Christ’s Ambassador

I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Mathew 26:13

Her name was Rachel Ajike Adeninhun Ogungbe. Her birth was not recorded but according to the stories she told us, she was already affianced when the town of Modakeke was overthrown by the Ifes (SW Nigeria). From history books, that happened in 1901. My father was the last of her five children. No one of us who were her grand children had ever seen her with black hairs. She died in 1980 and her age was estimated at 124years.

Although she became a Christian and was baptized in the early 60s, she never ceased to tell us strange and pathetic stories of her former life as a pagan and she had relics of that to show us. She was called ‘Alaba’ a cultural name for the second child following a set of twin. ‘Idowu’ is the one following the twins.

Story Teller

She was a quintessential story teller, singer and dancer. We loved to gather around her anytime she was less busy and she would tell us stories and teach us Yoruba cultural songs and dances. Her favorite was how our great ancestor, a man called Eewumi migrated from Tapa land in the North Central Nigeria, the present Niger State to the old Oyo empire in the west. Then she would follow up with eulogies of the great men and women in our ancestral line. She was the reason behind my great love for Yoruba culture. Occasionally my father would join us and beat drums to accompany the folklores she sang. Other stories she told us were also full of traditional knowledge.  Through her I knew many of the myths behind the various norms held sacrosanct among the Yorubas. She told us of her single handed struggles to train all her five children after my grandfather died prematurely.

Mama also had stories of many inter-tribal wars and she told us how she watched as able men were conscripted to go fight the world war. The funniest part of these war stories was her demonstration of the military parade, and she would take time to don her special war costume when she got to this part of the story. Mama was a good actress.

Mediator

As my father ruled his large polygamous family authoritatively, Mama was the mediator we all had in the house then. If anyone offended my father, or if any of us children offended his/her mother, we would run to mama and she would promptly stand in the gap. Mama was the only one who could confront my father in his anger and get him to listen to her. She would do anything to calm down an angry person including; singing, dancing and even crying if she thought that would give her attention.

Comedian

Any time she noticed that there was tension in the house, maybe a quarrel between my father and any of his wives, mama would go and dress like a clown. She had her various costumes which she gathered over the years and she would just diffuse the tension with her outlandish dressing and funny dance steps.

Farmer

Mama loved farming. She maintained a garden at the back of the house which she always insisted on keeping by herself in spite of her frailty and waning health. Working on that farm was her own way of exercising her body and it really served her well. Anytime she harvested her crops and that may include yams, cocoyam or beans, she would cook and share the food to everyone in the family house, old or young. That was also her own way of getting in touch with everyone.

Caterer

Mama did not like the modern day methods of cooking using seasonings and other processed foods. She preferred using local ingredients which made her foods uniquely tantalizing to all of us especially her grand children. There was a particular fast food she liked to prepare from melon seeds which we called ‘robo’. She would grind dried melon and mix it to a rich paste with water, grinded pepper, tomatoes and onions. By kneading this mixture vigorously, she would squeeze out melon oil which was used to eat yam. Then she would make this paste into small balls and fry them in oil. The hard balls that come out are called ‘robo’.  We ate the ‘robos’ with corn palp or just as as snacks.

Nurse/Midwife

Except for the few ones that were born when she became very old and weak, the rest of us who were her grand children were born and nursed on her knees. Mama had a good knowledge of herbs. She was a daughter of herbalist, wife of herbalist and also mother to herbalist – my father.

For boys like me who must sustain injury on the football fields or from bicycle accidents, mama was the family doctor. Whether it was an open wound, a sprain, dislocation or cracked bone, mama’s hot water spied with herbs was the first aid and it was very effective.

Questions for reflection

Read Psalm 45:17: “I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.”

Proverbs 10:7: “The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.”

1.  What are you doing to stay sweet and fresh in the memories of those who shall survive you?

2.  What do you think may be written as epitaph on your grave?

3.  How may you ensure that people will bless you as they remember you when you are dead?

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Three months prior to my wedding date, I lost my job. One after the other, all the investments I have made hoping to use the profits to organize the wedding ceremony failed. The company where my wife worked was also caught up by the Federal Government’s Privatisation of Public Enterprises policy and staffs were not paid for upwards of six months. So many times, the thought of taking an exit route out of town crossed my mind for I dreaded having to invite all people and then disgrace them for what they might conceive as poor planning. However, the wedding still took place as scheduled on October 13, 2001.

It was held in the North Central city of Makurdi, the capital of Benue State where my in laws lived. I had to travel down from Kano in the North West. My mother and siblings together with a few friends joined up, having travelled from different corners of the country to Makurdi. It was a variegated mix of language and cultural display on the engagement day as I and my team from the Yoruba tribe of South Western Nigeria formally asked for the hand of a bride of Igala by tribe who lived in Makurdi town the home of the Tiv people. There was free display of cultural values like foods, dresses, songs and dance. We all drank from each others’ wealth of culture with tolerance and love.

Church solemnization of marriage was at the Qua Iboe Church in Makurdi but the marriage reception was held at Benue Hotels PLC where the Police band displayed their talents on all genre of music ranging from the evergreens of the 60s to the Afro, Reggae and blues.

Despite all my fears, the wedding was a successful one by all standards. However, as we danced on the reception ground, news broke on TV that Kano was engulfed in another religious riot and the Islamic fundamentals were burning churches and Christian residences again.

 This meant two things to me immediately. One, we must not go back to Kano soon as we planned before. The honeymoon had to be done somewhere else. Two, we might not even have a place to go back to in Kano after the honey moon, except if we were fortunate to still have our rented apartment unscathed either by the raging inferno or by the looting urchins.

Well as I would not have such things ruin such an important day, I buried the thoughts and lived for the moment. I was helped by Paul’s admonition to the Philippians; “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Phil 4:6) I prayed in my heart all through the event. We had the first dinner at the Nigerian Air Force Officers’ mess at Makurdi, sponsored by my elder brother. My wife and I left the guests and family there and looked for a nest. It was such a wonderful period full of joy and expectations. It is true that; “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” (Prov 12:25) Maybe you are wondering if I later told my wife we might not be having a house to go back to in Kano? If you were in my shoes, would you choose your wedding night to break such news?

We went back to Kano after three weeks when we heaqr that the riot had been curtailed by the combined efforts of the Police and the Army. Our house and property were still intact. We learnt that the miscreants actually got to our neighbourhood, but God stirred the minds of the muslims who lived around us to scare them away. God actually made the ‘enemies’ of the Christian faith who lived around us to be at peace with us.

The lesson here is that you either trust God or you worry. You cannot do the two together. “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?” (Eccl 2:22) Worry kills but faith in God conquers.

Do you have some problems that are causing you some disquiet? Have you told it to Jesus? Have you sought the face of the Lord for understanding and patience? Speak to Jesus now, there is no friend like Him.

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It was Johann Pestalozzi who wrote that; “The best way for a child to learn about God is to know a real Christian. The best way for them to discover the power of prayer is to live with parents who pray.” I can attest to the veracity of this statement by the way children minister to us parents when we at times become too distracted with life’s worries to know what we must immediately do.

A few days ago, I was in the house with my two children, my son Tayo, 7 and a girl of 13, Joy, who lives with us. They were playing a game of ludo and I was worrying about my job that was being axed as Zain Nigeria outsourced its technical operations. My mind was polluted with the thoughts of how to get another job, how to pay the bills and so on. My wife was away to work on night shift. She works at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja as Flight Announcer and for five years now, just like me, she has been a casual staff. Between the two of us we take home peanuts.

My phone rang. It was Yemisi my kid sister asking me for directions. She was on the road travelling to Abuja from Ibadan. The call came in at 7:30 p.m. in the night and yet she still had over 400Km of bandit infested road to cover. She still had two stops to make that night to get to the Airport village where we lived and it was also raining. My worries escalated. My children noticed this and tried talking me out of it but to no avail. They did not quite understand the complexity of my thoughts.

After a while, they ended the ludo game and began to play church. The boy was the instrumentalist, playing imaginary keyboards on a table and at the same time beating drums with his mouth. The girl was the vocalist and her special number was “What a friend we have in Jesus” a Christian hymn originally written by Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855. Joy had it written down in her singing practice exercise book and that afforded me the privilege of hearing all the stanzas. The words that the Lord used to call me back to back to my senses were; “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” I felt ashamed of myself. I stole a glance at them to know if they deliberately played church because of my sorrowful state, but they hardly noticed I was around again. They were in their own world singing with gusto. Oh how pure their joy was.

I heeded the counsel. Without standing up lest I distract them, I simply closed my eyes where I was and talked to God. I thanked Him for making me a Christian when he saved me from my sins. I thanked Him for sending the needed Spiritual nourishment through the children at that hour. I appreciated Him for the grace He gave us to raise the children as Christians. Then I thanked Him for my sister’s journey and just asked Him to bring her to the house safely. Peace returned to my heart and I became strong again. “Daddy, will you play ludo?” asked my son. That was when I realized they had stopped playing church and were already arguing over some nonsense. “Yes sure, let’s all play together.” The three of us played and we were still on it when my phone rang again around 11pm. Yemisi was at the door. God had born her in His wings and brought her safely to the house in Bassa. How she scaled the hurdles on the road were just stories soon forgotten.

This is one of the blessings of being a Christian. “All your children shall be taught by the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children.” (Isaiah 54:13) Have you given your life to Christ? It’d be sad to die unsaved when there is a Savior. Time is running out, do something about it today. Just confess your sins to Jesus where you are and tell Him to save you. HE is waiting.

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

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In my pre-Christian days, I would have defined strength in terms of the power to induce the taking of a course of action or the embracing of a point of view by means of argument or entreaty. I would also have dwelt on material, mental and physical resources deployed to withstand opposing forces or circumstances. However, now I am a new person and old things have passed away. Today, when I am weak then I am strong. I do not see strength in myself or any man, I look for it where it truly belongs for in my weakness the power of the Lord is made perfect. The Lord is my strength.

His Joy

The joy of the Lord is my strength and this happened when I became saved. The joy of the Lord is deeper than happiness and it is not circumstantial. It takes the Holy Spirit to develop and it takes faith and time to form. Joy of the Lord flows like a river, ever fresh and is environment affecting. Joy of the Lord is not reduced by my severe trials; rather it becomes increased as I “count it all joy when [I] fall into various trials knowing that the testing of [my] faith produces patience which, in turn, when perfected shall make [me] complete and perfect, lacking nothing. (Jas 1:2-4).

His Blood and Righteousness

My strength is in the blood and righteousness of Jesus and I dare not stand on any other ground for they are sinking sand. Without the cover of Jesus blood I am mince meat for Satan. “And they defeated the beast by the words of their testimony and the blood of the lamb” Rev (   ) As he nailed my sins to the cross of Calvary, his righteousness is imputed to my account and I can approach the throne of grace with confidence in this, knowing that God sees me in Jesus.

His name

My strength lies in the name that is higher than every other name, that at the name of Jesus of every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord, to the glory f God, the Father” Eph ( ) His Holy name is the strong tower which the righteous run to and are saved. Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I know HE is with me. Since I have made him my refuge and since the Most High God is my habitation, I know, “no evil shall befall me and no scourge shall come near my tent. I have strength knowing he has detailed his angels as my escort to minister to me everywhere I go. I have strength because with my eyes shall I look and see the reward of the wicked.

His hands

How wonderful, how can it be? But he has inscribed me in the palms of his hand. The nail scars embossed my full names on his palm and so I am always in his thoughts. His thoughts are manifold towards me. I have strength knowing that His hand is not shortened that it cannot save me. I am save whatever may betide me in the hollow of his hands.

His word

I have the sword of the Spirit, it is my strength. The host of hell has never been able to withstand the faintest utterance of; “It is written.” His word is alive and active, sharper than any two edged sword.  This is my strength. His word is Yes and Amen. His word is Spirit and is Life. His word gives me more understanding than my teachers and makes me wiser than the aged. His word is a lamp to my feet.

His Praises

The Holy one of Israel inhabits my praises. I will praise Him forever more.  When I Praise Him the walls of my Jericho must fall. In His Praises a single Angel must crush all the troops encamped against me. When I sing His praises, a single stone from my sling of praises must knock down the Goliath facing me. As I praise Him Angels join in the praises, all His creatures join in; everything in me and in my house praise the Lord for His mercies endure forever.

His mercies

My strength lies in His mercies which are renewed every day and on account of which I am not consumed. I owe my whole being to His mercies. The Lord is good. His mercies brought the forgiveness of my sins. I who was erstwhile a nobody, am now a joint heir with His son, Jesus. Halleluiah.

His Spirit

I have strength in His Spirit, my comforter and teacher who leads me into all truth. The sap that makes me fruitful as a branch of the vine comes from His Spirit. Without Him I can do nothing. When I stray, HE searches for me and when He finds me, HE gently pleads with my soul and brings me back to the loving arms of the Good Shepherd.

His Spirit enables me to will and do His pleasure. How else could I as David see an opportunity to kill Saul my adversary but yet hear the still voice in my ear saying “Love your enemies as yourself”? and “Vengeance is mine says the Lord” What else could have given me the strength to say, like Jesus on the cross; “Lord forgive my enemies because they know not what they do”? Who could have helped me to pummel my flesh and bring it to the subjection of the Spirit of God?

My strength is in being filled with His Spirit and bearing the fruits of “Joy, love, faithfulness, kindness, longsuffering, peace, gentleness, goodness and self control.”

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 If you were to receive a new member in your church who said he was an herbalist, you would probably advise him to change his profession and become ‘born again’. Not a few among the congregation would avoid shaking hands with him. The choir would choke on the usual welcome song ‘May you really be blessed as you fellowship here in our midst.’  If he continued attending, he might begin to enjoy the rare privilege of having a whole pew to himself for a long time. If you have become familiar with the outputs of Nollywood; Nigeria’s movie industry you would readily agree that this scenario is a very mild description of how the African herbalist is seen by Christians. My own father experienced something like this when he joined the Anglican Church in 1955. However, this needn’t be so.

The Herbalist is a person who collect roots, barks and leaves of plants, process them and bring out mixtures to treat diseases and ailments. Such mixtures may be eaten in solid form, soaked in liquids to drink or applied orally on the affected parts. The wisdom to do this comes from God and the practice had been an age-long one in Africa before the advancement of Western medicine. Suffice here to say that my own father, grandfather and great grandfather were herbalists and so was my maternal father.

Genesis

God initiated the use of herbs when he planted a garden in Eden and permitted Adam and Eve to feed thereof. The first plants were meant for food and not as medicine since there was no sickness then. But nothing catches God unawares. The sin of Adam brought weariness, sickness, ageing and death. Plants which had the potency to nourish the body also had the ingredients to heal and build up weary organs. So man continued to use them for healing and prevention of sickness.

Later on

The Israelites were commanded to eat the Passover lamb with fermented cakes and bitter herbs. Bible Historians reported that bitter herbs like chicory, endive and watercress were used in those days and in subsequent celebrations of the Passover when they arrived at Canaan. (Ex 12:8; Num 9:11) The bitter herbs prevented constipation since they had to eat a lot of meat. The bitter ingredients flushed out the colon and purified their blood. The bile was stimulated for a more efficient breakdown of protein and fat. For those who already have constipation, relief also came same way. No doubt, the herbs gathered in the days of Elijah and cooked with pottage were also meant for health improvement purposes. (2Kgs 4:39-40)

Contemporary time

Much of the ingredients processed to manufacture western medicines were also gotten from plants. One only needs to read leaflets that come with medicines to confirm this. Experience have shown that these are not even half as efficient as  when the raw plants are used directly as cure because some of the vital ingredients get destroyed by heat and chemical preservatives. My father had many friends who were pharmacists and University dons and in many occasions he had collaborated with these men in their researches.

 One could then see the wisdom of God in giving us the plants as food in the first instance. Man puts his own health and longevity in jeopardy through the junk food he eats in the city but if much of the the proper leaves and fruits are consumed with the right proportions of fish, meat and dairy products majority of the diseases could be prevented or cured before they get to malignancy levels. All these go to show that herbs are God’s gifts which we cannot avoid as food or medicine. Then why is the African herbalist a persona non grata in the church?

What went wrong?

One suggestion is the issue of unbalanced doctrine. Many still preach against the use of medicine when their members fall sick. Such teachers opine that if their followers have faith they needn’t take any medicine but should rely on prayers alone to get healed. While I agree that prayers can get one healed because it is God who actually heals, yet I believe it’s the same God who has given man the knowledge of making medicines and other processes of treatment of diseases. It is not scriptural to condemn the administration of drugs to patients. There were physicians even in the days of Jesus ministry on earth and he did not condemn their practice. Luke is believed to be a Doctor. “Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.” (Col 4:14)

Another suggestion and a major one is the way the typical African herbalist mixes his practice with witchcraft and divination. The African herbalists may find out that some of their patients’ afflictions have been caused by spell cast by witches and other occult groups. If the cause of an ailment is infection or natural body breakdown, such are treated with the appropriate herbs but when the cause is traced to the spirit realm, it becomes another ballgame all together. Most often, they have to learn the causes of their patient’s ailment through divination and where it is believed that witches are behind it, such powers must be appeased. Here comes the crux of the African herbalists’ problem with Christianity.

The Bible clearly forbids divination and unwholesome rapport with demons and witches. “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.” (Deut 18:10-14) Of course, there is no accord between light and darkness and neither is there cordiality between Christ and Belial.

Function of the Church

The Church should teach the herbalists in the congregation that they need not fear witches, demons or the occult since Jesus Christ has made a public show of principalities and powers. The blood of Jesus and the potency of the Gospel message is enough to deal with any source of a sickness in the life of a patient such that herbs could then be administered to build up any system that has broken down. There is no need for other sacrifices and rituals again since Jesus has offered his own blood once and for all time to cleanse believers. Man is superior to demons in the scheme of God so it is an insult and abuse of grace to appease demons. If the African herbalist can separate his practice from divination and ritual offerings to witches and demons, and depend on the full suit of armor of God (Eph 6:18-22) to protect him and his patients from principalities and powers, he could even hold positions in the church if he desires the position. (2Tim 3:10

Emerging trend

Scientists all over the world have woken up to the realization that herbs in their natural state would serve humanity better than when they are mixed with petrochemical products. This is why many health ministers all over the world are now giving natural medicine a chance. Herbalists are just Pharmacists and Doctors who stick to nature. There are quite a number of them in Nigeria now who have started packaging these herb mixtures neatly in caplets and sealed bottles.

Revelation

Finally, here is “the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to show his servants – things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John.” “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the lamb. In the middle of the street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit ever month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Rev 1:1; Rev 22:1,2)

Herbalists are not necessarily witch doctors nor sorcerers but sorcerers and witch doctors could be herbalists. Beware.

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The core aspect of the lifestyle of a good Christian is the knowledge that this world is not our home; we are just passing through according to the words of an old song by Albert E. Brumley. Our real home is in heaven. Jesus actually warned his disciples thus; “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6:19-20) Being modest helps the church to heed this counsel.

John the Apostle also wrote that “the world passes away and the lust in it” (1Jn2:17) Modesty, freedom from vanity and conceit is the bedrock of humility – a fruit of the Holy Spirit. As much as possible, Christians must be modest in all things at home, work and in the church, in thoughts, speech and words. The importance of modesty in the church environment shall be viewed under the following considerations: 

Role of the Church

The Church is the body of Christ, an organization Jesus left on earth to continue to spread his teachings. In the charge known as the great commission and recorded in Mt 28:19,20, Jesus said; “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Among other lessons, Jesus taught his disciples to be humble in all things and he also walked the talk. His family, birth, lifestyle, ministration and even death and burial were all wrapped in modesty. His focus throughout the thirty-three years He lived on earth was to do the work of God and complete it. Here is the calling of the church also, to follow in His footsteps and focus on showing the world the love of God. Paul says to the Ephesians “Be imitators of God” (Eph 5:1.)

God is love. Christ, the son of God is the head of the Church. For the church to imitate God whose body she is, she must also dwell in love and do all things in love. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul gave the flowing as major characteristics of love among others; “love  suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil” (1 Cor 13: 4,5)

Church building and décor

Today we have mega-churches with their world class architecture and tasty furnishings. Many times, the maintenance of these structures become a big job which consumes a lot of time and money. The maintenance becomes a major source of distraction from the ‘devotion to prayer and ministry of the word.’ Funds must be generated by all means to run this church turned real estate business and sadly, these are resources that should have been better utilized to cater for the poor and support the spread of the gospel just as the Apostles did in the first church.

Church organizational structure

Many churches are now run like big corporations with the General Overseers sitting as the CEOs. The organization is so vast and profit oriented that minds of the people have become distracted from the Scriptural values of abstinence, penitence, charity and modesty. District Pastors are given assessments at the beginning of the year and so they preach every possible kind of message that would coerce members to give money and other gifts. Well, their salaries and promotions are on the line. General Overseers now own airplanes in the same church where some members are not employed. The purchase cost and maintenance of these aircrafts is enough to establish cottage industries to give employment to members. Churches establish educational institutions and run it mainly on profits such that that the poor among them cannot afford to pay the fees.

Dressing and material possession

The prosperity teaching has made people to believe wrongly that show of affluence is a measure of spiritual attainment. The church environment has now turned to a place for fashion parade and exotic automobile display. This causes segregation among members and promotes deference to the rich and affluent. Herein is the truth in Solomon’s words recorded in Eccl 4:4 “Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.” There is envy, hatred and stealing in church today because everyone wants to be seen as success in the ways of the world. The poor are neglected, widows are not taken care of, and orphans are not given any considerations. The core business of Jesus, which is evangelism is not a burning issue but pursuit of money and comfort. People can spend all their lives pursuing wealth without having time for the Spiritual matters but so long as their tithe and freewill offering records are showing good figures, they are blessed by the leaders of the church. The more you can grab, the more recognition you get from church leaders whose ostentatious lifestyle teach that godliness is a means to get financial profit. Love of money rules the church now and Spirituality has disappeared simply because the environment reeks of immodesty.

Manner of speech and attitude

Out of the abundance of the mind the mouth speaks. The manner of speech and attitudes of leaders and congregants cannot promote modesty when the strings that bind them together are fashioned from conceit and vanity. If the foundations be destroyed what can the righteous do? Because the set of values have changed from the Apostles’ doctrines that promote holiness, love, penitence, compassion and charity, it is not uncommon today to hear fabulous testimonies of miracles. But if such claims are properly investigated one might find out that the supposed blessings of God were manipulated to give an air of Spiritual success and to further deceive more people to fall in.

Effect of Immodesty in the church

Paul warned the Galatians in Gal 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows that he will also reap.” The effect of conceit and vanity in churches today is that the Spirit of God has departed from them. This is why churches are lukewarm and cannot record genuine revivals and conversion of souls. Churches now grow inwards rather than expanding like the growth recorded in the Acts of Apostles. When you see new members in churches today, they are already Christians who have come to visit their friends or relations, or workers on transfer to that location. If the church would return to the doctrines of the Apostles, we will also witness superb miracles like it happened in the days of the Apostles. Jesus is still working miracles but in environments conducive for him to do so.

 Threat to salvation

There awaits shocks in heaven. Immodesty might be threatening the salvation of many people. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers” This is Jesus warning to the churches in Mt 7:21-23

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Fear is an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger. It is usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight but at times fear can make the sufferer to remain idle. According to surveys, some of the most commonly feared objects are spiders, snakes, heights, water, enclosed spaces, tunnels and bridges, social rejection, failure, public speaking and death. However, the fear I want to write on here is the fear of the unseen or unknown and how God used a baby to teach me that most times, the fear of the unseen is baseless.

At the time this thing happened, my son Tayo was only two years and was yet crawling on all fours. We occupied a two bedroom flat. Tayo loved to follow his mummy about as she went through her house chores but he always had problems whenever the mother moved from the sitting room to the other sections of the house. There was a doorway which had a curtain but no door, linking the sitting room to the other parts. Tayo did not understand that the curtain was no barrier to him. Once he got there he would start crying and looking for help without trying anything. Many times, I had to help him lift the very light curtain before he could pass. But one day he was very excited and ran wildly on all fours past this same curtain. It was too late when he realized that he was not supposed to be able to make it after all but he had made it. He sat back, with the lower end of the curtain in his grasp laughing. He showed his pleasant surprise the best way a 2-year old could and his mother was no longer able to keep him in the sitting room again.

As I laughed with him that day my mind was busy reviewing Tayo’s initial dilemma and his current success. Tayo’s erstwhile fear of that curtain had been unfounded. It has kept him away from all the places he wanted to explore in the house, denying him good adventure and most importantly to him, keeping him from continually enjoying the company of his sweet mother.  But all he did to conquer this fear was just to try, albeit unplanned.  The lessons God used this episode to teach me are better captured in the wise sayings of the following notable people:

Marilyn Fergusson: “Ultimately we know deeply that on the other side of every fear is a freedom”

Jane Adams: “Our fears are traitors and make us lose the good we often might win, by fearing to attempt”

Eleanor Roosevelt: “You must do the things you think you cannot do”

Marie Curie: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood”

Dorothy Simpson: “There is nothing to fear except the persistent refusal to find out the truth, the persistent refusal to analyze the causes of happenings”

How many times in my life had I nursed such fears as this toddler did? How many prospective good relationships have I lost uncultivated because of fear of rejection? How many good friends have I lost because I feared they would not forgive my sins if I asked them? How many times have I lost good opportunities to help others because I feared they might reject the offer? And how many helping hands have I ignored when all I could have done was to ask?

What is your fear? Is it fear of death? Are you afraid to sleep at night because of terrible nightmares? Are you afraid of enemies who have threatened to kill you? Are you in dread of unseen evil powers? Whatever be the object of your fear, here now what the Lord says as recorded by Prophet Isaiah in Isa 41:9-11;

“I took you from the ends of the earth; from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced;   those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.”

How could one qualify for this and other promises of God? It’s simply by becoming His child. If you are not yet a child of God, become one now by simply talking to Jesus and invite him to take over your heart. He hears you, just speak.

I wish to invite you to Helium where you ‘Learn what you need, share what you know‘

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Though I am going to write from an African’s perspective, yet I would like to start from the story of the very first woman, the mother of all. Eve was seen and accepted by Adam as “the bones of my bones and flesh of my flesh”. This gave ascent to God’s purpose of creating woman in the first instance, that is, to make a helpful partner for the man. It was to be that women would be submissive to their husbands and men would love their wives as their own bodies, and this is the height of chivalry, for God is love. Had man and woman remained in this purpose and intent of God, chivalry would not have become an effigy of itself today.

Since this time when man lost the glory of God, women have also lost their position of honor by man’s side and have become relegated under him. All the efforts of women to regain the lost status have been based on man’s devices but man is innately bad. The heart of man is desperately wicked (Jer 17:9).

The dearth of courtesy towards women has been a gradual thing through the ages. In the olden days here in Africa, our culture knitted a lot of courtesy into the fabric of society to protect women. For example, tying of nuptial knot was conducted between the two families with great respect and honor for the woman. In the first instance, the groom would dare not take the audacity to go toast his prospective bride. It would be regarded as height of discourtesy. Instead, he would get an intermediary to start the talk.

It is also part of the courteous treatment of women that the man would never think of having a carnal knowledge of her till their wedding night, after which if she was found chaste, there would be a lot of celebration in the bride’s family because their daughter has made them proud. In the groom’s house again, the woman would garner a lot of respect for being virtuous. Until a man gets married, almost everything about the ways of the opposite sex is a promising adventure, a vision he holds dear while he looks forward to the day it will be unraveled to him with ecstasy. Even after marriage certain things are still regarded as women affairs which he knows next to nothing about. These, among others build up the courtesy ascribed to women wherever man sees them.

In the family, children are taught a lot of good rhymes that are instructive of the honor to be given to mothers and women in general. For example, mothers are described as jewel of inestimable value for the sacrificial love shown children, carrying them in the womb for nine months and on the back for 3 years. In those days, there was no cradle. Babies were strapped on the back of their mothers. This helped to develop bonding and great respect for mothers, and by inference, women. In gatherings where both genders were present, women were given a lot of honors. Even today, have you noticed how a group of male folks would keep silent, and be of good behaviors, if only to impress, as soon as a lady shows up?

Women were found mostly in trades and crafts that allowed them to fully maintain their roles as wives, mothers, and housekeepers. These roles in turn fetch for them great respect and admiration from their men and children. But the foregoing were mere samples of what obtained before the rot set in.

Perhaps one of the earliest enemies of chivalry was polygamy. What courtesy could a man claim to have for a woman he sees as mere vessel for bearing children or to satisfy his sexual urges? But these two factors among many have been the major motivations for men to marry more than one wife. In a polygamous setting, a woman loses her voice and right to talk. She doesn’t have an exclusive right to her husband’s body.  Even the girls among the children are raised with the feeling that they are inferior to the boys because they all live in a male chauvinistic environment promoted by polygamy.

Economic crisis, civilization and advancement in technology have contributed their quotas. Now,  women compete seriously with  men in all fields of endeavor, which is  a good thing, but is at the same time robbing them of their natural position as revered mothers, dutiful housewives, and doting partners that are always present to offer support and even shoulders for the men to cry on. Women are fast losing their softness. Now they are hardly at home to teach the boys how to show courtesy and to teach the girls what to do to receive courtesy. The foundation blocks of chivalry become weak right from the homes where they are being molded.

Women have even lunched a war against their God endowed womanly shapes. God gave them that dignifying shape with sufficient flesh in the right places, to bring poise, beauty, softness and sexuality, while at the same time affording them the ease to carry and nurse babies conveniently. Nowadays, majority of them want to appear straight and dry like men because some advertisers have said that’s the good shape to be in. They starve themselves in the name of dieting and undergo dangerous surgeries to reverse nature.

One of the worst factors is the skimpy dresses that women folk have now held dear. It is almost bothering on madness. Provocative dressing has become a big threat to the little remaining respect and honor given to the women folk. When a woman exposes her alluring body parts she is advertising herself as a sex object and the natural result of that is the current increase in rape and assault incidences. It is also one of the fuel driving prostitution and women trafficking trade. The media are also culpable. Almost every product advertisement on the tube and in print has one degrading photograph of women or the other and this goes a long way to indoctrinate the society in the wrong direction, most especially the youths.

An average youth today can only define chivalry in terms of standing up for the ladies to sit in class or in a crowded bus, opening the car door for their girlfriends on their first date and to call ladies first before the men in a social gathering as in “Ladies and gentlemen”. But chivalry is more than these outward shows. It is an etiquette which, sadly to say, is now comatose.

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Jephthah’s call was not something you’d call supernatural when compared to Gideon’s, Barak’s and Samson’s but it was nonetheless supernatural. The people had gone apostate again and God sold them into the hands of the Philistines whose gods Israel had started worshipping. They cried to God and he heard them. “And the elders of Gilead said to one another, “who is the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead” Judg 10:18. This is how God made Jephthah a Judge in Israel. Read the full story in Judges Chapter 11.

I am concerned with Jepthah’s vow here: And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.“. (Judg 11:30,31 KJV). Why did the Lord’s anointed make a vow which caused him and his family sorrow afterwards? Surely, the resultant bitterness of heart was not in the plan of God whose blessing “makes one rich and he does not add sorrow to it” Prov 10:22. Here are a few suggestions as to why a typical Jephthah among us today might make such vows:

·        To show we are very religious

·        Trying to induce God to do our request

·        To try to earn/buy  God’s grace

·        Desperation

·        Bending to undue influence of others

These reasons and many more like them are elicited unbelief and ignorance of who God is. Vow is voluntary token or service pledged to God in anticipation of an answered prayer. It might also be a promise to abstain from something. It is preparation to receive, and never the reason for God’s blessings. In making a vow, we should plan carefully lest we become distraught at pay time.

Many Preachers presents a situation that looks like God is broke and in need of a bailout. Paul wrote this about them: “…their god is their stomach….” Phil 3:19. They readily quote Hannah’s vow in 1Sam 1:11. One fact they are missing is that Hannah’s prayer life had matured from the selfish to the selfless and, in her sufferings, her need and God’s became convergent.

At a typical Harvest thanksgiving or building fund-raising services for example, a lot of drama is enacted. After a gripping pulpit homily on giving, these tricksters might say something like “God just told me He wants to give embarrassing blessings to someone here. He needs people who could give one million naira to this building fund. Be on your feet if you are the one God is about to bless” Then, applause as ‘able’ brethren rise. “Eight hundred thousand!” the announcement goes again. This subtle pressure might go down steadily even to “one thousand naira!” Many who are pressured to pledge this way often lament like Jephthah at pay time “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me!….” Judg 11:35.

Jephthah accused his daughter wrongly. But in your own case, you would be at fault as much as the false teacher because you have not studied the word of God yourself to know the truth. In the kingdom of God, for tangible offerings and services, the principles of giving are:

1.   “Give and it will be given to you…… the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” Lk 6:38,  

2.   “He who sows sparingly shall reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully, so let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” 2Cor 9:6,7

3.   “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?” Eccl 5:4,5

Why befoul your garments of righteousness with careless vows like Jephthah’s?

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