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| CAC Director of Youth Affairs, Pastor Samson O. Gbuyiro |
The Director of Youth Affairs, Christ Apostolic Church Nigeria and Overseas, Pastor Samson O. Gbuyiro has stressed the prevalence of diluted doctrine in the contemporary age, challenging the youths to seek to be like God, saying no one can claim to belong to God without being like Him.
Pastor Gbuyiro noted the persistent subtraction and deduction from the apostolic faith and doctrine handed down by the early Apostles, saying that the youths of today did not meet the original and actual doctrine of Christian practice hence, the need to go back to the Bible.
"So many things we are doing today were not part of it when it was delivered. The people who received before us did some subtractions and handed over to us. We also cut what we did not like and passed it on. Every generation substracts bits from the doctrines handed down. What your generation now has is not the actual but diluted doctrine. What are we going to hand over if we don't go back to learn sound doctrine?" he said.
The CAC Youth Director made these assertions at the CAC International Youth Conference, Abuja Conference center while speaking on the topic "Becoming like Jesus through Sound Doctrine" from the texts John 7:15-18 and Romans 8:29.
Expositing John chapter 7 verses 15-18, the cleric stated that while the Jews marveled at the doctrine of Jesus, He responded that His doctrine was not His, implying that true doctrine is not self centered, not for self propagation and not for self glorification.
On Romans 8:29, the clergyman asserted that God wants every believer to become like His Son, adding that, "when we are looking at becoming like, we are looking at the process of fulfilling the eternal purpose of God for saving man. God's eternal purpose for saving me and you is not any other thing but to be conformed to the image of His beloved son. The purpose of God for saving our lives is not to become a millionaire, not to become renowned in our chosen careers, it's not to build houses, it's not to give birth to children. The eternal purpose of God for redeeming our souls and saving us is that He wants us to be comformed to the image of His son."
Describing the pursuit of the Christian faith as man's transformation to the image of Christ, the Director stated that sound doctrine are set of teachings, tools of God to ensure this eternal purpose, expressing that, "one thing about God is that there is always a divine provision to fulfil His divine purpose. God will not ask you to do anything on your own by yourself. Whatever God is asking any man to do, He has made provision for it. Sound doctrine are God's provisions to fulfill His eternal purpose."
He continued that as many who are standing now are not standing by their own power as nobody can do the will of God by their own strength because God will never trust the human flesh to accomplish his purpose, explaining that there is nothing God says that we cannot do but must only respond as an act of faith.
"You can't claim you belong to God if you are unlike Him. God has given us enough warnings as end time believers. We have received enough admonition that we need to guard our hearts knowing that the atmosphere of faith today has been polluted by different kinds of doctrines - doctrines from human philosophy, human traditions, from selfish ambition of people, doctrines inspired by the devil from the pit of hell. Hence, the news for us to be built upon sound doctrine so that we will be able to stand on what is the truth. It is only in doing that, that we can secure our future, build a lasting marriage. It is only in doing that, that you can grow in the knowledge of God. It is in doing that, that you can achieve success in human endeavours."
On the purpose of sound doctrine, Pastor Gbuyiro said, "the purpose of God is that we live an exemplary life for others. Your lifestyle is to defend and explain the person of Christ to people. When people are saying they don't know Jesus, God is raising people who will explain Him. Christ is the light of the world and those who will receive him must be the light of the world. Several people are on the mountain fasting and praying for something God will never do. Prayers are no longer effective because there are no true worshipers. The will of God is for us to worship Him in Spirit and truth."
"Sound doctrine is about the truth of the kingdom and the grace of the kingdom. When you receive it, you also receive grace alongside. Many people you see today, there's nothing special about them, they are only living by the grace of God. Nobody has ever lived for God by his own strength.
Abraham, Joseph, Esther etc lived by the grace of God. But note that the first things we saw about them was that as the word of God came to them, they believed, received and decided to live by it."