Category: Miscellaneous

Hands Off: Time to Rest, Time of Silence

 

My theology professor in Bible college used to emphasize that when God created man, he gave him three major mandates: work, marriage, and rest. Man has to work. Man has to get married and by His grace raise a family. He has also to rest.

All of us are supposed to work for six days and rest on the seventh day (Sabbath). But there are times when the rest on the seventh day is not enough hence we require a special vacation of longer period.

For me, for this year, time has come to go on vacation. As the summer unleashes it’s heat on our land,  I will take time to reflect, refresh, evaluate and  reposition myself in His vineyard hence there will be silence on this blog for this period.

So, don’t wonder at the silence. It’s just time to rest and take my hands of the pen and nothing else. By His grace and will, I will return again.  Till then, may His grace be sufficient for us all, now and always.

 

Christian Leadership is Not for New Converts

A couple of years ago, I was privileged to be part of a Christian group that conducted Bible studies every week and also encouraged one another through God’s word. One summer, the group organized a retreat at the lake and we were joined by two other friends who had just been converted to Christianity.

For some reasons, unknown to me, the leadership of our group entrusted these newly converted brothers with some leadership roles at the retreat. This was a great mistake as we will later realize. During the retreat, various teachings were programmed. But trouble came up when it was a turn for a teaching that had to deal courtship and marriage.

Ten minutes into this teaching, the two brothers felt it was not ‘spiritual enough’ so one of them  stood up while the teacher was speaking and told him in the face: “Sorry sir, but as one of the conveners at this retreat, I see that this is not what God wants. We can’t come all the way here to hear about courtship and marriage. God is telling me that we should spend more time in prayer not unnecessary teaching like this one.”

Boy! I couldn’t believe my ears. The brother was very zealous for the Lord but had little knowledge. The speaker was evidently embarrassed.  But thank God that despite being offended by these remarks, the speaker handled it very well  and we continued with our program.

Later as I reflected on this scenario, 1 Timothy 3 came to my mind. In this chapter, Paul discusses qualifications for Christian leaders and one qualification he lays out is that a Christian leader “must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).

I, strongly, believe that the leadership of our group was wrong in entrusting leadership roles to these newly converted brothers. They were supposed to grow first in the faith as well as learn from other mature Christian leaders before they could provide leadership. I don’t think that someone who’s grown and continues to grow in their faith would regard a Biblical teaching on courtship and marriage as unnecessary and unspiritual.

This is just one of many examples of challenges the church faces as a result of entrusting leadership to new converts. Please get me right, I don’t mean to say that new converts are of no use in God’s Kingdom. This is not what I am saying and meaning. Rather, basing on Scripture I am arguing that new converts should be taught first and enabled to grow in their faith before they can lead.

It saddens my heart to see a person getting converted today and in no time he is pastoring a church. No, this can’t be! What kind of pastorate is this brother going to provide. Also, get me right. I don’t intended to underestimate the gifts and power that God gives out even to new converts. However, these gifts need to be nurtured over a period so that they can be used in a proper way that glorifies God.

In this part of the world, where many Christian leaders hardly make it into seminary, Bible or theological college due to lack of resources and inadequacy of training institutions, I would not argue that every new convert should be trained in such institutions before he leads a church; nevertheless, I would suggest that if one cannot make it into to a training institution, he should learn under a mature and godly Christian leader or leaders for some time before he can venture into leadership of God’s flock.  Timothy never went to seminary but he learnt from his spiritual Father Paul. Even apostle Paul, himself, before he ventured fully into Christian leadership on his own, he partnered with Barnabas and in the process he learnt some lessons of Christian leadership, I believe.

As somebody said, “Every Timothy needs Paul and every Paul needs Timothy” I would like to encourage our mature Christian leaders to identify young people, probably, those who have just been converted to Christianity and train them in Christian leadership. Young people should also be humble enough to sit down under mature and godly men and learn from them how to lead God’s flock in a way that glorifies God.  In this way, the church will never give leadership responsibility to a recent convert who may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.

BUILD WISELY, BUILD ON THE ROCK

Sand Dunes
Not knowing Christ as the Savior is building on sand

Life is described with many similes. Some have described it as a drama; some have said it is like a journey. Those who are acquainted with roller coasters have likened it to roller coasters. Others have preferred to describe life as a race. These and many other similes are given to life depending on how one views life.

Christ also has his own metaphor of describing life. In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus  likens our day to day life with the art of building. As a matter of fact, he says that all of us are builders. He also goes on to categorize the builders into two namely wise and foolish builders.
This is what he says,
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it has its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell with a great crash.”
On sand. This can mean many things, but to sum it up, we would say that anything that controls and drives our lives apart from Christ is sand. Anything that stops us from making Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of our life is sand. To some, it might be fame. There are people today that are driven by fame. In everything they do, they value fame more than anything else, and this in the end leaves Christ having no room in their lives.
To some the sand can be wealth and riches. To them nothing, not even Jesus, matters more than riches and wealth. Different philosophies and ideologies that you hold dear to but oppose God’s Word are also sand. The list is endless. Those who have built on this sand should know that a day is coming when the rains will fall, streams rise, and the winds blow against their houses, and the houses will be crashed into pieces.
On the rock. The rock is none other than Christ. Those who have built their house on the rock are those who have believed in Jesus. These people can be assured that all will be well on the day when the rain will come, streams rise, and the winds blow against their buildings. Their houses will remain unshakable, and they will gladly sing: “On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
Finally, the day when rains will fall and the streams rise, and the winds blow against your building. This is the day when each one of us will depart this earth and stand in front of the great judge, the God of heaven and earth, and give an account of what you did with Jesus Christ. One important question will be posed to each one of us: Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and does Jesus know you as his? Our response will reveal whether we built our house on the sand or on the rock. So, build wisely, build on the rock and His grace is sufficient to enable us build on the rock.

TAMING THE TONGUE

There is one part of our body that has always proved too difficult to handle. This part has dipped some of us into hot

English: a pierced human tongue Deutsch: gepie...
A tongue used without the grace of  Christ is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body

soup before. It has often brought great remorse in our lives. Even the Bible agrees that this is indeed a part that many of us have failed to master its proper use.

The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.

Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.

It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and it is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt flow from the same spring? (James 3:5-11).

For sure, a tongue can be a great problem at times. It can destroy in seconds that which took many years to build. It can turn best friends into worst enemies. It can bring regrettable divisions to a once united and harmonious people. It can shatter into pieces the long-held hopes inside our hearts. The list is endless.

However, there is only one man who can help us use our tongues graciously. This man used his tongue for 33 years here on earth but never sinned in his words. In fact, he used his tongue to heal broken hearts and bring hope to the hopeless. Above all, this man has transforming power that can change us from bad users of the tongue to better ones. The man is Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Tips can be shared on how best we can control our tongues, but without the transforming power of Christ, the tips will prove to be useless. Therefore, let’s acknowledge our failure to tame the tongue; then, we should turn to Christ for mercy and help, and we will be amazed with what Christ can do with this small part of the body.  Of course, the transformation will not only be concentrated on the tongue. It will be a total transformation that will eventually see the tongue being tamed like never before.

So, taming the tongue is  impossible without Christ.  Without Him,  our tongues will continue to be the world of evil that sets the whole course of our lives on fire.

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But woe to those ministers who do not feel the weight of this charge-and woe to those wincing hearers, who (having itching ears that will not endure sound doctrine, heap to themselves teachers that prophecy smooth things, and say peace, peace to the wicked, when God hath declared that there is no peace for them. Against such preachers and hearers the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke, and all the curses that are written in this book shall be upon them, and the Lord shall blot out their names from under heaven. If ye cease to warn the wicked, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. Mark: the consequence of withholding the warning, is the destruction of both the preacher and the hearer.

Asahel Nettleton-The Destruction of Hardened Sinners

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Reflections on Independence Day

Today, we celebrate 48 years of independence in Malawi. As we celebrate this day, I am also  reflecting on ‘spiritual independence.’  It has dawn on me that, spiritually, independence from God is not the  best thing because the Bible encourages us to lean more and more on God than on our own.

God in Proverbs 3:5, 6 puts it: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

Christ also says: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me,” (John 15:4).

Therefore, while in other areas of our lives independence is encouraged, in our spiritual life, it is otherwise. Whilst in other areas of life independence is a sign of progress, in spiritual life, independence from God is a sign of troubled and miserable life.

So, as we celebrate that  Mother Malawi has been independent of its former colonial masters for 48 years, as individuals let’s ensure that we are not independent of Christ but that we are leaning  more and more on him . Only then can we count ourselves as wise and successful people indeed. God bless Malawi. Long Live Mother Malawi!

The Fifth Chosen Generation Missions Conference 2012

It is that time of the year again, when Joy to the World Ministries organizes missions conference with speakers from all over the world. This year’s conference begins on Wednesday, July 4 and ends on Sunday, July 8, 2012 and  under the theme: “Give Us Our Daily Bread”

God has been gracious to me and I will be one of the speakers to this conference. I have been given two sessions. In the first session I have been asked to speak on the topic: “The Sufficiency of God’s  Provision Through His Word” taken from Deuteronomy 8:1-20  while “The Sufficiency of God Provision Through His Church” taken from Acts 4:32-37  will be the next  topic I will tackle in my second session.

Others speakers to this conference are: Rev. Fletcher Matandika, Founder of Joy to the World Ministries, Dr. Charles Morris, Dr. David Reimer and Rev. Stephen Roberts from USA, Mr. Hussen Latif,  Mr. Elliot Khembo and Mr. Joseph Matandika from Malawi.

I pray that you will join and remember me in your prayers and not only me but also all the speakers to this year’s conference. Most of the attendants to the conference are usually students from various colleges and secondary schools in Malawi.

Let’s pray that there will be faithful proclamation of God’s  Word and that  God in  His grace will use the conference to teach, rebuke, correct and train in righteous all the attendees as well as the speakers.

Also join me and pray for those who will come to the conference but have not received the True Bread of Life, Jesus Christ in their lives. Let’s pray that if it pleases Him, God will use the conference through the work of the Holy Spirit to reach out to these friends.

For more details about the conference please visit this link:  2012_Chosen_Generation_Conference_Bulletin-A4

Indeed, All men are like grass and their glory like the flowers of the field. The grass withers, the flowers fall but the Word of God shall stand forever. Amen!

Soli Deo Gloria! To God alone be the glory forever and ever!

Great Lesson from the Life of Apostle Andrew

How should we react to our fellow Christians who are more gifted and God, out of his grace, chooses to use them more than us? This question lingered in my mind as I reflected on the life of Andrew one of the twelve apostles of Jesus.

According to the Gospel by John, Andrew and John were the first people to join Jesus’ ministry. Later on Andrew brought his elder brother, Peter to join the ministry too (1:35-42). In no time, Peter acquired a leading role among the apostles of Christ. When Jesus decided to form his inner circle, he opted for Peter John and James leaving Andrew out.

Apostle  Andrew could have been bitter and developed resentment toward the chosen three.  He would have even also challenged Jesus: “What’s wrong with you Master? Why leaving an old-timer like me and picking up younger James who has just joined the ministry recently to be in your inner circle?”

Surprisingly, however, Andrew was content to serve Christ in whatever capacity despite being the first person to join Jesus’ ministry. We don’t even read a lot about Andrew in the Bible. It seems that what  mattered most to Apostle Andrew was serving God faithfully. He cared little who got the credit or prominence.

This is what we need in the Church today. Sometimes, we fight for positions and roles of influence forgetting that it is not the positions that matter most rather it is our faithful service to Christ that pleases God most.

We also learn from Andrew that when people more gifted than us come from behind and acquire leading roles, we ought not to fuss about it. As long as Christ gets the glory, all is well.