KEEP YOUR LAMP BURNING
Pr. James Victor Lubwama
Matthew 25:1-13 (NKJV)
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."
Keeping your lamp burning requires you to fellowship regularly. This calls for both church attendance and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Every time you go to church, you get serviced - you are refurbished, oiled and revamped by the word of God. The word illuminates your life (Psalm 119:105) until the bridegroom turns up; for the dead faith is awakened and the lies of the devil are demystified by word of God.
As Christians, we are in one Spirit with Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:17 (ESV) teaches; “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him”. What lights our lamp is the presence of the Holy Spirit who comes to live in the new creation when we become born again (2 Cor 5:17) - new wine in new wine skins. That means in order for us to  walk this Salvation journey and our lamps don't dry up, we have to be led by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13).
To be a hearer and not doer of the word is a foolish deed (James 1:22-24). And to be present but not participate is not a good habit either – you cannot expect to excel at school if you only attend classes minus paying attention and participating in assignments and exams; that is why we should be servants not spectators in church. If we are present and not attentive then we will be caught off guard when the bridegroom comes. 
Being a doer of the word will let our light shine before others so that your heavenly Father is glorified. Mathew 5:14-16 (NIV) says;
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others,
 that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
The five foolish girls allowed their lamps to dry up and were not ready when the bridegroom arrived; for when He came, he only took to the wedding the five wise girls that were ready. When it comes to the second coming of Christ, Christ is the bridegroom and the church is the bride (John 3:29, Rev 21:2, Rev 19:7-9). We are all responsible for our own work in God’s kingdom. One day Jesus is coming back and those who are not prepared for His coming cannot borrow from the merits of those who are prepared.
We don’t know the day or hour for Christ’s second coming (Matthew25:13), but what we have got to do is to be spiritually healthy and awake. We must always be alert and on course while we trek the salvation journey, and we should seek the Lord while He can be found (Isaiah 55:6), because one day the deadline will come and the door will be shut whether we are prepared or not. We cannot borrow from the preparation of others. Preparedness can neither be transferred nor shared; and that is what the five foolish virgins tried to do. 
As children of God, when we let the light of the world - Christ shine on us, our lamps will never burn out. John 8:12 (NKJV) says;
“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 
“I am the light of the world. 
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness,
 but have the light of life.”
There so many things that make our lamps to dry up while we slumber, and we can only guard against them by continuously having fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
SILENCING THE VOICES THAT SPEAK IN OUR LIVES Pr. James Victor Lubwama Matthew 4:5-11 (NIV) ‘ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.  6  “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you,  and they will lift you up in their hands,  so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”  7  Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” 8  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  9  “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10  Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” 11  Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.’ There are sil...
Read more
Image
WHAT TO DO WHEN PROBLEMS STRIKE Pr. James Victor Lubwama DAY 2 - REFER TO THE PREVIOUS VICTORIES 2 Chronicles 20:7 (NLT) “O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?” When faced with problems, we should always remember the previous victories or testimonies and miracles that were made possible by God because, they give us hope and boast our faith in the Lord knowing that He who did it before will do it again. Are you not the God who gave me a job when I had been jobless for 3 years? Are you not God who healed me when I was sick? Are you not God who built me a house?  Always refer to your previous testimonies or victories that God gave you. Jehoshaphat called upon the mighty God of Israel who drove out inhabitants of Canaan and planted foreigners –  a person who remembers what God did yesterday is the only person who can see...
Read more
Image
PRAY IN THE SPIRIT Pr. James Victor Lubwama Prayer is an appeal of the things you need from the Lord; its dialogue between man and God; it's a way to realise the will of God ( Psalm 25:4 ), and learning how to pray ( Mathew 6:9-15 ) strengthens your relationship with God. Authentic prayer is communication between your heart and God Praying in the spirit and not in one's understanding (carnal state) does not mean that you will not understand what you are saying, but implies that you will pray in unity with the Holy spirit - for your mind and heart will completely be focused on God. Be aware that  God is a  S pirit. John 4:24 (AMP) says;  "God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality)" Human beings are both flesh and spirit. We exist in two worlds - physical and spiritual ; thus to communicate with   God (God is a Spirit), we must use our spirits. A Carnal Christian can neither commun...
Read more
Image
PLAY YOUR PART Pr. Geoffrey Kibombo DAY 3 - PLAY YOUR PART BY BELIEVING GOD’S WORD Luke 1:38 (AMP) “ ……Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” Mary was told that she would give birth to Jesus the Saviour who was prophesied by prophet Isaiah. Matthew 1:21 (TLB) says; “ And she will have a Son, and you shall name him Jesus (meaning ‘Savior’), for he will save his people from their sins.”   Sometimes we want to know how God is going to do what He promised or how will he perform it, even though we know that God’s ways are not ours, however, the most important thing to know is that  when God speaks forth in your life, it takes your personal initiative to have faith in His word. Most times what God’s speaks into our lives through His servants, dreams or any other way is always beyond our understanding and imagination and many times it brings riot in our minds when we try to figure out how it will come ...
Read more
Image
THE ANOINTING  (I) Pr. James Victor Lubwama Luke 4:18 (AMP) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (the Messiah),  Because He has anointed Me to preach  the good news to the poor.  He has sent Me to announce release  (pardon, forgiveness) to the c aptives,  And recovery of sight to the blind,  To set free those who are oppressed  (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy)." The Holy Spirit is the one who anoints men for His work ; and when the Holy Spirit anoints you, it's for a specific purpose and for a designated  time frame . He anointed Jesus for a specific mission at a specific time as seen in the scripture above.   The Holy Spirit dwells in us, and there are signs that can show whether the Holy Spirit is within you: 1. There is conviction of sin  Conviction is that urge that makes you lose your peace and drives you to repentance. Without the Holy Spirit there is no conviction of sin, and when one...
Read more
Image
SPIRITUAL CIRCUMFERENCE Pr. James Victor Lubwama The church attracts many believers from all walks of life; however, not everyone who comes to our church is pastored by me (spiritual children). Some come to the ministry because of the calling and anointing upon the pastor like the miracle working power. There are two categories of people in church;  1. The ones that I pastor (spiritual children) 2. The ones that i pray for (followers) The distinction is created by the people themselves; by how they relate with me as a pastor, their ability to imitate me as i imitate Christ and by following my instructions. Paul tells the Christians in 1 Corinthians 4:15-16 (NLT) that;  "For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me." And in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NLT) he says; "And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ." You can be able to tell the difference between the people I pastor a...
Read more
Image
EFFECTIVE AND FERVENT PRAYER Pr. James Victor Lubwama James 5:16 (NKJV) ''Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." We have prayed alot but our prayers have yielded nothing. This is because when we talk to the Father, we present ourselves in a carnal state. So, how do you pray effectively? 1. Purify your heart and mind Close off yourself from worrisome and stressing issues such as lack, disappointment or any other kind of diversion that is causing a frantic mood, and primarily focus on the most High God. You can’t pray effectively when your mind is in riot. Psalms 46:10 (AMP) says; “Be still, and know (recognize, understand) that I am God” 2. Repent and forgive God will forgive your sins, inequities and transgressions if you repent. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT) says;  ''If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and ...
Read more
Image
JESUS - OUR PERFECT STANDARD Luke 2:52 (ESV) "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man" Having a human body, Jesus was born, he grew, he thirsted, he hungered, he wept, he slept, he sweated, he bled, and he died. Jesus did not simply emerge from heaven preaching the kingdom. He learned to latch and crawl, to walk and talk. Perhaps he broke a finger or hurt his nail working in the carpentry workshop. He got sick faced all human challenges and learned social graces and worked as a laborer in relative obscurity more in adult life. All four Gospels reveal his three year ministry to the final day of his life on earth. But what was the Son of God doing most of his earthly life? He was growing. What did he do for three decades between his celebrated birth and his anointed ministry? He walked the ordinary path of basic human growth and development. Jesus grew in all aspects of life 1- Wisdom This is the ability to use knowledge, i...
Read more
Image
WHY WORRY? Pr. James Victor Lubwama Matthew 6:25-33 (AMP) “Therefore I tell you, stop being worried or anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted) about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, as to what you will wear….…………. 31 Therefore do not worry or be anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted), saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 For the [pagan] Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; [but do not worry,] for your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also” God gave us a Rhema Word or Prophesy in the month of August that the last five months of the year 2019 will be a resurrection season and the Lord is going to bring all dead things to life. However, just ...
Read more
Image
FIGHTING A GOOD FIGHT Pr. James Victor Lubwama Day 1 - WE ARE BORN FIGHTERS 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NKJV) “ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” We are all born fighters - y ou must be a warrior in order to get what you desire! This is in counterpoint with the vision of Miracle Christian Fellowship Ministries which is; “to train and equip an army in the body of Christ to make war in the later.” Just like the bible says in Palms 18:34 (NLT) that;  “ He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.” We learn from Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4 that we are all fighters and there are no civilians in the army of God, and in order to achieve anything in this world we have got to fight. This was not in God’s original plan, however when the devil tricked man in the beginning, he snatched authority from Adam. From then on we have had to struggle for everything thus our life has become a battlefield. Jesus sa...
Read more