BOOK REVIEW – AFFLICTION, THE SANCTIFIER’S CRUCIBLE BY MARK NEMIEBOKA

 

Affliction, The Sanctifier’s Crucible is a book written by Mark Nemieboka and published by the Scripture Union (Nig.) Press & Books Limited Ibadan, Nigeria in 2021.

The book focuses on the concept of affliction, the challenges it poses and its benefits to the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. It has five (5) chapters and is made up of ninety-six (96) pages. It is arranged in a seemingly logical sequence starting with the meaning of affliction, the origin and types of afflictions, the benefits of affliction and what the response of the believer should be when in affliction. The author has dedicated the book to the school ministry of the Scripture Union (SU), where Christ was first introduced to him as a teenager and to Karen Barrett, whose testimony about her wheelchair experience, the author considers to portray the Christian’s story. Sir Mark Nemieboka is a seasoned teacher of the Word of God and I have the privilege of hearing some of his amazing testimonies on a personal basis.

Affliction is presented to be, as it were, the crucible that God, the Sanctifier, uses to refine His people. The author makes bold to say that “no believer can rightly claim exemption, though the degrees may vary”. In fact, the picture is that the time of affliction is like a season in the life of a child of God. Hence, that one does not have affliction today does not mean it will not come tomorrow. The whole essence, I perceive, is to educate believers and prepare them for this undesirable and unpleasant but definite season of life. Today, people are taught that they will never suffer and that bad things happen to only those who don’t have faith or those who have evil foundations. Health and wealth theology is spread all over the place because it gives good feelings and brings in revenue to the preacher. The question is “how is the Christian, who is inundated with health and wealth teachings, going to face life and his faith in the face of pain, death, sickness and other ills orchestrated by the fallen nature and the fallen world in which we have found ourselves?”. The author posits that while some afflictions may be judicial, that is as a recompense for sin or evil, there are a world of other causes of afflictions that are beyond the control of an individual believer. Examples given in the book include natural afflictions, national afflictions, social afflictions and some afflictions orchestrated by God Himself for some divine purposes. In quoting from the Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, there is “the hatred and affliction that follow the witness and holy life of God’s people in a hostile world”. We must all bear this in mind as we relate with the world that is in opposition against God and His will. It is commendable to note that much of the pages of the book are dedicated to dealing with the benefits of afflictions. Affliction induces humility, makes us seek God, transforms us and proves our faith. The lives of the prophet Jonah and the prodigal son were illustrated and summarized with the words of Isaac Newton “affliction, though they seem severe, in mercy oft are sent. They stopped the prodigal’s career, and forced him to repent”.

There are some typographical errors here and there, for example on page 28, instead of “hear” you see “here”, on page 35, “to” is omitted while introducing the quotation by John Grill, on page 95, Isaiah 26:3 is quoted but (Isaiah 56:3) is written and finally some mixtures of versions of the Bible when it is stipulated on the copyright page that all Bible quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV). Having said that, the book is written in contemporary English and is so interesting that once you start reading, you will likely not drop it until you finish it, like what happened to me.

The book is short considering the topic dealt with but just like John Mark that wrote the Gospel of John, the author, whose name coincidentally is also Mark, seems to be rushing to pass across a fundamental truth which is a burden on his heart. One of the responses proposed by the author is “expect suffering”. This is not a popular recommendation but it is the reality of our existence here on earth. This book is a must read for every follower of Jesus Christ who wants to run and finish well. It will answer some questions of some people who may be looking for answers because of what they are going through. It can be purchased from any of the Scripture Union (SU) Bookshops nationwide. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

I conclude this review with the biblical quote used by the author at the end of the book, “Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope…You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Psalm 119:49, Isa.26:3 NKJV).

DECLARATIONS OR DOING WHAT IS RIGHT?

It was quite a great coincidence for the Independence Day, October 1^st, to fall on a Sunday this year, 2023. It offered many churches the opportunity to pray and declare many good things for and over Nigeria. I was in church and participated. But that was where my heart was stirred up to write this piece. A question kept disturbing my heart throughout the session, “is a nation built by these declarations or by doing what is right?”

I think that the answer is that a nation is built by doing what is right by the leaders and the people and not by declaring what we think is good to happen. Declaring what is good to happen does not make those good things to happen, no matter how loud we make shout. Good things are not somewhere hanging in the air. Good deeds are done by men. They are actions that are seen, actions that impact and actions that have consequences.

Doing what is right is like applying principles. Principles don’t look at the faces of those applying them. When they are applied, the results follow.

The nation of Israel was not built by the declarations done by the high priest on the days of their annual convocations. A nation is built by human beings that decide to do what is right and just. It is possible for a priest to conclude his declarations and yet go home to do violence to the “wife of his youth”. This was one of the offences God accused them of in Mal.2:13-17. In fact, God’s complain in verse 17 is that they have wearied Him with their words but the people asked, “how?” Look at God’s answer, “By saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them" or "Where is the God of justice?" Mal 2:17 NIV. The people have become so corrupt that they are saying that those who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord. The priests and leaders say that even God is pleased with them. Yet because of their experiences, they are also asking “where is the God of justice?”. What an irony! Does the picture look like Nigeria?

When we call evil good because of ethnic bias; when we support evil people and clean them up with spurious reasons because of gains, whatever it may be; when we keep silence and shy away from speaking out against evil because we don’t want to offend someone in power even though he or she is an evil man; when we as church leaders are perpetrating evil even within the church hierarchy against our subordinates, sabotaging the system to favour our ego and hold on power, enriching ourselves and loyal associates to ensure we live the good life even at the expense of the poor both within and around the church, dishonoring the marriage bed and living as settlers on this earth; when the wickedness some politicians do does not concern us as long as we parley and have access to their generosity whenever we want; when we participate in the corruption in our offices and market places because we think, “am I the person that will correct Nigeria?”; yet we look at how the country has become like a laughing stock in the comity of nations with the increase in the sufferings of the masses almost on a daily basis and you still ask “where is the God of justice?”, are we being truthful to ourselves? We shout and declare these good things, feel good in ourselves and yet we leave the gathering to go back to our corrupt lifestyles, do we think that that is the way a nation is built?

Righteousness builds a nation. Doing right is the only thing that will bring a change to our nation. Every nation that applies the right policies sincerely, does the right things for the benefit of their people, whether with religious declaration or not, will see results, no matter their religious leaning. Principles are blind, they don’t have sentiments, emotions, or bias. They are just there. Anybody can apply them and get results. So, while shouting and declaring good things over the country may make us feel good and stir up wonderful expectations, what will bring actual results is doing the right thing wherever we are.

THE LETTERS OF LAW AND THE FACE OF JUSTICE

Credits: NIV website

There must be a strong connection between the letters of law and the face or presentation of justice. For societies to develop and progress, there must be a link between what the makers of the law graft, what the interpreters of the law decides and declares, and what the seekers of justice and the onlookers perceive about what is grafted and interpreted. Justice, they say, must not only be said to have been done, it must necessarily be seen to have been done. There is no development and progress if the makers of the law claim to have done a good job, the interpreters and declarers of the law claim to have done wonderfully well but the wider members of society are seeing injustice. When these makers and interpreters of the law claim to have done the right thing but the average person in the society, including the intelligent ones, perceive injustice because they suspect that someone must have removed the blindfold from the eyes of the lady of justice so that the judgment given was done with her eyes open, trust is eroded. Why will someone summarize a judgment with the words of the late Russian Writer, Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn, “We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, but they are still lying”?

It is possible that the perception of the wider society is wrong. It is possible that there is no such desecration of the temple of justice and there is no such violation of the lady of justice. However, why is it possible that the makers of the law and the interpreters are doing one thing but intelligent people in the society are seeing something else? What is creating the gap between what is claimed to have been done and what is seen and perceived to have been done? What is causing this trust deficit? Is it because of what someone has termed “implausibly undeniability”, that is, when a person struggles to explain away something that’s actually true, because the truth has suddenly become inconvenient or politically incorrect?

The danger of having this kind of unsettling situation is that it opens up the ugly doors of oppression, suppression and autocratic tendencies. The reason is not far-fetched, what the makers of the law have done and what the interpreters of the law have declared are considered the letters of law, but and unfortunately so, because it is entirely different from the face of justice, what is seen, perceived and felt about the judgment by the wider society, people will express themselves in different ways and the intelligent ones especially, will make efforts to bring the declared judgement out to the open court of public opinion for discussion, arguments and a “second trial”. They will try to bring out facts missed either by the makers of the law or its interpreters. This in most cases does not go down well with the executors of the law because as Denise Diderot noted, “those who fear the facts will forever try to discredit the fact-finders”. Efforts then will be made to silence those discussing the judgment and connecting the dots with what is seen and felt. Clampdown will set in and more actions, which the wider society will consider as further injustice, will be taken by those who want to execute the interpreted law. At the end, the conclusion will be that the government is an oppressive government. The society retrogresses. How can a society where this exists redeem itself?

There are no simple recommendations. But two things ae on my mind now. The first is that there should be humility on the sides of the executors of the law to listen to the discussions going on in the public space and engage with them with the assurance of reforms that will correct whatever has been perceived to be wrong. This will give hope to the populace that the future will be better. The second thing is that truthfulness should be embraced in all the dealings of the government with the citizens. Truth is the thing that can heal a wounded conscience and sets the society free.

When God Wants To Drill A Man

When God Wants To Drill A Man

When God wants to drill a man,

And thrill a man,

And skill a man

When God wants to mold a man

To play the noblest part;

When He yearns with all His heart

To create so great and bold a man

That all the world shall be amazed,

Watch His methods, watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects

Whom He royally elects!

How He hammers him and hurts him,

And with mighty blows converts him

Into trial shapes of clay which

Only God understands;

While his tortured heart is crying

And he lifts beseeching hands!

How He bends but never breaks

When his good He undertakes;

How He uses whom He chooses,

And which every purpose fuses him;

By every act induces him

To try His splendor out-

God knows what He's about.

– Anonymous

MEN AND EMOTIONAL LOADS

MEN AND EMOTIONAL LOADS

Men are not good emotional load bearers. Men always snap and break in a prolonged emotional drag. 

There are five responses:

1. Some men under an emotional load will abscond. They just walk away. Walking away can present in many ways - drinking, unnecessary relationship, divorce etc. This response makes us vulnerable to snares that ordinarily we would not fall into if not for the emotional load.

2. Some men will become violent under emotional load. They hurt people around them in an unconscious effort to set themselves free. This response makes the man irresponsible, you cause wounds and afflictions that can last longer even after we are gone, and can land you in prison.

3. Some men under emotional load will just succumb to any demand in a bid to have peace. Many girls use this a lot to manipulate men. Even some wives equally use this to get what they want from their husbands. This response makes you a man without principles. You remain a puppet.

4. Some men under emotional load will simply engage the person creating the load in a battle and fight. They quarrel, sideline the person, stop talking to the person, punish through delays and denial of privilege, compete and make efforts to subdue and control. This response makes you a wicked man. Because the male gender does not often have the skill to deal with dragged emotional load, your fight will make you do things that when people hear it, they will not realize that you are struggling. They will just conclude that you are wicked. You will make several costly mistakes.

As a Christian man, your emotional loads can only come from your girl-child or married wife. Men are generally not good in playing this game. No other girl or woman should place any emotional load on you. That leads me to the only response I recommend.

5. (Recommended). Ask God for strength. Stand strong. You often learn a lot when you sincerely and humbly engage your wife with the mind of resolving the issue at stake and diffusing and relieving yourself of the emotional load. Seek to discover the need behind the emotional load and determine to meet it. Once met, the loan goes away. God often uses this to deal with our ego as men. This ego must be pruned if you are to make eternal impact and your wife is often the tool, and sometimes in the crudest ways. 

Be humble and seek to know what your Master wants to achieve in every situation. I pray you succeed.

Remain blessed 🙏

#justthinking #justthinkingoutloud #justmythoughts #chrisekwedam 

THE TEST OF POWER

Possession of power tests all of us. If you have not been given power, especially positional power, you cannot really say how good you will be in handling power.

Power is used to heal, to protect, to provide, to build, to grow, to unite and to influence generally unto effective delivery. Unfortunately, because of our inherent human ego, we tend to frequently use power more to destroy, break, trample, pull down and make others cry in pains. 

That's why every power handled by or handed over to humans must be checked. If there are no controls established around exercise of power, abuses set in. I have found out that it's also very difficult for a possessor of power to set up controls while in position. The best thing is to set up controls when nobody is in the office or position.

It's true that everyone has some level of power, but positional power can be very strong because it can be very visible.

The questions we should always ask ourselves while in positions of power include:

1. Do I have people around me who can boldly ask me questions? Do people around me think that they can air their views and they count? Or is everyone around me singing my praise?

2. Am I causing people to cry and weep, though I know from my heart of heart that I am right and working hard to do the right thing?

3. What's my sincere estimation and value for those who are "poor" or those available to me for getting things done? Do I think I'm better than they? What is my attitude towards them? Do I tend to be irritated at every little provocation, use abusive words or shout at them?

4. Do I review my actions everyday, making changes where necessary, apologizing where I've wronged people under me or do I explain things away? Have used the word "I don't care" when a complain is brought to me concerning someone helping me to get things done or concerning my actions?

5. Finally, do I seriously ask myself, what would Jesus do in this situation? What would He use this position to do if He were here?

Power corrupts. Power can make monsters out of us. Power can destroy relationships and crush lives. Exercise of power can bring regrets when we're done with the position that conferred the power on us.

A lot to say but may God grant us the wisdom to use power to build, restore and heal and not to destroy. May we join God in using power to bring about His redemptive work in this broken world.

Remain blessed 🙏

#justthinking #justthinkingoutloud #justmythought

Martyrdom is still real today - The story of Brother Leviticus Makpa

 He served Jesus till the end. Do you love Jesus?

Many stories when highlighted by the main stream media, sounds like just statistics until it hits close home.

Watch Leviticus ' documentary here: https://youtu.be/tvZzhdi2qbA

May God help us to finish our course and finish strong whether in long or short life. All I want from Him when I see Him face to face is "well done"

Remain blessed 🙏

Urgent need for Relief materials for the flood victims in Rivers, Bayelsa, Anambra and others

That this flood has caused humanitarian disaster in Nigeria is no longer news. Many people have lost their lives while for many, their lives have changed forever. I watched with tearful eyes as corpses were carried out from houses in Anambra West. Below are just some of the pictures from Ogbaru, Anambra State.

Flooded roads. Can one imagine the force of this flood? Credit: Izunna Okafor, Onitsha (The Nigerian Voice)

Bishop's Court overtaken by flood. Credits: Izunna Okafor, Onitsha (The Nigerian Voice)

Bishop Prosper Amah in one of the flooded areas. Credits: Izunna Okafor, Onitsha (The Nigerian Voice)

According to the Bishop, they need assistance in the area of food items, speed boats to enable the church access the hinterlands to rescue survivors as well as funds to help them rebuild since even some farmlands are already damaged which will affect next year's harvest.

What can be done by Christians and the churches as corporate bodies in Nigeria?

1. Prayers: This is a time every family altar must be burning prayer incense remembering these victims. Pray for God's intervention so that the flood will recede. Pray for miraculous deliverances for the families. May God grant them the resilience and providence to stand and survive this period. Comfort and fortitude for those who lost their loved ones. Pray that God will stir the hearts of the leaders to respond appropriately to these victims with all the necessary help they need. 

2. Prayers: Please pray for the Federal Government to urgently complete the counterpart Dam in North East which when completed will help to accommodate this body water when released from Cameroun instead of being allowed to flow into River Benue to cause this kind of disaster.

3. Churches and religious NGOs must raise reliefs for these affected areas. Philanthropists and well meaning individuals can do well to synergize and help.

We have contacted the Admin Secretary of the Anglican Diocese of Ogbaru and he gave out his phone number for those that may want to contact him: The Reverend Peter Udenabor 08033309357 while online support can go directly to the Diocesan fund. Just tag your giving: Flood Relief Fund. 

Donate Here.

Sexual Purity

 

According to the presentation, Sexual Purity has to do with ensuring that everything that relates to my sex life is clean, unmixed, not faulty or defective and is free from dirt and stain which includes my heart, my conduct and my relationships. The standard for reference and definition is the Word of God, the Bible.

This is good for teaching in the Church both for men and the youths. Download the presentation using the link below.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fShM5gXSzKucbt6cH8Bbd6chTLY7wpcf/view?usp=sharing

Download here

Download, share and enjoy.

Question, Questioner and Questionee

Asking questions is very important and we must be prepare to give answers as Christians. 

May this presentation both bless and challenge you. Our young people are asking questions but unfortunately, many of us are not ready to answer them. This attitude has to change if they are to be established in this holy faith. Time is running out. Remember, any question you don't give an answer to does not go away. Instead, someone else will answer it and you may not like their answer.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1igfRoPglfsPybR8WvHcU15pbvrWdBt3B/view?usp=sharing 

Download here

Download, share and enjoy. 

The Gospel Music Minister and his Sexuality

 I shared this with the Evangels Gospel Band of the New Covenant Anglican Church, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. 

I did not just deal with the sexuality of the Gospel Music Minister (GMM), I equally explored the Gospel Music Ministry and the Gospel Music Minister. I believe it will be a blessing to you and your music group.

You can Click and Download it here: The Gospel Music Minister and his Sexuality.

The NEW BIRTH by Chris Ekwedam. pdf for Free Download.

 Is it possible to preach on "born again" without even mentioning the word "born again" and yet the message of new birth is communicated and lives are transformed?  Is it possible to  jump up and down, shout "born again", use the word "born again" most frequently in our preaching, yet without  communicating what "born again" really means and lives are not transformed? YES.

Download my book on the NEW BIRTH here where I made a case for "born again" as a prerequisite for sonship. No matter what your view may be now, you will not regret you read it.

Remain blessed.

Celebration of a life well lived...

When someone dies, it is the end of an existence on earth. The person has finished his or her sojourn. The earth suffers a loss. For Christians, we believe that the person goes to give account. Whether old or young, believer or non-believer, pastor or parishioner, christian leader or the led, it doesn't change the facts. It is a sober moment because it is a loss to our common humanity and no matter what we claim, we CANNOT tell how the person's account is before God. There are many secrets about people we don't know. We can only assume and believe and hope because of what we have observed in the person's life while here on earth but real certainty belongs to God alone. 

The Bible says that he that believes will have eternal life. If someone believes and dies, he or she has eternal life. Now the same Bible says that many who are first shall be last and the last shall be the first. He who endures till the end SHALL be saved. Hence, how a person finishes is as important as how he or she started. In specific terms, only God actually knows how someone finished. Only on rare occasions does He give a glimpse to the living. It calls for soberness.

What I see in the scripture is that the dead is mourned, old and young, and it's a time for the living to reflect, because we shall also all lie in state one day and stand to give accounts too. Burials are not supposed to be a celebration. If you want celebration, go to a feast but not in a burial. To buttress the point, we are admonished not to mourn like those who have no hope, hence depicting what the atmosphere should be like when one dies. When reflection has gone, soberness is relegated and not encouraged, and funfair and pump are embraced, then it presents us as worldly and an evil generation.

My thoughts 🙏

#justthinking #justthinkingoutloud