Christ’s Ambassador

The IBRU Centre, in the Guardian Newspapers edition of Sunday June 7 2009, featured articles on the views of prominent Clerics on the lingering issue of Part-time versus Full time service in Church.

After reading carefully the views of the clerics interviewed I wish to summarize here below some of the wrong assumptions both parties have made:

·        It is possible to serve God part-time;

·        People who have other forms of employment outside the church are not ‘working for God’ or doing ‘God’s work’ on that employment;

·        God’s work is only done in the Church and such places where the Bible is being expressly preached;

·        Professionals in other fields apart from Theology cannot effectively lead the flock of God in church and they are lay men/women

It is not surprising that there is no single line of scripture that supports these lines of thought since the Professional/Lay segregation is the doctrine of men (Mk7:7)

God is interested in all legitimate works since His Spirit enables all. He is happy when a Pastor teaches Biblical truth; when a Reporter tells the news with sound integrity; when a Judge gives justice; when a Policeman ensures the security and safety of lives and properties; when a Governor governs his people well; and when a housewife imbibes the virtues of the virtuous woman (Prov 31:10-31) in running her house.

For true believers, everyplace is a holy ground since we carry the Spirit of God in us. That also implies that whatever we do in speech and action, must be done in the name of Christ (Col 3:17). Every lawful work is holy work. When Christ gave the marching orders in Mt 28:19-20, he did not exclude the work places, but he said ‘Go ye into the world’.  I believe that where believers earn their daily bread are mission grounds where they are expected to be light of the world, telling and acting out the gospel message, and salt of the earth, giving meaning to this worldly confusion. Did Jesus the Carpenter do a secular work? 

The reality is that we all have different callings and different ministries. Some have been called to serve 24-7 in the churches while some have additional assignments in the fields of work. All are called and gifted by the same Spirit and are all going to give account of their stewardship. No work is secular per se. In the construction of the tent of meeting in the wilderness, God chose Bezaleel and Oholiab and taught them how to do the work as well as teach others (Ex 31:2-6). Their work was no less spiritual than that of Aaron who burnt incense at the altar. Again, in the parable of the vineyard workers, it was the privilege to serve in the vineyard of the Master that became the effective reward of the laborers and not the number of hours. The vineyard of the Master covers the whole Earth since the ‘Earth is the Lord’s’ (Ps 24:1) Daniel, Nehemiah, and Mordecai were civil servants who worked effectively for the advancement of the kingdom of God even on the Pagan soil of Babylon.

Paul the Apostle and tent-maker is well known. Yet, the Bible shows that Paul’s, by the grace of God, was the most outstanding ministry. These points should lay to rest the argument that ‘Part-time’ ministers are less effective, though in actual sense, I posit that there is no ‘part-time’ servant of God. We all are called to serve God 24-7. Rom 12:1 says in effect to: ‘Offer your whole life as a living sacrifice to God’ (Emphasis mine)

No matter who signs the salary cheque or gives the instructions, the Boss is Jesus, the giver of all good and perfect gifts and in whom all things are held together. Where and how you fulfill the call of God on your life is determined largely on the circumstances surrounding your call. Read Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian believers: “Each of you should go on living according to the Lord’s gift to you, and as you were when God called you. This is the rule I teach in all churches. 1Cor 7:17

The Clergy/Laity segregation is a hindrance and not Biblical. We cannot witness to the ‘fringes of the earth’ as instructed in Acts 1:8 if we all shy away from the workplaces where an average person spends more than half his lifetime, some of whom may never attend a church.

We speak of what we have seen and heard (1Jn1:3a). By the grace of God, ECWA Good News Church, Bassa, the local assembly of ECWA where I worship is six years now, waxing stronger everyday in number and in grace but without the ‘so called full-timers’ since inception. All Ministers and Elders, like Paul, have other vocations outside the church building and we lack nothing because the Lord is our Shepherd. (Ps 23:1)

For more about the empowerment of the Laity, visit www.thehighcalling.org

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‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. (Ezekiel 34:11-12)

Now behold, two of them were travelling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem and they talked together of all these things which had happened (Lk 24:13)

The 7-mile road to Emmaus begins at the cross-roads of Unbelief in the outskirts of Jerusalem and ironically, this road is plied by Believers who are in the sundown of faith.

The first mile stretch is filled with potholes of sad stories of trials, betrayals, denials, persecutions, hardships, divorce, loneliness, sickness, economic crisis, self-righteousness, death and fear of death.

Down to Mile 2, the traveler is weighed down by dashed hope and depression clear evidences of his unbelief. “We were hoping that it was he who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened” (Lk 24:21) each step the traveler takes westwards takes him closer to the sundown of his faith.

Towards the end of Mile 3 he began to notice the houses by the road side were on the brink of collapse with foundations eroded away. How come these houses were built on sand in the first place? He wondered aloud another evidence of his forgetfulness. Did the Master not say “Whoever hears these words of mine and do not act on them shall be like a house built on sand…”?

The stretch between Mile 3 and Mile 4 was more difficult because the sun had receded into the clouds. He couldn’t see the road signs again. Which Way leads to the Truth and the Life now? What a sad question for a believer to ask.

Very close to Mile 5 he began to hear faintly a friendly voice beckoning on him but he was far gone in his misery to even recognize the owner of the voice. He kept going but the gentle stranger, the Good Shepherd didn’t give up and the intensity of the voice increases.

Many occasions before they reached Mile 7, he tried to shake off this stranger but the more he tried, the more he got excited by the tale of love the stranger told in his ears: “Oh foolish [one] and slow of heart to belief in all the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets He expounded to [him] in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Lk 24:25-27 emphasis mine). The traveler began to recollect this tale which he had heard before. How come he forgot it in the first place?

Then he realized that his journey to Emmaus was a wasted effort in a wrong and dangerous direction. He had backslidden: once put his hands on the plough and dared looked back. God have mercy! He made a decisive turn and with wings of eagles, flew back to Jerusalem where he found ‘the friend’ waiting for him still, telling the tale of love again and again.

Are you on a journey to ‘Emmaus’ because of trials? Fear not. Come back, Jesus is “calling for you” (Jn 11:28) May you be encouraged by this hymn titled ‘Jesus, My Savior to Bethlehem Came’ and composed by E.E. Hasty. Here I present the third stanza:

Jesus, my savior, the same as of old

While I was wand’ring in darkness and cold,

Gently and long did He plead with my soul,

Calling for me, for me!

Calling for me, for me,

Calling for me, for me;

Gently and long did He plead with my soul,

Calling for me, for me!

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If someone says “I love God” and hates his brother he is a liar; for he who does not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 1Jn4:20

I would say one point each that impresses me about Abraham and Eleazer respectively in their Master-Servant relationship. One, Abraham’s faith in God was so contagious that it rubbed off on his servant. Eleazer knew Abraham served a very Big God who “hears prayers and rewards those who seek Him diligently” not just because Abraham said it often but because he lived it. He walked the talk. So Eleazer himself sought the face of this God of Abraham in his time of need. Do you have a maid, driver, gardener, cook, laundry man, or other categories of staff under your authority? What have they learnt about your walk with God? What have you taught them about your God? Do you allow the fragrance of Christ to waft into their nostrils? Jesus says “You are the light of this world” Are you shining for the Lord in your household? Can your servants, like Eleazer, pray to “God of my master [your name]”? How you treat them and other members of your household will matter a lot in the opinions they form about your relationship with God. ‘Church-ianity’ will not do. Love is it.  Mark you, you would one day stand before the Lord to give account of how you nurture [or God forbid, fleeced] the faith of the flock of God under your shepherd’s rod.

Two, Eleazer learnt to know God through his diligence, love and faithfulness to his master Abraham (…for all his master’s goods were in his hand Gen 24:10b). If you do not love the brother you see, how can you love the God you have not seen? Can your master (employer) give you the kind of trust Abraham gave Eleazer without them regretting it? Although he is only mentioned as a footnote to the story of Abraham yet we know that God is not unjust to forget [anyone’s] labour of love… (Heb6:10a). Eleazer would definitely be more rewarded than the trust and love Abraham showed him in return for his being trustworthy. His acquired faith and holiness would make him to see God. How faithful are you to your master(s)? Have you realized that it does not matter who gives the instructions or who signs the paycheck, but your real boss is Jesus?  He is you exceedingly great reward. (Gen 15:1)  Now, there is nothing you can hide from Jesus, He knows all things (Ps 139:1-13). How man rates you on the job is not what matters at the end but how Jesus appraises you. Even if you are self-employed, so long as you do a legitimate job you are still ultimately employed by Jesus. He is interested in what you do to earn a living since through that, you collaborate with others to help build God’s kingdom. Your workplace and household form a large sector of your mission field as a disciple of Christ (Mt 28:18-20). Commit your works to the Lord and he will establish your thoughts. Prov 16:3

The fore-going is also applicable to every other relationship:

Mother-in-law/Daughter-in-law: Ruth knew God through Naomi, and she also loved and cared for Naomi in her old age. How do you relate to your in-laws?

Parent/child: Lois’ and  Eunice’s faith influenced Timothy their offspring (2Tim1:5) What legacy are you leaving to your children? Are you teaching them the way of the Lord? Teach a child the way he should go and when he grows, he would not depart from it. You children, remember the fifth commandment (Ex20:12)

Husband/Wife: Priscilla and Aquilla served together in the vineyard of God though they were tentmakers by profession. Wives, do you submit to your husbands? Husbands, do you love your wives as Christ loves the church? Are you always in agreement with your spouse concerning diligent service to God?

Shepherd/Flock: Christ, the good shepherd gave his life to save the church. Dear Pastors, GO’s, Deacons and Elders do you feed the sheep of God or fleece them? Are you a shepherd or hireling?

Friend/Friend: David and Jonathan remained faithful to one another till death despite the hostile environment surrounding their friendship. Are you a friend in need or a fair-weather friend?

Bachelor/Spinster: Joseph and Mary abstained from sexual intercourse because they weren’t married. God frowns at sex outside of marriage. “If any man thinks he is behaving improperly towards his betrothed, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin, let him marry. 1Cor7:36.

In all relationship: kindred, co-tenants, colleagues at work, brethren in church, business partners, team mates, the scriptures say “seek peace and pursue it”. “Shoulder one another’s burden” “Let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.(1Jn3:7)”

God started the first relationship and He is still in relationship with man and other spiritual beings. He watches your relationships with keen interest and one day, He will judge your conduct in relationship by the golden rule: Do unto others what you would want them to do to you. Conversely, do not do unto others what you would not want them to do to you.

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Have you ever prayed and before you finished prayers the thing started happening such that you knew the processes must have commenced long before you began praying? At such moments do you wonder if God was just a step ahead of you? To throw more light, let’s consider the prayer of Eleazer, Abraham’s servant in Gen 24:12-15.

Abraham sent Eleazer back to his native country to go and pick a wife for Isaac among his family members. So Eleazer got to the outskirts of the city and stopped by a well of water to pray:

 …. O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand [here] by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water. And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: [let the same be] she [that] thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

Was Rebekah’s coming a quick response to Eleazer’s prayer? I think Rebekah’s timely appearance was God’s [exclusive] doing and He had meant to send her to the well at that particular time right from the foundation of the world. But the prayer was used by God to prepare Eleazer to recognize what God was about doing. Without that preparation, Eleazer might have missed it. This occurrence and such ones in our lives serve to teach us that God is love, and He is in absolute control of events and timing. If we draw close to God, He’d lay in our hearts His agenda and we’d pray more efficiently.  

The foregoing, of course, is not to say that all our prayers must have such automatic responses. There are occasions when we must pray hard and long. At such times we must allow the scripture to guide us lest we fall. God hears our groaning always. God is love. (1Jn4:8) Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” (Ps34:10b) He makes all things to work for the good of all who love Him, whom he has called according to his good purpose. (Rom8:28) The Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save nor his ear heavy that it cannot hear but your iniquities have separated you from your God….(Is59:1,2) You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures. (Jas 4:3) To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven(Eccl 3:1) I encourage you to check back on all the time you have had delays getting answers to your prayers, you might find a reason for such delays within these scriptures. We must of course note that though God may wait until we pray very hard for certain things before He responds, yet our prayers can neither make Him to change His will nor influence Him to do what He never wanted to do. When He waits, things must wait and we must wait on Him. His “No” is also an answered prayer.

Faith comes by hearing. The Bible is written so that we may know the invisible God. Quite often, especially when we are in hard times, we fail to acknowledge the fact that God has His own plans and agenda for running affairs in this universe and our individual personal affairs are just integral parts of this agenda. God is concerned with the present and eternity but we are aware of only the recent past and present. But as infinitesimal as you may be compared to all God have put together in the universe, He says: “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands….”(Isa49:16a) and so He cannot forget you. He has good plans for your life, and he is still at work on you.

Why are there so many ‘prayer contractors’ these days? My people perish for lack of knowledge. Many people believe the presence of God is more with certain people than others. This is a fallacy, spin-off of poor reasoning and teachings of men. (Mk 7:7) God’s presence is not fractionalized. God is not partial and he does not defer to man. He does whatever He wants. The criteria he listed for answered prayers are (1) Pray according to His will (2) Pray with faith (3) Abstain from sin, confess and repent if you have sinned (4) Forgive all who have offended you. (5)Pray in the name of Jesus. Whoever satisfies these will have the ears of God. I do not say this to discourage you from seeking prayer support of your Pastors or other brethren, we all need intercession of other brethren, but I want you to know that you have the same status with God (you are a child) as any Pastor, Bishop, Deacon or Evangelist. Don’t allow anyone to hoodwink and defraud you in the name of transferring anointing on you or helping you to seek the face of God. If you are paying somebody (in cash or kind) for prayers or anointing, you are selling your birthright.

You do well if you follow the example of the Bereans who, after listening to sermons and teachings, go back home to check their Scriptures prayerfully to confirm if these things are true or not. Don’t follow the footsteps of Esau. You are a redeemed child of God; not a beggar, so go to the throne of grace with faith and confidence.

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Of many churches today, it would not be an extravagant claim to say that ‘they have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt. There is none who does good. No, not one.  Ps 14:3

The scriptural definition of the church is the body of Christ, The Lord himself being the head of the body. Paul’s question keeps resonating because believers are yet to supply the right answer. Is Christ divided? But nowadays instead of the one body of Christ, we have several appearances of so called ‘bodies of Christ’. Each group claiming to be the right one and others are the wrong associations. Each group has ‘Constitutions’, Articles and Memorandum of Association and Board of Trustees all registered according to the guidelines of the Corporate Affairs Commission. And in the midst of all these, the Holy writ, Bible is relegated to the background. It’s used only as a symbol but the Church Constitution gets quoted to support doctrines. Effectively, we are today still making the same mistakes the Pharisees made, holding fast the traditions of men.

The Lord quoted Isaiah’s words to expose these errors in Mark 7:6,7.

“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites; as it is written:

These people honor me with their lips

But their heart is far from me.

And in vain they worship me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men”

A simple proof that these prophesy describes the churches of today even more than it did the Pharisees is this: If all believers today still practice the doctrines of the Apostles as done in the first Church, why then are many churches only growing inwards and not outwards? Why are there differences in teachings? Why can’t a minister in the Baptist Church for instance be recognized in the Apostolic Church? Why are some practices described as ECWA standard while the same are seen as sinful in the Redeemed Christian Church of God? Why can’t an Anglican feel comfortable worshiping in the Catholic Church? Why do some claim charismatic and others orthodox and yet still some are Pentecostal? Again, Paul’s question: Is Christ divided?

Recently, a Pastor friend of mine shared an experience with me. The lease on the building his church was using had expired and the owner refused to renew. My friend was faced with the challenge of moving his congregation at a short notice. He needed a temporary venue for worship pending the time arrangements would be finalized for a permanent building, so he approached the Minister of a church nearby. Between the two ministers the timings of the various activities were agreed upon, such that there could no conflicts. But the Board of the hosting church refused to approve the plan. Why? Because they were of different denominations. There was an unexpressed fear that the guest church would poach the members of the host church. Paul’s question again: Is Christ divided?

While discussing these issues, my friend asked me a hypothetical question that goes like this: “What would have been the reaction of the Board of the proposed host church if they were told that: because we have this accommodation challenge, here, take over the congregation, all one hundred of them. Let them become members of your church”? My answer was that “They would have started celebrating and testifying that the Lord is Good” Now let’s be honest here: Would that have been because they really wanted more new members in their assembly so that they could deliver same to Christ as bride without spot or wrinkles? Hardly so. If churches of today were interested in populating the kingdom they would have been all over town preaching the good news and winning souls, just as the Apostles did. They would not have departed from the Apostle’s doctrines. Christ says we would be known as his disciples if we loved one another. So what would have been the real motive behind their jubilation? The real reason would have been the bulging of the offering bags. The love of money is the root of evil.

On a sad note, what is flamboyantly practiced today is churchianity spiced with success and personality cults. The abomination of desolation is now standing in the Holy Place just as Daniel prophesised in Dan 11:31. Satan, the promoter of church-ianity is now in control of today’s churches and he is the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, where God used to be. He has defiled the sanctuary and taken away the daily sacrifices as Daniel prophesied. This is one of the atrocities of religion.  Church-ianity is led by the hirelings of the Devil. It is cultism disguising as churches. This wide gate and broad way leads to destruction and many are going by it. Pause now and “…examine [yourself] as to whether you are in the faith” 2Cor 13:5a Emphasis mine. What do you practice? Christianity or churchianity?

Let those who have ears heed the warning of the Lord: “…when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place…” (Mt 24:15) “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her” (Lk 21:21). “And  I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Rev 18:4)

On this note I appeal to all believers to pay more attention to the programmes of the International Bible Society. And here at home, let us give good support to The Bible Society of Nigeria. I appeal to all church leaders in Nigeria to also support the programmes of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for this is a sure way to re-unite the churches under the guidance of the Holy Spirit who is leading us to all truth, or, is it time to flee the churches?

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“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever want to be first must be slave of all”. Mark 10-42-44 NIV

The scripture did not hide the fact that the twelve were always disputing among themselves who was the greatest. They wanted Jesus to tell them plainly that so and so is senior and so and so is junior. They were afraid to ask him directly but Jesus knew this. However, it appears as if Peter, James and John were given more privileges than the rest. They were what we may call the kitchen cabinet of Christ. They enjoyed, more than the other nine, the privilege of being Jesus’s closest associates. John was the disciple Jesus loved,John 13:23. James was John’s brother and they were cousins to Jesus. Peter was surnamed the rock and given the keys to unlock hearts with the first gospel message. They all witnessed many more miracles than the rest. They attended more prayer sessions than the rest, and they must have heard more secrets of the kingdom than the rest. They were there when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus. They witnessed the transfiguration and they were at Gethsemane. 

Why did Jesus choose these three particularly as closest aids and to witness more intimate situations? The Bible did not say. But we have the privilege to look at their peculiar services and make inferences. Their experience must have strengthened and influenced them in their individual callings in the expansion of the kingdom of God. So are you also called today, to submit your positions and priviledges to the Holy Spirit to use in spreading the kingdom of God.

All the apostles were called to defend the truth that Jesus was the messiah with their blood but James was the first among them to pay the ultimate price for his faith and convictions. Herod slew him and when he saw that the Jews were pleased, he arrested Peter also Acts 12:1-3.  It is one thing to believe and profess but a different ball game altogether to be called to pioneer the payment of the ultimate price. He had every chance to shrink back because of fear but I believe what he had seen and heard on the mount, Luk 9:28-35, was used of the Holy Spirit to make him firm even to death. Jeffery Grant in his “Signature of God” recorded that the Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

Peter‘s sermon at Pentecost was the key that unlocked the gates of the kingdom to those who would believe. There and then the church got her first converts as 3,000 people got convicted. Peter was also used of the Holy Spirit to reach out to the gentiles Acts 10:44-45; 15:6,7, showing that the blood of Jesus was shed to cleanse the whole world of sin and not the exclusive right of the Jews.

John was the last of the twelve to die. He had suffered the loss of his brother, James, very early in the age of the first church. The pains of bereavement must have made the assignment scarier to him, but he did not shrink back. After surviving several ordeals including being fried in oil, he was banished to the island of Patmos and left to die from starvation, harsh weather or attack of wild animals. This is where he got the revelation of Jesus Christ, a deep insight into the future of the church and the enemies of the church.

The Lord’s choice of these three disciples was to equip them further for His purposes and not for theirs.  He gave them the privileges of the inner wheelers so that they could be equipped to handle the responsibilities inherent, and that is, being more disposed to servanthood.  So it is till today. Every privilege we get as believers have attached to them responsibilities to God and to the entire body of believers. Every testimony of good things done to us by God is a subtle reminder of the need to love God more even to the point of giving our lives to his purpose.

Every spiritual gift, every knowledge and skill, every privileged position in family, at work, in the church or society, every job opportunity, every advantage-in must impose on you added responsibilities. And with what the scriptures have told us about trials, even your hardships and the help of the Holy Spirit during these trials bind you to some responsibilities. We do well if we look prayerfully for these responsibilities to discharge them in the power of the Spirit to the glory of God who gives all good and perfect gifts. It is a disservice to God if we merely enjoy the privileges and neglect the responsibilities. God will surely ask us one day.

How better may you do your work if you knew that you will answer to God in respects of your job description? How better may you utilize the positions you occupy and the influences you wield if you knew God gave them to you to serve HIM? How better may you use your time, spiritual gifts, natural endowments and your relationships? How better may you guard secrets entrusted to you?

May God help you to fulfill HIS purposes for your call.

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“We stand here for Ehud who clocked 8 yesterday” Brother Micah said with an emotion-laden voice. “Truly brethren, Ehud has been very wonderful and he has been improving every day. Even now, I am sure he is struggling (within himself) to say something to you. We thank God for giving us the strength to carry him. Praise the Lord and continue to pray for God’s healing”

This is the testimony of Brother Micah and his wife Sister Rhoda as they stood before the church on Sunday 26th April 2009, carrying Ehud. This family, and the church have been on their knees for two years now over Ehud’s health challenges. The erstwhile strong, hale and hearty boy, all smiles, suddenly slumped one day in 2007 when he had an attack and since then, he had not regained the use of vital organs of his body. He must be assisted to do everything. This has been so much strain upon the family especially Sister Rhoda who nurtures him and the little Zebedee the younger brother who misses his play-mate and brother so much.

We have been groaning to God and it seems our prayers are not heard, as we have not seen any concrete, physical improvement. We thank God for the Holy Spirit who keeps comforting us with His presence, and the gracious and wonderful promises of God. I also thank God for Mark D Robert’s Daily Reflection of Thursday 30^th April on the HighCalling Daily Reflection page taken from Exodus 2:24. This refelction is titled God Hears Our Groaning. It strengthens my hope. I believe that God hears our groaning. I believe that He experiences our pains and in due course, He will perfect Ehud’s health. I will use this reflection to encourage the church.

We cannot wait to see Ehud join his mates in the Children church. The children themselves ask emotional questions everyday concerning Ehud. Pray that God will cheer up these children. Pray that the hope we see in them will be magnified in us adults. Pray that God will heal Ehud very soon. Pray for Ehud’s younger brother Zebedee that God will return his brother to him hale and hearty. Pray for brother Micah and Sister Rhoda that God will give them more grace to wait for HIS deliverance upon their beloved son. Finally pray for my church members that God will give them wonderful testimonies concerning Ehud.

Ultimately, we know that very soon, HE will also deliver us from this wicked world of sin and sorrow, and take us to a place where there will be no more sickness, pains, hunger, tears, sorrow and death. Pray for the second coming of the Lord.

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“And whatever you do in word or action do it all in the name of Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the father through him” Col 3:17

As a Christian, you are Christ’s proxy, holding his DOA (Delegation Of Authority). As definitions, www.Answers.com says Proxy could be:

Christ’s DOA is simply called the Great Commission. You have been called to continually testify of what Christ has done in your life. You are to serve as witness, representative and an ambassador of Christ.

To represent Christ we must know him through the inscribed word, walk and work with him daily and have his mind.

We must have his passion and the foremost passion of Christ is Redemption. He started this by his baptism in the Jordan and finished it by his sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary. Between Jordan and Calvary this song could summarise his life style:

Everywhere He went He was doing good, Almighty healer, he healed the leper

The cripple saw him and started walking; even today my lord is doing good

Anywhere he went He was doing good, Jehovah Jireh, He fed the hungry

When the thirsty saw him, He gave them water, even today, my Lord is doing good

The Bright morning star, the rose of Sharon, the resurrection, He raised Lazarus

He died on the cross, to make sure I live, Even when I die, I’m going to live again

For an effective representation of Christ, here are a few points we must take note of:

·         Christ is one with God and we must emulate this in our fellowship with God. This is more than church going, or any other church activities. It is being in a continual contact with God. It’s more like having your head on his chest to hear his heartbeat. Resting in Him.

·         Christ is a Servant; we must represent him by taking the position of Servant. In many of his teachings he emphasized this and also lived it. A servant is owned by his master. He performs whatever his master instructed without questioning or expecting a reward. He has no rights and doesn’t even ask for one. He is glad to have the privilege of serving his master. Whatever position we are privileged to hold in the society or at work, Christ has entrusted such position to us as His servant.

·         Christ is merciful and we must represent him in showing mercies. HE brought mercy and grace to the poor and downtrodden as against the judgmental and damning approach of the law. He mixed freely with the sinners so as to make his mercies known to them. Today, the church seems to show less attention to the weak in faith, but the church is actually meant for these ones. They are the sick and the wounded that need nurturing and attention.

·         Christ is a man of sorrow we must represent him in that status as we fast and mourn for unbelievers. His sorrows centered on the fact that humanity was damned by the sin of Adam. Isaiah wrote that he was wounded for our sake, the chastisement of our peace was laid on him and by his stripes we are healed. Paul wrote much later that it has been granted unto you for the sake of Christ not only to believe in him but to suffer for him (Phil 1:9), and Peter joined his voice by saying: To this suffering you have also been called, that Christ gave his life for the brethren leaving you an example to follow in his footsteps (1 Pet 2:21)

·         Christ is the sacrifice and we must represent him as we sacrifice our entire lives at the altar of worship. Romans 12:1. Here is the core purpose of Christ’s call. Christ wants the entire you, not just what you do in his service, he wants the whole you as stated in Rom 12:1. I like the words put together by Henry Lyte in the hymn titled Jesus I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow thee….

If we are of the mind and attitude of sacrificial love to God, giving would not be difficult for us and neither would it be neccessarily tied to the tenth portion  of our income. We would still give cheerfully even when it might affect our personal plans. We would be able to fulfill our promises even when it hurts Ps 15:4. We would be all out to preach in season and out of season and rejoicing even when we a re persecuted for preaching. We would be passionate intercessors. We would rightly say of ourselves we are Christ’s Ambassadors,  to live is to serve Christ and to die is gain. God has poured His Spirit on us to will and do these to help us execute the  DOA.

There are times I personally find this DOA very difficult to hold. Fear and personal motives often get in the way and I do things contrary to what Christ would do. At such times I could only pray for His mercies for the commandment he gave us is not burdensome. How do you find Christ’s delegated authority? What motivates you to overcome hinderances as you represent Jesus?

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“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.” 2 Cor 4:8-12

The language we speak matters and it is imperative to a believer to speak only the language of the kingdom of God where their citizenship is. Jeff Goins recently post an article in Leadership which he titled Failure is not an option. He did a good job of encouraging believers to not look at failure as a scary incident but rather a launching pad to greater heights. In this piece, I want to corroborate his ideas and posit further that believers, in fact must fail in this worldly system of things for them to be successful in Kingdom matters. God could and always do oversee some of these failures.

It is not unusual to notice that when one becomes a believer then his life, which may have been a smooth one before, takes an abrupt turn and start to have bumps. Then he becomes a good example of failure no matter how much he desires to use “positive confession” to cover the reality. The truth is that when God apprehends you, He has to lead you to a point where you must become very thirsty for Him (through a path of righteousness for his name’s sake). His purpose is to empty you and then fill you with himself so that your overflow will begin to fill other peoples’ lives.  You are saved to serve. But you cannot be thirsty for the Lord when you are sated with the world and all it has to offer.  So God lays his heavy hand on you and begin to perform spiritual surgery on your heart, cutting the fatness off so the heart can be percolated by his word.  I think Jesus also called it pruning.  Pruning of vines is done with a knife or cutlass and that connotes pain. Stated clearly, when you are under the training of the Lord the world sees you as a failure, and you are in fact, a failure in the things of the world. In his letter to the Corinthians, part of what is quoted above, I see Paul reeking failure by the world’s standards.

God must slow you down to a tempo suitable for you to discern his moves and hear his voice. Oh how it pains. Noah must have looked like a failure to the entire world of his days when he started building a ship on a dry land in anticipation of the deluge, yet nobody has ever witnessed rainfall before. He must have been a failure to have invested all of 120 years preaching repentance while his contemporaries were advancing their careers and accumulating wealth. Abraham was instructed to leave his native land, everyone and everything familiar, to go to a place he was not even told where. To the people he left behind in the Ur of Chaldees, the man was a failure for closing his farms and yielding to the voice of a God that no one knew. Moses, once a heir to the throne of Egypt, must have reeked all failure to Jethro as he signed up for a job of shepherd after all the education and princely living. These heroes of faith had worldly failures to invest to yield good profits in the Kingdom of God. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

Now coming to prosperity and the the scripture which says God delights in the prosperity of believers ” Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servants Ps 35:27 (NKJV). Prosperity, in the language of the kingdom means making a profitable investment of the gift of life God has given us, first and foremost, and making good use of the additional dividends (finance, position, work, contacts, property, education and persecutions etc). I believe most people have no problem about the first aspect but they tend to overlook the second. Our sorrows are also part of the investments and God is interested in seeing them yield good profits as well. That’s when we can say we prosper in all things. Many Jews believed in Jesus when they witnessed Lazarus coming out of the grave. But the miracle came after Mary and Martha went through four days of sorrow upon the death of their brother Lazarus who also had to endure the pains of sickness and the hopelessness of death even when his friend Jesus could have healed him. Within those four days they were a pitiable lot as the Jews saw their ministry as a failed one.

I read through the account of the birth of Samuel again. Why was Hannah in such pains? Why was she such a failure in her marriage? Did the Devil attack her? Was it a medical condition? No. 1 Sam 1:5 says that “….the Lord has closed her womb” In other words, the Lord led her to a point where she became very thirsty for Him. Her prayer indicated that she became burdened with the same thing in the mind of God. In Sarah’ family the success of the world was persecuting the kingdom success. And so it is till this day. You cannot have both.

Between a believer and the world, there is a language difference. A believer may fail in things of this world so as to be well prepared for God’s call upon his life. The believer may taste of failure in the world so as to be cured of the tendency to be self-sufficient. The believer may taste of failure so as to be cured of his tendency to doubt God. And a believer may taste of failure so as to get the experience and patience necessary to minister to others who go through such failures. Through the pains of these failures, the believer becomes prosperous in things of the Spirit.

Have you suffered setback in career, family, relationship and in ministry because you won’t comply with the world standard? I believe you are  in the right place where God wants to set a table before you, anoint your head with his own oil and fill your cup to overflow. Hang on, but let Jesus invest your failures and sorrows for you. He is the stockbroker par excellence. When the trials seem to hide HIS lovely face, hold on to your faith. HE is faithful who promised. The promises of God may tarry but it won’t be late. The world will always face economic meltdown and will soon pass away and the lust of it, but the Kingdom of God is ever yielding profits.

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