JESUS, WHO IS HE......?

Jesus, the only son of God, the Christ, the Messiah. Immanuel; "God with us", the greatest man who ever lived on earth, who'll ever live on earth........!

Angels announced his impending birth. The son of a humble couple, from the town of Bethlehem in Judea [current day Palestine]. Descended from the royal lineage of King David, his destiny foretold by prophets long since gone [Is 7:14]. A new star heralded his birth, wise men came from the far off east, following that bright star, to pay him homage. Nearby shepherds came to worship at his feet, Herod heard and was scared, he tried to have him killed, but Jesus was taken away to safety in Egypt on an angels beckoning. [Matt 2:15]

What was his purpose here on earth, what did he come to do......?

He came to do the most generous thing, the noblest thing any man has ever done for another, throughout the course of history. He came to teach us about his Father, despite the scorn, ridicule and derision he received along the way. He came to reunite us with our Creator, from whom we had been separated, since the fall of Adam at the beginning of time [Gen 3:23-24]. He came to preach good news to the poor, heal the sick, give sight to the blind and set the captives free.

He came as a living sacrifice, to atone for all our sins by the giving of his life and the shedding of his blood on the cross. He did this while we were all still unrepentant sinners, he did this even when we whipped him, cursed him, spat on him, stripped him of his garments, strung him up and nailed him to the cross. And yet, he still prayed for us, prayed that God his father would forgive us "because we did not know what we were doing" [Lk 23:34]. Jesus knew this was the reason he was sent to earth, to die in a most horrible manner for our sins, and yet he came willingly......, like a lamb to the slaughter.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" [Jn 3:16]. Jesus came to love us, sinners, as His Father loved him. He entreated us to obey his commands and remain in his love, just as he had obeyed his Father's commands and remained in Gods love. Yeah, he commanded us: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love  has no-one than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends [Jn 15:9-13]. We are his friends if we do what he commands, he has made known to us everything that he learned from his Father, and again he commands us to love each other [Jn 15:17].

For me, this is the very essence of Who Jesus is, this is the basis of the redemptive message he brought to the world. "God loves us, He wants to save us, He sent his only Son to save us, He desires that we love Him whole heartedly, and He also desires, actually commands us, to love each other, as He has loved us.

If we claim to know who Jesus is, are we doing what he commands.......? Thats an imponderable question.

THE IDOLS IN OUR LIVES

Our expectations of what we should have acheived in life are often the greatest idols in our lives. I.e. our career goals, financial success, marraiges, children, the way our spouses/family/friends treat us. Nothing ever turns out the way we expect, or when we expect it, and we find it sooooo difficult to let go of our expectations, or at least I did.......! That's when they become the idols in our lives.

They take our focus off God and stop us believing in Him, then we scramble around aimlessly, trying to attain the unattainable, acheive the unacheivable, repair the irreparable, sometimes we even attempt the ridiculous and try to turn back time!! We need to surrender complete control to God, then trust Him to sort every single thing out....

He really will [Phil 4:19], He is able to, He tells us He will, and most importantly, He wants to... He just needs us to trust Him completely and He will give us every good thing. 'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'. Jer 29:11

Dear friends, if this resonates with you, then you're probably like me, trying to hold on to the "steering wheel" of your life instead of surrendering complete control into God's very capable hands. And if it doesn't, then I thank God you've already found complete trust in Him. As for the rest of us, we are still works in progress. Just try it and see. What do you have to loose??? Afterall if you could have sorted it by yourself, it would no longer be an issue... Just trust God with the small and big issues in your life and prepare to be amazed. And we don't have to be righteous or deserving for God to sort us out. He created us, and because he loves us regardless, he will always answer us whenever we cry out to Him...

He'll shower us with love if we ask and then just keep still

God IS love

And he sends us a rainbow to remind us of his undying love

He will answer us when we call on him

 

GOD SPOKE TO ME AGAIN THIS MORNING............

WHY WE MUST CONTINUE TO PRAY...

God spoke to me again this morning. I was in the "twilight zone", that period between sleep and wakefulness, when God spoke to me in His clear precise voice. I've heard God's voice clearly on several occasions, the 1st time was when I was 10 years old. In the last year or two the occasions have become much more frequent and I now instantly recognize His voice.

He said "WE MUST CONTINUE PRAYING EVEN WHEN WE FACE OBSTACLES." The immediate context was in relation to the resolution of a serious family feud between some friends of mine. One sibling had become so angry with the entire family and had refused to speak to or have anything to do with any of his siblings for several years despite entreaties by the parents and serious attempts to resolve the issues. In the past few months the person had started speaking to one of the siblings and had even deigned to attend a family birthday party. The rest of the family were pleasantly surprised to see them and even though things are not completely right yet there's now hope for a complete resolution of the feud and a return to good family relationships and interactions.

I talked briefly about the rapproacment with one sister and while we rejoiced about the direction of things, the sister stated that she will continue to pray for full resolution and increased love within the family. We will ALL face challenges and trying situations in our lives and need to pray unceasingly regardless of whatever obstacle is in our path... Our God who hears and answers all prayers is listening and will answer us in due time. In the meantime we must keep praying. The previous evening I had just received the answer to a prayer request I had made over 6 months earlier! The person I was actually praying about had even since died, but God had heard and answered my prayer though I didn't know it until that night...

My youngest brother was diagnosed with a brain tumour just over a year ago and passed away after about ten months of illness. At the same time as he was diagnosed in America, there was another young man of his acquiantance who was diagnosed with the same type of brain tumour in Canada. Even though I didn't actually know the young man in question, I prayed for his recovery anyway... The similarities between himself and my brother were uncanny. Both were born and brought up in the same city in Nigeria, attended the same university, had a similar circle of friends, had recently relocated to Canada and the United States respectively and were both recently married with young wives and children. When I heard the other young man's illness had progressed and he'd slipped into a coma and it seemed likely he wasn't going to recover, I asked the Lord to please let him regain conciouness even if briefly, in order to speak to his wife before he passed on.

When I heard he'd died, I asked if he had ever regained conciousness and was told no. That I thought was the end of the matter. That evening as I received condolences about my brother from a family friend, he told me he was also a close friend of the other young man and had even been to visit him in Canada. Without my asking, he stated that the young man had undergone an operation to relieve the pressure in his brain, and he did recover conciousness, albeit briefly! I then asked if his wife had been present at the time and what do you expect...? Of course she was and had been able to speak with her husband for a while before he slipped rapidly back into unconciousness. He did not realise the significance of what he'd told me but I was so grateful to God that He did answer my prayer, even though I hadn't known it at the time.. I felt like leaping and shouting out praises to God there and then. It may seem like a little thing to some of you, but that God answered my prayer and against all odds found a way to let me know it, is glorious and amazing to me and I'm ever so gratetful. 

The young men both died, within 5-6 months of each other. Both have left widows and young children to support, but in all this God hears, cares and answers us, especially when our hearts are right with His. So regardless of what obstacles we will have to face, regardless of whatever dreadful situation we might be in, we must continue to pray. God is looking for steadfastness, He's looking for complete faith and trust in Him along with right-heartedness, then will He hasten to answer us when we call upon Him in our time of need. Now more than ever will I continue to pray, and I hope so will you too............

Three years on, December 2012

The sun always rises in the morning, so too the dark can't
extinguish the light of God and prayer reminds us of this.
 

 

WHEN WE BEGIN TO CARE ABOUT OURSELVES, GOD "MAY" THEN HELP NAIJA

God help us all, thats all I can muster whenever I think about the plight of Nigeria. My motherland, I love her so, but I despair..........!

Naija, currently leaderless.............! Even when there was a functioning President, we had no law and order. Might is right, money talks, no accountability, skewed value systems, wanton displays of wealth [mainly ill-gotten] and a complete breakdown of our entire moral compass are the prevailing circumstances. There are endless debates about the oppression of the South-South geopolitical region, about the benefits or not, of dividing Nigeria. We cry out at the massive corruption and embezelment by "elected" government officials, we want change, but none of us are willing to pay the price, starting with accountability in our own lives.

I used to add my voice to the general clamour, till this morning, when something pricked my conscience. What was this great event you may well ask...., no great shakes, just some pictures taken and displayed on facebook by a young friend of mine. They depicted the plight of deprived children in some of the inner cities in Nigeria. Children living and growing amidst rubbish dumps, scrambling for food, others hawking on the roads, trying to eke out a meagre existence.

Have you ever looked into the eyes of any of these young children on the roadsides ? What do you see, what do you notice ? If as they say, "the eyes are the windows of the soul", then I have seen hopelessness in the souls of a lost generation of our children. Most of us complaining verbosely about the plight of Naija, don chop bellefull, i.e. are fairly comfortable, with roofs over our heads, food on our tables and plans for our futures. Whilst this does not excuse the flaws in our government, or the excesses of our leaders, how often do we spare a thought for those less fortunate than ourselves in the society?

We desire change for good, hold constitutional assemblies, public rallies, sing and pray about the ills in our society, moan endlessly, but do we actually put our money where our mouths are? A resounding no! How many of us support orphanages or care about the really disabled in our society? This is not the governments responsibility alone, its collectively ours, and we've failed woefully.....! Do we then really think God will hear any prayers asking for a change in our situation, when the little things in our power to change, we don't do? Do we treat our own staff and servants fairly; the househelp, driver, maiguards etc? We crave equity and justice from the government, but don't apply the same principles to those in our employ, what hypocrisy........!

With all the "wonderful" stories I hear coming out of Naija, about the growth and "flourishing" of our churches, I'm yet to hear any stories about "the numerous additions of orphanages" to the church body. I hear stories of folks buying the most expensive cars for their pastors, even private jets [that's another story.....!], but have NEVER heard about anyone donating equivalent amounts to orphanages or disabled homes. Neither does it "seem" that the pastors encourage their flock to engage in any such magnanimous giving. Its still the older orthodox churches, [Anglican, Catholic, CMS, etc] who have the monopoly on charitable activities, who appear to try to do what God desires concerning the poor [Ps 82:3-4, Pro 29:7]. I know of a few private individuals who do help as well, but they are a rare minority compared with the multitudes who throng to the churches each Sunday. 

So whilst we desire fairness and equity in government, so that we can enjoy all the resources that Naija has to offer. If we don't change our attitudes to those less fortunate than ourselves, to those who depend on us, in order to  also enjoy the good resources of Naija, we will NEVER have the change we desire, regardless of  how much  praying and fasting we may do, [Prov 21:3] regardless of how many well thought-out ideas for improvement we might have. If we don't care for the orphaned, disabled, widowed and the abject poor in our society, how can we really expect God to change what goes on in the higher echelons of society, i.e. government. If we want Gods justice to reign in Naija, we must also let His justice reign in our own lives, in the ways we deal with those in our employ, in the ways we care about the poor. As Ghandi once said "be the change you want to see in the world". I'm admonishing myself too, as I pray never again to complain about the state of Naija, till I'm doing something positive to change it for the better. I aim to become part of the solution, rather than continue the status quo. Enjoy the pictures, click on them to enlarge,  I hope they will provoke some thought and soul-searching too.   

 

P.S. I've just found out that the pictures posted originated from a non-profit organisation, sponsored by one of the "newer" churches, who go into the inner cities to reach out and help under-privileged kids, and I'm thrilled. If any of you out there, know any more such heart-warming stories please inform and share, so at least I'll no longer despair.......!

15-02-10

LETS NOT JUDGE, LETS LOVE !!!

Listening again to the story of the prodigal son, started off a train of thought. I pondered the fathers response when his lost son returned; happiness, relief and rejoicing. No condemnation, no recriminations, just forgiveness, welcome and jubilation. How often have we been in that position ? The sinner who has returned yet again to the Lord for forgiveness, after going our own rambunctious way, and ending up in trouble yet again......! What happens ? Does God chastise us, hold up our previous sins as a mirror, telling us how bad we have been, or does He simply forgive us, welcome us back into His loving arms and entreat us not to go wandering off on our own again.

Why then do we judge anybody and I include myself in the big we. We Christians are in danger of outdoing the Pharisees with our critical attitudes. The Pharisees felt so self-righteous that they "killed" God... Just because Jesus preached a different message from theirs and all his T's were not crossed nor his I's dotted. They completely missed the essence of who Christ was and failed to understand the message he brought; forgiveness, repentance and love, most especially love... Do we show love to all as Jesus instructed us to do; to the lepers, prostitutes and Samaritans of his time, and to the paedophiles, drug addicts, homosexuals and suicide-bombers of our time.

There will always be actions and crimes abhorrent to the majority at any point in time, and whilst we should detest such heinous acts we shouldn't condemn the sinner. After all did God ever condemn us??? Be honest and judge yourself, do you deserve to be here? I know I don't......! I know if I'm to be judged fairly, they should lock me up and throw away the keys!!! But I'm here and thriving only by the amazing grace of God. I hear some of us [Christians] saying that salvation is also there for them [non-Christians]. True, the big problem is that they don't yet know it... Like the prodigal son living in a foreign land in a time of want and famine, they are yet to return home. We should be out there beating drums and engaging in riotous celebrations, so the noise of our merry-making may carry on the winds to the far away lands of want and famine and call them home.......!

Instead we adopt an even worse attitude than the 1st son, [we the returned prodigals] and stand in judgement and condemnation of those we consider sinners or unsaved. Shouldn't the terms "unsaved" and "sinners" even engender in us pity for people who know no better. Jesus won his converts by showing love and forgiveness not by moralising and judging as the Pharisees did. Examine yourself, how judgemental are you? Do you consider some sins unforgivable or disdain and avoid some people because they engage in acts that are wrong? Do you choose not to have anything to do with people who have different belief systems, including some of our brethren who are on the extreme fringes of Christianity? How will they ever learn the truth if we don't and won't tell them? And I'm not talking about big crusades here, I'm talking about everyday interactions we have with people of all faiths and persuasions.

We are uniquely blessed to live in the UK, and in London too, which is the most cosmopolitan, and ethnically diverse city in the world!!! Where people of different races, faiths and cultures live side by side. God is the ultimate master-planner as we know, do we really think that it's by accident that one of the smallest countries in the world, [an island actually] has people of every race and religion living in it, in such close proximity that one cannot avoid coming into contact with someone of another faith everyday??? Do our lives, attitudes and speech reflect love and the message of peace? Do we attempt to see things from the other persons point of view, then we may get a handle on why people behave in certain ways. Only then would we be able to reach out to them and bring them back into the fold. After all that's part of what Christ came to do for us, as well as dying to redeem our sins.

He came and lived on earth as a man so he could experience everything we experienced, feel everything we felt and thus be better able to understand us, then he could be an advocate for us with the Father when he returned to Him. He didn't come just to condemn people, he didn't say anyone was beyond salvation, he just loved us even before we repented of our sins and returned to the Father.

If we really have life in Christ, we should be increasingly like him, we should strive to love all our fellow men not just the Christians amongst them. If we do this I believe it could be one of the most effective tools of evangelism in our time. Maybe I'm preaching to the converted, maybe I'm alone in my rant for better understanding and tolerance of our lost brethren, who have just not returned to the Father yet. If that's the case, I leave all of you to continue walking in love whilst I go back to my Father and ask Him to show me how I can better love and reach out to his lost sheep, shalom...

I will father...

Love IS the answer

Fell in love with this statue I found on the Champs Elysee in Paris





 

WHEN GOD PARTS THE RED SEAS IN OUR LIVES!!!

I have often read or listened to the story of how God parted the Red Sea for the Isrealites with amazement. It seemed awesome to imagine the waves parting and forming a wall on both sides, as the Jews calmly walked through the river bed to get to the other side away from the Egyptians. Then God in His infinite wisdom allowed the waves to fall back and cover the pursuing Egyptian army after His people had crossed safely.

How often has God parted the "Red Seas" in our own lives??? When there seems to be no way of escape and all hope is lost, how often does God show up and save the day, parting our Red Seas? When we've taken that professional exam for the umpteenth time or exhausted all our appeals against deportation. When it seems our child will never get better as there is no cure for that rare medical condition, when that marriage is on the rocks and despite futile counselling divorce seems inevitable. When we can't pay our bills and stand to loose the roof over our heads. When in the throes of the deepest depression we loose all hope and pray for death as a way to end our suffering. When we are wrongly incarcerated in a foreign country and the future looks bleak, that's when God shows up and "parts our Red Seas".

I have been in and know people who have faced each of those scenarios above and more besides. All came through to the other side. One and all, we had all but given up, then we cried out to the Lord in a final act of desperation and were saved. We will all tell you that "it's only because of God we're here today", and marvel at His infinite power and mercy much like the Isrealites must have done all those thousands of years ago... These really are miraculous deliveries of Red Sea parting proportions, because God does what no-one else could do in those situations. He delivers us in ways we can't fathom or imagine, opens up a way for us when there was no way. He lifts and carries us when we are too weak to go on in our own strength.

We could wonder why we were left to get to that point of desperation, but after we've been delivered, I know our trust in God can never be shaken again.....! In fact as I'm now oft heard to say, "before I believed in God, but now I TRUST Him". I now follow Him with a child-like trust, knowing He will lead me where I need to go. Do I sometimes get curious and try to "peer" over His shoulder to see where we are going? Sure, because I'm still human. But increasingly I let go and let God... Because He who parted the Red Sea for me, desires only good for me and will never ever forsake me. [Ps 9:10]

 He lays a wonderful table before me even in the midst of sad and trying times. 

Thus I can smile despite the numerous challenges I face

 I know the plans I have towards you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and give you a desired end

CHRISTMAS LUNCH ON JESUS

On a chilly winter morn, hundreds of volunteers, sleep-deprived and aching from several hours spent assembling two thousand hampers the night before, gathered on the forecourt of a local council estate. Cheerful and in great spirits, our mission was to deliver food hampers to all 1,800 residents, in time for christmas dinner. Organised and executed with military precision, we were split into different groups, with team leaders who sorted out which block we delivered to, how many hampers we needed on each trip and then kept an account of each succesful delivery we made.

This was the inspired idea of Pastor Agu Irukwu, who along with the pastoral team of Jesus House, and Mrs Funlola Ojomo of the Novo Community Centre, oversaw the whole event. And what an event it was.......! Imagine being woken up from slumber, on a cold winter morning, by cheerful smiling folks and offered a beautiful hamper, containing a turkey, vegetables, mince pies, chocolates [my personal favourite] and everything else you need for a christmas lunch, and all for "free". How happy would you be?

This was the exact emotion displayed by the people we were blessed to serve that morning; amazement, gratitude, tears of joy, hugs and thank you's were just some of the responses we elicited, and it warmed our hearts. In one case some children even joined us to continue our deliveries, with their little two year old brother crying, because he was not allowed to carry a hamper, but he accompanied us nonetheless. Some residents were so thrilled, they asked to have pictures taken with the team, some even filmed us on their mobile phones [watch out, some of you may become famous on YouTube]. One lady even gave us a lovely tin of biscuits in response, which came in very handy when our own supply of tea and biscuits ran out.

Some folks refused the hampers because they didn't celebrate christmas, or simply didn't say. Others couldn't accept the turkey because it wasn't "halal", but were happy with the rest. One gentleman  I encountered refused the hamper point blank, but he did wish me a happy christmas in the end, and for that I was really grateful. Afterall, that was the spirit in which the hampers were given, to wish everyone a very merry christmas, provide food for some people who otherwise couldn't afford it and demostrate the love of God in a very practical way.

I for one felt blessed and priviledged to be used by God in this way, as His arms and legs, just the same way the disciples must have felt giving out bread and fish to the 5000. I even carried some hampers on my head, something I hadn't done since the days of "fetching water" as a child. [those of you from parts of Africa will understand]. One and all we were tired, cold and aching, but not weary...... At the end we regrouped to take stock, pray and give joyful thanks to the Lord for such a wonderful time. Then most of us went on to deliver yet more hampers to the residents of another local estate. At this point I begged to fall out, as I still had some personal christmas errands to do. Later that night while chatting with a friend of mine, after having had long warm soaks, filled our belly's, and in my case had a foot and body massage [from a machine....... folks], we shared our thoughts, and all we could say was thank God for being good and being God.

By Christie Nonyelum Akumabor © on 23/12/07

I've not carried anything on my head since the days of fetching water as a child 😁