𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆

Many Christians today are not only uninformed about basic theology, they are hostile to it. Obviously people fight what they do not understand. 

Misconceptions, stereotypes, myths and false impressions about theology abound- even within Christian circles. We all need theology. Theology seeks to clarify and articulate Christian doctrine. There is more. 

Theological reflection ought to foster godly spirituality and obedient discipleship. Indeed good theology will make believers stronger, better informed and consequently more effective disciples. 

We engage in theology because theological reflection grounds our lives in biblically informed Christian truth. It fosters maturity so that we may become stable believers in the fleeting times we live in. 

Theology is also a check on the hocus-pocus that is being auctioned by many errorists in the body of Christ, who display the  fickleness of their imaginations and concocted experience as standards for what is true. Theology exposes and confounds such folly and futile fancies.

𝗙𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱

Timothy grew up in Lystra, in a small Greek community, nevertheless, a Greek community steeped in idolatry and in a culture that was anti-Christian. 

Despite the prevailing culture, Timothy turned out to be a young man with good character (Acts 16:2), nurtured by his mother and grandmother, from whom he inherited his genuine faith (2 Tim. 1:5). Certainly, he had been equipped (furnished), fully trained with the right values against the fascination of a contrary culture that had profound effect on what young people believe about God, truth and reality.

Today, our young people are growing up in a postmodern culture that propagates the view that "if it works, it's right for you." How equipped are they to engage the sloppy and slippery influences manifest in the culture?

Timothy had role models in Lois, Eunice and Paul. How well are we as adults (parents, guardians, counsellors, pastors) modelling the faith for our young people? Our teenagers appear to be more taken to Hollywood celebrities (icons of popular culture) as their role models. 

Timothy was nurtured with the Scriptures that introduced him to, and instructed him in the way of salvation. Our kids are being fed with the platitudes of legalistic dos and don'ts or at best motivational self-help tips that are inadequate in setting them on the path of life.

Getting our teenagers "Furnished" should not be another fancy trope for a youth ministry event. The process of getting them furnished (equipped, adequate, fully trained) for every good action in an increasingly bad world, should start with us (adults) as facilitators of authentic faith, not 'religion', showing them the way of life. 

We must grill them through the furnace of the inspired Scriptures, in sound teaching, rebuking wrongdoing, correcting faulty notions, and instructing them continuously in the right principles.

It is significant to note that no reformation can be permanent which is not based on the principles of the word of God. This is why in getting our youths furnished for life and living, nothing can substitute the Scriptures. 

Our youths must be made to understand that popular culture will fade away, lofty sounding ideologies will fail, because this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever (1John 2:17).

Like Timothy, they should be open to learning and spiritual formation based on God's word. It is in the place of formation that conviction is birthed and built. Conviction is what gives stability against contrary waves of influences. Conviction is proof of being #furnished.

#sundayhomily #teensweek #foursqaureteens

CREATED (Isaiah 43:1-7)

God affirms that He created you. When you hear that what does it mean to you? Read and understand 5 significations of the truth that you are created!

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲. You not are here by mistake or accident- there's a purpose for your existence. You are not a nonentity- you are significant in God's grand plan for humanity. That's why you must live your life circumspectly and purposefully.

 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲. God loves you. He knows you and calls you by name. He is personally and intimately involved in your life. You are a product of His desire. He ransomed you from sin and Satan. You don't have to earn His love. He chose to love you. While you were yet sinner Christ died for you. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. 

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲. He called you His own. You are precious and special to Him. He honors you and dignifies you. You are highly endowed. You are the masterpiece of His creation. That's why you can't allow anything or anybody to devalue your worth. You can't allow yourself to be messed up. You are God's priceless possession.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. He protects and preserves you. Even when you go thru hell and highwater, He is with you and will deliver you. In terrifying and difficult situations, He is your buckler and refuge. Because of His purpose, providence and premium over your life, calamity will skip you. Even when you go astray and wander off, He will restore you and stabilize you. Keep trusting Him. Never forget He is your only option in times of trouble.

 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘆. You are created in His image and likeness. You resemble and represent Him. You are created for His glory. You must #represent. Whatever you become, wherever you are, whatever you do, your life must bring glory to Him. It is in Him you live, it is in Him you move, it is in Him you have your being. The more your life glorifies Him, the more you are dignified.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 (𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿) 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲

Peter and John were arrested and thrown into jail for preaching in the temple about Jesus Christ. This was after God had used them to heal the lame beggar at the beautiful gate. The crowd who saw the miracle happen had become Peter and John’s followers and this didn’t go down well with the Jewish rulers.  So, they got them locked up and tried to intimidate them. Peter and John, however, wouldn’t be intimidated, they boldly replied their captors: "Whether it's right in God's eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there's no question — we can't keep quiet about what we've seen and heard." (Acts 4:19-20, MSG) Since the Jewish authorities, couldn’t find any reason to continue to hold the disciples, they had to let them go—but not without some more threats. 

However, it appeared the authorities’ threats didn’t do much in wearing out the courage of the apostles. After their release, Peter and John headed back to their friends and fellow believers to let them in on what had happened. It felt good to be in good company and to unburden their trouble. They were not alone in this. Being in the company of their friends, who shared their sufferings boosted their courage to hold on to their conviction. A friend in need is a friend indeed. 

It wasn’t just about the company. It was also that they knew the right thing to do when there was trouble. They prayed. They prayed together. They prayed aright. They didn’t go into a panicky frenzy at the threats of the authorities. They acknowledged that God was greater than the difficulty they were faced with. They were more confident in the majesty of God than to be confounded by the mess they were in. Their courage was bolstered by the word of God and by the testimonies of those who had walked the journey of faith before them. 

In their prayers, they weren’t bothered about self-preservation or the destruction of their enemies. They saw the threats of the authorities as being against God’s purpose for which they lived— the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was the purpose that motivated them to pray. For this same cause, Herod, Pilate, the power of Rome and of the Jews put together had tried to stop Jesus, but they failed. In the face of threats, they prayed for boldness to be committed to the purpose of God for their lives— preaching the Gospel. No power could scare away the purpose of God in and for their lives. It wasn’t just about them, it was about purpose!

As they brought their prayers to a close, they prayed for the miraculous to happen in their ministry of the Word. This line of the prayer is indicative of their faith in the supernatural workings of God. As they participated in God’s purpose, they also wanted to experience God’s power being manifest through them. For sure, when the power of God becomes apparent in and through their lives, just as it happened in the case of Peter and John in the healing of the lame beggar, they couldn’t be bothered about the hostilities of the authorities. 

The fact that we are identified as children of God and followers of Christ, targets us for challenges that would want to shake the very core of our conviction. However, in the place of prayer, not motivated by fear, vengefulness, or despair; but by absolute trust in God, and in the joy of the company and fellowship of our God-given friends and family, we should take courage in the purpose for which we have been called and the power of God to back this purpose and to preserve us in Christ for the hope of our calling. God's purpose for our lives, his power, and his promises to us are greater than our predicament. 

#sundayhomily

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲

John Stott told a story, in his book, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, about David Hume, the eighteenth-century British deistic philosopher and skeptic, who rejected historic Christianity. A friend once met him hurrying along a London street and asked him where he was going. Hume replied that he was going to hear George Whitefield preach. Whitefield was an English Anglican priest and evangelist who along with the Wesleys founded the Methodist movement. He was the most popular preacher of the Evangelical Revival in Great Britain and the Great Awakening in America. "But surely," Hume's friend asked in astonishment, "you don’t believe what Whitefield preaches, do you?" "No, I don’t," answered Hume, "but he does."

The above anecdote demonstrates the significance of the authenticity of the pulpit ministry even in a post-truth era. The pulpit ministry is indispensable to Christianity, because, like Stott wrote, "Christianity is based on the truth that God chose to use words to reveal himself to humanity." God’s speech makes our speech mandatory. The preacher must speak what God has spoken. Hence, preaching is a mandate for the minister of God’s word. 

The mandate should not be seen as merely an obligation. Preaching must be driven by conviction (2 Cor 4:13). Preaching should not be an expression of ecclesiastical opinion or an articulation of ethical platitudes. The preacher’s message must flow out of conviction-- conviction in divine revelation; conviction in historic Christian faith. Conviction goes beyond mental assent or subjective opinion. A preacher must be so thoroughly convinced that what he is saying is true that he can take a stand for it regardless of the consequence. It is conviction that makes the message compelling even in the face of contrary beliefs or views. Hume couldn’t resist Whitefield’s conviction.  

These days sermons have receded into nothing but TEDx speeches. The preacher has to be politically correct and culturally sensitive. Emphasis is now on the elegance of speech and showmanship. Of course, the pulpiteer would rather court the cheering and charity of an audience of entertainment seekers, with itching ears, rebuffing sound and wholesome doctrine, and seeking for what will suit and satisfy their indulgence in greed and falsehood (II Tim.4: 3-4).

However, whether it is favorable or unfavorable, convenient or inconvenient, acceptable or unacceptable, popular or unpopular; the preacher has the mandate to declare God’s word with a sense of authority. The minister of the word must be ever willing to correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction; disregarding the nuances of the increasingly relativistic audience, who are out to make ear-candies of preachers.

The preacher should not be drawn into remixing his message to suit the untamed postmodernity of his listeners. He is supposed to be a model of truth, dignity and purity, "teaching what is unadulterated, showing gravity, having the strictest regard for truth and purity in motive, with dignity and seriousness” (Titus 2:7).

Those who must preach the word must denounce their lust for the ovation of the crowd and do the work of the ministry as it is meant to be done. What makes a good minister is not in the amount of crowd he is able to gather around himself, but in his unflagging resolve to speak the truth in love anytime anywhere.

#CERULLO

Like Onesimus who was a slave to Philemon of Colossae, but who according to tradition evolved to become the bishop of Ephesus, after Timothy, Dr. Morris Cerullo, rose from the tatters of a very difficult childhood and inauspicious beginnings, to become a world renowned evangelist, taking the Gospel round the world.

Orphaned too early in life, following the death of his immigrant parents in an automobile accident, young Morris was raised in various orphanages. His Christian journey began at age 14 with the guidance of a nurse in one of the orphanages. 

Running away from a Jewish orphanage, whose directors had tried to restrict him from practicing certain matters of his new faith, Morris began preaching the gospel at the age of 16. Since then, until yesterday when he finally transited into glory, at the age of 88, he never looked back from putting his hand on the plow in the life and service of God's kingdom.

As I reflect and write now, I recount the many great leaders Dr. Cerullo raised, (especially in Africa) and many more millions his life touched, and the implications of such awesome and immersive (with the globalisation of communication technology) influence for global Christianity.

As I reminisce and celebrate the life of this general of faith, I'm awed by what God can do with a 'nobody' in bringing about His purpose in redemption. He specializes in translating from obscurity into significance. Paul wrote on how God chooses things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chooses things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful (1 Cor 1:27).

My insight is also deepened about Jesus' parable of the mustard seed as a metaphor of the kingdom (Matthew 13:31–32). Who would've imagined that the tiny seed of the faith planted in the heart of a teenage Morris by that unnamed nurse, in an obscure orphanage, would become a mighty oak of enduring legacies?

Indeed, as I solemnize the life and ministry of Dr. Cerullo, I also pray that I would be a planter of seeds of enduring legacies. May saviors rise from my influence!

#sundayhomily

Watching the Weather?

Who else is still waiting for things to return to normal? It's going to be a long futile wait. Things aren't ever going to be the same. Change happens. It is inevitable. Life goes on. It is how we deal with change that makes a difference. 

Don't be like Hem, in Spencer Johnson's parable, 'Who Moved My Cheese', who preferred to stay in his comfort zone, ignoring the reality of the situation, waiting for things to return to normal. He felt entitled and chose to remain in a cheeseless situation, instead of forging ahead to new horizons.

King Solomon admonishes, "Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest" (Eccl 11:4, NLT). Don't be a weather watcher. There's no perfect timing. Changing times require a new mindset. This is the time to seize the moment, ride on the waves of time and make new discoveries.

Typically, we get fixated on the past. We get stuck in the nostalgia of how things used to be. It's the "good old days" mentality. Another wise counsel from Solomon says, "Don't long for "the good old days." This is not wise (Eccl 7:10). We get hemmed in by longing for the former days and we are blindsided from capturing a desirable future. 

Yes, we may be experiencing extreme and undesirable circumstances or situations. However, right in those circumstances is God's providence, to give us a future filled with hope. But we don't get it by sitting pretty, folding our hands and watching the cloud. We venture in faith into the maze of opportunities to posses the promise of possibilities.

#sundayhomily

Dinghy of Fear

But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage. I am here! (Matt 14:27, NLT)

A 30-year-old Bulgarian sailor was trying to reach America from the coast of South West England in a 14 feet dinghy (a type of small boat often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel). He had no life jacket, no lights, and only had a local map. He got seasick and got caught in the rough sea only five miles off the coast in an attempt to sail 3,000 miles to America. His American dream was going to be scuttled, before it barely started.

Jesus’ disciples were in a dinghy of fear just like the Bulgarian sailor. At Jesus’ instruction, they had gone into the boat to go ahead of Him to the other side. But as they got farther into the sea, the wind became contrary threatening to sink them. Panicky, they struggled and grappled for their lives. When Jesus showed up, their fear multiplied as they took Him for a ghost, because He walked on the water. 

Don’t our hearts get clutched by fear, at the slightest rocking of our boat? Don’t our hearts pound with trepidation, when we get caught in stormy circumstances? We forget quickly who we are and whose we are. We don’t recall God’s assurance: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6) 

What are you afraid of? What is threatening to sink your boat? The bills are rising, you are out of a job, circumstances in your life are uncertain. Be calm, your circumstances can’t be more real than God’s assurances to you. John said, if you are afraid, it’s because you have not fully experienced His perfect love (1John 4:18). Right in the storm Jesus is present and calling you to “take courage” and come out of your dinghy of fear. So you can step over the rough sea of your life!

“There is no illusion greater than fear.” ― Lao Tzu

#sundayhomily

Responsive Father

"What father among you, if his son asks... If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children..."

The provost of the seminary where I teach is a doting father. I have always observed with admiration his relationship with his sons. All grown up boys still cluster around him, with confidence and filial certitude, savouring the endearment of their father who never gets tired of responding to their requests. Not once have I seen the provost shown a sign of reluctance, in furnishing the entreaties of his sons. 

In buttressing the point that prayer is more about relationship with the Father, than a religious observance, Jesus uses two anecdotes in applying the principles of prayer he wanted his disciples to learn. First, is the case of an Unwilling Neighbour (Luke 11: 3-5). This, however, is not my focus in this post.

Second, is the allusion to Responsive Fathers (vv. 11-13):  Except in objectionable instances of child abuse, insensisitivity and an absentee father, which are an outgrowth of the degeneracy in our societies; naturally, earthly fathers are not unkind to their children. 

They do not give injurious gifts or gifts that mock their children’s requests. They do not deceive or disappoint their children in dashing their expectations. They lookout for the well-being of their children and try to please them as best as they could. The provost typifies this kind of responsive fatherhood.

The example of the provost reinforces the point that God, because of who He is, as a holy and loving Father, can only respond to us in perfect kindness and love. He will do much more than our earthly fathers who, though they generally seek to give good gifts, are also sinful and finite in their wisdom. 

He is not an absentee or distant father. He is not insensitive to our needs and longings, even though sometimes we can be immoderate. He still does what's best for us, as an infinitely wise and responsive Father. This should prod in us a filial confidence, when we come to Him in prayer.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us, "...let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most" (4:16).

#Juneteenth

MORE than two years before June 19, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln had officially outlawed slavery in Texas and the other states in rebellion against the Union. The enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation was slow and inconsistent in Texas, so that more than 250 thousand were still enslaved, even though the law had freed them, just because the information regarding their freedom was withheld.

Thanks to the announcement of general Gordon Granger and the ratification of the abolition by the 13th Amendment, the Proclamation held sway at least in principle. Today, Juneteenth is celebrated to commemorate Granger's public restatement of a fact of freedom. 

However, what was the nature of the freedom?

Freedom into what? Freedom into nothingness, freedom into poverty. While European immigrants from impoverished backgrounds, in late 1800s, were being given land opportunities and economic headstart, blacks, who had worked the land in servitude for nearly three hundred years, whose blood, sweat and tears built the economic foundations and prosperity of the American nation, were given no land or gratuity. Right from start their right to survival was disenfranchised. They were disempowered from living out that freedom they had so longed for.

In biblical Hebrew society, a slave was freed after six years of serving, based on the Mosaic regulation of manumission. Freed slaves were not allowed to go empty-handed. They were released with gratuity. "You shall furnish [them] liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress" (Deut15:13-14).

Given that the United States was birthed and formed upon Judeo-Christian principles, one would expect that the 13th Amendment would have adopted the biblical edict of manumission. Christianity in America today is predominantly an evangelical tradition. The reality of that is yet to be seen in upholding a redemptive approach in the integration of blacks into the American society.

One hundred and fifty five years after, blacks in the United States are still grappling with the reality of freedom. The embers of slavery is still being stoked up in racial injustices, whether covertly or overtly, in socioeconomic disparities against African Americans and the almost every day sting of discrimination they suffer because of the colour of their skin.

The ideals of Juneteenth should go beyond an annual celebration and the observance of a national holiday. The true spirit of Jubilee should redefine the application of the 13th Amendment, starting with a reorientation in the psyche of all Americans, whites, blacks and coloureds.

Laying on of Hands

There are certain practices that have been ingrained into our lives, so much that they seem vital and inviolable. We think we can't do without them, especially when they are religious rites. Sometimes, they are so symbolic that we become emotionally and even intellectually connected to them.

In Christianity, laying on of hands is one of such rites. We lay hands to heal the sick. We lay hands to ordain people into leadership roles. We lay hands to impart supernatural graces of the Holy Spirit on others. As a matter of fact, laying on of hands, appears to have become a sacred act that dignifies the person, position and performance of the clergy. It's the means of impartation of power or virtue. It, in a way, validates the preacher and authenticates the ministration.

With the implementation of the guidelines for reopening worship centres, the imposition of hands will have to take on a new form. To lay hands, you'll have to wear gloves. "Sacrilegious! This is the abomination of desolation." Another ecclesiatical outburst against the "bedevilled" guidelines. Perhaps the gloves would hinder the outflow of the anointing. Probably, there's a mystery about the imposition of hands that's yet to be unveiled to some us.

What's really the fuss about? Laying on of hands isn't a magic formula and it does not, as some claim, automatically confer grace. So what, if we now have to wear gloves to lay hands?  What if we were told not to lay hands at all, would that stop healing from taking place? Or does imposing hands in appointing church officers make them extraordinary, without the actual imbuement of the Spirit? 

Yes, Jesus told his disciples, that they would lay hands on sick people and they'll become healthy (Mark 16:18). But Jesus spoke in the indicative, not in the imperative, meaning, laying on of hands isn't a command or an ordinance like the holy communion. He was merely forecasting what the disciples will experience in the foreseeable future. As a Jew, Jesus himself practiced laying on of hands (Mar 5:23; Mat 9:18), and so did the apostles.

Laying on of hands was in effect the fourth element or principle of the Jewish religion, which was borrowed into Christianity. Jews practiced the laying on of hands on a great variety of occasions (Lev 16:21; Lev 24:14; Num 8:12). And as Christianity grew out of Judaism, the ritual was carried over. However, the writer of Hebrews classified the act as an elementary doctrine of Christ (6:2). In other words, laying on of hands belongs to the ABCs of Christianity. There's a higher level.

The Roman centurion understood this level, when Jesus obliged to go over to his house to heal his paralyzed servant. He answered Jesus,  "Sir, you don't have to come to my house, just say the word and my servant will be healed" (Matt 8:8). Jesus was awed at the insight and faith of the Roman officer (v.10). On a higher level, healing or the transmission of the Spirit's power or grace doesn't need any personal contact.

"He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave" (Ps 107:20). Those fussing about wearing gloves to lay hands, should stop throwing tantrums and move on to maturity ( Heb 6:1).