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Tag: Christians

  • Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    The Jews asked Jesus: “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” He said to them: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he sent.” (John 6:28-29).

    Jesus is the Saviour therefore, undoubtedly, belief in Jesus is fundamental to salvation. Often, when people came to Jesus for healing, he would ask: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28). When he visited his hometown, John notes: “He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13:58).

    Jesus did not tell Nicodemus to become more religious to obtain eternal life. He did not tell him to give more tithes and offerings to the synagogue. He simply told him to believe in him: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

    Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to determine precisely what it means to believe in Jesus; especially because although demons believe, nevertheless, they are not saved.

     

    Active participle

     

    Faith in Jesus is an active participle. If we believe in Jesus, our actions will testify to our faith. James says: “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18). Likewise, the psalmist says: “I believe therefore I speak.”

     

    If we believe in Jesus, we would not be overwhelmed by sickness because he is our healer. If we believe, we would not be dismayed by loss because he is our redeemer. If we believe, we would not be intimidated by giants in the wilderness of life knowing he is our shield.

     

    If we truly believe, everything we do and do not do will derive from our belief. Indeed, anything and everything that does not come from belief in Jesus is a sin. (Romans 14:23).

     

    So answer me this: what precisely has your belief in Christ ever caused you to do? Those are the things that validate your salvation. Have you ever removed the roof of a house because you believe in Jesus? Has your belief finally led you to lay down your life for Christ’s sake?

     

    We walk by our faith: we don’t merely stand by faith. Believing requires us to step out of a boat at Jesus’ command and walk on water. It requires us to forsake all and follow him. It requires us to walk a tightrope across a great big gorge to get to God. That tightrope is Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life.

     

    Rise and walk

     

    I was cornered by armed robbers on the way from the airport in Lagos. Nevertheless, the Lord assured me: “Nothing is going to happen to you here.” After he said this, one of the armed robbers shot me in the leg, seemingly contradicting God’s promise. But then the Lord continued: “Femi, nothing is wrong with your leg.”

     

    Should I believe the word of the Lord, or believe the evidence of the bullet in my leg?

     

    Later on, the Lord said to me: “I allowed you to be shot because I wanted you to see yourself using crutches. You have been using crutches all your life but did not know it.” Then he asked me: “Can a man with a broken leg walk without crutches?” I did not think so. But he insisted: “He can walk by trusting in me. Now, put down your crutches and walk.”

     

    I put them down but could not walk. Therefore, I had to learn to walk again, but this time by trusting in God. That is what it means to believe in Jesus. When we believe in Jesus, we do the impossible. When we believe, we rise from our sickbed, take up our bed and walk.

     

    If we believe, we would not stay too long on any mountain: we would go forward. Because they believed, Joshua and Caleb entered the Promised Land. Because they did not believe, the rest of the Israelites perished in the wilderness.

     

    Disbelieving believers

     

    So many so-called believers do not believe in Jesus. Most believe with their lips and not with their heart. Many profess belief in the Jesus they do not know. But true faith must be grounded in knowledge. Peter says: “Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge.”(2 Peter 1:5).

     

    You cannot believe in Jesus from merely reading about him in the pages of the bible. You have to know the Jesus of the bible. You have to enter into a personal relationship with him. Paul says: “I know whom I have believed.” (2 Timothy 1:12).

     

    It is a shame that today’s Christianity is rife with contradictions. The president of the Christian Union is jilted in love and falls into depression. In truth, she does not believe in Jesus. She does not know Jesus is the redeemer. The choirmaster’s project fails and thereafter he loses all hope. He does not believe in Jesus. He does not know that the hope in Jesus does not disappoint. (Isaiah 49:23).

     

    The evangelist loses a child in a car accident and refuses to forgive the driver who hit her. She does not believe in Jesus. She does not know that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25). The usher’s business collapses, and he stops going to church. He does not believe in Jesus. He does not know that the Father of our Lord Jesus is not mediated through results.

     

    Believe to see

     

    Thomas says of the resurrected Jesus: “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”(John 20:25). Poppycock! Seeing is not believing. The Jews saw Jesus’ multiplication of five loaves to feed five thousand and still did not believe in him. They came asking to see another miracle before they would believe.

     

    Miracles don’t lead to belief: belief leads to miracles. We don’t see to believe; we believe to see. David says: “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13).

     

    Faith in Jesus opens the eyes of the blind, enabling us to see the kingdom of God. Accordingly, Jesus said to Martha who was mourning her dead brother: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). Thereafter, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, even though he had been dead and buried for four days

     

    When Nathaniel believed what Jesus told him, he received a promise. Jesus said to him: “You will see greater things than these. Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (John 1:50-51).

     

    “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3).

     

  • Onitsha Christians for Trump and matters arising, By Chido Nwakanma

    Onitsha Christians for Trump and matters arising, By Chido Nwakanma

    THE PUBLIC SPHERE with Chido Nwakanma

    The intrepidity of Onitsha came to the fore on 25 October as the city inserted itself forcefully into the 3 November general elections a world away in the United States of America. Most Reverend Professor Daddy Hezekiah led his flock in a rally and march around Onitsha city, hailing and praying for a Donald Trump victory. It reverberated globally.

    Their lack of what lawyers call locus standi was not a barrier to the Onitsha Trump supporters: they had no direct stake, no membership of the Republican party nor registration to vote. For their efforts, they got the acknowledgment of the Donald, a notable narcissist. He tweeted: A parade for me in Nigeria, a great honor! pic.twitter.com/EHiSQMFvSZ — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2020

    The parade by the Living Christ Mission Inc was against the backdrop of anti-Nigeria words and actions by Donald Trump. He called Nigeria a shithole, reduced opportunities for immigration for settlement or study, and has fought against Nigerians seeking high profile jobs at AfDB and WTO. Many have made memes and jokes out of the Onitsha Christians and their escapade.

    However, it is not a laughing matter nor for ridicule. We deal here with a context of two issues with a high toxicity quotient: religion and politics. Handle with discretion. Yet, we must break eggs to make this omelette.

    The religious element has inflamed the discourse for and against. Christians of a certain persuasion have brought various narratives to bear on the matter. Touchy. Friends, family, colleagues, and classmates are falling apart over differences on the issues. Caution: please do not tear each other over Donald Trump.

    The Trumpian Christians have shared all manner of narratives. One was very loud and forceful in its claims and many falsehoods.

    “IN CASE YOU DONT UNDERSTAND THE REASON FOR THE BATTLES AND THE UNENDING CONFRONTATIONS: Trump vs New world order; Trump vs The Abortion Law; Trump vs The Anti-Christ Agenda; Trump vs Vaccine producers; Trump vs Homosexual/ Lesbian/Gay; Trump vs Terrorists Beneficiaries; Trump vs Pope? (You won’t understand); Trump vs Mainstream media (MSN); Trump vs Social Media Owners; Trump vs Bad leadership promoters in Africa; Trump vs killers of Christians in Africa; Trump vs Injustice; Trump vs The Illuminating (Illuminati) Members); Trump vs One World Government; Trump vs The Cancellation Of Prayers; Trump vs The Haters Of Humanity; Trump vs Anti God’s Laws; Trump vs Election Riggers; Trump vs vs vs….Victory Is Sure in God Name”.

    A school mate shared this in our class platform. He took umbrage at my calling him out publicly. “We all have our perspectives at looking at things. You have yours with your reasons; I have mine. The least you can do is respect that.”

    I responded: “The Christian community seeks so much drama. Even in the days of our Lord Jesus Christ. For that reason, He warned them against a fixation on signs. He said that of the hour and time no man knows. Only the Creator can tell. As an 11-year old, I was a victim of the Christian end-time hoax when Jehovah’s Witnesses frightened my young soul with their false claim that the world was ending in 1975. It was a massive deception. Many End-Time followers see all manner of spiritual significance in everything, ascribing to poor Donald Trump matters of which he has absolutely no ken”.

    He came around, we shared the Word, and I apologised for calling him out in public. Childhood friends.

    There is no surprise in Onitsha boldly stepping out on the trending topic of certain Christians for Donald Trump. Onitsha intrigues. Onitsha confounds. Onitsha excites.

    Onitsha is the birth city of Christianity in Eastern Nigeria and is responsible for the growth of the faith and literacy in the land. Who can forget the images of the throngs that witnessed the visit of the Pope to Onitsha? Or the miniwars between the Anglicans and Catholics?

    It is the Onitsha Spirit. Audacious. Onitsha represents the best and worst of the Igbo. So much energy. Drive. Innovation. Onitsha is the city that gave the world a genre of literature with its name: Onitsha Market Literature. It is the main distribution point that ensured Nollywood became a global phenomenon.

    Onitsha has its distinctive brand of gospel music. It is high decibel, vociferous and calls down angels while lifting the spirits of men up to dance. Increasingly, women lead the most successful bands:

    I love Onitsha. It also irritates. I love it for what it represents and for my people who live in it.

    A beloved cousin has lived in Onitsha 40 years. He trained the old-fashioned way in mechanical engineering and how to fix crankshafts and engines. It was for an era when industrialisation was top priority in Nigeria. Over the years, the economic changes have buffeted him but not his spirit.

    My cousin is not the tallest of men. Many years ago, when it was time, he showed the Onitsha and Igbo spirit. He went for the tallest girl in the hood, all 6.2” of her, and brought her home as wife. She had the same pluck, serving as apprentice trader in selling wrappers and stuff and graduating to an importer who regularly travelled to China to “tu ahia container”. Covid19 has only slowed but cannot stop them.

    Scholars of religion in Igboland and Nigeria need to step up. I call on Chukwu Ogbajie, C.O. Okeke, F. Anyika, J.C. Nwaka, F.K. Ekechi, P.E. Nmah and T. Adamolekun.

    Is the phenomenon of Trump Christians an inflection point for Christianity in Africa and the world? Or does it just replicate what has happened over the years at times of crisis when men seek answers in end-time messaging and decode the signs for themselves with varied meanings? This story is unfolding.

    https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2020/11/22/onitsha-christians-for-trump-and-matters-arising/

  • Walking by faith and not by sight (1) – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    Paul says: “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). He is not telling us how we should walk. He is telling us how we walk. This is like telling a boy that we don’t walk with our hands. We walk with our feet. Believers walk by faith. Those who believe in God walk by trusting Him.

    Jesus says: “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3).

     

    Little children learn to walk and talk. Like them, Christians must learn to see.

     

    All men are born blind. As a result, we cannot see God. Because we are blind, we steal right in front of spiritual CCTV cameras, foolishly thinking no one can see us. Because we are blind, we cannot see that God is standing right there looking at us while we are engaged in all manner of ungodliness.

     

    Therefore, Jesus says: “‘For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.’ Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, ‘Are we blind also?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains.’” (John 9:39-41).

     

    This means we need to admit we are blind and pray that God would open our eyes. “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.” (Proverbs 20:12).

     

    The ability to see is a privilege given to those who are disciples of Christ. To them, Jesus makes this promise: “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” (John 14:19).

     

    Then we will discover that the invisible attributes of God are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. (Romans 1:20).

     

    Trusting God

     

    A workman quoted a certain sum for a job I wanted him to do. I responded by drastically slashing the price. The man protested, saying: “You don’t trust me.” I replied: “Of course, I don’t trust you. Why should I? I don’t know you.”

     

    What about God, do you know Him. Has he earned your trust? If not, we need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. As we grow in the knowledge of God, our trust in Him grows.

     

    God told me a storm was coming. I believed Him because He had told me so many things in the past and they all came to pass. Therefore, when He told me a storm was coming, I not only believed but told others to prepare for it. Then the storm came in the form of a violent EndSARS protest in Nigeria.

     

    Certainly, if He tells me something else in advance tomorrow, I will believe. I will see it even if I cannot see it, if you know what I mean. For this reason, Paul says it is possible for our faith in God to grow. The correct translation for faith here is trust.

     

    It is necessary for our trust in God to grow from faith to faith. As we see daily the workings of God, we need to get to a point where we trust God in everything. Has He said it? Yes! Then we know He will do it or bring it to pass.

     

    Holy Spirit tutelage

     

    As a new believer, God will give you some revelations. Thereafter, they will disappear. But then: “The gifts and calling of God cannot be revoked.” (Romans 11:29). Therefore, do not worry. You are just undergoing training. The training can last for many years. At the end of the training, the gifts will reappear.

     

    I thought I was a slow learner, only to discover that God is a slow teacher. He does not like novices. Therefore, He takes us through an exacting period of training. Now, after over 25 years, my gifts have blossomed. For example, now I see things before they happen. Now I am fully inducted into the office of a prophet and a seer.

     

    As a new believer, God taught me a new song. I woke up singing: “When the Spirit of the Lord is upon my soul, I will dance like David danced.” I thought it was a one-off. But now, the Holy Spirit chooses praise songs, and He sings them all day long in my heart.

     

    Use the gift you have. Let nothing discourage you. If it does not seem to work, don’t give up. God is not mediated through results. Jesus says: “Whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Matthew 13:12)

     

    Faith’s good report

     

    How can I travel from Lagos to London in the confidence that my plane will not crash or be blown out of the sky by terrorists? I can do so by trusting in God.

     

    The writer of Hebrews says: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.” (Hebrews 11:1-2).

     

    By faith, we obtain the good report that if we travel by air from Lagos to London we will not die in an accident on the way.

     

    Do you have the good report of faith? What does it tell you? It tells you that you can face any challenges because God is your helper. It tells you that, because of Jesus, you can overcome the world. It tells you that whatever God brings before you providentially, He will give you the measure of faith to handle it.

     

    Will things get better for you or will they get worse? “Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come.” (Hebrews 9:11).

     

    It all depends then on what you can see. Can you see that you can pass through the Red Sea? Can you see that you can defeat Goliath? Can you see that you can feed the multitude with five loaves of bread and two fishes? Can you see that you can walk on water? Can you see that you can turn water into wine?

     

    You can see all these things if you know that God is with you. That is why we walk by faith and not by sight. To walk is to live. We live by faith. We live with God and we walk with Him. That is the essence of Christianity. True Christians are the people who live with God and walk with God.

     

    Jesus’ name is Immanuel meaning God with us. God is with believers. He is always with us. He never leaves: He never forsakes. He said to Joshua: “I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5). He says to all believers: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).

    CONTINUED

  • Walking by faith and not by sight – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    Paul says: “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). He is not telling us how we should walk. He is telling us how we walk. This is like telling a boy that we don’t walk with our hands.

    We walk with our feet. Believers walk by faith. Those who believe in God walk by trusting Him.

     

    Jesus says: “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3).

     

    Little children learn to walk and talk. Like them, Christians must learn to see.

     

    All men are born blind. As a result, we cannot see God. Because we are blind, we steal right in front of spiritual CCTV cameras, foolishly thinking no one can see us. Because we are blind, we cannot see that God is standing right there looking at us while we are engaged in all manner of ungodliness.

     

    Therefore, Jesus says: “‘For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.’ Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, ‘Are we blind also?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains.’” (John 9:39-41).

     

    This means we need to admit we are blind and pray that God would open our eyes. “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.” (Proverbs 20:12).

     

    The ability to see is a privilege given to those who are disciples of Christ. To them, Jesus makes this promise: “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” (John 14:19).

     

    Then we will discover that the invisible attributes of God are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. (Romans 1:20).

     

    Trusting God

     

    A workman quoted a certain sum for a job I wanted him to do. I responded by drastically slashing the price. The man protested, saying: “You don’t trust me.” I replied: “Of course, I don’t trust you. Why should I? I don’t know you.”

     

    What about God, do you know Him. Has he earned your trust? If not, we need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. As we grow in the knowledge of God, our trust in Him grows.

     

    God told me a storm was coming. I believed Him because He had told me so many things in the past and they all came to pass. Therefore, when He told me a storm was coming, I not only believed but told others to prepare for it. Then the storm came in the form of a violent EndSARS protest in Nigeria.

     

    Certainly, if He tells me something else in advance tomorrow, I will believe. I will see it even if I cannot see it, if you know what I mean. For this reason, Paul says it is possible for our faith in God to grow. The correct translation for faith here is trust.

     

    It is necessary for our trust in God to grow from faith to faith. As we see daily the workings of God, we need to get to a point where we trust God in everything. Has He said it? Yes! Then we know He will do it or bring it to pass.

     

    Holy Spirit tutelage

     

    As a new believer, God will give you some revelations. Thereafter, they will disappear. But then: “The gifts and calling of God cannot be revoked.” (Romans 11:29). Therefore, do not worry. You are just undergoing training. The training can last for many years. At the end of the training, the gifts will reappear.

     

    I thought I was a slow learner, only to discover that God is a slow teacher. He does not like novices. Therefore, He takes us through an exacting period of training. Now, after over 25 years, my gifts have blossomed. For example, now I see things before they happen. Now I am fully inducted into the office of a prophet and a seer.

     

    As a new believer, God taught me a new song. I woke up singing: “When the Spirit of the Lord is upon my soul, I will dance like David danced.” I thought it was a one-off. But now, the Holy Spirit chooses praise songs, and He sings them all day long in my heart.

     

    Use the gift you have. Let nothing discourage you. If it does not seem to work, don’t give up. God is not mediated through results. Jesus says: “Whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Matthew 13:12)

     

    Faith’s good report

     

    How can I travel from Lagos to London in the confidence that my plane will not crash or be blown out of the sky by terrorists? I can do so by trusting in God.

     

    The writer of Hebrews says: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.” (Hebrews 11:1-2).

     

    By faith, we obtain the good report that if we travel by air from Lagos to London we will not die in an accident on the way.

     

    Do you have the good report of faith? What does it tell you? It tells you that you can face any challenges because God is your helper. It tells you that, because of Jesus, you can overcome the world. It tells you that whatever God brings before you providentially, He will give you the measure of faith to handle it.

     

    Will things get better for you or will they get worse? “Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come.” (Hebrews 9:11).

     

    It all depends then on what you can see. Can you see that you can pass through the Red Sea? Can you see that you can defeat Goliath? Can you see that you can feed the multitude with five loaves of bread and two fishes? Can you see that you can walk on water? Can you see that you can turn water into wine?

     

    You can see all these things if you know that God is with you. That is why we walk by faith and not by sight. To walk is to live. We live by faith. We live with God and we walk with Him. That is the essence of Christianity. True Christians are the people who live with God and walk with God.

     

    Jesus’ name is Immanuel meaning God with us. God is with believers. He is always with us. He never leaves: He never forsakes. He said to Joshua: “I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5). He says to all believers: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).

    CONTINUED

  • No tithing in the new testament church – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    When the Pharisees insisted that divorce was lawful because it was sanctioned by the Law of Moses, Jesus pointed out that Moses authorized divorce because of the hardness of Jewish hearts. But from the beginning, it was not so.

    This same principle applies to the issue of tithes and offerings.

    God says in Malachi: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground.” (Malachi 3:10-11).

     

    This scripture was written because of the hardness of the heart of the Old Testament Jewish priesthood. God knew the priests did not have the heart to give. Therefore, he enticed them with blessings and threatened them with the scourge of the devourer. But this is not God’s preferred way of getting people to do what he wants.

     

    New creation

     

    God enables righteousness in His people by giving them a new heart; a giving heart. Therefore, if pastors continue to rely on Malachi to provoke members of their congregation into giving, it must be because they are convinced they do not have the new heart to give.

     

    The new creation in Christ Jesus naturally knows the right thing to do because he loves God and his neighbour. Nobody should have to arm-twist a Christian to: “Honor the LORD with (his) possessions, and with the firstfruits of all (his) increase.” (Proverbs 3:9). Nobody twisted even Abraham’s arm to make him give a tithe of his spoils of war to Melchizedek. He did it of his own free will.

     

    The establishment of a law implies the existence of lawbreakers. Paul says: “The law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:8). Therefore, when so-called pastors make it a law to pay tithes and give offerings, they spoil the members of their churches for the gospel.

     

    It means they have already determined that their members are lawbreakers. They have already concluded that they are hard-hearted and have not been redeemed into the righteousness of Christ: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:4).

     

    Christians are not under the law but under grace. (Romans 6:14). Those under grace do nothing by compulsion but naturally: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10). Those under grace are moved by the Holy Spirit; and: “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

     

    In the beginning

     

    “It was not this way from the beginning.” (Matthew 19:8). In the beginning, it was clearly stated that God is only interested in free will offerings. He told Moses: “Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze.” (Exodus 35:5).

     

    “And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.” (Exodus 35:21).

     

    With this free will approach, the bible testifies that the people brought so much that they had to be restrained: “They spoke to Moses, saying, ‘The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the LORD commanded us to do.’ So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing.” (Exodus 36:5-6).

     

    Cheerful givers

     

    This tradition of freewill offerings continues with the redeemed of the New Testament, making the threats and intimidations of Malachi inapplicable. Accordingly, Paul says concerning offerings: “If there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” (2 Corinthians 8:12).

     

    Observe here that it is only accepted if there is first a willing mind.

     

    Tithe refers to a tenth. This is limiting. Should I only plough a tenth of my field? Should I only sow a tenth of my crops? It is now up to the believer to decide. How much you sow is determined by how much you want to reap.

     

    So, Paul counsels: “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

     

    Someone who gives because he is afraid the windows of heaven will be shut against him if he does not, or that the devourer would be unleashed on him, can hardly be regarded as a cheerful giver.

     

    Rather, he would be a fearful giver. But the fearful are not of God: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18).

     

    New wine

     

    We must not put new wine in old wineskins. The believer in Christ is not blessed because of his tithes. He is blessed because of Christ. He is blessed: “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3).

     

    The gifts and the calling of God are without repentance.” (Romans 11:29). That means they cannot be revoked. The man who God has blessed cannot be cursed: “No curse can touch Jacob.” (Numbers 23:23).

     

    “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:13-14).

     

    Jesus says: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38).

     

    This means the blessings that come from giving are now in the domain of men. When you give, God causes men to give unto your bosom. In which case, this dispensation is one in which men are required to sow into other men’s lives. When you supply my needs, my God will cause others to supply your needs.

     

    I once gave a Nigerian journalist hunted by Sani Abacha’s goons all the dollars I had to facilitate his escape out of the country. When I did, the Lord said to me:

     

    “Femi, I will make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

     

  • The shame of the gospel – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    A young Nigerian friend phoned me from the United States to ask an intriguing question: “In all your years of following Jesus, what have you gained?”

    She was possibly at a crossroad, having a crisis of faith. Probably, she was confronted with the bankruptcy of the prosperity messages prevalent in the churches. She had discovered instead that being a disciple of Jesus offers precious little benefit in this world.

    The psalmist warns but to little avail: “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.” (Psalm 73:12). Jesus Himself tells us in no uncertain terms: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

    Therefore, I could not but tell my young friend that, rather than gain in the world from being Christ’s disciple, I have lost a great deal. What I have gained are entirely spiritual. I have gained the fellowship of God. I have gained a kingdom built on righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17).

    Losing to gain

    Jesus, our Saviour, sugar-coats nothing. He makes us understand that whenever we gain in this world, we lose something of greater value in the world to come.

    Therefore, He insists: “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:34-37).

    This is what prosperity gospel preachers have been trying to hide from Christians. They do not want us to know about the shame of the gospel. The true gospel of God’s kingdom is not glamorous. It will not make us great in this world. On the contrary, it is designed to bring reproaches. It is designed to make us hated in the world.

     

    Accordingly, Jesus warns: “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38).

     

    The gospel speaks of a spiritual kingdom that is attained by spiritual means. Therefore, if the world admires us; if the world celebrates us; it can only mean that the power of the gospel is not at work in us.

    David says to God: “For Your sake I have borne reproach; shame has covered my face.” (Psalm 69:7). This is because, in the world, the gospel brings us to dishonour. It earns us evil reports. It makes us sorrowful. It makes us poor. It brings us shame. (2 Corinthians 6:4-10).

    The gospel crucifies us to the world, and it crucifies the world to us. Jesus, our Saviour, does not save us from the adversities of the world. Neither does He immunize us from its travails. On the contrary, He insists that we must endure them.

     

    Paul says: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1 Corinthians 15;19). This means that this life holds very little for the believer in Jesus Christ. The believer has hope for the future, but no guarantee of present enjoyment.

     

    Crucified Saviour

     

    Jesus himself was put to shame. His friends deserted Him. One of them betrayed Him. Another one denied Him. He was flogged, ridiculed, and crucified naked on the cross. He died the most ignoble death of all: hanging on a tree.

     

    Jesus was killed because He had nothing to offer the world. There was nothing that the world wanted that Jesus was inclined to offer. He is the Saviour of the world but not the kind of saviour that the world wants.

    When the people came for bread and fish, He offered them His body and His blood. When they asked Him to lead a revolt against the Roman government, He refused. He is a Saviour that did not even save Himself from persecution, crucifixion, and death.

    Jesus left the world the way He met it. He did not address the problems of homelessness, unemployment, or injustice. Instead, He saves by telling people to turn the other cheek. He saves by telling people to give their cloak to those who take their coat.

     

    Enticing words

     

    Because we are ashamed, Christians often make up things about Jesus. For example, we tell people that since we met Christ, our business has been growing by leaps and bounds. We continue to glory in the vanities and vainglories of this world, deceiving others that these are the benefits of discipleship in Christ.

    But we have been duly warned: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame — who set their mind on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:18-20).

    Think about this for a minute with the mind of Christ. Is it to a man’s credit to be worth 10 billion dollars in this world of poverty? Should he be admired for sleeping with over 100 women? Should he receive plaudits for drinking a whole bottle of whisky in one sitting? These are examples of the shameful glories of this world.

     

    Thus, Jesus warns: “What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15).

     

    Not ashamed

     

    Yes, the gospel is shameful, but we must not be ashamed. Paul says: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16).

     

    How can we be ashamed of something that saves us from this sinful world? How can we be ashamed of something that grants us eternal life with the Lord God Almighty?

     

    No! Instead, we look steadfastly at Jesus: “the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2).

    Nevertheless, the shameful gospel saves us from shame. The scriptures promise that: “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:11). If the gospel will bring us shame, how can it then be said that whoever believes in Jesus will not be put to shame?

     

    We are only put to shame precisely because we refuse to believe in Him. From God’s perspective, the only shameful thing is sin. Jesus bore our sins therefore He bore our shame. He has cleansed us from all sin, so He has permanently removed all shame from us.

    He has not removed barrenness. He has not removed poverty. He has not removed the shame of not having a husband, or not having a job, or not having a male child, or not having a house, or not having a good pedigree.

    But He has rendered them all inconsequential.

  • Sojourners and foreigners on earth – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    There was strife between the herdsmen of Abraham and those of his nephew Lot. Therefore, Abraham decided it would be best for Lot and him to go their separate ways. He told Lot to decide which way to go: if he goes left, he will go right; if he goes right, he will go left.

    Lot was greedy and impetuous. He did not defer to his uncle to make the first choice as his elder. He quickly chose the better-looking and well-watered land. However, the part he chose turned out to include evil Sodom and Gomorrah. The part he rejected turned out to be the Promised Land.

    What is the moral of this story? Do not believe your eyes. The better-looking is not necessarily better. The good-looking man might not turn out to be the better husband. The beautiful woman might not be the better wife.

    Blind man

    I was born blind. As a result, I did not know I was lame. From birth, I was using crutches, but I did not know this. Neither did my parents or my colleagues. But one fateful day, God decided to tell me.

    What did he do?

     

    He had me waylaid and shot in the leg by armed robbers. Then I had to use crutches for a season. As a result, my spiritual condition from birth became physically manifest. Then he said to me: “Femi, you have been using crutches all your life, but did not know it. The only way I could get you to know it is by making your spiritual condition physical.”

     

    That has become a metaphor for my life. There is so much that I do not know. There is so much that I need to know. But only God knows and only He can reveal this to me. Flesh and blood cannot do this. That is why He says: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6).

     

    Abraham’s heritage

     

    God told Abraham He would give his descendants the land that Lot rejected. But first, He would ensure that they would live as slaves in a strange land for over 400 years. Thereafter, He would bring them back to His land of promise.

     

    But why? Why make them slaves in a foreign land? He did this to give them and us the message that we are all strangers in a foreign land on earth. Heaven is really where we belong. When we fail to heed this message, we waste our lives building and amassing wealth on earth, but sooner than later must leave everything behind.

     

    When we do not know this, the focus of our life is here and now. We yearn to be secure in our marriage and our careers. We want to overcome our problems and find fulfilment in life. We want to enjoy life and cling to it for as long as possible. Heaven is not our focus. We see it merely as a nice benefit at the end of the ride. Death is to be avoided at all costs. We do not see it as the gateway to everything we have to live for.

     

    But the fact of the matter is that we are only sojourners on earth. We are only here for a short while. Every day, eternity beckons. Therefore, Paul warns: “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

     

    An outsider does not live according to the cultures and traditions of a foreign country. If you live in a hotel, you do not repaint and spend time and money redecorating your room. Howard Hendricks says: “Most people think they are in the land of the living, heading towards the land of the dead. But the truth is, we are in the land of the dying, heading toward the land of the living.”

     

    If we were wise, we would not get caught up in the local lifestyle. We would not imbibe the local value system. Again, Paul counsels: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2).

     

    Servant king

     

    They were expecting a visiting Head of State from another country. The streets were lined with people. School children were everywhere, holding and waving flags. The roads were completely cleared of all vehicles.

     

    Then suddenly there appeared a raggedy-looking man, riding a bicycle. “Get off the road,” they jeered. “Clear off. Stupid idiot, what are you doing there?”

     

    Little did they know the man they were abusing was the visiting Head of State. “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (Matthew 21:5).

     

    Jesus was not the person they were expecting for the simple reason that He is from an entirely different kingdom. His kingdom is not of this world.

     

    They were accustomed to the pomp and circumstance of other “kings.” They had seen pastors zooming around the streets of Lagos in their cortege of outriders and expensive limousines. They would have recognised Him if He had shown up with a retinue of fearsome bodyguards. But they did not know what to make of this abject “pretender” from Nazareth.

     

    Who has believed our report that this ordinary man is the King of kings and the Lord of lords? For this reason, those of us who are appointed to salvation must learn not to look at things that are seen, but at things that are not seen: “For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

     

    We must understand that the ways of God are not the ways of men. Jesus says: “What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15).

     

    Collecting bottle tops

     

    When he was much younger, my son Femi Kevin, loved to collect bottle tops. He kept them in an old biscuit tin under his bed. Once you were having a drink, he came for the bottle top to add to his treasured collection. If you took any of those tops, you could expect a fight. If he could not find that biscuit tin because you had hidden it somewhere, he became greatly distressed.

     

    I wonder what happened to those bottle tops. I know for a fact that he no longer has them. I also know that we, his parents, did not throw them away. I believe they simply lost their value to him. They were, after all, bottle tops.

     

    But even if he still has them somewhere, imagine a situation where, some twenty years down the road, a thief breaks into his house and steals his bottle tops. I doubt if it would make any difference to him. The bottle tops were of value to him because he was a child.

     

    Paul says: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11).

     

  • The kingdom of the pastor – Femi Aribisala

    As a young believer at a Lagos church, I was appalled at the cutthroat politics of the church, all revolving around the pastor. After some time, I found it necessary to confront him. I went to see him, as Nathan did David, and sought his counsel.

    I told him I was thinking of resigning from my job because my boss had become a big problem. He knocked heads together, stoked up conflicts, and seemed to thrive only when there was a crisis. We could not get things done the way we should. Under the circumstances, would he suggest I resign and look for another job?

    The pastor advised me to resign. He said there was no point in my remaining in the office. He was quite confident I would have no difficulty in getting another job.

    Then I turned to him and said: “You are the one.” I told him I was not talking about my office but our church. The church was acrimonious and dysfunctional, and he was principally responsible for this.

    The pastor was completely taken aback. He listened to me respectfully and promised to make amends. But soon, we were back to square one.

    Anointing

    Some weeks later, I embarked for personal reasons on a hundred-day fast. The Lord told me to stop after fifty-five days. During the fast, I was burdened about the church and several things were revealed to me. I decided to share this with the entire church.

    As God would have it, I was asked to minister during one of the monthly night vigils, so I mounted the pulpit and told the church everything that had been revealed to me. It was a strange service because the Lord confirmed his word with signs. The anointing at the service was electric. If I merely breathed into the microphone, some of my listeners would fall to the ground. When I decreed healing, God established it.

    The Lord had me minister to all those who were there, and he gave me secret details of the lives of every single one of them which I shared with them individually and personally. The very first person was the most dramatic. I stood in front of an elderly man and knew instinctively he was covered in Juju. The Lord asked me to give him the microphone so he can confess to the entire church what he had done and where he had been.

    The man confessed that he had been to a Babalawo seeking protection. As a result, he was covered with “protection.” The Lord told me to remove this false covering with my bare hands and warn him never to return to the juju man: “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” (Jonah 2:8).

    Uproar

    But by the following Sunday, there was uproar in the church. The pastor was in something of a quandary. He had been fully briefed of the miracle service during the night vigil. However, the revelation God gave me was that he was the principal troublemaker in the church. God’s decree was in no uncertain terms. The pastor had to repent or perish.

    Rather than accept the rebuke, the pastor opted for a face-saving response. The decision was taken to inform the church that I must have been suffering from demonic possession. A group of people was asked to conduct deliverance on me in an upper room. But when they did, I confounded them by becoming drunk in the spirit.

    I was then summoned before a group of church elders who wanted to know why God would choose to talk to a spiritual novice like me.

    One of my inquisitors was the very elderly man who the Holy Spirit had revealed was covered in witchcraft during the service. Although he had confessed at the time that he had gone to the witch doctor for protection, he now insisted that I must have also been demonically inspired. He wanted to know how I got his privileged information. “Why,” he asked, “would God talk to a nobody like Femi Aribisala?”

    I offered a simple solution: “Let us fast and pray for three days and God will confirm the same things by revelation to others.” The chairman of the elders’ group agreed with my suggestion. It was resolved that we should all fast for three days and see what the Lord would reveal. But someone quickly rushed to the pastor to inform him that it had been decided that we should go on a fast.

    Therefore, the pastor crashed the meeting and declared that no one in the church could fast and pray without his permission. I protested that it was a bit strange that a pastor would prevent people in a church from fasting and praying, but he effectively overruled me. The fast was canceled.

    Lepers’ colony

    Thereafter, I was treated like a leper in the church. I was serially attacked by the pastor and his allies every so often from the pulpit. My first reaction was to leave the church, but the Holy Spirit prevented me from doing so. Instead, he directed that I must attend every church activity without fail and without exception, including all the mid-week services.

    This was most uncomfortable because the attacks did not let up. Someone taking bible study would stop mid-stream and ask the church to pray for Femi Aribisala “so that demons would stop disturbing him.” The Holy Spirit would tell me to get up, go to the aisle, and kneel. Church-members would then stretch out their hand towards me and cast imaginary demons out of me.

    This went on until the next monthly vigil. This time, the pastor took no chances; he decided to minister himself. But some thirty minutes into the prayer-meeting, the Spirit of the Lord took control of the daughter of one of his allies. She seemed to be in a sort of a trance, and she started to prophesy.

    Seeing who it was, the pastor stopped the proceedings. He handed over the microphone to her and received the shock of his life. The Lord started speaking through the lady and he was rebuking the pastor for all his shenanigans in the church.

    When the woman finished, another lady asked for the microphone. She reminded the pastor that she had been in his office that morning at the instance of the Lord to tell him the same things. The Lord had told her that, if care is not taken, very few people in the church would inherit eternal life.

    The pastor retrieved the microphone in tears. He pleaded with us to forgive him and promised to make amends. He said again and again: “You won’t go to heaven without me.” It sounded like he would not allow us to go without him. How, I wondered, was he going to stop us?

    However, by the very next Sunday service a day later, the pastor had changed his mind once again. He came to church this time in full regalia, which was rather unusual. He had on the cloak, the cap, the whole nine yards of the pastorate.

    “Nobody,” he declared, “is going to take this church away from me.”

  • The enemies of the cross (2) – Femi Aribisala

    Femi Aribisala

    Jesus says: “Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:33). Few Christians are prepared to entertain this requirement.

    We may not exactly walk away physically, but many of us have walked away spiritually. We may remain in the church but in antipathy with the doctrines of Christ.

    We may still call ourselves Christians but, in actual fact, we are no longer believers if we ever were. Indeed, Paul gives us a completely different classification. He maintains that we are “enemies of the cross of Christ:” (Philippians 3:18).

    Enemies of the cross are Christians whose lifestyles betray the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus did not preach a self-centred prosperity gospel. Instead, he said his disciples must deny themselves and take up their crosses in order to follow him (Matthew 16:24).

    However, enemies of the cross are devoted to the gratification of their own desires. They live not to please God but themselves. They are proud of things they should be ashamed of. Such people are in for a rude awakening in the after-life:

    “These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe.” (2 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

    Peter’s dilemma

    Peter was initially one such enemy of the cross. The more he listened to Jesus, the more uncomfortable he became. When Jesus said He would be killed in Jerusalem, Peter could no longer restrain himself. He felt that that kind of message should be discouraged. It would drive people away from the church.

    Peter was so disturbed that he had the effrontery to take Jesus aside and rebuke him for preaching a gospel that entailed suffering and dying. But Peter must have been shocked at the ferocity of Jesus’ reaction: “He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Matthew 16:23).

    When Jesus preached that rich men would be hard-pressed to enter the kingdom of heaven, Peter had a crisis of faith. He wondered what this could possibly mean. If a rich man cannot make it, Peter thought, who then can be saved? If a rich man cannot make it, what would happen to his expectations of being rich through the gospel?

    Therefore, Peter sought some clarifications from Jesus. He reminded him that the disciples had left everything in order to follow him. What then was in store for them for all the sacrifices they had made?

    Wisdom of God

    Jesus’ response to Peter is a classic in divine wisdom: “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions- and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:29-31).

    Like many Christians, Peter received this word carnally, so he was satisfied with it. He did not know that when Jesus speaks, his words must be understood spiritually. (John 6:63). Peter never bothered to think that it is actually physically impossible to receive a hundredfold of brothers and sisters and mothers and children.

    He probably thought about it only in terms of lands and houses, although even there, it is highly unlikely. I know of no Christian who has ever received one hundred houses or a hundred pieces of Landed property as a reward for following Jesus.

    But when Jesus rose from the dead, he left Peter in no doubt as to precisely what the real rewards of discipleship would be for him in this lifetime. He said to him: “Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.”

    “This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’” (John 21:18-19).

    In effect, Jesus told Peter that he would be killed for his faith. It was now in the realisation of his impending martyrdom and not in the hope of the acquisition of choice real estate that Peter was now required to follow Jesus. But how does one follow a Saviour, knowing full well that it would lead to one’s death?

    That is the challenge of the Christian faith. (1 Corinthians 15:31; Romans 6:3-4).

    Flabbergasted, Peter wanted to know what was in store for others. “What about John?” he asked. “What would happen to him?”

    Perhaps he was hoping to hear that, in John’s case, he would be eaten by a lion, so that he could take some comfort from that. But Jesus simply told him to mind his own business. He said to Peter: “If I want him to live until I return, what is that to you? You follow me.” John 21:22).

    Crucified Saviour

    As observed earlier, the salvation we want is not the salvation that Christ came to give. What we desire is the salvation of the body and not of the soul. We want a saviour who will shield us from the vagaries of life. We want him to make sure bad things will not happen to us but to other people. We want a saviour who will guarantee our financial prosperity and security.

    However, Jesus is not that kind of Saviour. He is the Saviour of the soul, and of the spiritual body of Christ. (Ephesians 5:23). He is not the Saviour of the physical body of men. Indeed, Jesus himself did not even save his own body. When he was crucified, he died.

    Jesus’ death is the most eloquent testimony of God’s complete disregard for the flesh. God despises the flesh and has determined that all flesh must die. (Isaiah 40:6-7). Even when His only begotten Son inhabited human flesh, God made no exception to Him.

    He did not provide Jesus with a new and improved version of the flesh. Instead, Jesus was without beauty in the flesh. (Isaiah 53:2). He was despised in the flesh and was crucified in the flesh. Thereby God demonstrated conclusively that the flesh is irredeemably condemned.

    But at the same time, God asserted the primacy of the Spirit by raising Jesus from the dead. Jesus himself teaches that: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” (John 6:63).

    “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-4).

  • “Its your portion to die,’’ Clergyman tells Christians

    “Its your portion to die,’’ Clergyman tells Christians

    A clergyman, Rev. Bassey Umoh, has advised Christians to live a good life as it is the portion of every Christian to die.

    Umoh in his sermon at the funeral of Chief Kalu Okonta, at his country home, Igbere, Abia, on Saturday, said what was not the portion of Christians however, was untimely death.

    The Minister-in-Charge of First Aba Parish of the Pesbyterian Church of Nigeria, stressed the need for people to enjoy life while alive.

    The clergyman, who was represented by Rev. Onyeani Kalu, said that “ good life does not translate to wealth.

    “Since life is unreliable, enjoy your life. You do not need millions to enjoy your life. The chicken of a poor man is his cow.

    “Enjoy your life and glorify God.’’

    The clergyman said that people should remember that life was brief, and that after life, something must follow.

    “What follows depends of how you lived, and where you will spend eternity depends of how you lived on earth,’’ he stressed.

    He decried giving prominence to prosperity in Christian sermons, stressing that there could be prosperity without diligence.

    Speaking on the life of the deceased, Umoh said that Okonta prospered materially and spiritually because he conducted his affairs on earth with diligence.

    Elder Ngozi Udogu, daughter of late Okonta, who read the father’s biography said that the deceased, who was born on Dec. 17, 1930, lived as a good Christian.

    Udogu said that Okonta was ordained as an Elder by the First Aba Parish on Aug.11, 1996.

    She said that as a result of his community service, he was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Oji Udo Eme Uwa 1 of Igbere on Dec. 28, 1993 by the late traditional ruler of Igbere, Eze Samson Ukaegbu.

    Okonta’s first daughter, Mrs Nnenna Obike-Ukoh in her tribute, said that if death was not inevitable, her father’s good deeds would have prevented him from dying.

    Prof. Ogwo Ekeoma Ogwo, former Vice-Chancellor, Abia State University in his tribute, said that Okonta was not the typical businessman, but was largely a self-effacing, low profile, but effective operator.

    He said that the Okonta family should be satisfied that they had a worthy patriarch, who contributed to the growth of the family and the community.

    The late Okonta, who died on Jan. 15, at the age of 89, left behind many relatives, including Mr Obike Ukoh, a Deputy Editor-In-Chief with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    Senate Chief Whip Orji Kalu, was among dignitaries that were present at the ceremony.