Category: BiVo Ministry

30 pieces of silver?

How much is your relationship with Jesus worth? What is it that is so valuable to you that you cannot let go so that you can follow Jesus? Judas chose 30 pieces of silver (Matt 26:15).

The more valuable your relationship with Jesus is to you, the more enthusiastic you will be to share it! The more shocked and amazed you will be when people reject the relationship. And the more you will invest in new ways to communicate the value of this relationship to the people you love.

If you have anything that is more valuable to you than your relationship with Jesus, you will not have the boldness or compassion to share with anyone that has those things!

Sometimes when we are not willing to be shamed, rejected, persecuted, looked down upon or taken advantage of, we may not be willing to stand for the truth and sacrifice which would make it easier to share the gospel.

Is there a price for which I would be willing to trade in my relationship with Jesus? Would I do it for money, health, a spouse, children, fame, promotion etc. My answer is nothing on earth is valuable enough! I know that it easy to say, but I join my faith with Paul to say that nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ! (Rom 8:35-39).

I wish everyone on earth would know the love of Jesus and receive salvation. I know it cost a lot to share the gospel but I am willing to pay the price and I trust you are willing as well.

Share your thoughts! How much are you willing to sacrifice to share this good news with the people?

What’s your brand?

How would your neighbors describe you? What about your family? How about your co-workers? How does a person develop a brand? Can you have multiple brands? Most importantly, how would heaven describe you?

I am not an expert on branding but I know that when I think of a brand there is something that comes to mind. If I think of Apple, Google, Sony etc something clear comes to mind. When I think of Jesus, Paul the apostle, Martin Luther King Jr., John Maxwell, something clear comes to mind about each person.

What is your brand? Be consistent! It takes time to build a brand. Soon everyone around you will know you for your brand. It is much easier to be consistent if you are the same everywhere. I believe that every disciple of Jesus should have a mark of Jesus on their brand!

The more I yield to the picture that God is painting with my life, the easier it has been to be consistent and be the same every where. The more value you put on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, the more yielded you will be to Jesus.

Your turn! Let me know what you think about your personal brand.

Thanks to the Best Dad in the world! Dr Adebola Olubanjo!

My dad has thought me a lot! For a while he was both father and mother to us! Today I am sharing a few of the things I learnt by observing my dad over the years! I am so glad my dad is alive today as a great mentor to me and my family!

I learned that there are people out there who are just waiting for someone to love them and lead them to Jesus! I saw how my dad became a disciple of Jesus Christ because someone shared the good news with him at their home! And so many other people have been saved because my dad always shares the gospel with others.

I learned never to give up but trust God because I have seen my dad go down and get back up a few times. He lost his wife, lost a lot of money and businesses, almost died and yet with faith in God, he recovered all that was lost. Today he is still going strong by the grace of God.

I learnt that the sacrifice involved in being excellent is worth it because he found a way to motivate me to push myself even when I was satisfied with playing as a little boy in primary school. He and my mom promised me a bicycle if I was one of the top 3 students in my class. I enjoyed the result of working a little harder so much so that I’ve made it part of life ever since! Yes! I got the bike!

I learned how to run a business by seeing him and my mom do business ever since I was able to understand what was going on around me! I saw the challenges and the benefits or being a creator of opportunities for others and I loved it and followed in his footsteps.

I learned to pray a lot more because I saw him pray and get answers to prayers.

I learned to read a lot because my dad has books everywhere around the house. Books in every room! And I love books so much as a result.

I learned publishing and business in general because my dad allowed me to run his publishing company with him many years ago as a teenager!

I learned to love and honor my wife because I never saw my dad fight with my mom! I know they had their differences but it was never so serious that it would become obvious to us the children.

I learned to give and I am still learning because my dad is a world class generous giver.

I have learned to support my children in whatever they love to do because of the tremendous support I have received from my dad all my life. This continues till this very day!

Dr Adebola Olubanjo

I am so grateful to God for all the things my dad has thought me. In this post I focused more on the things I learned mostly by watching him or by the actions he took. I still learn from my dad each time we talk. There are things my dad said many years ago that I am just getting to understand now!

It’s such a blessing to have my dad still alive as a mentor to me today! I pray that God gives him many more years in great health in Jesus Name!

Happy Father’s Day to my dad, Dr Adebola Olubanjo!

Do you have some fond memories of your dad? Please share with me in the comments section below.

Too Busy?

We are all busy! Running from one meeting to the other or from one task to the other. Being busy does not necessarily mean that you are making the most of your time!

The question I have for you today is this! Are you too busy to spend time with God? Or are you too busy to spend time with the people of God who are lost? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you are TOO BUSY!

All creations of God should always have time or make time for God! If we think our projects, children’s programs, business meetings, educational activities or religious activities are so much that we can’t make time to connect with the people that Jesus died for! Then we have to think again! No one should ever be too busy to stop for the one who is lost. Remember the good Samaritan and all the other neighbors (Luke 10:25-37). Go and do likewise!

What are your best tips for being available for God and your neighbors? Pls share in the comments section below.

Ask this question!

There is a question that I believe you must ask anyone you truly love! How they answer should not change how much you love them but it might change how they react to you for a short time! Only for a short time if you have shown that you truly love them!

The Question is: When you die? Where would you go? I have received all manner of answers to this question. Now that I think about it, I will start recording the answers I get from now on.

We would all die someday! As a disciple of Jesus you know where you are going to. You know also why you are going to be with Jesus! So when your friend responds, you can take the time to present the gospel to them!

Make sure you ask this question before presenting the gospel! It will help you know how to explain to them about the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ starting from where they are!

After presenting the gospel, don’t be in a hurry to pray. Make sure they understand and don’t leave without giving them an opportunity to pray! If they are not ready to make a decision for Jesus, let them go and continue the friendship! God who loves them more than you do will give you another opportunity to pray with them.

Please pray a lot before asking this question! It is the Holy Spirit that does the work of conviction. However don’t pray for so long that you never ask the question. Click here for the steps to make a disciple

Have you asked this question lately? Please share your experience in the comments section below! Thanks!

All that is Mine is Yours

How rich are you? Are you rich because you have a positive net worth? A lot of money in the bank? Does God see you as rich? Does that even matter? What do these words from Luke 15:31 mean?

I’m always happy when I read the parable of the lost son in Luke 15. There are 3 thing that make me happy but today I will only explain one. I will list the other 2.

I am happy because I sense the heart of God the Father! He loves us all and wants to have a relationship with us.

I am happy because I have been lost but now I am home. I have a very joyful and intimate relationship with God

The third thing that makes me happy is that I have access to all the resources of God our heavenly Farther! I am rich! Very rich and in fact I can never be poor! (Luke 15:31).

My brother, my sister it is impossible for you to be poor! You are from the family of the owner of the universe! He owns everything including the people! We lack only because we are still trying to have our own riches instead of joining with God and accessing all His resources! What we should be doing is meeting needs with our skills and making disciples of the people whose needs we meet.

So stop trying to get rich or pursuing wealth! You are only moving money from one of your accounts to the other. If you operate from the truth, the money you need will always be available (Luke 15:31?).

What I have noticed in this scripture is that if your chase wealth, importance, approval from people or even God by acting right, you only get some of the resources! And like the elder brother you will always feel as if you don’t have enough. Luke (15:29).

God has committed all His resources to one major project! What Project? Finding His lost Children. That is what would make our Heavenly Father rejoice! That is what Jesus our elder brother came to do! To seek and save the lost.

Today as you go about your daily activities, remember to use them to help in this project of finding the lost children of God!

If any good parent discovers that their child is gone. That he or she left home without warning! They would commit all their resources to find that child.

All our Heavenly Father’s resources are ours as long as we are committed to the project of making disciples! Seeking and finding the lost children of the Father. So we are rich! We are not looking for money! We are looking for people!

If you want a jump start on your journey to seek and save the lost! You can start with the Free BiVo Minister Course!

Talk to me: How rich are you? What are your thoughts?

BiVo Or Market Place Ministry Discussion with Cynthia Egbunonu.

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My guest on the BiVo Podcast this month Cynthia Egbunonu is a busy Project Manager at her place of work. She shares how God has helped her work full-time at work, pastor with her husband, be a mom to three children and a wife to her husband.

Listen and discover her secret.

Do you know your Super Power?

What sets you apart? What is it that you have that will make people say I want to know her secret? What did Jesus have on earth? What was His Super Power?

Jesus had all powers and still has all powers! But the summary of it all is Love! Yes that is it! Unconditional Love and Faith in God! Everyone wants to be loved! Respected for who they are. They want to be judged by their intentions and valued!

You will be set apart if you allow Jesus to express His super powers through you! I’m always asking the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself through me! And I find that the first step to being used by God is love! When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are filled with love! You are filled with compassion! You embody all of Jesus! The world around you would wonder why you have so much peace, hope, joy and love!

I remember reading about Smith Wigglesworth when he was still a plumber! One of the rich people he was working for was convicted by the peace and joy that she could feel around him!

What makes you stand out? It is Christ in you!(Col 1:27) Your super power is Jesus in you! He manifests in many ways but the most basic and universal way is love (John 13:35). It is by love that all the people would know that we are the disciples of Jesus!

Jesus wants to work love in and through you and I . So that every one that knows you would wonder how you and other disciples like you can love like that!

Jesus! Please live freely through me! It’s by obedience! I choose to obey your instructions Lord!

Share your thoughts please in the comments section below.

Steps to Disciple Making

Making disciples is a lifestyle. It is the Jesus lifestyle. There are steps involved in the process. I have discovered that if you take disciple making or outreach as just a program you would greatly reduce your effectiveness!

  • Accept the call to make disciples
  • Pray for people all around you (
  • Meet the needs of the people around you as much as you can. (Matt 10:8)
  • Make friends genuinely
  • Present the gospel to each one as soon as the permit you to and you sense that they are genuinely interested.
  • Continue to build the friendship regardless of their response to the gospel
  • Continue to pray
  • Continue to make new friends
  • Help those that are saved to live like Jesus and love like Jesus
  • Introduce them to your church family along the way
  • Encourage them to make friends and make disciples
  • Continue to meet needs, make friends and make disciples for the rest of your stay on planet earth!

From time to time (many times) our Boss the Holy Spirit would change the script and make things way faster! Go with the flow!

If you want to get better at making disciples, the best place to start is with the BiVo Minister Course.

Have I missed some steps? Join the discussion! Say something in the comments section below!

Just say hello!

Why is it so hard to make friends? Being able to make friends is a great skill to have. I am always intrigued by how easy it is for children to make friends. They meet someone at a game console at the airport and before you know it they are playing together. Making friends shouldn’t be so hard!

I think the reason we find it difficult as adults is because we think too much about it.

How does he see me? Would she think I want something? Are they religious? Would they accept me? Will they want to come to visit me every day?

If you love someone, then it doesn’t matter how they respond at first. When they realize that you love them and want the best for them, they would relax a bit!

Recently one of our neighbors knocked on our door to say hello. She said she was wondering what would happen but she knocked all the same and now we are better friends.

It’s true that a few people don’t want to talk but I find that more people want to be loved than you can imagine.

Say hello! Introduce yourself and give your neighbor a complement. That is where it all starts.

Yes it takes time to develop friendships. We have been spending some time with our neighbors. We feel blessed each time we connect because we are exchanging love.

The time you invest into loving someone is never lost. It’s an investment. This investment is not necessarily returned by the person on whom the love was directed. It is multiplied to you by God just like the earth returns seed sown!

Go out and love someone today, tomorrow and everyday! Say hello! Especially to your neighbors with whom you can build a long term relationship. Jesus loves your neighbors and we are His hands and feet. The only way people around us will believe that Jesus loves them is when they feel His love through His disciples.

Do you have an interesting story about saying hello to a stranger or neighbor? Please share in the comments section below!