By Pastor Austin C. Udeoha
And they were exceedingly sorrowful and began every one of them to say unto him: Lord is it I? (Mark 14:18,19) “And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, one of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful and to say unto him one by one : Is it I? And another said- Is it I? (11Samuel 12:7) And Nathan said to David, thou art the man. Thus said the Lord of Israel, anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul” Are you like David that first received this answer from Prophet Nathan? You are preaching, leading and Judging others when you are doing the same evil . Be sure your sin will find you out and your judgment will be severe and great unless you sincerely repent.
The answer to this hypocritical question that judges asked in the New Testament had been given by God in the Old Testament. Judas was once born again like the other disciples. Judas even confirmed his genuine salvation by sending them two by two to preach the gospel. And when they came back with their testimonies, he told them to rejoice because their names are written in the book of life in heaven including Judas (Luke 9:1,2; 10:20). Do not let anybody deceive you that Judas was not born again from the beginning; No, it was only he later backslid and Satan entered into him. Let us first clear some points that prove he was once a believer.
1. Jesus was not blind to have called and involved a sinner as His disciple and even sent him (Acts 8:21) (Leviticus 22:250. This means that a sinner is not authorized to preach the gospel because he has no part in it. Since he came to fulfil the law, how could he at the same time have contradicted it?
2. When they came back from the mission field. He told them together with Judas that they should rejoice for their names were written in heaven. Can you call Lord a deceiver? Had the salvation of Judas got a problem that time the Lord would have told him, because Judas later backslid he told them that they were not all clean (John 13:11) referring to Judas.
3. Jesus to have trusted Judas that he made him the treasurer; to be the keeper of the money. Every chairman of any meeting looks for the most trusted person to be the treasurer. Are they then wiser than Jesus who is the custodian of the wisdom m of God and God Himself?
4. We are told in the Bible the point that Satan entered into him. In short, brethren, Judas was once a believer, backsliding started allowing evil communication with the Pharisees outside the kingdom of God, this indeed corrupted his good manners (1Corinthians 15:33) (2Corinthians 6:14-18). Finally, love of money came in and he started to steal money from the bag.
Above all, Christ in His mercy wanted to recover him from his backsliding but as a free moral agent he rather decided to perish. With all the signs that Christ gave to him yet he jumped the line of mercy and crossed over to the other side (even having collected food from Christ). He was still asking questions with the other sincere disciples, Is it I?
Before you condemn Judas, pause a while and think about yourself – Total self examination is very important in these days of religion without Christ, because the spirit that ruined Judas has deceitfully secured accommodation into many so-called religious people today (2Corinthians 13:5)
They made noise in the bush and came out on the road and pretentiously asking who make noise in the bush. They are always in the church, doing God’s work, giving to God and the pastor, eating with their man of God, calling the pastor’s wife ‘mummy’, the pastor, ‘Daddy’, these people fast and pray a lot. They are always in the camp, preaching everywhere with big Bibles, they have possessed every good post in the churches, have received water baptism, confirmation, Holy communion, eldership, deacon, Knight, good mother, have even gone to the theological seminary school, joined one area church work or the other.
Despite all these positions, the spirit of Judas is still ruling over them. Let me speak directly to you Mr. Mrs/ Master and Miss religion. Are you still asking ‘Is it I? Yes! Though art the one. When you call yourself a religious person, always with Jesus in the church, eating and drinking with Him but outside the church you life betrays him. Almost every sin condemned in the Bible is represented in your life. Now let the spirit of God confront you with the question: Are you free from adultery, fornication, stealing, preferential treatment, uncleanness, pride, hatred, evil speaking, retaliation, evil thought, blasphemy, compromise of your faith, kickbacks, fortunetelling, star gazing, hot temper, lies, cheating, deceitfulness, hypocrisy, grudges, anger, malice, giving and receiving bribes, unfaithfulness, tale-bearing, backbiting, wrath, unforgiving spirit, ‘419’, envy, jealousy, talkativeness, masturbation, smoking, drunkenness, alcoholism, false witness, falsifying receipts and accounts, examination malpractices, sitting examinations for another person, working with another person’s certificates, collecting money for contract not executed, Laziness, lesbianism, homosexuality, watching immoral films and pornography, duping other people both at home and abroad, tapping electricity light or adjusting NEPA metre, Idol worshiping, armed robbery or one chance business, polygamy, divorce and remarriage, witchcraft, occultism (cults, secret societies, sorcery), murder, abortion, gossip, abusive language, wickedness, relabeling and selling of expired drugs, removal of land marks, failing of student for refusing immorality and uncleanness, child trafficking, oppression, corruptions, hire-killer, lust of the flesh, worldliness, etc. Listen! Until you are free and free indeed from these things, then, if you are not a Christian, you are none of Christ’s and if you are none of His, then, you are not a Christian; You are yet not ready for heaven.
Are you still asking: Is it I. Yes thou art the man and woman that betray the Lord. If any of these wicked hellish and satanic items mentioned above is found in you, then thou art the man. And you are an enemy of the God right in the church. Thou are weighed in God’s scale and found wanting.
Friend you are wanted, hear it again, thou art the man, you are a wanted person. (Daniel 5:27). God, Angels, Devil and demons are looking for you. You are in trouble unless you quickly run to Christ through a genuine repentance, because you must die and face judgment and will go to hell at last.
How can any of these things be found in you and you are still going to church? , still touching the Holy Bible and saying, you are a Christian. I am afraid of you! You are doing what true Christians and Angels cannot do. And yet in every preaching you hear in the church you are asking ‘Is it I’? Have you not seen that thou art the man? It is a shame on you that all these things that caused Christ His life are still operating in you. Infact, you are an enemy of Christ (James 4:4) And if you do not cry out in time then what caused Christ His life will soon kill you. Don’t you know that when you are living in any sin you are crucifying Christ the second time, causing Him more sorrow and pains because you are crucifying Him afresh, trapping Him under your feet. (Hebrews 6:6-8; Hebrews 10:26-29). You should know that a Christian is not a sinner and a sinner is not a Christian. Now which of them are you? When you are living in sin, whether an open or secret sin and yet claiming to be a Christian then you are a Judas of this day who is still asking: Is it I? God has answered your question that Thou art the man, or are you like the people who do not believe that the blood of Jesus can make and keep them righteous? They say that no man can be righteous.
Here on earth, that they are like the fish in the sea that cannot deny that it is part and parcel of water? But they should know that the dry fish in the market has denied water and even the crayfish that was straight in the sea has denied the water and is now bent to the power of fire, what The Power of Fire does to dried fish is what the Holy Ghost power is expected to do in you so that you can, through genuine repentance, deny the sinfulness in the world and make a u-turn from sin to Christ and become righteous in Christ. If no man can be righteous then why did Christ suffer and die? Why do you call Him saviour? Saviour from what? Thank God I was a religious sinner but by His grace and mercy on the 14th November 1979, about 8.30pm I heard the Gospel inside a bus from Oshodi to Mile in Lagos and I gave my life to Jesus and He saved me , If you are not saved you will be eternally separated from God and if you remain in sin you will not be gathered with the saints. If you are born twice you will die ones, that is the physical death and go to heaven. But if you are born ones, which is the physical birth without second birth which is born again, then, you will die twice which is physical death and eternal separation from God to hell which is the second death (John 3:3-6) (Revelation 20:13-15)
Now closely read and study these unchanging Bible reference and give yourself an examination lest and know whether you are free from God’s judgment or not. (Mark 7:21-23) (Romans 1:29-32) (1Corinthians 6:9-10) (2Timothy 3:5) (Revelation 21:8) (Titus 1:16). Is this your picture? Answer your conscience that knows you very well. These are spiritual rashes that Satan through sin has brought upon man from the Garden of Eden. They are the spiritual viruses that have been killing humanity. Their effect on man are more dangerous than H.I.V. Infact, sin is the root cause of H.I.V, I call these evil items spiritual H.I.V.
Hell is visible. H for Hell I for is, V for Visible. And if you are living in any of these sins then your hell is visible because you have been tested and confirmed spiritual H.I.V positive and for that your hell is visible unless you come to the great physician, Jesus for treatment for a genuine salvation through a genuine, complete and total repentance and forsaking of all sins with a perfect hatred to sin. Only then, there will be hope for you. Finally, to avoid eternal separation from God and second death you must be born again. Now what is it and how can it happen? Wherever you are now:-
(1) Realize you are a sinner from birth with a sinful nature, and that you cannot save yourself by your power, your good works but through Christ’s sacrifice for you on the cross.
(2) Repent from all known sin through total confession of them to God not to man.
(3) Renounce and forsake every confessed sin and never go back to them again.
And separate yourself from persons, places and things that may lead your back
to sin.
(4) Receive the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart by faith as your Lord and personal saviour
(5) Rejoice in the Lord that your sins are now forgiven according to His word, you are now a new creature in Christ, old things are passed away, behold all things are now new.
(6) Read your Bible, preach, pray and watch every day.
(7) Remain with the people of God in a good – God fearing Christian Church that preaches, teaches, dresses and lives a practical life of holiness, Christians that are not dressing like worldly people, but totally different from the world. We shall meet in heaven if you sincerely, from your heart do these things and remain in holiness till the end (Romans 3:23; John 1:2. 2Corinthians 6:14)
For more help, contact Pastor Austin C. Udeoha
Holiness Power Bible Ministries
Operation Tikpoo (Destroy the works of devil)
No. 8/10 Igbesi Street, Okomala,
Berilet Bus Stop Oshodi-Apapa Express Way, Ilasamaja, Lagos
E-mail: holinesspowerbibleministries@gmail.com
Weekly Meetings
Sunday Bible Service: 7:30 am
Wednesday Power Connection (Morning Session) 8.00AM
Wednesday Power Connection (Evening Session) 6.00PM
Friday Holiness and Heaven Bible Study in different Regions 6.00PM
JESUS PEOPLE