The word “restitution” is the most scaring word in the heart of every Christians who are not yet rooted about the important of outward purity and exhibiting of moral act by means of returning back all stolen properties, rendering of confession and following peace with all men.
The act of restitution always seem foolish to some Christians because they assumed that once you made some oration while acknowledging Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal savior, there is no need to render unto Caesar what belong unto him and returning unto God what belong unto him.
This is reason why it isn’t advisable to commence your evangelical sermon with “restitution” while trying to win a soul to Christ. Moreover restitution is the last step of faith while attempting to convince a soul unto repentance. Restitution always seems foolish because it involves ridiculous steps and in most scenarios you might tend to give-up and mingle with the world.
But unfortunately you will discovered that you won’t attempt such mistake or ever thought of sojourned into Egypt because inwardly you are already convinced of the truth and tasted the goodness of salvation. Hence, as an evangelist, you must not commence your sermon or
preaching with restitution but rather with grace, the goodness in Christ and sweetness of the kingdom. This will pull them toward Christ.
You must first invite them into the moving boat and afterward you can drew closer to such person and explains the basic needs to opened-up every closed wound, and exposed all to God's glory and shame to the devil.
However it often amazed me while conducting spiritual interview with some caliber set of Christians with Heavenly mindset, whom don't see the important or benefit of restitution. While some assumed that once you make some sort of confession (acceptance of Christ), the pathetic past errors will just varnished without a trace.
Though, we are saved by God's grace through Jesus Christ, but that doesn't input an heavenly right to keep torturing an innocent soul we sentence to prison or ridicule due to false accusation or to keep harboring stolen/borrow items, false certificate, exam-malpractice or sexual immoralities without admitting our mistakes.
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE ON RESTITUTION
The first time I heard the word
"restitution" was several years ago when I was
preparing for water immersion baptism (water immersion baptism lecture class). It was like a time-bomb! The whole class was thrown into an uproar because we were totally confused.
I was perturbed and echo within "Heeh Paul; where do you want to commence this restituting journey because your atrocities were so much and great? What sort of problem is this? I have forsaken the world and it pleasures and become transformed and now been confronted with this horrific grammar call “restitution"
Exodus 22:2-3 "If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no blood guiltiness on his account. "But if the sun has risen on him, there will be blood guiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft"
I was sorrowful because i never knew i would encounter such "word" in my quest of serving God. I was downcast and deeply troubled as several thoughts came rushing through my mind. The flashing back and recalling of the stolen money, C.d, borrowed item and the most painful scene which deal with the confrontation of my former clients who trusted me but unfortunately I abused their trust and keep siphoning their hard earn money.
Luke 19:8-9 Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much. And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.
I was bitterer because I have forsaken them for years and now been persuaded to opened such healed wound, honestly it seem like swimming across the red sea. It was shameful to confess such ill act, it’s a betrayal of a trust which someone has toward you but I have no choice but rather to succumb.
The day I eventual confront them, was the horrible day of my life. It was shameful and sadden but it also bring inner joy and happiness and that was what I felt after unleashing the self-guiltiness by confessing unto them and returning back the necessary items. (To God be the glory).
THE FOOLISH SCENE INVOLVE IN THE ACT OF RESTITUTION
So, let go back to my first encounter on restitution while preparing for water immersion baptism several years ago. After the introduction of the word “
Restitution” by my lecturer during those era’s, and emphasizes about
the important of restitution for every genuine Christians. I discovered that I wasn’t the only fearful and troubled victim in the class.
Suddenly I heard several time-bomb questions been dispatch from every cranes and corner of the class toward the lecturer especially from sisters because it seem strange and ridiculous. I remember a certain sister who echo "Sir if while washing my son's school uniform and i saw a common 5 Naira (penny) in his pocket, and i took it, does that mean am a thief?
The lecturer reply "Yes and if you died without informing your son, you won't enter Heaven". The sister retorted "Sir but he is my son and i was the person that gave him the money" He answered "Yes i knew and that is reason why you ought to inform your son"
However after dismissal, i secretly approach the lecturer and confide in him but the outcome was not pleasing because the shame, ridicule and fear ahead were horrible. I wish the earth could just open and swallow me. Though afterward i mounted a slight boldness, salted with prayers and counseling and decided to bury the shame and eventually triumph. Glory be to God!
Though some of these restitution might seem stupid and foolish unto us but unto Heaven's it's highly regarded. One of the stricken statement i heard from the lecturer during those nightmare is this, "whenever you remember any wrong deeds of the past, don't ever hesitate to confess or restitute because such thought or remembrance was prompted by the Spirit of God within you because it was a necessity"
However as a Christian who possessed the mindset of making Heaven if you have not paid the dowry on your wife, go and pay it now because you are in debt. Please help inform any married woman that if she is collecting the family up-keep money from her husband and she decided (by her natural wisdom) to do contribution (saving) with said money, tell her that that is stealing and she must return them all to her husband with apologies and ask for forgiveness.
And whenever her husband gave her money for food stuff and she decided to economized some money and secretly spend it without informing her husband, she is a thief?
Any woman that is fun of keeping back some balance of money without returning all to her husband or confessed unto him, is regarded as a thief in Heaven. Likewise a husband that is stocking away money somewhere without the knowledge of his wife must go now and reveal the secret by letting her know. This is because “they are no more twain (two), but one flesh” (Matthew 19:6).
Romans 13:8-10 "owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. for this, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, you shall love your neighbor as yourself." love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. A husband that borrowed money from his wife without paying it should go and restitute now before it’s too late.
How do you return something that you once pick up and you don't know the owner?
If you opportune to pick any item or belongings either inside a vehicle or on the road, the best is to render the item to the nearest household and explain in detail, peradventure the owner might comes back seeking for the lost item. In term of money, you don't have any godly right to pick money on the floor.
Whosoever pick money from the floor is a thief. Hence, if it was inside church or density area, you can quietly report the money to the church authority or a trusted someone whom you perceived due to his/her action or ways and instruct such person to keep the money in case the owner come seeking.
Nevertheless, i would advise you desist from picking money on the floor but should kindly overlook it, because it's the work of the Holy Ghost to blind-fold people from not beholding it in order to secure such money pending the time the owner will returns for it.
But if presently you have accidentally picked any item on the floor, un-returned/borrowed money, clothes etc and you can’t behold or ever trance the rightful owner of such items. The best way to restitute is to confess unto God and kindly weight the worth of such item in money and offered it into Church offering bag for the propagation of the gospel. However ensure you don't attempt such mistake again. It's better to not pick rather to pick and becomes stranded with unknown item that will result into
curse and eternal condemnation in Hell.
DIVINE REVELATION OF FOOLISH SCENE INVOLVE IN RESTITUTION
I will conclude this edifying message with the Divine Revelation Warning from Pastor Abraham Yakubu, titled "
Do Glory Not Yet" which he behold some years ago after giving up the ghost in fatal accident that occur along Ibadan Expressway (Nigeria).
I would also like to encourage as many with Heavenly mindset to charge-up for restitution. Please, think of anything that doesn’t belong to you which is with you: wristwatch, sun glasses, clothing, Bible, handset, money, cassette, CD, DVD etc.
Please return everything that does not belong to you before you get to "The Hall of Restitution"; and it can only be done now before you die. Even if you spent government, Church or somebody’s money in a wrong way, you must return them, even as a minister of God (I know this is ridiculous), you must confess and return them now!!!!
THE HALL OF RESTITUTION
"A woman came to that hall; and she was told, “You cannot pass-by.” And she said, “I lived a holy Christian life. What did I do?” The Angel said, “Fold you hands.” She folded her hands, and the Angel said, “Open them.” When she opened her hands, twelve sticks of matches were in her hands. And the Angel said, “Where did you get these twelve sticks of matches?”
Then she said, “my neighbor gave me a box of matches to light my stove because I did not have any. I lit one and it did not light, but the second one was used to light the stove.” And then, she took out twelve extra sticks and put into her own match box without telling her neighbor.
But the Angel asked her, “Did you tell your neighbor that you removed twelve sticks of matches.”And she said, “I did not.” The Angel now said, “Look up and read.”And she read, “No unclean thing will ever go in.” And the Angel said, “How many unclean things did it say?”She said, “Only one.” The Angel now said, “How many matches do you have?” She said, “Twelve.” And then the voice said, “DEPART!”
SIN REVISITED AT THE HALL OF RESTITUTION
A woman came into the room of restitution. This woman lived a life that pleased God; and she was so humble. But the husband was a wicked man. When the Angel said, “You cannot go …You cannot continue any longer.”
She shouted, “Please, have mercy on me … I used all my life to please God.” The Angel said, “Truly, all your life you have lived a life that pleased God, but look at what happened.” (Because Jesus Christ said that anything done in the secret will be revealed openly; so we were watching it on the screen).
In the morning of that particular day, she came to her husband for money for food and he gave her a little amount. But she told her husband, “Truly, this is small.” She now faithfully gathered her husband’s clothes to wash and discovered that there was N27, 500 in a pocket of one of his trousers; and took N7,000 from it.
Before God and man, she did not buy anything for herself (not even a brassiere), but used the money to prepare food for the children, herself and her husband. So she said, “Please, I did not do anything evil with the money.” And Heaven said, “It is true that you did not buy anything personal with the money but used it to cook food for your family, but did you tell your husband that you took N7,000 from his pocket? And don’t forget that we are in The Hall of Restitution … A thief will not enter Heaven. ”And with that, the voice said, “DEPART!”
A PASTOR AT THE HALL OF HOLINESS
A man of God came, who suffered a lot in the ministry. (You will be seeing everything on the screen), he had a farm beside the Church. One day he was tilling the farm and found where a foul laid four eggs inside his farm. He took the eggs, cooked them and ate them. That was all! When he got to the Angel, he was told, “You cannot enter.” And he asked, “Please, what did I do?”
The Angel said, “Fold your hands.” When he did, four eggs appeared in the hand. The Angel asked him, “Where did you find these eggs?” And he said, “I was weeding on my farm and because I did not have food to eat, I took the eggs.” The Angel said, “Are you the owner of the fowl? Did you even make effort to search for the owner of the fowl? That is stealing. And no thief can enter Heaven.” And then the voice came “DEPART!”
A GENERAL OVERSEA AT THE HALL OF RESTITUTION
A man, a minister of God who lived a holy life and preached the sound word of God was called. When he heard that he would not be able to proceed further, he asked, “Please, what did I do? I lived all my life to please God.” When his daughter wanted to get married, he took money from the Church’s purse and added it to his own money for the wedding.
As the G.O. nobody asked him what the money was meant for. At the end of the year, the Church’s account was read and there was no specification that that particular money was used for the G.O.’s daughter’s wedding; and so it was put as miscellaneous expenses. And the G.O. said, “But, I did not hide it, the elders were there when the account was read.” And he was told, “Did you specify it?” And with that, the voice said “DEPART!”
An incident happened to me at my Egbeda Church’s branch, Lagos State, Nigeria. When I got to Iyana – Ipaja, I bought two handkerchiefs, I gave one to my pastor and I kept the second handkerchief. Before God and man, I never knew I had a third handkerchief by mistake and I righteously paid for only two.
During the revival, right there on the altar, I heard a voice, “Abraham, if you die now, you are going to hell.” I said, “What is my offence?” The voice said, “Check your pocket.” When I did, I saw a third handkerchief in my pocket and I was bitter and embittered.
But I said, “I never knew.” And the voice said, “It is because you don’t know, that is why I am telling you. Go and return that handkerchief back to the owner. And not only that, you must come and confess in public that you are a thief, because you stole an handkerchief.”
To this story, there are people who can testify to it, that I openly confessed in the presence of the people of God that I was a thief who stole a handkerchief. First day, second day and the third day passed and I had not returned the handkerchief. But on the fourth day, I got to Iyana – Ipaja where I bought the handkerchief and made an attempt to return it.
Immediately when I paid for that handkerchief, I heard a voice saying, “Now Abraham, if you die now, you will go to Heaven.” Please my people, what about those three days of my revival meetings (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday)? What if I had died during the revival? I would have gone to hell! Please, if there is any property in your care that does not belong to you, please go and return it NOW!
When it was my turn at The Palace of Restitution, I did not stay long at all. I got my salvation at Four Square Gospel Church, before I started messing around. Remember, I backslid five times. Before I started to backslide, I was attending Deeper Life Bible Church for about ten years, so I understood the lesson or teaching of restitution before I was told to proceed to the next level. All these, were as a result of the mercy of God upon my life.
SIN REVISITED AT THE HALL OF ACCOUNTABILITY
In this
Palace of Accountability, all the evil deeds and thoughts you have done while on earth you did not confess for the blood of Jesus to wash them, you will then start confessing them one after the other; those that you killed, lied against etc., you will confess everything.
As you are confessing your sins, beside you is a pillar and a computer and an Angel standing beside as you confess, everything will be written and recorded on the computer. After confirming that everything is correct on the report, then there will come a voice from Heaven saying, “Because of all these evil characters of yours while on earth, take the path that is equal to your character,
DEPART to hell.” Culled from The Revelation "
Glory Not Yet" By Pastor Abraham Yak
ubu.
Lastly, it's time for restitution and confession of every wrong dealing because the judgment of God is terrible, isn't so easy as what most of we Christians and believers assumed. After death, our ecclesiastical titles, pastors, General overseer, evangelist are basically useless and unprofitable.
