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Does being a Christian influence your desire to win?

M.T. Omoniyi
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Does being a Christian influence your desire to win?

Growing up as a student-athlete life was somewhat simple. Win at any cost and make sure you don’t lose. Before I became a serious Christian, I had never considered how my desire to win might spill over and mature into pride or give way to the temptation to cheat or cut corners. I just simplified life into a win-or-lose binary and this made things simple. I wish I could say this view was left in my childhood, but in many ways, it continued into my professional life. Maybe you can relate to me a little. So many of the interactions at work can be seen through this simple binary, am i winning or am I losing, is helping me or them (whoever you conceive them to be).

This is of course not healthy, but it can be difficult to work out what to do with your desire to win and advance your position after you become a Christian. We are warned about Pride in Galatians 6:4, Isaiah 2:12 and even James 4:6. A Christian would do well to run away from pride, however, how much of our fear of pride can lead us into apathy and indifference, where we don’t assert ourselves and watch life pass us by.

I sat down with Kare Adenegan, a British Paralympian who is also a devoted Christian to see how her faith influences her desire to win in the sport.

Kare started wheelchair racing at the age of eleven after watching the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Four years later, she became a Paralympic Medalist in the T34 classification (Silver 100m, Bronze 400m and 800m), representing Paralympics GB at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. She also won two silver medals (100m and 800m) at the Tokyo 2020 Games, and recently won silver in the 100m at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. 

As a Christian athlete, how has your Christian walk influenced your desire to win

Personally, I don’t think my relationship with God has made me want to win any more or less. However, because my identity is rooted in Christ, I know that winning doesn’t define me or change God’s view towards me. Being a Christian athlete is empowering because faith in Jesus provides an eternal perspective on the sport. Of course, I want to win, but it really isn’t the end of the world if I don’t win, and God’s will for my life might be contrary to my athletics ambitions and that’s okay. 

How do you check that desire to win at any cost necessary? 

The ‘win at any cost’ mindset is essentially idolatry. We have to invite God to have his way with our sports. Winning at all costs also suggests a willingness to act against your morals and values in order to win. My desire to be a successful athlete was once an idol in my life because I thought it was a firm foundation, but COVID, lockdown, and a postponement to the Paralympic Games in 2020 caused that idol to fall. 

I prevent my desire to win from becoming an idol by constantly consecrating my athletics career to God in prayer and committing each training session to him. I try to have the mindset that I’m winning for his glory instead of my own. 

Does being a Christian make you happy when other people win instead of you? 

Kind of. If someone wins instead of me, I am happy for them because I recognise that they have worked hard to win. At the end of the day, the winner is the one who has put in the most work and has reaped their rewards on the day of the competition. So I always sincerely congratulate the winner, but at the same time, being a competitive athlete means that I also have the mindset that I need to work harder. 

Being a Christian means that I am called to show love to my competitors, and I really do love them and respect their grind. 

What advice would you give to someone trying to get their mojo back after a period of apathy in their sport?

Remind yourself of your why? If you don’t know why you’re doing sport then you won’t be motivated to do your best. If you are struggling to find your ‘why’, start with this. if you are a Christian, your sport can be your place of worship. Paul writes in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship”. 

We can use our bodies as living sacrifices as we do our sport. When you are low in motivation, reflect on the fact that God has given you a body with immense capabilities to be used for his glory. Worship him by using your body and talents. Exalt him in the successes and trust him through the challenges. If this is of interest, I explore what it means to participate in sport for God’s glory with guests on my podcast, ‘Sporting For His Glory’. Having conversations about faith and sport on the podcast has definitely boosted my own motivation to train hard and compete with purpose. 

I think also during times of apathy towards sport, it’s important to revive the enjoyment of competing and training. It’s very easy to become bogged down by internal pressures and the expectations of others, and the result is often a lack of enjoyment in what you do. Forget your goals for a moment and simply enjoy the way that exercise makes you feel. Enjoy being active. Enjoy the process of training and build from there.  

How to find and flourish in godly community

D. W. Brown
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How to find and flourish in godly community

The Bible is clear about the fact that fellowship and community are important.

Each of us is made in the image of a relational God, we are designed for fellowship and community on some level. It’s not healthy to be an isolated Christian. However, for many of us, being a Christian embedded in a spiritually healthy and supportive community is easier said than done. Perhaps it feels like an unrealistic aspiration. I’m not sure where you find yourself as you’re reading this, but let me share a few thoughts about finding and then flourishing in the right community. Where do you even start?

What are we seeking in community?

Are you at a stage in your Christian walk where you feel you have loads of encouragement and wisdom to impart to other Christians? Or are you feeling in a place of need to receive that sort of input from others? Answering this question honestly requires discernment. 

I’m able to look back and identify that when I first went to uni, I lacked humility here. I thought I was way more spiritually mature than I actually was, and I threw myself into Christian societies with zeal, but not positive zeal, it was prideful zeal. Jesus warned that “if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14) I had an ill-intentioned desire to be some sort of spiritual leader, but what I didn’t know was that I had a lot of spiritual growing up to do first.

It’s not my intention to be negative, and I’m certainly not saying that if you’re young you can’t give your peers spiritual support or impart valuable wisdom. After all, Paul urged Timothy “don’t let anyone look down on you because you’re young” (1 Timothy 4:12). My simple intention here is to gently ask you to start by searching your heart and working out your motivations.

Evaluate your spiritual life. Consider what you would most benefit from, and what you feel most called to pour yourself into. Once you have done this as a first step, you should have an idea of what you need in a community.

Biblically Based Community

Although it might seem obvious to some, it’s worth saying we should seek a biblically based community. No matter how friendly and inviting a community may seem, it’s vitally important to ensure that it’s built on solid ground, in other words, that it is grounded in gospel truth.

Jesus warns his followers of certain types of “spiritual leaders” who “come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matt. 7:15) – he tells them to watch out. When you’re looking for a community to be involved in, watch out. How can you do that practically?

A good step would be to find out if the community has some sort of doctrinal basis, or “what we believe” resource (if it doesn’t, I would be wary). The doctrinal basis should entail what the community fundamentally believes. It should give you an idea of the priorities and motivations that drive it. Often this can be found on the community’s website, if not then I’d recommend getting in touch with someone involved in the leadership and asking for it.

Compare it to God’s word, make sure that it doesn’t compromise or twist scripture in any way. I know that’s easier said than done, and perhaps you don’t feel in a position to make that discernment. If that’s the case, I’d recommend getting a trusted more mature Christian brother or sister to assist you with that, but primarily praying about it. Ask God for wisdom to help you assess whether it is a Biblically grounded, solid community to get involved in.

Enjoy the blessing of community

Community and fellowship with other believers is a good gift from God. Being encouraged, challenged, and inspired by other believers is a rich blessing that ought not to be taken for granted.

When you go through challenges and hardships in life, you’ll find your Christian community to be extra precious. Proverbs 17:17 says “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (my emphasis). Ten chapters later in Proverbs, we read that “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (27:17) 

So we learn that we are called to be there for each other in times of adversity, and also that God uses us as tools to “sharpen” each other. That sharpening could be through keeping each other accountable in battles with habitual sin, it could be through reading the word and praying together regularly, it could be through going out of our way to practically support someone we know is going through a hard time. Those are just a few examples, but the point is clear – we should facilitate each other’s growth and spiritual development, not hinder it.

The beauty of community is that it is mutual, in a healthy Christian community, you give and you receive blessing and encouragement to and from fellow brothers and sisters.

I pray that as you read this, you are able to find a healthy, Biblically-grounded Christian community, and enjoy the blessings of sharpening and being sharpened, for God’s glory.

A Biblical Example of How to be a Friend

David Olaseinde
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A Biblical Example of How to be a Friend

In the church today many conversations around navigating friendships have been and are still being had. It has also become common rhetoric to instantly cut off friends who do you wrong. The scriptures detail many examples of friendship, such as David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi and Elijah and Elisha. These are all great examples with lessons we can take about friendship. But what does it look like to be a friend like Jesus? We have ultimately been called to be like Christ, and throughout his 33 years of living, Jesus handed us the blueprint to follow. So, what can we learn from his life of perfection?

Sacrificial Love

Jesus displayed sacrificial love. In John 15, Jesus really focuses on the idea of love and its importance. In verse 9, Jesus states that “as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love”. We have been called to love like the Father and like Jesus. We have been called to operate from a place of love. Love should underpin our decisions and actions. A love so great that Jesus says in verses 12 and 13,

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater Love has no one that this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:12-13

We are called to sacrificially love one another. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you are expected to die for your friend. This means that we should put our friends first when making decisions. Ensure that the love Jesus has for us is reflected in your relationships with your friends. A love that can be characterized as sacrificial shows no hesitation. It knows no bounds. It is a love that is unconditional. This is why in John 13:14 Jesus insisted on washing the feet of his disciples and commanded that they should also wash one another’s feet.

A Friend who Encourages

Jesus was an encourager. He uplifts the lowly. He provides hope when there is no way. When Jesus inhabited the earth, on many occasions he offered encouragement to his disciples. In Matthew 10, when sending out his disciples he repeatedly instructed them to ‘not be afraid’. In verses 26, 28, and 31, Jesus repeats the phrase “Do not be afraid”. Jesus’ example of encouragement can be applied to our friendships.

We are called to be in communion and support one another, with encouragement being a form of support. Life is full of trials and tribulations, and alongside confiding in the Lord, your friends can play an important role in upliftment.

iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another

Proverbs 27:17

Proverbs 27:17 states, “iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Jesus’ words of encouragement gave the disciples boldness. In a similar way, receiving encouragement helps facilitate the removal of fears we may face. These fears may be hindering us from fulfilling our destiny. A friend who fails to encourage can be very dangerous. Therefore, encourage like Jesus did.

We can learn many lessons about friendship from Jesus. Jesus displayed a sacrificial love and was an encourager among many other things. It is important to take these lessons into our friendships and be like Christ.

How to Engage with Online Controversies

Shumi Mararike
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How to Engage with Online Controversies

Social media can be a hotbed of online controversies. It provides a platform for impassioned discussion on the scandals and disputes of the day. We spend hours of our lives on the digital space. So how do we engage with online controversies in a God-honouring way?

Respectfully and sensitively

Firstly, we must engage with online controversies respectfully and sensitively. Far too often, online discourse is marked by offensive and distasteful words. A lack of understanding and empathy is rife. This fails to appreciate that these can be sensitive issues where people are hurting. Therefore, rudeness and a craving of controversy is unprofitable and lacks compassion (2 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:9; 1 Peter 3:8-9). Sensitivity and respect are needed. Engage with these issues in a manner which does not belittle the situation or the feelings of others. Don’t add fuel to the fire, but desire healthy discourse. As far as possible, promote peace and reconciliation which can only be rooted in respect and sensitivity toward people and the issue at hand.

Choose your words wisely

Engaging with online controversies requires you to choose your words wisely. Whether you have 140 characters, 280 characters, or even create a detailed thread, the online space leaves room for misunderstanding. There is only so much you can communicate through a screen, so you must choose your words wisely. Your words can easily lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Therefore, consider what you are trying to say, and which words best communicate that. A wise word can bring encouragement (Proverbs 15:1) and promote reasonable discussion. Precisely used language leaves less room for miscomprehension. But a reckless use of language can cause harm and offence (Proverbs 12:18). So before you type, choose your words wisely.

Know When to Speak

A fool can speak at any time, but a wise person is one who knows when to speak. Thus, engaging in online controversies requires you to know when to speak and when to be silent. Are the wounds still fresh? Has the mourning process just begun? Will your words add any substance to the discussion at hand? Or will your silence, your presence and support be more helpful? An eagerness to speak may show disregard for the present circumstance, or even worse, lead to a loss of control and bursts of rage. Uncontrolled anger only serves to make matters worse. So be slow to speak and quick to listen (James 1:19-20).

I can guarantee that when you next pick up your phone and open social media, you will see another online controversy. How will you respond this time? Respect and sensitivity is key. You must choose your words wisely and know when to speak. This requires exceptional self-control and wisdom. These things don’t come to us naturally. You can’t do it (perfectly) without Jesus. This is because they are an outworking of a life transformed by Him. So abide in Jesus; stay connected to Him, because apart from Christ, the Holy Spirit cannot bear these fruit in your life and lead to a more God-honouring way of engaging in online controversies.

Three principles that will help you grow as a Christian

M.T. Omoniyi
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Three principles that will help you grow as a Christian

Three helpful meditations for new Christians and more mature Christians looking for a refresh.

The period just after becoming a believer can be a little disconcerting. Yes, you are now a believer, however, you may not feel very different. Before I became a Christian, I imagined my salvation experience might be dramatic; something like what Jesus experienced when he was baptised by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17). In this account, the writer details ‘heaven was opened, and he [Jesus] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him’ (16). Instead, my decision to follow Jesus took place in a small church in Woolwich, southeast London next to a ‘chicken and chips’ shop. Still, something miraculous happened. I was snatched out of the kingdom of darkness, adopted and placed into the kingdom of light. This is what you may be experiencing yourself.

Becoming a believer means you are justified.

Justification: an act of God whereby He pronounces a sinner to be righteous because of that sinner’s faith in Christ.” We are justified, or declared righteous, at the moment of our salvation.

Your sanctification journey has just begun and will continue till Jesus returns. Here are some meditations for you as that journey begins.

Find a church Hebrews 10:25, “do not forsake assembling,

The importance of finding a local assembly to join cannot be overstated.

This means being part of a local group of people where you are known and you know other people.

When trying to find a good local church, it’s good to remember that, just like the people in them, no church is perfect. However, there are many important issues that should be considered when choosing a church. Some people live close to only a few churches, and their choices will be limited, but for others, there are many more options. Be sure to pray about the churches you’re considering, to be sure you’re following the Lord’s leading as you search. Begin your search online, or in a local phone book, to see all of your options. Be especially sure to read a church’s doctrinal statement or statement of belief to find out about their stance on important issues. If from this initial research, a church seems to be good and solid, visit the church (including small groups or Sunday school classes) for several weeks while prayerfully considering whether to join as a member. Listed below are some important things you should consider in your search to find a church.

Commit to prayer 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “pray without ceasing”

Prayer is essential to our spiritual growth, because it develops Christ-likeness, builds our connection with God, and expands our confidence in God. So if we want to be mature believers who bring God glory, then we must be women of prayer. Not to get our way, or to change God’s mind, but to line up our hearts, mind, and will with His.

We recently published an article on prayer that could help you in this area.

You have to continue

Prayer is more than merely talking to God; it is a relationship with God. In fact, praying to God is the most intimate thing you can do in your faith. As we pray, all is laid bare before our heavenly Father. There is nothing you can hide from God when you pray.

But prayer is also educational. When we pray, God reveals Himself to us. As we pray, the Holy Spirit brings long-forgotten Bible verses to our minds that strengthen and encourage us. No wonder our Lord said this:

Men ought always to pray, and not to faint. (Luke 18:1 KJV)

Get serious about the word 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to show yourself approved unto God”

We are right in the middle of the information age where all kinds of strange doctrines can be found online. In a sense, they are an indication of the end times we are passing through. In 2 Timothy 4:3 we are warned about the end times ‘For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but having itching ears, they shall heap to themselves teachers in accordance with their own lusts.’

In such a time, it’s imperative that whatever you believe is anchored by the word of God. It’s important that you develop a critical and discerning eye. Test everything you hear and be vigilant. Be a Berean.

The Bereans lived in the Greek city of Berea, also called Beroea, in the time of the Apostle Paul, about AD 50. These people, mentioned in Acts 17, are best known for searching and studying the Bible for themselves and not merely accepting what they were taught.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint

All in all, remember that being a Christian is a marathon and not a sprint. You have an amazing life ahead of you which you get to live whilst being in community with the Holy Spirit. Be patient with yourself and always know that you are working from God’s approval and not for his approval. This is why the Gospel is good news!

A commitment to prayer will make 2023 your best year yet.

M.T. Omoniyi
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A commitment to prayer will make 2023 your best year yet.

A new year begins and there is no doubt many people will be writing new years resolutions. Is prayer on your list?

As believers, prayer is often neglected. Even though we are encouraged to ‘pray without ceasing’ in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, many of us still find it hard to pick up this spiritual discipline. Here is the reality, the only way to make 2023 truly an amazing year is to walk closely with God and the only way to do that is to pray.

The best prayer comes from a strong inward necessity. We have all proved this to be true. When our lives are serene and placid, our prayers are apt to be dull and listless. When we reach a crisis, a moment of danger, a serious illness, or a heavy bereavement, then our prayers are fervent and vital. 

I remember once hearing “the arrow that is to enter heaven must be launched from a bow fully bent”

What is Prayer?

The most basic definition of prayer is “talking to God.” Prayer is not meditation or passive reflection; it is a direct address to God. It is the communication of the human soul with the Lord who created the soul. Prayer is the primary way for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with God and to fellowship with God.

Prayer can be audible or silent, private or public, formal or informal. 

All prayer must be offered in faith (James 1:6), in the name of the Lord Jesus (John 16:23), and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26). As the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia puts it, “Christian prayer in its full New Testament meaning is a prayer addressed to God as Father, in the name of Christ as Mediator, and through the enabling grace of the indwelling Spirit” (“Prayer” by J. C. Lambert).

The wicked have no desire to pray (Psalm 10:4), but the children of God have a natural desire to pray (Luke 11:1).

Prayer is described in the Bible as seeking God’s favour (Exodus 32:11), pouring out one’s soul to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15), crying out to heaven (2 Chronicles 32:20), drawing near to God (Psalm 73:28, KJV), and kneeling before the Father (Ephesians 3:14).

Pray about everything

Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7). Worry about nothing; pray about everything.

Everything? Yes, God wants us to talk with Him about everything. The seemingly mundane things and the things you deem very important. All of it aids communion and so is worth talking to God about. One of the crucial ways to reframe prayer is to see it less as making requests and more s drawing near to a God that ways to know you intimately.

How often should we pray?

The biblical answer is “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We should keep a running conversation going with God all day long. Some find the ACTS formula of prayer helpful, but there is really no special formula for how to pray in the Bible.

(Adoration, Contrition, Thankfulness, Supplication) This simple acronym guides us in speaking with God in prayer.

We should just do it. We can pray under any and all circumstances. Prayer develops our relationship with God and demonstrates our trust and utter dependence upon Him.

Drawing near to Him 

One of the conditions of successful prayer is that we must draw near to him with a true heart (Hebrews 10:22). This means a genuine and heartfelt desire to commune with him and to share with him the deep desires and worries of our hearts. Prayer is the growth of a soul as we come in contact with God. As the soul grows, the prayer life deepens.

It doesn’t have to be perfect

Some time ago, a school teacher in New York taught the Lord’s Prayer to her class, and they all learned it. Then one time she called up her pupils one by one and asked each one to repeat the Lord’s Prayer. One of the boys said, “Harold be Thy name” instead of “Hallowed be Thy name.” Another said, “Give us this day our jelly bread.” Another said, “Lead us not into Penn Station.” Another said, “Deliver us from eagles.”

Now, this is understandable because little children do not know these words. And I’m quite sure that God is able, if the heart is right, to give us this day our jelly bread. It is possible to say things that are theologically wrong, and yet if the heart is right toward God, He can sort out the difficulties.

But this is a baby prayer. When you’re asking for something, you are praying the lowest form of prayer. As your prayer life develops, it should go beyond this.

Now secondly, as a child develops a little, he’s taught to say “thank you,” and he’s taught not only to say it to his parents but he’s taught to say to God, “Father, we thank Thee for this food.”

The child then learns about Thanksgiving Day in school. It’s associated with the image of a pumpkin with a cut-out face, the picture of the Puritans hunting turkeys in the fields, or the Puritans bowing their heads on thanksgiving.

Third comes intercession. Intercession is where we stop asking for something just for ourselves and our little circle and begin to plead with God for blessings for others.

We need to shift gears

Many people have been taught that prayer is a cheap way to get anything. When they find themselves in desperate need they pray, and they do not get an answer. A boy prays, “Oh God, I want to pass that exam,” or a girl prays, “Oh God, don’t let me be the only girl who doesn’t get asked by a boy to Winter Wonderland this year.” And if she happens to be the only one who doesn’t get the invitation, she may say in despair, “Oh, I don’t believe in prayer; it just doesn’t work.” As a result, her whole spiritual life may become a mess because she has not been taught the true nature of prayer. Prayer is not saying to a distant God, “Do this and that,” but prayer is basically getting to know God.

Much of the difficulty of spiritually growing up is the shifting of gears that takes a child out of spiritual childhood into spiritual maturity. When we are children, we live largely on our parents’ faith. We say what they say; we have what they have, and we do what they do. But then comes the time when we have to shift gears, and we have to know God alone. For it is only when we know God that we begin to develop into the higher brackets, the higher attitudes of prayer.

If 2023 is to be your best year yet, it must be lived in close communion with God. This comes through a daily and intentional prayer life. Start small and keep it simple. Communicate with God, he is speaking to you.

Has your love of Christmas grown cold?

M.T. Omoniyi
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Has your love of Christmas grown cold?

The longer you have a gift the less you tend to appreciate it.

Today’s Christmas meditation comes from my 3 and 5-year-old niece and nephew. Those children have a way of teaching me things even when they aren’t trying. It has become a little bit of a Christmas tradition for me to spend the holidays with them over in Texas. When I arrived there this time around for the holidays, we played, caught up and of course, I gave them piggyback rides. Later that evening, I cleaned up and went into their rooms. It was until long till I saw last year’s Christmas presents on the floor. In what could only be described as a pile of forgotten toys, I saw gifts from Christmases past overflowing a cupboard. Toys, trucks, princess dolls and the like, they had it.

It dawned on me that the presents they were able to open afresh on Christmas day would soon end up in this very pile I was looking at. I chuckled and walked away with the idea for this short article in mind. I’m sure we can all relate to this if we have younger children or nieces and nephews. When they open their Christmas presents, their eyes immediately light up with wonder and excitement. Within a year, this glee subsides, and the gifts look stale and are largely abandoned.

Now, as adults, we may not receive toys this Christmas but it’s interesting to consider and assess our approach to the Christmas message and to the Gospel that underpins it all. To consider whether we receive it with glee and excitement or whether it has become a stale and mundane part of a thoughtless tradition. Or perhaps our love for the true Christmas message has been overcome by rampant consumerism and festivities.

In revelations 2;4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

Having commended the church at Ephesus for its doctrinal integrity and perseverance in the face of adversity, Jesus reveals in verse 4 what He found lacking in the Ephesian church. It had abandoned the love that characterized its early history. What remained was devotion to the truth, but not devotion to the Lord. A previous gleeful reception of the truth had grown cold.

Context Summary

Revelation 2:1–7 is the first letter Jesus dictated to John, intended for the church at Ephesus. This congregation is praised for patient endurance and for rightly rejecting false apostles. Despite such an excellent beginning, however, Ephesus had abandoned its first love. They were drifting into coldness and rote religiosity. Jesus instructs the church to remember its early days, repent, and conduct itself as it had done initially. He promises a reward to the victor.

What would a marriage be like if a wife performed all the duties of a wife but without genuine love for her husband? What would a marriage be like if a husband continued to work to provide an income for His family and kept on performing the usual household duties that fall to a husband, but no longer loved his wife? Wouldn’t the marriage be a cold, sterile relationship? On the other hand, duties performed out of love for one’s spouse give meaning and warmth to one’s marriage.

The decline of the church at Ephesus from a deep love for Jesus to a dead orthodoxy prefigures the history of the early Church from Pentecost to the mid-second century. The Ephesian church’s love for Jesus had grown cold, leaving only slavish obedience to rules and doctrines. Jesus’ rebuke needs to be taken seriously today by every church. Sound doctrine and service are important, but they should be grounded in a deep love for Jesus.

Perhaps this Christmas is the time to prayerful ask God to rekindle your love and passion for the truth. To pray and Ezekiel’s prayer

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”

Ezekiel 11:14-21

The prayer is that God would make this heart of flesh and embodied experience for you. This does not necessarily mean you should get into the ‘Christmas Spirit but it does mean you should take to consider how you continue to be excited by the greatest gift you ever received.

What does it mean to be truthful?

Emmanuel Oganla
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What does it mean to be truthful?

The truth is so obscure nowadays and lies so well established that unless we love the truth we shall never recognize it

Blaise Pascal

It is imperative for believers to understand what constitutes truth in our current culture which claims that truth is relative. If truthfulness is a character trait and truth is relative, then we can expect our character to be inconsistent. The bible says something completely different about the nature of truth. In this article we will be observing the: origin, character, and impact of lies and in like manner, of truth. I pray that this article will help you to shun lies, embody truth, and cause you to be more truthful as a result, In Jesus’ name.

The Origin, character, and impact of lies

You can understand a thing by understanding its origin, character, and impact; lies are no different. Jesus sums up these features of lies in saying:

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me" John 8:42-45 NKJV

Adam and Eve were spiritually murdered by the lie of the devil in the beginning. The lie ‘you will surely not die’, (Gen 3:4) assured their death. By stating that the devil is the father of lies, Jesus helps us to understand where it originates from. Lies and murder are one in nature because they hail from the same place. Jesus asserts that truth is not a platform for the foot of the devil because he is a murderer. He then rebuked the people that opposed his word, characterizing them as liars mirroring the one it originates from. This teaches us that a Godless system that rejects the truth of Jesus Christ, embraces the lie of the enemy, becomes murderous in nature because it opposes the one who gives life.

The Apostle John states: ‘We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one’ (1 John 5:19). Paul infers the same thing: ‘the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.’ (2 Corinthians 4:4)

The enemy keeps the world under his sway, and blinds unbelievers through lies. Nothing is out of bounds when it comes to indoctrinating through lies: Entertainment, politics, media, education and even relationships can serve as means of indoctrination. The purpose of his lies is to stop our sight of Christ, which is attempted murder of the life we were created for, the image and glory of God. When we accept the lies of the enemy, we mirror him instead of God.

The origin, character, and impact of truth

The reason Jesus could essentially say that to reject his word is to embrace a lie is because: “… grace and truth came through Jesus Christ,” (John 1:17) He ‘proceeded and came forth from God with grace and truth.’ For the believer, Christ is the very embodiment of truth, His teachings, and His examples. This is true because Christ is the reality of what God has in mind for creation. His character and the impact His life accomplished is the truest potential of God’s image and glory in human form. It is no wonder that the enemy endeavour’s to lie to man who was created in God’s image and blind us from seeing the glory of Christ.

According to Paul, it’s in beholding the glory of God that we conform to the same image (2 Corinthians 3:18). In beholding the Son of God, we embody His image, which is truth and we become truthful in the process. We become embodiment of truth and live the spiritual lives we were created for. Lives that display the image and glory of God.

Marks of a truthful person, embodying truth

•Worshiping in spirit and truth (John 4:24)

We worship God with sincerity of heart and transparency like Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane

•The inside of the cup matches the outside (Matthew 23:26)

We give up on trying to appear godly when it doesn’t reflect the truth of our heart condition. Rather we ask God to transform our hearts so our lives can reflect the truth of our heart as Jesus’ did.

•We are one like our God ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!’ (Deuteronomy 6:4)

To be ‘one’ means to be a person of integrity. God’s character isn’t circumstantial and being honest and a person of integrity means you are the same. We can be chameleons for the sake of acceptance and that is the equivalence of living a lie.

•Knowing and being set free by the truth (John 8:32)

Knowledge of the truth means intimacy with Jesus Christ and the fruit of this knowledge is freedom. The freedom to live a life that expresses the truth of God’s image. This knowledge helps us to reject anything that opposes Jesus, knowing it originates from the devil and keeps us free from his lies.

Being truthful is rooted in rejecting the father of lies and embracing Truth Himself. Understanding as the enemy is the father of lies, God is the Father of Truth and Truth is Jesus Christ. In accepting Jesus for who He says He is, we accept truth. In beholding Jesus, we embody truth. We become people who worship God in spirit and in truth, whose external mirrors our internal and who’s character isn’t circumstantial but one like our God’s. I pray that we will know the truth of Jesus Christ and we’ll be kept free from the lies of the enemy, In Jesus name; Amen.

Is my ministry for me or for God?

Emmanuel Oganla
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Is my ministry for me or for God?

It’s important that we go into ministry for the right reasons.

Paul, in his letter to the church at Ephesus alludes to the reality that all Christians are ministers. This is true because he asserts that Christ gave gifts to the church to ‘equip saints for the work of ministry’ (Ephesians 4:7-12). The relevance of this is that Jesus graces all believers with the responsibility of ministering, though we may minister in different capacities. Consequently, no believer is exempt from the question this article seeks to answer. In this article, we will be uncovering who owns the ministry; the minister or God and how to ensure that the owner isn’t mistaken. We will do this by exploring the temptation to seize what belongs to God due to the nature and consequence of the fall, which also plays out in ministry.

The nature of the fall and how it plays out in ministry

Let’s start with Paul’s admonition to the Colossians:

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,” Colossians 3:23

Paul excludes nothing in what he urges us to do for God, so ministry is obviously included. With that being said, we also learn from Paul that there’s a sense of responsibility or ownership that believers should feel towards their ministry, he uttered ‘For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,’ (Romans 11:13). The problem comes when you forget that you were entrusted with stewardship over it, and it really belongs to God. In the Garden Adam had a sense of responsibility and ownership towards it, his work was to dress and keep the garden, but its source was God. When the serpent tempted Adam and Eve, he appealed to their selfish ambition, Eve saw that it was ‘good for food, a delight to the eyes and it was to be desired to make one wise,’ the temptation was to apprehend the benefits of the tree without regard for its source.

Our ministry is the same way, we have responsibility and a sense of ownership towards it, but its source is God. Paul urges us against this same selfish ambition saying, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” (Philippians 2:3). Our ministry can expose an array of selfish ambitions: a means for position, significance, wealth, and power. The wise king Solomon did say ‘A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before the great’ (Proverbs 18:16). The problem is when your ministry becomes more about the rooms you want to occupy and the dignitaries you want to rub shoulders with than honouring God. Ministry has become about you and not about God.

Learning from Jesus’ example

The gifts God gives to aid our ministering will inevitably provide opportunities. This is especially true in our celebrity culture. In Jesus’ case, the opportunity was not merely to be before kings but to be king of all the kingdoms of the world and their glories. A position he was tempted to rise to by bowing to the enemy. The temptation was strikingly similar to Adam and Eve’s because they were made in God’s likeness but were tempted to disregard God in order to be like him. The Father’s plan was always for the Son to not only be king but to be the King of kings. Thankfully he had his priorities straighter than Adam and Eve had theirs.

“Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Therefore, when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.” John 6:14-15 NKJV.

At different points of his ministry, Jesus slipped from the crowds before they could crown him because his ambition was for God. He was working heartily in all he was doing for God and not for men. Not to be applauded by men (which is what the crown represents) but to be applauded by God.

In another instance, he had the opportunity of renown, to amass an audience for himself but he responded the same way, again because he understood that his ministry was for God. “However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So, He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” Luke 5:15-16

He ran from the crowd to be with the source of his ministry, and we ought to do the same.

Jesus overcame the public temptation in his ministry because he overcame the garden of Eden-like temptation he faced in the wilderness (Matthew 4). Again, like Adam and Eve, his temptation was to gratify selfish ambitions outside of the will of God.

Questions we can ask ourselves to ensure the ministry we are at stewarding is God’s and not ours:

  • Are you content without the microphone or the stage?
  • Are you content without an audience seeing and applauding your gifts and good deeds; is the secret place enough for you? (Read Matthew 6:1-6 for more context)
  • Are you striving to be a Mary or a Martha? (Read Luke 10:38-42) for more context.
  • Who is fundamentally responsible for all your ministerial success?

If we are being honest with ourselves, the ‘right Christian answer’ isn’t always the truth in our ministerial journeys. You might need to take frequent breaks like Jesus did to ensure your contentment lies in God alone. You might need to take a break altogether. I know I’ve had to personally. Concluding that you won’t ever need to ask yourself these questions and examine your heart isn’t the wisest disposition. Scripture calls us to examine ourselves (2nd Corinthians 13:5). As Christians, we are ministers with a unique blend of gifts to aid our ministry. Our ministries will attract attention because of our gifts but we must have our priorities straight. We must choose the disposition of humility and not pride. We must take the type of ownership that mirrors responsibility for our ministry whilst acknowledging our source like Jesus did, seeing ministry as a means of service to people for the glory of God. We must examine and be honest with ourselves when we are being fuelled by selfish ambition. We must repent and take breaks if we need to, to find contentment in God alone. May God help us to use our ministries to serve people for God’s glory and not for ours in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Why we changed our name

M.T. Omoniyi
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Why we changed our name

After 7 years of wearing our God Given Mission with pride, we are changing the name of our organisation and moving into the next chapter of our work

I lay out some of the reasons for our new name in the video below. Have a watch and share it with someone too.

It would take far too long to go into all the details about our new strategy, however over the next few weeks, it will become more apparent what we are working on.

I want to thank all the people who pray for us, and who share our work and also a special thank you to our donors who make our work possible.

Here is to the next few years of an amazing impact

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