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Overcoming Chronic fear

On Mission
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Overcoming Chronic fear

Joke: What do you call a baptized Mexican? – Bean dip.

FEAR. We all have the capacity to make it our constant companion. Chronic fear can paralyze us, keeping us stuck in misery and brokenness. This is never more true than in the aftermath of a shattered heart! When the world turns upside down, it can be difficult to figure out how to reconcile fear and faith.

Sometimes, in that place of darkness, even the Bible can seem a bit confusing on the subject of fear. We’re told again and again not to fear, and yet we’re also told TO fear God. 

So from down in the depths of despair, it’s pretty easy to think ourselves in circles, and before we know it, fear has taken hold and spun out of control.
What we need to do is look at the whole Bible and compile what it has to say on the subject of fear so we can come away knowing exactly where we should stand

Exercise

  • What kind of things do we fear?
  • Why do we fear these things?
  • What’s the effect of having this fear in our life?

Chronic Fear

Most of us know, or have at least noticed that anxiety and depression seem to be on the rise. It’s hard to go anywhere without seeing or hearing something on the subject.

 According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. They say these disorders affect 40 million adults in this country alone! And the statistics don’t change much in the world at large with the World Health Organization reporting 1 in 13 adults suffer from anxiety globally.

I wish I could say this struggle with chronic fear lessens within the church. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, if these numbers from LifeWay’s Facts & Trends research are accurate, the numbers might even be higher in the church.

Being Afraid vs Living in Fear

Discuss – Is there a difference between being afraid and living in fear?

Fear can be the right response to some situations

Fear is defined as an emotional state triggered by real danger that is in front of you, whereas anxiety is created from an image of danger that is not present in that actual moment.

This is a huge distinction. Look at fear as a positive, instinctive emotion that serves you loyally – fear gets you out of danger. It is explained in the body by a general activation of our sympathetic nervous system (the fight-flight-freeze mechanism). Fear flows through us and onwards. It is a powerful and delicate emotion; a multi-layered experience rather than a flatline concept that should be avoided. Fear can actually be exciting – think of your last roller coaster ride or perhaps a parachute jump. Fear is part of our awakened natural animal world.

Living in fear is a negative thing that can cause you to be a shell of yourself

When you live in fear, it’s like living in our own internal TV show that is produced and directed by ourselves. It uses stock images borrowed from many other sources.

According to 2011 statistics released by the US Department of State, you are 35,079 times more likely to die from heart disease than because of a terrorist attack. And of course, anxiety is a major contributing factor to heart disease. Doesn’t it make more sense to focus on overcoming the threats that are more likely to harm you?

Besides, believers are commanded not to live in fear.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind

Facing Fear

In this study, we’re standing toe to toe with that ugly monster, and reminding it who sits on the Throne of Heaven! He is the same God who has made His temple in our own hearts! And this is what HE tells us about fear:

One the major ways we can overcome Chronic fear is to remember tho is with you!

John 14:26-27 – But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative – that is, the Holy Spirit – He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

1. Thank God for his love

Psalm 138 1 – 8

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
    and will praise your name
    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
    that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
    you greatly emboldened me.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,
    when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord,
    for the glory of the Lord is great.

6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
    though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
    with your right hand you save me.
8 The Lord will vindicate me;
    your love, Lord, endures forever—
    do not abandon the works of your hands.

2. Live in the love of God – 1 John 4:7–21

‘God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us’ (v.17).

The words ‘love’, ‘loves’ and ‘loved’ appear twenty-seven times in this short passage. Here is the heart of the New Testament. Here is the heart of the Bible. Here is God’s heart.

Love is the antidote to fear: ‘Perfect love drives out fear’ (v.18). Or, ‘perfect love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror’ (v.18, AMP). Love is the opposite of fear. They are like oil and water. Love is something everyone wants. Fear is something everybody wants to get rid of. We see in this passage four keys to overcome unhealthy fear in your life.

  • Understand God’s Love
    ‘This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins… so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment… there is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love’ (vv.10,17–18).

    Unhealthy fear entered the world when Adam and Eve sinned. They hid from God. When God asked, ‘Where are you?’ Adam replied, ‘I was afraid… so I hid’ (Genesis 3:10). Adam was afraid that God would punish him.

    The deepest root of fear is condemnation – the feeling that God is cross with you. But God ‘sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins’ (1 John 4:10). Jesus took your condemnation. God wants you to have confidence before him.
  • Experience God’s Love
    ‘We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his spirit… we know and rely on the love God has for us’ (vv.13,16).

    You truly start living when you know you are unconditionally loved by God. The Holy Spirit gives us the experience of God’s love for us. When Pippa was a little girl, whenever she was frightened, her father would pick her up in his arms and sing, ‘Daddy’s got you now’. This is the work of the Holy Spirit – God picks us up in his arms and reassures us of his love for us.
  • Believe God’s Love
    ‘We know and rely on the love God has for us’ (v.16). The Greek word used for ‘rely’ is the same word as for believe. Even when we know and have experienced God’s love, we need to keep on believing.

    Object permanence is an expression used by psychologists of a child’s ability to understand that objects still exist even if they are no longer visible.

    Up to about four months old, babies don’t have the capacity to believe something exists if they can’t see it. If you hide a toy it no longer exists as far as they are concerned. They reach a stage where if you hide a toy, they will keep on looking for it. They realise that objects exist even when you don’t see them.

    This is a sign of Christian maturity: when we continue to believe in God’s love even when we don’t see it or feel it. We remember and recall. As we believe in the sun even when it is not shining, we continue to believe in God’s love even in times of darkness when we don’t feel his love.
  • Perfect God’s Love
    ‘No-one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us’ (v.12). ‘Perfect love drives out all fear’ (v.18).

    The more you love him and demonstrate that reality by loving one another – the less you are prey to fear. Develop a culture of love – giving and receiving love. This is the opposite of competition and gossip. The more love you give to others – the more fear disappears.

3. Stand firm in the love of God – Daniel 11:2–35

People who know their God (v.32) are people of love. Love is not weak. The people who really know God resist evil leaders. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a man who knew God and firmly resisted Adolf Hitler whilst praying, ‘Give me such love for God and men, as will blot out all hatred and bitterness.’ Over the centuries many people who have known their God have stood firm and resisted evil.

Once again this prophecy has different levels of fulfilment. The immediate historical fulfilment concerns the various kings and rulers who reigned between 530–150 bc, many of whom were evil and ungodly in their actions.

However, there is also a long-term fulfilment. As we saw yesterday, Jesus referred to the abomination that causes destruction (9:27; 11:31; Matthew 24:15). He was probably referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70, which was a foreshadowing of the end times.

In the midst of all this evil ‘the people who know their God will firmly resist [the evil one]’ (Daniel 11:32b). As the RSV puts it, they will ‘stand firm and take action’. Or as The Bible puts it, ‘those who stay courageously loyal to their God will take a strong stand’ (v.32b). It goes on, ‘those who keep their heads on straight will teach the crowds right from wrong by their example… The testing will refine, cleanse, and purify those who keep their heads on straight and stay true’ (vv.33,35).

Today, thank God for his love, live in the love of God, overcome your fears, stand firm and resist evil.

Why Must the Church Stay Connected?

Oluwaseyi Sobogun
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Why Must the Church Stay Connected?

This pandemic has changed the Church. In a short space of time, we have rewritten the rules of the modern church. The vital part of the Church, the true meaning of the word became the focus when the actual doors of the church were shut. Since then, we have seen the shift of our church services to online platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. We have embraced the new invite to services through links in a WhatsApp message or an email flyer. We have seen our claps turn to emojis and our praises shouted in capitals on a chat. We have seen the Church adapt. Now that we are no longer required to leave our house to attend service, (can we remain connected to Church or are we still connected to the Church)?

Embracing the ‘New Normal’

At this critical moment, we, believers in Jesus Christ, must reflect on why we attend church in the first place. We must go back to what church was at the very beginning of Christianity if we are to have a chance at staying connected amidst this pandemic.

It is understandable that attending church online may have not been the first choice for many of us, however, this pandemic has forced a lot of things upon us that we had not expected. Jesus said we would experience trials (John 16:33) but I know none of us expected this. Nonetheless, when the pandemic hit, the first lockdown was enforced and the church doors closed for the first time, we had to find an alternative way to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Technological innovation has merely improved the way we worship and allowed the Gospel to be more accessible globally. We can now invite multiple people to church than ever before. It is as simple as sending a link to a YouTube page or website. Also, we now have the chance to truly come as we are. No dressing up to impress others at church. People have arrived in their pyjamas, eating breakfast or still in bed- however, reverence towards God, in these moments, must be exercised. We can ‘attend’ church from home any day of the week.

Have we lost the formality of Church?

The Church was never meant to be formal. Formality was what the Pharisees were about, not Jesus nor Christianity. The church was a place to fellowship with other believers and it often happened in a house, not a state-of-the-art auditorium. The western world has glamorised the church, to the point that unbeliever’s question if they are good enough for God. Good enough to attend church because they are not ‘good’ or they do not fit a mould that has been formed by imperfect humans.

Everyone is welcome to the Church.

Church with a capital ‘C’ refers to the body of Christ, whilst church with a small ‘c’ is the physical reference of the building. We have seen that we do not need a church to be the Church. We are the Church, the body of Christ.

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.…Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it

1 Corinthians 12:12, 27

The Church needs you

Anyone, through salvation, can be a part of the body of Christ and in the body, each member is essential. “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together” (1 Cor. 12:26). There is an importance to fellowshipping together in the body. It is great to tune into the live service on a Sunday, but we need to engage further. Together, with the foundation of Christ, we can continue the community built out of Acts 2:42, which says:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers…. and day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.

We understand the restrictions do not permit the physical gathering, but virtual gatherings are accepted, even welcomed. Therefore, whether in person or online, let us continue to worship God through our love and fellowship with each other. The body of Christ, the Church, needs to be together. “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25). Especially now that we are back in lockdown.

With this new lockdown, it is also important for us to remain connected to the head of the body, Jesus (Colossians. 1:18). We must remain in Him if we are to bear the fruits that will help us to better serve our brothers and sisters during this time. Jesus never neglected such fellowship and there is a lot of encouragement in scripture for us to continue in the same manner. An example on how from 1 Peter 3:8:

  • Show empathy – We do not know the burdens of another. (Galatians 6:2)
  • Love one another – Just as Jesus has commanded (John 15:12)
  • Be compassionate – The same compassion God has for us (Ephesians 4:32)
  • Be humble – Let’s think of others above ourselves with a selfless attitude (Philippians 2:3)

Then when we physically gather once again, we will be more connected as the body through our love for Jesus and each other. “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing (1 Thess. 5:11).

When it’s time to go back to Church

The last 7 months have not been easy. When the doors of churches finally open again, let us pray that we do not forget the lessons we have learnt in this pandemic. The importance of fellowship, in fact, the simplicity of it. We do not need the stage, the worship team to have all the instruments or to be seated in a large auditorium with flashing lights and an amazing sound system. We simply need to have hearts that want to worship Jesus with fellow believers. Also, to be welcoming to anyone who may find their way into the congregation that day.

Jesus made it that it would not matter where we worship but that we worshipped. “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23).
We are no longer bound by worship only in a temple. We are the Temple of God and the Holy Spirit dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). We can worship God anywhere, at anytime. The closing of the church buildings has not stopped us worshipping God. It cannot and should not. Let’s stay connected.

Why You Need To Read Your Bible Daily

Chude Obuaya
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In John 17:17 Jesus prayed that God would sanctify us in the truth and that God’s word is truth. The latter portion of this verse is increasingly being debated and disbelieved by believers. Moreover, more people are doubting the truthfulness of scripture and its relevance in our everyday lives. I believe that this development should be met with great sadness. The scriptures are declared as God-breathed and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training each believer in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). With the many exhortations in scripture for the believer to grow and pursue holiness the questions one must ask is, is the bible relevant for us today and if so why should I read it daily?

The Word is truth

Before Jesus went to the cross, He conducted a prayer that centred around the glory of God. Jesus gives an account to God, confirming that He completed the task that He was given – namely to make God’s name known (John 17:3,6). Jesus prays for Himself (vv, 1-5), then for His disciples (vv, 6-19), and finally for later believers (vv, 20-26). In verse 16, when praying for His current disciples; Jesus declares that they are not of this world as He is not of this world. Then in verse 17, He prays that His disciples would be sanctified by God’s word. This is pivotal. The disciples would be kept unstained from the corruption of the world by the truth – which is the word of God. The word sanctified in verse 17 has both a relational and moral component to it. The relational component refers to separation from being influenced by and participating in evil and the moral component refers to growth in holiness in all aspects of life. Sanctification occurs according to the truth. This means that as the disciples, and by extension Christians worldwide, believe and live according to the truth they are being sanctified. The Greek word for truth (alētheia) in verse 17 is not an adjective, it’s a noun. Therefore, the implication here is that God’s word doesn’t merely conform to some external standard of truth but is truth itself. This means that if God’s word is truth, then it is the standard by which we test and compare everything else against.

The Word transforms

So, if the bible is true – if it is the word of God, then Christian, you must read it every day. This isn’t legalism; this is life. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:105, that God’s word is a lamp unto his feet and light unto his path. Whilst we remain in fallen and corrupted bodies we are susceptible to fallenness and the corruption of this world. We will be changed. Jesus promises that. But this transformation to glory isn’t a passive experience but an active one. We aren’t just called to believe that we are holy, we are called to pursue it (Hebrews 12:14). We don’t grow in holiness by trying harder but by beholding the One who is altogether holy, worthy, and wonderful. Reading the bible and praying enables us to see Jesus for who He is – the supreme Treasure of our lives. Jesus is the Truth and if we are to follow Christ we are to be people of the truth and there is no better place to get the truth than in the word of God.

How Do I Share the Gospel with Atheists?

Jimi Olaleye
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How Do I Share the Gospel with Atheists?

Oftentimes, we as Christians feel inadequate when it comes sharing the gospel with individuals who oppose scripture, especially those from the science community. Witnessing to atheists is often quite a daunting task and a lot of us often feel ill-equipped to provide a defence of our faith. However, although they may often feel like threats to the faith, atheists, as much as any other religious group, need to hear the Good News. So, therefore how can we make Christ known, without ignoring objections raised against the Bible, especially evolutionary claims?

Know Christ and make Christ known

Not much is to be known about the Apostle Peter’s educational background, but the Bible makes it clear that he was a fisherman by profession. In Acts 15:6-11, we see Peter mightily proclaiming the Gospel of the grace of the Lord Jesus, opposing men who were teaching a different gospel, that circumcision was necessary for salvation (Acts 15:1). How could Peter so boldly preach the Gospel, without any (assuming he had none) formal education or training?

Peter could boldly preach the Gospel without hesitation, not necessarily because of what he knew but because of Who he knew. Just like Peter, we as Christians have experienced a very real encounter with Jesus, and both of us know Him and have fellowship with Him. Christians are people who’ve been saved from the consequences of their sins, through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of cavalry. Recognising the mercy of God, now comes the responsibility of sharing the message of Christ to our neighbours, hoping that through hearing the Gospel, it would do a work in their hearts. Often when we do this, we discover the various worldviews people have that contradict Scripture, one being evolution.

Evolution vs Creation

In the world of academia, the matter of evolution vs creation is one which is highly debated. The title is an oversimplification. The evolution being debated is macro-evolution, the belief that everything came from nothingness, and that life evolved over the ages to produce humans. An example of this is man evolving from apelike creatures over millions of years. The Creationist view on the other hand simply espouses that God created the world and everything in it in 6 days by His word (Genesis 1).

When sharing the Gospel with those who believe in evolution, the contention comes when both camps have different starting points. Evolution removes the need for God and allows an unbeliever to systemise their denial of the existence of God. The Bible on the other hand teaches that everybody knows God exists through His creation, implying that evolutionists believe in God but are suppressing the truth they know about Him. The task at hand is to engage in apologetics, explaining to our atheist friends why we believe the Bible is true, and why any alternatives are false. However, we are given a warning in 1 Peter 3:15 to do this with gentleness and respect, not to win arguments but to win souls.

Evolution requires blind faith

Evolution is built on a rocky foundation. It is by no means scientific because science necessitates observable repeatable experimentation and no one has ever observed an ape evolve into a man or a star evolve from hydrogen. The Big Bang theory of evolution contradicts Newton’s Law of motion which states that anything that is at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. Basic understanding of such realities shows that the creation necessitates the Creator.

Despite the lack of evidence for evolution, we still often have to deal with dogmatic assertions coming from opponents. Rhetoric espoused by the likes of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have now been accepted as fact, and are believed without actually considering the validity of the claim. If somebody claims ‘It’s a proven fact that mankind evolved from apes,’ you could ask ‘Could you give me the proof of that claim?’ It’s often the case that the individual actually has no real proof, but has blind faith in authoritative assertions.

To believe that the all-powerful and all-knowing God created the world on the other hand is perfectly rational and logical. We believe in a God who orders the universe and makes it function in a consistent and law-like fashion, as God upholds all things by His power (Hebrews 1:3). We often take the uniformity of nature for granted (that the laws of the universe will be the same in the future as they have been in the past, e.g. gravity), but we would do well to realise that we don’t live in a ‘random chance’ universe because God sustains the heavens and the earth. The Big Bang (though not true anyway) wouldn’t even make sense without God!

The issue of contention isn’t evidence, as we’ve all been given the same evidence of God’s existence (Romans 1:18-21). The problem is the sinfulness of man, which would rather choose the foolishness of denying the God who they know exists to live without accountability. Because we were all at this place once in our lives, it’s important to not see these conversations as ‘winning debates’ but to share Christ. Jesus Christ died on the cross for sinners, and we must make a clear path to get this message as far as we can.

What Did Jesus Really Teach About Hell?

Emmanuel Ayoola
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What Did Jesus Really Teach About Hell?

As I sit in McDonalds writing this article, hearing AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” playing in the background, I can’t help but shiver. Any teaching on Hell is not to be taken lightly but is immensely important for both Christians and a lost world. Recently, some Christians have shied away from speaking or thinking about Hell, and some professing believers have rejected eternal punishment altogether. In the UK, whilst 45% of people believe in Heaven, less than 40% of the population believe that Hell exists. 

However, Jesus was not short on teachings about Hell. The Apostle Paul spoke about the fate of the wicked after death over 80 times in his letters1 (more than he spoke about mercy, forgiveness or Heaven combined). If we want to see Christ-like families, Christ-like friendships, Christ-like churches, Christ-like evangelism and a Christ-like world, then we need Christ-like understanding, not least on the subject of Hell. Whilst we explore what Jesus had to say on this subject, we’ll be using points raised in Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle’s incredibly helpful book ‘Erasing Hell’.

Hell is a Place of Punishment After Judgement

Jesus makes clear that the purpose of Hell is for punishment. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’s disciples came and asked Him questions about the end times (Matthew 24:3). As He teaches them about His coming judgement, Matthew 25:31-46 explains the fate of the wicked: 

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”

Matthew 25:31-32

Then He will say to those on His left “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels…. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:41, 46

When speaking about the Pharisees after being tested by them, Jesus says:

You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?

Matthew 23:33 

The key thing here is to understand is the sentencing that Hell is. This is retributive punishment, not an allegory or a corrective state. Jesus leaves no room for us to consider Hell as a non-literal or a type of correction facility after death. We all know John 3:16. A beautiful verse speaking about God’s love. Just two verses later we also learn about the fate of those who reject Him. John 3:18 teaches that whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

The same God who “so loved the world” unapologetically warns people of what rejecting Him leads to. If we are to be truly loving, we would be willing to tell people the truth, even if it costs us moments of awkwardness, social exclusion, or worse, death.

Hell is a Place of Torment 

Again, Jesus does not hold back in describing the nature of this sentence. Two of the ways that Jesus uses to describe Hell are intended to wake us up to the severity of sin in the eyes of a Holy God. 

A Place of Burning Fire

Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 13:40-41

And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.

Matthew 18:8-9 

A Place of Darkness

When speaking to a non-Jewish centurion about the inclusion of Gentiles into the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus says:

While the sons of the kingdom [of Israel] will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 8:12 

In another parable taught to His disciples, Jesus says His servants will,

Cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Matthew 25:30 

You may ask, “How can Hell be both fiery and dark?” Of course, the descriptions are symbolic. But don’t allow the symbolism to cause any complacency. Some say Gehenna (Hell in the New Testament) is a reference to a burning rubbish heap outside of Jerusalem and not to be taken literally. This fails for two reasons:

  • This idea was developed by a Jewish Rabbi, 1200 years after the life of Jesus (David Kimhi’s commentary on Psalm 27:13). There is no evidence that there was such burning rubbish heap near Jerusalem2. 
  • Even if the above was true, symbols are used to describe realities that are more intense than the symbol i.e. a precious diamond ring can be a symbol of love that is more precious than the diamond. In the same way, the descriptions of Hell describe a reality more intense, not less intense, than the words used.

Perhaps the reason so many people struggle to believe in the reality of Hell is that many people lack an understanding of the nature of sin and the holiness of God. A proper understanding of the reality of Hell would give Christians a better understanding of the nature of sin, and therefore encourage us to seek Christ’s mercy and go on to live holy lives.

Hell is Eternal

There are 2 camps that evangelical Christians fall into when thinking about the extent of eternal punishment. Annihilationism and Eternal Conscious Torment. I believe that only Eternal Conscious Torment is consistent with the full biblical teaching of Hell, but my aim in this article is not to expand on both views in detail. Instead, my aim is to show that Jesus teaches us something indisputable – Hell is not a type of second-chance purgatory for sinners but an eternal punishment for those who reject Christ in this life. 

Again, let’s look at the words of Jesus Himself:

“Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:44-46

And in the words of the disciple whom Jesus loved, the Apostle John:

“And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever… And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Revelation 20:10,15 

What we see here are very chilling words. I wonder, how could anyone proudly claim to be on a “Highway to Hell?” It saddens me to think about my loved ones that have died who, as far as I know, were not trusting in Christ. I choose to believe that everything God does is correct, and I live by faith in Him instead of faith in “what I would do if I was God”.

There is only one reason why meditations upon Hell can bring me even an ounce of Joy.

Hell is Avoidable

Jesus did not teach people about the fate of the wicked with no intention to offer the rescue plan from such a condemnation. 

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

“That whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” We don’t deserve the forgiveness of God. But God’s lovingkindness motivated Him to offer the gift of eternal life if we simply believe in Christ and submit to Him (Romans 6:23). Christ takes what we deserve by dying in our place on the Cross (2 Corinthians 5:21) and instead gives us what only He deserves.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. No exceptions.

But how will they call if they haven’t believed? And how will they believe if they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?

Romans 10:14-17

You are being sent.

Well firstly, you’re being called to repent. If you haven’t trusted in Jesus then now is the time. Let your experience of grace and gratitude to God spur you on to calling those who don’t know Christ to the same freedom, the same forgiveness and the same relationship with Him. As we better understand the subject of Hell, we better understand the subject of grace. Thank God for His mercy! Let’s continue to trust in Him for salvation, whilst we call on others to do the same.

References

1: Hell Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004), 92-93.

2: “Gehenna: The Topography of Hell,” Biblical Archaeologist 49/3 [1986], 188-89

For more on the topic of Hell, listen to this this episode of #ThePulsePodcast

Religion Which Pleases God

Shumi Mararike
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Religion Which Pleases God
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“Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship.” Perhaps like me, you’ve said something reflecting the same sentiment, or maybe those exact same words when conversing with someone who tells you “I don’t think religion is for me.” Religion has received a bad rep, both inside and outside of the body of Christ. Yes, relationship is at the heart of Christianity and should be seen in our lifestyle, but we mustn’t do away with religion completely. There is a religion which pleases God, and it is described to us by the apostle James.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1:26-27

Not Morality or Charity

The “religion” James is referring to is not a system of rules designed to obtain God’s favour. It is a religion based on relationship. The preceding verses make clear that this is an outworking of their faith (James 1:18), and a demonstration of what it means to be not only hearers but also doers of the word (James 1:22).

A Controlled Tongue

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 

James 1:26

James tells us that those of us with untamed tongues deceive ourselves. Our faith is not even being evidenced or worked out. It is of little value. In fact, he describes it as worthless. Ouch. Isn’t that convicting? Reading this verse alone triggered a highlight reel of the words which had come out of my mouth that very week. There were some words of encouragement and positivity. I could recall speaking words with good intent but delivered with the wrong tone. There were words of truth, but perhaps best left unshared; an unbridled tongue fails to demonstrate an awareness that not everything needs to be said. There was also slandering, gossiping, speaking lowly of some and mocking others.

King Solomon provided ample instruction highlighting the danger of the loose tongue (Proverbs 15:4; 17:28; 18:20-21). James has even more gut-wrenching words on this topic when he further explores the capacity of destruction held in the tongue and the speech which flows from it later in his epistle (James 3:1-12).

Some of you may be thinking “well thank goodness I don’t talk much and mind my own business!” But not so fast. Remember how Jesus told the listeners at the Sermon on the Mount how God is concerned with not only with the outward actions but also the inward condition of the heart? (Matthew 5:21-48). So even those words you didn’t utter but thought in your heart count. The outworking of our faith, the religion which pleases God is reflected in God-honouring speech and a tightly reigned tongue.

Compassion – helping the needy

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction

James 1:27

First-century Palestine is vastly different from our present day. One of the ways this is seen is in the socio-economic structures. Poverty remains a global issue today and is very close to home here in the UK. But during the time at which James wrote, the gap between the rich and the poor was even greater than it is today. Widows and orphans were the most destitute members of society. Thus, compassion was really displayed in the treatment toward these vulnerable people groups.

This is a call not only to meet their needs from a distance but also to sit with them; meeting with them in their affliction. With the Holy Spirit continually transforming us into the image of Christ, our hearts ought to ache at the sight of suffering. This was characteristic of our compassionate Lord who healed the sick and alleviated the suffering of the despaired. The good news should drive us unto good deeds carried out in compassion.

A Clean Life

…and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1:27

Lastly, religion which pleases God is one where we keep ourselves untainted from the wickedness and filth of the world and its ways. We’re not to retreat from it but remain unpolluted from the perverse ideologies and influences which abound. This can be assessed by asking “Does my speech and conduct closely resemble that of those who don’t know Jesus?” “Are my passions and thoughts carnal?” Anything which mars our Christian witness fails to reflect our faith.

Not Exhaustive, But Sufficient

James did not intend to provide an exhaustive list of what constitutes “pure and undefiled religion”. Nevertheless, what he has shared with us is sufficient. We must assess ourselves and ask whether these characteristics are true of us, both internally and externally. They are quintessential in illustrating what it means to be not just hearers, but doers of the word (James 1:22), producing the fruits of the gospel we received by faith, putting its life-changing power on display for the world to see.

Why We Should Choose Our Words Wisely

Chude Obuaya
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Why We Should Choose Our Words Wisely

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The way we communicate is always evolving. This evolution seen throughout history is attributed to the change in people’s lives, experiences, and cultures. There are words that may have meant a particular thing in one generation that may mean a different thing in another. How does this affect how we communicate biblical truths in our ever-changing culture? Should we adapt and change the words the scriptures use to coincide with the changes we see in culture? Especially a culture that is increasingly anti-truth? I think the bible is clear. God’s word is eternal. The words in scripture don’t need to change, it is always us that needs to conform to what the scriptures say.

Words Matter

There are currently 171,146 words in the English language according to the Oxford dictionary and we use these words to express a variety of things from emotions to our ideologies. Words are so powerful that the Bible goes as far as saying that death and life are held in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). We cannot be careless with what we say, especially when we are expressing truth from the bible. Whilst we want to engage with the culture that we find ourselves in, we cannot and should not distort the truth to make it more acceptable. We also shouldn’t be ambiguous with the language we use to express a particular truth either. An essential component of being a Christian is being a truth-teller and an essential part of being a truth-teller is being clear.

The Problem with Ambiguity

In Ephesians 4, Paul outlines the work of the Spirit within the body of Christ and declares that God has appointed specific positions for the building and unity of the Church (Ephesians 4:11-12). Now depending on your theological position, some view what is commonly referred to as the ‘five-fold ministry’, as still in operation; while others view some positions as now obsolete. What can become an issue of ambiguity is when the positions outlined in Ephesians 4 are no longer defined by how scripture or church history has understood them but now becomes a matter of personal perception. For example, let’s take the position of an apostle.

The term ‘apostle’ comes from the Greek word Apostolos which means a messenger or one sent on a mission. This definition seems simple enough, and by basic definition, one could argue that Christians are ‘apostles’ in the sense that we are sent by Jesus empowered by the Holy Spirit to be ambassadors of God (1 Corinthians 5:11-21, 1 Peter 2:9). However, of the 79 times that the noun form of Apostolos is found in the New Testament, 68 of these times, it is used to refer to the men that were appointed by Christ for the particular function of an Apostle in the Church. These commissioned men not only were eyewitnesses of the resurrected Jesus, but they were also specifically called and empowered by Jesus to preach the gospel to all nations (Acts 1:21-22, Matthew 10:1-4, Mark 3:13-19, Luke 6:12-16, Acts 9:15-17). What was associated with the New Testament apostleship was primarily direct knowledge of the Incarnate Word, which was accompanied by signs and wonders; with much of the new testament being written by Apostles (e.g. Paul, James, John, etc). So the question one must ask is, ‘Is it acceptable to use the term apostle to address present-day church leaders?’. According to the New Testament view of apostleship, one would disagree.

Is The Language We Use Helpful?

This article is not to attack those with the title of apostle, the purpose of this article is to provoke us to think about the language we use to express theological truths. Does the person you call an apostle fit the criteria that is outlined in scripture? Does the way that you proclaim the gospel match the way you see it expressed in the epistles? When you have theological conversations with people do they make much of your intellect or much of Jesus? The words we use matter. To quote theologian and apologist Lisa Fields, “it can make sense, connect with you emotionally, confirm what you always thought, and STILL not be true”. When expressing theological truths how we feel seldom matters, especially if how we feel will lead us to oppose what scripture says. Every careless word we speak, we will give an account before God for, even if we had good intentions (Matthew 12:36). So how can we be clear with our theological positions? Allow me to offer some suggestions.

1. Avoid trying to be clever or quirky when delivering the truth. Don’t compromise the truth because you want to be seen as cool.

2. Make sure you understand the truth that you’re proclaiming. As I was told at university, if you can’t explain your point to a 10-year-old, you probably don’t understand it yourself.

3. Pray. How often do we see this as a last resort? Pray before you speak. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your words that you will speak in such a way that will glorify God and not the depth of your vocabulary.

4. Read. I cannot stress this point enough. It is painfully obvious when people speak on things that they know little about. Take your time and read a wide variety of credible resources on any given topic to ensure a fuller, more robust understanding of the subject.

Finally, clarity in speech does not mean you will be accepted. After all, Jesus spoke clearly, and He was rejected. What it does mean is that when we speak people will listen. Whatever subject we speak on we want people to listen, all the more when we are proclaiming the gospel. So let us be people that endeavour to speak well, speak clearly, and speak truthfully.

Does My Behaviour Reflect Christ?

Oluwaseyi Sobogun
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Does My Behaviour Reflect Christ?

Why does it seem that the moment I say I am a Christian, I begin to feel all eyes on me? What is the difference between being me and being a Christian? The answer is Christ. There is something about the name of Jesus that causes people to sit up and pay attention. They want to see if our attitudes and actions match what we profess. We, as Christians, must understand this as an important part of preaching the gospel. Being a Christian is more than a nice title to add on our bios. It is saying, the life we are living is no longer ours, it is a life that is lived by faith in Christ, the Son of God, who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20). We are saying how we live our life demonstrates the gospel of Christ, it has eternal impacts. 

A Transformed Life

When we accept the saving grace of our Lord, we are changed into a new way of thinking. We begin working out salvation with ‘fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12), understanding what it means to be a follower of Christ. Salvation is not the end of the journey as a Christian, it is the beginning. Transformed by the power of Christ, we begin to live out our belief. Our old life is gone, and we are born into a new life (Colossians 3:3). The way we lived before our salvation fades away to reveal a new way of living.  As new creations, we are to do things differently, to think differently, to be different. We are not the poster boys and girls for perfect Christians, but we are called to be ambassadors for Christ. Ambassadors display actions and characteristics in line with what they represent. 

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24

My Actions Matter

We are to lead lives that demonstrate the person of Christ, to show Jesus to the world. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden… so let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16).
Our lives should be a light leading to Jesus. To be a light can simply be not telling a lie to your parents or friends (Colossians 3:9), being kind to your co-workers, especially when their backs are turned (Colossians 3:8). It means choosing to forgive when others would choose revenge, not being ruled by anger but having a heart of compassion and most of all, choosing love, in a world that can be full of hate. It is turning the other cheek when others may throw a fist.

It is not conforming but rather submitting your heart and minds in obedience to God and His Word so that you may be transformed into a new way of thinking that aligns with God’s will (Romans 12:2), in order to be “renewed in knowledge according to the image of our Creator” (Col 3:10).

How Did Jesus Do It?

As Christians, we are called to love our neighbours as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:38). Jesus Christ embodied that to perfection, He is love. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

Jesus was patient when teaching His disciples, taking time to explain the scriptures until they understood. He was kind when people followed Him around asking of his time even when He was busy. Jesus was never envious of the Pharisees or boastful about the crowds who came to listen to Him. Jesus could have been arrogant about the power He had, He is the Son of God after all, but He never used that against anyone or to elevate Himself (Phil 2:6). He was not rude even when people shouted insults and spat at him. Instead, he looked at them with compassion and forgiveness. Jesus never demanded His own way; He was doing the Father’s will. He went to the cross because that was what God had purposed for Him to face (Gen 3:15). When He cried out in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was not resentful when the plan did not change, He continued on the path set for Him, to Calvary (Matt 26:39). And even as perfect as He was, He never rejoiced in iniquity, instead, He rejoiced in the knowledge that He was on that very Cross to die for those who hated Him, including us. He bore the sins of mankind and took the wrath of God on our behalf so that we could be redeemed from the judgement of sin and be reconciled to God (Rom 5:8). Jesus never failed in His display of love towards us. Therefore, let us display this love to others, living to the standard of Jesus.

Love Like Jesus, Live Like Jesus

The Christian Life can be explained only in terms of Jesus Christ, and if your life as a Christian can still be explained in terms of you – your personality, your willpower, your gift, your talent, your sacrifice, or “you” anything – then although you may have the Christian life, you are not yet living it.

Ian Thomas

The standard of Jesus is different. It is contradictory to the world because Jesus was not of this world. He calls us out of this world too, to not be conformed – but to “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). We are to be holy as He is holy, which means to strive to love as He loved, give as He gave and share as He shared. Only grace and the Holy Spirit can truly help us reach this standard. We will never fully be like Jesus until the day He returns, however, whilst still living on this earth, we are to be the best examples of Jesus. So, whenever you introduce yourself as a Christian, see it as an opportunity to show Christ, making His name known and not your own. We must remember whose name has the power to save. 

Discussing the Role of Faith in Black Culture with Barclays

On Mission
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Discussing the Role of Faith in Black Culture with Barclays

As part of Barclays’ celebration of Black history month, Our God Given Mission was privileged enough to partner with The Barclays Black Professionals Forum and The Barclays Christian Forum to host a panel discussion event “Is faith still an important part of Black culture today?” This will be the first event of its kind for Barclays and will serve as a poignant moment in an unprecedented year, to reflect on the power of the Gospel message in the Black community throughout history to now.

Our Director, Mike Omoniyi was one of two people invited to speak on the panel regarding issues such as the relationship between race and faith, racism and the Church, justice and much more!

During the event, on a question about justice, Mike remarkably said:

“A question we must ask is: Does God care about justice?… Well, the Bible shows us that not only does He care about it, it is His nature. The question we must ask ourselves is what kinds of justice does He care about? Is it justice as we see it (on a human level)? Or does it have a more heavenly, ethereal quality that we have to work hard to understand? It is tempting to assume our natural proclivities on justice are right, but instead, we must take care to pause and ask for God’s perspective on what justice really is. After all, the Christian’s understanding of justice should be shaped and defined by God. As we do this, we may find ourselves seeing the world a lot differently…the more I press into God, the more I begin to see that these issues are not as black and white as many commentators would like to have us think.”

It was greatly encouraging to see people from such high positions and large spheres of influence demonstrate a strong willingness to grapple with these complex issues.

After the event, we received a flood of questions which we will be committing to answering through our articles, podcasts, videos and events.

Make sure to follow us across all our various social media platforms to keep up to date with all of the upcoming content!

God’s Faithfulness in Genesis

Shumi Mararike
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God’s Faithfulness in Genesis

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COVID-19 brought many restrictions upon travel, but not for me. I was determined not to allow the pandemic to ruin my plans. In fact, this summer I spent more time on the move than I had ever done. I journeyed from Eden to the Ur of the Chaldees, to Haran, to various different places in Canaan and Egypt – all in the space of two months! I spent July and August in the book of Genesis. As I traversed these lands there was one main theme which jumped out from the text: God’s faithfulness. His purposes will always be fulfilled. This was a narrative revealing His plan of salvation.

God Has a Plan

Genesis 1-2 detail God’s creative work and His mandate to humankind. All that He made and commanded to human beings was good – very good (Genesis 1:31). God and humanity were in perfect union.  But this harmony was destroyed as Adam and Eve gave in to the deceit of the serpent which brought sin into the world (Genesis 3:1-8). But, despite this, God had a plan.

So the Lord God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

Genesis 3:14-15

Here we have the protoevangelium – the first gospel sermon ever preached and how fitting was it that the preacher was none other than God Himself. He declared that the serpent would be a lowly creature, but powerful nonetheless (Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 5:19). He would be an adversary; in direct opposition to the Seed of the woman, desiring to eliminate her offspring through launching relentless attacks throughout the Old Testament and the Gospels. Nevertheless, God preserved the promised Seed who would strike the definitive blow and have the final victory over the serpent (Colossians 2:15) who will eventually be cast away forever (Revelation 20:7-10).

God’s Plan Involving Land, Seed and Covenant

So God has this great plan of redemption. He set to deliver a people in whom the promised Seed would be preserved for 42 generations by giving them their own land through the establishment of a covenant.

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1-3

Land, seed and covenant all intertwined. God repeatedly reaffirmed the Abrahamic Covenant with the other patriarchs (Isaac – Genesis 21:12; 26:3-4) and Jacob – Genesis 28:14-15), all whom were greatly flawed.

Perfect Plan, Imperfect People

Abraham – the father of faith. The one whom God made this covenant with and his belief was accredited to Him as righteousness (Genesis 15:5-6). His faith in God’s promise to Him (that his line of descendants would lead to the Messiah) was a clear display of justification by faith alone (Romans 4:1-12).

As righteous as he was, he was also a liar. His unbelief drove him to lie about the identity of Sarah as his wife before Pharaoh (Genesis 12:10-20) and the King of Gerar (Genesis 20), demonstrating a lack of faith in God’s protection for his wife and the promised Seed – twice! His unbelief also led him to consent to Sarah’s suggestion that they may have a child by Hagar, thus taking matters into their own hands rather than trusting God to deliver upon His promise (Genesis 16).

Isaac lied in more or less the same fashion as his father, lacking faith during his wife’s barrenness (Genesis 26:6-16). His preference for Esau over Jacob also caused him to ignore God’s plan for Esau to serve Jacob (Genesis 25:23). In Isaac’s actions, he was working in opposition to the will of God, a sin, to which God opened his eyes and he later repented of (Genesis 27:32-33; Hebrews 11:20).

Jacob was the man whose offspring would be the twelve tribes of Israel. (Genesis 49:28). He was assured by God that He would be with him when on the run from his brother (Genesis 28:15) and uncle (Genesis 31:3). But Jacob was a trickster – a deceiver by name and deed. He fooled his brother into selling his birthright over a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:24-29). He was also the protagonist in his mother’s plan to hoodwink the visually impaired Isaac into giving him the greater blessing he intended to give Esau (Genesis 27).

His life was marked by struggles which he aimed to overcome in his own craftiness and strength. It required God Himself, in the form of an angelic being, to wrestle with Jacob through the night, bringing him into a position of dependence and submission to God (Genesis 32:22-32). Jacob’s sons weren’t much better either.

Even in Evil, God’s Plans Prevail

The hatred and jealously of Jacob’s sons towards their younger brother, Joseph, drove them to sell him into slavery. (Genesis 37:4 and 28). Yet God used their sinful deeds to eventually bring Jospeh to a prominent position in Egypt. This enabled him to bring his family out of the famine in Canaan and into Egypt. Through this, God preserved His covenant people and the family line that would bring forth the Messiah.

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 

Genesis 50:20

It’s especially remarkable to see how God mightily used Judah in His plan of salvation (see Genesis 34, 37, 38, 42-50 for Judah’s transformation). He was seemingly so far removed from God but chosen by the Almighty to be Jacob’s son from whom the promised Seed would be carried along generations as reflected in the blessing Jacob gave him (Genesis 49:8-10).

God’s faithfulness to His plan extends even further. In fulfilling His promise, He brought down His Son to be crucified for the sins of you and I in what was the wickedest act in the history of the world. As cruel as it was, God sovereignly worked through the willing choices of the Roman authorities and the Sanhedrin to bring His plan from the beginning was brought to its culmination at Calvary (Acts 2:23; Acts 4:27).

God is Faithful

God is faithful. He has gone to great lengths to accomplish his plan of salvation, which started with the Jews first and then Gentiles such as yourself and I (Romans 1:16-17). God’s plan for your salvation was proactive rather than reactive (Ephesians 1:4-5). He has loved you from the foundations of the world. He has predestined you to be adopted into His family before the beginning of time. Therefore, God will preserve you until Christ returns to bring your salvation to completion (Romans 8:29-30). What a faithful God we serve.

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