GREATER THAN SANTA

It’s Christmastime and you can almost touch the frenzy of excitement and fun that young ones, especially children are caught in this season. Every mall, store, entertainment center, joint, the eatery is agog with the rush of happy-go-lucky kids, stomping, yelling, squealing, and frolicking with the fancies of the holiday season.

At the center of all the hype is the legendary figure that has become symbolically identified with Christmas— Santa Claus, or Father Christmas, if you like. To an average child, there’s no Christmas without Santa. All kinds of grottos are mounted in all kind of places, by all kinds of persons, to simulate the Santa Claus experience, of course, for pecuniary reasons.

Any Tom, Dick, and Harry can put on some bright red trousers, add a jacket, wear black shiny boots, tuck the trousers into the boots and show off the white fluffy trim on the boots, add some padding, belt up with a big buckle, wear a fake beard and white hair—and there you have your Santa. And wherever there is a Santa, children will gather.

While the Santa figure creates a very strong appeal for our children at Christmas, it’s important to never let them lose sight of the true legend of the Christmas story— Jesus Christ. In spite of the technique of saliency used by the media and the fun industry to glue the minds of children on the Santa image, we must not fail as parents or guardians to keep alive in the consciousness of young people, the message that Jesus is the real hero and essence of Christmas. Jesus is greater than Santa!

For a head start I’ve lined up a few tips here to help us prime the thoughts of our children around the superiority of Jesus over Santa:

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is believed to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved children on Christmas Eve and the early morning hours of Christmas Day. Jesus is the central figure of the Christian faith— the real idea behind Christmas. He is God’s gift of love to humanity, to save us from our sins and give us a heritage of eternal life in His kingdom.

You have to wait in line to see Santa in his grotto, with Jesus there is no queue, because you have been accepted in the Beloved, and therefore you have personal and intimate access to Him.

Santa is a yearly fancy, but Jesus is an ever-present help who will never leave us or forsake us.

Santa stuffs you with toys and other perishable items, Jesus offers all things that pertain to life and godliness, as we’ve been born again into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.

Santa doesn’t know your name, all he can say is “Hi little boy or girl, what’s your name?” Jesus knew our name before we were born. Not only does He know our name, He knows our history and future, and He connects with us uniquely and personally.

Whereas Santa would give virtually the same kinds of gifts to everyone, Jesus meets us at the point of our needs and endows us according to our individuality.

The best Santa would do is to make you chuckle (and sometimes he can be a fright to some kids), but Jesus gives joy that remains, and wads off fear and sorrow.

Jesus is the true Hero and Essence of Christmas!

Sharing my spotlight with Yanju Aladegbaiye

Accept people’s imperfections and be the first to see their good qualities. Be the kind of person others turn to for advice because they trust that you’re not going to judge them or tell bad stories about them afterward. Radiate a personality that makes people comfortable to be themselves around you.

If you are a leader or you aspire to be one, you must acknowledge that the people around you are not there to make you a big deal; you’re there to make them a big deal. Shine a light on others, and in the reflection, you’ll see a leader.

Being the kind of person others look up to and are glad to be around and follow isn’t something that just happens. It’s a choice. It’s as simple as choosing to smile at your workplace on a Monday morning, remembering someone's birthday, making pleasant remarks about people's looks or attitudes, making people feel valued. If you are going to add value to others, you must first value them.

The greatest opportunities for leadership typically arise when and where it’s needed most. Find the leader in you and become the person people can trust. Only then can you move the spotlight to those around you.

Intentional Learning

There'll always be someone in your sphere of interest and influence who could have much to teach you, regardless of their age. Don't wait, identify them, initiate a friendship with them, cultivate a learning relationship with them, get all you need to become a person of greater impact.

A wise [person] will hear and increase in learning, And a     [person] of understanding will acquire wise counsel (Prov 1:5)

The Habakkuk Confidence

Life is full of ups and downs. Sometimes we just can't help but feel a little down, even though we try to stay positive and happy,. Things don't always go as planned. Disappointments, rejections, hurts, worries, illnesses, jealousy, annoyance—all of these things can occur to make us feel very uncomfortable and anguished.

We know it's not good to feel this way but somehow it's hard to stop thinking about it. We internalize our thought about a certain thing that annoys us or hurts us because it gives us comfort. However, by internalizing that thought in our head, thinking about it over and over, we reinforce the negative feeling we have and fill ourselves up with negative energy.

We can take a cue from Habakkuk and say: “Even though the fig trees are all destroyed, and there is neither blossom left nor fruit; though the olive crops all fail, and the fields lie barren; even if the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be happy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; he will give me the speed of a deer and bring me safely over the mountains (Hab. 3:17-19, TLB).

Missions Intentionality

Missions is God’s way of demonstrating his sovereignty over all human affairs. Certainly, the human condition necessitates missions. As events in the world are unfolding, we observe with a shudder the increasing state of the degeneracy of humanity. There is chaos everywhere and ethical relativism is redefining the kernel of morality. The world is raising difficult questions. People have opened up to many things and life has gotten complicated. Godlessness is growing and temptations and distractions are arriving from every direction.

The gospel, should, therefore, be delivered strategically, honestly, and with simplicity. Its relevance must be demonstrated. We must address the issues that are driving people away from the church and from God, and meet them where they are, in the busy rush of their lives. This is why we need equipped Christian leaders with the right kind of attitude and response to engage the world!

Taking a cue from the early church in the book of Acts, we would reckon that the work of missions is three-fold—Evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. Our missionary service model should take after the Apostles’ model. We should commit to (1) winning new converts, who will become disciples indeed, (2) planting nurtured churches to strengthen the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to keep the faith, and (3) building new communities of believers, who will increase the spread and influence of the Gospel in our societies.

Complete List of Paul's Prayers

1. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. [Romans 1:8–10]
2. Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. [Romans 10:1]
3. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. [Romans 12:12]
4. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. [Romans 15:5–6]
5. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. [Romans 15:13]
6. I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. The God of peace be with you all. Amen. [Romans 15:30–33]
7. I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way— in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. [1 Corinthians 1:4–9]
8. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. [1 Corinthians 16:23]
9. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. [2 Corinthians 1:3–7]
10. But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? [2 Corinthians 2:14–16]
11. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has give you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! [2 Corinthians 9:12–15]
12. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” [2 Corinthians 12:7–9a]
13. Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. [2 Corinthians 13:7–9]
14. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. [Galatians 6:18]
15. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  [Ephesians 1:3.]
16. For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. [Ephesians 1:15–23]
17. For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen. [Ephesians 3:14–21]
18. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. [Ephesians 6:19–20]
19. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. [Philippians 1:3–6]
20. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. [Philippians 1:9–11]
21. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Phil. 4:6–7]
22. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. [Philippians 4:23]
23. We always thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. [Colossians 1:3–14]
24. Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. [Colossians 4:2–4]
25. We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Thessalonians 1:2–3]
26. And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last. [1 Thessalonians 2:13–16]
27. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. [1 Thessalonians 3:9–13]
28. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. [1 Thessalonians 5:23–24]
29. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. [1 Thessalonians 5:28]
30. We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.  [2 Thessalonians 1:3-4]
31. With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. [2 Thessalonians 1:11–12]
32. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. [2 Thessalonians 2:16–17]
33. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. [2 Thessalonians 3:2–5]
34. Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. [2 Thessalonians 3:16]
35. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. [1 Timothy 1:12]
36. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. [1 Timothy 2:1-3]
37. I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. [2 Timothy 1:3–7]
38. May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus. [2 Timothy 1:16–18]
39. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. [2 Timothy 4:22]
40. Grace be with you all. [Titus 3:15b]
41. I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. [Philemon 4–7]
42. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. [Philemon 25]

Assignment

Read carefully all the Pauline prayers in the link and engage the following questions:

1. How would you describe the nature of Pauline prayers?     

 

2. What do Paul's prayers teach us about how we should pray?    

3. In what way(s) do his prayers differ from those commonly prayed in churches today, especially in vigil and 'revival' programmes?

4. Having read through Pauline prayers, if you were to teach on prayer, what would be the summary of your teaching (in 3 to 4 sentences)?

5. Given that this course aims to explore the biblical framework for life and ministry, as pastors, against the backdrop of current trends, what insights from Paul's prayers apply to (a) your prayer life (b) your prayer ministry?

6. Excluding numbers 8, 14, 29, 39, 40, 42, choose any of the numbers on the prayer list and (a) analyze the text following the principles of interpretation (b) apply the text to your situation or any real-life situation.

Pauline Reading Assignment 2

First Thessalonians

Author and Title:

As declared in 1:1 and 2:18, all evidence (external and internal) supports the claim of the book that Paul is the author of 1 Thessalonians. Early church fathers support Paul’s authorship beginning as early as A.D. 140 . Those things that characterize Paul are evident throughout (cf. 3:1-2, 8-11 with Acts 15:36; 2 Cor. 11:28). In addition, a number of historical allusions in the book fit Paul’s life as recounted in Acts and in his own letters (cf. 2:14-16; 3:1, 2, 5-6 with Acts 17:1-15). In view of this evidence, few (some radical critics of the nineteenth century) have ever questioned Paul’s authorship.

As the first of two canonical epistles to the church at Thessalonica, this book was called in the Greek text, Pros Thessalonikeis A, “First to the Thessalonians.”

Date: A.D. 51-52

Both 1 and 2 Thessalonians were written from Corinth during the apostle’s eighteen-month stay in that city (cf. Acts 18:1-11). The first epistle was written during the earlier part of that period just after Timothy had returned from Thessalonica with news of the progress of the church. The second letter was dispatched just a few weeks (or at the most a few months) later. Any date assigned will have to be approximate, though probably A.D. 51-52.

Theme and Purpose:

The purpose and burden of the apostle in writing to the Thessalonians can be summarized as follows: to express his thankfulness for what God was doing in the lives of the Thessalonians (1:2-3), to defend himself against a campaign to slander his ministry (2:1-12), to encourage them to stand fast against persecution and pressure to revert to their former pagan lifestyles (3:2-3; 4:1-12), to answer a doctrinal question pertaining to the fate of Christians who had died (4:1-13), to answer questions regarding the “Day of the Lord” (5:1-11), and to deal with certain problems that had developed in their corporate life as a church (5:12-13; 19-20).

Key Word(s):

Two key words and concepts stand out in this short epistle: “sanctification” (4:3, 4, 7), and “the coming of the Lord,” which is referred to in every chapter of the epistle (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23). The coming of the Lord should not only comfort our hearts, but stir us to godly living.

Key Verses:

1.      1:9-10. For people everywhere report how you welcomed us and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 1:10 and to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.

2.      2:13. And so we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human message, but as it truly is, God’s message, that is at work among you who believe.

3.      4:1-3. Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you may excel still more. 2 For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; (NASB)

4.      4:13-18. Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope. 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and arose, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. 4:15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will arise first. 4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be snatched up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord always. 4:18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Key Chapters:

Chapters 4 and 5 undoubtedly stand out as key chapters because of their teaching on both the coming of the Lord for the church, the rapture (4:13-18), and the day of the Lord (5:1-11), the time in the future when He will intervene in human events to consummate His redemption and judgment.

Christ As Seen In 1 Thessalonians:

With the coming of the Lord mentioned in every chapter, Christ is presented as the believer’s hope of salvation both now and at His coming. When He comes, He will deliver us from wrath (undoubtedly a reference to the Tribulation) (1:10; 5:4-11), give rewards (2:19), perfect us (3:13), resurrect us (4:13-18), and sanctify (set apart) all those who have trusted in Him (5:23).

Assignment

Read the above commentary carefully and thoughtfully and engage the following questions:

1. Cite one external evidence in support of Paul's authorship of the epistles to the Thessalonians.

2. It appears Paul's authorship of this letter was not contested. Substantiate your answer.

3. Describe the scenario or situation in which Paul wrote this letter.

4. What are the implications of the burden of this epistle?

5. What euphemism did Paul use for death in the epistle and what effect do you think it would have had on the immediate audience, given the thrust of his message?

6. Chronologically highlight the events that will punctuate the second coming of the Lord as presented in this letter.

7. How is Christ presented in this epistle and how would you communicate this to a Christian audience today?

8. Given your study of 1 Thessalonians, how would you react to those who teach the ' Second Coming of Christ' to instill fear and elicit panic in their audience?

9. What is the relationship between the key concepts that stand out in the epistle?

10. From Paul's report of the Thessalonian church, what is your impression of the church and what lessons should the contemporary church learn from them?


To submit, click on the comment section under this post, indicate your name and paste your answers.
Deadline is Saturday, April  18, latest 5:00pm