What To Desire – Part 2

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Ps. 19:9-10

The spiritual songs in the old Christian hymn books, books like “Golden Bells”, “Redemption Songs”, “The Baptist Hymnal” and others; each one of these songs, individually, is a gold mine in the Spirit. We have not even began to scratch the top of the spiritual riches that are embedded in each one of these songs. In other words, you could sing just one of these songs all your life and it will keep you perfectly spiritual. The things of the Spirit are that rich!

Nowadays there are telethons and marathon worship services. Here people sing and sing and sing! But people nowadays are more into form. They are into good music, and professional singers. People who are so gifted they can pitch their voices any way they want. Down, up, sideways, etc.

But I can assure you, praise and worship telethons are not what God is looking for. God is not looking for form. God is not even looking for good praise and worship leaders. Nor is He interested in great singing. Actually, the devil could sing far much better than anyone dead or alive. But the devil rebelled against God. God is therefore not looking for such. But Jesus said,

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (Jn. 4:23-24)

That’s the challenge: to worship God in spirit and truth. And the word “worship” here is not even talking about singing. It is talking about the entirety of the Christian life; and singing is a very small aspect of this life. In fact, it is nowhere near the most important things.

We don’t even need to sing all those songs that we sing. Jesus did not spend his life here on earth singing songs. The Bible records only one time where Jesus sang a song, in Matthew 26:30.

“And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”

One song was enough for Jesus. Do you think He sang it in the Spirit? Yes, He did, and it strengthened Him.

Considering the apostles were all men, I very much doubt it was great singing that went on there. God is therefore not looking for someone who can sing, no! God is looking for someone who will do righteousness. You can live your entire life without singing a single song and still please God fully. We do not read that Abraham nor Noah spent their lives composing songs. But they did righteousness, and that alone pleased God greatly.

David, the great spiritual composer, did not spend his entire life writing songs. In fact, upon reading the Bible, you wonder where David got the time to write all those psalms, because the Bible is full of the life of David, and not the songs he wrote! But David’s Psalms are included in the Bible because they are an extension of the righteous life that he lived.

“Christians”!

25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:

26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Acts 11:25-26

This blog has taken a toll from my many travels on account of the gospel. Much of the time, for various reasons, I am forced to leave my laptop behind.

In the last few weeks, however, Acts 11:26 has been powering its way in my spirit; and I felt I should share it with my readers.

The above scriptures go to show, not just the great work that Paul (then called Saul) and Barnabas accomplished as apostles (which I will address in a later post); but also the fruit that is born in men’s lives when the true gospel of Jesus Christ is preached. The Apostle Paul had received the revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ on the way to Damascus, so it goes without saying that he preached no other gospel than this to the believers at Antioch (Gal. 1:11-12; 1 Cor. 2:2). And when the disciples in Antioch became followers of this gospel, the fruit of the Spirit was born in their lives and their lives were transformed. So much so that it became clear to everyone who saw them. And the people of Antioch called them “Christians”, for they followed after Christ.

People love saying “Praise the Lord”, and making long testimonies. None of that is wrong, of course, but what really counts are not the words we speak, but transformed lives. Our Lord Jesus Christ said,

“14 Ye are the light of the world… 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Mat. 5:14-16)

Much of the time, God is not looking for the praise and worship session in church, however much we make of it. Nor is He waiting for our testimonies or sermons, be they long or short.

God, however, is very much concerned with the price we are willing to pay in order that we may live the kind of life that pleases Him. Incidentally, the kind of life that pleases God is also the kind of life that pleases the ordinary man. The Bible says of Jesus:

“51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 52  And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Lk. 2:51-52)

Christianity is not a label. It is Godliness – Godliness in action. Jesus pleased both God and His parents by “subject unto them”. That means He obeyed His parents. He did not please God or His parents by singing “praise and worship”. You can sing praise and worship without it costing you a dime. It is when we accept to give up our inner “things” to be crucified that we please God, for this brings out the character of Christ in us. And that is all that really matters in our confession of Christianity.

That was what the disciples at Antioch did; and it became evident to all men.

[I found this little boy all alone deep in the bush grazing his father’s calves]

 

The Preacher – A Man in Bonds

For which I am an ambassador in bonds… Eph. 6:20

The word “bonds” means chains. Why would God put Paul in chains?

There are two things that characterize a true man of God. By a man of God, we mean a person who represents God. That is what an ambassador is. A man of God is a person who characterizes Godliness.

The first thing that characterizes a man of God are his words. By his words I mean the Word of God that he speaks. Many preachers preach for preaching’s sake. Yes, they know the Word and they can expound on it. But skilfully expounding on scripture is hardly God’s Word. A preacher must preach what he has been sent to preach, not what he wants to preach. We cannot preach a message just because it sounds good to us. The Apostle Paul says:

“18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Eph. 6:18-20)

Notice Paul asks the Ephesians to pray for him that he may be enabled to preach as he ought to preach, not what or how he wants to preach. That means that Paul was asking the Ephesians to pray that God would put His Word in Paul’s heart and mouth. It was not that Paul could not preach. I believe he could preach very well; moreover, he knew so much he could have preached the world to his hearers.

But Paul desired to do or speak nothing apart from what God had told him to do or speak. For God looks at His Word and His purpose to accomplish it. He does not look to accomplish the whims of man.

That is the first important thing that characterizes a man of God. He must be able to speak God’s Word as he has been sent to speak. He must not speak God’s Word just because he can speak it or because he wants to speak it.

When he speaks God’s Word according to God’s directions, his hearers will hear God’s voice and they will be edified. They will be warned, encouraged and given direction – all in the Spirit.

The second thing that characterizes a true man of God is His life. Our Lord Jesus Christ said,

“16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” (Mat. 7:16-18)

Jesus is not talking about the preacher’s message here. He is now talking about a preacher’s life.

One of the most prominent tele-preachers and faith healers in our country, who has a huge following, was recently caught on video insulting and threatening to kill his neighbor. The neighbor is not saved. But, for a long time, he had kept chiding the pastor: “You are not fit to be a pastor!”

Without a doubt, the neighbor knew things about this pastor that many people, including this pastor’s congregation, did not know.

On this particular day, this pastor parked his car right in front of his neighbor’s gate, got out, and said, “This is your day!”

Someone was passing by and he recorded the whole saga – all the insults and the threats – on their cellphone. It is now all over social media.

The pastor was subsequently arrested and interrogated at the police station.

Now his loyal congregation is writing on social media: “Do not talk evil of the anointed man of God!”

But whether we are to heed Jesus’ words or peoples’ whims on social media is a choice we have to make on our own.

In a separate incident, a lady once visited my house and in the course of our conversation she told me about how her pastor had prayed for her to get healed from an ailment that had troubled her for a long time. She had in fact spent a lot of money in a private hospital trying to get treatment, but her condition only worsened.

“But”, she told me, “ever since the day that the pastor prayed over me, that condition ceased troubling me. I was set completely free.”

But she told me many other things about this pastor and the way he ran the church, things which brought only confusion to her spirit. In short, his character and behavior did not in the least reflect that of Christ.

The true man of God must live a life that conforms to that of Christ: a life where the flesh has been put to death and where Christ rules supreme in that man. The Bible says:

“2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.” (1 Tim. 3:2-9)

It is up to the church to choose whether to follow God’s guidelines in the running of its affairs or to respect men instead. Today, there are men in the church who are bigger than Christ Himself. But, in the true church, it is Christ, “the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Eph. 1:23)

For that to happen, the man of God must of necessity be put in chains by Christ. This is so he cannot do or speak his will, but Christ’s.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Living The Resurrection Life – Part 1

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Phil. 1:21

This is by far one of the most profound scriptures in the Bible. Indeed, I am assured that I am not worthy to address this scripture. For in it is a spiritual man, talking inscrutable spiritual language.

Howbeit, having put my hand to the plough, I shall attempt, by God’s Spirit in me, to look into the mystery of Christ and Paul.

I shall divide this post into two parts. Part one reads:

Part 1

“For to me to live is Christ…”

How much would one need to know Christ to say such words? How much would one need to have understood “Jesus Christ and him crucified” to speak thus? How much would one need to have crucified himself to this worldly life, and the lusts thereof?

In this first part we shall look briefly at two things:

1. What it means to live “Christ”; and
2. The Christ-like life is born out of love, not law.

The Apostle John says,

“15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 Jn. 2:15-17).

“The world” is not cars and houses. “The world” is far beyond these things. “The world” is our deep-seated carnal nature, the things that Jesus talked of in Mk. 7:21-22:

“21 … evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness”.

I am glad to see that pride is included here. These things are “the world” that scripture is talking about. The gospel is all about uprooting this system from our hearts.

When therefore Paul says “For me to live is Christ…” he was not talking about his preaching ministry. On the contrary, he was talking about something far beyond that. He was talking about character, the Christ-like character. He was saying he lived the Christ-like life or character.

And what, pray, is the Christ-like character?

Galatians 5:22-23 puts it forth clearly:

“22 … love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 meekness, temperance”.

Whenever you hear of “Christ”, this is first and foremost what it means. The church cannot talk of any other Christ apart from the Christ who first died and was then resurrected from the dead. In the same manner, we too need to die to self and to be resurrected with Christ. To be called “Christians”, we must live the resurrection life.

Elsewhere, the Apostle Paul states:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

Here again the Apostle Paul reveals an even more incredible aspect of his adherence to Christ: that it was born of love! In other words, Paul understood Christ’s love for him! In return, he surrendered his life to Christ as a reciprocation of Christ’s love for him. He did not do anything for Christ out of law, or because he had to. He did it out of love, and in total freedom.

It is a sad statement on today’s church condition that many people serve God out of law. These people do not know Christ as Paul knew him. What a challenge for us today to know Christ’s love for us!

The Price of Following Jesus/‘Worldly Correctness’/“Who is my mother, or my brethren?”

57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.

62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Lk. 9:57-62)

I was first drawn to this scripture by the phrase, “Let the dead bury their dead…” I wondered so much why Jesus would call a grieving family “the dead”.

But before we discuss that, let us see what Jesus said to the first man, the man who told Him, “I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest”.

Jesus told this man, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

That is incredible, to say the least. The Son of the Most High God had nowhere to lay His head? while even foxes and birds have somewhere to lay down and sleep?! The Kingdom of God is a worldly paradox. That is why Jesus’ words cannot marry with the “Money, come to me now!” gospel or lifestyle that worldly preachers try to propagate today (see the clip in my post “Prosperity Gospel vs Suffering for Christ”). Suffering is the price for following Christ.

Jesus was here telling the man the price to pay for following Him. He was to expect to gain nothing of this world.

“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

The Apostle Paul knew the price. In his writings, he puts it this way, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (1 Cor. 12:10).

At least, now, we know the price. It is to lose all.

Let us get back to Jesus and the man who wanted to first go bury his father then come follow Jesus. Jesus told the man, “Let the dead bury their dead…”

In African society we highly revere a family that has undergone a death, and we would hardly use such words as Jesus used here in a situation where a family is grieving, even in our imagination. But here Jesus tells a man who wants to go bury his father, “Let the dead bury their dead…”

I will tell you one thing: a man who has nowhere to lay down his head can talk a little differently than a man who owns a private jet. He has that luxury because he has nothing to lose. Jesus certainly made full use of that advantage.

But why, pray, would Jesus call this grieving family “the dead”? Was He irreverent?

No, Jesus was neither being irreverent, nor was He callous. I am sure that He loved this family very much, and it is inconceivable that their grief would not have touched His tender heart. But Jesus always stayed in the context of the heavenly Kingdom, and here He was stating a very important fact concerning what He came to do in the world. Jesus came to bring eternal life into the world. The Word of God teaches that anyone who has not received Jesus into their lives is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3).

In the natural, there is only one thing that we can do with a dead person: bury them. Once someone is well and truly dead, all we can do is bury them, to rise no more.

But – thank God! – in the Kingdom of God, we have another option. We can choose to bring resurrection life to people through preaching the gospel. Jesus opted to work with this option: preach the Kingdom of God and bring resurrection life to the people of God.

You can’t be callous with a dead person. In fact, you can rattle them until their teeth fall off if it will bring them back to life again. The people that Jesus was referring to (this man’s family) were spiritually dead. If He truly loved them, there was only one thing He could do for them: give them eternal life! That is why He told this man, “Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”

What a glorious combination!

Today the modern world has coined a phrase: ‘political correctness’. Many in the world today believe that ‘political correctness’ among worldly leaders is killing civilization as we know it. In the spiritual world, we have an equivalent, though probably unspoken term: ‘worldly correctness’. ‘Worldly correctness’ means we do not want to step on people’s toes with the gospel because we feel we will offend them. I am sure that this attitude on our part will send a lot of people to hell.

A Muslim friend of mine told me that as long as I did not mention Jesus in my discussions with him concerning religion, he would listen to me. I told him, “Whatever I have to tell you begins and ends with Jesus”.

Jesus was not ‘worldly correct’. Jesus had only one aim: to be ‘heavenly correct’. He talked and lived the only life that really matters: the eternal heavenly life. When Jesus therefore told the man “Let the dead bury their dead”, He was stating a spiritual reality of the life that He came to live.

We expend an inordinately large amount of energy and time trying to please and to fit in with the world. But that is not love. Smiling is good, but we cannot smile and expect to save the world. The same goes for intellectual arguments and counter-arguments. If we truly love the world, the only thing of worth that we can give them is to solidly preach to them the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus tells this man, “Go thou and preach the kingdom of God”.

Only the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ can bring true life to people.

Let us have one last glance at this scripture.

If there are “the dead” in this world, then there are also the living. This refers to the church. In this context, I believe  also that Jesus was telling this man to appreciate the church, more than his worldly flesh and blood kith and kin. He was laying upon him the importance of the church vis-à-vis his flesh and blood relations.

This aspect is a challenge to many people in church. Many do not know where to draw the line between their worldly relations and the church.

But Jesus did not have any uncertainties, hesitations or misgivings in this regard. He knew exactly where to draw the line. When His mother and brethren came to fetch Him, the Bible says, “33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? 34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother” Mk. 3:33-35.

That’s pretty tough to swallow. We are called upon to love and care for our own flesh and blood, and even the world in general. But we ought to know where our true inheritance lies. It lies in the church, which is the true Body of Christ. True spiritual brethren are our spiritual inheritance. The church is our “portion”. That is why our true value with God is connected to how much we value His church, the brethren.

Our worldly relationships with our worldly kin should be whittled down to the bare minimum. (In the Spirit, of course, we will be working overtime to get them saved!)

But on the contrary, we should love and devote ourselves to the church with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our strength. Jesus set the example for us.

[Photo credit: Carol Lanthier]

The 5-fold ministry: In Unity

1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Eph. 4:1-6

The emphasis is not how often the word “one” is repeated here, but rather on the fact that everything is “one”. Everything!

God is one, and therefore everything is one. If it is not one, it is nothing. That is the essence of Paul’s message in this scripture.

That is so humbling. All that we have and all that we know and all that we are becomes nothing if it is not submitted into that “oneness” of God.

God will never be anything but one. Anything to do with God will therefore need to be one. You and I need to be one. Everything needs to be one.

If God is one it follows, therefore, that Christ’s gifts to His church must operate as “one”. God is not concerned with what you can do. Nor is He interested in ‘your’ ministry. No, God is not about any of those things. As far as we are involved, God is concerned with how much we can humble ourselves and work in unity with others who are on the right foundation. God is about a Body – a Body with many members – and if you want to get involved with God, then you need to begin getting very, very small indeed.

We have many “mighty men of God” walking about, and they are outside Christ’s realm of operation.

In verses 9 and 10, Paul gives us the example of Christ.

“9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)”

Notice that Christ “descended first”. In other words, He descended before He would ascend. Words have a life of their own. Here we get the picture that Christ plunged Himself into the lowest parts of the earth. In essence, He became nothing!

We must experience nothingness before we inherit “all things”!

You seriously have to begin wondering where we are going if we are not going down. There is no going up except by first going down. Humility is the undergirding of any ministry. Christ’s own ministry was undergirded by humility. In gospel-speak, greatness is for the humble.

Since here we are talking of ministries, let us see what Paul tells the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 4:8: “Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us”.

What does that mean? It meant they wanted to go up without first going down. Within the Corinthian church there were all these gifts of the Spirit operating, but because the flesh was alive, the operation of these gifts only brought about confusion. These ministries did not build them up and their lives were in spiritual disarray. These people were very rich in spiritual gifts (and, I presume, financially also); but they were poor spiritually.

He told them pointblank: “You are spiritually poor, because you have no humility in you!” They were very proud people.

Having the gifts of the  Spirit operating in you does not mean you are spiritual. This is what is creating confusion all over the church. If I were to raise someone from the dead today, people will build a church on the very spot that person resurrected upon, and I will become a celebrity!

We can have ministries stretching from here to infinity and back, but if they are not undergirded by humility, subjecting themselves one to another, working as “one”, in unity, they will never bring the church to Christ’s purpose, which is stated by Paul in Ephesians 4: 13: “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”.

It is only when the ministry gifts operate as one that this goal for the church can be accomplished. That is how important humility is to the Body of Christ.

On the contrary, what happens if these gifts do not operate in unity is what we see happening all over the church today: we become “… children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (v. 14).

The result of this ‘self’ ministry within the church is that God’s children are “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine”. I can tell you that I have witnessed many strange doctrines in my life! I have read, heard, seen and even experientially passed through many of them. I remember many years ago a preacher came to the church I was in and he said he had been praying for people in his church who would not tithe, and they were dying one by one. I stood up and shouted “Hallelujah!” That’s a fact. What that preacher said sounded so spiritual!

Y’know, today you watch Christian TV and you think you are watching fiction. The things that are being taught and done in many of these ministries and churches are simply unbelievable.

I saw a church somewhere advertising itself as “Your church of choice”. They took a phrase right out of the world!

The fact is, not one of these things brings Christians to grow and mature. Therefore the goal of Christ – maturity and perfection that brings unity within the Body – will never be attained.

That is why it is very dangerous to run after a ‘ministry’ or a church without making sure that it is on that firm foundation of the five-fold ministry. Now, I know that sounds almost impossible because today, however hard one looks, it is difficult to find any one place where all these ministry gifts are operating together. But we cannot allow ourselves to be like Elijah who told God that he was the only Godly man remaining in Israel. God told him that no, He had 7,000 other men who had not bowed their knee to Baal. Seven thousand! And Elijah had no idea.

I am sure that just as in Elijah’s day, today also God has a remnant. God always has had a remnant, even in the worst of times. And so, today God has reserved for Himself a team or teams of the five-fold ministry. Yes, all five ministries, working together in perfect unity and perfecting the Body of Christ. We only need to look hard enough.

But we also need to have a humble spirit. The Bible says that “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (Jas. 4:6).

[Below: The Indian Ocean as seen from Wazo Hill]

I Must Be Dreaming!

Much of the time I want to believe that I am a mature, near-perfect Christian and my ego insists that that should be the face that I ought to proffer to the world. Indeed, I find myself doing that quite often, in spite of the fact that in my heart of hearts I know that I am not as spiritually mature as I would love everyone to believe.

On my blog I want to write challenging posts, mature stuff. I want to tackle the nitty-gritty of the ‘higher life’! In short, I desire to be the perfect, mature Christian and everywhere I want to present the perfect, mature Christian life. And I am sure that any serious Christian would support my quest without question. It is a truly noble one.

But… sometimes (like tonight) I stop in my mad dash for glory and sit overwhelmed as some very basic thoughts begin pummelling my mind. Sometimes the reality of what actually took place at Calvary tries to wriggle its way into my spiritual consciousness. Did God truly give His Son, His only Son, Jesus, to die for me? Did Jesus really come and live on this earth, this same earth that I live in? I mean, did God through His Son leave His abode in Heaven and come down and take on the form of a man and live on this planet? No! That is unthinkable! And is it true what I hear, that He did that just for me? That is even more improbable.

Did Jesus truly go through all the suffering that He went through specifically for me, that I would not be lost, but be saved? Did He really… or am I dreaming?

Am I worth any of that – leave alone all of that? Ha! Of course not! I certainly am not worth an iota of the trouble that God underwent. Had I been around I know exactly what I would have told God: “Please God, don’t! Go ahead if it’s for someone else; but if it’s for me, no.”

He might have asked, “Are you sure, Mwita?”

And I would have replied, “Lord, I have never been more sure of anything in my life.”

So God did it without asking me.

The proposition is an improbable one. But I am made to understand that this proposition is a solid reality. Maybe something else is at play here. Something outside of the realm that I as a human being knows, is at work here. No doubt there is a LOVE here, an INCOMPREHENSIBLE LOVE. It is a love that I, certainly, cannot comprehend.

Sometimes this basic fact of salvation alone overwhelms me more than all the ‘mature’ stuff I am racing to unearth. As I lay me down to sleep (it is well past midnight here) I gladly allow the tears to flood my eyes as I meditate upon the unthinkable.

I tell God, “God, this is a dream. A sweet dream; but a dream nonetheless.”

Of Proclamations and Our Worship of God – Pt. 2

I haven’t read anywhere in the Bible where God is upbraiding His people for not praising Him loud enough. On the contrary, I have read many Scriptures where God tells His people, both in the Old and New Testaments, that He does not actually need their praises. In fact, in one scripture in the Old Testament, God has a particularly nasty reaction to the Israelites’ songs and their ‘empty’ worship of Him.

The reason God was so angry with them is because they were walking in sin but at the same time praising Him.

The Christian world today is outdoing itself in its efforts to praise and uplift God. Many beautiful new songs are being composed, old songs and hymns are redone and presented with ever greater passion; singers with the most beautiful voices are being discovered; piano chords and guitar strings are tweaked to the highest levels of creativity – the whole spectrum is a sight to behold indeed. There are churches which have been set up solely on the praise and worship theme. I think all this is good, but at the same time I believe things are not as rosy in the Spirit as they appear to be on the outside.

There are also what we would call new age ‘Christian’ artists and preachers and songs that I would rather die than listen to or watch. I once went to Youtube and they were singing a song about “crying holy” or whatever, and it was the most revolting thing I have ever seen. There are thousands of these artists, and regrettably Christians are going absolutely gaga over them. I have never understood why we need to identify with the world in order to preach the gospel of Christ. Most likely, we misinterpret scripture.

I have not seen a preacher wearing earrings yet (I mean the male preachers), and probably they are there, it’s only that I have not seen them. But our choirs today are awash with male singers touting Rastafarian hairstyles and all decked out in gold chains and earrings, etc. I do not know what to expect next, but it is clear Jesus has quite a band coming His way…

Christian proclamations and declarations from the pulpit all the way to the street present a picture where the Christian world is one of total victory over the devil and all his works.

By now you probably are thinking that if I am not the Anti-Christ himself then I am a major pessimist who has failed to find joy and fulfilment in his Christian life. Don’t even consider the thought. I am as happy as Jesus Himself. And don’t get me wrong. As I said earlier, I have no problem with Christian worship when it is done in the right spirit. What I am pointing out here is that God is more interested in the state of our lives than our vocal proclamations. There are far too many Christians today walking in sin, and yet their mouths are full of proclamations of the glory of God. And God’s real problem with us today, just as with the Israelites, is sin. God loves praise, but He hates sin and He would rather deal with the latter first.

If I am playing with my children and I see a snake, I will kill the snake first then continue playing with my children.

We Christian believers should not therefore put a smokescreen of praise before God. God can see the sin that is ravaging the Church today. It is open secret that Christianity in our generation has a major problem with sin. Sin is rampant among lay Christians and preachers alike. Even big-time preachers who have been known to raise the dust on TV and some who served God faithfully in years past have been hit by scandals…

Something is wrong, and we should stop praising and listen.

It is time to go back to the basics. Let us go back to the Cross, where Christ was crucified. Therein is the power to defeat sin in our lives, the gospel of the revelation of the Cross of Christ. Paul preached this very gospel, and even if his ministry was not inundated with miracles as today’s gospels appear to be, it had the power to set men and women from the power of sin, and we see from his epistles that this was Paul’s chief concern: to set God’s people free from sin.

That gospel, though unproclaimed in similar terms, has always been there in earlier generations, and the men and women who walked in it lived a victorious life over sin.

I remember that in the 1970s and the early 80s, at least in the small world that I lived in, a saved person was a threat to sinners, who evaded them like the plague. My elder brother was the first to get saved in our big family. Whenever he would begin praying an overpowering Presence would fill our home and we would all run away – dad would walk staidly towards the village beer hall but clearly a man on the run! We would come back only when we were sure John had finished praying. Then, my mom, who had been a beer brewer, gave her heart to Jesus. Then followed two of my brothers, then my dad, who was the village champion drunkard. Many years later, I too accepted the Lord. I am assured we are all the fruit of not only the prayers of my brother, but also the victorious lifestyle that he led. In those years Christians lived a victorious life over sin, and we saw it, and it affected us.

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing even for many of those same Christians today. Something has gone awfully wrong somewhere. We talk a lot, but there is a power that is simply not there. There is song, yes, but not the power.

Nowadays a preacher divorces their husband or wife then they come on TV and, to the accompaniment of a ‘powerful’ praise session, they begin talking and justifying themselves. Where is the power of the gospel in that? And there, in the auditorium, are thousands of Christians cheering him/her on. If you multiply that number with that of the faithful who are watching at home on TV and assenting to this preacher’s doctrine, you realize this truly is a big church, but then you begin wondering “What kind of ‘church’ is this going to turn out to be?” The answer is: a defeated, sinning church. I once saw a homosexual ‘church’ on TV in South Africa, complete with a homosexual pastor, and they were praising Jesus! But we ‘straight’ sinners cannot disassociate ourselves from this abomination if we are divorcing and remarrying in church and continuing with our praise and cheering sessions.

In all this chaos, it is not that people are not praying as before, or that they are not reading their Bibles. Rather, it is simply that wrong doctrines have been allowed into the Church, and have taken the place of the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ. Wrong doctrines which simply have not the power to deal with sin.

Jesus came to earth to deal with sin and all its works once and for all. And He did that by crucifying the body of the flesh. If there is no crucifixion of the flesh, if the Christian is not having a daily revelation of that work of the Cross, there is no way he is going to live a victorious spiritual life. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:31: “…by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily”. In order for Paul to rejoice in his labors for Christ, he had to crucify his flesh daily. It means he partook of the sufferings and death of Christ. Now, if you cheer when all this is going on, God has no problem with that because after this there will be victory. Unfortunately, many Christians today are cheering while there is so much defeat in their lives!

The gospel bequeathed to us from Jesus Christ through the Apostles states that just as we were sold into sin, we have now been sold to righteousness. How? By dying to the body of the flesh. After which, by the working of the same Holy Spirit who resurrected Jesus from the dead we too are resurrected into the glorious life of victory in the spirit, victory over sin.

This is the gospel that needs to come back to the Church today, and which the Church needs to accept. I believe it is coming back, through true Apostles and ministers of God whom God is reinstating in our day. But is the Church willing to accept it? Or we will continue dancing while sin ravages the Church?

The Bible warns of a falling away of many believers just before the return of Christ. At no other time do we need to heed Christ’s and the Apostles’ warnings than in the days we are living in.

The Foundation of our Faith – the Pauline Doctrine (Pt. 3)

We have established that the gospel that the Apostle Paul preached was a revelation; that he was not taught it in a Bible school, and that it had not a trace of human wisdom or philosophy or thinking in it. In other words, it was not in any way tampered with by man; otherwise, he claims, it would have ceased to be the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether Bible schools spawn many of the human philosophies that we see coming with the gospel today is a topic for debate. What is clearly not debatable, from Paul’s words and experience, is that no amount of learning can reveal Christ in a man’s heart. That is something only the Spirit of God can do!

We have also determined that the revelation Paul is talking of here is not a heavenly vision or a dream, but rather he is talking about the Person of the risen Lord Jesus Himself, and the power that resurrected Him from the dead. He it was who appeared to him, took hold of him, worked in him and transformed him through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Again, it was more than the mere act of being born again.

But before we proceed… It is important at this stage to point out that the other Apostles of the early Church also received the gospel they preached by the same revelation of Jesus as Paul did. The Bible says that when Peter and John were being questioned by the Sanhedrin, the members of the Sanhedrin saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceiving that they were unlearned and ignorant men, “they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).  The Apostles’ very demeanor, the way they handled themselves in the face of the threat that was before them proved to everyone that they had met with an experience that was way past human reasoning in the way it emboldened and empowered them, and all the Jews present knew beyond a shadow of doubt that this power was that of the risen Lord Himself. Whether believers in the resurrection from the dead (the Pharisees) or not (the Sadducees), all present saw a manifestation of the power of God in the conduct of these lowly men, a manifestation they could not deny; just as they would see it in the face of Stephen a short while later as they questioned him concerning his faith. The reason they did not believe was not because they did not realize that what these men were saying was the truth, no! it was simply because their hearts were hardened, something which we will look into later since it is of central importance to my defence here!

I do not believe there was a difference in the gospel given to the Apostles and the gospel given to Paul. In the first place it had to be only one gospel, the one prophesied upon by the prophets, the gospel of universal salvation for all mankind. Secondly, neither Paul, nor the other Apostles indicated that the gospel any of them received was different from the one the others received. On the contrary, Paul himself writes in Corinthians thus: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:  And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:  After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once;  of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.   After that, he was seen of James;  then of all the apostles.   And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” (1 Cor. 15:3-8) Note the word “also” here. All the Apostles saw the same Lord, they drank from the same Rock.

But I believe there is a fundamental difference in the way God allowed Paul to receive the revelation of that gospel in his heart. I also believe that an understanding of this is key to comprehending the gospel that we carry today.

The Apostle Peter says, “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you…” (2 Pet. 3:15)

The Foundation of our Faith – the Pauline Doctrine (Pt.1)

I want to make it clear early enough that this is not an academic study on the life of the Apostle Paul, nor do I presume to add on what has already been written about Paul by the many outstanding men of God whom I consider vastly more capable than I. I humbly submit that I am not an authority in these matters, therefore I could be making mistakes. The reason I will be talking about Paul is simply because, since I write on many seemingly different topics, I just want to set the foundation or basis for the things I write. What I am going to write about the Apostle Paul in this and the following few posts should be considered by my eminent readership as the foundation of everything I write on my blog crossofchristblog@wordpress.com. Without the Pauline doctrine that I am about to discuss here this blog would not exist. It is the raison d’être, it is the cause I back, it is my whole life.

I will begin my survey of the Apostle Paul by stating that probably the single most powerful statement that Paul had to make about his doctrine is found in the Book of Galatians chapter 1 verses 12-13: “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

The Apostle Paul here makes clear the powerful and unequivocally spiritual nature of the gospel he preached. He was not taught it in a seminary or Bible school. It was not a study, or a discussion or anything that could be grasped by any means of human discourse. It was not a product of human intelligence. It was not homiletics. It was not even Bible study. It was none of these things. In fact, it was nothing other than a spiritual revelation of the Lord Jesus Himself, and it was an experience that could only happen in a man’s heart. It was what Jesus Himself had spoken  to the Jews: “The Kingdom of God is within you”, meaning in their hearts.

The revelation that Paul speaks about was the Lord Jesus Himself and the power that resurrected Him from the dead, coming to reside in a man’s life. It could not therefore be an education, just like you cannot teach someone how to get saved. Unless a person is born again of the Spirit of God, he can know the entire Bible by heart, and he could recite the sinner’s prayer and he could make every ‘spiritual’ motion there is to make, but none of these will get him saved.

The revelation that Paul received was not even a vision or a dream. Paul had many of these, but this is not what he is talking about here. The revelation that he received was an experience of far greater magnitude and significance. In a nutshell, it was Christ Himself coming to dwell in a man’s heart in His fullness. Far from it being a powerless ‘education’, this revelation was literally a birth, a spiritual birth. And this birth brought the Life that had the power to change a man from being carnal to being spiritual. Let us pause for a moment and reflect upon the fact that do we not find the need in our own lives today to have a true change in our character where we are walking in the exact image of Christ? The gospel that Paul received, that revelation, is the answer to our dilemma.