Akin and Roy were classmates in the University of Jos. They graduated in 2009, same day, same grade. They move to different parts of Nigeria seeking jobs and haven’t set eyes on each other ever since. Akin started out with a blue chip company in Lagos while Roy had to settle for an internship position with a small company in Abuja. They both served God fervently in school and increase, remarkably, in their knowledge of God even after school. Recently, Roy relocated to Lagos to search for a new job and as he treks the streets of Victoria Island one sunny afternoon, he sees Akin driving by in a 2006 Toyota Highlander.
Akin! Akin!! Akin!!! Roy calls out, as he raises his hands to get Akin’s attention. Akin suddenly recognizes Roy, pulls over and rushes to Roy give him a warm hug. They chat for minutes, Akin hands Roy his complimentary card, and drives him to the nearest bus stop where he can get the bus. On the bus ride home, Roy feels very discontent with his life; thinking – my classmate is doing very well and already has a lovely car but here I am, sitting next to a smelly meat seller and going to a house where I squat with a relative. When he gets home that night, he prays fervently that God should turn his situation around. The next day he narrates this experience to his Pastor, who holds hands with him in a ‘prayer of agreement’ for a turnaround within 6 months.
Have you ever had such a feeling of discontent? I see believers from the pulpit to the pews exhibit such tendencies from time to time. It is called envy – a feeling of discontent with regard to another’s advantage, success or possessions. These days, we even attempt to spiritualize it by getting provoked to “pray harder” and ask God questions in prayer because someone we think should be our equal appears to have more possessions, higher position or better progression. But Galatians 5:26 says “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” For Job 5:2 says, “For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.” Beloved, envy kills!
The bible says in Proverbs 14:30 (KJV) “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones”. The God’s Word translation says envy is like bone cancer. Are you sure this cancer is not currently eating your bones? There is nothing wrong with having a feeling of discontent with your current situation. However, as a believer, such a feeling should only be provoked when God enlightens you via the Word and other means that your lifestyle doesn’t match up to His standard, or that you are not operating at the level He has designed for you. But when you only think you need a step-up in any area of your life because you see someone else step up, then it could be an indication that you are not walking with God, and probably are not convinced of his plan and program for your life. Such tendencies will lead to living a confused life; James 3:16 says, “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.”
The snail and the cheetah may not have entered Noah’s ark at the same time, but they both made it there and survived the flood. Let’s stop this envy bone cancer from spreading in our midst; stop getting unnecessarily worked up due to the progress of others in ministry, career, or life in general. Cruise calmly in the lane God has placed you, at God’s prescribed pace, to the place that He has prepared for you.
– Tope S. Aladenusi
| “The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.” 1 Corinthians 16:19. Consider also Col 4:5, Phm1:2
Each time I consider the above scripture, I must confess that it registers as a portion of the scripture that one does not need to take lightly. Though we have this pleasant couple, being mentioned in other portions of scriptures, it is not surprising that we eventually have an insight into their dedication to the Lord from the above scripture. The statement ‘church in their house’ does not necessarily suppose that they had a building set apart for ‘churchly’ activities but that their very home itself is a venue where the things pertaining to God i.e. our very being, his word, prayer, etc was being given free course. It is challenging because these days we could afford to surrender all we wanted outside our house but the house itself becomes a private affair where we limit things of God. Acts 16:32 – 34. Jesus laid an emphasis on the home. The home was as much relevant as the places he went to preach. The daughter of Jairus, Peter’s mother, Matthew, etc all had the experience of having their homes turned into a meeting ground of some sort. The home of the jailor, Cornelius, etc in the book of Acts was equally not spared. Our homes could be known for many things but it should not be strange to the things of God. We understand through the Grace of God that God dwells in the believer and not in buildings made by human hands. If we truly understand this, then our homes, workplaces, farmland, leisure room, playground, etc is not immune to God’s mighty outpouring if only we would allow it – Acts 17:24 – 28. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was not in a mighty cathedral or on the revival ground but on the roof of one place – a home – Acts 2:2 – 4. For the sake of privacy, certain things have been murdered in some homes. No matter the place, God moves. Therefore, our homes ought not to be left out as a place where the glorious heritage we have been called into as believers could be demonstrated. As a believer, my prayers ought not to feel more effective because of the churchly environment I find myself. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much. It starts and ends with the state of the person and not the name of the location – John 4:21 – 24. In some homes, it may seem like killing the ‘atmosphere’ to raise a song of praise or word of prayer. I mean why bring it home, we could always go to church. For others it has become the issue of we all know to do but nobody does. I have sometimes wondered why it is difficult to raise a prayer, a song, a word in the midst of fellow believers. Is it that we have all become so familiar with the word we just pay lip service to it. I would to God the homes turn into a revival ground of some sort. I heard a lovely testimony at a time I would love to share with you of a beloved sister in the Lord who was cooking and felt pressed. She just had to let out praise to God and this while cooking. Her neighbour who lay on the sick bed heard and got healed. If our glorious salvation was ushered in at the barn of a home how much more should our homes be open to God? It might seem strange at first. It might go against the norm or standard but gradually we would be able to make it go beyond routine for us to continue in fellowship with the father and with ourselves even in our homes just as in any other place. Our homes are not immune to the miraculous move of God – Acts 9:11; Mark 2:4. Our homes could be designated as a prayer fortress Acts 12:12. I remember the story of a man entering a room in the house of a brother and the man without being told exclaimed that this must be a prayer room. There was such a mighty presence that words could not explain. The church is the body of believers. It is not a building. Our homes could serve as a meeting ground for the church of God – Acts 2:16 – 18. Purpose to have a meeting at home regularly. It does not need to be rigid. You do not need to be ordained at church to have one. It could just be prayers for an hour or raising a song. You do not need to wait to get to church – Act 5:42, Acts 2:46. The church is you. Cheers. -Dr. Bolaji Akanni |
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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
The Christian church was born in a world that was already old. Great empires such as Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Persia and Greece had risen and fallen. The church was born in the Roman Empire, the greatest of the ancient empires that governed the civilized world. It was almost exclusively in that empire that the Christian church lived the first five centuries of its life.
The roots of the Christian church reach back deeply into the history and religion of Israel. Jesus said, “Salvation is for the Jews” (John 4: 22, Gal 3: 29). The earliest church was wholly Jewish, her saviour was a Jew and Jews probably wrote the entire NT. A brief note of Israel’s history is necessary here.
David founded the Kingdom of Israel around 1090BC. He reigned until about 960 BC. At the death of Solomon his son around 930 BC the kingdom split into two because of the rebellion of Jeroboam (1Kings 11: 26). The northern part called Israel, was taken into Assyrian exile in 721 BC while the southern part called Judah was taken into Babylon exile in 586 BC. In 539 BC Cyprus king of Persia conquered Babylon and allowed any exile who wished to return to Jerusalem to do so. These returnees in time rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem and the temple (Nehemiah 7:1). Ezra led a second set of the returnees and he re-instituted Israel’s observance of the Torah, Israel’s Law (Nehemiah 8). The Pharisees grew out of this movement. Around 334 BC Alexander of Macedonia conquered Greece. When he died in 323 BC his generals divided the empire among themselves. Egypt and Palestine came under the authority of Ptolemy. In 198 BC Palestine came under the authority of the descendants of Seleucid.
The Ptolemy Kings had permitted the Jews to practice their religion but the Seleucid pressed them to surrender their religion. An aged priest named Matthias and his four sons led a rebellion. Of these, Judah was the leader and together they are called the Maccabees i.e. men who fight violently. The Seleucid was subdued in 141 BC and Israel became independent again. In 63 BC, civil war in Palestine gave occasion to Rome to establish her authority there; therefore Israel’s rulers were appointed by Rome. In 37 BC, Herod the Great, during whose reign Jesus Christ was born, became the King with Rome’s approval. After his death, the kingdom was divided among his three sons:-Archelaus, Herod Antipas and Philip. Herod Antipas was the one who killed John the Baptist (Mat 14: 1). In 6 AD Archelaus was deposed and sent to exile, his area became a Roman province and ruled by Procurators. From AD 26 to 36 the procurator of Judea was a Roman named Pontus Pilate.
– gabriel ajibade