Biblepraise Fellowship Online

No doubt, 2020 has been a year many around the world couldn’t wait to see the end of. So many things happened in that year that a lot of us have never experienced before. If not anything, the sheer number of people who have died and are still dying directly or indirectly from being infected with COVID has been staggering and unfortunately, this has dovetailed into the beginning of 2021.I have personally not experienced any year since I was born, when Church buildings were closed for services for months on end. I currently live in a part of England which is in the highest tier of COVID restrictions, preventing my Church from opening our doors for services. At this time, there is speculation that restrictions will be tightened up nationwide in order to curb the rate of i...

As a growing Christian, I heard many versions of what it meant to be a Christian. While in come cases, it was presented as a new way of life with its many blessings and sacrifices, in other cases, the Christian faith was presented as the gateway to a life of bliss and nothing to worry about. I also had to deal with different opinions on how a Christian should live and this ranged from austere to very liberal.One of the things that has helped me deal with the various and differing points of view is to not only examine what Jesus said but to also examine what He did not say. So what are the things that Jesus didn’t say? There are quite a lot but I would like to focus on a few things that people seem to believe He said which He didn’t.

Presumption, perception, assumption. These are human traits which attempts to explain circumstances that are not easy to understand with rational thinking. This was exactly what Jesus’ disciples did when they came across a blind man while they were passing through Jerusalem. (John 9:1-3) They initially rationalised that the man’s condition had to be as a result of sin. This can be deduced from the question they asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2) Jesus’ response blew their assumptions out of the water. “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Even Jesus Himself was at the receiving...

As many countries implement various measures to tackle the spread of Coronavirus, I couldn’t help but think of the role that the Church should be playing at this critical time.A few days ago, I was sharing with my wife my thoughts on the effect of the coronavirus lockdown on many churches which meant they could not open their doors to the public. It dawned on me that it didn’t matter whether the church building was a small community hall sitting 20 people or a mega church sitting 50,000 - they were all empty.  One fact emerges from this thought, the Church is not made of buildings. No matter how wonderful and lovely they are, how big or small they are, how organised or structured they are, at this time in history, they have become unus...

Life is all about stories and these stories are woven into a complex tapestry revealing the journey of a man or woman through life. From the moment a baby is born, a story begins. Some of these stories are made made up of other stories, while others are seemingly stand-alone stories with a start and an end. Stories are very important. Stories need to be told in order to convey facts that may be required to save a life out to establish the truth. When you are ill and visit a Doctor, the first thing he or she asks you is, ‘Can you tell me what the problem is?’ Most often than not, the patient begins to tell his story. The Doctor, seeking further information will often ask more questions which in turn will generate another set of stories. Analysing those stories co...

I have recently been spending some time on a chapter in the Bible - Hebrews 11. This chapter is often referred to as the Hall of faith due mainly to the fact that it lists the men and women who lived exemplary lives of faith.One thing I noticed about these people was that there was nothing superhuman about them. They were men and women just like you and I. What set them apart was that they decided on a course of action which changed not only their lives but also the destiny of nations.The chapter starts with a definition of faith “as the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”. It goes further to say, “This is what the ancients were commended for” (Hebrews 11: 1- 2) One thing that strikes me abou...

In the last couple of days, I have been reading scriptures and devotionals on prayer and I dare say that it has increased my desire and passion towards prayer. It also gave me the opportunity to understand the power that prayer can unleash if we only understand the gift and power that has been placed into our hands as believers. I ask the question, ‘Why Pray?’ because I have found out that in life, if you do not understand the ‘why’ then you will not value the ‘what’. There are various references in scripture which you may have become quite familiar with; “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Watch and pray s...

Are you encountering or have you encountered situations in life where you wonder where God is? Good news! You are not alone. I have been there and done that and so have notable characters in the Bible.The man Gideon was introduced to us at a time when Israel was being constantly raided by the Midianites. He was threshing wheat in a winepress in order to hide it from their enemies who came in at will and carted away all the crops that the people had harvested, thereby impoverishing them.The threshing floor is a stone platform, usually located at the outskirts of the village so that the wind can blow the useless chaff away after the grain has been extracted. This makes it an easy target for the enemy who can see the chaff from afar off and carry out the...

I recently received some good news which made me so joyful and for days, I revelled in God's faithfulness for doing in my life something anyone would have felt was no longer feasible at my age. I shouldn't have been surprised really because it was not the first time that God had come through for me in ways that even I could not explain.A few days later, still basking in the euphoria of what God had done, I received an email which shattered my peace. As much as I tried, my emotions wouldn't let me. They were all over the place and before long, my physical health began to suffer.It was at this point that I decided I could not continue like this. I always thought that there was nothing I could not face with God by my side but all of a sudden, all kinds o...

For the Christian, prayer is simply our direct line to God and it is always on 24/7. My children know how frustrated I get whenever I call them and I get sent to voicemail either because they exhausted their phone batteries and didn't recharge or they placed their phones somewhere while they were elsewhere. When praying to God, you can be sure that there is no point of failure. When we pray in Jesus name, heaven hears us instantly. There is no linking from one communication tower or network to another. It is instant and immediate!Having defined what prayer is, the next logical question is, "Who is qualified to pray?" The only qualification for prayer is having a right standing with God. Without this, prayer is more of a wish list and a gamble. Naturally, the follo...

A commentary on Acts 3: 1-10.As a child, I learnt the art of understand certain 'looks' my mum gave my brothers and I when we were in public and she did not want to voice out her reaction.The looks varied, depending on the severity of our behaviour. Sometimes, you could sense that she was annoyed and other times, you could tell that you were in trouble whenever we got back home.When people look at you, what do they see? Do they see a person who cares for them or do they see someone who is focused on self?One day, Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray. As they got the the template gate called beautiful, they saw a man who was lame from birth. Every day, he would be carried by others to thi...

I was recently chatting with one of my brothers in Church before Sunday service. We were talking about the impact of the Church should have in the society. He mentioned something that caught my attention. He had come across someone in a town where he had gone on holiday. As he chatted with her, the discussion moved to belief in God. At this point, the woman commented, “I don’t really care about God”. He then asked her whether she knew what the Bible stood for. She said no. Then he told her, “The Bible stands for ’Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth’”, That got the woman’s attention! She had never heard that phrase before and to be honest, neither had I until that moment. Since that chat, I have been thinking about that phrase and the more I thought about...

It had taken many months of preparation, mobilising, praying and fund-raising. June 9, 2018 was the day set for the JustOne event which took place at Priestfield Stadium in Gilingham, Kent, South East of England.I arrived early since I was part of the almost 100-strong JustOne Choir perfoming on that day. As we walked to our reserved seats, I felt the presence and the peace of God in that Stadium as people trooped in from the various entrances and making their way to their seats in orderly manner.As you read this, you must be wondering, what is JustOne? JustOne is a vision by Canon J John to preach God's word in large venues all over England to give people of faith and no faith the opportunity to understand and explore the relevance of Christianity.

“For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.” Colossians 2:12.

Yesterday, I watched with emotion as my three children were baptised. It was a day I had looked forward to and prayed to see - the day when my children publicly declared their commitment to the the Lord.

Why was I happy and filled with emotion at this event? It is because Baptism is a command given to the Church. Jesus’ last command to the disciples was given in Matthew 28:19-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am...

Grace is the most important, yet most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Its simplicity derives from God’s love towards man – God doing all that is required to redeem man in his fallen state.

 

Religion has been defined as man’s efforts to appease God. Unfortunately, the best of efforts is not enough to satisfy the requirements of divine law. If there was one person who was well versed in the law and did everything he could to follow the requirements of the law, it was Paul the Apostle.



In Philippians 3:5-6, he highlighted his spiritual credentials, ‘..circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is i...

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On Thursday June 23, 2016, the people of Great Britain went to the polls to decide the future on England, whether to stay or remain in the entity called the European Union.

Before this time, campaigners had done all they could to convince the electorate which way to vote. Unfortunately, twenty-four hours before the vote was scheduled to begin, many were still undecided. On Friday June 24, 2016, to the surprise of many, a majority of the British voters decided to leave the European Union.

Since this historic decision, there has been a cloud of uncertainty over the future of Great Britain with many seeing the decision to leave the EU as death knell to what was once referred to as Great Britain. While many who voted to leave have been jubilating, there have been reports of people lament...

“When last did you hear from God?” That was the question a guest speaker  asked a number of people in the audience.

There were various responses like;  ‘It has been a while’, ‘I used to hear from Him but I no longer do’. One person whose honesty I admired, responded, ‘I have never heard God speak’.

The topic for the fellowship seminar was ‘Intimacy With God’ so it was not out of line for the guest speaker to ask people if they heard God speak to them.



Does God still speak to men? I believe He does. God spoke to men in time past. When He told Abraham to leave his home and people, Abraham heard and obeyed (Gen 12:1) He also spoke to Abraham on many occasions after this time.

David was described as ‘the man after God’s heart’. The book of Psalms  is ample evidence t...

It is amazing how God speaks to us through our everyday living. I was on a rush from the gym one morning, heading to the train station. I felt that if I drove a bit faster, I would make it to my train on time.

I overtook the car in front of me because I felt the driver was not going fast enough. A few minutes later, I came to a red light and had to stop. Seconds later, the car I overtook stopped in the next lane next to me.

At that point I felt a bit stupid and laughed at my foolishness. Here was I in a hurry and trying to milk as much speed as I could get within the legal limit and right beside me was someone else driving with ease as if he had no real destination in mind, yet we were both stopped at the red light even though I had left him behind a few minutes ago.

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In our present age, it is so easy to become depressed and overwhelmed. There are many issues within and without that continually threaten our peace of mind. Some of these pressures could be internal;  like for instance, when we feel a sense of sinfulness which often leads to guilt and a sense of inadequacy.





Another thing that  could threaten our peace of mind is fear and worry.  We worry about our past actions and what effect it may have on our future, we worry about whether our investment today will yield anything worthwhile in the future to justify the investment, we worry about the children and the pressures...