nought the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego in the province of Babylon. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego made up their mind to obey God rather than obey men and because of the trust they had in God and His words, God defended them.

iv. Esther obeyed Mordecai (Esther 4: 1 – 16)
Esther also bearing in mind the fifth commandment, which says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” Esther obeyed Mordecai, her uncle who was the only father-figure she had, being an orphan. When Mordecai learnt that the King has made a command that would wipe off the Jews in the province, there was mourning everywhere and Mordecai was greatly troubled. He rent his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes.

When Esther heard, she was distressed and sent clothes to Mordecai but he refused and Esther sent Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs to inquire why Mordecai was mourning. Then Mordecai told him that Haman had promised to pay a certain amount of money into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. Mor′decai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people.

And Hathach went and told Esther what Mor′decai had said. Then Esther sent Hathach back to Mor′decai, saying, “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law; all alike are to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter that he may live. And I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.” Mor′decai sent a message back to Esther saying, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther summoned courage and sent to Mor′decai, to gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on her behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. Esther and her maids also fasted as you do. She said after the fast, “Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

Mor′decai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. At the end, Esther was able to save the Jews and Haman was killed in their place. She obeyed her uncle, who is her parent and God honoured her.

WEEK TWO:
PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Parental Responsibilities are the duties or obligations for which parents perform in the lives of their children and are held accountable for. Being a parent is more than just providing food and other basic requirement for a child, it also entails providing guidance, spiritual direction and also helping them to fit in properly with the society. God hold parents accountable for the failures of parental values in the lives of their children.

i. King Asa pleased God (1 Kings 15:9-15)
In 1Kings 15:9-15, the Bible records the story of King Asa, who walked in the ways of the Lord. He took a cue from David, his grandfather. His mother, who was Ma’acah, daughter of Abishalom, had an abominable image made for Asherah. Asa removed her from being queen mother and restored the worship of God in Israel. Some of the things he did include;
(a) He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land,
(b) He removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
(c) He also removed Ma′acah his mother from being queen mother because she had an abominable image made for Ashe′rah; and
(d) Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron.
(e) He brought into the house of the Lord the votive gifts of his father and his own votive gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.

ii. King Jehoshaphat follows his father’s way of life (1 Kings 22:41-44)
In 1Kings 22:41-44, the Bible records the reign of Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, whose mother as Azubah. Jehosh′aphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign in Judah, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. He walked in all the way of Asa his father by doing what was right in the sight of the Lord.

Jehoshaphat had watched the way his father lived and made up his mind to also do same. Asa, being a responsible parent must have taught his son that which was right to do. He was a good influence on his son, unlike Eli and Samuel, who walked right with God but never carried their children along.

iii. The Reccabites – (Jeremiah 35:1-19)
Another good example is the house of the Reccabites. The Lord instructed Jeremiah to go to the house of the Re′chabites, and invite them to the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers and offer them wine to drink. Jeremiah did as the Lord had commanded him and set pitchers full or wine and cups before the Re′chabites. But the Reccabites answered and said, “We will drink no wine, for Jon′adab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, ‘You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons for ever; you shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’ They have obeyed the voice of Jon′adab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us. Until Nebuchadrez′zar king of Babylon came up against the land, and out of fear of the Chaldeans and the army of Syria, they now dwell in Jerusalem.
Because of their obedience to the words of their father, God honoured them. Their father Jonadab, the son of Rechab trained his children well and left a legacy that the children held on for a very long time.

As parents, the duties do not start and end by just providing the basic needs for a child. It goes beyond that. Parents must provide all round development for their children and prepare them for life and to fit in properly into the society.

WEEK ONE:
REVISION OF LAST TERM’S WORK:
PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Parental Responsibilities are the duties or obligations for which parents perform in the lives of their children and are held accountable for. Being a parent is more than just providing food and other basic requirement for a child, it also entails providing guidance, spiritual direction and also helping them to fit in properly with the society. God hold parents accountable for the failures of parental values in the lives of their children.

ELI AND SAMUEL
i. The irresponsible behaviour of the sons of Eli and Samuel (1Samuel 2:12-25; 8:1-9)
In 1Samuel 2:12-25, the bible records the worthless attitudes of Eli’s son and how they had no regard for the Lord. They treated the sacrifice of God with contempt and disrespect breaking recklessly the custom of the priest because of their greed and selfishness. In total disregard, they would approach the people sacrificing and demand for the priest share raw and if they were not obliged, they take the meat by force. Eli’s sons also sleep with the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Eli failed to take stern measures against his sons and this made the Lord to be angry with him. In 1 Samuel 2:23 – 25, “And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. If a man sins against a man, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father; for it was the will of the Lord to slay them.”

Samuel on the other hand was ministering before the Lord after his mother has donated him to the service of God under the leadership of Eli. Samuel on the other hand grew up and also failed in his parental responsibilities towards his children. In 1 Samuel 8: 1- 9, the Bible records Samuel’s failure to give his children proper guidance in order to fit into leadership role in Israel effectively. When he became old, he made his sons, Joel and Abijah, judges over Israel in Beer-sheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice. This made the elders of Israel rejected them as leaders and rather ask for a king to govern them like other nations. This angered God as they have not rejected Samuel but it means they rejected the rulership of God. God directed him to warn them about the kind of king that would rule over them.

ii. God’s pronouncement of judgment on Eli and his sons (1Samuel 2:27-36; 3:1-18)
While Eli’s sons were parading themselves in such an ungodly manner, God sent a man of God to Eli recounting all He had done for him but he failed to guide his sons accordingly but honoured them more than he honoured the Lord as they have fattening themselves with the choicest parts of every offering of the people. Because of this God, withdrew the promises He made with the house of Eli and said, ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever’; but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days are coming, when;
(a) I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.
(b) Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity which shall be bestowed upon Israel; and there shall not be an old man in your house for ever.
(c) The man of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep out his eyes and grieve his heart;
(d) all the increase of your house shall die by the sword of men.
(e) your two sons, Hophni and Phin′ehas, shall die on the same day.
(f) 36 And every one who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and shall say, “Put me, I pray you, in one of the priest’s places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”
And God said, He will raise up for Himself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in His heart and in His mind; and He will build Him a sure house, and He shall go in and out before my anointed forever.”

Also in 1Samuel 3:1-18, God appeared to Samuel at that time, there was no frequent vision because the word of God has become rare. Samuel was lying down within the temple of the Lord while the lamp of God has not gone out, when he heard the Lord called him. Out of inexperience, he went to Eli thinking it was Eli who called him. When it happened the third time, Eli perceived that it was God that was calling Samuel so he instructed him to say, “Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears.” When God called again, Samuel replied and said, “Speak, for thy servant hears” just as Eli had instructed him. It was then the Lord spoke to Samuel and said, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel, at which the two ears of every one that hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfil against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I tell him that I am about to punish his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.”

Samuel became afraid even to tell Eli what God told him. However he eventually did after Eli had persuaded him.

iii. Fulfillment of God’s judgment on Eli and his family (1Samuel 4:10-22)
The Bible in 1Samuel 4:10-22, recorded the event that took the lives of Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phineas. There was a battle between the Philistines and the Israelites. Israel was defeated and a lot of their soldiers were killed up to thirty thousand. Hophni and Phineas were among the slain. They also captured the Ark of God. A man who escaped from the battle ran back to Shiloh with his cloth torn and sand all over him. He told the news about the battle and the whole Israel cried out loud. Eli, who was already ninety eight years old, was sitting by when he heard the cry and he inquired what that was. The young man told him what happened and how his sons too were killed. He also told him that the Ark of god had been captured. When Eli heard that, fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

Phinehas wife was about to give birth when the news came. When she heard all that happened to her husband and father-in-law, she was deeply sorrowed and great pain came upon her. Although she gave birth, she died. Before she died, she named the child, Ichabod, which means, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

WEEK THREE:
THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT
i. Definition of Fruits
Fruit may be defined as a product of plant growth which is useful to man or animals. It can also be defined as an end result, effect or consequence, which is either advantageous or disadvantageous. In the life of a man, there are two kind of fruits which can be produced. Fruits of the flesh – (product of carnal mind and sinful behaviours) and fruit of the spirit – (product of a renewed mind that has been changed and is controlled or influenced by Spirit of God)

ii. The fruits of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21)
In Galatians 5:19-21, the Bible lists the fruit of the flesh as ungodly behaviours which include the following “Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. Paul warns that that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. The fruit of the flesh are characterized by selfishness, indiscipline, greed, lack of modesty and reckless attitudes. People who do things like this don’t think about whether they please God or they offend anybody.

iii. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25)
On the other hand, the Bible list the fruit of the spirit, which are products of a godly life, a renewed mind that is under the influence of the Spirit of God. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul listed them as, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Paul stated that there is no law against these kind of behaviours and can only be exhibited by those who have crucified the flesh with its passion and desires.

iii. How to bear Fruit of the Spirit Acts 2:3-8, Romans 10:9-10)
People who live according to the flesh often exhibit fruit of the flesh, while those who live according to the spirit exhibit fruit of the Spirit. There are two major ways to be able to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit and they are:

1. Confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. The Bible says in Romans 9:10 that “…For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved”

2. The second way is to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, power from on above like the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2:3-8, the Bible states that, “Tongues as of fire appeared and distributed itself, resting on each one of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. People were amazed”

The fruit of the Spirit is an essential evidence of a Christian life. If a person does not exhibit the fruit of the spirit, then it shows that the salvation of such person is questionable.

WEEK TWO:
TOPIC: SALVATION
i. Salvation is by faith( Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrew 11:1-3)
Salvation is the process of being saved from an impending danger especially being saved from hell. In Ephesians 2:8 – 9, the Bible states that, it is “by grace and not by work that man is saved through faith, so that man would not boast.” This implies that by simply having faith, (assurance of hope in God), we are saved from hell.

In Hebrews 11:1-3, the Bible states, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.”
From the foregoing, it is evidently clear that, by having this assurance and conviction of things not seen, faith is enacted and thus, we are saved, in other words, by believing.

ii. Genuine Saving faith manifest through Work. James 2:14-26
In as much as, faith is just by believing and having assurance and conviction of things not seen, it must be accompanied by some actions. James 2: 14 – 26, established the fact that “Faith without Works Is Dead”. The Bible emphatically states that, we must practice what we believe in or what we profess. James gave an illustration that if you see a brother or sister hungry or sick and you just prayed for the person, without doing the needful or giving the person what he or she needs, then that kind of faith is dead and of no effect.

He said the faith that is effective is the one that is accompanied by works and not just by mere words of mouth. He stated that faith, accompanied with work is a step ahead of the demons. In verse 19, he said, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. He said that faith without work is barren and gave example of how Abraham accompanied his faith with works, when he offered his son upon the altar.

His argument is that faith is only active and is made complete by works. In James 11:24, he said a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. He also cited the example of Rahab, who demonstrated the faith she has in the God of the Israelites by protecting the twelves spies when she hid them in her house. James 11:25

He ended his teaching on Faith and works by saying, “As the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.” James 11:26. So as a Christian, we don’t just say we believe, we must act what we say. We must show our faith by the things we do. That is the only way our faith can be complete in God.

We can show our faith in the following ways:
1. Join in community service
2. Join in the cleaning of the House of God and in other active service in the church
3. Helping the poor and the needy
4. Taking part in supporting the gospel and also men of God.

CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES SSONE
SECOND TERM

WEEK ONE:
TOPIC: Revision of last term’s work:

Meaning of Faith and Work
Faith is a trust or confidence in the intentions or abilities of a person, object or ideal. Faith is also the process of forming or understanding abstractions, ideas or beliefs, without empirical (based on experience) evidence, experience or observation. The Bible in Hebrews 11: 1 defines faith as: “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. The Bible further states that it is by faith that the men of old received divine approval and also it is by faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear. Hebrews 11:2 – 3

On the other hand, work is the physical effort employed in an activity or an idea. Thus faith and work may mean: physical effort employed in expressing the trust, confidence and hope you have formed in God of things not seen.

The Precious Jewel
Emmanuel Funmilayo
SS2
Higherground Academy

As worthy as it is having you
Ancient and new rejoicing together
An unending craving of every creature
As gold, your treasure is rare to find

Oh, I will forever remember
The day of your birth and its experience
Joy and laughter broke in the midst of pain and tears
You’re the laughter that deposed the tears of pain

Like the rush of the gold-plated river
It was truly a dream come true
For finally, there is an addition
To this loveable wicked world

Always bright and beautiful to all
Although your future is yet unknown

@Funmilayo Sonnet

WEEK 10
Persecution of the Church by Saul
Acts 8: 1 – 3, Acts 9:1 – 30
The persecution of the church continues and Saul becomes one of the major persons champions the cause. After the death of Stephen, some devout men buried him and mourned over him. Saul, however continued to ravage the church, entering from house to house to drag off men and women who believed and proclaimed the new faith and committed them to prison. This made the church scattered throughout Jerusalem.
Acts 8:1-3

Acts 9
The Conversion of Saul
Saul continued to breathe threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any person, men or women, who believed and belonged to the Way, he might arrest them and bring them bound to Jerusalem. Armed with this letter, he journeyed to Damascus.

While he was on the way, suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” The Saul replied and said, “Who are you, Lord?” The voice relied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were travelling with him stood speechless. They heard the voice but saw no one. When Saul got up, he opened his eyes but he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, he neither ate nor drank.

The Lord appeared to one of the disciples at Damascus, whose name was Anani’as in a vision and said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul; for behold, he is praying, and he has seen a man named Anani′as come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Anani′as answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name.” But the Lord insisted that he should go because He (God) has chosen him (Saul) as an instrument to carry the name of the Lord before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel and that He will also reveal to him how much he must suffer for the sake of the name of the Lord.” So Anani′as departed and did as the Lord had commanded him. When he entered the house and saw Saul, he laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized. He ate some food and was strengthened.

SAUL PREACHES IN DAMASCUS
From there, Saul began to preach in the synagogues proclaiming Jesus as the son of God. All the people that heard him preach were so amazed saying, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called on this name? And he has come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests.” People were more afraid of him than they believed him. But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

SAUL ESCAPES FROM THE JEWS
Because of his exploits, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night, to kill him; but his disciples took him by night and let him down over the wall, lowering him in a basket to escape to Jerusalem. When he got to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples but they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe that he was a disciple. However Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how on the road, he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists; but still they were looking for ways to kill him. When the brethren knew about the plot to kill him, they brought him down to Caesare′a, and sent him off to Tarsus.

THE KILLING OF JAMES – ACTS 12:1-8
James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

During that period, Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He killed James, the brother of John with the sword. When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also during the days of Unleavened Bread. He put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. While Peter was kept in prison, earnest prayer was made to God by the church for him.

Peter Delivered from Prison
On the very night Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. The angel tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” As he got up, the chains fell off his hands. The angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals. Wrap your mantle around you and follow me.”

MORAL LESSONS OF APOSTLES’ PERSECUTION
1. The forces of evil are always against the forces of good
2. The disciples never fought back but allowed themselves to be persecuted and God fought for them
3. There is no unrighteousness found in the apostles.
4. The Apostles never stopped praying and doing the work of God despite the persecution they suffered.