This page presents a platform for discussing the relevance of the Word of God, represented as the Gospel, to the challenges of today’s everyday living.
A topical issue is discussed and readers are invited to read and express their views. Healthy and constructive exchanges are encouraged.The current topic is the question:
The Call for Self-control and Level headedness under Trials
and Temptations
“He who is slow to anger is better than he who is mighty,
and he who controls his spirit than he who captures a city.” Proverbs 16:32
Self-control is one of the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23. We also
read that he who controls his spirit is better than he who captures a city.
In our everyday life, at home or at work, how much self-control do we show when the inevitable pressures and trials come our way? It is all well and good to be in good comportment when all is smooth sailing. How do we respond when the turbulence and waves of trials and temptations assail us?
Our physical reaction to pressure is just one aspect of our comportment,
what about our decision making under pressure? Shall we learn from our
Lord’s example in the passage in John 8 : 3- 11 (New King James version).
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, [a]this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now [b]Moses, in the law, commanded us [c]that
such should be stoned. But what do You [d]say?” 6 This
they said, testing Him, that they might have something of
which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, [e]as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him,
He [f]raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again
He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then
those who heard it, being[g] convicted
by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the
oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the
woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up [h]and
saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those
accusers [i]of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go [j]and sin
no more.”
Comments
There are many takeaway lessons on self-control which the Lord teaches
us in the handling of this episode. Shall we list some of them as follows:
1 Probably the first point that strikes most readers is the clear injustice
in their treatment of the woman. There were two persons involved in the act, a man and a woman. Why parade the woman alone?
2. The Lord took His time and did not go on to respond or criticise them. He chose to write on the ground, and waited as He took control of the situation.
Shall we learn to think over an issue and not be in a hurry to respond or give an answer.
3. They had to prompt the Lord to remind Him that they were waiting for His reply.
4. In His answer, He gave them a fundamental lesson in ethical behaviour and self-examination in His statement: “He who is without sins should cast the first stone”. At this, they all left, one by one until He was alone with the woman.
5. The Lord advised her that whilst she did not condemn her, she should go and sin no more. Demonstrating that He did not condone her sin.
6. It is relevant to appreciate that the Lord was not against the
commandment given by Moses. No, it is necessary to understand the purpose of the Jews in arraigning the woman before Him. It was a trap such that whatever He advised on the law on the incident was implicating.
If he said do not stone her, He would have been seen to be advising against the law of God given through Moses.
If he said, stone her as commanded by the law, He would have been committing a crime against the Romans who ruled the Jews then, and they only had the authority to put anyone to death.
Therefore, He paused, waited and then answered such that His reply not only avoided their trap but also made them leave in self-guilt.
Shall we pause and try to understand a situation or the purpose of a
question or an issue before responding to ensure that we provide an appropriate response.
A Prayerful Call for a Vibrant Global Evangelistic Movement to Redress the Apparent Lacklustre Performance of Christians in the 21st Century
The Christian Church has been facing various challenges in this first quarter of the twenty-first century. In some parts of the developing world, Christians are seriously persecuted and some are killed. In other parts, some Christians are enmeshed in corruption, tribalism, and other such ills in their native countries which tend to compromise their Christian witness.
In the developed world, especially in the Western world, the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) movement is thriving such that Christians who should stand up solidly on the teachings of the Bible appear to be yielding ground. Probably, in order to be seen to be politically correct, some Christian organisations are acquiescing with members of the LGBT.
What is crystal clear is that there are Bible passages which condemn their practices. They include the following:
· Leviticus 18:22: “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.
· Romans 1:26-27: 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
· Romans 1: 32: 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
The Christian is called to be biblically correct above every other consideration: 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works”.
Christians are reminded of their position in the world in a number of passages. For example, there is the admonition in Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV) 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Generally, in this twenty-first century, it appears that as Christians, ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, we seem to be failing to be the light of our world.
What should each of us do as a Christian, a child of God, a lamp put on a stand in our individual small world? What should be done by Christians globally?
I would suggest that we return to the Lord’s Great Commission, Matthew 28:19-20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Yes, I would suggest a prayerful call for a vibrant global evangelistic movement to redress the gloomy vicissitudes of the Christian Faith in the 21st Century. We need Billy Graham -type evangelistic crusades that will traverse nations and continents to win people for the Lord. Most importantly, teach them to study the Bible as a book for everyday living in their lives.
Such a movement should help heal our nations and prayerfully help curtail, stop and cut down the growing hordes of LGBT. It should also seek to eliminate the corruption, tribalism and seeking to be politically correct not only in the developed world but also Christians who seem to seek to be politically correct even among their people in the developing world.
Obedience is pivotal for successful Christian living
The crux of this article is that we have to live a life of obedience here and now in this world in order to be successful at the end of our respective life journeys.
Please, try to read through this writeup and consider the challenge at its end.
This article reviews obedience in both the Old and New Testaments. It considers its application in the conversion of Saul to Paul. It then wraps up with the Challenge.
We start with obedience in a few verses in the New Testament. The Lord Jesus Christ states in John 10: 27-28: “27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand”
His sheep follow Him because they hear His voice and obey Him. They cannot follow Him if they do not hear His voice and obey Him.
In John 15: 14, The Lord says: “ You are My friends if you do what I command”.
These two passages, and many others, emphasise obedience as pivotal in our walk with the Lord.
Going to the Old testament, starting from Genesis: 17: 9 – 11: Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.
Genesis 17: 23 – 26 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day.
How do you rate this on the scale of obedience, a 99 year old man, getting circumcised because God told him to do so?
The first instruction to Joshua as he succeeded Moses in leading the Israelites was, recorded in Joshua 1: 8: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful”.
From passages of both the Old and New Testament, it can be seen that obedience is a common thread running through the Bible. The Lord states clearly that we should walk in obedience to Him. The Lord has not left us in any doubt of what He wants us to do. In Proverbs 23:26, he says: “ My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.”
Considering the conversion of Saul, I would suggest that we may learn some lessons on the importance of obedience from this review,. Now, let us take a look at Saul who became Paul as we read from Acts, 9: 1- 15:
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street, which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Can we see that statement of repentance and surrender by Saul: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
Saul repented of his former zealous but ill-advised ways and completely surrendered to the Lord, leading to his conversion.
I suggest we can also learn from the response of Ananias to the Lord’s instruction to go and minster to Saul.
He told the Lord frankly that it was a dangerous journey to make. Hear him, from verse 13 “Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name”.
Yes, Ananias was correct. But was he telling the Lord what He, the Lord, did not know? He was not. He knew a little bit of Saul’s situation but the Lord knew the total picture about what had happened to Saul which Ananias did not know and could not have known of.
Can we see our problem? We know a bit and build our actions on that bit. But the Lord knows the whole picture and invites us to trust Him and do what He commands us to do but often we refuse; failing the Lord and ourselves by basing our actions on the little we know. Faith in the Word of God is the basis of obedience.
The Lord greatly used Paul and he trusted the Lord through thick and thin and he could say in I Corinthians 9: 27: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway”. Philippians 1: 21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Should this statement be strange, it should not. The Lord Jesus warned:
Matthew 7:22-24 (KJV)
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And ever one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
The challenge:
Upon what am I building my life? Are you building your life? Irrespective of how we answer, the Lord knows how each of us is building our lives.
From the foregoing analysis, it is clear that when someone prays: “ Jesus, I know that no matter what I do, you will still accept me.” This is wrong and does not suggest any repentance, surrender and conversion because a converted person will desire to do what the Lord wants all the time. It should not be a case that “since I am a child of God,” I can do whatever I like and be accepted.” I know a church where some people made this statement at the time, I spoke against it but my view was not considered. Sadly, I am not sure of the attendance at fellowship now of some of the persons who were making the statement. Should this be a surprise? No, when people are led to believe that whatever they do, the Lord will accept them, why should it be worrying that they stop attending church service?
It needs to be clearly spelt out that we cannot be children of God if we choose to do what we like and have not repented of the rule we have over ourselves, and surrendered to obey the Lord completely and unconditionally as Saul confessed at his conversion. The Lord requires this of His sheep, who hear His voice and follow Him. The Lord Jesus Christ warns: “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”, Luke 13:3.
Should Christians be engaged in party politics?
Believers Are Salt and Light, Matthew 5: 13 -16
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven
“Should Christians be involved in politics?” is a question that concerns Christians in both developed and developing nations. Inevitably, there are issues that are compatible with this question that are relevant to every nation.
I read an article which presents the issues as follows, not with these exact words but paraphrased:
Why is it that corruption flourishes in African nations where Christianity also flourishes? In the same vein, why is it that the church in many developed nations accepts homosexuality whereas the Bible is clearly against it?
The same writer observes that governments are corrupt when they distance themselves from the church, and emphasise the separation of church and state. The writer suggests that church leaders compromise and accept things like homosexuality when they choose to be politically correct instead of being Biblically correct.
When the church becomes money-oriented and the pastors and men of God appear to be carried away by their love for money and wealth, even church going politicians and government officers appear to be enmeshed in corruption. The result is that Christians lose their moral voice and appear irrelevant.
Can Christians being involved in party politics contribute to the solutions of these problems that have been highlighted in the foregoing paragraphs as prevalent in developed and developing nations?
Please, feel free to express your views. Thank you.
Abhor evil, even if it appears logical, it has its disastrous
consequences
The Jewish religious leaders conspired and got the Romans to crucify the
Lord Jesus Christ in 33 AD on trumped-up charges, ostensibly to save their nation from being destroyed. On the third day, He rose up in a glorious Easter!!!
In 70 AD, the Romans demolished Jerusalem such that the magnificent temple was so destroyed that there was no stone left on top of the other. Even today, some 1,950 years after, the temple remains not rebuilt.
Yes, “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good”. Romans 12: 9
“Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands
firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are
His,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn
away from wickedness.” 2 Timothy 2:19. Happy Easter!!!