Where is that Church today?

Last week, I went to the residential children’s home to visit the nine year old child I am mentoring. I was shocked to discover that she is unable to read. She tries to mask her illiteracy with her eloquent speech, but it is obvious that the child cannot read!

Ephesians 6 starts off with instruction to various groups of people. Children are instructed to obey their parents in the Lord. Parents are encouraged to teach their children godly discipline without provoking them to anger. Slaves are instructed to obey their masters , and masters to treat their slaves with dignity for all are servants of Christ the Judge.

Ephesians 6:12 then states: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood , but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” The Bible makes it very clear that we are not to squabble amongst ourselves. Our enemy is not the people around us, Christian or not. The prince of darkness and his host are our enemy.  We do nothing but weaken our resolve when we fight among ourselves. When we let disharmony and discord infiltrate our ranks, the enemy rejoices. (1 Pet 5:8)

As much as the battle is a spiritual one, it also affects the physical realm in which we find our current existence. The enemy has thrown poverty against us. He afflicts the minds of our youth with boredom, violence and the scourge of illiteracy. It is our duty to extend compassion to those who find themselves his captives. Christ’s mission did not keep Him in the synagogue. His mission extended to all the world. He mingled among the people as one who desired their highest good, extending to them the right arm of fellowship and compassion. His ministry was a practical one.  The Bible tells us that He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil for God was with Him.  (Acts 10:38)

Christ has given us the same mission. What have we done with His command to go into all the world? We are living in the time of the end. We say it over and over, yet our actions and the way we live does not reflect this reality. Time is of the essence, yet we find ourselves unable to re-group and strategise an effective onslaught against the enemy. We are like King David who, in the time when kings were meant to go to war, was sitting in his palace daydreaming, thus giving the enemy the foothold in his life (2 Sam 11:1-4). Outreach is not about singing beautiful songs about Christ to people ravaged by poverty, alcohol and abuse. A song does nothing for them except perplex them more. Where is the God who supposedly loves them when they suffer day and night? How can you show them His love?

While Satan is on a rampage because his time is running out, while he threatens to destroy our children and families, the Church slumbers on and has potluck. Spiritual warfare is about the Church reclaiming territory. This is the Church of whom Christ spoke when He said that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Where is that Church today? 

Main Scripture refs:  Eph 6:1-12, Matt 16:18-19, Rev 12:12

Revival & Reformation Part 2-Are you THIRSTY for revival?

Last week we focused on what it means to be revived. Now we can explore our readiness for revival. Is the church of God ready for revival? Are we just throwing around the word casually? What are the conditions necessary for a revival?

Taking an earnest look at the state of affairs in Christendom reveals that many churches are not ready for revival. The members do not seek it with all their hearts. They are too preoccupied with the cares of this world: the socials, the parties, work and family affairs. There is precious little time devoted to prayer, fasting and asking God for revival. We are currently in a spiritual drought, yet we do not realize it. The deer pants for streams of water in the dry places, but God’s children do not thirst for the living water only He is able to supply.  (Ps 42:1)

The theme of our Church is Revival & Reformation. We have started the 777 Initiative. How many of us have taken this seriously? It’s one thing to outwardly proclaim that we desire revival and reformation; it’s quite another to demonstrate that we REALLY are thirsty for it. How many of us have taken the quarterly times designated by our Conference for fasting and prayer seriously? I was dismayed to read a recent article by a member of our worldwide church, which revealed that this condition of spiritual lethargy is a worldwide phenomenon. She wrote that in her church, most of the church members had forgotten that they should be heeding the call to fast, pray, and earnestly ask the Lord for the latter rain.  Instead, the church held a luncheon on the designated days and became a place of temptation and a snare to those who had remembered and wished to seek God with all their hearts.

What has happened to us? We seem to have grown cold and lost our first love. We no longer possess the zeal of the early church to embrace revival and submit to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible predicted that in the last days, this would happen.  The question is, are we going to let ourselves continue to drift in this condition or are we going to seek the Lord and beg of His mercy so that He may lift us out of the spiritual quagmire that we have fallen into? This phenomenon is not seen in countries where persecution is at its zenith; perhaps we who enjoy religious liberty have taken this precious gift for granted. The Lord does not approve of our “lukewarm”, comfortable, self-focused Christianity. It is time to go on our knees and seek the Lord with all our hearts.

“On the other hand, there are some who, instead of wisely improving present opportunities, are idly waiting for some special season of spiritual refreshing by which their ability to enlighten others will be greatly increased. They neglect present duties and privileges, and allow their light to burn dim, while they look forward to a time when, without any effort on their part, they will be made the recipients of special blessing, by which they will be transformed and fitted for service.”—The Acts of the Apostles, 54. {ChS 43.4} 

References: Christ’s Object Lessons 303-304; Rev 3:14-20; Ps 42; The Acts of the Apostles 54

Biblical Prosperity

It has become commonplace in the day and age we live in, to hear ministers of the Gospel speak more about prosperity than any other topic. In fact, I would dare to say that many try to attract the multitudes into the Church by making extravagant promises and guarantees of prosperity, mostly relating to the realm of finances.

What is true prosperity? This week’s message seeks to explore this from a Biblical perspective. Is prosperity constrained to just financial blessings, or is it more than that? In fact, could a person be prosperous without being extremely well off financially?

What does the Bible say about prosperity? The elder writes in 3 John 1:2: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” Prosperity therefore is more than just financial abundance. The Lord’s vision of prosperity for us includes our entire well-being in all spheres of our existence i.e. emotional, physical, spiritual etc. Prosperity essentially means leading a balanced life, having enough financial provision for yourself and enough to give generously to those in need. You cannot be prosperous if you’re rich financially, but if the maintenance and upkeep of your riches leaves you precious little time to spend with the Lord, in service to others and with your family. You cannot be prosperous if you deny yourself those very basic but essential life experiences that bring so much variety and joy to life!

True prosperity is not about the wealth you slave for in life, nor the size of the estate you leave behind in death. True prosperity comes from leading your family and friends to the Lord, proudly handing down a legacy to your children that is more than financial reward. True prosperity is like a footprint that you leave behind on this earth- your niche, your mark on this world. It is evidenced in the godly example and lessons you teach others, which live on through them long after you are no more.

This marathon of life is no ordinary marathon. It’s a relay race-you’re constantly handing down the baton to the next generation. The Church runs this race together, as a team. Our success in this race depends on our ability to work cohesively and gracefully. As we race to the finish, let us work as the Body of Christ for our success depends on it. To run a relay, you have to give up the baton! True success and prosperity comes not from amassing great wealth or gratifying selfish desires, but from leaving a legacy. Pour out your life in service. Share your knowledge, talents, wisdom and gifts with others. That is true prosperity!

"And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."-Luke 12:15-21 

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."-Luke 12:34





"I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. "-Acts 20:35


"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."-Matt 16:24-27

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."-Matt 6:19-20

The Primary Mission of The Church-Seeking the Lost

As I was thinking about what to write this week, the verse in 1 John 2:6 suddenly popped into my head. It says: “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” The Holy Spirit brings to remembrance the things taught by Christ to His disciples while He traversed this earth with them. The Holy Spirit still has a relevant message for the church of Christ today. Are we walking like Christ did?

 I was listening to the radio on my commute to work when a song started to play. It posed a question that is extremely relevant to the church today. “If we are the body, why aren’t His arms reaching; why aren’t His hands healing; why aren’t His words teaching; …why is His love not showing?”

The book of 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31 describes the church as the Body of Christ. The body of Christ is not made up of one member, but many members with diverse gifts and talents, all bestowed by the same Holy Spirit (v14). If this is so, why do some of us think that we can do everything ourselves and that nothing anyone else does is good enough?

Our primary aim as the church of Christ is to promote the gospel of Christ. Are we fulfilling this aim, or are we too busy fighting factional fires within the church? My college lecturer once told me that the greatest hindrance to any work is over-analyzing things. He called it “paralysis by analysis”. Are we as church members so busy analyzing each other’s performance that we are paralyzed when it comes to taking the message of the gospel of salvation to a dying world?

I am not saying there isn’t a place for correction in the church. The Bible speaks of correcting our brothers and sisters in the spirit of love, but we should also watch lest we ourselves fall into the same temptation as they have or worse still, end up trapped in the spirit of hypocrisy (Romans 2:1-3,21-24). The spirit of hypocrisy is the easiest spirit to fall into when we find ourselves continually judging others, instead of doing some soul-searching ourselves. Satan uses this as his best method of attacking believers as their attention is taken off themselves and focused on criticising others, giving him free reign to attack, divide the church and hinder the spread of the Gospel.

At the end of time, the masses will reject Christ (Rev 20:8). The only question is, will they be rejecting Him because we as the Church failed to fulfill our mission and became a stumbling block to the world? Will it be because we failed to show Christ’s love for them because we were too busy squabbling amongst ourselves and instead they saw this and then decided that if that’s what Christians do, then they don’t want to have anything to do with Christ? Will it be because we dreamed small, came to church to warm the pews and to get entertained? Proverbs 29:18 says: “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” It’s time for the church to arise with renewed vigour and passion for the lost and to seek them like Christ, the Good Shepherd seeks them!