The Church on the wheels (Part 1)

A good study of the first century church shows a lot of progress that the apostles made. In spite of the fact that they were introducing an entirely new system over an already existing old one, it is evident that they prospered. 3000 men gave their lives to the Lord the first day Peter preached. Later 5000 believed in Christ and the Lord continued to add to their number day by day those who were being saved. Both Jews and Gentiles were obedient to the faith. The church blossomed.

It was not a stagnant church. It was not a lukewarm church. It was a vibrant and dynamic church - always on the wheels. They were able to withstand, by the power of God, the challenges of their days and had something they kept for the subsequent generations.

Now, why and how did they succeed? What made them so prosperous? What did the apostles do that made them record such tremendous results? In trying to answer these questions, we shall consider the 7 things the apostolic church committed themselves to. For us to have similar results, we are expected to do what the apostles did.

• A church committed to God: The first thing we discover is that the members of the church were not just committed to the church religious practices. They were committed to God and His glory. They had vibrant personal relationships with the Lord, thus they were able to co-exist in love in their fellowships. Individual members having a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, through repentance to God and faith in Jesus Christ, is the only basis or foundation for a church having a cooperate relationship with the Lord. Organizational structures are useless, no matter how religious, if the members do not know God and pursue His glory. Our horizontal relationship with our fellow humans cannot be good when our vertical relationship with God has problems and vice versa. If a church is filled with people who do not know the Lord personally, it is going to be very difficult for it to pursue the glory of God. We find that in the early church, the people were totally sold out to God Himself. When they were imprisoned and beaten, they rejoiced and counted it as a privilege to suffer for the Lord. They were even ready to die if that was God’s will for them. It was a church made up of people that knew their God. No wonder they did exploits.

• A church committed to the Great Commission: Also the early church was committed to the preaching and spreading of the gospel. Having received the charge from the Lord to preach the Good News in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and the Gentile Nations of the world, they were all out to obey their Master. (See Mat.28:19 Mark 16:15). Peter was a married fisherman but he was involved. Barnabas was a rich man and yet he obeyed the commission. Luke was a Medical Doctor but became a missionary physician. Philemon and Onesiphorous were wealthy people and yet were committed to missions. Timothy was a young man and yet preached the gospel. Priscilla and Aquila was a couple that supported missions and gave out their house for fellowship. Throughout the Book of Acts, we see the early church on fire for the Lord. Men from different walks of life were committed to the preaching of the gospel. One thing is clear, whenever a church is distracted and is not committed to the vision of preaching the gospel and the expansion of the Kingdom, the devil will commit her with trivial issues, quarrels, division and politics.
Furthermore, the gospel was not just preached to fulfill all righteousness, it was preached with power and demonstration of the Spirit. (See 1 Thess.1:5; 1 Cor.1:24; Col.1:27 etc). It is a sin for a church to lack the power of God or to preach the gospel of God as if it has no power.

• A Church Committed to prayer: We equally notice that the church was a praying church. Jesus once threw away the money-changers out of the temple telling them that the temple was supposed to be a house of prayer. (Lk.19:45,46). The church is not a place where emphasis on money and earthly success should take upper hand. It must be made up of a people who have both private and cooperate altars – people that pray as individuals and together as a church. The apostles once decided on issues of priority saying “it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables…we will devote ourselves to prayer” (Acts 6:2, 4a. Also see Acts 12:5,12; 3:1; 16:13 etc). Paul gave testimonies of what his prayer life and that of those who worked with him was like. (See 2 Thess.1:11,12; 1 Thess.1:2,3; Col.4:12; 1:3,4; Eph.1:16-23 etc). In line with the Lord’s admonition in Luke 18:1, “Men ought always to pray and not to faint”, Paul urged the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing”. (1 Thess.5:16). The early church was a praying church and members were involved. No wonder they experienced the power of prayer.

• A church committed to the Word of God: In Acts 6:2-4 as we noted above, another issue of priority the apostles decided was the Word of God. They said, “we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of God’s Word”. Christians were not lazy to study doctrines (See Acts 2:42). They were committed to both teaching and exhorting each other in their homes, house fellowships and in the temple. Many of the people following the apostles were determined to confirm what they were being taught by themselves like the Boreans (Acts 17:10-12). Members of the church were not slothful as we see today in most of our churches. They were not swallowing hook line and sinker what the preachers tell them. They were both individually and as a church committed to the study and obedience to the Word of God. Paul instructed Timothy, “Till I come, attend to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, to teaching”. (1 Tim.4:13). There are plausible words of wisdom, the so-called ‘prosperity’ gospel, and peddlers of God’s word (2 Cor.2:17). Unfortunately, none of these can save a man from hell nor change his eternal destiny. The apostles majored on the things that matter. 1 Cor.2:12; 1:23-25. They preached the full gospel. If the Bible is not the sole guide for faith and practice for a church and its members, man-made traditions and vested interests will dominate and they will not be able to accomplish anything tangible for God.

To be continued...

'New Birth' without Repentance?

“19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” Acts 3:19 (KJV)


There are many things that keep me scared in the church today. As I listen to several preachers and teachers around us both from the pulpit and other media outlets, and then reading the preaching and teachings of the Apostles and several church fathers, I see a world of difference. One wonders why we are having different results from what they experienced. We live in a generation where sin is rarely mentioned and everybody is taught how to appropriate the blessings of God and live comfortable here on earth but no emphasis is made on how to live a life of victory over sin and self, which determines one’s eternal future. Nobody is saying that a Christian should not work hard and live comfortable here on earth as much as God allows him, but comfort should not be pursued at the expense of eternity. An ungodly life with all the wealth and comfort that this world can offer is wasted and doomed as long as the Kingdom of God is concerned. A life that is lived for pleasure and self has no hope and cannot end up in the bossom of the Lord no matter the positions and power it commanded on earth. Just being religious cannot make a soul experience "a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord".

The Apostles did not frequently use the word ‘born again’. Reading through the epistles, I have not seen anywhere where someone was asked “Are you born again?” But were people getting born again? Sure! Were people’s lives being changed? Sure! Were Christians living in victory over sin and self? Absolutely yes! Now, what is the difference between their preaching and ours today? What was the content of their message that we have abandoned today? I want to share just one of them.

The Apostles vigorously preached against sin and asked people to repent and be converted. As I just opened the Concordance and typed in the word ‘repent’, it came out to be a word that is widely spread through both the Old Testament and the New Testament. (See Acts 2: 38; 3:19; 8:2; 17:30; 26:20). I have asked myself several times, “Is it possible to get born again without repentance?” The answer is NO! But unfortunately, the kind of gospel we preach today seems to tell people that it’s possible to be ‘born again’, experience all the blessings of God without repentance. We invite people to give their lives to Jesus we have not told them Who He is or what He has done to save them. We only present Him as if He is a tool to be used to achieve our dreams. So after preaching about ‘reigning in life’, ‘how to dominate over others’ and ‘how to destroy all our enemies and win in the war over poverty etc’, we then tell them that they cannot experience the blessings except they get ‘born again’. They would walk the aisle and ‘give’ their lives to the Jesus they do not know. They only know Him as the One to help them achieve all the things mentioned to them. Hence you find Christians who confess being ‘born again’ doing all kinds of terrible things in their workplaces so as to make money. You meet Christians who are as hardened as a rock in the Churches who the Word of God does not shake. They speak the language, do the activities and pray all the prayers but their lives are not different from their average countrymen.

As if that is not enough, some pastors make them feel that all they care for is their money and some are even given positions of authority. By doing this, their hearts are deceived that all is well. They are puffed up and they close every door to humbling themselves in repentance to God. Some of them resort to doing everything possible to just make sure they defend and please the pastors thinking that doing so ultimately grants them favour before God. What a great deception! The pastors allow it so because it feeds their relevance and pays their bills.

Indeed, we are in deep trouble and I’m deeply scared! Sin is still sending many to Hell and nobody seems to be shouting on top of his voice for people to hear, “repent and be converted”.

For more information on the New Birth, download my book here free of charge. Or write me: chrisekwedam@gmail.com.

HAPPY EASTER!

The Last Supper date??

I scanned thru this writeup last week but didn't really read it. However, I've taken my time to read it now.

“Professor Colin Humphreys, a scientist at the University of Cambridge, believes it is all due to a calendar mix-up -- and asserts his findings strengthen the case for finally introducing a fixed date for Easter.
Humphreys uses a combination of biblical, historical and astronomical research to try to pinpoint the precise nature and timing of Jesus's final meal with his disciples before his death.

Researchers have long been puzzled by an apparent inconsistency in the Bible.

While Matthew, Mark and Luke all say the Last Supper coincided with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover, John claims it took place before Passover”.

From here

For me, I do not have any problem with those who are doing research on these topics and their inferences. The Jewish Bible that we are using today as the OT has endured centuries of harsh criticisms but has come out strong as a historical compilation one can trust. And if the records therein are true as have been proved, then one can hang his/her life, both here and hereafter, on the God of Israel.

The records in the NT are fundamentally correct. A lot of other historical accounts confirm that. Hence, if the issues are fundamentally right and follows up the OT, in a progressive manner, then they can both be trusted.

As concerns the dates for Easter and Good Friday, I cannot argue with any man. That is why I do not want to be a theologian. I want to just do Biblical Studies if God gives me the opportunity to do it in an official form. There are a lot of garbages people debate over in Theological Studies, but in Biblical Studies, you study doctrines and teachings of the Bible. If you handle the Bible in a balanced manner, comparing Scripture with Scripture, all seeming controversies are sorted out. The Bible has not contradicted itself in any way. Yet, even difference in some interpretations has brought about a lot of denominations. But the beauty of our diversity is that we all agree and believe the fundamental teachings. I know that there have been enormous attempts to discredit the Bible but all archeological evidences continue to strengthen the Biblical records.

In conclusion, whether Jesus was arrested on Wed or Thurs does not bother me so much. They are among what we call the non-essentials. It has nothing to do to my salvation. The essential thing is that He died and rose again. He is alive. I can hang my life and future on Him.

Modern-Day Idolatery in the Church – Human Worship

“At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev 19:10 NIV

“I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!" Rev 22:8-9 NIV

I have wondered what would make a man like Brother John to feel like bowing down to worship the Angel that was talking to him, revealing to him the mysteries of God and the things that would happen thereafter. Perhaps, like Mathew Henry puts it, he had “his thoughts at the present overpowered by the vehemency of his affections”. From Chapter 19 to Chapter 22, God began to reveal to him the coming glory – the Alleluia Choruses, the Millennial Rule, the judgement and final defeat of Satan and the New Heaven and New Earth. In a great contrast, in the previous chapters we saw the battles, the powerful manifestation of the Anti-Christ and his false prophets and the part the fallen church would play. Maybe, they informed “the involuntary impulse of adoring joy at so blessed a prospect”.

Unfortunately, when we look around us today, we see the same fallen nature manifesting among Christians today. John was lucky to have an Angel around him who rebuked him. But today, there is nobody to rebuke the other. One of the things the reformists condemned was the papists’ practice of the worship of the elements of bread and wine, angels and the invocation of saints. Regrettably, while they were invoking the dead saints to pray for them, today what we see are people invoking both the living and dead church leaders to pray for them and bless them. The same way John turned to the Angel who was revealing to him the mysteries of God to worship him, today people turn to church leaders that reveal God’s mysteries to them and demonstrate God’s power to worship them. We worship those who are in authority and fear them more than we fear God Almighty and they accept it so because it feeds the fallen nature. The caution the Angels exhibited is thrown to the winds. In so doing, we both destroy ourselves and destroy our leaders. The leaders also help in destroying themselves.

Now how do some leaders help in destroying themselves? When they arrogate powers to themselves and exercise them with impunity because nobody will dare ask them any questions. When they present themselves as the Messiah of their Church members and the ones that have the powers to both bless and curse. When in the same way that God exercises His sovereignty and does whatsoever pleases Him, they also do whatever pleases them because of the position they occupy. The major task of Spiritual leaders is to point men to Christ through their lives, as examples, and the teaching of the Word of God. But these ones point men to themselves. Why they deserve pity is that they are surrounded by sycophants who cannot tell them the truth, which they do not even want to hear anyway. Hence they will continue to be a distraction to God’s people and continue on this slippery road of deception.

There are leaders that we kill as followers. We elevate them to the place of a mini god and ascribe powers that only God can exercise to them and they are not vigilant enough to correct the followers at the onset. There are leaders in the Church we have made to believe that they are infallible and their words are laws. And because it feeds the flesh and makes it feel good, their heart are deceived that eternity will accord them the same privilege the day they will stand before God. A young man told me last week, “your prosperity lies in the hands of your pastor”. All my attempts to let him know that what he was saying and the mind-set he was carrying have no place in the New Covenant, proved abortive because that is a lie he has been taught to believe and he preaches it with great zeal.

I was at the Imo State Airport sometime ago to carry my director and incidentally, aboard the same flight with him was the wife of one of the General Overseers of one of the leading denominations in this country. A lot of her members came from Port Harcourt to welcome her there too. Suddenly, as she left the Arrival Lounge coming out, many of the members rushed to her and knelt down before her and she was touching them. They came with an entourage and still met us on our way back. They were running against the traffic, harassing other road users and demonstrating all kinds of impunity.

When we do all these things, there is a deception that works in our minds that makes us think that we deserve and should look forward to all of these. The same deception has made some Church leaders adopt lifestyles that are not different from what our politicians have and we feed these deceptions. Those who are in high places pursue and amass wealth, oftentimes at the expense of those under them while the junior ones dream of when they will have promotion and enter those privileged positions.

The major problem I have with this behaviour is that it does not add up when we look at the teachings of the Lord Jesus in the Gospels and the teachings of the Apostles in the Epistles. We use all kinds of modern reasons and languages to slide back to the exact things the Reformers fought against in the Dark Ages of the Church. We use, “Man of God”, “Servant of God”, “God’s General” “Lord Bishop” etc as if there are champions and privileged ones that are above God’s judgement. Some say it is giving respect to whom it is due, but the truth is that they worship the god they can see. Even some have gone to the extent of telling me that their ‘bishop’ is the god they see.

In the Scriptures we have above, the first Angel told John, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev 19:10 NIV and the second Angel equally told him, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!" Rev 22:9 NIV

The principle should be, “I will not engage in this subtle human worship and no man will worship me”. May God help us to overcome the temptation of human worship. May we not boldly thread where angels are afraid to step on. May we not eat the food that angels were afraid and refused to eat. God bless you!

Billy Graham's pieces of advice to younger generation

He was asked, "If you could, would you go back and do anything differently?"

He answered, "Yes, of course. I'd spend more time at home with my family, and I'd study more and preach less. I wouldn't have taken so many speaking engagements, including some of the things I did over the years that I probably didn't really need to do—weddings and funerals and building dedications, things like that. Whenever I counsel someone who feels called to be an evangelist, I always urge them to guard their time and not feel like they have to do everything.

I also would have steered clear of politics. I'm grateful for the opportunities God gave me to minister to people in high places; people in power have spiritual and personal needs like everyone else, and often they have no one to talk to. But looking back I know I sometimes crossed the line, and I wouldn't do that now."

Billy is a man that many of us can look at as an example. I'll take heed to this advice. I hope that you equally do.

Read the whole Q & A here.

Enemies of the cross

“For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ” Phill.3:18 NLT

A careful examination of this passage shows that the people Paul is calling enemies of the cross of Christ are not men outside the church. Perhaps, they were once disciples and believers in Christ but now have become enemies of the cross. That is why Paul talks about them with tears in his eyes. Why tears? Firstly because they have been deceived and lost. Secondly they have the potential to deceive and become a bad example to others. Hence Paul’s admonition: “Pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example” Phil.3:17.

Also from Vs18, it’s as if these people have some cloaks on them which can deceive except you look very carefully. It’s as if there are things in their lives that you look at and you conclude that they are disciples except their conducts. If you look at the way they live, you will discover that they are REALLY enemies of the cross of Christ.

There are 4 characteristics Paul gives us here for these enemies of the cross of Christ:
1. Their god is their appetite: The reason why they are in the church and teach and say what they say is because of their belly. Their appetite drives them. There are people that have been pummeled with the deception: ‘sow seeds into the life of the man of God’. So since last December, they have been sowing – seed for children because it was Christmas (pity those who are either childless or have problematic children), seed for cross over because the year was coming to an end, seed of new year because the year just began, seed for covenant after the fasting and prayers, seed for the new month, seed for the new week, Easter/resurrection seed so that every dead around you will rise, seed of quarterly thanksgiving, harvest seeds, pastor’s birthday seed, pastor’s marriage anniversary seeds, promotion seed, favour seed etc. I can go on and on to list the different names that deceivers have used to exploit gullible and vulnerable men and women in order to enrich themselves. All they scheme is how they can get more to satisfy their appetite.
2. They brag about shameful things – in fact, they glory in them: A man once was telling a story how he gave “Holy Ghost” slap to his interpreter on the stage because he was making some mistakes while he was preaching. He lost his temper and slapped another man’s servant in front of the congregation and has the audacity to talk about it without remorse! A brother abandons his wife and children and gets entangled with another woman and some churches still carry him in honour even give him some positions because he has money. Lord Jesus said that man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word of God. But we have changed it by the way we live saying, ‘man shall not live by the Word of God alone but by any bread you can lay hands upon’. Many shameful glories! Somebody just finished killing another person he considers to be his enemy by 12.00am in the midnight through ‘dangerous prayers’ and witchcraft using the ‘name of Jesus’ and comes in the morning to give it as a testimony and we brag about it.
3. All they think about is this life here on earth: When the Bible is saying that we should set our minds on things above, the enemies of the cross say no we should set our minds on the things of this life. The cross gets us to die to this world and be alive unto God but they teach contrarily. They teach both by word and deeds that we have to be very much alive to this world. The components of the world have to do with the lusts of the eye, lusts of the flesh and the pride of life. (1 John 2:16). All the rat race and scheming for privilege, power and position even in the churches focus us here and make us forget that we are citizens of heaven. They make us live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
4. Their future is eternal destruction: Paul concludes that eternal destruction is actually the end of those that live as enemies of the cross of Christ it is not possible to live for this world and heaven at the same time. We cannot set our minds on both the things that are above and the things of this world altogether and expect to carry our cross daily. These all lead to confusion in this life and eternal destruction in the life to come. No wonder Paul was saying it with tears in his eyes.
May God help us not to live as enemies of the cross Christ! Amen.

Beware of liars

This is another year that the Lord has granted us the privilege to enter. He has ordained everything that concerns you and all that are yours. As you walk with Him in relationship and obedience, He will perfect all that relates to you and bring you to a place of fulfillment. He has promised, “Never will I leave you and never will I forsake you”. Heb.13:5

However, you have to ‘beware of dogs’ Phil.3:2. Those wicked and mutilators of God’s Word. They come in different garbs and tend to speak for God but the truth is that their god is their appetite. They will speak and declare all kinds of things even when the Lord has not spoken.

At the beginning of every year, people are full of expectations. By our make up, we want new beginnings and look forward to better things. This is not bad in itself. But if you do not remember that the God that saw you through 2010 is still alive and watches over you and will definitely see you through 2011, you will become gullible. Nothing makes January more divine than February. Nothing makes March more divine than April and every other month. After all, we must not forget that the world has used all kinds of dating systems before now and what we are using today was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582. There is nothing divine about it.

The fasting that many of us do at the beginning of the year is for us and not for God. It is for us to prepare ourselves for whatever God may want to do just like every other time we set apart to seek His face. It is not a way to bribe God for the year. Some of these liars may even confuse us to sow some certain ‘seeds’ for 2011 as if we have to invest for the year and go and sit down with a hand-fan telling our hearts that we have paid our bills.

There is nothing that makes January different from December in divine agenda. What God does in our lives is an ongoing thing. This January and in fact 2011, God will continue what He has been doing in your life in December 2010 and through the past years. They are all connected. For example, if there is any demand of obedience that God was making on our life last December, He will not suddenly change it just because one man declared 2011, ‘A year of laughter’, or ‘A year of new favours’ or any other tag like the ones you see on car and door stickers. For your personal spiritual health, the best thing to do is to listen to God’s instructions and obey them. If you do, you will be blessed.

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 NIV

Your life here on earth is like a single string that connects your birth and your death. It has no breaks. The plan God has for your life connects from one end to the other and beyond. It is only by following Him will that plan be accomplished. 2011 is only a part of the piece where the plan works out. God bless you!

Book: "Pastor Lukas' Church"

I read this book a few months ago. God used it to touch my life. I contacted the Author – Emma N. J. Nwosu and he magnanimously allowed me to post it here so that people from all over the world can download it FREE. It is an e-copy and in adobe reader format. It is a short book of 38 pages which you cannot keep down, once you start reading, until you have gone through it.

It is my prayer that God will bless your life and give you a testimony after reading this book. The Word of the Lord is scarce in our generation and hearing from God is rare. Many people talk and we hear a lot of voices but only a few speak for God. The best message in churches today prepares the people for this world instead of preparing them for eternity. Today, faithful life means having worldly wealth; living in victory is when everything is working your way and you are living a life of ease; if things do not work well and fast for you, there must be something wrong with you; every suffering is a curse from the ancestors or an attack from the enemies; criteria for being a leader is the type of car you have; you have the pastor’s ears if you are considered rich; the only important person in a church is the pastor and his family; if his needs are met, even when many members of the church are in poverty and hardship, everything is ok and God is pleased with you; we use members’ tithes and offerings to build schools and hospitals but the same members will not have the privilege to send their wards and children to the same schools and hospitals because they cannot afford it; our boastings starts here and ends here etc.

Indeed if God does not do something now, our generation is in trouble. In fact the next generation we are raising will be in much more trouble because their faith cannot stand through storms and the test of time. The basis and premise upon which they build their faith is wrong, false and worldly. Look at our Christian fellowships in higher schools where Papas and Mamas have Personal Assistants, servants and those that carry their ‘heavy’ Bibles for them.

I believe that God will steer up revival in your life and church after reading this short book. Look at part of the epilogue of the author:

“So many after reading this book called me with the question, “Did this really happen? Is it a true life story”. To all of them I have always replied, “That should not be the question. The question should be, “Could this really happen?” To this I wish to say that it is happening every where in the world today.
A clear study of this book will help you discover yourself in this story. If you are not Pastor Lukas, you may be Bishop Frank. If you are not Perpetua you may be Madam Clara. If you are not Cynthia, you may be Susana. If you are not Radon, you may be Kenon and even Chief Olu.
For sure you are in this story, no matter who you are. That is why you should go through it again and after, do some praying. Obviously this book has come not to condemn you, but to help you sit up as a Christian.
Heaven and hell are real. Where are you heading to?”

If you need help, counseling or prayers, you can contact the Author:
Tel: 234 - (0)803 5724 526
E-mail: Praynetunit@yahoo.com

Or contact this blog through our email: evergreenword@gmail.com

Click here to download. Remember you can equally download The New Birth if you do not have a copy yet.

Finishing Strong: As you run the race of life, have the vision of the finish line

What does it mean to finish strong?
It means that you will come to the end of your life with a strong and close relationship to Christ. It means that, unless God has taken your wife ahead of you, you will be married to the same woman that you are today. It means that you are a man who is in the Scriptures and living the Scriptures. It means that you are a man who has fought some battles for the kingdom and has the scars to prove it. To finish strong means that you are leaving your children and grandchildren the priceless heritage of a godly life.

Steve Farrar, Finishing Strong (Oregon, USA; Multinomah Publishers, Inc., 1995) Pg 215

As I and my wife wish you all Merry Christmas, I pray that we celebrate, keeping our eyes on the finish line of the race of life so that we are not distracted from the Lord Jesus. He stands at the end of the journey waving and encouraging us to move on and make sure that we finish strong no matter what.

Who discipled Apollos?

“24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor b and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” Acts 18:24-26 NIV

We were going through this passage in our Morning Devotion when suddenly a voice asked me this question: who discipled Apollos? I couldn’t answer the question because there is no other place in the Bible prior to this time when Apollos was mentioned. I couldn’t see who he came into contact with before he became a Christian. In fact, this passage is his introduction. However, I started to meditate over the question, relating my lessons to our church of today and began to see that there are a lot of young ‘Apollos’ all around us today. Some are already in positions of authority while others are exhibiting several gifts of the Holy Spirit and are held at very high esteem. Now look at how Apollos was introduced:

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor b and taught about Jesus accurately

He came from one of the major cities in the Roman Empire, Alexandria in Egypt. Obviously, that was where he gave his life to Christ. Nobody knows the number of years he attended church or the positions he occupied, but it’s obvious that for him to be vast and have ‘a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures’ and ‘had been instructed in the way of the Lord’ shows that he was not a recent convert. He must have gone through the Beginner’s Class or what some people call Follow-Up/Discipleship Class. He must have sat under his pastor’s ministrations so many times. But in spite of all these credentials, I still wonder why is it that he knew only the baptism of John. Why is it that he needed the way of God to be explained to him more adequately?

So what happened? He seemed to have come to Ephesus with missions in mind and probably with the blessing of his church in Alexandria. He continued to Corinth and was greatly used by God, but that was after his encounter with Priscilla and Aquilla. The credential He had been instructed in the way of the Lord seems to be part of the referral letter that he came with from his church. But, how come that he knew only of the baptism of John? So I ask again, who discipled him? Who brought him up? Who was his pastor?

For Apollos, he was fortunate to meet seasoned men like Aquila and Priscilla his wife, who brought him to the house, sat him down and explained to him the way of God more adequately. Apollos took some time out to learn, but for a lot of people today, they have run very far with half-baked theology. Their doctrine is warped and they are shouting around. The gospel that gave birth to them was ‘inaccurate’ and they continue to spread inaccurate gospel. If you listen to some of them, you discover that they do not understand the basics of the gospel of Jesus. They talk about Jesus they have not experienced and are not willing to allow rule as Lord in their lives. They are speaking very boldly and with fervor but both their experience of God and doctrine are not definite and are inaccurate. A generation that has these set of people as the ones that dictate doctrinal direction for the church is really in trouble. Unfortunately, many of them are already in positions of authority and think themselves as something and no longer listen to counsel.

THE RACE

THE RACE

Defeat! He lay there silently, a tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore - three strikes,
I’m out - why try?”
The will to rise had disappeared; all hope had fled away,
So far behind, so error prone, closer all the way.
“I’ve lost, so what’s the use,” he thought,
“I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad who
soon he’d have to face.
“Get up,” an echo sound low,
“Get up and take your place.
You were not meant for failure here,
so get up and win the race.”
With borrowed will, “Get up,” it said
“You haven’t lost at all,
For winning is not more than this-
to rise each time you fall.”
So up he rose to win once more, and with a new commit,
He resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
Still he gave it all he had and ran as though to win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling,
three times he rose again,
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner as he crossed,
first place,
Head high and proud and happy; no falling, no disgrace.
But when the fallen youngster crossed the line, last place,
The crowd gave him the greater cheer for
finishing the race.
And even though he came in last,
With head bowed low, unproud;
You would have thought he won the race,
to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said.
“You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and hard
and difficult to face,
The memory of that little boy helps me in my race.
For all of life is like that race,
with ups and downs and all,
And all you have to do to win – is rise each time you fall.
“Quit! Give up, you’re beaten,” they still shout in my face.
But another voice within me says,
“Get up and win that race.”

AUTHOR UNKNOWN


Steve Farrar comments before the poem, “All you need to know to pick it up is that it’s the story of a young boy competing in a race he desperately wants to win. He had fallen three times. And each time his dad has urged him to get up and win the race.”

So, no matter where you are or how you think you have fallen, get up! Dust yourself and start again. Keep going. “It’s not over until you win”. Make sure you cross the line with and in the Lord. It doesn’t matter whether you ran, walked, crawled, or was carried across. Finish strong and win the race – it doesn’t matter your position!

Steve Farrar, Finishing Strong: Going The Distance For Your Family (Oregon, Multnomah Publishers, 1995), 23

TENANTS NOT OWNERS

“9 He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. 13 "Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.' 14 "But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. NIV Luke 20:9-16

“When Jesus gave the parable of the tenants, the teachers of the law understood that he was speaking against them. (v.19). the owner of the vineyard is God; the vineyard is Israel; the servants are the prophets and priests that God sent to Israel; the son was Jesus himself and the evil tenants were the religious leaders.” AD 2010 Daily Guide, Scripture Union Nigeria. P.151.

It is true that this parable focused on Israel and the religious leaders of the day, but as I look around in the church today, I see the same picture playing itself. For them, it was Israel, but for us today it is the church. The genuine servants of the Master, the Son who is the true heir and religious leadership are all still relevant today.

It is unfortunate that some of us in leadership have established ourselves so strong that we behave as if we are the owners of the work. We carry ourselves as if we have absolute powers and can do whatever we want irrespective of what anybody thinks about it, forgetting that we are all tenants who have limited time in this work. Inferiority complex and insecurity make us fight every other servant that we feel is a threat to us. We see the fringe benefits that come out of the work as solely our own. We determine who gets what because we have the powers today. So today, we see all kinds of oppression and wickedness in the body of Christ even among leaders themselves. The same way worldly politicians manipulate and compete for powers is what we see among us Christians. No wonder, we cannot set any pace for our politicians, instead they set the pace for us. If they set Vision2020, we equally set Vision2020. If they set 7 Point agenda, we set 7 Spiritual Point Agenda. If they set a celebration of Silver Jubilee, we equally declare a Year of Jubilee.

All the pictures I’ve painted above are even mild when compared to the fact that we have kept the Son, the Owner of the work out of His work while we go about as the owners. The church is now like some people’s personal property. Some people think that they are the king makers, the movers and shakers of the church. We do these while we kept the Son outside the church. We do not want to listen to His Holy Spirit neither do we consider His words to be the ultimate authority. We forget that we are tenants.

My consolation is that no matter the kind of position we are privileged to occupy today and the powers we may wield, our tenancy will always expire and the Owner of the work will come one of these days for accountability. I can hear the Lord asking us today what He asked the people in this passage: "What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

Church of obedience as opposed to a Church that is self-governed

‘The decision in favour of a Church of obedience as opposed to a Church that is self-governed is necessarily and unavoidably imposed upon us by the fact that the Christian Church cannot reflect on its own being, or live by it, without seeing itself confronted by the Lord, who is present to it as its real Lord, with a real authority which transcends its own authority. Its Lord is Jesus Christ. He has called it into life and He maintains it in life. In Him it believes. Him it proclaims. To Him it prays.’ K. Barth, Church Dogmatics, I/2, 576.

This statement by K. Barth is outstanding especially in this age where there are lots of re-definitions. In the church today, we see lordship as if it rests intrinsically in a certain person and has no reference to Jesus Christ who indeed is the Lord of the church. Members are taught not to ask questions concerning how the exercise of the so called ‘lordship’ conforms to both the Word of God as they know it and the character of the church’s Lord as they understand it.

When a church is self-governed without reference to the Lordship of Jesus Christ as the Lord of the church, it operates just like every other secular institution in the world applying worldly principles. In the eighteenth century, Hooker talked about the authority with tree-legged stool of scripture, tradition and reason. This is a very unfortunate postulation which some liberal theologians hold very dear to heart because it helps them to question every thing the scripture says and tend to conclude that scriptures have no absolutes. In the first place, it is a misplacement to hold the scripture at the same authority level with the traditions set by men and the reasons generated by the fallen man. Being saved does not change the fact that we are fallen creatures with all kinds of limitations. It is only when we leave this world and enter into His perfection that we can truly be free from the fallen and fallible nature we inherited from the Fall. The place of the authority of the scriptures must be at the apex of the authority hierarchy. All other authority must draw from it. In contrast, a self-governed church tend to elevate tradition (as defined by them), and reason above the authority of the scripture.

A church of obedience is ‘constrained’ by the instructions in the word of God. Its liberty is within the bounds of the scriptures. The bible becomes the final authority for faith and practice. Hence, its behaviour is weighed by the scale of what the bible says. If Jesus is Lord at all, then His authority must be absolute and His words unquestionable. As obedient followers, we are only to obey. No man in the church of obedience has absolute powers no matter his/her designation.

Finally, let me mention that the bible is not a ‘secret book’ which you must have some ranks in church before you understand it. Just as Cranmer laid out in one of the homilies, no man can fall into error if he/she approaches the bible prayerfully and with all humility so as to understand it and know what his Lord wants him to do. No wonder the recommendations that the bible be read in churches whereby people just listen to what the Holy Spirit says to them. The picture being painted today as if members of the church need ‘intermediaries’ between them and God in order to know the mind of God is alien to what we see in scriptures. The Borean Christians are a good example of people who went home and searched the scriptures to make sure what Paul was preaching to them agreed with it. Paul instead of rebuking, commended them. They did this without any ‘intermediary’. There is room for teachers but every redeemed child of God has access to what God is saying in the scripture and is supposed to order his/her life accordingly.

When we all place the authority of the scriptures above all and strive to know what the Lord of the church is saying both individually and collectively, we can set out to obey Him and order our lives according to His instructions instead of governing ourselves by our own means. Like K. Barth concludes, ‘Its (The church’s) Lord is Jesus Christ. He has called it into life and He maintains it in life. In Him it believes. Him it proclaims. To Him it prays”