It Matters How You Choose

Daniel 1:3-4

New International Version (NIV)

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace.

For meditation

King Nebuchadnezzar needed some young men to come into his service from the royal house of Judah, and these were his preferred qualities: Young men with no physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve (Daniel 1:3-4).

God also put out His list of preferred qualities for men to come into His service in the church. Above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach. Someone who has not given himself to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not lovers of money (1 Timothy 3:2-3). They must be men who hold on to the truths of the faith with a clear conscience (8-9), who love what is good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined (Titus 1:8).

When you contrast these two lists, what do you see? Do you realize the difference in values? 

When we juxtapose these two lists, the disparity in values becomes glaringly apparent. Society may place a premium on physical and intellectual prowess, beauty, and worldly knowledge in its leaders, but God’s standards are markedly different. He values integrity, honesty, fidelity, faithfulness, holiness, and comportment. This stark divergence in values is not just a point of difference, but a profound revelation that can help us understand the chaos and turmoil in the world today.

The first list lacks integrity, which is crucial for keeping everything together. Without morality, social, economic, political, and religious systems cannot have integrity. Tragically, the world, preferring unfettered freedom, has rejected the source of truth and morality—God Almighty. In the immediate past, most of the current candidates for political office in the USA and my country, Ghana, would not have dared to put out their names for elections at any level.

A candidate for a student’s leadership position in a particular University had to go under cover of the night to remove his posters for a position because of the comments people wrote on them. They were too stressful to bear. But who cares now?    

The church has not opposed this downward trend. It prefers the charismatic and slick orator more than the Pauline type (1 Cor. 10:1; 2 Cor. 11:6). Thus, we set the divine standard aside when God’s people choose their leaders.  

The choice of Israel’s first king serves as a chilling warning. Instead of seeking someone with godly qualities, they desired a leader like the kings of the surrounding nations (1 Sam. 8:5). The result was a catastrophe, a stark reminder of the perils of choosing leaders without godly qualities. The example of Israel should ignite our concern about the future implications of such choices.

This year, many nations, including Ghana and the USA, are at a critical juncture as they head to the polls. The stakes have never been higher. The choices these nations make in selecting their leaders will profoundly affect their future, not forgetting that we all make daily leadership choices at all levels of life. 

As we prepare to elect our leaders at all levels, let us pay attention to the pivotal role of excellent leadership and moral competence. Our choices will shape the future of our families, churches, communities, and nations and reflect our commitment to God and His glory in Christ Jesus. Let this inspire us to seek leaders who embody these godly qualities. Amen.

Let’s Get Off His Seat

Hebrews 3:3 

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.

For Meditation

As a retired pastor, I see a lot of missteps pastors take, which leads them down the slippery road of pride and lofty living. It is an avoidable condition only if we can respect the sovereignty and holiness of God.

The church has too many lords and kings, if not gods. Members of the clergy have raised themselves above the Lord of the church in diverse ways. We have usurped the seat of Christ and assumed preeminence among the congregation. We claim we are exalting Christ in our services when, in reality, it has always been about us. Many have started well but lost it to the sweet and subtle flow of glamor, recognition, power, and authority over a clinging congregation. Gradually, and as the membership grows, pastors do everything to match their expectations. They have standards and quotas to meet, so they add more pressure to their already high-pressurized hearts.

The pastor must give the congregation what they valued in the world before coming to the Lord to make them feel comfortable. That’s the way to keep the affluent and maintain the cash flow. The richer the church becomes, the harder it tries to maintain these standards, which comes with lots of compromises and rationalization of the word.

We have forgotten that the building is never greater than its builder, just as Moses is not greater than Jesus, the Creator of all things (Hebrews 3:1-6). He is the builder of His house—His body, the church – to which we belong as members. 

Therefore, Christ alone deserves our worship. He alone deserves our attention and obedience—not any pastor, prophet, or apostle, no matter how masterly God uses them. 

O that they may know—those pastors who have raised themselves as kings and lords to receive worship from the congregation God has raised them to lead!

O, that they may know—those members who have exalted their leaders above the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ, and have made the words of those human leaders their authority!

O, that we may know – no matter how blessed or divinely favored, that His seat is not ours.

Only if everyone will know that Jesus is the only Lord and Sovereign King to be worshipped and adored. 

Only then will they be wise and any of us humbled.

As the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah:

I am the Lord; that is my name!

    I will not give my glory to anyone else, 

Nor share my praise with carved idols (Isa. 42:8).

So, the Psalmist says:

Now then, you kings, act wisely!

    Be warned, you rulers of the earth! (Psalm 2:10).

I am humbled.,

A Refreshing Cup of Water

Philippians 2:21-22

New International Version (NIV)

For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.

For meditation

In my brief life as a pastor, many people have touched me in various ways. Their acts of kindness, words that encourage, straight talk and rebuke, calls and messages that edify and assure, invitations to dine after a long Sunday, and many more I cannot recall. They each ministered to me in their peculiar ways. Yet, few people have touched me as this young man did. It was an act of love and care that fills my eyes with tears, even today, as I write in retirement from Ghana. 

I woke up around nine forty-five that morning with so much on my mind. Our apartment building vibrated as I dashed out my door and sped towards the home that houses our ministry to the street children of Dakar, called Talibes. The cleaner was the only one there. My hand quickly went through my pocket, but I realized I could not call until I returned home. [AK1] 

“Where are you, Sallieu?”

“Right by your apartment,” he said. “I am coming up.”

After a short discussion, I picked up my car keys and headed for the door. 

“Where are you going, Pastor?” Sallieu said.

“To the church.”

“Pastor, you texted me you slept at five this morning,” he shot back.

“Just a few minutes and I will be back under my sheets, I promise.”

A short time after, Sallieu was knocking on my office door. 

“Pastor, you must leave.”

“Give me thirty minutes, please.”

“Thirty minutes it is, pastor because I am keeping the time.”

He got me out of my office alright, and he made sure I headed in the right direction – towards my house.

My wife rushed to our bedroom to reprimand me as I slid under the sheets, but she was too late. My locomotive engine was already cruising on Slumberland Highway.

What love! What a concern for a pastor! This young man made sure that I got enough sleep or no work.  

It reminds me of the testimony of Paul about Timothy. 

“For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel” (Phil. 2:21-22).

Do you take care of your pastor in this way? Many congregation members are unaware of the importance of their pastor’s private time. They haven’t considered how their pastor’s well-being and the welfare of his family directly affect his ministry. So, what can you do to lighten your pastor’s ministry responsibilities and allow him time to rejuvenate before the Lord?

This need goes beyond the pastor to our offices. There are people in our offices struggling to meet their deadlines and targets. They can use a helping hand so they can meet their deadlines. A touch of the Savior’s hand through your compassionate offer would relieve their burden and refresh their souls. Is that not bringing the Gospel invitation to them where you are (Matt 11:28)?

 May the Lord bless you according to His faithful word in Proverbs 11:25:

 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Shalom

 [AK1]The flow of events isn’t too clear from here to this sentence “ My wife rushed to our bedroom as I slid under the sheets, but my locomotive engine was speeding off on Slumberland Highway.”

Did you go back home from the talibe house before heading out again to the church office?

Christmas Bells Are Ringing

Isaiah 9:6

New International Version

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.

For Meditation

Christmas bells are ringing. Shops have emptied their shelves and are stocking up with colorful decorative Christmas goods. Shoppers are doing their accounts to see how much they can afford to bring home for the season. Decorations have started in homes, shops, offices, and lobbies. From Black Friday and heading towards Christmas, advertisers are cashing in on the mad rush for profit by commercial houses as Wall Street looks forward to a bull market to close out the year. But is that what Christmas is all about?

Is Christmas about The Manger Child born in Bethlehem or about profit-making? Is any of the gifts people will give to one another the real deal, or is it about the best Gift ever from heaven to the world? Do people even stop to tell the Christmas Story anymore?

Unfortunately, churches have diminished the Christmas celebration over the controversy over its actual date and origin. The devil is such a clever deceiver! We claim Easter as the most important date on the Christian calendar—and I will never diminish the Cross of Calvary for a fraction of a second. It is where my eternal healing took place. However, I have a problem when we downplay everything that took place before Calvary as of secondary importance.

Many Christians do not even consider what it took for Christ to become a fetus in the womb of a young woman to be born to save us (Phil. 2:6-8). Think about it—that the Almighty God would leave His throne in heaven and condescend to our wretched level to save us. Dig even deeper. Imagine what it took for Christ to empty Himself of all His prerogatives as God, to be conceived as a human baby by the Holy Spirit in a virgin womb. Think about God as a baby in a human womb for nine months, just as we were. It is unimaginable! It blows my mind!

Consider His condescension, the hypostatic union of the divine with humanity without confusion or admixture. Then, see Him lying in a manger in a stinking sheep pen. Maybe you can now see that Christmas is not just an ordinary occasion filled with commercial activities and the giving of gifts. It is the celebration of the day which brought us the Redeemer, without which Calvary would be an ordinary mountain like any other in my village and yours. There would be no cross without God taking on human flesh.

Christmas is the beginning of the actualization of God’s redemption plan for us sinners. It is a story that rises from the womb of Mary to a crescendo at Calvary. It finds its climax in a garden with an empty tomb.

That, my friend, is why Christmas is worth celebrating with joy for the glory of God Christ Jesus. Amen!

The Bodybuilding Project of God

So, Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.—Ephesians 4:11-12.

A building project is a lofty undertaking. It is far too important a project to trifle with; otherwise, why would anybody spend the time, energy, and money to build?

The builder must have a reason for building and a purpose to accomplish with what they build. They must set goals and expect a desired impact for the target demography. That raises the bar and a sense of efficiency, effectiveness, and quality. Without the expectation of a meaningful impact, the work will not receive the attention and seriousness it deserves.

In Ephesians 4, Paul talks about the building of the body of Christ onto the fulness of Christ (4:11-13).

He talks about the provision God has made for this building (Eph. 4:11; 1 Cor. 12:7-11), the purpose for the provision He has made (12), and the goal He has set for the building project (13). Paul again tells us about the expected impact God desires for the bodybuilding project.

God expects His congregation to become mature and spiritual, stable to withstand the strong winds of false doctrines taught by deceptive teachers (14). We cannot overemphasize this now, when these false teachers and their demonic doctrines abound, dressed in flashy and fancy garbs that have swept across the Christian landscape like a blinding snow blizzard. It takes discernment to know those wolves in sheep’s clothing. (Matt. 7:15). John knows this, so he admonishes us to “not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 Jn. 1).

God also expects His church to become a disciplined, well-groomed, and growing church with strong Christian principles and values established on His truth and love (15). The impact of such a church upon this dark and decaying world would be remarkable and glorifying to our Lord Jesus, but are we anywhere near it? How disciplined is the church based on His word? How well-groomed are we in His perfections? Do strong biblical principles guide our plans and actions? Are our values set in His truth and love?

The church must evaluate itself to see how it is doing in this building project. I suggest we start with the church that meets in our homes—the family church. It takes excellent bricks to build a magnificent building in which we can feel confident in taking refuge. That is what the home church is—the church the father pastors. I am not talking about the home church that involves your neighbors, but the church with daddy and mommy as leaders and the children and house-helps as members.

How strong is the church that meets in your house, or is there any? How often does it meet and how disciplined are its bible studies, and how well-groomed are its members? Are parents and children solid on Christian principles? Do parents value truth as a belt that holds personal and family life together? (Eph. 6:14). Does love flow freely in your house church?

Blessed is your local church if your house church is that strong.

Is He A Giver Or What?

Beauty!

“Freely you have received, freely give”. (Matthew 5:8).

How generous is God? How gracious is He? Look around you today. Consider His creation. Check out the variety of flowers and shades of beauty He has lavished on us for our thrill. Have you been to the countryside lately? How did you feel? Did you smell the freshness of the air, the breath-taking scenes of the rolling mountains and the sheltered valleys, the hanging cliffs, the tall, shady trees with their musky aroma permeating the air?

Have you seen and heard the roar of a river? Clean and crisp, flowing gently and meandering like a snake and twisting as it begins its majestic walk down the gentle steps on a mountainside? Did you notice how, finally, it tumbled into a deep waterfall, rushing into its path through the forest from where it continues its long journey into the sea? What a beauty to behold? 

Did you hear the birds sing their praises to their Creator for such serenity unequalled on any planet? They chirp and hop from tree to tree, making their nests where they house and feed their young with the abundant provision they do not work for, a measure of His grace and benevolence.

How about the sun that warms and lights our path in the day with its brilliance? And the glory of the moon that brightens the night? Have you taken time to stargaze on a beautiful, still night? Ever sensed His Majesty? Did you see the lightning that lit the skies? How about the deep thunder as the clouds gathered for a heavy downpour to cool the earth – providing life to plants to nourish the animals of the field? By the way, have you stopped to consider their variety and beauty? How can it be that none of the Zebras in East Africa have the same design of strips of black on white? Isn’t God wonderful?

Now, consider how generously He has lavished us with talents that fill every need in our lives: musicians to rouse our emotions, artists to captivate our imagination with the strokes of their brushes, poets to awaken the human in us, talented athletes, and sporting events for our leisure and many more. What else has the Almighty not given us in abundance?

But before you forget, consider His love that brought us His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. What grace! How can He care so much about us who had so offended and destroyed the beauty of His world? Why would Jesus come to die for us? Have you experienced His kind of love before? 

O, the gift of His Holy Spirit – His gifts and enablement! He has lavished them on us so richly that each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others (1 Peter 4:10). 

Why then are we sitting on our gifts? Why so parsimonious with them?

As generous as our Creator and Savior Redeemer, Jesus Christ, has given us the grace gifts for building His church, so must we give for His glory. May God bless you as you commit to His service, by finding your place in the church for service in His Kingdom! 

      Express your spirit gift today.

Empowered Today!

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth – Acts 1:8.

Lately, you hear about conferences on empowerment: political, economic, social, etc. Another phrase for the same cry is advocacy. That’s why you hear about human rights advocacy groups all over the place. What is it all this about?

It is all about seeking the conditions and environment necessary to do the right things to make things better for some specific groups of people we perceive as abused. For example, women and children advocacy groups see abuse in the conditions these groups live under, and they set out to conference and dialogue to change the mindset of government and civil society so that we will do the right things for them to live in decency and honor. These conditions could be health, economic, social, or politically related. They seek laws and policies that will empower women and children and give them the ability to rise above the inhuman conditions in which they live. These are all good. The problem arises when we raise the question of how we got there.

We cannot accept that the total depravity of man is the root cause of all these abuses. This failure has its roots in the denial of creation against evolution. But it can never change what God has done by any means. Therefore, if we want to restore our natural freedoms, abilities, and dignity, we have to refer to the creator of all things — God Almighty.

God knows the failures, inabilities, indignities, and cruelties that permeate our lives. He understands it is all because of sin, and it calls for empowerment. The only way to do this was to deal with sin that had enslaved humankind and made us fearful since Adam (Heb. 2:14-15). Over the years, the human effort has failed to restore things. Musicians and Poets have sung and written about love as the answer, but we realize that our love is hollow, self-seeking, conditional, and disappointing. Genuine love is God Himself, revealed to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Yet pride does not allow a man to give up on his abilities and turn to the creator. But God still loves the world and has provided the very empowerment man seeks.  

In Romans chapter eight, God declares our freedom from the power and enslavement to sin and death (Rom. 8:2). To live in this deliverance from fear, God has given us His Spirit—the Spirit of sonship by whom we cry Abba, Father (15). Paul reminds us in 2 Tim. 1:7 that God has given us a spirit, not of timidity, but power, love, and self-discipline—the Christian life and witness. This power is what Jesus promised His disciple before His ascension (Acts 1:8)—the Holy Spirit who came in all His glory and might on the Day of Pentecost (2:1-4).   

That is our empowerment to rise above the abusive and inhuman conditions in which people live! It comes only by trusting Jesus with your life and living for Him. Then we can walk and live in the freedom the Holy Spirit provides and enables to live joyfully in the Lord always.   

Now Live!

Set Free in Christ

Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.’ – John 5:14

The poor man had been in his condition for 38 years, lying at the Pool of Siloam. He was lame and helpless without human support, for no one offered when he needed it. 

Tradition had it that angels would come to stir the pool and would give healing to the first to enter it. How could he race against the strong, though diseased in other ways, when he was lame? So, he had this mental excuse to keep him in that bitter state, and he made sure Jesus heard it. 

Do not fault me, sir, whoever you are. You do not know how cruel and uncaring people are. I have been in this situation for so long, but no one has ever offered to help me, or given me special status and prioritized me when the pool got stirred (Paraphrased).

How many have been living under such oppressive mental condition and, though hating it, are still enjoying the cover it provides from blame? 

It is never our fault, but that of someone. We can always find consolation in our weaknesses or the lack of resources to excuse our failings, but when will we grow up to take responsibility for some of them? It could be marital problems, poor financial status or economic opportunities, low self-esteem, lack of education or low social position. There may be people who have hurt you or denied you a privilege—a mother, father, colleague, a wicked boss, pastor, friend — you name them. The question, though, is when will you take God at His word and receive your healing, standing in the victory of Christ to overcome those words or actions done against you?

Jesus’ question to the man only required a simple yes or no answer – whether he wanted healing. However, notice the tons of bile that the man spewed at the Lord. Gracious Lord that He is, Jesus disregarded all of that and commanded the man to get up, pick up his mat and walk (8). If only we could receive His word in this way, without the nagging doubt, and act on it, we would experience His power in this way many times, but we do not. 

The evil one has conned us to relegate His miraculous dealing with us to the past, so we least expect it in our daily walk with Him. I am not talking about a miracle healer somewhere commanding you to stand up and walk. I am talking about trusting God through prayer for healing in incredible ways, sometimes with no human agent.

The story took a different turn when Jesus met the man in the temple and warned him to stop sinning; or something worse may happen to him (14). He told him to live now, and stop sliding backwards into the dead lifestyle again.

Child of God! It is time for you to live now. You are that invalid at the Pool of Bethesda that Christ healed. It is time to live for Him. Paul puts it this way: 

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). 

Live now! The old life is gone. The new has come in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), so, live it by the power of the Holy Spirit in you. Amen! 

When, O Lord?

When, the End?

2 Peter 3:3-4

New Living Translation

Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”

For Meditation

Have you wondered why the journey to a new destination seems so long for the first time? You may have wondered how the return trip became so short you got back so quickly. You covered the same distance both times, so what happened? Well, it is all a mind game.

When are we going to get there—how long? How many miles do we have left to cover?

The wonder! The questions that come with it and the anticipation of experiencing the long-desired destination make the maiden trip so long and arduous to bear. But who cares about the return leg of the journey? The wonder gives way to relaxation and mental pictures of the experience you do not want to leave you. So, how did we get here so soon?

Jesus promised He would return for His disciples after preparing an eternal habitation for them (John 14: 1-5). The counting started a short time after His ascension. People have put dates to His return for over two thousand years, but He hasn’t returned. Peter had to put the minds of the early believers to rest in the Lord’s faithfulness and the differences in time conceptions between God and humans (2 Peter 3:1-9). 

 “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (8). 

No one knows the day and time of His return. He said it would be like a thief in the night (10). The encouragement for us is to be expecting and ready.

In the meantime, many things will try our patience. Wars, rumors of wars, pandemics, sicknesses, fires, floods, earthquakes, landslides, drought, famine, poverty, domestic situations, and many more. When will He come back to end these trials and tribulations?

Despite these things, we remember that every promise of God is “Yes” in Christ, and we say, Amen, in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20). He will surely come, though He tarries.

Do not give up on your marriages, despite the turbulence. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient for you if you let Him in them. Never turn back or allow frustration to cloud your faith in His faithfulness (Numbers 3:19).

“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation” (2 Peter 3:14-15).