Get wired to great Religious, Theological and Ministerial Material.

Showing posts with label Gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gospel. Show all posts

Saturday 3 October 2020

Is The Church in Africa Taking A Wrong Turn? A General View From A Villager.

05:47:00

 

When we look at the measure of Christ and his definition of ministry and probably the early church compare it with the 21st Century Church do we see the same theme as authored by Christ continuing and the impact and transformation power still changing lives and communities. If not so what could be the challenges and errors that the church have encountered.
Church on the wrong way

The Role of the Church in Africa is somehow complicated as evidenced by the mushrooming of small churches which are not standing for the people nor fighting for the cause of Justice, furthermore which can not speak the truth of what People are facing.

The church is an institution that has not truly provided the much needed support and teaching to the communities it is planted. Jesus in coming to the earth did not come to start a Religion that is a government or a movement that seeks to reach God and that establishes its people to follow certain Laws so as to serve God their Father.

The first error which can be seen by the church fathers is that they made Church a Religion and removed it of its power to truly transform mankind. Anything that can govern man that is not Christ Spirit will govern the same with rule, beliefs, traditions and Doctrine from its own source which is fallible

The head in it wrong Position 

Jesus as one man transformed a nation with his message of salvation and made followers which he trained to spread the message so as to bring the message. Jesus in his sermons was always the religious leaders. At one time he called the religious forks blind guards, on another occasion hypocrite and yet on another account murderers.

The death of Jesus was as if as a result of his conflicts with the religious leaders. They accuse him of a crime, made all convictions to fit the Religious law and the Civil Law so as to deal away with a man who had no religion but in Him was the truth and grace. 

The same is true in our time as we witness the church is so divided on issues to do with religion and not to do with Jesus the man. So is the role of the church to become religious and convict believers to a set of laws and principles. Or it is to bring Christ who is the fullness of all Godliness.

The church as a moral agent have failed to set the very example of Christ love, when Jesus was about to go to the cross He made a declaring of faith that set apart his ministry which he came to manifest to man kind. He agrees that the identity of any form of ministry is love. Love and you be know by the  world by it,

The conflicts and splits in the church world wide is an indicator of the church failure to walk in love. Love is the very nature of God, without love the mark of sonship or better known as be born again is critically challenged.

As a religion of man governed by man the institution that was made to transform man and the earth has become a tool to transform the man of God to man of Gold.  Which creates enmity and promotes corrupt self service ministers who seeks to please the sole called God of man in the form of a man.

Jesus appear to say that his way would create peace makers and people who are meek, but meek not referring to weakness and docility. The former man made religion and ministry seeks to promote hatred and dominance of its subjects. Families are divided over Bishops and marriages are broken because of failure to understand that the man of God is after all a man and not a god. The decisions of a man of God are taken as the counsel of God Himself.

Church has taken center stage on issues that it needs to correct. The media is awashed with stories of Prophets who rapes their own members, Pastors who steals money and Bishops that are involved in corrupt activities. Taking the words of Jesus to light, who implies the church or believers are
the light of the world. Who will the light so shine in the darkness when she ( the church )is in fact the darkness of the world.

How do we justify the fact that the nations that are declared to be Christian nations are the most corrupt nations. How do we justify again the fact that nations that prides its selves to have the highest Christian percentage have high crime rate, corrupt governing elites and religious leaders. It it mean that we have failed to understand what we claim to be, or probably the message that we carry is not redemptive enough?

One is left with so many unanswered question when one reviews the way church in our mother land operates, how the leaders functions and  how its followers lives, can they be measured according to the measure of Christ.

                                                                                                              

                                    




                                                                       Wordnocrate | 2020 
Continue Reading
at 05:47:00
Labels: , ,

Monday 17 August 2020

Dwelling in the presence of God Secrets

14:56:00


Dwelling in the presence of God Secrets


A life learnt from David in Psalms 27

 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.



David is sure of whom the lord is, he said the Lord is my light and my salvation. How did he became so sure about how God would defend him and how God would grant him victory. Notice David is not praying for protection nor is he seeking wisdom and knowledge from the Lord of what will become.

He is so certain that all things in his life was ordered and he seems to understand why he is going to be a winner man in all these things. This is what David reveals to us as he pens this beautiful Psalm. One thing I have desired, he desired only the Lord. This is so profound, David in his life only lived to fulfil one thing ; that is  to be with the Lord and beholding His Glory.


This was the source of his understanding and wisdom. This is why David was so confident in the face of trouble. All he sees was the beauty of the lord and God's love for him. His eyes were fixed on the one thing he desires so much even in the times of trouble.

He understood that  if he focuses on God the attention of God would melt mountains and levels all the unequal ground. Above all else he understood that God would fight for him because He was a friend and a companion of God and God enjoyed his worship and fellowship.

Our challenge in the 21st century is that we seek what God can do in our lives and yet neglect Him as our Father. We forsake that beautiful relationship of beholding His glory and of staying in His presence. This is what separates  us from David. We are always fearful and when we are in trouble we see defeat and often times we give up and fall by the side.

David shows us three important things which he sums up as the one thing he desires that can help us to live the life of victory in Christ and be able also to empower us to manifest the Glory and grace of God on earth.

1. Dwell in the house of the lord : the word dwell means to stay, to remain and to abide. David demonstrated what Christ would instruct us in the book of John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Dwelling in the house or rather in the Lord is to remain in  Christ, allowing the nature of Christ to operate in your life through faith. Just like Paul who says "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

  Dwelling also implies  to be rooted in Christ, planted in His nature and becoming one with Him. Thus to help us dwell in the lord we must appreciate our divine position in Christ which was evoked by His resurrection to glory.


Remaining in Christ as  alluded by John entails that we need to allow the word to be one with us. Dwelling in Christ is dwelling in His word, staying and planted in the word with practice correspondence of the word. Being one with the word .


Above all else to dwell in Christ is to remain in His love, God is love, the nature of God's being is love so by dwelling in Him we are dwelling in love.  Let the love of God which we are surrounded by be a reflection of your being.



Yes David desired to dwell, to remain and to abide in the house of the lord where he participated in adoration and fellowship. In His presence there is nothing more that seeing His Glorious presence and brilliance light of life.

Notice in this place David  is not seeking after God no he is already with the lord and seeks to spend time with the Lord. This is the type of people God is seeking after, Do you see that when your heart is right you do not seek after the lord, He seeks after you.
John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him

2. Behold the beauty of God. This is powerful when you take time to just behold the beauty of God. This was the key for his transformation and greatness, as you behold His glory you surely transform to the form of that Glory. We eventual becomes that which we worship, the art of worship is that one of beholding, admiring and cherishing.

3. To inquire in his temple , take time to converse with the lord, let your worries be known to him. Allow the Spirit of the Lord to share the Father's instructions and guidance.

Genesis 25:22
And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb,
And two manner of people shall be
separated from thy bowels;
and the one people shall be stronger
than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Our challenge still in our Morden church comes in one form, we fail to progress with the revelation of the scripture, the first we hear about enquirer is between a person and God, and in the times of the prophets we now see people going to enquirer from the prophet to hear from God on their behalf.

It's a tragedy to still live in this old way, where people only believes that one person is used of God to hear and to speak with God. David intended to dwell in the house and enquire of the lord in the temple all the days of his life.

Hebrews tells us  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,

This is what David saw before the coming of our lord Jesus. When we take time to talk with God we position ourselves for a revelation, understand and wisdom in the area we discuss with the lord. David longed to fellowship with the lord, he understood what Paul the Apostle would write in relation to fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

   "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." The communion, fellowship and partnership with the Holy Spirit be with you all.

The secrets of divine life can be seen in the life of David as he teaches us through practice living in the presence of God in the book of Psalms. Desire The lord above everything else, that desire and love for the lord will lead you to dwell in the temple.

As you dwell in His presence you begin to beholding the lovely beauty of the Lord. Admiring the lord's Glory will eventually lead you to start speaking and companioning with Him as you enquire from the Lord.



                
                                                                  Tonderai Goncalo | The Wordnocrate 2020 
Continue Reading
at 14:56:00
Labels: , , ,

Friday 20 May 2016

The 21st Century Church A Replica of the Christendom Era's Church Failures

09:39:00
The 21st Century Church A Replica of the Christendom Era's Church Failures

The Church was instituted in the Christendom Era where the Gospel of Christ thrived. Jesus Christ was the center of the Teaching of the Church, they preached about the coming Kingdom. And indeed the message of Christ was so fresh in the mind of the populous. In the 21st Century the focus of the Church is it still Christ and its message is it about the coming Kingdom?

The word Christendom generally refers to the global community of those who adhere to the Christian faith, with religious practices and dogmas gleaned from the teachings of the Bible. Spread throughout the world, Christendom consists of literally billions of people among many nations and peoples of various ethnicity. Correspondingly, Christendom also refers to those countries where Christianity is the dominating or territorial religion


In the age of Christendom, the church occupied a central and influential place in society and the Western world considered itself both formally and officially Christian. 

So when we speak of post-Christendom, we are making the point that the church no longer occupies this central place of social and cultural hegemony and Western civilization no longer considers itself to be formally or officially Christian. http://www.christianpost.com/news/31585/#upAPO4xTpxqffgKC.99

According to Abraham Kuyper 'When the first contest eventuated in this that the emperor bowed to Jesus, then... the kingship of Christ began to be triumphant in society...The kingship of Christ from this time on stood as a direction-giving power above the imperial power, which, in order to strengthen its influence, tried for an ever increasingly close integration with the kingship of Jesus...

When in the fourth century persecution ceased and the imperial power evinced a readiness to accommodate itself to Jesus, the basic victory became apparent...This principal victory continued on during the entire course of the long period known as the Middle Ages'. http://missionalchurchnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/christendom-murray.pdf

It is evident during this period that the Church obtained a very powerful position in the society. As highlighted by Murray in his article christendom ( page 2).

Christendom meant: ·
The adoption of Christianity as the official religion of city, state or empire, thus the message of Jesus Christ to be central and the pivotal focus of Faith. It was attractive and receptive to all societies and nations.

Furthermore in the Era we witness the imposition of a supposedly 'Christian morality' on the entire population (although normally Old Testament moral standards were applied)
In this Era the defense of Christianity by legal sanctions to restrain heresy, immorality and schism, and by warfare to protect or extend Christendom.

Indeed the Church as an institution was very powerful and its teachings and life style was the model for the whole communities. From the Government to the Peasants in the land their lives were hinged on the Gospel.

That which brought the downfall of the church as a central power

It with great displeasure to note that Corruption erupted in the church as a result of the favors that the church was receiving from the Empire and the power the Papacy had amused. The church was involved in the Politics of the day. Priests and Bishops would spend much of their time in the Political debates and not in the church teaching and molding the believers to keep moving in the faith.

Church in the 21 Century must bring its members to the place where Christ is back to be the center of their focus. However, we see the almost the same image of the church, Most Nations have even Christianize their Nations and have vowed to live by the principles of the Bible and later on to be molded by the Message of Christ. Some Great Nation have even crafted their national Constitutions with the foundations of the Bible.

The church and the State have been separated technically, but from time to time the two always satisfy each others missions and goals. Directly the Clergy are not running the State and not involved in the day to day Politics. But there do contributes much in the formulation of its Policies and Moral Practices.

In Africa at large one can witness the emerging of new ministries which seeks to milk and suck believers of their resources. Such Corrupt events we witness in the Church, Individuals raising to pursue their self goals at the expense of the Gospel and defrauding man by simply manipulating their faith. Paganism and Christianity has not been separated, the scared and profane is as it were one and the same thing.

This why we can be having a Nation having statics that shows that there are 90% of believers and yet there is again 90% people who are corrupt. Is the Church still relevant in our Time?

The Church is that part of the human community which responds first to God-in-Christ and Christ-in-God. It is the sensitive and responsive part in every society and mankind as a whole. It is that group which hears the Word of God, which sees His judgments, which has the vision of the resurrection.

 In its relations with God it is the pioneer part of society that responds to God on behalf of the whole society, somewhat, we may say, as science is the pioneer in responding to pattern or rationality in experience and as artists are the pioneers in responding to beauty. Niebuhr, H. Richard. "The responsibility of the church for society." The Gospel, the Church, and the World. New York: Harper & Row (1946).

To a great extend the church's message needs to remain making Christ the center of its Message. The Christendom Era and our 21st Century Church, which is under the Modern Era have not  much to offer in terms of transformation and realigning the church's life to the message of Christ.


                 Copyright © Wordnomics [All Rights Reserved.] 

Continue Reading
at 09:39:00
Labels: , , ,

Wednesday 11 May 2016

The 21st Century Church A Replica of the Christendom Era's Church Failures

07:56:00
The 21st Century Church A Replica of the Christendom Era's Church Failures

The Church was instituted in the Christendom Era where the Gospel of Christ thrived. Jesus Christ was the center of the Teaching of the Church, they preached about the coming Kingdom. And indeed the message of Christ was so fresh in the mind of the populous. In the 21st Century the focus of the Church is it still Christ and its message is it about the coming Kingdom?

The word Christendom generally refers to the global community of those who adhere to the Christian faith, with religious practices and dogmas gleaned from the teachings of the Bible. Spread throughout the world, Christendom consists of literally billions of people among many nations and peoples of various ethnicity. Correspondingly, Christendom also refers to those countries where Christianity is the dominating or territorial religion


In the age of Christendom, the church occupied a central and influential place in society and the Western world considered itself both formally and officially Christian. 

So when we speak of post-Christendom, we are making the point that the church no longer occupies this central place of social and cultural hegemony and Western civilization no longer considers itself to be formally or officially Christian. http://www.christianpost.com/news/31585/#upAPO4xTpxqffgKC.99

According to Abraham Kuyper 'When the first contest eventuated in this that the emperor bowed to Jesus, then... the kingship of Christ began to be triumphant in society...The kingship of Christ from this time on stood as a direction-giving power above the imperial power, which, in order to strengthen its influence, tried for an ever increasingly close integration with the kingship of Jesus...

When in the fourth century persecution ceased and the imperial power evinced a readiness to accommodate itself to Jesus, the basic victory became apparent...This principle victory continued on during the entire course of the long period known as the Middle Ages'. http://missionalchurchnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/christendom-murray.pdf

It is evident during this period that the Church obtained a very powerful position in the society. As highlighted by Murray in his article christendom ( page 2).

Christendom meant: ·
The adoption of Christianity as the official religion of city, state or empire, thus the message of Jesus Christ to be central and the pivotal focus of Faith. It was attractive and receptive to all societies and nations.

Furthermore in the Era we witness the imposition of a supposedly 'Christian morality' on the entire population (although normally Old Testament moral standards were applied)
In this Era the defense of Christianity by legal sanctions to restrain heresy, immorality and schism, and by warfare to protect or extend Christendom.

Continue Reading
at 07:56:00
Labels: , ,

His Peace Is Precious

00:54:00

 Probably you are not sure anymore, under pressure you can not handle? Life, marriage and work is breaking in your face. Truly there is no peace in your Life. Learn that God has already given you His Peace appreciate and maximize His Peace in your life.

His Peace Is Precious

There are three words, pregnant with precious and important meaning, commonly used by the apostles in their salutations and benedictions, GRACE, MERCY, and PEACE. These words include everything which man needs or can desire.

Peace is the legacy which Christ gave to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." And after his resurrection, the first time he met with his disciples when assembled together, he said, "Peace be unto you." He gives peace not as the world gives. He is the PRINCE OF PEACE, and his gospel is the "gospel of peace

" It is called "the peace of God," because he is its author. It is a sweet and gentle stream which flows from the fountain of life beneath his throne. Happy is he who has received this heavenly gift; it will, in the midst of external storms and troubles, preserve his mind in a tranquil state. It is independent of external circumstances. 


It is most exquisitely enjoyed in times of affliction and persecution. "In the world you shall have tribulation; but these things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace." It is a fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace." It includes reconciliation with God. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Peace of conscience is a fruit of reconciliation with God. The blood which reconciles, when sprinkled on the conscience, produces a sweet peace which can be obtained in no other way. If the atonement of Christ satisfies the law which condemned us, and we are assured that this atonement is accepted for us, conscience, which before condemned, as being the echo of the law, is now pacified.

His Peace Is Precious

The peace of God also includes freedom from jarring, discordant passions of the mind. The wicked, however prosperous externally, can have no true peace within. Their ambition and pride and avarice, and love of ease and carnal indulgence, can never be harmonized. One may be the master-passion, but the others will arise and create disturbance and turmoil within.


The only passion which effectually harmonizes the discordant passions of human nature, is the love of God. Wherever this is introduced, it will not only be predominant, but bring all other desires into willing subjection.

 The peace of God is not a mere negative blessing, consisting in exemption from the misery of discord; it is a positive enjoyment of the purest, sweetest kind. It is a foretaste of the bliss of heaven.

 Nothing on earth is so delightful. It is therefore said to "pass understanding." No one could have thought man's miserable soul could possess such enjoyment in this world. But why is so little known of the peace of God--in the experience of professing Christians? I leave everyone to answer for himself.
Continue Reading
at 00:54:00
Labels: , ,