Rev Kodwo Lindsay

1 Corinthians 15:10 (KJV) But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.   In this message  Reverend Lindsay preaches a powerful message about “Hard Work and Church Growth”. Grace is undeserved favor. Life is about the combination of grace and hard work.  It recognizes the blessings God has given us and utilizes them to the fullest. You say you have grace but let’s see it through your hard work.In Ecclesiates 5:3a the Bible says “a dream comes through the multitude of business”, hard work is needed in  all aspects of life including ministry. It takes hard work to become a good christian. Romans 12:11 (NLT) the Bible says “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically”. Take up a part in the growth of the church and utilize the gifts God has given you.    Let us work diligently with the grace we have been given by our God!

In Psalms 73:28 (KJV) “But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.”    In this message Reverend Lindsay introduces a powerful week ahead in a “Come Alone” week. This week will be filled with personal waiting on God. Taking time to pray alone, meditate alone, listen to messages, read the word and even fasting as God leads for yourself. Seeking God and desiring to be fully in His presence with no distractions.   May God strengthen us and reveal marvelous things throughout the week as we commit ourselves to Him!!

In Acts 28:30-31(KJV) says “30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”   In this message Reverend Lindsay starts the new message on “How Laypeople Have Helped the Church to Grow''. A Lay person is someone that keeps their secular job and works in the ministry. Some of our favorite Bible characters did the work of the Lord freely without being paid. The disciples recruited congregation members to assist the pastors with building the church. If you have skills, you should be using them in the church. Congregations often wrongly feel that the work of the church must be done by pastors and shepherds only. It’s not just the work of one person; it’s the work of the whole congregation.   Let us all be encouraged to use our gifts in service to our God to build His House!

In this final message regarding offenses Reverend Lindsay concludes the topic “How to protect yourself from being offended”. There are some key things you must expect in order to protect yourself from being offended. You must expect an experience of pressure and trouble; don’t let it offend and affect you.Trouble teaches you something, don’t let it make you bitter but make you better.  Expect purging in your life, that takes away negative tendencies. Endurement comes first then enjoyment. Expect hatred from the world, even without cause. As well as expect persecution and rejection.   With this in mind, let us ask God not to allow offense to make us bitter but to make us better and stronger!

In this message Reverend Lindsay continues with part 4 of the message series on offenses. He continues to go through “ How to overcome Offenses”. We learned last week that we must expect offense especially from those closest to you and even in the church. We must learn to forgive quickly and not allow the offense to take root. Decide not to revenge. Don’t use short-term emotions to make long-term decisions. Offense can have lasting consequences if we let it. Make sure to walk in love and pray for those who have offended you.    Offense is root to an evil tree, let us not bear its fruit and walk in forgiveness and love constantly.

In this message Reverend Lindsay continues with part 3  of the messages on offenses. He preaches the titular message Offenses: How to Overcome Them.We have been learning the certainty of offenses being present in our lives and how they are weapons of satan. So how do we overcome them? First we expect offenses in the church and ministry. Remember we all  are imperfect people serving a perfect God. Expect offense from those closest to you. Closeness can breed familiarity and not cherishing one another so offenses may arise. When offenses come, acknowledge it! Let go of offenses and see how beautiful your relationships will be.    Let us ask God to help us prevent offense and overcome them when they arise!

Matthew 18:7 (KJV) “ Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!”   In this message Reverend Lindsay continues the message “Those Who are Offended”. Offenses are an eventual part of having close relationships. When you are offended problems occur and relationships are difficult to have. It is important to remember your relationship is at stake when you are offended. The next door after offense is sin, so don’t allow it to take root. Offense is a great weapon of satan that he uses to trick people and divide God’s children.    Let us not react to offense and seek God as our comforter not offense.

Matthew 18:7 (KJV) “ Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!”   In this message Reverend Lindsay preaches a powerful message entitled “Those Who are Offended”.  There will be offenses, as we just learned in Matthew 18:7 it is inevitable. There are several results of offense and the results often build on each other when you let offense take root. Offense brings hurt, which leads to anger then hatred and resentment. Offense makes it hard to forgive. We need to recognize offense when it comes and not let it grow in our life.   Let us root out any offense in us so it does not build and aim not to offend others!

Proverbs 3:9-10 (KJV) “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: “So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”    In this message Reverend Lindsay concludes the powerful series on tithes with the message “10 Things that happen when you Tithe”.  Tithing is honoring our creator God who gave all we have and need. We worship God when we tithe and respect Holy things. It is a  command to tithe and by doing so you are obeying God’s commandments. God is the source of all our blessings and every good and perfect thing comes from Him (James 1:17).   Let us honor our Father God with what He has given us and never cease tithing, it is our blessing!

Deuteronomy 26:12 (KJV) “When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;”   In this message Reverend Lindsay continues the message “ Why God established the Tithe”.  God is so good to us using this form of giving as the ultimate blessing for us. God established the tithe so you can enjoy the 90% after knowing you’ve given 10% to God.It is our  legal form blessing. The tithe has so many functions including helping pay for pastors, helping take care of the needs of the helpless, and even tests our obedience to Him. Tithing is a command that reaps infinite blessings if we submit it generously and cheerfully to our God who gave us all we have.    Let us give our tithes joyfully and take part in the special blessing God has for us!