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Tag: God

  • 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).

     

  • 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 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).

  • The enemies of the cross (1) – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    A lady brought her sister to see me. She was in dire straits. Everything about her life had collapsed around her. All the things and the people she had pinned her hopes on had disappointed her.

    “What would you like me to do?” I asked her. “I am no better help than any of the other people you have talked to.” “I would like to give my life to Christ,” she insisted. “I just want to give my life to Jesus Christ.”

    The lady was rather taken aback by my reaction. “But why do you want to give your life to Christ?” I asked.

    She looked at me in a puzzled manner, probably wondering if I was who she thought I was. Therefore, I decided to add to her amazement by asking her: “Do you want to give your life to Christ because of all these problems you are having?”

    Not waiting for her to answer, I decided to go for the kill: “If that is the reason, it would be a big mistake. You see, when you give your life to Christ your problems don’t diminish. Actually, they become a lot more.”

    I searched her face for a reaction: “Would you still like to give your life to Christ? You see madam; you have to give your life to Christ for the right reasons so that in the end you are not disappointed.”

    For righteousness sake

    The only acceptable reason for someone to give his life to Christ is because he (or she) hungers and thirsts for righteousness. If we come to Christ out of a desire for anything else, we shall be disappointed. But if we come to him because we desire the righteousness of God, we shall find fulfilment in him. (Matthew 5:6).

    The most glorious thing about God is his holiness. It is not his might or his power but his purity and his righteousness. Therefore, the most wonderful thing that God can do for us is to make us partakers of his divine nature. This is precisely what God did for us through Christ Jesus.

    John says: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:1-3).

     

    John did not ask us to behold what manner of love God has bestowed on us because he has decided to make us billionaires. It is an amazing love because he has decided to make us godly, just like him. Righteousness opens the door to our full inheritance in God. It makes us heirs of God; joint-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17). It ensures that God himself is our eternal reward. (Genesis 15:1).

     

    Promise of God

     

    However, many of us are Christians for the wrong reasons. What we expect from Christ is different from what He promises. On his resurrection, Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for “the promise of the Father.” This promise did not turn out to be lands or houses or money or anything worldly; this promise was the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:4-5).

     

    Often, it depends on which Jesus has been preached to us and which Jesus we received. Is it Jesus of Nazareth or is it another Jesus? Is it the gospel of salvation by Jesus Christ or is it another gospel?

     

    Paul writes to the Corinthians: “I am frightened, fearing that in some way you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to our Lord, just as Eve was deceived by Satan in the Garden of Eden. You seem so gullible: you believe whatever anyone tells you even if he is preaching about another Jesus than the one we preach, or a different spirit than the Holy Spirit you received, or shows you a different way to be saved. You swallow it all.” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).

     

    He says: “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill. The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains.” (Philippians 1:15-16).

     

    However, if you lie to a man and succeed in selling him a bicycle, it cannot be said afterward that he owns a Rolls Royce.

     

    Bread of deceit

     

    I attended a wedding and a man preached a rabble-rousing message that if you give your life to Jesus you would get a Pathfinder (Jeep). At the end of the message, there was an altar call. One man got up and accepted Jesus into his life.

     

    Now the question is this: which Jesus did he accept? It certainly could not have been the Jesus of the bible because he does not promise his followers Pathfinders. Therefore, the man is likely to be disillusioned sooner rather than later if the promised Pathfinder fails to materialise.

     

    A true believer does not come to Christ out of a desire to gain the world. He comes to him out of a desire to gain Christ. Jesus himself is our reward and we are complete in him. (Colossians 2:10).

     

    Paul describes the believer in Christ in the following manner: “We are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3).

     

    But it would appear that for most Christians, Jesus is not enough. What is the value of Jesus to a man who is hungry, or jobless, or broke? Esau said to Jacob: “Look, I am about to die. What good is this birthright to me?” (Genesis 25:32).

     

    Therefore, the gospel is preached in churches with “the enticing words of man’s wisdom.” (1 Corinthians 2:4). Jesus is presented gift-wrapped with the promise of cars and some other worldly goods. That is the bread of deceit. (Proverbs 20:17). The “true bread” actually comes with tribulations and afflictions. (Psalm 34:19).

     

    Jesus says His disciples: “In Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.” (John 16:33). “Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:27).

     

    However, the prosperity messages of the modern churches have made many Christians: “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 3:18-19).

     

    Like Esau, many of have already sold their birthright of eternal life for some bread and lentil stew.

     

    But on the contrary: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 14:44-46).

    CONTINUED

  • Edo 2020: May God let me lose my reelection bid tomorrow if… – Obaseki

    Edo 2020: May God let me lose my reelection bid tomorrow if… – Obaseki

    Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, Godwin Obaseki has prayed to God to abort his second term aspiration “if it will cost the blood of anybody.”

    Obaseki, the incumbent governor of the state said his ambition and that of anyone is not worth spilling the blood of anyone.

    The governor reassured that the Saturday’s governorship election in the state would be peaceful and violence-free.

    A statement quoted him as speaking after a one-day prayer and fasting session for a peaceful election, organised by the Edo Christian Community for all the governorship candidates ahead of the election.

    The statement was titled, ‘My reelection not worth spilling of blood – Obaseki’, and sent by Obaseki’s Special Assistant on Media, Crusoe Osagie.

    Obaseki urged eligible voters to come out en masse without fear of intimidation or harassment.

    The governor noted that there was no need for any form of violence during the electioneering process.

    He said, “Ordinarily, an election is supposed to be a contest where people go to sell their ideal, and citizens in their own free will go and vote for those ideals they believe in; it shouldn’t be one where people will do anything to get power.

    “Election should not be one in which we shed blood because the election will always come. If you die in an election, you will not be there in the next one to vote. So, there is no need for violence.

    “It’s unfortunate that where we are today we are all afraid that there will be trouble, that there will be crisis and violence but by the grace of God, we will all come out and vote and there won’t be any bloodshed.

    “There is no need for any violence and if anybody decides to act in a violent manner just walk away because our lives are very precious. I have a covenant with God; if it will cost the blood of anybody for me to get into power, he should not let me have power.”

    On his part, the National President of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Reverend Felix Omobude, prayed that God would make peace reign before, during, and after the election.

    “God! commit Edo into your hands and by this covenant, we proclaim peace over Edo; peace before, during, and after the election. The church speaks with one voice, that those that have sold themselves to work against the destiny of Edo shall be overwhelmed by their own problems.

    “In this election, rigging and evil will not have their way. We knock the engine of their operation; Edo people shall go out and vote their consciences and the will of God will be done,” the clergy prayed.

  • Mega pastors are the proverbial fishers of men – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    When God speaks once, David says we should hear him twice. (Psalm 62:11). That does not mean twice literally, but several times. Similarly, Jesus maintains we must forgive our brothers seventy times seven times. (Matthew 18:22). That does not mean four hundred and ninety times, but indefinitely. Therefore, when God speaks, we should review what he says again and again.

    When we listen to God as we do to men, we miss a lot of what He is saying. God does not speak like men, and He does not think like men. He says: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Therefore, when God says something, we must be careful to make sure we understand exactly what He is saying.

    Fishing men

    Jesus says to His disciples: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19). We have heard about this and talked about it. We have been singing about being fishers of men since we were little children in Sunday school.

    But should we not pause for a moment and ask what Jesus means by saying He will make us fishers of men? Is it wise to jump to the conclusion that He wants to turn us into exceptional evangelists and mega-pastors who will use combine-harvesters to bring thousands into the kingdom of God?

    There is a difference between a fisher of men and a Saviour of men. However, this difference is overlooked by most Christians who presume that a fisher of men is automatically a saviour of men.

    We know who fishermen are. They are fishers, not of men, but fish. But now Jesus talks of fishers, not of fish, but men. So, to start with, we need to determine what it means to fish men. How can a man be said to fish other men? What does he do with those he “catches?”

    God as fisherman

    Once we look to the bible for answers to these questions, we are in for a rude awakening. In quick order, we discover to our surprise that when God fished men in the scriptures, it was for condemnation and not salvation.

    Solomon says: “Like fish taken in a cruel net, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time.” (Ecclesiastes 9:12). Amos echoes him: “Behold, the days shall come upon you when (God) will take you away with fishhooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.” (Amos 4:2).

    As fishermen fish to kill the fish, so do hunters hunt to kill the prey. God says: “Behold, I will send for many fishermen and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them.” (Jeremiah 16:16).

    The net was a weapon of warfare used to hamstring opponents in combat. Therefore, to be a fisher of men scripturally is to be an instrument of God’s judgment.

    Once caught, fishes end up in the frying-pan and eventually on someone’s dinner table. The same applies to men concerning the gospel. As fishes are taken unexpectedly in a net, so are sinners taken by the gospel. This means, in this present age, God has designed the gospel by prophecy to lead far more people to condemnation than to salvation.

    Gospel trap

    Hear and understand: the gospel is designed in such a way that a few sons of God will receive it but many men will reject it. Jesus says: “Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13).

    However, He distinguishes His disciples from others: “It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” (Matthew 13:11).

    Therefore, although God sends us to preach the gospel, he forewarns that men will reject it. He says to Ezekiel: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me.” (Ezekiel 2:3). He says to Isaiah: “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’” (Isaiah 6:9).

    This rejection of the gospel is confirmed more often in the bible than any other prophecy. John says: “They could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ‘He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn- and I would heal them.’” (John 12:39-40).

    Isaiah says: “‘The word of the Lord was to them, precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little,’ that they might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught.” (Isaiah 28:13).

    Indeed, the word of God is fashioned as a double-edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12). Thus, Simeon also prophesies that Jesus would cause people to fall before causing them to rise. He says to Mary, the mother of Jesus, on Jesus’ Dedication in the Temple: “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against.” (Luke 2:34-35).

    Stumbling stone

    Couched in this manner, the greatest trap of all will not be the devil: it will be Jesus. Many will be condemned for rejecting Him. Isaiah says: “He will be as a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken.” (Isaiah 8:14-15).

    It is the false gospel that fills the churches while the true gospel empties them. (John 6:60-66). The true gospel is preached as a testimony against men. Thus, Jesus says to his disciples: “Whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that city!” (Mark 6:11).

    It is worse to hear the word of Jesus and reject it than not to have heard. Jesus says: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.” (John 15:22).

    The word of Jesus that men reject is ultimately what will judge them. Jesus warns: “He who rejects me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” (John 12:48-49).

    That is why God sends believers to the world as fishers of men. Those caught in the net of the gospel are for condemnation and not for salvation. God says: “Wherever they go, I will spread My net on them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them according to what their congregation has heard.” (Hosea 7:12).

  • Pastor speaks after killing herbalist, says he was sent by God

    Pastor speaks after killing herbalist, says he was sent by God

    The Police Command in Anambra says it has commenced investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the alleged murder of a native doctor by a pastor.

    A statement issued on Friday in Awka by Haruna Mohammed, the Command’s spokesman, identified the herbalist victim as 60-year-old Oliver Ugwu of Umusiome village, Nkpor near Onitsha.

    He said the suspect, Uchenna Chukwuma, 21, a pastor who reside at Ugwuezue street, Umusiome Nkpor near Onitsha, allegedly carried out the murder with a machete on Sept. 3.

    “The suspect, who hails from Amagunze in Nkanu East LGA of Enugu State, claimed during interrogation that as a pastor, he was sent by God to kill the native doctor.

    “The suspect further alleged that the victim was disturbing him spiritually and had not allowed him to progress financially,” Mr Mohammed stated.

    The Police spokesman said detectives attached to Ogidi Division led by the DPO, CSP Ekuri Remigius, visited the scene of the crime and rushed the victim to Iyi Enu hospital Ogidi for medical attention.

    He said the herbalist was certified dead by the medical doctor at the hospital, and the corpse was deposited at the hospital mortuary for autopsy.

    According to him, the machete used in perpetrating the crime was recovered as exhibit and the case transfered to the Criminal Investigation Department for investigation.

  • The new and improved Jesus – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    The story of Jesus does not make an Arnold Schwarzenegger kind of movie. At the end of this film, the great protagonist is not standing victorious. He is hanging dead on a cross.

    Okay, so He resurrected after three days. But how many people knew about it? Did I hear you say five hundred? Just five hundred? How can that be satisfactory? That is why the Jews were able to pay the guards at the tomb to say that his disciples came to steal his body.

    Would it not have been more appropriate for Jesus to have paid a visit to Pilate on His resurrection and said: “Remember me?” The man might just have died of a heart attack.

    How about having Him knock on the door of the high priest or visit some of those disbelieving Pharisees and say: “Check it out. Did you really think you could kill the Son of God?”

    It would have been great to see them begging for mercy.

    Lamb of God

    But God’s ways are not our ways. John the Baptist says: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). In the wisdom of God, it is only those as docile as the lamb that can overcome sin. It is only the meek, as opposed to the aggressive go-getter, that will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5).

    The description of Jesus as a lamb is remarkable precisely because Jesus is God. How can God be a lamb? How could God have allowed himself to be slapped and kicked and abused and crucified without putting up any resistance? Would the temptation not have been too much to resist?

    But can you imagine Jesus suddenly jumping down from the cross after saying: “Heavenly Father, just give me five minutes to show these ragamuffins who I Am really?”

    No! Not Jesus.

    The devil was extrem0ely provocative. He said: “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” (Matthew 4:4). But Jesus would have none of that.

    The Pharisees came asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. Jesus refused to oblige. They wanted to know where He got the authority to do His miracles. Jesus refused to answer even that question.

    You would not need to ask a big man of the world for his credentials. If you did not immediately recognise him, he would stand up to you and ask: “Don’t you know who I am?” And then he would proceed to tell you in no uncertain terms that he is “Professor this” or “General that.”

    If he does not get the requisite respect from you, he might decide to show you his power. When the people of Samaria refused to allow Jesus to pass through their town on His way to Jerusalem, His disciples felt it was time to show them precisely who they were dealing with.

    They asked Jesus: “Do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven to consume them, just as Elijah did?” (Luke 9:54). But Jesus rebuked them saying they did not know what kind of spirit was in them.

    Counterintuitive

    Jesus’ approach is often counterintuitive. He said He is the good pastor but by the time He finished one sermon, His whole congregation walked out. By the time He had finished another counseling session, the chief young ruler left the church.

    What a shame! That man could have paid a lot of tithes.

    When a woman poured the entire contents of very expensive perfume on Jesus, Judas concluded that Jesus not only condones the waste of money but that Jesus Himself is a waste of time. At that rate, he concluded, if he continued to follow Jesus, he might never get the money to build his own house.

    Peter, in particular, had a problem with the idea of Jesus, the Saviour of the world, being killed by the wicked. “Be it far from You that You would have to die,” he protested. But this only earned him a sharp rebuke from Jesus.

    Peter could not stand the idea of God washing his feet. When they came to arrest Jesus, Peter would not surrender without putting up a fight. He drew his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest.

    Again, Jesus rebuked him and preached to him the gospel of the lamb. He warned him that according to the dynamics of the kingdom of God, all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

    Not carnal

    The true believer is someone who has no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3). The word of God says by strength no man will prevail. (1 Samuel 2:9).

    Paul points out that: the weapons of warfare for the believer are not physical but spiritual. Nevertheless, they are mighty because behind them is the power of God. (2 Corinthians 10:4).

    Peter did not understand kingdom dynamics. He fought a lot of battles with his flesh and not his spirit. He boasted that even if all of Jesus’ disciples deserted him, he would remain faithful.

    For this reason, God’s providence allowed Peter to be tempted above his ability. Therefore, he was the one disciple who denied Jesus three times on the trot.

    When it was time to engage in spiritual warfare in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter slept. When the battle was over and they came to arrest Jesus, Peter came to fight. He failed to recognise that the real battle is in the spiritual at the point of prayer, for the arm of flesh will always fail. (Jeremiah 17:5).

    Therefore, in the church today, the wisdom of man says: “Let’s re-package the whole gospel story. If we sell Coke in this kind of bottle, people will not buy it. Let’s look for a different and more attractive design.”

    “Let us give Jesus a more urban and contemporary look. Let us make the gospel more palatable to the flesh. If we don’t embellish the message with the enticing words of man’s wisdom; the people will reject it again.”

    Indeed, Jesus should have waited until now to manifest in the flesh. This is the glorious age of mass communications. This is the age of the cell-phone, social media, and cable television; ensuring that Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection would have been broadcasted and televised.

    But all this misses the vital principle. Jesus’ kingdom is spiritual; therefore, His victory is entirely spiritual. Jesus was defeated completely in the flesh, so that He may be totally and exclusively triumphant in the spirit. Although they killed His body, they could not kill His Spirit. Therefore, He rose from the dead.

    Before His death, His enemies only had Him to contend with. After His crucifixion, they discovered to their cost that they now had many more people to contend with.

    Samson killed more Philistines in his death than he did in his life. (Judges 16:30). Similarly, Jesus did more damage to the enemy by dying than by living. Because He agreed to die, the world is now full of believers. Because He agreed to lose: “Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:7).

  • Coronavirus and the lovers of pleasure – Femi Aribisala

    We are living in biblical times. These are the “last days” foretold in the scriptures. Paul warns Timothy that: “in the last days perilous times will come.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

    However, what he calls perilous is remarkably different from what we normally regard as perilous.

    Paul’s perilous times do not include the current rash of terrorists and suicide bombers. He does not refer to the rampant incidence of armed robbers and kidnappers. He is not concerned about global warming and natural disasters; such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis. He does not even pay attention to wars and civil unrest.

    Instead, Paul concentrates on the sins of the human heart. For him, perilous times will come because men will be lovers of pleasure, among other evils.

    Pleasure-seekers

    If you would like to wave this off as some inconsequential mumbo jumbo, think again. Take another look at the current coronavirus pandemic and you will discover that it is afflicting lovers of pleasure especially by the millions and killing them by the hundreds of thousands.

    For COVID-19 to be contained, there has to be a lockdown for a season, and there has to be social distancing, at least until an effective vaccine is developed. People also need to wear masks in public.

    But lovers of pleasure cannot abide by these guidelines. They cannot stay at home. They cannot do social distancing. Neither will they wear masks. They insist on going to the pubs, to the beaches, and parties. As a result, they are infected predominantly by the coronavirus and are dying like flies.

    God’s enemies

    You may well ask: “What is wrong with loving pleasure?”

    The truth is that, like money, the love of pleasure is the root of all kinds of evil. You cannot love two masters: if you love pleasure, you cannot love God. (2 Timothy 3:4).

    The man who loves God must hate sin. However, sin is pleasurable. Therefore, what is pleasurable is not necessarily of God. James asks: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” (James 4:1).

    Wicked people enjoy their wickedness. But a child of God has been redeemed from the evil pleasures of this world. We must no longer enjoy sin: “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3-4).

    David says: “In (God’s) presence is fullness of joy; at (His) right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11). However, the pleasures of the Lord are completely different from those enjoyed by men. (Isaiah 55:8-9).

    What is pleasurable to the flesh has no value whatsoever to the spirit. Therefore, those who want to be close to God must mortify the deeds of the flesh because God is Spirit.

    God lovers are debtors: “not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if (we) live according to the flesh (we) will die; but if by the Spirit (we) put to death the deeds of the body, (we) will live.” (Romans 8:12-13).

    Heavenly treasure

    As a young believer, I had one obsession: to end up in heaven. It was my singular prayer point. But one day, I was playing a videotape of a concert by the gospel singer, Ron Kenoly. Looking at the film, a friend of mine said excitedly: “This is what we are going to be doing when we get to heaven.”

    I suddenly discovered that, despite my preoccupation with heaven, I found the whole idea to be entirely disagreeable. I said in my heart: “How boring that would be?” and the Lord heard me. I could not find anything exciting about spending a week singing praise songs non-stop, how much more spending eternity doing so.

    So, the Holy Spirit engaged me in my obsession with heaven. “Femi,” he asked. “Why do you want to go to heaven?” I could not answer because the only reason why I wanted to go to heaven was to avoid the afflictions that I was told awaited those who go to hell.

    Then He dropped the bombshell. “Femi,” He said, “heaven is not for you. There is nothing in heaven that you like. There is no food in heaven. There is no sex there. None of the material possessions you crave are in heaven. Why would you want to spend eternity in such a boring place?”

    I learnt my lesson. Heaven is not for carnal lovers of the pleasures of the flesh. Heaven is for the spiritually-minded who love God.

    Stark choice

    Jesus says those given to pleasure cannot receive the word of God: “All too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so, they never grow into maturity.” (Luke 8:14). Accordingly, Solomon says: “He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.” (Proverbs 21:17).

    Without realizing it, we are often confronted with a stark choice: the love of God or the love of pleasure. The love of God entails affliction in the world, while the love of pleasure prescribes sin as a way of escape. Therefore, Elihu cautions: “Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction.” (Job 36:21).

    The scriptures tell us that: “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24-26).

    “Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, who dwell securely, who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the loss of children’; but these two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day: the loss of children, and widowhood.” (Isaiah 47:8-9).

    Judgment of God

    That is the verdict of the current pandemic. The coronavirus is God’s “great army.” (Joel 2:25). He has sent it to the scornful who despise His ways.

    Right now, in the middle of this rampaging coronavirus, 250,000 motorbike riders are having a raucous rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, U.S.A. They are not wearing masks, neither are they observing any social distancing. They are having a good time, dicing with sickness and death.

    A reporter asked one of them: “Why are you doing this? Why are you taking this risk?” The man replied: “We just want to have some fun.” He asked another biker: “Are you not afraid of contracting the coronavirus?” “Hell No!” the man replied. “You’re going to get it sooner or later anyway.”

    Paul says: “she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.” (1 Timothy 5:6). That is why COVID-19 is killing lovers of pleasure by the lorry-load, while lovers of God can take wise precautions. It is the judgment of God.

    Isaiah tells God: “When Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isaiah 26:9).

  • God is the master of the set-up – Femi Aribisala

    Bolaji Ogundimu had only recently been appointed as my Secretary when she put in an application for a housing loan. I had put aside a lump sum of money that could be borrowed by my staff interest-free.

    This was operated as a round-robin. As some paid back every month, new loans could be disbursed. However, Bolaji’s chances of getting a loan in the short-term were slim because many others were in the queue before her.

    But then two “Good Samaritans” came to see me. They insisted that Bolaji should be given a loan right away. What kind of favouritism is this, I wondered? “Bolaji has just applied,” I pointed out. “There are so many others who applied before her and are yet to receive. How could you, in good conscience, argue that she should leapfrog over those she met on the queue? Won’t people say she is being favoured because she happens to be my secretary?”

    Bolaji’s “lawyers” were not easily dissuaded. “The problem,” they said, “is that Bolaji’s condition is a bit desperate. We have seen where she lives, and feel something needs to be done for her very urgently.” “How would you feel,” I asked them, “if you were one of those who applied before Bolaji? Would you be so understanding then?” I put my foot down. “We must do things by the book. We must be fair and be seen to be fair. Bolaji will be given a loan when it is her turn. In the meantime, there is really nothing that I can do.”

    Guilty as charged

    I was on a trip to New York when the Lord revisited the issue of Bolaji’s housing loan. Suddenly he asked me: “Femi, do you love me?” “Of course, I love you,” I replied immediately. But then the Lord continued: “Femi, you don’t love me.” I was nothing less than devastated. “How could you say that I don’t love you?” I protested. “So how come you did not give my son a housing loan?” he continued.

    Then I knew I was really in trouble. When the Lord reprimands you concerning someone and then refers to that person endearingly as “my son,” you know you are really in trouble. If the Lord calls Bolaji (who happens to be a woman) “my son,” what does that make me? “But Bolaji is not qualified for the loan,” I insisted. “There are many other people on the queue before her.”

    “What would qualify Bolaji for the housing loan?” the Lord wanted to know. By this time, I was past argument. My face was simply covered in tears. The Lord pointed out that he had sent two people to me to impress on me the deplorable state of Bolaji’s housing condition. Nevertheless, I failed to respond out of adherence to my so-called principles of fairness.

    Then came another bombshell. “You have to make up your mind whether you are going to follow your principles or follow me.”

    I cried non-stop for the next two days. It was deliberately on a weekend, and I could not reach Bolaji until Monday, as she did not have her own phone. On Monday morning, I phoned her in my office to apologise to her. I asked her to forgive me for being insensitive to her housing situation.

    I told her to take the money for her rent from my office safe, which she operated. “It is not a loan,” I said. “It is a gift from me.” That way, the procedure of the housing loan scheme was not violated. Nobody could accuse me of discrimination. But the love of God had found a way to deal with Bolaji’s urgent housing problem.

    The set-up

    I thought I was in the clear until the day I was leaving New York to come back to Lagos. First I wasted some time by haggling with the taxi driver over the fare from Canarsie to John F. Kennedy Airport. It is normally twenty dollars, but he insisted it was twenty-five. Then the queue at the Swiss Air check-in section was slower than usual.

    When I finally got to the counter, there was a malfunction with the computer. The lady attendant sought the assistance of a supervisor, who came to fix the problem. I waited while they discussed, analysed and fiddled with whatever was on the screen. This went on for about twenty minutes when suddenly another gentleman came to announce that the counter was closed.

    Closed? I could not believe my ears. “How could the counter be closed?” I protested. “I have been waiting here for the last twenty minutes while your colleagues have been trying to fix a fault on this terminal.”

    I heard the man’s response correctly. I was supposed to hear him. He said to me: “According to the principles of Swiss Air, this terminal closes at six o’clock. Once it is six o’clock, no more passengers are taken on board the plane.” The man was not one to argue. After he dropped this bombshell, he simply walked away.

    I was in a panic. My situation had become rather desperate. I had only one hundred dollars left on me. I could not afford to stay any longer in New York. I just had to get on that plane.

    And then I heard that still small voice of the Holy Spirit. “So Femi,” he asked, “how do you intend to get on the plane? They have principles too at Swiss Air.”

    Reversal of fortunes

    I had been set up and by none other than the Holy Spirit. The Lord had brought about a reversal of fortunes. With the housing loan scheme, I was the one who had the prerogative of mercy (or so I thought). With my flight back to Lagos, I was the one in need of mercy. It was time to plea-bargain.

    I told the Lord: “I thought you’ve forgiven me concerning Bolaji.” I pointed out that I had not waited until I got back to Lagos to make restitution for my heartlessness. I had phoned Bolaji from New York and given her the money. “Please, Lord Jesus,” I prayed. “Only your love can get me on this plane. Please get me on this plane for your name’s sake.”

    Just then a gentleman came and tapped me on the shoulder. He was wearing a Swiss Air uniform. “What seems to be the problem?” he asked. I gave him chapter and verse of everything, including the computer malfunction. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Come with me. But you are going to have to bring your luggage.”

    I promptly put my luggage back on the trolley and followed this Good Samaritan. This instrument of God’s salvation took me to the Swiss Air boarding gate got me a boarding pass and literally put my luggage on the plane.

    “Where are you from?” he asked me. I told him I was from Nigeria. He smiled and pointed out that he was from Kenya. I would not have guessed it because he was white. Then he said to me: “The only thing I don’t like about Nigerians is that they always beat us in football.” He then shook hands with me and went away.