Monday morning this week, after praying to my heavenly father, I decided to play some gospel music. As the sound filtered across the house, my eldest daughter ran into my room and said – “Daddy, I want to dance”. Dance??? I asked. It’s Monday morning and you should be getting ready to go to summer school. The look on her face made me evaluate my statement: who says one cannot dance on a Monday morning? What’s wrong with that? Furthermore, I couldn’t help but wonder why “dancing” would pop up in a child’s mind on a Monday morning.
Then I remembered Matthew 18:3 – “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” As believers, we heard the gospel and decided to put our trust in Jesus Christ, just like a child would throw herself into the arms of her parents with the certainty that she would not fall down. But as we gradually mature in our faith, many of us seem to trust more in our abilities than in God. We are carrying load that should have been left at the feet of Jesus, and so it is difficult to dance, much less on a Monday morning.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:25 (CEV) – “I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear.” However, many of us still worry about these things. Our lists are even more detailed and they include marriage, house, job, and other things money can buy. But Jesus said don’t worry about them because before we ever had any need, our heavenly father anticipated that need and He has made a provision. We’ll see the manifestation as we trust Him and seek His will. God has prepared a table before us, even in the presence of our enemies. He’s leading us beside the still waters, no matter the circumstance we may be going through.
My daughter doesn’t worry about her needs because she’s got a great dad. Have you got a great God? Would you be willing to dance in the face of your challenges with full assurance that God has got everything sorted out?
– Tope Aladenusi
Once upon a long time, man did not need to worry about being naked or not, he was innocent, without the knowledge of good or evil until he ate the fruit and his innocence was gone. Today we fight to live beyond the consequence of an act that took place several ages before we came.
This week we will look at one battle, peculiar to all at one time or the other, be it before or after marriage.
Sometime ago I was reading an article about a woman struggling to remain chaste for God. I was glad someone could open up about her struggles unlike many of us who keep quiet, while dying in silence and carry the image of a saint about until God in His mercy delivers us. If God opens our eyes to see the challenge many of us Christians face in our sexual life we would be surprised. Surprised to find out first that you are not alone, secondly that such issues can exist in the life of a Christian.
I was at a meeting years back where a married man confessed to having flash backs of past relationships (premarital ones I mean) while he was with his wife.
Today the challenges have increased; the devil has strategically positioned himself and even positioned us too for attack. Everything around us is trying to preach sex. The music, the dance steps, the films, the billboards, the girl or boy next door, the clothes in the market place, the internet etc all preaching one message, the devils message Sexuality!
- How did we get here?
- How do we get out?
- How can we live above these challenges?
I have found out that Christians in relationships (whether pre-marital or marital) are often more susceptible to sexual sins.
There is a need for us to reposition ourselves for this great challenge. Could there be something we are not doing right? How can we help one another? Many have made a mistake of saying scripture says if you are pressed get married but sincere people know it does not go away. It only comes back in another more complicated form called Adultery!
Just as I was writing this a scripture comes to mind, confess your faults one to another and pray for one another that you may be healed (James 5:16 KJV). This is a very powerful scripture that we do not practice and I really don’t blame us because of the quality of Christians around, I must tell you I have practiced this scripture and it works.
Christians in pre-marital or marital relationship should be able to confess this part of their lives with one another prayerfully with the mind of helping each other to remain pure.
I am a strong believer in the word of God being able to save us from all life’s issues. Bible tells us we will grow after we have tasted of God’s grace (1Peter 2:2-3).
Here are some scripture that have renewed my mind in this regards.
The right attitude
‘Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, all you soul and all your mind ’ (Matt 22:37).
The way to live Clean
How shall a young person live a clean life? By carefully reading the map of your word. Ps119:9 (MSG)
Grace to Live above sin
‘….where sin abounded, grace did much more abound’ Rom 5:20
“Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Rom6:1b
Some years ago, someone made an illustration relating sex to fire, that I will never forget, let me share what she said with you. She said sex within marriage is like lighting a stove with fire and then sex outside legal marriage is like throwing a lighted match stick into a keg of Petrol. Are you starting a wild fire?
God has put in so much for our restoration; we need to tap into these resources at our disposal everyday to remain above.
My prayer this week is that we will start a journey that will transform the life of our readers.
Love God!
– omolola ezeifeoma
The Beginning of the Church
It is difficult to set a date for the beginning of the church though we know it arose out of the ministry of Jesus and became a universal witness to Him at Pentecost.
In his ministry, Jesus Christ predicted the spread of the gospel, but He did not, before His death, set forth a programme of evangelism (Mat 281: 8-.20). The conviction and power to witness was given at Pentecost. At Pentecost fundamental changes took place in the character and structure of the people of God.
- The NT universal church replaced the strictly Israelite congregation.
- The people of God ceased to be a national people and become an international universal community.
- The preacher replaced the priest and the sacrifice of Christ replaced the ceremonial sacrifice of animals.
The Spread of the Church
The Christian differed from the Jews in that he held that God had sent His Son Jesus Christ (John 3 16). The Messiah revealed Himself and saved them and they invited anyone to join them irrespective of their language or creed. This aroused the rabid opposition and grating persecution of the Jews against the Christians, in so much that many of them had to flee Jerusalem. But wherever they went, they preached the gospel, and this became an avenue for spreading the good news. When the imperial army of Rome besieged Jerusalem in 10 AD, they were dispersed further still. St Paul carried it through Asia Minor to Greece and Arabia; Mark to Alexandria and James to Spain.
The Persecution of the Church
The Roman Empire that ruled the world in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD was so large that it could remain united only if it recognised the local customs, tribal laws and religions convictions and practices of the many people it governed. With the enthronement of Emperor Augustus, this policy began to change. Romans began to see their emperor as a god to whom they sacrificed in their temple. The refusal of Christians to make sacrifice to the emperor therefore caused the government to regard Christianity as unlawful religion (religio illicita). From then on, Christians risked their goods, their freedom, even their lives to confess the name of Christ. Because of this refusal, Christians were hated, imprisoned, banished, fed to lions as a public spectacle and executed by the sword. This was the situation when Emperor Nero, perhaps the cruelest tyrant of his time, was enthroned. In AD 64, a great fire broke out in Rome, destroying the wooden building of the poorer part of the city. Though it was believe that Nero had started it in order to rebuild the city more splendidly to his own glorification, Christians were accused of having ignited the fire. Christians were further persecuted for this. In addition they were regarded as atheists and haters of mankind. Their refusal to sacrifice to the emperor was said to cause the anger of the gods and this brought calamites to the state. They were accused of immorality in their religious assemblies. They were said to eat human flesh when they met for purpose of prayer at night. In fact, they were persecuted not because of what they did but because of what they were. 1 Pet: 4. 14-16. The Christians buried their dead in underground passages in Rome called catacombs. In AD 156 Polycarp, the heroic bishop of Smyrna met his noble death. . Replying to the proconsul that bade him to revile Christ and burn incense to Caesar, he said, “eighty and six years have I served this Christ and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my king who saved me”
The last persecution of the early church took place in the reign of Emperor Decius, but despite all the devices its enemies devised, the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church. In AD 133 during the reign of Emperor Constantine, an edict of tolerance was issued permitting imperial subjects including Christians to worship as they pleased and ordering that all confiscated churches and property should be restored to the owners.
– gabriel ajibade
