Let me start this talk by thanking our Daddy here in the House and the entire Wisemen of DCI Churches of Marara for giving me this great opportunity to address us today on the issue of Practical Christianity in Today’s World: Accessing your true position in Christendom.
I must confess that I had difficulties writing on this topic for a number of reasons, firstly in Yorubaland, an adage says “eni toba ma daso fun eniyan, torun e lawo”. Now, the easiest explanation I can give this is that you may not take a man who promises to buy you a car serious if he is a perpetual trekker or pedestrian himself. However, that is one of the greatest mistakes one can make in life because the man may be able to give the idea of how, what, when and where you can get the resources for it. What I am saying in essence is that the Holy Spirit sometimes can bless you through a means that is meaningless by your own understanding.
Let us attempt to conceptualize our topic. The salient issues there are “Christianity” – the faith of the greatest people in this life and in the life to come. We are associated with success, glory, blessing, good-health, uplifting, progress and promotion. By the words of our mouth, mountains move, dry land become stream, poverty disappears and as you know, we are gods. The word “practical” in this context can rather be explained with questions: Do you enjoy the benefits of being a Christian? Do you have dominion over the issues of life? Needless to say, we all know how many failures we have encountered even in the last once year alone as individuals, as a family, as a church and as a nation.
“Today’s world” means different things to different people, to the poor, it is a time of suffering and struggling; to the rich, it is an era of plenty and fulfillment of God word that the land is flowing with milk and honey. I am asking sincerely, what is today’s world to you as a Christian. Are God’s promises fulfilled in you life, family, destiny, church, home and in our nations? Can you genuinely say you have succeeded in your chosen area of endeavour? Are you a failure, yet a Christian or to turn it around, are you a Christian, yet a failure? The simple issues we are attempting to establish is why do Christians fail in today’s world despite believing wholeheartedly in God and the unbelievers have all the goods things of life? Why for instance must we be suffering and smiling? Where are His promises in our life?
The answers to these questions have always been there with us; we have always heard it from His servants, seen it in His word and experienced it in our hearts.
For the benefit of this forum, I have attempted to put them in 4 sub-titles
§ The Certificates to Greatness/Glory
§ IEC and Growth in Christian Home
§ Knowledge economies
§ Building Blocks.
The Certificates to Greatness/Glory
Now, I believe you must have heard about certificate before. It is a credential given to you after a study or training in a field of endeavour. For instance GCE certificate, OND/HND certificate, Hairdressing/Tailoring Certificate, Pastoral certificate and Computer Appreciation Certificate. They are countless in today’s world. The truth is you cannot succeed without up to date certificates in your field of endeavour. Now, you may be wondering what I mean by this. What has a certificate got to do with power of God when Mark told us "…with God; all things are possible" (Mark 11:27). Let me tell us that God may not give victory to a man without the certificates or qualifications, therefore, a man may be a Christian by association or by attending church’s programmes, yet not qualified for glorification, just as you may not become a medical doctor or an engineer without training and qualifications (certificates).
The very first certificate God requires of you is you BA; this, to a learned fellow, may mean Bachelor of Arts. In our talk today it simply means Born Again. If we are not genuinely born again we are already a big failure. What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and lose his life. (Matthew 16:26, Mark 8: 36, Luke 9:25). Born again means being obedient to the word of God, He said it all in John 1:13 “children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God”. Once you are born of God, you can only fail when God fails. I am saying you can never fail. Preaching! You may say to yourself, I have been defeated severely in the past. Then, let me announce to you that there is a vast difference between failure and temporary defeat.
A man who has a Bachelor of Arts in History would one day aspire to obtain a higher degree so as to be promoted. He may register for an M.Sc (Master of Science) course in maybe International Relations etc. Likewise, God wants us to acquire his M.Sc after all. Here, we are talking about Master of Situations and Circumstances (M.Sc). With this qualification, God wants you to become a master of every situations and circumstances around you. When you are born of Him, He strengthens you because He is never tired or weary. (Isaiah 40:28-31). God already knew you would encounter difficulties that will make you feel like giving up. Let’s see what the book of II Corinthians 12:8-10 says. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. In like manner, He saw the red sea before the Children of Israel and knew they are capable of walking over it. You too can walk over every situation if you believe, and stop your lamentations.
Don’t just give up like Elijah did (1 King 19:1-5). Many non-Christians succeed today because they refused to give up and God justifies the work of their hand, but you Born-again child of God had refused to obtain your M.Sc and move to the next level of life. The problem you encounter Jesus said it is that the name of the Lord may be glorified. If God justified Rahab (James 2:24-25), a prostitute, you think He would allow your own work to go in vain? Hold unto God promise and be focused on your goals; I tell you, you will get there. Age, education or situation now is not a barrier.
Lastly, a master degree holder is a specialist in an area of endeavour. Are you a master of situations and circumstances around you? Do you reject a labourer/cleaner job or roadside trader job because you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood and a holy nation? (1 Peter 2:9) My brother, then you are not an M.Sc holder and may struggle for a longer time than you have already. For those who have obtained the BA and M.Sc, God is delighted in your getting the next certificate which is the PhD. (Doctor of Philosophy), but in our parlance, Possessor of Heavenly Distinction. (PhD). This qualifies you for a professorship title in this world and you can talk as a god and all things will be as you have directed. Did He say you would do greater things? You know the mind of God. Your obedience looks stupid in the eyes of mere men. Even when He gives you a mission and you do not see the provision, you are not afraid because, you are certain that just as He provided the ram for Abraham in place of Isaac, He would always appear at the last moment, and wait for it, even if He doesn’t appear, you still considered it a blessing. The three Hebrew men faced the fire, Daniel was dumped in the lions’ den and they all overcame. John the Baptist was however beheaded, Stephen and many other disciples were stoned to death. They were never afraid of even death, yet, many of us are so much afraid of defeat that we compromise or surrender to FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real). A PhD holder has the back stage knowledge of what God will do and is undisturbed by the indices/what people will say/mundane things of life. I therefore enjoin all to obtain these certificates today so as to be celebrated in today’s world. John Praise Daniel became a bishop at the age of 37. Joe Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics 2003 became a professor at age of 37. A 62-year-old man started Kentucky Chicken in America. Charles Soludo, the CBN Governor in Nigeria is 43 years old. Roland Regan became the 40th President of America at the age of 70 and ruled for eight years. Age is not a barrier; you are neither to young or too old to succeed.
IEC and Growth in Christian Home:
I must say that I have talked about this once at the Wisemen forum in the past. IEC simply means Information, Education and Communication. As individuals, a family, a church and/or as a nation, we may be stagnant if we are unable to manage IEC. Information: What is the source of your information? Who do you interact with? What do you read? What do you think about? Where do you go? What do you allow yourself to listen to? What do you watch on TV? Do you know that you can only act on what you know? Why do some illiterate villagers sell land to knowledgeable men? They know the history of the land! It is our great grandfather’s land, they would say, but did their great grandfather created the land? No! So, you whose father in Heaven created everything and you are not aware may remain where you are if you fail to appropriate what you know in the word of God and also in the modern world. Do you know that money saves those who save money! Do you know you that the greatest investment you can have is in balancing your faith, family and finance to build a rich spiritual life? (Bishop T.D. Jakes). There are so many things to increase us that we are yet to know, yet, what do you do with that which you already know?
This takes us to the E in IEC which is education, do you get educated by what you hear or see? Education is all about learning, unlearning or re-learning. What do you know about the business you do? As a trader, do you know that your business ought to be separated from you? And being your own CE/MD does not give you liberty to get to your business centre late. Can you explain anything about what you sell? Do you know how much gain you get from each items? Do you pay yourself or you just take money from your business to buy ‘gele’ or latest lace materials. Education as said above, is not only about learning how to do things. It is also about how to unlearn bad habits. i.e. – unlearn laziness, unlearn procrastination, unlearn negative attitude, unlearn timidity, unlearn irresponsibility. Your earthly father who did not send you to school is not your problem now that you are an adult. You are! The greatest illiterates of this century are not those who cannot read or write but those who are unable to learn, unlearn or relearn. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2). Every great man learnt to become great, became after repeated failures in many process of learning. Do you know that even the President of America - Mr. George Bush has to be taught how to drive a car like every other taxi/bus drivers on the street? Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General learnt the act of public speaking way back as a student like every students in schools’ debating society. By communication, we are simply encouraging that you become a doer. Knowledge is nothing when not put to use, and when you do the same thing, you will always get the same results. Also, you should not be a loner, keep good friends, relate with your relatives and be open-minded about people. Listening is an important aspect of communication that we have overlooked in the past, most people want to talk, but, pausing and listening to what other people want to say is as important as talking. So, we must cultivate the habit of listening to people.
Building Blocks:
We have just had a new set of officers to run the various departments, as it is our tradition to make changes. As a leader, what have you been able to pass on to the people you are leading? A leader is like the foundation of a house. But the foundation is worthless if there are no blocks to complete the house. You must be able to transfer knowledge to people around you if you must succeed, starting from your family, unit in church and even people in your place of work. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29. Now, some of us are very wise that we do not want to teach or share what we know in our place of work or department in the Church so as to be relevant; then, we should not blame God if we are not promoted in cases where our organization or church could not find a replacement for us. Let say it loud and clear that there is nothing in this world that you know that is not given to you. Even your native language was learnt from your parents/guardians. The seat you are sitting on was designed, built and even purchased by someone. Someone has taught you, teach others and you will know more. “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, and be patient with everyone”. 1 Thessalonians 5:14. The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea-Acts 11:29. Do you provide help for fellow Wisemen in Maraba?
Knowledge Economy:
I do not want to close this discourse without talking about the latest phrase amongst the people at the top. There was a time the world was ruled by the amount of gold a country has, then the world moved to crude oil and computer stage. Today, all these are not as relevant as what you know. Solomon asked for knowledge and got all other things added. 2 Chronicles 1:11-12. Therefore, you need to know how to solve a problem, and people will pay you for it. God has given you the needed skill or talents. Use it today to better your lots and be a wise man or woman in word and indeed.
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