PASTOR GBILE AKANI: A MARY AND MARTHA EXPOSE

MORE FROM THE FRESH ENCOUNTER WITH GOD CONFERENCE: A SUMMARY OF THE THIRD NIGHT :A contrast between Martha and Mary exposé.

With the song "nearer my God to thee" in the background, Christians responded to the call of God by standing, kneeling or prostrating as a sign of surrender to the Lord. The third night of the Fresh Encounter with God was just like the first and the second day of the conference. God was in the house and there was no other way out but to surrender to him after the servant of God completed another simple message with a powerful anointing.

Here is a summary of the third night Sermon:

Pastor Gbile Akani used the simple story of Martha and Mary to point out the differences of Christian life and ministry before God. As usual, Gbile brought a fresh dimension to this well known story from Luke10:38-42 and John 11 and 12.

THE FIRST EXPOSE : Luke 10:38-42:

The Bible said Jesus visited Martha and Mary at their house in a certain village. Martha served food alone while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus,listening to him teach. Martha then protested to Jesus saying "Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me". And Jesus answered and said,

"MARTHA, MARTHA, THOU ARE TOO CAREFUL AND TROUBLED ABOUT ABOUT MANY THINGS. BUT ONE THING IS NEEDFUL: AND MARY HATH CHOSEN THAT GOOD PART, WHICH SHALL NOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM HER".

Brother Gbile said Jesus was trying to point out something very important to Martha when he called her name more than once. Jesus was trying to point her attention to the choice Mary made. God is saying the same thing to us today. What kind of decisions are we making in our christain walk with the Lord. That completed the IST PART OF THE exchange between Martha and Jesus which then sets the stage for the second encounter.

THE SECOND EXPOSE : John chapter 11:

Pastor Gbile pointed out that the next time we were to read again about Martha was when Lazarus their brother died. We know Jesus was told Lazarus was sick, but he stayed away for three more days and then went to Bethany to see them. Martha heard that Jesus was on his way and she left the house quickly to meet Jesus on the way leaving Mary at the house.

Here we have another exchange between Jesus and Martha. Martha said if Jesus had been there earlier their brother would not have died. Jesus told her he is the ressurection and the life and even though someone dies they shall live again. Then Jesus asked her if she believed that . Oh yes she said and made some confession of faith just like many christains today and left. The Bible said she SECRECTLY went to Mary and said "the Master is here and calleth for thee". Now we did not read that Jesus called for Mary anywhere. Martha just passed the buck to Mary because she did not really belived what Jesus was saying.

First, martha ran out there to meet Jesus and said all sorts of things. MARTHA WAS ALWAYS TRYING TO HELP JESUS DO HIS JOB. SHE WAS ALWAYS IN THE WAY. SHE RAN TO MEET JESUS ON THE WAY EVEN BEFORE HE GOT TO THE TOWN. JESUS DID NOT NEED HER TO PERFORM A MIRACLE WITH LAZARUS, BUT SHE WAS OUT THERE SAYING ALL KINDS OF NEGATIVE THINGS EVEN BEFORE JESUS GOT TO THEIR TOWN. IT WAS LIKE MARTHA WAS EVERYWHRE BUT NOWHERE JUST LIKE MANY CHRISTAINS TODAY-DOING AND SAYING SO MANY THINGS BUT BUT NO SUBSTANCE BEHIND HER WORDS. WHEN SHE GOT NO WHERE, SHE WENT AND CALLED MARY AND PUSHED HER FORWARD TO GO MEET JESUS.

Jesus wanted to see if Martha believed what he was saying, but she left and went and called Mary. Mary repeated the same words Martha said to Jesus that If he had been there earlier Lazarus would not have died. Pastor Akani pointed out that after Mary said those words the diffeence between her and Martha was that she fell down at Jesus feet and wept as a sign of sureender. The Bible said Jesus was moved and there we have the famous quote, JESUS WEPT. Jesus was moved in his spirit.

The expose here is how one christian woman came and could not move Jesus while the other came, fell down and wept at Jesus feet and Jesus was moved. Martha did not move Jesus,it was Mary who did and we know what happend afterward with Lazarus coming out of the grave. Now we have the third meeting between Jesus, Martha and Mary below.


THE THIRD EXPOSE: John Chapter 12: 1-8 :

The third time Jesus had an encounter with them was in John 12 where Martha was again serving food while Mary was doing something extraordinary again:

From Vs 2 we read...."Then they made him a super; and Martha served"...Vs3."Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly,and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair:and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simons son which should betray him, why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor. This he said not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you;but me ye have not always".

Again Pastor Akani pointed out the choice Mary made in contrast to the one Martha made. Just like Jesus told Martha earlier, Mary choose yet another very important part which is needful. Looking at what Mary did here, one will not immediately see anything important until one goes forward to look at the time Jesus was in the grave. The Bible says women woke up early in the morning to go and anoint the body of Jesus and they met the angel who said he is risen and no longer in the grave. The implication of that is this :

The women never got a chance to anoint Jesus's body, but Jesus had been anointed earlier by Mary which is the only anointing Jesus had before his burial and ressurection.

Remember what Jesus told Martha about Mary earlier: "MARY HATH CHOSEN THAT GOOD PART, WHICH SHALL NOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM HER". Mary indeed choose that part which was needful and she was right on time even before the women ever knew that Jesus would die and will need his body anointed. Mary in her ministry was far ahead of Martha and the women who came to anoint Jesus. Jesus recognized Mary's ministry and she was trying to get Martha's attention to emulate her. Remember the first meeting where Jesus called Martha and said :

MARTHA, MARTHA, THOU ARE TOO CAREFUL AND TROUBLED ABOUT ABOUT MANY THINGS. BUT ONE THING IS NEEDFUL: AND MARY HATH CHOSEN THAT GOOD PART, WHICH SHALL NOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM HER".

Pastor Gbile then asked Christians if they are living their lives like Mary or Martha. What kind of choices are christians making today? Do we choose that which is needful that cannot be taken away from us like Mary or are we beating around the bush and being everywhere but nowhere like Martha?

After this message, we have the scenario that was mentioned above. Christains came out to rededicate their lives for Jesus. Many were on their faces crying to God while others knelt down with strong passionate tears for God's mercies. God blessed many people at the conference and we thank God for it.

There are more of this dynamic teaching and you can obtain the Cassette tapes, CDS and DVDs of the Fresh Encounter with God Confrence of Pastor Gbile Akani by Contacting Pastor Yemi Ayodele at THE CHURCH OF THE NATIONS MINISTRIES. (281) 498 7757, (832) 428 5007, (832) 217 7734

God bless you all.