Christmas is a celebration that Jesus, who was God, became flesh like us.
“In the beginning was the Word,… and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jn. 1:1,14
When He became flesh, he took all humans past and future in himself, just as all humans were in Adam when he was created. As the second Adam, all humans were objectively born again in Jesus when he was born of the virgin Mary. (Yes, a man can enter the womb and be born again-we all did when Jesus was in the virgin womb, and we were with him when he went into the virgin tomb.)
So, when Jesus was born, we were born with him, when he lived, we lived with him, when he died, we died with him, when he rose, we rose with him, when he ascended to the Father we ascended with him and are now seated in heavenly places.
“Or are you ignorant that all who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death.” (Rom. 6:3,4)
“We being dead in trangression, He made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are being saved), and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:5, 6)
“For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3).
We share in the life of Jesus, his mission, his suffering, his glory, and his Triune life with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is what the angel announced when he said: “For, behold, I proclaim good news to you, a great joy, which will be to all people, because today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord was born…” (Lk. 2:10,11)
What good news! Share it! Tweet it! BBM it! MixIt!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
“Marriage is so last century!”
“Marriage is so last century!” said a colleague during a conversation to a group of us during a tea break. When I heard that, it dawned on me that I got married last century! “Wow, maybe she has a point”, I thought to myself.
Then I read a headline online, “Is Marriage obsolete?” by ABC World News. “Not only are more marriages on the rocks these days, so is marriage itself, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center” wrote Jessica Hopper.
What is marriage, anyway? I know a couple, Thabo and Lulu (not their real names). After a few years of being in a relationship (not complicated as some facebookers would say), Thabo sent his family to Lulu’s to ask for her hand in marriage. So in January 2010, Thabo’s family went to Lulu’s family, who named their lobola (dowry). In June 2010, Thabo sent his family to pay the lobola. In November, Thabo and Lulu went to the magistrate’s offices to sign the “marriage register” and came back with their marriage certificate. They then started planning their wedding. So, in September 2011, they had a fabulous wedding in their church officiated by their pastor. Their four year old daughter was the flower girl in her beautiful pink dress.
I ask again, what is marriage, anyway? When did Thabo and Lulu get married? Did they get married in June 2010 when Thabo paid the lobola? Or did they get married in November 2010 at the magistrate’s offices? Their marriage certificate says they got married on 19 November 2010. Or did they get married on 24 September 2011 at their church? Or did they get married on 30 September 2007 when Lulu moved in with Thabo at his townhouse after their daughter was born? Or did they get married on New Year’s Day 2007 when Thabo and Lulu “moved their relationship to the next level” and had sex for the first time?
For us to know when Thabo and Lulu got married, we must know what marriage is. Only when we know what marriage is, shall we know whether “marriage is so last century”, or whether it is even obsolete.
I want to address the question of marriage, “unmarried” couples living together, sex before marriage, polygamy, serial monogamy, and other related issues. This article is not for sensitive readers, but it is not x-rated.
Marriage has several dimensions, that is, the spiritual dimension, the socio-cultural dimension, and the legal dimension. The latter two are human inventions.
The original dimension of marriage is the spiritual dimension. This is what God instituted when he created humans male and female. In this dimension, marriage is consummated by sexual intercourse. The first time a couple have sex, that’s the time they get “married”. It is on the basis of that sexual act, that God fuses the man and the woman into one flesh. As it is written, “they become one flesh”(Gen. 2:24, NRSV). It does not matter whether it is two teenagers having sex, or two colleagues having an office fling, or a man picking up a prostitute in the street and taking her to a hotel room, or a man having sex with his wife on their wedding night. That act constitutes marriage!
“And don’t you know that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” (1 Cor. 6:16, NLT). When Rebekah arrived with Abraham’s servant, it says that “Then Isaac took Rebekah into his tent; he married her, and thus she became his wife.” (Gen. 24:67, New American Bible). There was no wedding, no fanfare, no magistrate. He simply took her into the tent, had sex with her, and they were married!
In the Old Testament, God told Moses to tell the people of Israel, “If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and sleeps with her, he must pay the customary dowry and accept her as his wife.” (Exo. 22:16). Regarding people ordained as High Priests, God gave this instruction: “The high priest must marry a virgin. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution.” (Lev. 21:13-14, NLT).
Talking about divorce, Jesus said, “a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matt. 5:32, NLT).
What does all this mean? It means that a man and a woman become one flesh when they have sex together. When two teenagers have sex as virgins, they are de facto getting married. When a man has extramarital sex with another woman, he has effectively divorced his wife, and married the mistress he is sleeping with. When a polygamous husband sleeps with his wives, he effectively divorces and remarries each time he sleeps with any of them. When a man picks up a prostitute, he effectively divorces his wife and becomes one flesh with the prostitute. This is why premarital or extramarital sex is prohibited by the orthodox Christian teachings. It is not prohibited on social, cultural, moral or even religious grounds. It is prohibited on spiritual grounds. It is because of what sex means. Sex = Marriage.
When a virgin sleeps with a person for the first time, God makes the virgin one flesh with the other person. “Making one flesh” is a deep spiritual truth which goes into the very being of the couple. That is why many people, after they are divorced, they end up with the same kind of person they divorced. In fact, they may divorce and remarry ten times; they will more often than not end up with the same kind of person. It is probably because the first sexual relationship they had made them one flesh with that kind of person, and their soul continues to look for that person.
Most polygamous men marry the same type of woman. Why? It is probably because they have been made one flesh with that kind of person. Every time they look for a spouse, their soul is yearning for a particular kind of person. It is extremely dangerous to have premarital sex or extramarital sex. It is like having organ transplant without checking for organ compatibility. It is a medical disaster. In this case, it is a spiritual disaster.
By his grace, God can undo the spiritual damage you do to yourself by having premarital or extramarital sex, but the scars remain for the rest of your life. It is just not worth it.
Going back to our couple, Thabo and Lulu, they got married on 1 January 2007 “when they took their relationship to the next level". “The socio-cultural and legal dimensions of marriage were human inventions to deal with promiscuity. Speaking of divorce, Jesus said “Moses permitted divorce as a concession to your hard-hearted wickedness, but it was not what God had originally intended. And I tell you this, a man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful” (Matt. 19:8-9, NLT). When the disciples understood what Jesus was saying to them, they said, “Then it is better not to marry!” (v. 10)
Throughout the ages, societies and different cultural groups started defining what it means to get married. So in many African cultures, we still have a practice of paying lobola to designate the beginning of a marriage. In western cultures, they added a legal requirement, which is what we call a civil marriage. So married couples are given a certificate of marriage. Of course many of these certificates are not worth the paper they are written on, because even as they sign at the magistrate, they are still involved in extramarital relationships.
You will be surprised to even hear that even the wedding in the church is a cultural invention by Christians. Christians do not have to be married in a church to be spiritually married. Wedding celebrations come in many forms around the world. Most of them are good, but they do not constitute the marriage. The wedding tradition is a great tradition, and I encourage Christian youth to get married in this way, and to remain celibate until their wedding night, when God will make them one flesh with their husband or wife. The wedding itself does not constitute the marriage. It is the sex on that wedding night that consummates the marriage.
Is marriage so last century? Of course not! As long as sex is happening, marriages are taking place all the time. In fact, Jesus said that “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage." (Lk. 17:26-27, NIV). Marriage is not about to become obsolete. There will be more of it until Jesus returns.
We live in a confused, messed up society which does not know what marriage is anymore. What we now call marriage is the devil’s lie to hide the truth of what damage we are doing to ourselves when we have premarital or extramarital sex. “Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.” (1 Cor. 6:18, NLT) Don’t do it!
If you are living with your boyfriend or girlfriend, surprise-surprise! You are married! You may just as well legalize it. Make it official. Pay the lobola or go to the magistrate, or call your pastor today. If you break up, you are as good as divorcing. Those who have gone through break ups, will tell you that the pain is as bad as getting a legal divorce. You see, the heart knows it is not just a break up, it is divorce. I hope this article will stop you in your tracks, and make you do the right thing. God bless you.
Then I read a headline online, “Is Marriage obsolete?” by ABC World News. “Not only are more marriages on the rocks these days, so is marriage itself, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center” wrote Jessica Hopper.
What is marriage, anyway? I know a couple, Thabo and Lulu (not their real names). After a few years of being in a relationship (not complicated as some facebookers would say), Thabo sent his family to Lulu’s to ask for her hand in marriage. So in January 2010, Thabo’s family went to Lulu’s family, who named their lobola (dowry). In June 2010, Thabo sent his family to pay the lobola. In November, Thabo and Lulu went to the magistrate’s offices to sign the “marriage register” and came back with their marriage certificate. They then started planning their wedding. So, in September 2011, they had a fabulous wedding in their church officiated by their pastor. Their four year old daughter was the flower girl in her beautiful pink dress.
I ask again, what is marriage, anyway? When did Thabo and Lulu get married? Did they get married in June 2010 when Thabo paid the lobola? Or did they get married in November 2010 at the magistrate’s offices? Their marriage certificate says they got married on 19 November 2010. Or did they get married on 24 September 2011 at their church? Or did they get married on 30 September 2007 when Lulu moved in with Thabo at his townhouse after their daughter was born? Or did they get married on New Year’s Day 2007 when Thabo and Lulu “moved their relationship to the next level” and had sex for the first time?
For us to know when Thabo and Lulu got married, we must know what marriage is. Only when we know what marriage is, shall we know whether “marriage is so last century”, or whether it is even obsolete.
I want to address the question of marriage, “unmarried” couples living together, sex before marriage, polygamy, serial monogamy, and other related issues. This article is not for sensitive readers, but it is not x-rated.
Marriage has several dimensions, that is, the spiritual dimension, the socio-cultural dimension, and the legal dimension. The latter two are human inventions.
The original dimension of marriage is the spiritual dimension. This is what God instituted when he created humans male and female. In this dimension, marriage is consummated by sexual intercourse. The first time a couple have sex, that’s the time they get “married”. It is on the basis of that sexual act, that God fuses the man and the woman into one flesh. As it is written, “they become one flesh”(Gen. 2:24, NRSV). It does not matter whether it is two teenagers having sex, or two colleagues having an office fling, or a man picking up a prostitute in the street and taking her to a hotel room, or a man having sex with his wife on their wedding night. That act constitutes marriage!
“And don’t you know that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” (1 Cor. 6:16, NLT). When Rebekah arrived with Abraham’s servant, it says that “Then Isaac took Rebekah into his tent; he married her, and thus she became his wife.” (Gen. 24:67, New American Bible). There was no wedding, no fanfare, no magistrate. He simply took her into the tent, had sex with her, and they were married!
In the Old Testament, God told Moses to tell the people of Israel, “If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and sleeps with her, he must pay the customary dowry and accept her as his wife.” (Exo. 22:16). Regarding people ordained as High Priests, God gave this instruction: “The high priest must marry a virgin. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution.” (Lev. 21:13-14, NLT).
Talking about divorce, Jesus said, “a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matt. 5:32, NLT).
What does all this mean? It means that a man and a woman become one flesh when they have sex together. When two teenagers have sex as virgins, they are de facto getting married. When a man has extramarital sex with another woman, he has effectively divorced his wife, and married the mistress he is sleeping with. When a polygamous husband sleeps with his wives, he effectively divorces and remarries each time he sleeps with any of them. When a man picks up a prostitute, he effectively divorces his wife and becomes one flesh with the prostitute. This is why premarital or extramarital sex is prohibited by the orthodox Christian teachings. It is not prohibited on social, cultural, moral or even religious grounds. It is prohibited on spiritual grounds. It is because of what sex means. Sex = Marriage.
When a virgin sleeps with a person for the first time, God makes the virgin one flesh with the other person. “Making one flesh” is a deep spiritual truth which goes into the very being of the couple. That is why many people, after they are divorced, they end up with the same kind of person they divorced. In fact, they may divorce and remarry ten times; they will more often than not end up with the same kind of person. It is probably because the first sexual relationship they had made them one flesh with that kind of person, and their soul continues to look for that person.
Most polygamous men marry the same type of woman. Why? It is probably because they have been made one flesh with that kind of person. Every time they look for a spouse, their soul is yearning for a particular kind of person. It is extremely dangerous to have premarital sex or extramarital sex. It is like having organ transplant without checking for organ compatibility. It is a medical disaster. In this case, it is a spiritual disaster.
By his grace, God can undo the spiritual damage you do to yourself by having premarital or extramarital sex, but the scars remain for the rest of your life. It is just not worth it.
Going back to our couple, Thabo and Lulu, they got married on 1 January 2007 “when they took their relationship to the next level". “The socio-cultural and legal dimensions of marriage were human inventions to deal with promiscuity. Speaking of divorce, Jesus said “Moses permitted divorce as a concession to your hard-hearted wickedness, but it was not what God had originally intended. And I tell you this, a man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful” (Matt. 19:8-9, NLT). When the disciples understood what Jesus was saying to them, they said, “Then it is better not to marry!” (v. 10)
Throughout the ages, societies and different cultural groups started defining what it means to get married. So in many African cultures, we still have a practice of paying lobola to designate the beginning of a marriage. In western cultures, they added a legal requirement, which is what we call a civil marriage. So married couples are given a certificate of marriage. Of course many of these certificates are not worth the paper they are written on, because even as they sign at the magistrate, they are still involved in extramarital relationships.
You will be surprised to even hear that even the wedding in the church is a cultural invention by Christians. Christians do not have to be married in a church to be spiritually married. Wedding celebrations come in many forms around the world. Most of them are good, but they do not constitute the marriage. The wedding tradition is a great tradition, and I encourage Christian youth to get married in this way, and to remain celibate until their wedding night, when God will make them one flesh with their husband or wife. The wedding itself does not constitute the marriage. It is the sex on that wedding night that consummates the marriage.
Is marriage so last century? Of course not! As long as sex is happening, marriages are taking place all the time. In fact, Jesus said that “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage." (Lk. 17:26-27, NIV). Marriage is not about to become obsolete. There will be more of it until Jesus returns.
We live in a confused, messed up society which does not know what marriage is anymore. What we now call marriage is the devil’s lie to hide the truth of what damage we are doing to ourselves when we have premarital or extramarital sex. “Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.” (1 Cor. 6:18, NLT) Don’t do it!
If you are living with your boyfriend or girlfriend, surprise-surprise! You are married! You may just as well legalize it. Make it official. Pay the lobola or go to the magistrate, or call your pastor today. If you break up, you are as good as divorcing. Those who have gone through break ups, will tell you that the pain is as bad as getting a legal divorce. You see, the heart knows it is not just a break up, it is divorce. I hope this article will stop you in your tracks, and make you do the right thing. God bless you.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
The Power of Weakness
The fact that Jesus, who was God, became a human through conception in the womb of Mary, and being born as a helpless little baby, makes other people think that he was not God. How can an All Powerful God become so weak, subjecting himself to be killed by his own creation? Well, think of it this way…
Jesus enters the world where there are landmines everywhere, and people are being killed everyday. Instead of going in to remove all the landmines and show his power that way, he chooses to go into the world and stay there amongst the landmines. He takes all humans into himself. The landmine explodes and kills him together with all the humans he has taken into himself. This way he completely dis-empowers the landmines. He takes on the death of the landmine and comes back to life with all the humans that he had taken into himself. The landmine can no longer kill him. Once the landmine has exploded, it becomes powerless. It can no longer explode. He takes away the sting of sin and death. Humans gain victory over sin and death in him. And now humans are safe.
It reminds me of the teacher who called one of the naughty students to the front of the class so that he can give him 10 of the best. The boy obliged. The teacher got his cane, lashed the boy so hard that the lashings could be heard throughout the school. The boy remained quite throughout the beating. When the teacher finished, the boy stood up straight, and with a smile, looked at the teacher and said, “Are you done?” At that point, the teacher and his cane were completely immobilized. The boy had the victory, not by refusing to be beaten, but by submitting to the beating, to take the sting out of the beating. That is what Jesus did when he subjected himself to death, and then come out of the grave after 3 days. He took the sting out of death!
“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:4-6)
“For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:3)
That, is the power of turning the other cheek, or going an extra mile. Whilst the actions appear weak from our perspective, they are powerful!
Follow @vhasekwa
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Is marriage outdated, obsolete, backward, primitive?
When God created Adam, he said it was not good for him to be alone. He took the woman out of him, and made them one in marriage again, because they were one by design. God instituted the first ever human institution, marriage. Marriage cannot become obsolete, because humanity itself will become obsolete if that happens.
When God became a human in Jesus, his first ever miracle to proclaim who he was, was to go to a wedding and turn water into wine (John 2). What an affirmation of the centrality of the marriage and the family institution. And by the way, although Jesus did not marry when he first came, he too will get married to his bride, the church, on his return.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people” (Rev. 19:7-8)
“As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.” (Eph. 5:31-32)
Do not be fooled by society or the devil, or even your friends who may have had failed relationships. The essence of life is the building of relationships. Whether it is parent-child, employer-employee, neighbour-neighbour, brother-sister, church member to church member, teammate-teammate, country-country, life is about the quality of these relationships. When all these relationships are working well, humans are at their best. When these relationships fail, life looses meaning, and some even end their lives.
And the ultimate relationship is that of marriage. It is ultimately how all humans alive will relate to God, i.e in their marriage to Jesus, the Lamb of God. Jesus became flesh so that like Adam he can say about us, "they are flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone!" We are as much in Jesus as Eve was in Adam.
If you dream of getting married one day, don't loose hope. A virtuous wife is from God, and a good husband is a gift from God. Marriage will outlive all relationships. It can only be ended by death, and those of us who intend to live forever, will live forever in a marriage to the Lamb of God, and live happily forever. God bless your marriage if you are married.
If you choose not to get married but to focus on Jesus' ministry, that too is commendable and right before God. Your wedding to the Lamp of God is coming! Hallelujah!!
Follow @vhasekwa
When God became a human in Jesus, his first ever miracle to proclaim who he was, was to go to a wedding and turn water into wine (John 2). What an affirmation of the centrality of the marriage and the family institution. And by the way, although Jesus did not marry when he first came, he too will get married to his bride, the church, on his return.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people” (Rev. 19:7-8)
“As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.” (Eph. 5:31-32)
Do not be fooled by society or the devil, or even your friends who may have had failed relationships. The essence of life is the building of relationships. Whether it is parent-child, employer-employee, neighbour-neighbour, brother-sister, church member to church member, teammate-teammate, country-country, life is about the quality of these relationships. When all these relationships are working well, humans are at their best. When these relationships fail, life looses meaning, and some even end their lives.
And the ultimate relationship is that of marriage. It is ultimately how all humans alive will relate to God, i.e in their marriage to Jesus, the Lamb of God. Jesus became flesh so that like Adam he can say about us, "they are flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone!" We are as much in Jesus as Eve was in Adam.
If you dream of getting married one day, don't loose hope. A virtuous wife is from God, and a good husband is a gift from God. Marriage will outlive all relationships. It can only be ended by death, and those of us who intend to live forever, will live forever in a marriage to the Lamb of God, and live happily forever. God bless your marriage if you are married.
If you choose not to get married but to focus on Jesus' ministry, that too is commendable and right before God. Your wedding to the Lamp of God is coming! Hallelujah!!
Follow @vhasekwa
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Spirituality and Football
I have always been amazed by the Christian spiritual language used in football (if you are American, we are talking soccer!). Look at the following headlines and comments:
“The resurrection of Diego Maradona”, Financial Times. Christianty talks about the resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Incidentally, it is in Maradona’s home country where they have a gigantic statue of Christ the Redeemer, the only human who has ever been resurrected to live forever.
“Messi on a mission”, FIFA.com In Christianity we talk of missions.
“Maradona says I'll snatch glory”, Daily Star. Well, from Christian perspective only God has and deserves the glory.
“I touched Thierry Henry’s hand, I know it is not like touching God, but it is close to it” Fan at the airport when France National team arrived in South Africa for 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“Football is not a matter of life and death, it is more than that”. Jose Mourinho, coach of Real Madrid. We believe Christianity is a matter of life and death. Christianity is about how to obtain life and avoid death in Jesus Christ.
There are many such quotes made by footballers, coaches and fans alike. One of the telling scriptures in the Bible is Rom 1:20. In essence, it says that everything is spiritual, the universe and all that is in it. I believe, this includes football!
“20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Rom 1:20)
From a Christian spirituality point of view, let me tell you about the 5 things that I believe football can teach us.
Firstly, in Christianity, ALL Nations are Included. FIFA has 203 member countries; the UN has only 192 member countries. All countries on earth are members of FIFA, the Football Association. Talking about Christianity, Paul says ““There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female. For you are ALL one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28)
He also says, “In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in ALL of us.” (Col. 3:11)
Secondly, in FIFA, all members are ranked according to their performance. When the FIFA World Cup was hosted by South Africa in 2010, South Africa’s ranking was 90. Due to the improved performance, South Africa’s ranking has improved from 90 to 38 in the last few weeks, due to South Africa’s improved performance. Using the apocalyptic language, John wrote these words of Christ to Christians, “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.” Rev. 22:12 In Christianity, those that work hard get their rewards, and football reminds us of that.
Thirdly, Jesus’ reward is an eternal prize. “All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:25-26) Paul says we do it for an eternal prize. Therefore when I see Messi or Ronaldo’s discipline, it reminds me of the prize I am after.
Fourthly, all humanity watches the “game”, and will witness the prize-giving. As I write this, Barcelona and Manchester United FC will be battling it out for the European Champions league on 28 May 2011. It was estimated that more people will watch that game than those that watched the final of the FIFA World Cup in 2010. In 2010, 26.3 million people were expected to watch the 64 games, that’s 410 mill or 7% of humans today.
However, the Bible tells us that when Jesus returns, “All the nations will be gathered in his presence” (Matt. 25:32) It will not be only 7% of humans watching. All humans will be watching the final of humanity, the prize-giving, and gnashing of teeth by those who would have lost the ultimate prize.
Fifth, but not least, Christianity is a team sport. Christians exist as part of the body of Christ, the Church. They are a community. They do not exist as individuals. Their success is in the community. Their growth is in the community. Paul reminds us that even as we strive for our prize, that “the prize is not just for me but for ALL who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:7-8)
In football, 11 players are in the field in any given moment. Each one of them has a specific role. The church functions in the same way. There are many members of the church. Speaking of the church, Paul puts it this way:
“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” (Rom. 12:4-8)
In any football game, the players that play as a team win. I have seen many teams comprising highly talented players, but they loose nonetheless. When you analyze the game, you realize that individual players wanted to shine alone, and when that happens, nothing comes of it.
As you watch your next football game, remember these lessons from football. The 90 minutes of football need not be time wasted for Christians. They can be your Ahaa moments of Christian spirituality. Enjoy the game!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Silent Killer
What do you think is the biggest killer of all time? Is it wars? Is it the bubonic plague?
Is it HIV/AIDS? Or malaria? Is it earthquakes? Is it heart attacks? You will be surprised. Usually, what kills us is the effect of something else.
The biggest killer of all time is lack of self-control! Yes, Self-control. “What?” I hear you say. Self-control is simply the ability to resist. You probably have heard it many times: “I just couldn’t resist”. Well, our ancestral mother and father, Adam and Eve could not resist at the garden of Eden.
When the serpent approached Eve with a fruit she knew she was not supposed to eat, she could not resist. When she took a piece of the forbidden fruit to her husband Adam, he too could not resist. And so death entered the human existence. The Creator had warned, if you eat of that fruit, you shall surely die. In one sense, then, it was that lack of self-control by our ancestors that brought death.
Things have not changed since then. A relative of mine could not resist “one more drink for the road”, and he crashed to death in a vehicle accident. He left his children orphans. If only he resisted that extra drink and remained of a sober mind, he could be alive today.
Across Africa, there are many children who are orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Take the case of Sibongile. Her father, David, was a successful professional with a well paying job. One day at a work function, out of town, drinks started flowing, and David joined in “the fun”. Although David was not really a drinker, he could not resist when his colleague kept topping up his glass with some nice, dry, red wine. By the end of the evening, David, due to his lack of self-control, lost control.
He started flirting with one of the female colleagues, who also had taken one glass too many. Well, the next morning, David and his female colleague woke up in the same hotel bed. Sadly, a few months later, David discovered that he was HIV positive. He died a few years later of TB, which was brought on by his HIV status.
David did not plan for an early death. When he died, there was not much left for his wife and children, except the debt of his top class German car. You see, David could not resist buying that expensive car even though it meant he could not invest in a family home for his family.
They had rented a house in an expensive surburb, and had to vacate the house after David’s death. Sibongile’s mother could not cope on her own. Eventually Sibongile dropped out of school, pregnant and destitute. She gave birth to a baby girl who looked just like her. She named her Hope.
Her boyfriend disappeared soon after he found out that she was pregnant. He had introduced her to drugs. One morning she overdosed on drugs and her body was carried away by the police in a body bag. You see, if you look at it carefully, Sibongile’s father, David, killed her the night he lost self-control and drank too much, and ended up sleeping with his colleague. When he died, Sibongile’s death began. And now for Hope, what’s ahead for her? If only her grandfather had self control… If only her mother had self-control… If only…
Our Father in Heaven knows our predicament. He knows most of us are not that different from Adam and Eve, from David and Sibongile. We too can’t resist. He made a plan for us though. He sent Jesus Christ to become a human like us, so that we can share in His divine nature.
Peter puts it this way, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life… These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” (2 Pet. 1:3-4). Christians receive the Holy Spirit by grace. And the Spirit helps Christians to share in God’s divine nature.
It is that divine nature which helps them to “escape… the corruption caused by human desires”. Jesus, being “led by the Spirit” (Matt. 4:1) was able to resist “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 Jn. 2:16). The same Spirit that led Christ, leads us. “God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7 CEV)
Peter continues, “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. (2 Pet. 1:5-6).
The Holy Spirit, who is God, gives us this divine nature. He helps us to exercise self-control. Not for God’s sake, but for our own sake. Paul tells us the fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control (Gal. 5:23). Unfortunately most of us don’t like it when we are told that we must exercise more self-control.
One day when Paul was presenting his defense to Governor Felix and his wife, the governor did not like hearing the truth about his condition. “As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.” (Acts 24:25) Self-control is at the centre of our lives.
Don’t be like Governor Felix. You can listen to advice about self-control today, and save yourself and loved ones a lot of pain, …and death. For those like Sibongile, the Holy Spirit gives Comfort and hope. If you are led by the Spirit, you follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of your life. (Gal. 5:25) “The Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires”(Gal. 5:17) You CAN resist!
Friday, April 22, 2011
From the Virgin Womb to the Virgin Tomb
From the virgin womb to the virgin tomb, we see the Spirit bringing forth life. The womb symbolizes the beginning, and the tomb symbolizes the end. In Rev 22:13 Jesus declares himself to be the "Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end".
This Easter you can make him the beginning of your dead new year resolutions, and the end of your old life of hopelessness, futility, and "foolishness" clothed in "coolness".
The power of the virgin birth was the Spirit, and the power of the resurrection was the Spirit. The same Spirit is available for you. Have a blessed commemoration of the crucifixion and the resurrection of YOU!
Yes, YOU!! YOU have "died with Christ" (Col.2:20); AND "YOU have been raised with Christ" (Col.3:1). The celebrations this weekend include YOU! How much more should you be celebrating? May you now say: "Now I see!"
This Easter you can make him the beginning of your dead new year resolutions, and the end of your old life of hopelessness, futility, and "foolishness" clothed in "coolness".
The power of the virgin birth was the Spirit, and the power of the resurrection was the Spirit. The same Spirit is available for you. Have a blessed commemoration of the crucifixion and the resurrection of YOU!
Yes, YOU!! YOU have "died with Christ" (Col.2:20); AND "YOU have been raised with Christ" (Col.3:1). The celebrations this weekend include YOU! How much more should you be celebrating? May you now say: "Now I see!"
Saturday, January 8, 2011
God and New Year's Day
Have you ever wondered if God cares about New Year’s Day? God exists in timeless time called eternity. However, when he created humans, he placed them within time, defined by days, weeks, months and years. Last week, last month, last year, was 2011. This week, this month, this year, is 2012. We had New Year celebrations last weekend.
One thing we have come to know about God as revealed in the Hebrew scriptures is that God keeps time. He does things on time. If something must happen on the first of the month, or on the 20th of the month, it will happen on that day, on the hour, to the minute. It is not a coincidence, and it is not an emergency.
The life of Jesus was scripted to the last detail in terms of time and place thousands of years before he was born, and he lived the script. This is one of the things that attest to Jesus’ deity. No human would predict how his own life would turn out the way he did, and the way the prophets before him did.
Let me share with you some of the things God did and said on New Year’s Day in biblical history.
Firstly, we note that when Noah was in the ark during the flood, it was months before the waters subsided. It is recorded that it was on New Year’s Day when Noah opened the window and saw the waters have subsided. Probably still being afraid of stepping out, Noah stayed a further two months. In Genesis 8:16, God said to Noah leave the boat, the ground is dry. You see, you may have been drowning in your problems during 2011, but on this New Year’s Day, God says the same words he said to Noah thousands of years ago, get out! The waters that were drowning you have subsided. You can go out and be fruitful and multiply. The floods of last year may have destroyed all you had, but a new year is God’s message to you to start afresh and be fruitful and multiply. I know they say once beaten, twice shy. You don’t need to be shy. It’s a new year, get out. The waters that were drowning you have subsided.
Secondly, we find that God gives Moses instructions to construct a Tabernacle (Temple), which was a Tent which symbolized God’s abiding place amongst the people. After it was completed, God says to Moses, “Set up the Tabernacle on New Year’s Day” (Exodus 40:1). According to God, this was a special task, to be done on a special day, New Year’s Day!
Hundreds of years later, the Temple was defiled and corrupted by the people. King Hezekiah decides that things must change. “Then they began to cleanse the Temple of the LORD, just as the king had commanded. They were careful to follow all the LORD’s instructions in their work. The priests went into the sanctuary of the Temple of the LORD to cleanse it, and they took out to the Temple courtyard all the defiled things they found” (2 Chron. 29:15-16).
It appears that one of the “LORD’s instructions” was that this job must be done on New Year’s Day as we saw God’s instruction to Moses above. We read in 2 Chron 29:17 that they started the job on New Year’s Day!
But what does all this mean? Fast forward to the New Testament, we are told by Paul that we are The Temple. “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Cor. 3:16)
So, on this New Year’s Day, God gives you and I the same message he gave to Moses thousands of years ago. “Set up the temple on New Year’s Day”. If you are not a believer already, God is making a call, set yourself up to be his temple, and he will come and dwell in you. If you are already a believer, he gives you the same message that the Levites were given thousands of years ago to purify the temple, starting on New Year’s Day. So, if you have defiled yourself through sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these, he says to you, “Purify yourself!”, starting on New Year’s Day. Have your started? Don’t wait for the 2nd.
Thirdly, there is another New Year’s Day event which is God’s message to humans today. This event is recorded in the book of Ezra. Ezra was a Jew who was living in exile in Babylon, together with many other Jews. Jerusalem, which was the place where the temple was, was falling apart, together with the temple. Remember we are the temple, and we are in the church. So the temple was a symbol of us, the believers, and Jerusalem a symbol of the church.
We read in Revelation 21:2, “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband”. Somewhere else, we are told several times that the church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:27; Rev. 19:7; Rev. 21:9). What does this have to do with you?
Well, after Jerusalem and the temple were rebuilt, Ezra, who was a scribe decided to travel to Jerusalem so that he can learn more about the scriptures and teach his people. He decided to live Babylon on “New Year’s Day”! (Ezra 7:9)
This New Year’s Day, you too, like Ezra did thousands of years ago, can decide to start your journey back to church (Jerusalem). You may have been stuck in the Babylon of your lifestyle, your job, your friends, your sins. There are many believers stuck in Babylon, when Jerusalem, the church, needs them. But like Ezra, you can decide to start the journey back home, to church. The church needs you. Will you be like Ezra this New Year’s Day and go back to church? Ezra started his journey on New Year’s Day. It may be a few months before you get there. It took Ezra four months to get there. But you can start today!
May you look back next New Year’s Eve and say, “I am glad I was like Noah, who stepped out of the prison of the ark into a new world God had for him, or like Moses, who set up the temple on New Year’s Day, or like Ezra, who decided to leave the trappings of Babylon behind, and learn more about his God!”
Happy New Year! Happy 2012!
One thing we have come to know about God as revealed in the Hebrew scriptures is that God keeps time. He does things on time. If something must happen on the first of the month, or on the 20th of the month, it will happen on that day, on the hour, to the minute. It is not a coincidence, and it is not an emergency.
The life of Jesus was scripted to the last detail in terms of time and place thousands of years before he was born, and he lived the script. This is one of the things that attest to Jesus’ deity. No human would predict how his own life would turn out the way he did, and the way the prophets before him did.
Let me share with you some of the things God did and said on New Year’s Day in biblical history.
Firstly, we note that when Noah was in the ark during the flood, it was months before the waters subsided. It is recorded that it was on New Year’s Day when Noah opened the window and saw the waters have subsided. Probably still being afraid of stepping out, Noah stayed a further two months. In Genesis 8:16, God said to Noah leave the boat, the ground is dry. You see, you may have been drowning in your problems during 2011, but on this New Year’s Day, God says the same words he said to Noah thousands of years ago, get out! The waters that were drowning you have subsided. You can go out and be fruitful and multiply. The floods of last year may have destroyed all you had, but a new year is God’s message to you to start afresh and be fruitful and multiply. I know they say once beaten, twice shy. You don’t need to be shy. It’s a new year, get out. The waters that were drowning you have subsided.
Secondly, we find that God gives Moses instructions to construct a Tabernacle (Temple), which was a Tent which symbolized God’s abiding place amongst the people. After it was completed, God says to Moses, “Set up the Tabernacle on New Year’s Day” (Exodus 40:1). According to God, this was a special task, to be done on a special day, New Year’s Day!
Hundreds of years later, the Temple was defiled and corrupted by the people. King Hezekiah decides that things must change. “Then they began to cleanse the Temple of the LORD, just as the king had commanded. They were careful to follow all the LORD’s instructions in their work. The priests went into the sanctuary of the Temple of the LORD to cleanse it, and they took out to the Temple courtyard all the defiled things they found” (2 Chron. 29:15-16).
It appears that one of the “LORD’s instructions” was that this job must be done on New Year’s Day as we saw God’s instruction to Moses above. We read in 2 Chron 29:17 that they started the job on New Year’s Day!
But what does all this mean? Fast forward to the New Testament, we are told by Paul that we are The Temple. “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Cor. 3:16)
So, on this New Year’s Day, God gives you and I the same message he gave to Moses thousands of years ago. “Set up the temple on New Year’s Day”. If you are not a believer already, God is making a call, set yourself up to be his temple, and he will come and dwell in you. If you are already a believer, he gives you the same message that the Levites were given thousands of years ago to purify the temple, starting on New Year’s Day. So, if you have defiled yourself through sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these, he says to you, “Purify yourself!”, starting on New Year’s Day. Have your started? Don’t wait for the 2nd.
Thirdly, there is another New Year’s Day event which is God’s message to humans today. This event is recorded in the book of Ezra. Ezra was a Jew who was living in exile in Babylon, together with many other Jews. Jerusalem, which was the place where the temple was, was falling apart, together with the temple. Remember we are the temple, and we are in the church. So the temple was a symbol of us, the believers, and Jerusalem a symbol of the church.
We read in Revelation 21:2, “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband”. Somewhere else, we are told several times that the church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:27; Rev. 19:7; Rev. 21:9). What does this have to do with you?
Well, after Jerusalem and the temple were rebuilt, Ezra, who was a scribe decided to travel to Jerusalem so that he can learn more about the scriptures and teach his people. He decided to live Babylon on “New Year’s Day”! (Ezra 7:9)
This New Year’s Day, you too, like Ezra did thousands of years ago, can decide to start your journey back to church (Jerusalem). You may have been stuck in the Babylon of your lifestyle, your job, your friends, your sins. There are many believers stuck in Babylon, when Jerusalem, the church, needs them. But like Ezra, you can decide to start the journey back home, to church. The church needs you. Will you be like Ezra this New Year’s Day and go back to church? Ezra started his journey on New Year’s Day. It may be a few months before you get there. It took Ezra four months to get there. But you can start today!
May you look back next New Year’s Eve and say, “I am glad I was like Noah, who stepped out of the prison of the ark into a new world God had for him, or like Moses, who set up the temple on New Year’s Day, or like Ezra, who decided to leave the trappings of Babylon behind, and learn more about his God!”
Happy New Year! Happy 2012!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
