“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).

We are in a season of holidays when children and adults alike are looking with hope for some gifts that will make their holidays merry. Giving and receiving gifts is a part of our human culture. In some instances, if you decline a gift, it negatively affects your relationship with the giver. Of late our evolving culture is morphing our old practice of giving and receiving. Not many believe in free lunch anymore. There has to be a catch! So, to talk of salvation as free is suspect.

People are asking: what is the catch? If salvation were to cost $100,000.00 more people will buy it than accept it as a gift. But no one is rich enough to buy salvation as it is priceless. God offers it free. It is called “GRACE” – something we do not deserve and cannot earn.

The bigger challenge is FAITH. People want tangible things they can see, feel, touch, and explain. Faith is believing in what God, who never fails, says, or promises. To simply believe does not cut it for many today. The reason why people hold on to other religions is that they work hard to earn their “salvation” and not just believe.

The fact is that we all exercise faith in many ways. Online shopping is an act of faith and we have no problem with that, but we have a problem with trusting God who never fails. Lord, help us! Amen.

Dear ECWA USA family,
This reminder will serve a dual purpose as indicated above. I hope that you have been observing  the Founders’ week which began on Monday. We will jointly bring it to a close this Sunday, December 5 at our First Sunday prayer gathering at the usual time of 9 PM EST. Because it’s a special celebration, we will go into extended time; so, come prepared.

Quickly following on Tuesday, December 7, is our First Tuesday Prayer and Fasting for Revival. As usual , there will be 3 different sessions at 6 AM, 12 Noon and 6 PM(All time is EST).Please do your best to join in these activities The link is the same for all ECWA USA events .

Author: Rev. Joseph Ezeigbo
Rev. Joseph Ezeigbo is the Vice-Chairman of ECWA USA and a Bible teacher for the weekly Bible study at ECWA Maryland. He is also a part of the National Day of Prayer and the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted.

Thank you for your support

Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint (Pro. 23:4). Verses like this in the Bible are counterintuitive. Every human being exerts some effort to be rich or wealthy. Such wealth is held in liquid form, stocks/bonds, or other assets. Thankfully, the verse did not say that we should not exert any effort at all; instead, it says that we should not wear ourselves out in the process. The writer is focusing on physical wealth. Wealth is so attractive that churches that promise their members a path to quick wealth grow exponentially in numbers within a short time. But no one is paying attention to the warning about wealth in the Bible. Wealth never satisfies. Those that are rich are still working very hard to add to their wealth. King Solomon had it all but confessed that it was vanity.

The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (1Tim. 6:10). Generally, it causes you to trust in it to meet all your needs rather than trusting God. Wealth cannot solve all problems but God can. God is the one who gives us the ability to make wealth (See Deut. 8:18). He has destined some and gifted them so that they can create wealth with just normal effort. Those not so gifted work harder to measure up with those gifted.

If we do not learn the secret of contentment, we can have FULL POCKETS but then wind up with EMPTY HEARTS. When we are full of Christ, then like Paul, we can count all things rubbish.

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).

In his novel, “Things Fall Apart,” Chinua Achebe quotes a statement made by the agama lizard that jumped from a high iroko tree (Milicia excelsa). The lizard said: “if no one will praise me, I will praise myself.” Praising oneself or bragging about an accomplishment is exactly what boasting is. In America, we generally say “to pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” So boasting means to claim an accomplishment without help from anywhere. This is the pinnacle of pride and arrogance.

The Bible tells us that pride goes before a fall. The book of Galatians has a stinging rebuke to the saints who started the Christian race by faith but at some point reverted to dead works. There is much to boast about if salvation is based on our efforts. We know, however, that no one will be saved by observing the law. It is only through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave that we are saved.

Guilty sinners condemned to die cannot boast about anything. But this is where Jesus Christ comes in and takes my place on the cross. So technically I am crucified and hanging on a cross for my sins. I am ashamed of my sins and the only one that could save me is Jesus Christ. He did it and He is the one that I should praise or boast about.

Let us all boast about Jesus Christ and thank Him for His love.

Author: Rev. Sunday Bwanhot
Rev. Sunday Bwanhot is EMS/SIM Missionary. He serves as Team leader of SIM Culture Connexions; Pastors of ECWA Chicago and ECWA USA DCC Chairman.

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God gave the increase. 1Cor. 3:6

People love to take credit for things they accomplish even though it is common knowledge that no one can accomplish anything alone. Only God can do that but even with God He prefers teamwork and that is the pattern He has left for His creation. God consulted within the Godhead (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) and worked as a team to bring about the creation.

To save humanity, the Father acted in love, Jesus offered Himself to die, the Holy Spirit strengthened Jesus to the end. Anything you have accomplished in life involved more than you. There were resources you depended on that you did not create and certainly there were those who encouraged you along the way. Paul addressed a problem in the Church which we are still plagued with today – ministers at the end of the assembly line who pray with new believers think that it is their personal ministry accomplishment. This is either ignorance or pride.

On the assembly line for the salvation of one soul are those who prayed, those who preached, gave literature, etc., those who invited them to church, those who demonstrated Christ’s love to them through kind acts, those who harvest and finally those who disciple these new believers. And through all these processes is the ceaseless role of the Holy Spirit.

Be encouraged and keep on playing the different roles as God enables you to do. Amen!

Can you imagine what our situation would have been today if not for the gift of God’s Son – Jesus Christ? Our response then must be to love and live for Christ alone as we are commanded in 2 Corth. 5:14-15.

In Jesus Christ are summed up everything we can know about God and His eternal purposes. In Christ we see the riches of God’s glory, wisdom and grace (Rom. 9:23; 11:33; Eph. 1:7, 18; 2:7; 3:16; Phil. 4:19). “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  The grandest mystery of all Paul tells us is, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Christ in me creates the “hope of glory.”

Christ’s presence in us is definitely the hope of glory, and of His glorious riches.

ECWA Theme for 2021: Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colosians 1:27