Monday, September 28, 2009

A SOLID FOUNDATION

“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it” Prov 22:6

Recently, I went to the church my parents have attended all their lives. The same church I was dedicated as a baby and raised as an infant till I grew up and went away to university. It is an old orthodox church founded by the United Missionary Church of Africa so many years ago and it is still alive and vibrant and thriving till today. They have a huge congregation and have a membership base ranging from infants to the elderly. Their fellowships include ones for children, teenagers, singles, young adults, new couples, old couples, ladies, men, pregnant women etc. It is a church where they still preach in that old, stodgy way we pentecostal, charismatic and new apostolic young Christians like to disparage. We have forgotten “Remove not the ancient landmarks which thy fathers have set” Prov 22:28 and we have also forgotten the fact that most of us were raised in this faithfully steady orthodox churches. Many of us even gave our lives to Christ there.

It was a very nostalgic service for me that day. I saw many of my parents’ friends and church members. I saw old friends and age mates who had stayed back in the church; I saw old Sunday school teachers and former pastors. As I sat in the auditorium, my mind went back many years to when I was a kid in one of the numerous children classes behind the main church. I remembered reciting –

“A for Abraham, the father of faith; B for Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob; C for Caleb, one of the two to enter Canaan” etc.

I remembered learning all those bible stories through songs and plays. Many times, my Sunday school teacher, a dear lady who has gone to be with the Lord now, would have us read certain bible stories as homework and then tell the story to the class the following Sunday. That was when my storytelling ability developed. I always won the storytelling prize.

I remember when I grew up and moved to the teen classes and how we use to sneak into the main church because we believed we were already adults and should be there. How the ushers would chase us back to our own class and we would sulk and pout there and generally give our Sunday teachers a tough sullen time but they never gave up teaching us.

And finally when I turned eighteen and was then eligible to sit in church with the adults, only to leave and go off to university a few weeks later. That wasn’t fair!

As my mind wandered in church that day, I suddenly realized that this old church and my family gave me the solid foundation to be who I am today!

I derailed badly in my university days. I left all I had been taught and went my own way but even in all that, something in my heart and spirit was uneasy. I knew I was doing wrong and I hid that part of me from my parents. Why? – Because I had been raised on God’s foundation and I knew right from wrong!

God’s word never fails. When He tells you to raise a child in the path he should go and that in the future when the child is all grown up, he or she will not depart from it, it is a FACT! I am a living testimony of that. That foundation drew me back from the brink of destruction and set me on the path of life. That foundation is what I am still building on today!

Yes, those orthodox churches might bore us and may seem backward because they don’t have demon chasing, miracle working and motivational firebrand preachers like our modern churches but all through the years they have stayed committed and faithful to God’s commission – laying a solid foundation for millions and raising people in “the ancient landmarks of our fathers”.

And you know the funny thing? I will love my children to be raised in that way!

Monday, September 21, 2009

FAMILY FELLOWSHIP

“Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” – Psalm 133:1


I come from a family of believers. I mean a lineage of believers. I had great grandparents and grandparents who believed in Christ. Some of whom could not read or write and some who could only read the bible in Yoruba but their faith was real and living and obvious. Apart from my maternal grandfather who was of another faith, we have always been believers and I know in my spirit and heart that for generations to come, we will always be.

We were not born believers, even though some of us were born to the Christian religion. It was just that at different times in our lives, we each came to the saving grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My maternal grandmother came to know Christ early in life through the teachings of her Christian parents and though she was given out in marriage against her wish and her parents’ will to a man not of her faith and belief (he was the king of her village so everyone had to kowtow to his wish), she stuck to Christ and raised her children in the way of the Lord. So obvious was the difference her faith made in her life that her other co-wives and their children soon followed her steps to Christ. Her unbelieving husband saw the peace and unity the faith brought to his formerly riotous polygamous household and prudently refrained from discouraging any of them from the Christian faith. And so they all grew and waxed strong in the Lord.

My Paternal grandparents were also Christians, a faith handed down from their parents. My grandfather was a traditional healer and his practice flourished because of all the traditional healers in his village, he was the only one who made no incantation over his medicinal leaves. He prayed over them instead and God honored his prayers. People flocked to him and he used the opportunity to preach Christ. My Grandmother was a trader and travelled far and wide to buy and sell and preach Christ. God blessed her mightily.

My Grandparents are all gone now. They lived long and blessed lives and are now resting but their legacy lives on. I can still hear my maternal grandmother in my mind exhorting us to go early to church and stay to take the final grace because “God sends three angels with blessings during a church service. One comes during the opening prayers; the second during the sermon and the third during the closing grace. And you should not miss any of the blessings”. That always made us laugh and till now we still laugh when we remember her saying that. But that was how simple and steady their faith was.

My mother though raised in Christ and very moral and believing all her life made a life-changing commitment to Christ when she had her first baby. She said she stared at the baby after birth and became overwhelmed at the thought of being responsible for a LIFE! She realized she couldn’t do it alone so right there on the hospital bed, she made a dedication and covenant with God. Her life changed from then on. And though that child who made her turn to Christ left to be with God at the age of thirteen, his life was amazing! Almost thirty years after his passing on, we still hear testimonies of his life. I met a man about a year ago and when I mentioned my name, he asked if I was related to so-so and when I said yes, he told me how my late brother led him to Christ at the age of ten! I cried that day (I’m actually crying again now).

My Dad's submission took a little longer than my mom’s but by the time I was in my early teens, he had taken his place and position in the Lord and it is wonderful seeing the two of them with their children grown and out of the house, serving their Savior together.

We are a large family. Lots of brothers, sisters, cousins many times removed, aunties & uncles from both sides of the family, nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces and in-laws. But we are all so united. Despite the physical distance and space between us as we settle in different parts of the world, nothing can break the love and unity we have. I believe this is because of Christ.

We not only have earthly kinship but also heavenly brotherhood. And God has been so faithful to my family. No matter how rebellious and misled we might start off as, we always find our way back to Christ. This is because God honors the prayers of our great-grandparents, grandparents and parents. The prayers they offer to God to make “them and their household to serve the Lord”. And the way they raise us in the way of the Lord gives a solid foundation that draws us back to the light.

God has also been faithful in our choice of spouses. We have wonderful God fearing husbands and wives and their families become ours just as ours become theirs and so we grow larger and fuller.

Whenever we get together for a family occasion or holidays, it’s always huge and fun. And when it is time for devotion, I’m sure even the angels pause in their duties to stare in amazement at us!

We have had ups and downs in this my huge extended family, we have lost, we have mourned, we have hungered, we have searched, but through it all God has been our strength and brought us safely through.

I have a wonderful family!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

THE UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” – Matt 11:28-30


The above is a direct quote from Eugene H. Peterson’s THE MESSAGE BIBLE. I love that version of the bible and it is what I use for my daily readings. Today, I came across this popular verse and the way THE MESSAGE BIBLE put it struck me. “LEARN THE UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE”. I have never thought of ‘living by His grace’ like this before. It reminded me of something that happened to me last year.

Late last year, I had a conversation with a friend. I told him then that I don’t claim my Christ given healing for small things like headache or tummy ache and all the other small aches. According to me then, there are simple over the counter drugs for things like that. I reserved “By His stripes, I am healed” (Isaiah 53:5) for serious illnesses.

A few days later, I had a very bad headache, the kind that is borderline migraine. I took analgesics and laid down for a nap. I woke up and the headache was still there. More analgesics and more naps followed but nothing helped. The headache didn’t get worse but neither did it get better. It just held steady. After four days I was getting desperate. I went to see a doctor. What followed was a whole battery of tests and examinations. Nothing turned up. More drugs, stronger analgesics were prescribed and I took them faithfully. No improvement.

I was referred to another hospital and was already scheduled for a whole new set of tests when my brother suggested praying. So that night, I prayed and reminded God that I have been healed by the stripes of His Son. Without taking any medication, I went to bed and woke up headache free for the first time in more than two weeks. I learnt that day that even if you can do it easily, there is always an easier way through Grace.

That is The Unforced Rhythm of Grace!

And that is a major part of the lesson I have been learning these past weeks. I am a go-getter, driven, passionate overachiever. I have always run the whole mile myself and I’ve always believed in “I can do it. I will do it. I must do it”. I roll under my own steam. But now the Holy Spirit is teaching me that I am in a partnership with Him and my life, career and purpose is a joint venture in which He has an active part and His own contribution is more than pointing out directions, it also includes GRACE!

Yes, I can still do it. Yes, I will still do it. Yes, I must still do it. But allowing myself to trust and rely on His Grace makes it so much easier. Working and walking with the Holy Spirit and learning how Christ does it and leaning on the Grace of God gives every task a naturalness that takes the stress and heaviness out of it all and replaces it with freedom and lightness.

That is The Unforced Rhythm of Grace!

And this Grace we have so freely was given to us at a price. A very costly price! The sweat, blood, pain, suffering and death of Jesus Christ. We might have gotten it free but He didn’t earn it free. The only way we can pay Him back is to make full use of that Grace. That’s what He intended it for. Please don’t do it on your own. For the sake of that precious blood shed on the cross, MAKE USE OF THAT GRACE! It is for your use!

LEARN THE UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

LEARNING

"Behold as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand" - Jer 18:6


I'm going through things right now. I'm learning what it means to wait upon the Lord and I'm learning it the hard way.

I have never been a patient person and it has always affected my walk with God. I'm more of the "hit the ground running" type and now God has decided its high time i learn patience.

I HATE IT!

But i have no choice because it seems God is in "I have all the time in the world" mood. And believe me, when someone to whom a thousand years is like a day says that to you, you better toe the line he lays down or you just might be in that same spot FOREVER!

It sucks!

God is dealing with me in ways I've never experienced before and when i get cranky, its as if He just folds His arms and wait for me to get over my mood. He's in no rush. I have to confess, even though i know its for my own good and for the greater good of blah, blah, blah, i still don't like it. And i really don't like the Holy Spirit when he's like this.

I know i sound like a whinny, sulky, petulant child (I feel like one too) but i cannot help it. I've always liked things going exactly the way i want and this is certainly NOT what i want right now.

I've not been a model student so far. Sometimes, when God tells me to do some kinda things i dont wanna do, i feel like yelling "WHO DIED AND MADE YOU GOD?" Except of course, HE IS GOD so i feel like yelling "JESUS DIED AND MADE ME GOD" except of course, submission to God is part of the deal.

So. I'm stuck!

I'm learning though. And even though I really don't want God to know this yet (I don't want to hear His I TOLD YOU SO!), I'm becoming a better person and growing. Just goes to prove - GOD REALLY KNOWS BEST!

After finally realizing the earlier i get my act together and allow Him have His way in my life, the better (and earlier) I will become who i ought to be, I've FINALLY submitted to His will and leading and disciplining.

So when the BIGGER BETTER RAYO emerges from her God-enforced cocoon, you all will be the first to know.