Lying in a manger
Wrapped in warm clothing
Jesus the Saviour
Came as a baby
Conceived by the Spirit
Born of a virgin
Thus goes the story
That altered all history
Thus goes our story
The Christmas story
Glory in the highest
Jesus our Saviour is born
Heaven's still rejoicing
Hell's still in fury
Jesus is still redeeming
Sinners are still repenting
And Christmas is just happening
Again and again
Christmas has really happened
When our special story
Changed one life forever
We just tell about our Jesus
And Christmas won't stop happening
Again and again!
-Adeolu Olumodeji Victor 241211:355
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Sunday, 18 December 2011
GIVE THANKS!
'I just want to say
"Baba ooo, E seeeee'....
I just want to end this year on a thanksgiving note. And this is a call to as many as would read to give God thanks. I read through the New Testament and discovered not many times did people really thank Jesus Christ for the miracles He did for them. I saw a variety of reactions from recipients of Christ's miracles. Many of them rejoiced, many were amazed at His works (Luke 5:9), some went ahead to spread the news (Matthew 9:31), some would simply walk away (Matthew 9:7), some could not even recognise the Man who healed them (Luke (9:12), and while some of them glorified God (Luke 5:26) not many actually thanked Jesus Christ for His goodness. Of course, Jesus is God, and He never sought glory for Himself. Not many of those that were healed had the courtesy to thank Jesus Christ specifically for doing them good. In fact, only one 'Thank You, Jesus'- incidence was recorded. We shall take a deep look at a leper who went back to thank Jesus. As the year runs to a close, heaven is watching out for those who would return to thank God. And God told me 'Thanksgiving is the key that unlocks 2012'.
What's the big deal about a 'Thank you?'. Is it not just to say the words? Well, even at that, many find the words so hard to say. More than the words, gratitude is an attitude. One phrase that should be so much part of a cultured person is 'Thank you'. Watch someone who says 'Thank you', there is a beauty about it- both to the giver and the receiver. And if you have this attitude in your relationship with other people, you have a good fragrance on you. People like grateful people. Nobody owes you anything in life, really. You came to earth on your own. That your parent took responsibility of you- is a privilege, not a right. Be grateful to them. Many people still abort, dump their babies or at best put them up for adoption. So if any man does you good, why not thank him as though he has done the unthinkable?
Now let us talk about the One to whom you owe your very existence. God is the One who knew you before your mother did and He has followed you up till now. He formed you and ensures that you are still alive. People die everyday, and they are human beings like you and I. If we are still alive, so much to be grateful for. And you are not alive for nothing- God has a plan for you. In my book '12 Tips of Greatness', which I intent to publish on a commercial scale in the coming year, I wrote that gratitude is like that essential oxygen a mountain climber must carry as he summits Everest. Like the aborted journey of the murmuring Israelites, many of God's children would not go far in God's plan for them because they just can not appreciate little things. "Thank you" is a phrase of two words and I think that is no accident. You breathe in and out. That cycle completes each act of respiration. "Thank", "You" to God is as essential to fulfilment as respiration is to living.
So for once in the entire Gospel, someone actually thanked Jesus Christ. In fact, the word 'thank' is so scarce in the Gospel except when Jesus says it. The other time another person said it was in a parable of the hypocritical Pharisee who 'thanked' God for not being like the tax collector (Luke 18:11). So when one leper who was healed returned to thank Jesus, Jesus took notice of it. Luke 18:15-18: "And one of them ... returned ... and fell down at (Jesus') feet, giving Him thanks ... Jesus answered and said 'Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?...". Jesus took notice of the man who returned to give Him thanks. I like us to examine the question Jesus asked; 'But where are the nine?'
It is a question that needed no answer. The nine could be anywhere, but one. The nine did not return to say 'thank you'. But still, it is a revealing question- one that will expose the roots of ingratitude in many of God's children. I just hope you will not miss the chance to really thank God before this year winds up. 'But where are the nine?' I will draw three other questions from this one question Jesus asked as the Holy Spirit seeks to open a well spring of gratitude in the hearts of God's children.
1. 'Who are the nine?'
There were ten lepers that cried out to Jesus Christ for mercy. (Luke 18:12-13). Lepers are lepers until they are healed. You see, at a point Miriam the sister of Moses; she was the 'Choir Mistress' in the wilderness- at a point, she had leprosy (Numbers 12:10). That highly respected woman of God was shut out of the camp as a result of that. She was there till she recovered. Some predicaments have a way of reducing people. Status becomes irrelevant. Position becomes inconsequential. Oh, it reminds me of King Nebu (his name is too long).
Something befell him and he could not seat on his own throne. He was reduced to the level of oxen. (See Daniel 4:33). So no one worried about who these lepers were until they were healed. So let us identify the lepers as much as we can. The one that returned was a Samaritan. (See Luke 17:16-18). Jesus showed us the identity of the other nine when He said 'Were there not any found who returned ... except this foreigner?'.
The other nine were Jews- Jesus' kindred. Is it true that 'familiarity breeds contempt'? Could it be that they took it for granted that Jesus should not have done less? Is this why God's children hardly thank Him? I feel pained to see this insight. I put myself in the position of a father and imagine that my son knows I love him so much and I am also responsible for his well being. That is true. Now if my son begins to act as though I am only doing my duty as a father by meeting his needs, if my son takes it as his right (which it is) to receive from me and hardly show (God forbids) genuine appreciation for my provisions - Oh, I will feel pained.
Many of God's children mumble a few words of appreciation when God does them good, and then hands Him the outstanding items in their lists.
Could it be that the nine did not return because the were Jews? Have you taken God's love for granted because you are His child?
2. 'Where did the nine go?'
Okay, if one of the lepers return after being healed to thank Jesus, where were the others headed? Oh, may be they went to their homes to show off their healing. But if they were jews, they should know better than to go home. You see, leprosy was a serious social ailment back then (I guess, it still is). And you don't joke with it. In Leviticus 13 1nd 14, God rolled out what was termed the 'law of leprosy'. There, if any man has a boil, burn, scale, colouring on his skin, or even bald head- he must go to the priest to clarify whether he had leprosy or not. If it were leprosy- no cure. Isolation is the way to go until the person is healed- if he gets healed. And only a priest can declare a man 'clean' from leprosy. So, the nine lepers -if they were Jews as we established, would go straight ahead to the priest. The priest would examine them and certify them 'clean'. Have you not noticed that whenever even Jesus healed a leper, He would say 'Go to the priests'? (see Matthew 8:1-4). This is because a miracle was not sufficient to convince a Jew, only a priest could declare a leper as 'clean'. Is it not still true? There are diseases an evangelist will heal and still say 'Go for a test'.
Well, I have a feeling these nine lepers proceeded to the priests' place to verify. And that is okay. So what did Jesus think about the man who need no other highly 'esteemed' verification of the priests? Hear what Jesus told him; '... your faith has made you well'. Faith! Oh, that man esteemed faith above facts! With Jesus, he needed no priest to be sure. He returned at Jesus' feet to thank Him. Many of the Jews around would probably scoff him saying 'Better let the priest say first before you conclude'.
And I wonder; Is it that too many issues in our lives are pending the verdicts of men before we believe God has done them? Is this one other reason God's children are ungrateful? Society has its standards and until it calls us 'rich', we can not thank God for His provisions. Okay, just check why you have not returned to thank God. Are you on your way to the priests?
3. 'Must the nine return, really?'
You see, this was not the first time someone healed would 'glorify God'. In Luke 5:25 the paralysed man that was healed 'departed to his own house, glorifying God'. So who says the nine did not 'glorify God' as they went forth? In another account in Luke 18:43, the blind man who Jesus healed actually followed Jesus 'glorifying God'. So what was it about this ex-leper's returning that struck Jesus. You see, when he was a leper, he stood afar off along with the his colleagues. For a distance, they lifted up their voices to cry for mercy from Jesus (Luke 17:12-13). But when he was healed, he returned and fell at Jesus' feet to thank Him. He touched Jesus' feet. Now that is no small thing those days. It is an act of worship. That was what Satan demanded from Jesus at the temptation; '... if You will fall down and worship me', Satan said. As that man fell at Jesus' feet, he glorified God in a loud voice. Was he saying Jesus was God? Of course, Jesus is God- take it or take it. But Jesus Himself maintained the glory for God the Father when He said in verse 18; 'Were there not found any who returned to give glory to God...?' What is definite about this ex-leper's method?
A 'Thank you' to any man is not necessarily deifying that man. It is glorifying God. Whenever God would do you good, He more often than not, uses people. How many times have we 'commonise' these people? Oh, we give God thanks- no doubt about it. But do we really thank the people He uses to bless us? Parents, spouses, children, pastors, bosses, colleagues, friends, strangers- name them. Those are the people you should identify these few days left in the year. They are the ones God uses for you. Don't make them feel used, appreciate them.
Then, this is the shortest cut to giving God thanks, give to the poor. Need I say more?
I have a mission these thirteen days left for 2011 to end. It is a mission to thank God. Join me in these Thirteen Days of Thanksgiving. As God permits, I will be raising a Thanksgiving Point each day on this medium for the next 13 days. Just do it, and watch 2012 open all its gates for you! (Psalm 100:4; Psalm 24:7; Isaiah 60:11).
Thank you for reading. (Hmm, so this is my first time ever to thank you for reading my posts).
Thank you so much, without you my time was wasted.
"Baba ooo, E seeeee'....
I just want to end this year on a thanksgiving note. And this is a call to as many as would read to give God thanks. I read through the New Testament and discovered not many times did people really thank Jesus Christ for the miracles He did for them. I saw a variety of reactions from recipients of Christ's miracles. Many of them rejoiced, many were amazed at His works (Luke 5:9), some went ahead to spread the news (Matthew 9:31), some would simply walk away (Matthew 9:7), some could not even recognise the Man who healed them (Luke (9:12), and while some of them glorified God (Luke 5:26) not many actually thanked Jesus Christ for His goodness. Of course, Jesus is God, and He never sought glory for Himself. Not many of those that were healed had the courtesy to thank Jesus Christ specifically for doing them good. In fact, only one 'Thank You, Jesus'- incidence was recorded. We shall take a deep look at a leper who went back to thank Jesus. As the year runs to a close, heaven is watching out for those who would return to thank God. And God told me 'Thanksgiving is the key that unlocks 2012'.
What's the big deal about a 'Thank you?'. Is it not just to say the words? Well, even at that, many find the words so hard to say. More than the words, gratitude is an attitude. One phrase that should be so much part of a cultured person is 'Thank you'. Watch someone who says 'Thank you', there is a beauty about it- both to the giver and the receiver. And if you have this attitude in your relationship with other people, you have a good fragrance on you. People like grateful people. Nobody owes you anything in life, really. You came to earth on your own. That your parent took responsibility of you- is a privilege, not a right. Be grateful to them. Many people still abort, dump their babies or at best put them up for adoption. So if any man does you good, why not thank him as though he has done the unthinkable?
Now let us talk about the One to whom you owe your very existence. God is the One who knew you before your mother did and He has followed you up till now. He formed you and ensures that you are still alive. People die everyday, and they are human beings like you and I. If we are still alive, so much to be grateful for. And you are not alive for nothing- God has a plan for you. In my book '12 Tips of Greatness', which I intent to publish on a commercial scale in the coming year, I wrote that gratitude is like that essential oxygen a mountain climber must carry as he summits Everest. Like the aborted journey of the murmuring Israelites, many of God's children would not go far in God's plan for them because they just can not appreciate little things. "Thank you" is a phrase of two words and I think that is no accident. You breathe in and out. That cycle completes each act of respiration. "Thank", "You" to God is as essential to fulfilment as respiration is to living.
So for once in the entire Gospel, someone actually thanked Jesus Christ. In fact, the word 'thank' is so scarce in the Gospel except when Jesus says it. The other time another person said it was in a parable of the hypocritical Pharisee who 'thanked' God for not being like the tax collector (Luke 18:11). So when one leper who was healed returned to thank Jesus, Jesus took notice of it. Luke 18:15-18: "And one of them ... returned ... and fell down at (Jesus') feet, giving Him thanks ... Jesus answered and said 'Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?...". Jesus took notice of the man who returned to give Him thanks. I like us to examine the question Jesus asked; 'But where are the nine?'
It is a question that needed no answer. The nine could be anywhere, but one. The nine did not return to say 'thank you'. But still, it is a revealing question- one that will expose the roots of ingratitude in many of God's children. I just hope you will not miss the chance to really thank God before this year winds up. 'But where are the nine?' I will draw three other questions from this one question Jesus asked as the Holy Spirit seeks to open a well spring of gratitude in the hearts of God's children.
1. 'Who are the nine?'
There were ten lepers that cried out to Jesus Christ for mercy. (Luke 18:12-13). Lepers are lepers until they are healed. You see, at a point Miriam the sister of Moses; she was the 'Choir Mistress' in the wilderness- at a point, she had leprosy (Numbers 12:10). That highly respected woman of God was shut out of the camp as a result of that. She was there till she recovered. Some predicaments have a way of reducing people. Status becomes irrelevant. Position becomes inconsequential. Oh, it reminds me of King Nebu (his name is too long).
Something befell him and he could not seat on his own throne. He was reduced to the level of oxen. (See Daniel 4:33). So no one worried about who these lepers were until they were healed. So let us identify the lepers as much as we can. The one that returned was a Samaritan. (See Luke 17:16-18). Jesus showed us the identity of the other nine when He said 'Were there not any found who returned ... except this foreigner?'.
The other nine were Jews- Jesus' kindred. Is it true that 'familiarity breeds contempt'? Could it be that they took it for granted that Jesus should not have done less? Is this why God's children hardly thank Him? I feel pained to see this insight. I put myself in the position of a father and imagine that my son knows I love him so much and I am also responsible for his well being. That is true. Now if my son begins to act as though I am only doing my duty as a father by meeting his needs, if my son takes it as his right (which it is) to receive from me and hardly show (God forbids) genuine appreciation for my provisions - Oh, I will feel pained.
Many of God's children mumble a few words of appreciation when God does them good, and then hands Him the outstanding items in their lists.
Could it be that the nine did not return because the were Jews? Have you taken God's love for granted because you are His child?
2. 'Where did the nine go?'
Okay, if one of the lepers return after being healed to thank Jesus, where were the others headed? Oh, may be they went to their homes to show off their healing. But if they were jews, they should know better than to go home. You see, leprosy was a serious social ailment back then (I guess, it still is). And you don't joke with it. In Leviticus 13 1nd 14, God rolled out what was termed the 'law of leprosy'. There, if any man has a boil, burn, scale, colouring on his skin, or even bald head- he must go to the priest to clarify whether he had leprosy or not. If it were leprosy- no cure. Isolation is the way to go until the person is healed- if he gets healed. And only a priest can declare a man 'clean' from leprosy. So, the nine lepers -if they were Jews as we established, would go straight ahead to the priest. The priest would examine them and certify them 'clean'. Have you not noticed that whenever even Jesus healed a leper, He would say 'Go to the priests'? (see Matthew 8:1-4). This is because a miracle was not sufficient to convince a Jew, only a priest could declare a leper as 'clean'. Is it not still true? There are diseases an evangelist will heal and still say 'Go for a test'.
Well, I have a feeling these nine lepers proceeded to the priests' place to verify. And that is okay. So what did Jesus think about the man who need no other highly 'esteemed' verification of the priests? Hear what Jesus told him; '... your faith has made you well'. Faith! Oh, that man esteemed faith above facts! With Jesus, he needed no priest to be sure. He returned at Jesus' feet to thank Him. Many of the Jews around would probably scoff him saying 'Better let the priest say first before you conclude'.
And I wonder; Is it that too many issues in our lives are pending the verdicts of men before we believe God has done them? Is this one other reason God's children are ungrateful? Society has its standards and until it calls us 'rich', we can not thank God for His provisions. Okay, just check why you have not returned to thank God. Are you on your way to the priests?
3. 'Must the nine return, really?'
You see, this was not the first time someone healed would 'glorify God'. In Luke 5:25 the paralysed man that was healed 'departed to his own house, glorifying God'. So who says the nine did not 'glorify God' as they went forth? In another account in Luke 18:43, the blind man who Jesus healed actually followed Jesus 'glorifying God'. So what was it about this ex-leper's returning that struck Jesus. You see, when he was a leper, he stood afar off along with the his colleagues. For a distance, they lifted up their voices to cry for mercy from Jesus (Luke 17:12-13). But when he was healed, he returned and fell at Jesus' feet to thank Him. He touched Jesus' feet. Now that is no small thing those days. It is an act of worship. That was what Satan demanded from Jesus at the temptation; '... if You will fall down and worship me', Satan said. As that man fell at Jesus' feet, he glorified God in a loud voice. Was he saying Jesus was God? Of course, Jesus is God- take it or take it. But Jesus Himself maintained the glory for God the Father when He said in verse 18; 'Were there not found any who returned to give glory to God...?' What is definite about this ex-leper's method?
A 'Thank you' to any man is not necessarily deifying that man. It is glorifying God. Whenever God would do you good, He more often than not, uses people. How many times have we 'commonise' these people? Oh, we give God thanks- no doubt about it. But do we really thank the people He uses to bless us? Parents, spouses, children, pastors, bosses, colleagues, friends, strangers- name them. Those are the people you should identify these few days left in the year. They are the ones God uses for you. Don't make them feel used, appreciate them.
Then, this is the shortest cut to giving God thanks, give to the poor. Need I say more?
I have a mission these thirteen days left for 2011 to end. It is a mission to thank God. Join me in these Thirteen Days of Thanksgiving. As God permits, I will be raising a Thanksgiving Point each day on this medium for the next 13 days. Just do it, and watch 2012 open all its gates for you! (Psalm 100:4; Psalm 24:7; Isaiah 60:11).
Thank you for reading. (Hmm, so this is my first time ever to thank you for reading my posts).
Thank you so much, without you my time was wasted.
Saturday, 3 December 2011
ENLARGE YOUR HOPE!
December is here! I can smell Christmas already. Whao! Now it is certain 2011 is on its way out. I hope it has been an exciting year for you like it has been for me. I am not about to tell you all the events that made the year such a delight for me. Let us just be grateful whatever 2011 has dealt us so far. And there are still a few days left, are there not? You are still alive, are you not? Did He not complete creation in six days? Oh, then rejoice in the remaining days of the year. There is hope. I am going to tell you about 'hope' today. The coming year and the years that follow are so promising that you can not afford to wallow in the cesspool of disappointments and regrets any more. We must learn to venture into the horizon of our future with the windbreak of hope. For God did not say in vain 'I ... give you a future and a hope' (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV). This is the month to enlarge your hope. This is the Month of Hope; Hope that does not disappoint. Hope that does not make ashame.
Hope is one word so grossly misunderstood and misapplied. To define it is to further confine it. The Scripture says in I Corinthians 13: 13 'And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest is love', Love being the greatest does not in any way diminish the value of the other two. Let me just profile Abraham as we appreciate the place of 'these three'; faith, hope and love. Okay. It was God who sought Abraham. Abraham was a pagan, was he not? Else why would God tell a man to vacate his country, his family and his fathers house? (Genesis 12:1). So when God called Abraham, He opened an account for Abraham. And for many years the account was not 'funded'. Until one day God showed Abraham the stars of the heaven and said to him, "So shall your descendants be". Abraham believed God and God deposited righteousness into that account. (Genesis 15:1-6). That is the story of many Christians. They have been saved many years but they have not believed. They still try to earn the reward of their salvation. "I am your exceeding great Reward' God told Abraham. Our God is our unspeakable Gift (2 Corinthians 9:15), our exceeding great Reward. (Genesis 15:6). Well, God showed Abraham the stars to illustrate the descendants with which He would bless Abraham. Abraham believed God. Two chapters after, when Abraham was about a hundred years, God told him He actually meant that Sarah would have a child. And Abraham laughed. Why did Abraham laugh? Did he no longer believed God? There was no record that the laughter debited what was earlier credited into his account. So, he did not disbelieve God by that laughter. Many of us would not laugh. We will form some pseudo-believing, forgetting that God is not mocked. Oh, you think faith is that mind-conditioning, possibility-thinking exercise that motivational speakers talk about? I know the power of a man's mind, but faith in God is a supernatural wavelength. Once you hook on it, God takes over. At the point Abraham laughed, God was already in full force. I will like to understand why Abraham laughed. He was 99 years old and Sarah was 89! As far as Abraham was concerned, he had a child already. Ishmael was a teenager and very strong boy, too. When God insisted it was through Sarah the promised child would come, Abraham braced up. He was face-to-face with the reality of his situation; he was standing in the terra firma, not just seeing the 'stars of the firmament'. Abraham at this point began to add hope to faith. And then to add hope to hope..
Hope is the sustainer of faith. Hope keeps faith alive. Listen to this '...faith is the substance of things HOPED for..'. Faith sees the evidence the way Abraham sees the stars and believed. See, unless you have seen, it is extremely difficult to believe. Thomas had to see the Resurrected Jesus to believe; all the apostles saw 'infallible proofs' of Christ resurrection. (Acts 1:2); there is no apostle since Christ ascended that has no evidence that He resurrected. And Jesus said 'Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed." (John 20:29). He knows that many like us will not see Him physically, yet believed. Our own faith has the hope-dimension; we are expecting Him back. No one can believe except he sees. Faith is seeing the supernatural, take it or keep forming 'pseudo-believing'. Faith has evidence. Hope is the one that amazes me. Hope sees nothing. Faith believes because he sees, but Hope believes when the seen is yet to manifest. Ah, hope is not a cheap word. You cannot hope in God unless you have first believed Him. Let us return to Abraham and see the role Hope played in his story.
Scriptures say that Abraham, contrary to hope, in hope he believed God. I like Paul, he calls a spade a spade. Paul said Abraham's body was dead at that age. And that Sarah's womb was dead too! (See Romans 4:17-19). Genesis 18: 11 tells us Sarah had passed the age of child-bearing and verse 12 tells us she could no longer even have 'pleasure' because her husband was old. Now I know what Paul refered to as 'Abraham's body', do you? It was dead! At that age, you don't start hoping a man's 'body' will rise. Oh it was 'contrary to hope' for Sarah's womb to even conceive at that age. But Abraham hoped against hope. That is the hope I am presenting today. You have really started believing God when you do not have reasons to hope; and I mean hope against hope .I will talk more about hope today, but let me show you from Abraham's story why love is the greatest. When the promised child was born, God told Abraham to sacrifice that child to Him. If I were Abraham, this is the time I will laugh. I will laugh very hillariously at the whole idea. I mean, think of it; You called me from where I was, I was doing fine doing my own things. I obeyed you and have been a stranger in the land you promised me and my descendants. You promised me not just a child, but children like the stars of the heaven. I waited till I was practically unable to make babies. Now by Your miracle I have this boy, and now You told me to kill Him? It is a joke, is it not? I would probably tell God that. But Abraham obeyed. No record of complaints, no record of questioning God. He just obeyed. And he was actually about to kill that boy when God shouted twice 'Abraham, Abraham!'. And for the very first time ever God swore. God needs not to swear since no one is greater than Him, but He was so moved by the love Abraham had for Him above all else, above even his only son- and God swore to Abraham. My friend Lanre once told me he felt that was where God tested the giving of His own only begotten Son. Oh he might be right because Mt Moriah where that event took place was the same mountain range Jesus was crucified. God must have said 'If Abraham could love me this much, I must go all the way'. This is how love supercedes faith and hope. Love is able to sow again all that faith and hope have laboured for. These three abide; faith, hope, love. Okay, let us now get down to Hope.
Hope is a word so commonly used. In fact Job tells us 'There is hope for a tree' (Job 14:7). There is hope for you. So let me say at this point that the hope refered to here is 'Hope in God'. Let us do some Bible Study. In Psalm 39:7, David said 'And now Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You'. Psalm 38:15, he said 'For in thee, O LORD, do I hope...'. In Psalm 43:5, David said for the third time in two consecutive chapters 'Why are you cast down, O my soul? ... Hope in God'. It is important therefore to establish where your hope is set. (See Psalm 78:7). How does one set his hope in God? By hoping in His word. (See Psalms 119:9, 114, 116; 130:5). Mercy comes to the hopeful. (See Psalm 33:18,22; 147:11). I can go on and on to draw out Scriptures on hope, but the one that hit me like a punch in the eye is Romans 5:1-5. Let me paraphrase; Paul said we were justified by faith. by this we have peace with God. Paul said Jesus grants us access to the grace of God while we hope for the glory of God. He said all our present realities will only establish our hope until we experience the 'hope that doest not disappoint'. When you experience this kind of hope, you have experienced the love of God. Read it yourself and see if I am right. See I have believed God for some things. Now I have hope in God and His word for me concerning those things. And it does not matter what is going contrary to my hope, I stiil have hope! Let me keep personal things personal. But I will give you an idea how strange my hope can be.
1. I HAVE HOPE IN GOD THAT ONE DAY A MOUNTAIN WILL MOVE INTO THE SEA AT THE WORD OF A BELIEVER.
In the old testament, strange things happen. We read about them and somehow we manage to believe them. The Red Sea was parted and a whole nation of people passed. Now how do you comprehend that? Jordan was parted. Jericho's wall crashed by the blowing of trumpets. The sun stood still till Joshua ended a battle (Really it was the earth that stood still, for the sun does not move, abi?). So if all these things really happened, why don't they anymore? I am not crazy about miracles, but I just happen to serve a God that does wonders. Jesus walked on water. Peter also did, so Jesus promised that we would do greater things and He gave us an idea when He said in Mark 11:23 "For assuredly I say unto you, whosoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says'. Some will laugh in derision at my hope, soem will even rationalise and try to explain what Jesus was saying and in what context He said it. Mind you, He said it after the fig tree dried up at His word! See, it is not about me. I have the hope that one day, one believer will bring it to pass in my own generation. Jesus does not speak empty words. I heard the story of some children in Asia who prayed about a mountain and next day government came to level that mountain. Plausible as that may sound, I mean something more graphic. Like Moses, you stand in front of that mountain and command it to be uprooted and to go into the sea, and it obeys you. It is contrary to hope. Wait for it.
2. I HAVE HOPE IN GOD THAT ONE DAY MEDICINE WILL FIND CANCER'S CURE.
I believe God heals any disease. Jesus paid for all sicknesses. I have had the privilege to pray and beieve God on two occasions for two women who had cancer. They both died. Pastor Seye, do you remember? Pastor Andy was there. And Lanre was there too. The second instance was the mother of a beloved friend. She was the friend who I told you introduced me to Watchman Nee's books early in my walk with God. On these two occasions, the patients died. Maybe my faith was not enough, but I am sure several men of God did pray for them too. Cancer is a waster. Cancer is a mocker. It mocks the wealth of the wealthy and ridicules the power of the powerful. And I know God has used people's prayers to heal some cancer patients. I am not satisfied yet. I want the ridicule of Cancer. Oh Malaria still kills rapidly especially in Africa. But nobody takes you too seriously when you have malaria. That is what I mean. I hope in God for a medical breakthrough that will find a cure as commonplace as panadol for Cancer. I do not know yet what profession my child will take -I only know his calling (Oh yes, I do)- but even if Daniel becomes a medical doctor, this is not about him. let the cure come from Lesotho, let it be Nevada; but I hope in God for the days in my generation when Cancer becomes a laughing stock. It is contrary to hope. Wait for it.
3. I HAVE HOPE IN GOD THAT AIDS WILL TOTALLY DISAPPEAR FROM THE EARTH
Some days back, AIDS clocked 30 years on earth. And they said over 30 million people have the disease already- 10 million for every decade. It occurred to me that I was only a few years on earth when that dreaded hydra-headed monster first stepped on planet earth. And just may be my generation came in handy to flush it out in due time. Now where was it before that time? All kinds of theories exist. Fela said it was 'America's Intention to Discourage Sex'. Funny. People even say it is God's wrath on a reckless generation. But seriously, I know all the sentiments that greet AIDS when it is being discussed. We easily assume that every one who has AIDS was sexually reckless. That is not true. Way back in School, I had to shake hands with some full-blown patients, and I still was not so sure it was right. I have an idea what the fear of AIDS could do to people. Four years ago, I had applied for a job and everything went well. I was called for the medical test as the final step before getting the appointment letter. Lo and behold, everyone was being called and I was yet to be called. I was devastated. 'Could it be...?' That day I told my mum I was yet to be called. She seemed to immediately assume the probability too. She went flat on the ground in fear. And almost immediately, the text message came in that I had the job. Well, I married about a year ago. And I got wedded in a very serious minded church. We did all the tests. And I saw the result. Negative. Still, the period of waiting was threatening. What is it about this killer disease? The stigma, the shame. Now, unlike cancer, AIDS had not been around before the eighties. Where did it come from? When will it be time to return? So it is not a cure for the victims that I hope for. It is an extinction of the vicious disease itself. Statistics say too many people have the disease and do not even know. How do you convince people to go for such test? To many, ignorance is bliss. But AIDS will have to return to where it came from. And I have hope in God that it will happen in my generation. It is contrary to hope. Wait for it.
One more Scripture; ' My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him' Psalm 62:5.
These are few among the things and the kinds of things I have believed God for, and hoped for, and now hoping against hope for. I serve a very big God, and He has not told me there is anything impossible for Him. Did He tell you that? Come on, keep that hope alive!
Hope is one word so grossly misunderstood and misapplied. To define it is to further confine it. The Scripture says in I Corinthians 13: 13 'And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest is love', Love being the greatest does not in any way diminish the value of the other two. Let me just profile Abraham as we appreciate the place of 'these three'; faith, hope and love. Okay. It was God who sought Abraham. Abraham was a pagan, was he not? Else why would God tell a man to vacate his country, his family and his fathers house? (Genesis 12:1). So when God called Abraham, He opened an account for Abraham. And for many years the account was not 'funded'. Until one day God showed Abraham the stars of the heaven and said to him, "So shall your descendants be". Abraham believed God and God deposited righteousness into that account. (Genesis 15:1-6). That is the story of many Christians. They have been saved many years but they have not believed. They still try to earn the reward of their salvation. "I am your exceeding great Reward' God told Abraham. Our God is our unspeakable Gift (2 Corinthians 9:15), our exceeding great Reward. (Genesis 15:6). Well, God showed Abraham the stars to illustrate the descendants with which He would bless Abraham. Abraham believed God. Two chapters after, when Abraham was about a hundred years, God told him He actually meant that Sarah would have a child. And Abraham laughed. Why did Abraham laugh? Did he no longer believed God? There was no record that the laughter debited what was earlier credited into his account. So, he did not disbelieve God by that laughter. Many of us would not laugh. We will form some pseudo-believing, forgetting that God is not mocked. Oh, you think faith is that mind-conditioning, possibility-thinking exercise that motivational speakers talk about? I know the power of a man's mind, but faith in God is a supernatural wavelength. Once you hook on it, God takes over. At the point Abraham laughed, God was already in full force. I will like to understand why Abraham laughed. He was 99 years old and Sarah was 89! As far as Abraham was concerned, he had a child already. Ishmael was a teenager and very strong boy, too. When God insisted it was through Sarah the promised child would come, Abraham braced up. He was face-to-face with the reality of his situation; he was standing in the terra firma, not just seeing the 'stars of the firmament'. Abraham at this point began to add hope to faith. And then to add hope to hope..
Hope is the sustainer of faith. Hope keeps faith alive. Listen to this '...faith is the substance of things HOPED for..'. Faith sees the evidence the way Abraham sees the stars and believed. See, unless you have seen, it is extremely difficult to believe. Thomas had to see the Resurrected Jesus to believe; all the apostles saw 'infallible proofs' of Christ resurrection. (Acts 1:2); there is no apostle since Christ ascended that has no evidence that He resurrected. And Jesus said 'Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed." (John 20:29). He knows that many like us will not see Him physically, yet believed. Our own faith has the hope-dimension; we are expecting Him back. No one can believe except he sees. Faith is seeing the supernatural, take it or keep forming 'pseudo-believing'. Faith has evidence. Hope is the one that amazes me. Hope sees nothing. Faith believes because he sees, but Hope believes when the seen is yet to manifest. Ah, hope is not a cheap word. You cannot hope in God unless you have first believed Him. Let us return to Abraham and see the role Hope played in his story.
Scriptures say that Abraham, contrary to hope, in hope he believed God. I like Paul, he calls a spade a spade. Paul said Abraham's body was dead at that age. And that Sarah's womb was dead too! (See Romans 4:17-19). Genesis 18: 11 tells us Sarah had passed the age of child-bearing and verse 12 tells us she could no longer even have 'pleasure' because her husband was old. Now I know what Paul refered to as 'Abraham's body', do you? It was dead! At that age, you don't start hoping a man's 'body' will rise. Oh it was 'contrary to hope' for Sarah's womb to even conceive at that age. But Abraham hoped against hope. That is the hope I am presenting today. You have really started believing God when you do not have reasons to hope; and I mean hope against hope .I will talk more about hope today, but let me show you from Abraham's story why love is the greatest. When the promised child was born, God told Abraham to sacrifice that child to Him. If I were Abraham, this is the time I will laugh. I will laugh very hillariously at the whole idea. I mean, think of it; You called me from where I was, I was doing fine doing my own things. I obeyed you and have been a stranger in the land you promised me and my descendants. You promised me not just a child, but children like the stars of the heaven. I waited till I was practically unable to make babies. Now by Your miracle I have this boy, and now You told me to kill Him? It is a joke, is it not? I would probably tell God that. But Abraham obeyed. No record of complaints, no record of questioning God. He just obeyed. And he was actually about to kill that boy when God shouted twice 'Abraham, Abraham!'. And for the very first time ever God swore. God needs not to swear since no one is greater than Him, but He was so moved by the love Abraham had for Him above all else, above even his only son- and God swore to Abraham. My friend Lanre once told me he felt that was where God tested the giving of His own only begotten Son. Oh he might be right because Mt Moriah where that event took place was the same mountain range Jesus was crucified. God must have said 'If Abraham could love me this much, I must go all the way'. This is how love supercedes faith and hope. Love is able to sow again all that faith and hope have laboured for. These three abide; faith, hope, love. Okay, let us now get down to Hope.
Hope is a word so commonly used. In fact Job tells us 'There is hope for a tree' (Job 14:7). There is hope for you. So let me say at this point that the hope refered to here is 'Hope in God'. Let us do some Bible Study. In Psalm 39:7, David said 'And now Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You'. Psalm 38:15, he said 'For in thee, O LORD, do I hope...'. In Psalm 43:5, David said for the third time in two consecutive chapters 'Why are you cast down, O my soul? ... Hope in God'. It is important therefore to establish where your hope is set. (See Psalm 78:7). How does one set his hope in God? By hoping in His word. (See Psalms 119:9, 114, 116; 130:5). Mercy comes to the hopeful. (See Psalm 33:18,22; 147:11). I can go on and on to draw out Scriptures on hope, but the one that hit me like a punch in the eye is Romans 5:1-5. Let me paraphrase; Paul said we were justified by faith. by this we have peace with God. Paul said Jesus grants us access to the grace of God while we hope for the glory of God. He said all our present realities will only establish our hope until we experience the 'hope that doest not disappoint'. When you experience this kind of hope, you have experienced the love of God. Read it yourself and see if I am right. See I have believed God for some things. Now I have hope in God and His word for me concerning those things. And it does not matter what is going contrary to my hope, I stiil have hope! Let me keep personal things personal. But I will give you an idea how strange my hope can be.
1. I HAVE HOPE IN GOD THAT ONE DAY A MOUNTAIN WILL MOVE INTO THE SEA AT THE WORD OF A BELIEVER.
In the old testament, strange things happen. We read about them and somehow we manage to believe them. The Red Sea was parted and a whole nation of people passed. Now how do you comprehend that? Jordan was parted. Jericho's wall crashed by the blowing of trumpets. The sun stood still till Joshua ended a battle (Really it was the earth that stood still, for the sun does not move, abi?). So if all these things really happened, why don't they anymore? I am not crazy about miracles, but I just happen to serve a God that does wonders. Jesus walked on water. Peter also did, so Jesus promised that we would do greater things and He gave us an idea when He said in Mark 11:23 "For assuredly I say unto you, whosoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says'. Some will laugh in derision at my hope, soem will even rationalise and try to explain what Jesus was saying and in what context He said it. Mind you, He said it after the fig tree dried up at His word! See, it is not about me. I have the hope that one day, one believer will bring it to pass in my own generation. Jesus does not speak empty words. I heard the story of some children in Asia who prayed about a mountain and next day government came to level that mountain. Plausible as that may sound, I mean something more graphic. Like Moses, you stand in front of that mountain and command it to be uprooted and to go into the sea, and it obeys you. It is contrary to hope. Wait for it.
2. I HAVE HOPE IN GOD THAT ONE DAY MEDICINE WILL FIND CANCER'S CURE.
I believe God heals any disease. Jesus paid for all sicknesses. I have had the privilege to pray and beieve God on two occasions for two women who had cancer. They both died. Pastor Seye, do you remember? Pastor Andy was there. And Lanre was there too. The second instance was the mother of a beloved friend. She was the friend who I told you introduced me to Watchman Nee's books early in my walk with God. On these two occasions, the patients died. Maybe my faith was not enough, but I am sure several men of God did pray for them too. Cancer is a waster. Cancer is a mocker. It mocks the wealth of the wealthy and ridicules the power of the powerful. And I know God has used people's prayers to heal some cancer patients. I am not satisfied yet. I want the ridicule of Cancer. Oh Malaria still kills rapidly especially in Africa. But nobody takes you too seriously when you have malaria. That is what I mean. I hope in God for a medical breakthrough that will find a cure as commonplace as panadol for Cancer. I do not know yet what profession my child will take -I only know his calling (Oh yes, I do)- but even if Daniel becomes a medical doctor, this is not about him. let the cure come from Lesotho, let it be Nevada; but I hope in God for the days in my generation when Cancer becomes a laughing stock. It is contrary to hope. Wait for it.
3. I HAVE HOPE IN GOD THAT AIDS WILL TOTALLY DISAPPEAR FROM THE EARTH
Some days back, AIDS clocked 30 years on earth. And they said over 30 million people have the disease already- 10 million for every decade. It occurred to me that I was only a few years on earth when that dreaded hydra-headed monster first stepped on planet earth. And just may be my generation came in handy to flush it out in due time. Now where was it before that time? All kinds of theories exist. Fela said it was 'America's Intention to Discourage Sex'. Funny. People even say it is God's wrath on a reckless generation. But seriously, I know all the sentiments that greet AIDS when it is being discussed. We easily assume that every one who has AIDS was sexually reckless. That is not true. Way back in School, I had to shake hands with some full-blown patients, and I still was not so sure it was right. I have an idea what the fear of AIDS could do to people. Four years ago, I had applied for a job and everything went well. I was called for the medical test as the final step before getting the appointment letter. Lo and behold, everyone was being called and I was yet to be called. I was devastated. 'Could it be...?' That day I told my mum I was yet to be called. She seemed to immediately assume the probability too. She went flat on the ground in fear. And almost immediately, the text message came in that I had the job. Well, I married about a year ago. And I got wedded in a very serious minded church. We did all the tests. And I saw the result. Negative. Still, the period of waiting was threatening. What is it about this killer disease? The stigma, the shame. Now, unlike cancer, AIDS had not been around before the eighties. Where did it come from? When will it be time to return? So it is not a cure for the victims that I hope for. It is an extinction of the vicious disease itself. Statistics say too many people have the disease and do not even know. How do you convince people to go for such test? To many, ignorance is bliss. But AIDS will have to return to where it came from. And I have hope in God that it will happen in my generation. It is contrary to hope. Wait for it.
One more Scripture; ' My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him' Psalm 62:5.
These are few among the things and the kinds of things I have believed God for, and hoped for, and now hoping against hope for. I serve a very big God, and He has not told me there is anything impossible for Him. Did He tell you that? Come on, keep that hope alive!
Sunday, 6 November 2011
PRECIOUS, PRECIOUS BLOOD
Bar’ka da Sallah. Welcome to November. I have a word for November. That is why I am writing. But let me tell you a few things about October. October was great. I was one year in marriage that month. That is one month my family must have its retreat. Call it our ‘Sabbath Month’. I would not want to break that period of renewal if I were given a million dollars. It was the period I bonded in a very special way with my first child. That was the period I received new pair of eyes to look at my jewel of inestimable virtues- my wife. We are one year old in marriage, but ten years in friendship. Over the years of friendship, we have marked several dates; the day we first met- August 18th; the day our courtship started- April 23rd; the day we received the name of our first child- January 26th. Did I tell you my wife’s birthday is next to mine? Let me not bother you with those dates; let me just say they are special days to us. We mark each one in our unique ways. However, October 23rd stands out among our list of anniversaries. That was the day we were married. That singular day made sense of all the other days in our life. Our life together began that day. Two lives became one, signed, sealed and delivered by God Himself and witnessed by men and angels alike. So, we were one year in marriage last month- and Daniel clocked three months then. I wish to say ‘Thank you’ to everyone that sent us a message on that day. Sounds of rejoicing shall not cease from your households.
On that last day of October, I received a word from God that I believe, would benefit you too. That word would colour the whole of November and beyond if you have a good grasp of it. That word is ‘Blood’, so you can guess the colour. I know many people have the phobia for red- yes; this is one red that scares the devil to pieces. The Blood of Jesus does more than colour, it covers. Happy are you, if you are so covered in the times that we are in. I want to expose you to some covenant benefits in the Blood that Jesus shed on Calvary. The Bible recorded that His side was pierced, and immediately blood and water came out (John 19:34). The same John later told us that here on earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood bear witness and agree as one (I John 5:8). Theologians have argued whether John was referring to the same event at Calvary- but blood did flow at Calvary and John should know. He recorded most of the last week to Jesus’ death. Jesus was beaten many stripes. Those whips drew more than tears from Christ, they drew blood. Remember that a crown of thorns was worn on His head. As those thorns pierced His scalp, more blood flowed. Have you seen that film? Some believe ‘Passion of the Christ’ was exaggerated, but I think no film could paint the agony of the cross effectively. Blood, blood and blood everywhere. So what was all that fluid for? How could the Father turn away when His Only Begotten was being so handled? Come on, it was either a waste of Christ’s precious blood- or there is more to it.
Cain shed the first human blood on earth; ever since, blood flows endlessly. All kinds of crime and wars have remained avenues to add to earth’s ever increasing blood bank. And then, of course God instituted the Levitical shedding for the remission of man’s sins. I read an account of an average Passover Feast in ancient Israel by William Barclay in his book ‘The Mind of Jesus (p.5)’:
‘The hundreds of thousands of worshippers. Each one of them slitting the throat of the lamb …blood drain(s) away, … bowls of blood passed from hand to hand … to be dashed against the base of the altar. … the odour and the reek of blood … the Temple slippery with the blood of lambs, the atmosphere of a large slaughter house…
That was how ‘bloody’ Passover was. God established blood as an essential feature of this very important feast for the Jews. So let us see how Passover actually began. The stage was Egypt. Israel had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred years and God was about to deliver them. And a man called Moses was chosen to lead the Great Exodus. By this time, God had repeatedly warned Pharaoh – the mighty king of Egypt, through Moses to let His people go. Pharaoh refused. So it was going to be his ‘last straw’ and God had to prepare and preserve His own people so that they would not be casualties. Hear God talked to Moses in Exodus 12:2-14:
‘This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all… Israel … every man shall take for himself a lamb… a lamb for a household. … And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat… It is the LORD’s Passover. I will pass through the land of Egypt … and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgement: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you … And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy when I strike the land of Egypt. So …you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. (Abridged)
That was how Passover started. But much more than just a memorial feast, Passover was a Covenant Feast. Let us check Moses in a later account in Exodus 24:7-8:
‘Then (Moses) took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, ‘all that the LORD has said we will do… And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.’
The Book of the Covenant contained the words (commandments and blessings) of God. But all of those words were brought to life by the blood. As at those times, it was the symbolic blood of a lamb. Jesus came many years after and declared in Matthew 26:28:
‘For this is My blood of the new covenant…’
That was when He instituted the Lord’s Supper or ‘Holy Communion. Okay, let me tell you this- for me, every meal I take is a communion. But that is for another day. Let us look at that statement Jesus made at the dining table. They are exactly the same words Moses declared except for ‘My’ and ‘new’. Jesus came and established the New Covenant. The writer of Hebrews called Him the ‘Mediator of the new covenant’ (Heb. 12:24). The new covenant is about the blood of Jesus and He mediates between man and God. ‘Mediates’ is not a strong word like ‘judge’. In law, a mediator seeks to find a common ground between two opposing parties. Jesus found a common ground between God and us- and that in His Blood. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? Jesus paid the entire price and there He is- still begging us to enjoy the privilege! I just want to spell out four of those privileges today. That blood does not- and will not- bear witness in heaven; here on earth is where the blood is needed. Quickly, four Covenant Privileges in the Blood of Jesus Christ:
1. Remission of Sins.
In simple terms, forgiveness. He was wounded for our transgressions. (Isa. 53:5a). The blood of Jesus is our claim to God’s forgiveness. God used to forgive people before Jesus came, so what is the Jesus’ dimension to forgiveness? Scriptures say that it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats would take away human sins (see Heb. 10:4). It amazes me that all those ‘priest(s) … (were) ministering daily and offering sacrifices, which can NEVER take away sins’! So, what was all those animal blood for? Ah, thank God I wasn’t around then. Thank God I came after ‘this Man (Jesus), (who) offered one sacrifice for sins FOREVER…’ (Heb. 10: 11-12 paraphrased). By that covenant in His blood, God declared ‘There sins I WILL remember no more.’
How do I prove that the blood of Jesus covers even your yet-to-be-committed sins? If Jesus’ blood could only go as far as your ‘hitherto’ sins, than he has done no better than a ‘Presidential pardon’. What no human pardon could assure you is forgiveness for your next sin. I have never met one believer who remained sinless after his accepting Jesus as Lord. Yet all sincere believers are on their way to heaven. John says we call God a liar if we claim we have no sins, that if any man sins we have an Advocate with the Father who is the propitiation for our sins. (see I John 1:5-10;2:1-2). The Mediator is the propitiation for our sin and still, He is our Advocate. In the Law, they found the Mercy Seat in the place of Judgement, in Christ the Mercy Seat is upgraded to the Throne of Grace (see Heb 4:16). We do not get the license to commit sin, but there we get the warrant to arrest sin. Sin- past, present and future- no longer dominates us. (see Rom. 6: 14). Once sin oppressed us, now we mesmerize it. It just cannot understand how we come out each time. Oh, thanks to the Mediator, the Propitiation, and the Advocate. Thanks for the Blood. Let us therefore, continue in grace (privilege of Christ’s cleansing) that sin may abase.
2. Healing.
The blood of Jesus flushes away sicknesses and diseases out of our body. Isaiah prophesied that we are healed by His stripes. (Isa. 53:5c). I cannot recall that Jesus came across one sick person and He found an excuse for not healing the person. Yes, I know so many believers who are sick and I do not mean that they are less godly or less spiritual. i am only saying that that sickness must be so much a part of your purpose in life for God to leave it on you if you are His child. And that is true- when you read the exploits by a blind and dumb woman like Helen Keller; you wonder what people need eyes for. And if that ailment is a parasite on your purpose- you have a Healing privilege in the blood of Jesus. Just because we have modernized medicine, we should not give excuses for falling sick. One of the first responsibility God took as the One who delivered Israel was to be their Healer. (Ex. 15:26; 23:25). Why would God do less by the stripes of His only begotten Son?
See, I find some ‘medical sense’ in the Healing privilege of the blood of Jesus. Medicine will define blood as the ‘life maintaining fluid that circulates nourishment, hormones, heat, antibodies, and oxygen among other valuables through the body’. The blood also carries away waste matter and carbon dioxide. One primary function of the blood is to help heal wounds, and help fight infection. How much more would the blood of Jesus avail for us against diseases?
3. Victory over Satan.
I capitalized ‘S’ because it is an English word and it is a noun. In Revelations chapter 12, an account was given of how Satan was thrown out of heaven. He was humiliated out of his place in heaven- and that by his colleagues Michael and co. Since then, Satan had no place and no say whatsoever in heaven. He was thrown down to the earth and the angels cried ‘Woe!’ to the inhabitants of the earth. But just before then, we had an insight into how they defeated the devil- by the blood. Hmmm. Since there is no devil in heaven to defeat, it is on earth here that we need the blood of Jesus. You can stamp the devil permanently out of your life and household- by the blood of Jesus! That guy is scared of RED! It is up to you, is that not?
4. ‘…Speaks Better Things…’.
Hebrews 12:24 says that the blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel. In Africa, we know that blood speaks- in fact, cries. Is it not interesting that the blood of Abel has been speaking since it was shed by Cain? (Gen. 4: 10). Jesus said in Luke 11:51 that ‘from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias … verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation’. And even righteous Abel cries for vengeance. If you are not in Christ, you are of ‘this generation’ who will answer for the blood of those people. I begin to feel many of these natural disasters are responding to blood that were shed wrongly. And every day, crimes of blood increase. I seriously pity ‘this generation’. But in Christ, we have the blood that shields us from evil, and proclaim better things for us. The Bible even said ‘Let us come boldly (by the blood of Jesus- Heb 10:19) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace …’ (Heb. 4:16). The blood speaks mercy and grace. Mercy covers what you have done and cannot undo; grace covers what you cannot even do at all.
What more shall I say? Why stand bythe pool? Take a dive.
On that last day of October, I received a word from God that I believe, would benefit you too. That word would colour the whole of November and beyond if you have a good grasp of it. That word is ‘Blood’, so you can guess the colour. I know many people have the phobia for red- yes; this is one red that scares the devil to pieces. The Blood of Jesus does more than colour, it covers. Happy are you, if you are so covered in the times that we are in. I want to expose you to some covenant benefits in the Blood that Jesus shed on Calvary. The Bible recorded that His side was pierced, and immediately blood and water came out (John 19:34). The same John later told us that here on earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood bear witness and agree as one (I John 5:8). Theologians have argued whether John was referring to the same event at Calvary- but blood did flow at Calvary and John should know. He recorded most of the last week to Jesus’ death. Jesus was beaten many stripes. Those whips drew more than tears from Christ, they drew blood. Remember that a crown of thorns was worn on His head. As those thorns pierced His scalp, more blood flowed. Have you seen that film? Some believe ‘Passion of the Christ’ was exaggerated, but I think no film could paint the agony of the cross effectively. Blood, blood and blood everywhere. So what was all that fluid for? How could the Father turn away when His Only Begotten was being so handled? Come on, it was either a waste of Christ’s precious blood- or there is more to it.
Cain shed the first human blood on earth; ever since, blood flows endlessly. All kinds of crime and wars have remained avenues to add to earth’s ever increasing blood bank. And then, of course God instituted the Levitical shedding for the remission of man’s sins. I read an account of an average Passover Feast in ancient Israel by William Barclay in his book ‘The Mind of Jesus (p.5)’:
‘The hundreds of thousands of worshippers. Each one of them slitting the throat of the lamb …blood drain(s) away, … bowls of blood passed from hand to hand … to be dashed against the base of the altar. … the odour and the reek of blood … the Temple slippery with the blood of lambs, the atmosphere of a large slaughter house…
That was how ‘bloody’ Passover was. God established blood as an essential feature of this very important feast for the Jews. So let us see how Passover actually began. The stage was Egypt. Israel had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred years and God was about to deliver them. And a man called Moses was chosen to lead the Great Exodus. By this time, God had repeatedly warned Pharaoh – the mighty king of Egypt, through Moses to let His people go. Pharaoh refused. So it was going to be his ‘last straw’ and God had to prepare and preserve His own people so that they would not be casualties. Hear God talked to Moses in Exodus 12:2-14:
‘This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all… Israel … every man shall take for himself a lamb… a lamb for a household. … And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat… It is the LORD’s Passover. I will pass through the land of Egypt … and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgement: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you … And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy when I strike the land of Egypt. So …you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. (Abridged)
That was how Passover started. But much more than just a memorial feast, Passover was a Covenant Feast. Let us check Moses in a later account in Exodus 24:7-8:
‘Then (Moses) took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, ‘all that the LORD has said we will do… And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.’
The Book of the Covenant contained the words (commandments and blessings) of God. But all of those words were brought to life by the blood. As at those times, it was the symbolic blood of a lamb. Jesus came many years after and declared in Matthew 26:28:
‘For this is My blood of the new covenant…’
That was when He instituted the Lord’s Supper or ‘Holy Communion. Okay, let me tell you this- for me, every meal I take is a communion. But that is for another day. Let us look at that statement Jesus made at the dining table. They are exactly the same words Moses declared except for ‘My’ and ‘new’. Jesus came and established the New Covenant. The writer of Hebrews called Him the ‘Mediator of the new covenant’ (Heb. 12:24). The new covenant is about the blood of Jesus and He mediates between man and God. ‘Mediates’ is not a strong word like ‘judge’. In law, a mediator seeks to find a common ground between two opposing parties. Jesus found a common ground between God and us- and that in His Blood. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? Jesus paid the entire price and there He is- still begging us to enjoy the privilege! I just want to spell out four of those privileges today. That blood does not- and will not- bear witness in heaven; here on earth is where the blood is needed. Quickly, four Covenant Privileges in the Blood of Jesus Christ:
1. Remission of Sins.
In simple terms, forgiveness. He was wounded for our transgressions. (Isa. 53:5a). The blood of Jesus is our claim to God’s forgiveness. God used to forgive people before Jesus came, so what is the Jesus’ dimension to forgiveness? Scriptures say that it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats would take away human sins (see Heb. 10:4). It amazes me that all those ‘priest(s) … (were) ministering daily and offering sacrifices, which can NEVER take away sins’! So, what was all those animal blood for? Ah, thank God I wasn’t around then. Thank God I came after ‘this Man (Jesus), (who) offered one sacrifice for sins FOREVER…’ (Heb. 10: 11-12 paraphrased). By that covenant in His blood, God declared ‘There sins I WILL remember no more.’
How do I prove that the blood of Jesus covers even your yet-to-be-committed sins? If Jesus’ blood could only go as far as your ‘hitherto’ sins, than he has done no better than a ‘Presidential pardon’. What no human pardon could assure you is forgiveness for your next sin. I have never met one believer who remained sinless after his accepting Jesus as Lord. Yet all sincere believers are on their way to heaven. John says we call God a liar if we claim we have no sins, that if any man sins we have an Advocate with the Father who is the propitiation for our sins. (see I John 1:5-10;2:1-2). The Mediator is the propitiation for our sin and still, He is our Advocate. In the Law, they found the Mercy Seat in the place of Judgement, in Christ the Mercy Seat is upgraded to the Throne of Grace (see Heb 4:16). We do not get the license to commit sin, but there we get the warrant to arrest sin. Sin- past, present and future- no longer dominates us. (see Rom. 6: 14). Once sin oppressed us, now we mesmerize it. It just cannot understand how we come out each time. Oh, thanks to the Mediator, the Propitiation, and the Advocate. Thanks for the Blood. Let us therefore, continue in grace (privilege of Christ’s cleansing) that sin may abase.
2. Healing.
The blood of Jesus flushes away sicknesses and diseases out of our body. Isaiah prophesied that we are healed by His stripes. (Isa. 53:5c). I cannot recall that Jesus came across one sick person and He found an excuse for not healing the person. Yes, I know so many believers who are sick and I do not mean that they are less godly or less spiritual. i am only saying that that sickness must be so much a part of your purpose in life for God to leave it on you if you are His child. And that is true- when you read the exploits by a blind and dumb woman like Helen Keller; you wonder what people need eyes for. And if that ailment is a parasite on your purpose- you have a Healing privilege in the blood of Jesus. Just because we have modernized medicine, we should not give excuses for falling sick. One of the first responsibility God took as the One who delivered Israel was to be their Healer. (Ex. 15:26; 23:25). Why would God do less by the stripes of His only begotten Son?
See, I find some ‘medical sense’ in the Healing privilege of the blood of Jesus. Medicine will define blood as the ‘life maintaining fluid that circulates nourishment, hormones, heat, antibodies, and oxygen among other valuables through the body’. The blood also carries away waste matter and carbon dioxide. One primary function of the blood is to help heal wounds, and help fight infection. How much more would the blood of Jesus avail for us against diseases?
3. Victory over Satan.
I capitalized ‘S’ because it is an English word and it is a noun. In Revelations chapter 12, an account was given of how Satan was thrown out of heaven. He was humiliated out of his place in heaven- and that by his colleagues Michael and co. Since then, Satan had no place and no say whatsoever in heaven. He was thrown down to the earth and the angels cried ‘Woe!’ to the inhabitants of the earth. But just before then, we had an insight into how they defeated the devil- by the blood. Hmmm. Since there is no devil in heaven to defeat, it is on earth here that we need the blood of Jesus. You can stamp the devil permanently out of your life and household- by the blood of Jesus! That guy is scared of RED! It is up to you, is that not?
4. ‘…Speaks Better Things…’.
Hebrews 12:24 says that the blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel. In Africa, we know that blood speaks- in fact, cries. Is it not interesting that the blood of Abel has been speaking since it was shed by Cain? (Gen. 4: 10). Jesus said in Luke 11:51 that ‘from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias … verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation’. And even righteous Abel cries for vengeance. If you are not in Christ, you are of ‘this generation’ who will answer for the blood of those people. I begin to feel many of these natural disasters are responding to blood that were shed wrongly. And every day, crimes of blood increase. I seriously pity ‘this generation’. But in Christ, we have the blood that shields us from evil, and proclaim better things for us. The Bible even said ‘Let us come boldly (by the blood of Jesus- Heb 10:19) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace …’ (Heb. 4:16). The blood speaks mercy and grace. Mercy covers what you have done and cannot undo; grace covers what you cannot even do at all.
What more shall I say? Why stand bythe pool? Take a dive.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
2 0 1 1 ... a quick review
As 2011 runs to a close, I have begun to pick a few headlines concerning the coming year. I will restrain myself till the eve of the New Year as God permits. However, I feel like doing a review of what God told me as regards 2011. I thought I could share this with you. These are the exact words as I wrote them in my facebook note of December 31 2010 at about 1:38am. Take a look and I believe the few days remaining in the year will still answer for you.
_The year 2011 is one interesting year. Let me say two things quickly;
1. I do not have the monopoly of hearing God. God has many sides, and the day He showed Moses His ‘back side’, Moses never recovered from it (see Ex. 33:23). I am about to share with you the side He showed me as touching the New Year. And why not, we can compare notes.
2. The side He showed me is almost void of evil. But indeed, ‘Sufficient is (one) day of its own evil…’ (see Mt 6: 34; Eph 5:16), so how much more 365 days? I want to share a secret with you; Prayer is like a sieve in the spirit. You can sift out many negatives in life by the mercies of God.
JUSTICE
I keep hearing ‘Justice… Justice…’. God will show up this New Year as The Judge. (see Is. 33:5,10; Ps. 12:5; Ps. 50:6; 75: 6-7). Now I remember in 2010, He is The King. I hope you know He told Moses‘I appeared to Abraham as… but to you…’ (Ex 6:3). 2011, The LORD is our Judge! (Is. 33:22). In Luke 18: 1-8, Jesus told the parable of the unjust judge, and concluded it by saying ‘And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him… I tell you that He will avenge them speedily…’ (see Luke 18:7,8). Speedy judgements shall permeate every sphere of human lives this year. (see Is. 1:24, Jer. 5:9, 29; 9:9). I began to plead inside me for His mercies, because I could see that ‘sinners in Zion’ shall not be spared (see Is. 33:14). And He told me His righteousness commits Him to justice as much as mercy (Jer. 23:5; Is. 33:5). I said ‘LORD, mercy prevails…’ But I saw that there are generations set apart for judgements… (Ex 34:7). And then He said ‘I, the LORD, love justice…’ (Is 61:8).
DOUBLE…
I have said it before. It is the year of Double. Double Honour particularly, but there is a double portion for every virtue you covet in the spirit (see 2Kings 2:9). He told me, people will get more than they deserve. Where you should get bronze, you will get gold… (see Is 60:7). Let every sinner repent, for there is double recompense too! (see Jer 16:18). And I was given an illustration; ‘Double’ is ‘2’ is human language, but it is something like ‘11’ in the realm of the spirit. 2 multiplied by 5 (the number of Grace) plus 1 (1 being God’s mercy, justice or whichever of His attribute is relevant for a particular situation) equals 11. So, V = (2*5) + I. You may leave the equation, but it made sense to me.
FAR-FETCHED
This is not too different from the second point. This came to me on Christmas day. It suddenly dawned on me that the baby Jesus that Mary held in her arms on that day, is the same Eternal King of kings! It is amazing, isn’t it? Imagine if Obama’s mum knew that the baby she held would be the first black president of USA. How did Mary comprehend she had her own LORD in pampers? See, God is set to do something in the life of someone that he or she would never be able to comprehend. Our personal or political calculations will never be able to work out outcomes in 2011. I cannot break it further down than this. (see Habakuk 1:5).
All of these will be true in our nation and the nations of the earth, too.
It’s a good time to be alive.
HAPPY NEW YEAR.
2012 is even more exciting. That is why I know the devil cannot kill you now. It is one year you CANNOT afford to miss! Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, you can determine a lot in the place of prayers. Do not leave so much to chance. Commit all to God. Find the time to worship Him. The Father still seeks true worshippers.
Remained blessed.
_The year 2011 is one interesting year. Let me say two things quickly;
1. I do not have the monopoly of hearing God. God has many sides, and the day He showed Moses His ‘back side’, Moses never recovered from it (see Ex. 33:23). I am about to share with you the side He showed me as touching the New Year. And why not, we can compare notes.
2. The side He showed me is almost void of evil. But indeed, ‘Sufficient is (one) day of its own evil…’ (see Mt 6: 34; Eph 5:16), so how much more 365 days? I want to share a secret with you; Prayer is like a sieve in the spirit. You can sift out many negatives in life by the mercies of God.
JUSTICE
I keep hearing ‘Justice… Justice…’. God will show up this New Year as The Judge. (see Is. 33:5,10; Ps. 12:5; Ps. 50:6; 75: 6-7). Now I remember in 2010, He is The King. I hope you know He told Moses‘I appeared to Abraham as… but to you…’ (Ex 6:3). 2011, The LORD is our Judge! (Is. 33:22). In Luke 18: 1-8, Jesus told the parable of the unjust judge, and concluded it by saying ‘And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him… I tell you that He will avenge them speedily…’ (see Luke 18:7,8). Speedy judgements shall permeate every sphere of human lives this year. (see Is. 1:24, Jer. 5:9, 29; 9:9). I began to plead inside me for His mercies, because I could see that ‘sinners in Zion’ shall not be spared (see Is. 33:14). And He told me His righteousness commits Him to justice as much as mercy (Jer. 23:5; Is. 33:5). I said ‘LORD, mercy prevails…’ But I saw that there are generations set apart for judgements… (Ex 34:7). And then He said ‘I, the LORD, love justice…’ (Is 61:8).
DOUBLE…
I have said it before. It is the year of Double. Double Honour particularly, but there is a double portion for every virtue you covet in the spirit (see 2Kings 2:9). He told me, people will get more than they deserve. Where you should get bronze, you will get gold… (see Is 60:7). Let every sinner repent, for there is double recompense too! (see Jer 16:18). And I was given an illustration; ‘Double’ is ‘2’ is human language, but it is something like ‘11’ in the realm of the spirit. 2 multiplied by 5 (the number of Grace) plus 1 (1 being God’s mercy, justice or whichever of His attribute is relevant for a particular situation) equals 11. So, V = (2*5) + I. You may leave the equation, but it made sense to me.
FAR-FETCHED
This is not too different from the second point. This came to me on Christmas day. It suddenly dawned on me that the baby Jesus that Mary held in her arms on that day, is the same Eternal King of kings! It is amazing, isn’t it? Imagine if Obama’s mum knew that the baby she held would be the first black president of USA. How did Mary comprehend she had her own LORD in pampers? See, God is set to do something in the life of someone that he or she would never be able to comprehend. Our personal or political calculations will never be able to work out outcomes in 2011. I cannot break it further down than this. (see Habakuk 1:5).
All of these will be true in our nation and the nations of the earth, too.
It’s a good time to be alive.
HAPPY NEW YEAR.
2012 is even more exciting. That is why I know the devil cannot kill you now. It is one year you CANNOT afford to miss! Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, you can determine a lot in the place of prayers. Do not leave so much to chance. Commit all to God. Find the time to worship Him. The Father still seeks true worshippers.
Remained blessed.
Monday, 26 September 2011
MAKING IT PLAIN...
*VINE AND VIRTUE INTERNATIONAL * *
* *Our Vision*
*… is to make lasting impacts in people’s lives by helping them fulfill their God given potentials.***
*Fulfillment is relative from person to person and it is that emptiness deep in the heart we yearn to fill. But there is also some emptiness in the earth we each will fill when we realize our own potentials. Vine and Virtue believes that fulfillment is found only in God and we aim to facilitate your journey through a fulfilled life. To achieve this, we employ timeless biblical truths and principles, providing fundamental and relevant resources that guarantee a life of impacts. To us, a fulfilled life is full of impacts.* *
* *Our Mission*
*… is to INSPIRE, to MOTIVATE, to EMPOWER people into ACTS of fulfillment.**
* *Based on our vision, we define IMPacts as INSPIRATION. MOTIVATION. POWER. ACTIONS. Everything we do revolves around inspiring, motivating and empowering you to produces the necessary actions that yield results. * *
* *Our Objective*
*… is to SEW the pieces of your life’s dreams into a fulfilled whole*
*S.E.W. is SPEAKING.EXHIBITION.WRITING. These form our modus operandi
* *Our Values*
*…are W H O L E*
*W- Word of God*
*H- Holiness*
*O- Order*
*L- Love*
*E- Excellence* *
* *Our Resources***
- *Vine and Virtue Seminars and Conferences*
- *Vine and Virtue Book Sales and Exhibitions*
- *Vine and Virtue Blog and e-publications*
- *Vine and Virtue Publishers* *
* *Funding **
**Being a non-governmental organization, we are funded by donor partners, like you, who are interested in expanding the knowledge base of fellow individuals like yourselves worldwide. You too can become one of our HEBRON PARTNERS.
Find us
G P 220 Lokongoma Phase II, Lokoja Nigeria.
Call us
* +234 (0) 80 3600 0272 *
*+234 (0) 80 6703 3897*
* *Our Vision*
*… is to make lasting impacts in people’s lives by helping them fulfill their God given potentials.***
*Fulfillment is relative from person to person and it is that emptiness deep in the heart we yearn to fill. But there is also some emptiness in the earth we each will fill when we realize our own potentials. Vine and Virtue believes that fulfillment is found only in God and we aim to facilitate your journey through a fulfilled life. To achieve this, we employ timeless biblical truths and principles, providing fundamental and relevant resources that guarantee a life of impacts. To us, a fulfilled life is full of impacts.* *
* *Our Mission*
*… is to INSPIRE, to MOTIVATE, to EMPOWER people into ACTS of fulfillment.**
* *Based on our vision, we define IMPacts as INSPIRATION. MOTIVATION. POWER. ACTIONS. Everything we do revolves around inspiring, motivating and empowering you to produces the necessary actions that yield results. * *
* *Our Objective*
*… is to SEW the pieces of your life’s dreams into a fulfilled whole*
*S.E.W. is SPEAKING.EXHIBITION.WRITING. These form our modus operandi
* *Our Values*
*…are W H O L E*
*W- Word of God*
*H- Holiness*
*O- Order*
*L- Love*
*E- Excellence* *
* *Our Resources***
- *Vine and Virtue Seminars and Conferences*
- *Vine and Virtue Book Sales and Exhibitions*
- *Vine and Virtue Blog and e-publications*
- *Vine and Virtue Publishers* *
* *Funding **
**Being a non-governmental organization, we are funded by donor partners, like you, who are interested in expanding the knowledge base of fellow individuals like yourselves worldwide. You too can become one of our HEBRON PARTNERS.
Find us
G P 220 Lokongoma Phase II, Lokoja Nigeria.
Call us
* +234 (0) 80 3600 0272 *
*+234 (0) 80 6703 3897*
Sunday, 11 September 2011
E M B E R s of Fear
Welcome to September. I think everyone has a month he or she dreads. America welcomes every September with chilly memories since 2001. It is exactly ten years today, when the unprecedented terrorist attack on the twin towers in America took place. Three thousand lives were lost. Not many events have shaken America the way 9/11 did. I don’t want to talk about terrorism; I just want to talk about evil, its fear and the antidote to evil. I also remember September with some chills. It was in September exactly four years on friday that I lost three colleagues to a road accident on their way from work. September, last year I escaped being lynched by an irate mob who were carrying weapons; I missed being killed by whiskers. But I did say, everyone has a month of dread. My Alma Mata will never forget July. I was still a student when a number of cultists carried out a commando-like attack that shook that campus to its spine. It was gory. After that incident, the government took serious steps to clamp down on campus cultism in my country. Some nations dread some months. Japan and which other countries had the Tsunami? That was a December event. Then, there was an August event recently that established terror in my country. The UN building in the capital city was bombed. It was the Federal Police Headquarters the previous month. That was Nigeria. I know someone who fears June. She says as if every bad thing that ever befell her came in June. Do you have a similar story? Which is your month of fear? Our experiences in life differ one from another; but have you noticed any cycle of evil attached to any month? Do you have memories that make a particular month a necessary nightmare? I am about to share some missile that is able to shatter your fear from its root. I lead prayers in a vigil recently and the devil is nursing a broken head at the moment. I want to teach you how to deal him just one blow. One blow only.
I am picking on September; but this will actually help you every other month or day of your life. Truly, 9/11 globalized Terrorism. Terror is more than the act; Terror is fear of a probable act. What is probable may not happen, but fear will hardly go once conceived. Fear torments. Only one thing is more frequent now than evil; it is the fear of evil. You see, in my part of the world there is a general phobia for the ‘ember’ months. ‘Ember’ months consist of the months in the last quarter of the year of which September is first. Do you have this infectious fear for the ‘ember’ months too? I have tried to point out to people that some of the worst calamities in our nation and the nations of the earth took place outside the ‘ember’ months. And we easily forget that Jesus said ‘there is enough evil in every day’. (Matthew 6:34, paraphrased). Jesus made that statement while admonishing us not to worry about tomorrow. Which means you have enough to worry about in today, why add tomorrow’s? Every single day of every single month of every single year is loaded with enough of its own evil. So why demonize the ‘ember months’? I would rather sanctify every day- ember or not. That was why Paul said in Ephesians 5:15; ‘(redeem) the time, because the days are evil’. If the devil means to take you, why should he wait for ‘ember months? Am I sounding like a pessimist? Oh, I try to be as realistic as possible and there is no greater reality that in the spiritual world. Just look around you now; there are far much more things you cannot see- and they are as real as the ones you can see. It is a fool that says there is no God; he is also a fool who says there is no evil. Even God does not deny the reality of evil. But does God fear evil? That is the point. Jesus taught us to pray to God saying ‘deliver us from evil’. And when He was going to pray for us, He said ‘(Father), I do not pray that You should take them (we His children) out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil (one).’ (John 17:15). Do not be deceived, the whole world lies under the sway of the evil one; those are the exact words of John in 1 John 5:19. But happy are you if you are of God! John said ‘we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the evil one’. Two realities; God and the evil one. That is what I was talking about; wake up brother, this life is live- you have no other channel to tune to. I use to tell the devil ‘now that I am here, it is you that will give me space’. Why am I so bold? Scriptures say ‘whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world’ (1 John 5:4). Oh yes, that is why I have no respect whatsoever for the devil- but I do not deny his reality neither do I underestimate him.
Let me tell you something about how God created each day, and then we can move on to the main thing for today. God made every day. (see Psalm 118:24). God makes every day- and you should be glad and rejoice in every day. Everyday is your day. The devil did not and cannot make a day. He has no day in his brand. All he does is try to spoil your day, and he has been doing this for long. You see, in the beginning when God was creating each day of the week, a subtle but very real drama played out between God and the devil. I will show you, but let me tell you this; Satan is not the ‘opposite’ of God. There is nothing with which you can match our God, no one- not even the devil; but because Satan is not as wise as we think, he rebelled against God. Anyway, when God made the heavens and the earth in the first verse of the Bible, the next verse says ‘the earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. I’m sure the devil thought he was in charge at that point. Darkness covered the earth- but the Spirit was there! Then God said in verse 3, ‘Let there be light’. What do you think? The devil was embarrassed. Let me stop a bit, and show how that is relevant to you. In Isaiah 60:1-3, the prophet prophesied saying ‘Arise, shine; for your light has come… For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth … deep darkness…. but … (God’s) glory will be seen upon you… the Gentiles shall come to your light’. The drama in the Genesis between darkness and light was put in a prophetic capsule by Isaiah for us to experience. Did Jesus not say we are the light of the world? See, it is the devil that should give you space. Okay, let’s return to Genesis. The devil’s first embarrassment was the coming of Light. But notice that God did not erase darkness. In verse 4, God separated light from darkness. Please also notice that, the sun and the moon were not created until the fourth day (Genesis 1:16-19). So what happened in Genesis is not that light comes and darkness disappeared. John gave us an idea of what really happened. He said in John 1 that ‘In the beginning… light shines in darkness’ and that is what the darkness cannot comprehend! Hmmm. Notice that in verse 5, God already delineated Day and Night before He made sun and moon. So what you call day and night is dictated by the rising and setting of the sun; that is not what it was in the very beginning. I hope you have your Bible with you. Okay. No wonder Jesus said in John 11:10; ‘… if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not IN him’. Please notice ‘the light is not in him’. Why is there one ‘eternal’ day in heaven and not on earth? Maybe you forgot, there is no night in heaven. (Rev 21:25). And you wonder why God does not sleep or slumber. There is no night in God. Well, we are men so we need to sleep. But like I said, the spiritual realm is more real. The earlier you step into God’s time zone, the better for you. But really, this is where I am going. Please notice that for every day God created, He would create a particular feature for that day- for instance He made the firmament in the midst of the waters… and the evening and the morning were the second day. This scenario of ‘and the evening and the morning were the so-so day’ played out all through in the creation of each day. In other words, before God considered a day ‘full’, ‘done’ or ‘well cooked’, He allowed the evening to test it. Evening is Night. Night is darkness.
Trust darkness, it summoned all its forces up till what we call ‘midnight’. Just when darkness has done its worst, morning comes. Aha! No wonder, we read in Psalms that ‘weeping MAY endure for a night, but joy COMETH in the morning’. (Psalm 30:5). One is a probability and has a time frame; the other is a certainty and has no time frame. Why, because by morning, darkness has failed, and your day is made. See why you should be glad and rejoice in every day? That is, if you operate God’s time zone actually. So that was the process through which every day was manufactured. The point I want to make thus far is; devil is interested in every day, any day- but God has overcome.
So, this is the blow you should deal the devil; Psalm 91.
P S A L M 9 1
:1. ‘He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’
Your location every point in time matters a lot to your safety. Sometimes ago I had a collection of ‘10 Safest Places in the World’. Now I cannot recall any of them. What is the point? Even if I believe they were so safe, am I going to dwell there and never leave? I want a mobile safety. So when I saw that God has a ‘secret place’ where I could ‘dwell’, I knew He was talk spiritually. I tell you; start taking the spiritual realm very seriously. It is a ‘secret place of the Most High’. ‘Secret’ tells me some may not know. ‘Place’ tells me it is a location; ‘of the Most High’ tells me it is a place in God. It’s a hiding place in the spirit. Paul said our lives are ’hid with Christ in God’. (Col 3:3). In Jeremiah 17:12 we learned that ‘a glorious high throne (exalted from the beginning) is the place of our sanctuary’. Every one of us could have his own place in God. You got to take your own place in God- or it remains eternally vacant Paul reiterated this in Ephesians 2:6; that God made us sit … in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That is where we dwell. Now the secret is out. Let the enemy know; that’s where we are hid. Aha! He knows the No-Go-Area. That is it. If Paul’s shadow was healing the sick and casting out demons, let him come close enough to the ‘shadow of the Almighty’. Goshen was in Egypt, but the plagues did not get there. What goes around does not have to come around; you only need to relocate.
:2. ‘I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress: My God, in Him I will trust”.
Refuge and Fortress. One is used for hiding, or seeking protection from danger; the other is fortified against attack or danger. They are not exactly the same thing. My country has been a Refugee Camp for citizens of a number of troubled African nations; what I cannot guarantee those refugees is the assurance of a fortress. You had better be sure your refuge is a fortress; that what we get in our ‘secret place’. Zion was branded by King David and God stamped it as a type and shadow of His own dwelling. In Hebrews 12:22-24 and Psalm 48:1, 2; we are told Zion is the ‘city of the living God’. In 2 Sam 5:7, 9’ Zion was the fortress where David dwelt, and it was called the ‘city of David’. How did the city of David become the city of God? Oh, it was a secret place known to David and not too many people until the New Covenant came. Now, watch it; I dwell in the ‘city of Deolu’ and it is the same city of God. In this city, you are in God as much as God is in you. Psalm 46:5 says ‘God is in the midst of her (the city as in verse 4) she shall not be moved’. Nothing moves Mt Zion. But this is where the link is; ‘I will say of the LORD… my God, in Him I trust’. Trust. Psalm 125:1 says ‘Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which CANNOT be moved’. ‘I will lift my eyes up to the hills, from where will my help come from?’ David said in Psalm 121. His help comes from the LORD. Where was Everest when God chose Zion? Where does your own help come from? Anyway, your trust in God is your secret code to that secret place. Oh only my own trust in God will keep me in my own city in God. You cannot rely so much even on Billy Graham’s trust, you have got to be able to say of the LORD; ‘My God, in whom I trust’.
:3. ‘Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence’
I like ‘surely’. It’s good to know there are some certainties in life’s vicissitudes, some constants in the equations of life. I also like some ‘buts’. In Obadiah verse 17; ‘But on Mount Zion…’ in Heb 12:22 too, you will see ‘But you have come to Mount Zion…’ There are mountains but only one sure one- Mount Zion. Obadiah said ‘But on Mount Zion, there shall be deliverance…’ Only in Zion is our deliverance guaranteed. A pestilence is bad enough, how about a perilous one? You don’t want to be there at all. But Paul did say that ‘perilous times shall come’ (2 Tim 3:1). I wish I could say that perilous times are here but I feel ‘all these are just the beginning of sorrows’ like Jesus said in Matthew 24:8. We will need this sure deliverance in the days to come, not the one United Nations promise. Don’t even think here we mean fowls. David knew what a fowler was- King Saul. May you not have a fowler on your trail. But this is a better prayer; may you have a sure deliverance from a fowler. If you chose the better prayer, come along.
:4. ‘He shall cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler’
Let’s focus on the last phrase. His truth… Jesus said ‘You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8:32). My advice is this; get stuffed with as much of God’s word as possible. Take time out for reading the Scriptures. And this is where I will leave you in this piece. I write mainly to inspire, motivate and empower people. But I am aware my writings challenge many. Let this one challenge you. Why don’t you continue in Psalm 91 and dig out all the truth God will show you in that passage? That is how it works- when you find it yourself.
Somewhere in Psalm 91, it says ‘No evil shall befall you’. if there is such a reality, I’m sure you want to be there.
I will be back.
I am picking on September; but this will actually help you every other month or day of your life. Truly, 9/11 globalized Terrorism. Terror is more than the act; Terror is fear of a probable act. What is probable may not happen, but fear will hardly go once conceived. Fear torments. Only one thing is more frequent now than evil; it is the fear of evil. You see, in my part of the world there is a general phobia for the ‘ember’ months. ‘Ember’ months consist of the months in the last quarter of the year of which September is first. Do you have this infectious fear for the ‘ember’ months too? I have tried to point out to people that some of the worst calamities in our nation and the nations of the earth took place outside the ‘ember’ months. And we easily forget that Jesus said ‘there is enough evil in every day’. (Matthew 6:34, paraphrased). Jesus made that statement while admonishing us not to worry about tomorrow. Which means you have enough to worry about in today, why add tomorrow’s? Every single day of every single month of every single year is loaded with enough of its own evil. So why demonize the ‘ember months’? I would rather sanctify every day- ember or not. That was why Paul said in Ephesians 5:15; ‘(redeem) the time, because the days are evil’. If the devil means to take you, why should he wait for ‘ember months? Am I sounding like a pessimist? Oh, I try to be as realistic as possible and there is no greater reality that in the spiritual world. Just look around you now; there are far much more things you cannot see- and they are as real as the ones you can see. It is a fool that says there is no God; he is also a fool who says there is no evil. Even God does not deny the reality of evil. But does God fear evil? That is the point. Jesus taught us to pray to God saying ‘deliver us from evil’. And when He was going to pray for us, He said ‘(Father), I do not pray that You should take them (we His children) out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil (one).’ (John 17:15). Do not be deceived, the whole world lies under the sway of the evil one; those are the exact words of John in 1 John 5:19. But happy are you if you are of God! John said ‘we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the evil one’. Two realities; God and the evil one. That is what I was talking about; wake up brother, this life is live- you have no other channel to tune to. I use to tell the devil ‘now that I am here, it is you that will give me space’. Why am I so bold? Scriptures say ‘whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world’ (1 John 5:4). Oh yes, that is why I have no respect whatsoever for the devil- but I do not deny his reality neither do I underestimate him.
Let me tell you something about how God created each day, and then we can move on to the main thing for today. God made every day. (see Psalm 118:24). God makes every day- and you should be glad and rejoice in every day. Everyday is your day. The devil did not and cannot make a day. He has no day in his brand. All he does is try to spoil your day, and he has been doing this for long. You see, in the beginning when God was creating each day of the week, a subtle but very real drama played out between God and the devil. I will show you, but let me tell you this; Satan is not the ‘opposite’ of God. There is nothing with which you can match our God, no one- not even the devil; but because Satan is not as wise as we think, he rebelled against God. Anyway, when God made the heavens and the earth in the first verse of the Bible, the next verse says ‘the earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. I’m sure the devil thought he was in charge at that point. Darkness covered the earth- but the Spirit was there! Then God said in verse 3, ‘Let there be light’. What do you think? The devil was embarrassed. Let me stop a bit, and show how that is relevant to you. In Isaiah 60:1-3, the prophet prophesied saying ‘Arise, shine; for your light has come… For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth … deep darkness…. but … (God’s) glory will be seen upon you… the Gentiles shall come to your light’. The drama in the Genesis between darkness and light was put in a prophetic capsule by Isaiah for us to experience. Did Jesus not say we are the light of the world? See, it is the devil that should give you space. Okay, let’s return to Genesis. The devil’s first embarrassment was the coming of Light. But notice that God did not erase darkness. In verse 4, God separated light from darkness. Please also notice that, the sun and the moon were not created until the fourth day (Genesis 1:16-19). So what happened in Genesis is not that light comes and darkness disappeared. John gave us an idea of what really happened. He said in John 1 that ‘In the beginning… light shines in darkness’ and that is what the darkness cannot comprehend! Hmmm. Notice that in verse 5, God already delineated Day and Night before He made sun and moon. So what you call day and night is dictated by the rising and setting of the sun; that is not what it was in the very beginning. I hope you have your Bible with you. Okay. No wonder Jesus said in John 11:10; ‘… if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not IN him’. Please notice ‘the light is not in him’. Why is there one ‘eternal’ day in heaven and not on earth? Maybe you forgot, there is no night in heaven. (Rev 21:25). And you wonder why God does not sleep or slumber. There is no night in God. Well, we are men so we need to sleep. But like I said, the spiritual realm is more real. The earlier you step into God’s time zone, the better for you. But really, this is where I am going. Please notice that for every day God created, He would create a particular feature for that day- for instance He made the firmament in the midst of the waters… and the evening and the morning were the second day. This scenario of ‘and the evening and the morning were the so-so day’ played out all through in the creation of each day. In other words, before God considered a day ‘full’, ‘done’ or ‘well cooked’, He allowed the evening to test it. Evening is Night. Night is darkness.
Trust darkness, it summoned all its forces up till what we call ‘midnight’. Just when darkness has done its worst, morning comes. Aha! No wonder, we read in Psalms that ‘weeping MAY endure for a night, but joy COMETH in the morning’. (Psalm 30:5). One is a probability and has a time frame; the other is a certainty and has no time frame. Why, because by morning, darkness has failed, and your day is made. See why you should be glad and rejoice in every day? That is, if you operate God’s time zone actually. So that was the process through which every day was manufactured. The point I want to make thus far is; devil is interested in every day, any day- but God has overcome.
So, this is the blow you should deal the devil; Psalm 91.
P S A L M 9 1
:1. ‘He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’
Your location every point in time matters a lot to your safety. Sometimes ago I had a collection of ‘10 Safest Places in the World’. Now I cannot recall any of them. What is the point? Even if I believe they were so safe, am I going to dwell there and never leave? I want a mobile safety. So when I saw that God has a ‘secret place’ where I could ‘dwell’, I knew He was talk spiritually. I tell you; start taking the spiritual realm very seriously. It is a ‘secret place of the Most High’. ‘Secret’ tells me some may not know. ‘Place’ tells me it is a location; ‘of the Most High’ tells me it is a place in God. It’s a hiding place in the spirit. Paul said our lives are ’hid with Christ in God’. (Col 3:3). In Jeremiah 17:12 we learned that ‘a glorious high throne (exalted from the beginning) is the place of our sanctuary’. Every one of us could have his own place in God. You got to take your own place in God- or it remains eternally vacant Paul reiterated this in Ephesians 2:6; that God made us sit … in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That is where we dwell. Now the secret is out. Let the enemy know; that’s where we are hid. Aha! He knows the No-Go-Area. That is it. If Paul’s shadow was healing the sick and casting out demons, let him come close enough to the ‘shadow of the Almighty’. Goshen was in Egypt, but the plagues did not get there. What goes around does not have to come around; you only need to relocate.
:2. ‘I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress: My God, in Him I will trust”.
Refuge and Fortress. One is used for hiding, or seeking protection from danger; the other is fortified against attack or danger. They are not exactly the same thing. My country has been a Refugee Camp for citizens of a number of troubled African nations; what I cannot guarantee those refugees is the assurance of a fortress. You had better be sure your refuge is a fortress; that what we get in our ‘secret place’. Zion was branded by King David and God stamped it as a type and shadow of His own dwelling. In Hebrews 12:22-24 and Psalm 48:1, 2; we are told Zion is the ‘city of the living God’. In 2 Sam 5:7, 9’ Zion was the fortress where David dwelt, and it was called the ‘city of David’. How did the city of David become the city of God? Oh, it was a secret place known to David and not too many people until the New Covenant came. Now, watch it; I dwell in the ‘city of Deolu’ and it is the same city of God. In this city, you are in God as much as God is in you. Psalm 46:5 says ‘God is in the midst of her (the city as in verse 4) she shall not be moved’. Nothing moves Mt Zion. But this is where the link is; ‘I will say of the LORD… my God, in Him I trust’. Trust. Psalm 125:1 says ‘Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which CANNOT be moved’. ‘I will lift my eyes up to the hills, from where will my help come from?’ David said in Psalm 121. His help comes from the LORD. Where was Everest when God chose Zion? Where does your own help come from? Anyway, your trust in God is your secret code to that secret place. Oh only my own trust in God will keep me in my own city in God. You cannot rely so much even on Billy Graham’s trust, you have got to be able to say of the LORD; ‘My God, in whom I trust’.
:3. ‘Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence’
I like ‘surely’. It’s good to know there are some certainties in life’s vicissitudes, some constants in the equations of life. I also like some ‘buts’. In Obadiah verse 17; ‘But on Mount Zion…’ in Heb 12:22 too, you will see ‘But you have come to Mount Zion…’ There are mountains but only one sure one- Mount Zion. Obadiah said ‘But on Mount Zion, there shall be deliverance…’ Only in Zion is our deliverance guaranteed. A pestilence is bad enough, how about a perilous one? You don’t want to be there at all. But Paul did say that ‘perilous times shall come’ (2 Tim 3:1). I wish I could say that perilous times are here but I feel ‘all these are just the beginning of sorrows’ like Jesus said in Matthew 24:8. We will need this sure deliverance in the days to come, not the one United Nations promise. Don’t even think here we mean fowls. David knew what a fowler was- King Saul. May you not have a fowler on your trail. But this is a better prayer; may you have a sure deliverance from a fowler. If you chose the better prayer, come along.
:4. ‘He shall cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler’
Let’s focus on the last phrase. His truth… Jesus said ‘You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8:32). My advice is this; get stuffed with as much of God’s word as possible. Take time out for reading the Scriptures. And this is where I will leave you in this piece. I write mainly to inspire, motivate and empower people. But I am aware my writings challenge many. Let this one challenge you. Why don’t you continue in Psalm 91 and dig out all the truth God will show you in that passage? That is how it works- when you find it yourself.
Somewhere in Psalm 91, it says ‘No evil shall befall you’. if there is such a reality, I’m sure you want to be there.
I will be back.
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
ACTS OF AN APOSTLE
It has been a while. One thing you can be sure of; my mind has been here. I write mainly from inspiration, and no matter how seriously I perspire to write, if I am not inspired, I will not flow. This is how I know I cannot write for money. And I also know I cannot write to impress. I had tried to put a piece together to mark my birthday- and please note that my wife’s birthday was next to mine. I tried and tried, and it just did not flow. You see, God even gave me a very personal word (from Genesis 18:18-19) on our birthday which I tried to share as much as possible to no avail. I have learned not to struggle. It was my first birthday as a husband and a father. It was a very special day to me. And let me seize this opportunity to thank once again, everyone that sent me birthday wishes through visits, calls, text messages or on my Facebook page. You all made me feel special as I have not been so inundated with that much goodwill in a long while. I thank you all.
It was a quiet birthday except that my phone kept ringing. Aside my wife and son, two people made that day very memorable. My sister was around. She is my only sister from the same mother. She follows me by birth and I have not seen many people display genuine interest in other people like my sister does. She is one of the most faithful followers of my blog- and life. All through my growing up and even up till now, I have used so much of her advice. A natural leader she is, and I know it was just a privilege to have come before her. She was around on my birthday with Seyifunmi her son. Seyifunmi is three months older than Daniel and they took their first picture together. My mother was also around on my birthday. Soon, I will find sufficient opportunity on this blog to write about my mother. She has been the strongest human influence in my life, and I am not ashamed to say it. Solomon’s mother was one of his greatest moral influences after God. In Proverbs, we see some of the wisdom God used his mother to teach him- one of which is the Classic ‘Virtuous Wife’ in Proverbs 31. My mum was the first true convert of our Christian home and she does not speak in tongues, yet I have not found a better example of a real (unpretending) person in Christendom. Anyway, leave it for another day; just know that my mother and my sister made my day. It was like I was visited by the host of heaven being in that Family circle. Okay let me get down to the topic. Let me warn; this is not for everyone. It is for those who still think seriously about their divine calling in life.
Act of an Apostle. Someone was trying to locate my place and he got to the neighbourhood and asked for the pastor. They led him to all the pastors in the area and he never met me that night. One reason is; I do not pastor a church. Since that is the common definition of a pastor. I do not even aspire to be one. I am an apostle- and I am so humbly proud to say so- yet if he had asked for the apostle, he still would not have located me. He stood a better chance asking for Adeolu. That is my name and so many people know that. I love that name and that is what my children shall answer as last name. Ade Olu- two of the most common prefixes and suffixes for names among Yoruba people. Ade signifies royalty. It literally means ‘Crown’. In Yorubaland, hearing ‘Ade’ in a person’s name tells you something about his lineage. That is true about my natural lineage- and I am a firstborn. But it has never crossed my mind to be the king of my hometown. How? Oh, when it comes to our turn, I have four vibrant and intelligent brothers to choose from. One of them might just be willing. So that is about my natural lineage. But I am also the son of the King of kings. Aha, I am not the firstborn of God- Jesus is, but I am also an heir of God, joint-heir with Christ. (See Romans 8:17). That is something mind-blowing. Now ‘Olu’ is the other part of my name and it stands for ‘deity’ in Yorubaland. The Almighty God is referred to as ‘Oluwa’. So my name literally means ‘God’s crown’. God’s head is by far a better place to be than on any pulpit. I do not disregard pastors. I have great respect for them. It is not an easy task to gather people and feed them- talk more of feeding them with the most precious of food which is God’s word. A pastor does much more than gather people. Of all the gifts of ministry, pastors are closest to people. They have great compassion for people. Teachers have a revelation to impart; apostles have missions to accomplish; but pastors have people to attend to. God calls them ‘shepherds’ and you only need to study a good shepherd to appreciate pastors. I am only saying it is more than a title, it is a calling. And I happen to know that pastoring is not my calling. I am Adeolu, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the grace of God; blessed be LORD God Almighty for the day I understood my calling.
So what are the acts of an apostle? They are in the Scriptures; the very book next to the Gospel of Jesus according to John. It is the most action packed book of the Bible with some of the most active personalities in Scriptures. One of them was Paul. After I meet Jesus in heaven, the next person I want to meet is Paul. So if you want to know who an apostle is and what he does, study Paul- not me. Paul was the man God who championed the global gospel. He focused on the gentiles and penetrated the Roman world with the message of the Resurrected Jesus. He wrote more than anyone else in the New Testament. He surmounted the most unimaginable obstacles in the course of fulfilling his calling. Who am I when apostles are mentioned?
Watchmen Nee is the person I would love to meet in heaven next to Paul. If you want to know the acts of an apostle, read about Watchman Nee. Next to the Scriptures, his books were the very first literatures I began to read and enjoy as a young convert. They helped form the bedrock of my Christian convictions. Nee Shu-tsu, as his original name was, came to know the Lord Jesus at the tender age of seventeen. And for the rest of his life, he exchanged his life for Christ’s. He lived and preached Christ at a time when Communism was at its peak in China. If I begin to relay the events of this man’s life, you will marvel at what great sufferings a man would undertake for the gospel’s sake. At some points, his natural body was so far gone that he believed only the resurrected life was sustaining him. He established many underground church movements in China, and of course he died in prison.
Oh, every generation has its own apostles. I know a brother, if I call his name you may not even know. Right now he heads the Nigerian office of an International Christian Missionary organization. But I knew him on the campus among students long before he was given that post. He is an apostle. Uncle D, as I love to call him, worked among students helping them to discover and live the full life. You cannot talk of the full life without Christ, but Uncle D shared- not just the message, he shared his life. Many students saw in him a milk cow, out of the little he had he shared and shared. Uncle D would go through anything- anything within God, to solve a student’s problem. Today, he has chains of generations of disciples (I am somewhere in the chains), and great was the day I made him preach to my brother. If I will write any man’s biography, it is his. So help me God.
Am I still an apostle? Help me, Lord, help me.
The Christianity I was introduced into is an action film. The first line of the book of Acts, Acts 1:1 says ‘the things Jesus began both to DO and to teach’. His apostles also brought reports of ‘all things, both what they had DONE and what they had taught’ (Mark 6:30). My generation wants to teach and teach. Even though apostles write epistles (don’t I?) at times, their greatest epistles are the lives they impacted for Christ, and the grounds they cover for Jesus. I can teach many things, I cannot teach how to be an apostle. Let me just say three things more.
1. The word ‘apostle’ first came out from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Himself. (Luke 6:13). So this is exclusively a Jesus idea. Hmmm. Apostles are chosen by Jesus. Many are called, few are chosen. Apostleship is all about Jesus. Apostles are Jesus’ personal staff. Thousands followed Him; He chose twelve out of them. Like God would need twelve sons of Jacob to establish His first order, apostleship was the order Jesus worked with. (See Rev. 21: 12, 14). Luke said Jesus had to pray on the mountain all night to choose His apostles. (Luke 6:12). That is how seriously Jesus takes one apostle. Why would any man trade that for any human recognition?
2. They have a personal revelation of the gospel. Every believer must have a personal encounter with Jesus and all is given the commission of spreading His gospel. But an apostle is taught some intricacies of the gospel of Christ so much so that he feels cursed if he preaches not the message. (Galatians 1: 11-12; 1 Cor. 9: 16). This is because somewhere in their journey with Christ, they are made to experience real sufferings for the gospel. Of course, you don’t like to suffer. Jesus suffered for you. Apostles suffer with Jesus, not from infirmity or any such satanic oppression; they only willingly engage the fruit of the spirit called ‘endurance’ in their bid to go the extra mile. Apostleship comes with so much responsibility, but great is the grace available for it. (Acts 4:33).
3. Apostles are emissaries of God’s kingdom. They were the ones Jesus left with what He started. There is a story I heard of when Jesus returned to heaven after He ascended. After all the welcome ceremony, the angels asked Jesus who He handed over all the work He did on earth. Jesus listed Simon Peter, James, John, Andrew and the rest. The angels tried not to laugh. They could not imagine that Jesus would entrust so much to so ordinary men. Apostles may look ordinary, but they have a Jesus-backing. And they have His government to advance. They are very versatile and can take up any profession, they can have many gifts or talents, but take note; all they do is about the kingdom of Jesus. They are that kingdom-minded. You see, whether you know it or not, this world is under the ‘sway (or control) of the wicked one (Satan)’ (1 John 5:19). And too many people are helping the devil’s cause without even knowing it. Apostles are too conscious of this and they move headlong against his systems from all strategic fronts.
The challenge here is to know who you are in God. You can do that when you seek to know and understand your own calling; and go ahead to fulfill it. Do not live your life on the roller coaster of societal expectations, walk in your own calling.
Lord Jesus, I need Your grace some more...
It was a quiet birthday except that my phone kept ringing. Aside my wife and son, two people made that day very memorable. My sister was around. She is my only sister from the same mother. She follows me by birth and I have not seen many people display genuine interest in other people like my sister does. She is one of the most faithful followers of my blog- and life. All through my growing up and even up till now, I have used so much of her advice. A natural leader she is, and I know it was just a privilege to have come before her. She was around on my birthday with Seyifunmi her son. Seyifunmi is three months older than Daniel and they took their first picture together. My mother was also around on my birthday. Soon, I will find sufficient opportunity on this blog to write about my mother. She has been the strongest human influence in my life, and I am not ashamed to say it. Solomon’s mother was one of his greatest moral influences after God. In Proverbs, we see some of the wisdom God used his mother to teach him- one of which is the Classic ‘Virtuous Wife’ in Proverbs 31. My mum was the first true convert of our Christian home and she does not speak in tongues, yet I have not found a better example of a real (unpretending) person in Christendom. Anyway, leave it for another day; just know that my mother and my sister made my day. It was like I was visited by the host of heaven being in that Family circle. Okay let me get down to the topic. Let me warn; this is not for everyone. It is for those who still think seriously about their divine calling in life.
Act of an Apostle. Someone was trying to locate my place and he got to the neighbourhood and asked for the pastor. They led him to all the pastors in the area and he never met me that night. One reason is; I do not pastor a church. Since that is the common definition of a pastor. I do not even aspire to be one. I am an apostle- and I am so humbly proud to say so- yet if he had asked for the apostle, he still would not have located me. He stood a better chance asking for Adeolu. That is my name and so many people know that. I love that name and that is what my children shall answer as last name. Ade Olu- two of the most common prefixes and suffixes for names among Yoruba people. Ade signifies royalty. It literally means ‘Crown’. In Yorubaland, hearing ‘Ade’ in a person’s name tells you something about his lineage. That is true about my natural lineage- and I am a firstborn. But it has never crossed my mind to be the king of my hometown. How? Oh, when it comes to our turn, I have four vibrant and intelligent brothers to choose from. One of them might just be willing. So that is about my natural lineage. But I am also the son of the King of kings. Aha, I am not the firstborn of God- Jesus is, but I am also an heir of God, joint-heir with Christ. (See Romans 8:17). That is something mind-blowing. Now ‘Olu’ is the other part of my name and it stands for ‘deity’ in Yorubaland. The Almighty God is referred to as ‘Oluwa’. So my name literally means ‘God’s crown’. God’s head is by far a better place to be than on any pulpit. I do not disregard pastors. I have great respect for them. It is not an easy task to gather people and feed them- talk more of feeding them with the most precious of food which is God’s word. A pastor does much more than gather people. Of all the gifts of ministry, pastors are closest to people. They have great compassion for people. Teachers have a revelation to impart; apostles have missions to accomplish; but pastors have people to attend to. God calls them ‘shepherds’ and you only need to study a good shepherd to appreciate pastors. I am only saying it is more than a title, it is a calling. And I happen to know that pastoring is not my calling. I am Adeolu, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the grace of God; blessed be LORD God Almighty for the day I understood my calling.
So what are the acts of an apostle? They are in the Scriptures; the very book next to the Gospel of Jesus according to John. It is the most action packed book of the Bible with some of the most active personalities in Scriptures. One of them was Paul. After I meet Jesus in heaven, the next person I want to meet is Paul. So if you want to know who an apostle is and what he does, study Paul- not me. Paul was the man God who championed the global gospel. He focused on the gentiles and penetrated the Roman world with the message of the Resurrected Jesus. He wrote more than anyone else in the New Testament. He surmounted the most unimaginable obstacles in the course of fulfilling his calling. Who am I when apostles are mentioned?
Watchmen Nee is the person I would love to meet in heaven next to Paul. If you want to know the acts of an apostle, read about Watchman Nee. Next to the Scriptures, his books were the very first literatures I began to read and enjoy as a young convert. They helped form the bedrock of my Christian convictions. Nee Shu-tsu, as his original name was, came to know the Lord Jesus at the tender age of seventeen. And for the rest of his life, he exchanged his life for Christ’s. He lived and preached Christ at a time when Communism was at its peak in China. If I begin to relay the events of this man’s life, you will marvel at what great sufferings a man would undertake for the gospel’s sake. At some points, his natural body was so far gone that he believed only the resurrected life was sustaining him. He established many underground church movements in China, and of course he died in prison.
Oh, every generation has its own apostles. I know a brother, if I call his name you may not even know. Right now he heads the Nigerian office of an International Christian Missionary organization. But I knew him on the campus among students long before he was given that post. He is an apostle. Uncle D, as I love to call him, worked among students helping them to discover and live the full life. You cannot talk of the full life without Christ, but Uncle D shared- not just the message, he shared his life. Many students saw in him a milk cow, out of the little he had he shared and shared. Uncle D would go through anything- anything within God, to solve a student’s problem. Today, he has chains of generations of disciples (I am somewhere in the chains), and great was the day I made him preach to my brother. If I will write any man’s biography, it is his. So help me God.
Am I still an apostle? Help me, Lord, help me.
The Christianity I was introduced into is an action film. The first line of the book of Acts, Acts 1:1 says ‘the things Jesus began both to DO and to teach’. His apostles also brought reports of ‘all things, both what they had DONE and what they had taught’ (Mark 6:30). My generation wants to teach and teach. Even though apostles write epistles (don’t I?) at times, their greatest epistles are the lives they impacted for Christ, and the grounds they cover for Jesus. I can teach many things, I cannot teach how to be an apostle. Let me just say three things more.
1. The word ‘apostle’ first came out from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Himself. (Luke 6:13). So this is exclusively a Jesus idea. Hmmm. Apostles are chosen by Jesus. Many are called, few are chosen. Apostleship is all about Jesus. Apostles are Jesus’ personal staff. Thousands followed Him; He chose twelve out of them. Like God would need twelve sons of Jacob to establish His first order, apostleship was the order Jesus worked with. (See Rev. 21: 12, 14). Luke said Jesus had to pray on the mountain all night to choose His apostles. (Luke 6:12). That is how seriously Jesus takes one apostle. Why would any man trade that for any human recognition?
2. They have a personal revelation of the gospel. Every believer must have a personal encounter with Jesus and all is given the commission of spreading His gospel. But an apostle is taught some intricacies of the gospel of Christ so much so that he feels cursed if he preaches not the message. (Galatians 1: 11-12; 1 Cor. 9: 16). This is because somewhere in their journey with Christ, they are made to experience real sufferings for the gospel. Of course, you don’t like to suffer. Jesus suffered for you. Apostles suffer with Jesus, not from infirmity or any such satanic oppression; they only willingly engage the fruit of the spirit called ‘endurance’ in their bid to go the extra mile. Apostleship comes with so much responsibility, but great is the grace available for it. (Acts 4:33).
3. Apostles are emissaries of God’s kingdom. They were the ones Jesus left with what He started. There is a story I heard of when Jesus returned to heaven after He ascended. After all the welcome ceremony, the angels asked Jesus who He handed over all the work He did on earth. Jesus listed Simon Peter, James, John, Andrew and the rest. The angels tried not to laugh. They could not imagine that Jesus would entrust so much to so ordinary men. Apostles may look ordinary, but they have a Jesus-backing. And they have His government to advance. They are very versatile and can take up any profession, they can have many gifts or talents, but take note; all they do is about the kingdom of Jesus. They are that kingdom-minded. You see, whether you know it or not, this world is under the ‘sway (or control) of the wicked one (Satan)’ (1 John 5:19). And too many people are helping the devil’s cause without even knowing it. Apostles are too conscious of this and they move headlong against his systems from all strategic fronts.
The challenge here is to know who you are in God. You can do that when you seek to know and understand your own calling; and go ahead to fulfill it. Do not live your life on the roller coaster of societal expectations, walk in your own calling.
Lord Jesus, I need Your grace some more...
Sunday, 7 August 2011
ERA OF EXPLOITS- PART 1
Welcome to August. This is my birth month; it is also my wife’s birth month. It is my father’s birth month; it is Obama’s birth month; it is Usain Bolt’s birth month. I tried to lobby God into upholding the doctors’ Expected Delivery Date of August 2nd or 3rd for our boy child; he came three days before August. I guess God wants to break my attachment to August, somehow. It’s not my fault; August is used to describe a great event- like in the phrase ‘August Occasion’. August is the only month with the letter G. G is for Great; G is even for God, Grace, and Glory. Let me not bore you with the litany of lines I used when I first wooed my wife. Welcome to August; welcome to the month of exploits. Exploits are not tied to any month; this is just an opportunity to learn a few things that guarantee an exceptional living.
Even Michael Jackson and Bill Clinton came in August. But exploits are not tied to any month, I said. Real Exploits are tied to a kind of people. Exploits are an exclusive of a set of people on the earth. The Bible said ‘… the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits’. (Daniel 11:32). The word ‘exploit’ appeared only twice in the KJV version of the Scriptures and the two times occurred in the Book of Daniel Chapter 11. Daniel… okay, let’s talk about Daniel for a while. Daniel- God is Judge- is the name of my son; beautiful name, beautiful Bible character. He was said to be ten times better than the best of his colleagues; he was reputed to possess an excellent spirit; He specialized in solving the most difficult of problems; he unraveled mysteries like one unwraps a gift. Daniel lived while four kings reigned- and he was relevant to all of them. He saw into the things John later wrote in the Book of Revelations- Daniel was light years ahead of his own generation. In his lifetime, they called God the God Of Daniel (Daniel 6:26); the very acronym of the word ‘G.O.D’. I named my son Daniel, and I call him each time with deep, deep understanding and revelation. So if only Daniel mentioned ‘exploit’ in the whole of the Scriptures, I am very interested.
You see, Daniel had an excellent spirit and he could unravel the most difficult mysteries; yet at some point, Daniel began to see things he could not comprehend (see Daniel 12:8). And God did not help matters; God told him ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end’ (Daniel 12:9). Packaged in that mystery also is the word ‘exploits’, such that the word never occurred before Daniel nor did it ever come up in the King James Version of Scriptures again. So when I hear my generation use that word (exploits) frequently and often loosely, I feel excited that God is set to unravel the mystery that He denied even Daniel. We live in interesting times, only we do not know. These are the times the likes of Daniel would wish they were around for God.
Those two times ever that the word ‘exploits’ occur in Scriptures were used in the prophetic. The first time, it refers to a king whose ‘heart shall be moved against the holy covenant’- that king shall do exploits (verse 28 of Daniel 11). The king there represents an order- a move- against the holy covenant. Have you noticed that the people we consider as ‘doing exploits’ are largely unbelievers? These are the ones who make it appear as if you can hit it big without God. They are doing exploits nevertheless. Consequently, man became so full of himself. Man was never so great in his own eyes as he is in our time. Man was never so boastful, defiant and rebellious as he is today. Man thinks he has reduced God to a seat in the church. There are people who do not know God and they are doing so well, aren’t they? But Real Exploits belong to the exclusive class of people ‘who know their God’, and the only way to disprove a counterfeit is to produce an original. You see, the world has not seen anything yet; let them have their time because the sons are coming. The manifestation of the true sons of God is at hand and it is going to hit the earth like a tornado. Let me calm down a little, as I take you into an era that is about to begin. This is going to be just a peep, as my mind cannot capture the whole scenario- it is just awesome!
Are you not curious? Did Jesus not say ‘Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and GREATER WORKS THAN THESE SHALL HE DO…?’ (John 14:12). Show me one work greater than what Jesus did? Let us not attempt to explain away the obvious; in fact, we have been witnessing LESSER WORKS since the days of the first apostles.
Dictionary defines Exploit as a daring deed or action. But you know I do not trust the Dictionary to unravel the true meaning of any word. There is the Word that was in the beginning- who was with God; who was God- that Word will explain exploits to us. And we shall take Daniel as case study. He should be able to give us an idea what exploit really means since the word was introduced into Scriptures through him.
Wait for me, let me attend to my Daniel. I will be back shortly.
Even Michael Jackson and Bill Clinton came in August. But exploits are not tied to any month, I said. Real Exploits are tied to a kind of people. Exploits are an exclusive of a set of people on the earth. The Bible said ‘… the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits’. (Daniel 11:32). The word ‘exploit’ appeared only twice in the KJV version of the Scriptures and the two times occurred in the Book of Daniel Chapter 11. Daniel… okay, let’s talk about Daniel for a while. Daniel- God is Judge- is the name of my son; beautiful name, beautiful Bible character. He was said to be ten times better than the best of his colleagues; he was reputed to possess an excellent spirit; He specialized in solving the most difficult of problems; he unraveled mysteries like one unwraps a gift. Daniel lived while four kings reigned- and he was relevant to all of them. He saw into the things John later wrote in the Book of Revelations- Daniel was light years ahead of his own generation. In his lifetime, they called God the God Of Daniel (Daniel 6:26); the very acronym of the word ‘G.O.D’. I named my son Daniel, and I call him each time with deep, deep understanding and revelation. So if only Daniel mentioned ‘exploit’ in the whole of the Scriptures, I am very interested.
You see, Daniel had an excellent spirit and he could unravel the most difficult mysteries; yet at some point, Daniel began to see things he could not comprehend (see Daniel 12:8). And God did not help matters; God told him ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end’ (Daniel 12:9). Packaged in that mystery also is the word ‘exploits’, such that the word never occurred before Daniel nor did it ever come up in the King James Version of Scriptures again. So when I hear my generation use that word (exploits) frequently and often loosely, I feel excited that God is set to unravel the mystery that He denied even Daniel. We live in interesting times, only we do not know. These are the times the likes of Daniel would wish they were around for God.
Those two times ever that the word ‘exploits’ occur in Scriptures were used in the prophetic. The first time, it refers to a king whose ‘heart shall be moved against the holy covenant’- that king shall do exploits (verse 28 of Daniel 11). The king there represents an order- a move- against the holy covenant. Have you noticed that the people we consider as ‘doing exploits’ are largely unbelievers? These are the ones who make it appear as if you can hit it big without God. They are doing exploits nevertheless. Consequently, man became so full of himself. Man was never so great in his own eyes as he is in our time. Man was never so boastful, defiant and rebellious as he is today. Man thinks he has reduced God to a seat in the church. There are people who do not know God and they are doing so well, aren’t they? But Real Exploits belong to the exclusive class of people ‘who know their God’, and the only way to disprove a counterfeit is to produce an original. You see, the world has not seen anything yet; let them have their time because the sons are coming. The manifestation of the true sons of God is at hand and it is going to hit the earth like a tornado. Let me calm down a little, as I take you into an era that is about to begin. This is going to be just a peep, as my mind cannot capture the whole scenario- it is just awesome!
Are you not curious? Did Jesus not say ‘Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and GREATER WORKS THAN THESE SHALL HE DO…?’ (John 14:12). Show me one work greater than what Jesus did? Let us not attempt to explain away the obvious; in fact, we have been witnessing LESSER WORKS since the days of the first apostles.
Dictionary defines Exploit as a daring deed or action. But you know I do not trust the Dictionary to unravel the true meaning of any word. There is the Word that was in the beginning- who was with God; who was God- that Word will explain exploits to us. And we shall take Daniel as case study. He should be able to give us an idea what exploit really means since the word was introduced into Scriptures through him.
Wait for me, let me attend to my Daniel. I will be back shortly.
Sunday, 31 July 2011
MAID, ARISE!
My boy child has finally arrived! Trust me; I will give you the full story. But permit me today, to share a burden on my heart. I can no longer hold it in; the burden of Borno. I know my son would not mind. It was in 2007 in Borno State that I ‘conceived’ my boy child. I will tell you that part of it today. I was in Borno, my wife (then my fiancée) was in Ife. We communicated mainly through calls and especially ‘extra-cool calls’, (every Nigerian knows what that means). So that night, we were talking on phones and we were having fellowship with God. I remember where I was and my Bible was in my front as we romanced the Scriptures together. I have sown so many spiritual seeds into that woman, long before we married. That night, we conceived our boy child. We knew his name. Ah, those who are close to me already know. You see, that singular revelation of our son’s identity and purpose became the very cornerstone of our relationship. That cornerstone is fast becoming a rock. So, now that my son is born, how can I ever forget Borno?
The bond between Borno and I is thick. I want to invite you to a 2-week Strategic Prayer Session for Borno, and it is important that you eavesdrop into the panting of my heart for that land. Until I went there for my National Youth Service Corp, I had no idea what that part of Nigeria looked like. But when I stepped into that land back in 2006, I just fell in love with it. NYSC is such a brilliant opportunity for self and national discovery, if only we give peace a chance. I was in Maiduguri all through my service year and never came home once until graduation. There was really no need to. It was such an exciting time of growth for me and I owe that land at least, my heartfelt supplications in this period of her excruciating travail of rebirth. I even wonder why I waited this long to cry for that land. It took my son to remind me. Among the books I will yet publish is 'Backside of the Desert', and it is about my spiritual sojourn in the famous land of the Kanuris. It was such a long journey, but let me take you through a short cut on my journey into the heart of Borno
I was posted to Borno to serve Nigeria under the NYSC scheme. I could not believe it and even attempted to defer my service, but the sense of purpose in me would not allow me. I knew too well that nothing would just happen to a child of God, abi? Borno is far from everywhere else in Nigeria. If you have been there, you know what I mean. I left from Lokoja yet I stayed over in Jos. Bro Ron, that was the day I slept at your place, remember? I arrived at Borno Express Car Park, and took a bike to the Camp not far from there. We were in the Camp for three weeks, I think. Then, it was the period when the very first Religious crisis in Borno in thirty years took place. Yes, the first in thirty years! Now, violence rock that land daily like a rocking chair. Do you still remember that Borno was called the 'Home of Peace'? That land was well acclaimed for the peace and tranquility enjoyed by citizens and residents alike over the decades. Right there in the Camp, we heard how people were killed and buildings burnt. I began to consider escaping from ‘Sobibor'. The NCCF- Corpers' Fellowship- had daily meetings in the Camp where I attended regularly. There they loved to sing 'It Pays To Serve Jesus...' and each time I heard the part that says 'I'd be a true soldier, I'd die at my post', I would silently reject the dying part and replace it with 'I'd serve at my post'. A few corpers died in that crisis and they probably died just as true corpers, I told God I'd stay in Borno and would even serve at Malamfatushi, if He would not let me die. Just before the Camp ended, that crisis ended. And great was the peace that permeated the land all through my stay.
I served in Maiduguri and not Malamfatushi. Comparing Maiduguri and Malamfatushi is like comparing a very beautiful damsel and a wretched old man. Maiduguri is like an average modern city in Nigeria. Malamfatushi is like actually going on the Sahara. We heard all kinds of news about the place, like; only a vehicle (rangerover) ever get to the place and that is just once in a week, that you walk on desert sands that sink and hold your feet and so on. We all dreaded being posted to Malamfatushi. Yet some Corp members served there. I did not. I served in Maiduguri. This is because I was discovered by the leadership of the Corpers’ Fellowship and was given an appointment as the Official Driver of Halleluyah. Okay, I was the Transport (and Organizing) Secretary and ‘Halleluyah’ is the name given to the Fellowship bus. Very interesting bus, the gear is the other way round, and the engine sounds just like her name; Haaa-leee-luuu-yaaaaaaah!!! Driving the bus gave me the opportunity to traverse the length and breadth of Maiduguri and even some parts outside the town. Ope was my able assistant and I have found few men as dedicated and hardworking as he was. Of course, I stayed in the ‘Family House’ which is what we call the Fellowship Secretariat. My room was Room 7, and I had some of the most interesting people in that house as roommates. The Prayer Secretary and the Evangelism Secretary were my roommates; very vibrant young men. I could touch on every resident of that house and how they touched my life positively, but I just wanted you to know I had a family in Borno; ‘They have taken me into their arms and I’m so glad to be a part of this great family’. Okay, you feel me now.
I had three opportunities to preach in the large gathering of the Corper’s weekly fellowship. The first topic was, ‘A Different Spirit’ taking the story of Joshua and Caleb’s attitude and how they possessed the Promised Land while a whole generation was wasted. The second time was when I preached ‘Patience is a Virtue’, where the Holy Spirit presented patience to us as a vital kingdom virtue (virtue, meaning power). The third message I preached was taped. It was titled ‘Ishmael’. There the source of Islam was traced according to the perspective of the Bible and other historical records. There I said based on records, that Borno was the gateway through which Islam entered into West Africa. The tape will go commercial someday for all to listen to. But I established love as the primary tool in the hand of a Christian, no matter his or her view of a Muslim. Isaac and Ishmael made up and when they came together to bury their father (see Genesis 25:8-9). Until we come to accept that we have the same source, and find a way to co-exist, while reaching out one to another, we will only destroy ourselves for no reason. After that message that Wednesday evening, I had to go to God and find out if He actually wanted me to stay back in Maiduguri after my service year. With that message, I had theory; practical was soon to follow.
So, not long after that, God led me to one of the most exciting and spiritually practical friend I have ever met in my journey in God. I call him my covenant friend. I was his best man at his wedding. Trust me, he and Lanre have met, and we all clicked like lego. The first book I ever published ‘Eating the Fruit of the Land’ was jointly written by this exceptional brother. His name is Peace. Okay, I met Peace in the Home of Peace. Peace had this deep, deep passion for Borno. He had just conceived the burden of prayer for that land at the time we met. He was a very dynamic young man. We had vigils of prayers; you know those kinds of prayers where you know that you are hitting the devil where it pains him. Peace and I and a number of other wonderful brothers and sisters in that Prayer Movement did a number of strategic apostolic things together, and I do not have his permission to share the details of those things. But, we visited the popular Lake Chad, and went on a canoe to the heart of the water. We were at the museum where we had contact with those ancient artifacts. We walked around the some streets at midnight; we stood under some trees at wee hours. I am not so brave, Peace is. That guy has no fear for the devil. Even Lanre knew he met a lion when he met him. There were institutions we visited and people we met, and believe me; all of those things were hitting the devil at several strategic points. Then we began to launch the movement in the other zones of Borno. Oh my, my, this turned out to be the most fulfilling task I undertook at the ‘Backside of the Desert’. We left Borno, knowing there would be results; we knew the harvest of our seeds of prayer would yield. We knew so well.
So, when violence and terrorism began to erupt out of that land- in a way that was totally unprecedented in our nation; I called Peace to ask him; ‘What has our prayers got to do with this?’ Peace told me to stay tuned. Since prayer is my antennae, I decided to press into God again in prayers for the land of cucumbers and water melon. Something good is about to follow these upheavals that has been the bane of Borno. And just like whatever enters Borno engulfs West Africa; God is about to inject His glory that will Nigeria and West Africa through the land of Borno. Borno shall rise again; she shall yet be the cynosure of all eyes. You see, since this is a burden, I must take you through the word of God and hope you catch it too. It is in Luke 8:40-56. Follow me, please.
Luke 8:40- And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.
‘…Jesus was returned…’. I love that phrase. We are in that season. We will realize how so much we need Jesus in our nation. We will suddenly see how fragile all our religious and political structures are. Oh yes, we will return Jesus to our land and the people will gladly receive him. There is no better time for the gospel to spread like this. The ground of Nigeria is prepared and positioned to receive the good news of Jesus like never before. The harvest is here already, other men have labored; it’s time to reap. That verse said ‘for they were all waiting for him’. Let the reapers arise. The field is green, and the Lord of the Harvest is almost here! Amen.
Luke 8:41- 42 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: 42For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.
But while everyone else was simply waiting for Jesus, there was someone thirsty for Jesus. They were waiting, but someone was inviting Him. If you were Jesus, who would you naturally be drawn to? Nigeria is waiting to receive Jesus again, waiting for another Jesus’ experience; but there are places hungry for a Jesus’ explosion. They were waiting for a return, Jarius needed a revival. Like Jairus who had a twelve year old daughter who was dying; there is urgency for missions in certain parts of our land. Like the Macedonian call, these places are calling for Jesus. Okay.
Luke 8:43-44- 43And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
Jarius had an urgent situation, but here was an emergency. Emergencies do not have the patience of protocol. They do not invite, they compel your attention. Have you ever witness doctors leave all patients in the waiting room for an emergency? If they are patients, then they can be patient; they can wait. An emergency just cannot wait! A woman had an issue. We all have issues, don’t we? Some issues are critical. She had a very critical issue- an issue of blood. And I hear ‘blood is thicker than water’. Yorubas have a proverb that says ‘if fire burns your child and your lap, you will first put out the fire on your lap’. You can argue how much you love your child until you have a real experience. Emergencies touch us so well, and they touch God too. The beautiful thing about the God we serve is that He can accommodate the Waiting, the Urgent and the Emergency. Jesus was headed for Jairus house, but He would not ignore a touch. Okay, Borno is our focus, we only have some emergencies on our hands. That is okay. The timing belongs to God.
Luke 8:49-50- 49While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. 50But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
So Jesus attended to the emergency, until the urgent became late. Jarius’ daughter died. Are there things you have waited for, and even invited God over and over to? Is it looking like it is too late now? Why did God tarry? Jesus had advance information, and was invited, yet Lazarus died. But all you need to be at peace is ‘Jesus will come’. If He is coming, nothing can be too late- absolutely nothing! So there came the news of Jarius’ daughter’s death and Jaius was told not to trouble the Master any more. Oh no! Keep troubling the Master. Even the unjust judge could not resist persistence (Luke 18), our God is the Just Judge- His judgement is on time. Oh no, it is not too late for Borno. Borno shall rise again! Forget about all the news you hear, Jesus is coming to Borno. That maid shall rise again, only believe!
Luke 8: 52-53- 52And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. 53And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.
He said the same thing when Lazarus died. It is doctors that pronounce people dead, Jesus won’t. Of course, people die when we believe so. Okay, let’s get back to our story. Jesus saw veryone weeping and mourning, and He said the girl was only sleeping. Interestingly, people who were weeping suddenly began to laugh. KJV said ‘they laughed Jesus to scorn’. That must have been a spell of laughter- after just weeping. I say Borno shall rise again, hope you did not laugh. But I know you mourn for that land. Too much blood and tears have flown on a single soil- too much. But Borno is only sleeping- she is not dead!
Luke 8: 54-55- 54And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. 55And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.
Maid, arise! Maid sounds like Maiduguri. Arise- is the word I want to pay attention to here. When you say that word, you assume that the object has the intrinsic ability to rise up. You would not say ‘Arise’ to a book, for instance; you would raise the book. What you say ‘Arise’ to, must have been dormant and you intended to activate. Borno has been dormant all along. We mistook her dormancy for peace and we even christened her ‘home of peace’. No, it is not peace all the while, it was oppression. I can hear the heart cry of Borno in Psalm 120:5-6 ‘Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.’ And just like Jesus did, there must first be a putting away. God will scatter the peoples who delight in war (see Psalm 68:30). The Prince of Peace will visit that land. A government will arise that will put paid to the evil in the land. There will be sanity in the civil service. Men shall have mutual respect one for another. After the maid arose, he commanded to give her meat. Meet of development. Far there in Borno, people shall run to invest. God will do these and more, in our lifetime.
This is my burden for Borno. So let us pray. Jesus allowed only Peter, James and John – and the parent of the girl- in (Luke 8:51). Is Jesus inviting you in today? Then join this facebook group BORNO SHALL RISE AGAIN. Daily prayers shall come to you by this medium, and I rely on you to join me. You may opt out of the group at the expiration of the prayer session as the group closes afterwards. But posterity and eternity will remember your labour of love. God bless you.
I am yours truly,
Adeolu Victor
The bond between Borno and I is thick. I want to invite you to a 2-week Strategic Prayer Session for Borno, and it is important that you eavesdrop into the panting of my heart for that land. Until I went there for my National Youth Service Corp, I had no idea what that part of Nigeria looked like. But when I stepped into that land back in 2006, I just fell in love with it. NYSC is such a brilliant opportunity for self and national discovery, if only we give peace a chance. I was in Maiduguri all through my service year and never came home once until graduation. There was really no need to. It was such an exciting time of growth for me and I owe that land at least, my heartfelt supplications in this period of her excruciating travail of rebirth. I even wonder why I waited this long to cry for that land. It took my son to remind me. Among the books I will yet publish is 'Backside of the Desert', and it is about my spiritual sojourn in the famous land of the Kanuris. It was such a long journey, but let me take you through a short cut on my journey into the heart of Borno
I was posted to Borno to serve Nigeria under the NYSC scheme. I could not believe it and even attempted to defer my service, but the sense of purpose in me would not allow me. I knew too well that nothing would just happen to a child of God, abi? Borno is far from everywhere else in Nigeria. If you have been there, you know what I mean. I left from Lokoja yet I stayed over in Jos. Bro Ron, that was the day I slept at your place, remember? I arrived at Borno Express Car Park, and took a bike to the Camp not far from there. We were in the Camp for three weeks, I think. Then, it was the period when the very first Religious crisis in Borno in thirty years took place. Yes, the first in thirty years! Now, violence rock that land daily like a rocking chair. Do you still remember that Borno was called the 'Home of Peace'? That land was well acclaimed for the peace and tranquility enjoyed by citizens and residents alike over the decades. Right there in the Camp, we heard how people were killed and buildings burnt. I began to consider escaping from ‘Sobibor'. The NCCF- Corpers' Fellowship- had daily meetings in the Camp where I attended regularly. There they loved to sing 'It Pays To Serve Jesus...' and each time I heard the part that says 'I'd be a true soldier, I'd die at my post', I would silently reject the dying part and replace it with 'I'd serve at my post'. A few corpers died in that crisis and they probably died just as true corpers, I told God I'd stay in Borno and would even serve at Malamfatushi, if He would not let me die. Just before the Camp ended, that crisis ended. And great was the peace that permeated the land all through my stay.
I served in Maiduguri and not Malamfatushi. Comparing Maiduguri and Malamfatushi is like comparing a very beautiful damsel and a wretched old man. Maiduguri is like an average modern city in Nigeria. Malamfatushi is like actually going on the Sahara. We heard all kinds of news about the place, like; only a vehicle (rangerover) ever get to the place and that is just once in a week, that you walk on desert sands that sink and hold your feet and so on. We all dreaded being posted to Malamfatushi. Yet some Corp members served there. I did not. I served in Maiduguri. This is because I was discovered by the leadership of the Corpers’ Fellowship and was given an appointment as the Official Driver of Halleluyah. Okay, I was the Transport (and Organizing) Secretary and ‘Halleluyah’ is the name given to the Fellowship bus. Very interesting bus, the gear is the other way round, and the engine sounds just like her name; Haaa-leee-luuu-yaaaaaaah!!! Driving the bus gave me the opportunity to traverse the length and breadth of Maiduguri and even some parts outside the town. Ope was my able assistant and I have found few men as dedicated and hardworking as he was. Of course, I stayed in the ‘Family House’ which is what we call the Fellowship Secretariat. My room was Room 7, and I had some of the most interesting people in that house as roommates. The Prayer Secretary and the Evangelism Secretary were my roommates; very vibrant young men. I could touch on every resident of that house and how they touched my life positively, but I just wanted you to know I had a family in Borno; ‘They have taken me into their arms and I’m so glad to be a part of this great family’. Okay, you feel me now.
I had three opportunities to preach in the large gathering of the Corper’s weekly fellowship. The first topic was, ‘A Different Spirit’ taking the story of Joshua and Caleb’s attitude and how they possessed the Promised Land while a whole generation was wasted. The second time was when I preached ‘Patience is a Virtue’, where the Holy Spirit presented patience to us as a vital kingdom virtue (virtue, meaning power). The third message I preached was taped. It was titled ‘Ishmael’. There the source of Islam was traced according to the perspective of the Bible and other historical records. There I said based on records, that Borno was the gateway through which Islam entered into West Africa. The tape will go commercial someday for all to listen to. But I established love as the primary tool in the hand of a Christian, no matter his or her view of a Muslim. Isaac and Ishmael made up and when they came together to bury their father (see Genesis 25:8-9). Until we come to accept that we have the same source, and find a way to co-exist, while reaching out one to another, we will only destroy ourselves for no reason. After that message that Wednesday evening, I had to go to God and find out if He actually wanted me to stay back in Maiduguri after my service year. With that message, I had theory; practical was soon to follow.
So, not long after that, God led me to one of the most exciting and spiritually practical friend I have ever met in my journey in God. I call him my covenant friend. I was his best man at his wedding. Trust me, he and Lanre have met, and we all clicked like lego. The first book I ever published ‘Eating the Fruit of the Land’ was jointly written by this exceptional brother. His name is Peace. Okay, I met Peace in the Home of Peace. Peace had this deep, deep passion for Borno. He had just conceived the burden of prayer for that land at the time we met. He was a very dynamic young man. We had vigils of prayers; you know those kinds of prayers where you know that you are hitting the devil where it pains him. Peace and I and a number of other wonderful brothers and sisters in that Prayer Movement did a number of strategic apostolic things together, and I do not have his permission to share the details of those things. But, we visited the popular Lake Chad, and went on a canoe to the heart of the water. We were at the museum where we had contact with those ancient artifacts. We walked around the some streets at midnight; we stood under some trees at wee hours. I am not so brave, Peace is. That guy has no fear for the devil. Even Lanre knew he met a lion when he met him. There were institutions we visited and people we met, and believe me; all of those things were hitting the devil at several strategic points. Then we began to launch the movement in the other zones of Borno. Oh my, my, this turned out to be the most fulfilling task I undertook at the ‘Backside of the Desert’. We left Borno, knowing there would be results; we knew the harvest of our seeds of prayer would yield. We knew so well.
So, when violence and terrorism began to erupt out of that land- in a way that was totally unprecedented in our nation; I called Peace to ask him; ‘What has our prayers got to do with this?’ Peace told me to stay tuned. Since prayer is my antennae, I decided to press into God again in prayers for the land of cucumbers and water melon. Something good is about to follow these upheavals that has been the bane of Borno. And just like whatever enters Borno engulfs West Africa; God is about to inject His glory that will Nigeria and West Africa through the land of Borno. Borno shall rise again; she shall yet be the cynosure of all eyes. You see, since this is a burden, I must take you through the word of God and hope you catch it too. It is in Luke 8:40-56. Follow me, please.
Luke 8:40- And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.
‘…Jesus was returned…’. I love that phrase. We are in that season. We will realize how so much we need Jesus in our nation. We will suddenly see how fragile all our religious and political structures are. Oh yes, we will return Jesus to our land and the people will gladly receive him. There is no better time for the gospel to spread like this. The ground of Nigeria is prepared and positioned to receive the good news of Jesus like never before. The harvest is here already, other men have labored; it’s time to reap. That verse said ‘for they were all waiting for him’. Let the reapers arise. The field is green, and the Lord of the Harvest is almost here! Amen.
Luke 8:41- 42 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: 42For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.
But while everyone else was simply waiting for Jesus, there was someone thirsty for Jesus. They were waiting, but someone was inviting Him. If you were Jesus, who would you naturally be drawn to? Nigeria is waiting to receive Jesus again, waiting for another Jesus’ experience; but there are places hungry for a Jesus’ explosion. They were waiting for a return, Jarius needed a revival. Like Jairus who had a twelve year old daughter who was dying; there is urgency for missions in certain parts of our land. Like the Macedonian call, these places are calling for Jesus. Okay.
Luke 8:43-44- 43And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
Jarius had an urgent situation, but here was an emergency. Emergencies do not have the patience of protocol. They do not invite, they compel your attention. Have you ever witness doctors leave all patients in the waiting room for an emergency? If they are patients, then they can be patient; they can wait. An emergency just cannot wait! A woman had an issue. We all have issues, don’t we? Some issues are critical. She had a very critical issue- an issue of blood. And I hear ‘blood is thicker than water’. Yorubas have a proverb that says ‘if fire burns your child and your lap, you will first put out the fire on your lap’. You can argue how much you love your child until you have a real experience. Emergencies touch us so well, and they touch God too. The beautiful thing about the God we serve is that He can accommodate the Waiting, the Urgent and the Emergency. Jesus was headed for Jairus house, but He would not ignore a touch. Okay, Borno is our focus, we only have some emergencies on our hands. That is okay. The timing belongs to God.
Luke 8:49-50- 49While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. 50But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
So Jesus attended to the emergency, until the urgent became late. Jarius’ daughter died. Are there things you have waited for, and even invited God over and over to? Is it looking like it is too late now? Why did God tarry? Jesus had advance information, and was invited, yet Lazarus died. But all you need to be at peace is ‘Jesus will come’. If He is coming, nothing can be too late- absolutely nothing! So there came the news of Jarius’ daughter’s death and Jaius was told not to trouble the Master any more. Oh no! Keep troubling the Master. Even the unjust judge could not resist persistence (Luke 18), our God is the Just Judge- His judgement is on time. Oh no, it is not too late for Borno. Borno shall rise again! Forget about all the news you hear, Jesus is coming to Borno. That maid shall rise again, only believe!
Luke 8: 52-53- 52And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. 53And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.
He said the same thing when Lazarus died. It is doctors that pronounce people dead, Jesus won’t. Of course, people die when we believe so. Okay, let’s get back to our story. Jesus saw veryone weeping and mourning, and He said the girl was only sleeping. Interestingly, people who were weeping suddenly began to laugh. KJV said ‘they laughed Jesus to scorn’. That must have been a spell of laughter- after just weeping. I say Borno shall rise again, hope you did not laugh. But I know you mourn for that land. Too much blood and tears have flown on a single soil- too much. But Borno is only sleeping- she is not dead!
Luke 8: 54-55- 54And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. 55And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.
Maid, arise! Maid sounds like Maiduguri. Arise- is the word I want to pay attention to here. When you say that word, you assume that the object has the intrinsic ability to rise up. You would not say ‘Arise’ to a book, for instance; you would raise the book. What you say ‘Arise’ to, must have been dormant and you intended to activate. Borno has been dormant all along. We mistook her dormancy for peace and we even christened her ‘home of peace’. No, it is not peace all the while, it was oppression. I can hear the heart cry of Borno in Psalm 120:5-6 ‘Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.’ And just like Jesus did, there must first be a putting away. God will scatter the peoples who delight in war (see Psalm 68:30). The Prince of Peace will visit that land. A government will arise that will put paid to the evil in the land. There will be sanity in the civil service. Men shall have mutual respect one for another. After the maid arose, he commanded to give her meat. Meet of development. Far there in Borno, people shall run to invest. God will do these and more, in our lifetime.
This is my burden for Borno. So let us pray. Jesus allowed only Peter, James and John – and the parent of the girl- in (Luke 8:51). Is Jesus inviting you in today? Then join this facebook group BORNO SHALL RISE AGAIN. Daily prayers shall come to you by this medium, and I rely on you to join me. You may opt out of the group at the expiration of the prayer session as the group closes afterwards. But posterity and eternity will remember your labour of love. God bless you.
I am yours truly,
Adeolu Victor
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
UNFURNISHED WORKS...
THIS IS JUST TO GET IN TOUCH. AND IF YOU THINK I HAVE NOT BEEN MAKING EFFORTS TO WRITE, YOU ARE JUST WRONG!
IN TWO WEEKS, I HAVE MADE THE ATTEMPTS BELOW… MAYBE YOU CAN PICK A FEW THINGS FROM THEM.
THINGS I LEARN FROM FROM FACEBOOK....
I like to come straight first hand; I spend quite a lot of time online, and half of it alone I'm on facebook. And if this is not helping me in any way, then it is actually destroying me. I had to evaluate from time to time until I was convinced I am the better for it. If you love God and you have the slightest sense of purpose, you would get bothered if anything or anyone for that matter seems to occupy most of your time. Nobody becomes great using his time for what is not in line with his purpose. Nobody stumbles on greatness, you had better be sure facebook is worth your purpose before you give it your time, otherwise you are only digging your own grave with each tab on that keyboard.
I want to share a few good things I have learned from facebook. If you are expecting to hear how to make money on facebook, then you may be disappointed. Some of us cannot make money from money. But I can guarantee that you would know how to make meaning from facebook at the end of the reading.
Everyone wants his or her voice to be heard. And that is what facebook has made possible. God bless Mark Zuckerberg. I will recommend an award for him in heaven. He is the next big thing after Gates' Microsoft. He has made it possible to connect people in ways that even Nokia would applaud. You can imagine that revolutions long overdue are being made possible by facebook! I am not going to talk about Egypt today. Neither will I talk about Tunisia. I am going to talk about you. See, facebook can bring about a revolution in your own life. I am not about to market a product that is already so self-selling. I am going to dwell on the product that you are and how your manifestation that is long overdue can be fast-tracked by the medium of facebook. You have got to pay due attention to this because the enemy of your soul is already twisting this very powerful instrument of self-improvement, networking, advertisement, and lots more into a weapon of self-destruction, time-wastage and purpose-depletion.
SCEPTRE SERIES: BREAKING THE STAFF OF THE WICKED
So I’m back, and the devil is in trouble.
I have no respect for the devil. I have said time and again, and I will say it again and again.
Have you heard the saying ‘one bad apple spoils the rest’? One wicked scepter will wreck the lot. The Scriptures say when a piece of land is given to a righteous man, all it will take for that man and his land to get messed up is one scepter of wickedness resting in that land.
I DON’T WANNA BE MANDELA
Today is Mandela’s birthday! He clocks 93 today. How a man could be so blessed with a beautiful life and enough time to live it. He had so much time in his life that he spent 27 years of it in prison (now, that is over 300 months or 9,000 days behind walls). Funny, 27 years are all some people have to live. His story makes the world such an interesting place to visit. He would be one giant tourist attraction if aliens actually tour the earth. Angels would even be fascinated by this story of the man who used his life to fight for freedom, and still had enough life to enjoy that freedom. Martin Luther King Jr. took a people to the mountaintop and left from there, Mandela took a people on a long walk up the mountain reigned with them. It will be unfair to compare these two great men, while MLK Jr was extraordinary, Mandela is so ordinary, yet so, so phenomenal.
You see, last week the doctor told my wife at the antenatal routine check that ‘the time would be any moment from now’. I have been so eager to see my baby. Then just a few hours before I began this write up, my wife told me; ‘everyone seem to be calling me today’. As if, she was going to deliver today. Great would be the coincidence if my child shares a day with Mandela. Just as I began to relish the thought it my heart, I heard my baby whisper to me the title of this piece; ‘I don’t want to be Mandela, I want to be me’. (Now, don’t ask me how it is possible that I heard those words). Ah ha! Why should I want my child to go through all those experiences of the Madibba? I gave it another thought. Why should I even attempt to be God over my child just because I am the father? The only one who is God and Father at the same time is Jehovah. I smiled and replied ‘Yes dear, you should be who God created you to be and never another.’ Recently, another man I respect so much, Wole Soyinka told a group of youths gathered on his birthday ‘Do not try to be me’. And I wonder if my generation could be so outstanding like these men. In a way, they do not even challenge us to do better than they did, but they challenge us to do our own thing! It is as if my generation is too busy trying to be like their models to really be themselves.
As early as possible, I will tell my child about Jesus. Then about Esther, David and Daniel. But I will also tell about Mandela, about Awolowo, about Obama. But what about me? What will I tell my child about me? Or what will people tell my child about me? What is there in me to inspire greatness in my own child? I began to search myself seriously. Why do these great men hardly raise great children? They were too busy being great, maybe. But when Solomon became king, there was really no one else to emulate like his own father, David. I want to raise great children, I just want to inspire, motivate and empower them as much as I can. I want them- not to imitate me or anyone else for that matter, I want them to emulate me and any other character so
worthy.
SPEAKING INTO GOD’S EARS
The art of listening is a difficult one. Now ‘listening’ is different from ‘hearing’, I’m sure you know. You hear with your ears, you listen with your heart. Very few people are really listening, yet all of us have something to say. Just speak to the person next to you and see how much attention he pays to you. And you need to pay a lot of attention in order to listen. Ours is a distracted generation. While that person you are speaking to is still trying to, at least, hear you, his phone rings.
AND THIS ONE IS UNTITLED YET…
Writing is not as easy as many think it to be. I once met a Professor of English and I asked her why I have never seen any of her books on any shelf. She told me she has never written one. I was surprised. Ma, you are a professor of English Language and you have not published a book? She told me she specializes in an aspect of the profession that criticizes people’s work. Hmm, I see. She went further to explain that when you have eyes trained to spot other’s mistakes, you become too careful to do your own work. That woman is a professional critic, and so many people are critics by vocation. That is why they are not doing much themselves. Some people even say they are ‘social critics’ and I find that occupation very interesting. I live in a country where too many things are wrong, but what I find more disturbing is too many people prefer to complain than take the simplest step to right the wrongs. Common protest, my people cannot stage. They specialize in criticizing everyone and everything. So, what am I doing myself? That is the point. It is so easy to criticize. The greatest
WRITING FOR ME, IS A MATTER OF INSPIRATION. AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, I TRY NOT TO FAKE IT. ONE THING I LEARN FROM GOD; HE IS NOT TALK-ACTIVE. WELL, IN THE MEANTIME, I KEEP FILLING IN, AND SOON AGAIN, THERE WILL BE A DELUGE. FOR NOW, ONE THING FILLS MY MIND MOST OF ALL; MY FIRST CHILD IS ALMOST HERE! SHHHHH! I THINK HE/SHE (IT’S STILL OUR LITTLE SECRET) IS SLEEPING NOW. I GOT TO GO NOW.
SEE YOU SOON WHEN I WOULD HAVE BECOME A CONFIRMED FATHER. GIGGLES.
IN TWO WEEKS, I HAVE MADE THE ATTEMPTS BELOW… MAYBE YOU CAN PICK A FEW THINGS FROM THEM.
THINGS I LEARN FROM FROM FACEBOOK....
I like to come straight first hand; I spend quite a lot of time online, and half of it alone I'm on facebook. And if this is not helping me in any way, then it is actually destroying me. I had to evaluate from time to time until I was convinced I am the better for it. If you love God and you have the slightest sense of purpose, you would get bothered if anything or anyone for that matter seems to occupy most of your time. Nobody becomes great using his time for what is not in line with his purpose. Nobody stumbles on greatness, you had better be sure facebook is worth your purpose before you give it your time, otherwise you are only digging your own grave with each tab on that keyboard.
I want to share a few good things I have learned from facebook. If you are expecting to hear how to make money on facebook, then you may be disappointed. Some of us cannot make money from money. But I can guarantee that you would know how to make meaning from facebook at the end of the reading.
Everyone wants his or her voice to be heard. And that is what facebook has made possible. God bless Mark Zuckerberg. I will recommend an award for him in heaven. He is the next big thing after Gates' Microsoft. He has made it possible to connect people in ways that even Nokia would applaud. You can imagine that revolutions long overdue are being made possible by facebook! I am not going to talk about Egypt today. Neither will I talk about Tunisia. I am going to talk about you. See, facebook can bring about a revolution in your own life. I am not about to market a product that is already so self-selling. I am going to dwell on the product that you are and how your manifestation that is long overdue can be fast-tracked by the medium of facebook. You have got to pay due attention to this because the enemy of your soul is already twisting this very powerful instrument of self-improvement, networking, advertisement, and lots more into a weapon of self-destruction, time-wastage and purpose-depletion.
SCEPTRE SERIES: BREAKING THE STAFF OF THE WICKED
So I’m back, and the devil is in trouble.
I have no respect for the devil. I have said time and again, and I will say it again and again.
Have you heard the saying ‘one bad apple spoils the rest’? One wicked scepter will wreck the lot. The Scriptures say when a piece of land is given to a righteous man, all it will take for that man and his land to get messed up is one scepter of wickedness resting in that land.
I DON’T WANNA BE MANDELA
Today is Mandela’s birthday! He clocks 93 today. How a man could be so blessed with a beautiful life and enough time to live it. He had so much time in his life that he spent 27 years of it in prison (now, that is over 300 months or 9,000 days behind walls). Funny, 27 years are all some people have to live. His story makes the world such an interesting place to visit. He would be one giant tourist attraction if aliens actually tour the earth. Angels would even be fascinated by this story of the man who used his life to fight for freedom, and still had enough life to enjoy that freedom. Martin Luther King Jr. took a people to the mountaintop and left from there, Mandela took a people on a long walk up the mountain reigned with them. It will be unfair to compare these two great men, while MLK Jr was extraordinary, Mandela is so ordinary, yet so, so phenomenal.
You see, last week the doctor told my wife at the antenatal routine check that ‘the time would be any moment from now’. I have been so eager to see my baby. Then just a few hours before I began this write up, my wife told me; ‘everyone seem to be calling me today’. As if, she was going to deliver today. Great would be the coincidence if my child shares a day with Mandela. Just as I began to relish the thought it my heart, I heard my baby whisper to me the title of this piece; ‘I don’t want to be Mandela, I want to be me’. (Now, don’t ask me how it is possible that I heard those words). Ah ha! Why should I want my child to go through all those experiences of the Madibba? I gave it another thought. Why should I even attempt to be God over my child just because I am the father? The only one who is God and Father at the same time is Jehovah. I smiled and replied ‘Yes dear, you should be who God created you to be and never another.’ Recently, another man I respect so much, Wole Soyinka told a group of youths gathered on his birthday ‘Do not try to be me’. And I wonder if my generation could be so outstanding like these men. In a way, they do not even challenge us to do better than they did, but they challenge us to do our own thing! It is as if my generation is too busy trying to be like their models to really be themselves.
As early as possible, I will tell my child about Jesus. Then about Esther, David and Daniel. But I will also tell about Mandela, about Awolowo, about Obama. But what about me? What will I tell my child about me? Or what will people tell my child about me? What is there in me to inspire greatness in my own child? I began to search myself seriously. Why do these great men hardly raise great children? They were too busy being great, maybe. But when Solomon became king, there was really no one else to emulate like his own father, David. I want to raise great children, I just want to inspire, motivate and empower them as much as I can. I want them- not to imitate me or anyone else for that matter, I want them to emulate me and any other character so
worthy.
SPEAKING INTO GOD’S EARS
The art of listening is a difficult one. Now ‘listening’ is different from ‘hearing’, I’m sure you know. You hear with your ears, you listen with your heart. Very few people are really listening, yet all of us have something to say. Just speak to the person next to you and see how much attention he pays to you. And you need to pay a lot of attention in order to listen. Ours is a distracted generation. While that person you are speaking to is still trying to, at least, hear you, his phone rings.
AND THIS ONE IS UNTITLED YET…
Writing is not as easy as many think it to be. I once met a Professor of English and I asked her why I have never seen any of her books on any shelf. She told me she has never written one. I was surprised. Ma, you are a professor of English Language and you have not published a book? She told me she specializes in an aspect of the profession that criticizes people’s work. Hmm, I see. She went further to explain that when you have eyes trained to spot other’s mistakes, you become too careful to do your own work. That woman is a professional critic, and so many people are critics by vocation. That is why they are not doing much themselves. Some people even say they are ‘social critics’ and I find that occupation very interesting. I live in a country where too many things are wrong, but what I find more disturbing is too many people prefer to complain than take the simplest step to right the wrongs. Common protest, my people cannot stage. They specialize in criticizing everyone and everything. So, what am I doing myself? That is the point. It is so easy to criticize. The greatest
WRITING FOR ME, IS A MATTER OF INSPIRATION. AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, I TRY NOT TO FAKE IT. ONE THING I LEARN FROM GOD; HE IS NOT TALK-ACTIVE. WELL, IN THE MEANTIME, I KEEP FILLING IN, AND SOON AGAIN, THERE WILL BE A DELUGE. FOR NOW, ONE THING FILLS MY MIND MOST OF ALL; MY FIRST CHILD IS ALMOST HERE! SHHHHH! I THINK HE/SHE (IT’S STILL OUR LITTLE SECRET) IS SLEEPING NOW. I GOT TO GO NOW.
SEE YOU SOON WHEN I WOULD HAVE BECOME A CONFIRMED FATHER. GIGGLES.
Saturday, 16 July 2011
TAKE THE STAGE, THEN TAKE YOUR TIME
Life is a stage, I sometimes like to say. But I now think life is a theatre. Some people are actors, some are spectators. Actors take the stage, of course. Spectators watch, jeer, cheer and in all, appreciate the actors based on their roles. No matter what you think of an actor, and how better you feel you would do, you have to get to the stage first. Stages are raised or at best special platforms for specified people. You do not go there of your own accord; you have got to be invited, or at best worthy to be there. So, no doubt you are in a big theatre; are you on the stage or in the pew? Oh the stage is usually not big for everyone at the same time; but we can all take the stage at different times. This piece is to encourage you to wait for your time, and when you take the floor, do take your time.
A few times, I have been opportune to speak to a group of people. Usually I have been informed ahead and given an opportunity to prepare ahead. Apart from being aware of the topic I would speak on, I am also told the time allotted to me. Life is like that. You came to this world for a purpose. As a child of God, you have a script to act in the ever-unfolding drama of God’s agenda for creation. You are one day supposed to take your turn on the very stage where several key men in God’s kingdom have been. Once upon a time, Abraham was on stage. Then Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Jephtah, David, Nehemiah, Daniel, Esther … the list goes on; Jesus, Peter, John, James, Paul… and in contemporary times, you know them who were on stage at their own time. So, you as a son of the kingdom have been predestinated to the stage. Paul said in Romans 8 (verse 19) that creation eagerly awaits our manifestation. In other words, creation eagerly wants us on stage. But we must wait to be invited; we must wait for our time. Paul further said in verse 30 that ‘whom He predestinated; these He also called, these He also justified, these He also glorified’. To be glorified is to be on stage, and if God has predestined you for glory, no one- nothing- can work against you. (Romans 8:31, paraphrased). So just wait for your time.
Abraham was living a quiet life, advanced in age when he was called up to the stage. Joseph lived seventeen years dreaming of the stage, and another thirteen years as a slave, before he was called up. David wandered through the wilderness keeping sheep. He was anointed for the stage several years before he got a call up. The timetable is in God’s hands; but He gave each of us the script. While you wait, why not prepare? Work on yourself and master the role. This is the challenge for every son of God that awaits his manifestation. God would rather keep you offstage than have you messed up onstage. ‘Study to show yourself approved...’ Paul told Timothy. You cannot ‘doctor’ the script; you can master the script. Jeremiah was called up and he complained of being too young; God challenged him to take courage. Moses said he stammered, God gave him an Aaron. When your time comes, no excuse from you will change the script; you will have to rise up to the challenge.
At some other times, I get an impromptu call to address people or situations. If it is a gathering, I always want to know how much time I am to use on stage. First, let me say that sometimes, life could place you in an ‘impromptu’ situation where you get called up on stage. Do not think you are ill-prepared. You see, the people who called you up, believed in you. So long you did not push yourself on them, relax and take the floor. Only, as I often do, be polite enough to know how long you have to be on stage. Now, why am I emphasizing the issue of time? Wait for your time, and then take your time- while on stage. Jesus waited many, many years to be on earth. Prophets after prophets have come and prophesied his coming; that did not push Him to come ahead of His time. And when He did come, He waited thirty years and manifested three years, and left. It is amazing; that Jesus was only going to spend three years of active performance on stage- with all those prophesies and Jewish expectations? No wonder many Jews believe their Saviour is yet to come. Three years? But it was enough to make an eternal impact! See, it is not how long you stay on stage; it is what impact you make on stage. Many years after David left the stage, reference was still being made to his exploits. It is such an uncommon gift for actors on the stage of life to know when to leave the stage. Yet we should not rush out of the stage. Oh no, do not rush out; you have waited all your life (or eternity, even) for it. Use your time completely, come on. You do not get off the stage to remember what you should have done or said. Take your time on stage; the floor is yours for the time being.
Are you on stage? Use your time. Are you yet to be on stage? In the meantime, master the script. See you when you get there.
A few times, I have been opportune to speak to a group of people. Usually I have been informed ahead and given an opportunity to prepare ahead. Apart from being aware of the topic I would speak on, I am also told the time allotted to me. Life is like that. You came to this world for a purpose. As a child of God, you have a script to act in the ever-unfolding drama of God’s agenda for creation. You are one day supposed to take your turn on the very stage where several key men in God’s kingdom have been. Once upon a time, Abraham was on stage. Then Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Jephtah, David, Nehemiah, Daniel, Esther … the list goes on; Jesus, Peter, John, James, Paul… and in contemporary times, you know them who were on stage at their own time. So, you as a son of the kingdom have been predestinated to the stage. Paul said in Romans 8 (verse 19) that creation eagerly awaits our manifestation. In other words, creation eagerly wants us on stage. But we must wait to be invited; we must wait for our time. Paul further said in verse 30 that ‘whom He predestinated; these He also called, these He also justified, these He also glorified’. To be glorified is to be on stage, and if God has predestined you for glory, no one- nothing- can work against you. (Romans 8:31, paraphrased). So just wait for your time.
Abraham was living a quiet life, advanced in age when he was called up to the stage. Joseph lived seventeen years dreaming of the stage, and another thirteen years as a slave, before he was called up. David wandered through the wilderness keeping sheep. He was anointed for the stage several years before he got a call up. The timetable is in God’s hands; but He gave each of us the script. While you wait, why not prepare? Work on yourself and master the role. This is the challenge for every son of God that awaits his manifestation. God would rather keep you offstage than have you messed up onstage. ‘Study to show yourself approved...’ Paul told Timothy. You cannot ‘doctor’ the script; you can master the script. Jeremiah was called up and he complained of being too young; God challenged him to take courage. Moses said he stammered, God gave him an Aaron. When your time comes, no excuse from you will change the script; you will have to rise up to the challenge.
At some other times, I get an impromptu call to address people or situations. If it is a gathering, I always want to know how much time I am to use on stage. First, let me say that sometimes, life could place you in an ‘impromptu’ situation where you get called up on stage. Do not think you are ill-prepared. You see, the people who called you up, believed in you. So long you did not push yourself on them, relax and take the floor. Only, as I often do, be polite enough to know how long you have to be on stage. Now, why am I emphasizing the issue of time? Wait for your time, and then take your time- while on stage. Jesus waited many, many years to be on earth. Prophets after prophets have come and prophesied his coming; that did not push Him to come ahead of His time. And when He did come, He waited thirty years and manifested three years, and left. It is amazing; that Jesus was only going to spend three years of active performance on stage- with all those prophesies and Jewish expectations? No wonder many Jews believe their Saviour is yet to come. Three years? But it was enough to make an eternal impact! See, it is not how long you stay on stage; it is what impact you make on stage. Many years after David left the stage, reference was still being made to his exploits. It is such an uncommon gift for actors on the stage of life to know when to leave the stage. Yet we should not rush out of the stage. Oh no, do not rush out; you have waited all your life (or eternity, even) for it. Use your time completely, come on. You do not get off the stage to remember what you should have done or said. Take your time on stage; the floor is yours for the time being.
Are you on stage? Use your time. Are you yet to be on stage? In the meantime, master the script. See you when you get there.
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