“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...
Posts with Tag: faith
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...
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...
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...
Everyone hopes for something. Children hope their parents will care for them and buy them nice things. Employees hope for a raise at work. Voters hope their chosen candidate will address their concerns. Hope is what drives humanity; it is an essential ingredient for survival. A person without hope is paralysed by fear. No matter how dire the circumstances, there is always hope that tomorrow will bring good fortune.In ordinary usage, hope refers to something good we want to happen in the future or a confident feeling about what will happen in the future. This shows that hope relates to the future – something that has not happened but which we desire to happen.However, there is no guarantee that what we desire will actually happen. We see this with poli...
“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...
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.
...
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.
...
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...
One morning, my colleagues were discussing about whether God exists. Almost everyone involved in the discussion gave reasons why they did not believe that there is a God.
Usually, I do not debate with people on such a subject unless a question is directed at me personally. At some point during the discussion, I heard myself asking them the question, ‘Guys, How can explain the way things work? The way the universe holds together? Don’t you think someone is in control? Or do you think that these things just work?’ That was the end of the discussion. It was as if God Himself ended the discussion.
In his book, The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking said that the laws of physics, not the will of God, provide the real explanation as to how life on Earth came into being. The Big...
Usually, I do not debate with people on such a subject unless a question is directed at me personally. At some point during the discussion, I heard myself asking them the question, ‘Guys, How can explain the way things work? The way the universe holds together? Don’t you think someone is in control? Or do you think that these things just work?’ That was the end of the discussion. It was as if God Himself ended the discussion.
In his book, The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking said that the laws of physics, not the will of God, provide the real explanation as to how life on Earth came into being. The Big...
In recent times, people who know me to be a Christian have tagged me in Facebook posts which were clearly anti-Christian.
I was initially angry and wanted to take any or all of the following actions; one, block the profile of that person, send a message warning the person from tagging me in such posts or two, blocking such posts from my wall. I however did not take any of those steps; rather, it made me begin to think about God's mercy and how He must feel when we reject Him.
As if that were not enough, over the weekend as I was listening to radio while driving, a popular radio presenter in London, Ian Dale, expressed his sentiments about the Christian church being homophobic and sexist and asking people to call in and comment. He could not understand why the church re...
I was initially angry and wanted to take any or all of the following actions; one, block the profile of that person, send a message warning the person from tagging me in such posts or two, blocking such posts from my wall. I however did not take any of those steps; rather, it made me begin to think about God's mercy and how He must feel when we reject Him.
As if that were not enough, over the weekend as I was listening to radio while driving, a popular radio presenter in London, Ian Dale, expressed his sentiments about the Christian church being homophobic and sexist and asking people to call in and comment. He could not understand why the church re...
I am sure anyone seeing the above caption would wonder what this writer is trying get across to the readers? How can he be asking or questioning the existence of God? I would like you to know that this writer believes in the existence of God without a shadow of doubt.
Many years ago, I was flipping through the channels on the TV, when I stumbled on an interview program. The personality being interviewed was Nobel Laureate, Nigerian writer and Social Critic, Professor Wole Soyinka.
I was naturally interested in hearing what he had to say concerning some recent political and social events in the country, so I settled down on the couch to listen. Out of the blue, came the question, "Professor Soyinka, Do you believe in God?"
The professor replied emphatically, "No, I d...
Many years ago, I was flipping through the channels on the TV, when I stumbled on an interview program. The personality being interviewed was Nobel Laureate, Nigerian writer and Social Critic, Professor Wole Soyinka.
I was naturally interested in hearing what he had to say concerning some recent political and social events in the country, so I settled down on the couch to listen. Out of the blue, came the question, "Professor Soyinka, Do you believe in God?"
The professor replied emphatically, "No, I d...
He had never known the privilege of seeing what the sun looked like even though he felt the warmth. He knew the relief of having a drink of water after enduring the heat of the sun, but he never knew what it looked like to the eyes. He heard people talking about colours but he did not know what colours looked like. He was born into a family and knew them all by name and by touch but had never seen his parents or siblings ever since he was born.
Having no sight meant that he could not work and not working meant that he would have no means to feed or cloth himself. Only one option was open to him if he was to survive; rely on the sympathy of people to give him alms. Thankfully his was a religious country where giving of alms is an important part of their belief, so he was guaranteed to ha...
Having no sight meant that he could not work and not working meant that he would have no means to feed or cloth himself. Only one option was open to him if he was to survive; rely on the sympathy of people to give him alms. Thankfully his was a religious country where giving of alms is an important part of their belief, so he was guaranteed to ha...
August 2010 was a time when I had far more questions than answers. I was 65—retirement age—but still had no definite retirement plans for the time in the future when I would no longer be capable of working. My husband Dennis and I were living in Canada, and the rest of our extended family—except for our two adult children—lived in the U.S.
Dennis was severely handicapped from a major stroke in November 2004 that robbed him of his ability to read, write, speak, and use his right hand. He walked slowly with a cane. It also affected his reasoning ability.
For nearly three ye...
Jennifer had been deep in thought for days. She was torn between a desire to serve God and getting a juicy job offer.
The job was hers for the taking just as the HR Manager had told her a few days ago. There was however a snag. “I like you very much” said the man, who stood between her and a job she had spent many months pursuing. “How about we go out next weekend to celebrate your new job?” he said, eyes twinkling with a devilish wink.
“I am sorry, I can’t do that. I am a Christian!” Jennifer blurted out. Still smiling, he replied “Oh, don’t give me that crap. I’ve met a lot of your type before. You can leave now, when you are ready, you can give me a call. Have a nice day”.
“You can’t let this offer slip through your fingers!” exclaimed Jennifer’s friend, Teni. “There has t...
The job was hers for the taking just as the HR Manager had told her a few days ago. There was however a snag. “I like you very much” said the man, who stood between her and a job she had spent many months pursuing. “How about we go out next weekend to celebrate your new job?” he said, eyes twinkling with a devilish wink.
“I am sorry, I can’t do that. I am a Christian!” Jennifer blurted out. Still smiling, he replied “Oh, don’t give me that crap. I’ve met a lot of your type before. You can leave now, when you are ready, you can give me a call. Have a nice day”.
“You can’t let this offer slip through your fingers!” exclaimed Jennifer’s friend, Teni. “There has t...
One of the contemporary gospel tracks I love to listen to is, ‘Giants ‘by Hezekiah Walker. In a powerful song-message, he tells us that giants die and goes further to say that the bigger they are, the harder they fall!
As Christians, we face giants as we fight the good fight of faith. We encounter them everywhere. At work, in school, in our neighbourhood and wait for it…….sometimes in church!
What are giants? They are people, things or circumstances standing in our way, trying to prevent us from achieving our God-given purpose.
Giants are capable of stopping us in our tracks, forcing us to make a U-turn or switch paths. They intimidate with their sheer size and stature and walk with an air of superiority.
In spite of all these however, there have been people who have def...
As Christians, we face giants as we fight the good fight of faith. We encounter them everywhere. At work, in school, in our neighbourhood and wait for it…….sometimes in church!
What are giants? They are people, things or circumstances standing in our way, trying to prevent us from achieving our God-given purpose.
Giants are capable of stopping us in our tracks, forcing us to make a U-turn or switch paths. They intimidate with their sheer size and stature and walk with an air of superiority.
In spite of all these however, there have been people who have def...
I did a last minute check to ensure that I did not leave anything I needed behind. Having done that, we got into the vehicle heading for the airport.
Thoughts and questions ran through my mind as we set out on the journey. There were many questions but few answers. There was however one conclusion, God would take care of everything.
It was not the first time I would be leaving my family for a period of time but it was the first time I would be leaving them for an unspecified period of time. My wife asked me the question time and time again, ‘How long would it take for us to come and join you?’ I had no answer but once again I relied on my faith in God and told her, ‘Within a year from now, you should be with me, God willing’.
We got to the airpor...
I believe that the strength of a home is largely related to the choice of who we marry. I do not know how far I would have gone in life if I had not married my wife. I have always been thankful of the fact that God did not give me the kind of person I wanted but gave me the person I needed.
Initially, my wife could not understand when I always convert our needs into prayer no matter how little and trivial the problems were. Afterwards when the needs were met in unusual ways, she would remember that we actually did pray for it.
One of those incidents happened when we had a need for a car. I was not happy with the fact that we had to travel several miles to church, often combining foot and bus travels. By the time we get to church, we would most times be late and tired. The...
Initially, my wife could not understand when I always convert our needs into prayer no matter how little and trivial the problems were. Afterwards when the needs were met in unusual ways, she would remember that we actually did pray for it.
One of those incidents happened when we had a need for a car. I was not happy with the fact that we had to travel several miles to church, often combining foot and bus travels. By the time we get to church, we would most times be late and tired. The...
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