The Father, the Son and the world

I remember when our first child was born, my husband held the baby and looked at her face. He was so excited and at the same time awed by the fact that another human being has joined our home. This human being was no stranger but a portion of him and me. As my daughter grew up, she took up a striking resemblance to her father. Whenever people compliment my daughter for the way she looks like her father, I know deep down, my husband gets excited about it. Parent-child bond If well developed can result in the best friendships in the world. The child is loved, cared for and equipped by the parents to be a better person to society. Parental love is so deep and overwhelming that some parents find it hard to let go of their children when it is time for such children to relocate, go to school or even marry.  If we as humans know how to love our children and care for them so well, why wouldn’t our Father in heaven care for us in a more profound way?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16)

God’s love extends beyond the territories of parental love. He loves us even when our parents leave or forsake us. He cares for us so much that He willingly gave us His very best. God the Father’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ was sent down on earth by the Father to rescue the world. God created the world, but the people in the world rejected Him through their actions. The price to pay to return to God was so huge that no human on earth was qualified to pay. For thousands of years, humanity tried every avenue possible to return to God the Father but all avenues were flawed. How can the world make it right with the Father? As the world continued to try different ways to return to the Father, God already had a plan. This plan was born out of love. John 3:16 summarizes this, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This profound love from the Father was expressed through the Son to the world.

The Father gave up His best to redeem the world. The fallen and brokenness of humanity demanded a sacrifice, blameless and worthy. The Father knew that only the Son could make atonement for the world. Therefore, before the Father laid the foundations of the world, He already foreshadowed this great sacrifice. In Revelation 13: 8, we are told, the Lamb who is a type referring to the Son was slain before the foundation of the world. Therefore, the blood shed on the cross of Calvary was the culmination of the Father’s love. This love is deep, this love is powerful and sacrificial. Instead of God admiring His only begotten Son like most father’s do, God had to take His face away from the Son so His own Son can pay the price the world was meant to pay. Now, Whoever believes in the Son has escaped the punishment meant for the world. Such a person will Not perish but have eternal life. The God-life is transferred to us through the Son. Hallelujah!

God’s love

Throughout the pages of the Old and New Testaments, we encounter the different ways the people chosen by God messed up, forsook God, disappointed God, broke their covenant with God, among many other bad things. Sometimes, it is appropriate to consider the Israelites as stiff-necked people who failed at every angle in their relationship with God. The question is, why did God continue to show them love, favour, care and compassion even in the midst of all their sinfulness? We can fully understand this when we spend time understanding the love of God. For us as humans, we find it difficult to tolerate those who take us for granted and constantly disregard us. We break friendships, we disconnect ties and we walk away when we feel that our generosity is taken as our weakness. However, God’s terms are different.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

After the fall of man, humanity constantly moved farther away from God through our thoughts and deeds. We dwindled down towards sin and death, and it seemed like all hope was lost. Our relationship with God was affected and the only way to reconnect back to Him was to offer sacrifices that temporarily cleanse our sins. God is holy and though He loves the sinner, He does not tolerate sin. Therefore, animal blood became the way to get His attention. However, the blood of animals couldn’t permanently make us holy. We needed a more permanent solution. This solution seemed unrealistic to humanity but God had already put things in place before the foundation of the world. He loved humanity so much that before He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God already had a plan. No wonder in our sinfulness, He was still ready to make His plan work for our redemption. This great love is captured in Romans 5:8, Paul writes that, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Easter is a season to ponder on the love of God. The great love that made God send His only begotten Son to die for our sins. Unfortunately, most children in the West will grow up believing that Easter is about bunnies, empty chocolate covered eggs, and the funfair created by the business side of Easter. We need to let our children know the real reason behind the season. It is love, so great, so mighty, so amazing, so divine that the earth shook in response. We need to tell it on the mountains, in the valleys, on the highways,  on the appian ways, and everywhere. God’s love has changed the course of history. His divine mercy has vindicated us. We are no more slaves to sin and fear. God’s love has translated us to become children of God. The best part is, we were loved even when we were sinners. Rejoice and be glad. Grace has paid our ransom.

The suffering servant (Part 2): Who has believed our message?

Isaiah’s prophecies concerning the suffering servant who was ultimately personified in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, was given over 700 years before the incident happened. God had revealed to Isaiah what will be done to His begotten Son, who was referred to as the suffering servant in Isaiah’s writings. The details and the accuracy of the prophecies couldn’t have come from a human source other than a divine source. In a previous post, we established that there is no doubt that Jesus and the suffering servant are the same. We also established that the painful experiences of Jesus were to demonstrate God’s unfailing love for us. Now let’s dig deeper.

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? (‭‭Isaiah 53:1)

Isaiah 53:1 begins with this message: “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” This question poses a significant problem: the unbelieving people and their refusal to accept the message of the Lord. As Isaiah wrote this, the Jews who lived prior to the ministry of Jesus might have confidently confessed that they would never disbelieve the message of God. It is possible that some even considered that this was a message for their enemies who have failed to acknowledge God. The cry goes: “Who has believed our message?”. Other versions say “our report”. The tendency of the Israelites to disbelieve the message of the gospel was the reason behind this question. The second part of the question asks, “to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” The arm of the Lord was revealed to the Israelites but they failed to accept the message of salvation. In their refusal, they even went ahead and plotted the death of the Saviour. In the book of John 12:37-38, ‬‬we see an interesting trend: “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” The apostle John considered the disbelief on the part of the Jews as a fulfillment of prophecy.

‭‭In his letter to the Romans, apostle Paul also mentioned that “But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” (Romans 10:16). The culmination of their disbelief was the pain and suffering meted out on God’s Son. Even till date, there are many others who have refused to believe in our report. Quite disheartening is the fact that most of such people will rather believe in any historical person except Jesus Christ. Even though there are many convincing proofs about Jesus Christ, these people simply refuse to believe and receive Him. Their rejection and refusal to believe has made them alienated from the truth. The redemptive work of Christ is only important to those who receive and believe Him. ‭‭John 1:12 states that “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Until people believe in the message, receive Jesus and believe in His name, they do not have any portion in the Lord.

Spend time praying for family and friends who have rejected the message of salvation. Ask God to open doors of opportunities for you and others to share with them the message of the gospel. Make an intentional effort to show them love, care and compassion.

The suffering servant (Part 1)

For lovers of Christian movies, February 2004 remains very significant for the release of the movie “The Passion of the Christ” directed by Mel Gibson. Significant to this release was the fact that the movie came out in the United States on February 25, 2004. This day was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for many orthodox believers. Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. Thus, the end of Lent also begins Easter. Although Lent is popular among many orthodox churches, it is not so common among evangelical believers. The Passion of the Christ captures the final 12 hours before Jesus Christ’s death. Personally, the first time I watched the movie, I cried like a baby. What! The acting was so real and I even felt Mel Gibson might have overdone the aesthetics and the acting. Why would the captors of Jesus treat Him so grossly? However after reading Isaiah’s account of the suffering servant, and the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion, I came to understand how Jesus was manhandled and treated before His death.

See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness (‭‭Isaiah 52:13-14)

The suffering servant is a theme that appears a couple of times in Isaiah’s writings. In Isaiah 52 and 53, we get an overview of how the suffering servant was treated, his death, the shame and the glory he secured after going through such a painful death. The depiction of who the suffering servant is remains contentious in many Jewish communities. However, for Christians, we have no doubt that this person was fully revealed through the suffering and death of Jesus. In fact, Jesus Himself and the apostles made reference to some of the quotes in Isaiah 52 and 53. As we prepare to celebrate the death,  burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is important we dig into the suffering servant and consider how this prophecy aligns with Jesus. ‭‭Isaiah 52:13 states this: “See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.” Then it continues with “Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—” (Isaiah 52:14). These two verses reveal the glory and the suffering of the servant.

The painful experiences of the suffering servant should remind us of the pain God endured seeing His only begotten Son maltreated by the people He created. Yet, it was necessary for God to show us His unfailing love so that our redemption will be secured. Maybe like me, you still find it difficult to watch Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ because of the bloody nature of the movie. We can consider aesthetics displayed in the movie but in reality, the Son of God was disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness (Isaiah 52:14). It wasn’t a rosy journey to the cross. Our Lord Jesus suffered so much pain and shame. In all this, He knew no sin. In the subsequent posts for this week, we shall go deeply into the nature of suffering meted out to the servant described in Isaiah 52 and 53.

He will provide safe water to quench our thirst

Water is an essential component in our lives. Unlike some animals that can drink water and store some in the bellies for days, humans constantly need water to be hydrated. Thus, access to water is one of the essential human rights according to the UN. Although this might seem a minor issue in many developed countries, access to safe water is a major issue in developing countries and in drought prone areas. Whenever you drink water and pour the rest away, remember that someone needs that wasted water just to survive. As the people of Israel journeyed to the promised land, they faced water crises a couple of times. The lack of water made the people complain bitterly against Moses and even to God. Yet, God never ceased to provide them water to drink.

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. ‭‭(Exodus‬ ‭15:25‬a)

In the early part of their journey they spent three days without water in the Desert of Shur. Finally, they arrived at Marah but they could not drink its water because it was bitter. That is why the place is called Marah. So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15:23‭-‬24‬). Moses in turn cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15:25‬). Right after this encounter, the people arrived at Elim, and there they found the twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water (‭‭Exodus‬ 15:27‬). Thus, there was no need to grumble again. Throughout their journey, they had other encounters where God had to command Moses strike the rock for water (Exodus 17:6) or to speak to the rock for water (Numbers 20:8). God in providing water for the people demonstrated His power to meet their most important needs: satisfy their longings.

In the New Testament, Jesus proclaimed that whoever drinks the water He gives them will never thirst. Indeed, the water He gives them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John‬ ‭4:14‬). For Moses and the people of Israel, their temporary thirst was satisfied. However, for those in Christ, we have been freely offered living water that gives eternal life. What’s your deepest thirst? From which well are you drinking from? Are you drinking from a broken cistern? In Jeremiah 2:13, God accused the Israelites of two sins: “They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” To quench life’s daily thirst, we need to draw nearer to God, our spring of living water because digging our own cisterns cannot assure us of constant provision of water. When the Israelites walked with God for forty years in the wilderness, He provided water whenever they were thirsty.

Like the woman at the well said to Jesus, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” (‭‭John‬ ‭4:15‬), our longings should ultimately be filled by Jesus Christ. We all need that spring of water welling into eternal life. As the Israelites drank from the rock, which is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4), the living spring for sustenance and survival, so must we drink the water Christ gives, a water welling into eternal life.

Chloe: Serving the Lord with your household

In Joshua 24:15, as Joshua neared the end of his life, he gave the people of Israel his final words. One of the major themes of this final charge is “serving the Lord”. Joshua put before the people the Lord and the gods their ancestors served beyond the Euphrates. He said, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15a). Serving the Lord together with his household was Joshua’s stand. I believe for most believers, this would be the preferred stand, “serving the Lord with our household”. But, it doesn’t always happen.  We should be intentional to stand in the gap for the members in our household to come to faith. One woman in Corinth who served the Lord with her household was Chloe. In fact, they did not just serve the Lord together,  they were also interested in bringing peace into the church.

Chloe was a family person and a member of the Corinthian church. She was not just concerned with her salvation but that of her household and the entire church. Chloe was mentioned in the letter to the Corinthian church in relation to a report she and her household made to Paul. The church in Corinth was divided over leaders. According to Paul, the church was divided over  Paul, Apollos, Cephas (Peter) and Christ:
“What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:12)
This was a divided church that needed immediate pastoral attention. The issue bothered Chloe and her household and they immediately contacted Paul to resolve the issue.  It is fair to say that Chloe and her household might have tried to resolve divisions in the church but it didn’t work and as such, reporting to the Apostle was a means to get the issue resolved.

My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. (1 Corinthians 1:11)

When Paul addressed the issue,  he didn’t  conceal the names of those who reported the issue to him; “My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.” (1 Corinthians 1:11). These petty quarrels had the tendency to wreck the church. Imagine all members in the church divided over leaders. No one will follow instructions coming from any other person other than their preferred leaders. The church will not be able to do anything together if they are all divided over authority. The report from Chloe’s household was properly handled by Paul as he spent time expounding on why the church should not be divided over leaders. Paul told the church in Corinth this:
“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:1‭-‬9)

The explanation Paul gave is still relevant for handling church conflicts over leaders. Imagine Chloe and her household had not done the needful, the church would have been destroyed with such petty quarrels. Imagine if Chloe’s household had not supported the decision to report the incident to Paul, the matter would have escalated. Serving the Lord with our household is important for both our family and the church. There are many “Chloes” in the body of Christ. People dedicated to serving the Lord with their families.

Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

After God created a perfect world in six days and “saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31), “on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:2‭-‬3). God committed creation into the hands of the first man and woman (Adam and Eve). God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28). But, there was Lucifer (also known as Satan or the Devil) who was looking forward to messing up God’s plans. The first landlords of the earth, Adam and Eve failed God because they paid heed to the voice of the devil, and their disobedience led all humanity on a downhill. The wages of sin is death and in Genesis 3, God listed a couple of punishments for the man, the woman and the serpent (Satan). For thousands of years, humanity’s downhill dragged thousands and millions into the bosom of hell. But, God had a plan of restoration. 

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! )John 1:29 NKJV)

The first message of salvation was preached in the Garden of Eden. God’s plan to save humanity from this downhill was pronounced in the Garden: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). Adam and Eve were clothed by God because sin exposed their nakedness. With the first animal sacrifice, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). God’s perfect plan to crush the head of Satan was not a plan of war, it was a plan of death. The only way for humanity to be restored was through atonement and a sinless human being was needed to pay for the price of Adam and Eve’s carelessness. No one in humanity was found worthy because all humanity came from the sinful Adam. God did not make an alternative plan, because even before the creation of the world, God had all things laid out. Even before Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8 KJV) and revealed through creation awaited for the time of redemption. As John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him to be baptized, John said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29 KJV). The price for humanity’s downhill was the sinless atonement of the Son of God. 

From the Garden of Eden until the death of Jesus, animal blood was required to pay for sins. These sacrifices were done religiously and yet, humanity’s sins were not atoned permanently. Thus, as the religious leaders campaigned for Jesus to be crucified, they did not know that Jesus’ mandate was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). The only way to fulfill this mandate was for Jesus to take the place of the sacrificial lamb. Jesus’ mandate entailed His death and resurrection. As the Roman soldiers hanged Jesus on the cross and nailed him so steadfastly, the blood from Jesus (all over his body) travelled in time to the Garden of Eden down to the future. Jesus’ perfect blood paid for our sins and restored humanity to God. 

The condemnation in Genesis was paid for by Calvary’s pain. The God who said, “Where are you” to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3: 9) forsook His only begotten Son even when the Son cried out, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” (My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? ( Matthew 27: 46). God did that so the Son, destined to pay for the sin of humanity, died as the perfect lamb to ransom the souls of humanity. Heaven’s Prince was killed by the humans He created so that through His death and resurrection, He will restore humanity from the fallen state to be made the bride of the Lamb. Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

It cost God His only begotten Son to ransom humanity from sin, death and eternal doom. It should therefore cost you a lifetime of living to please God. Christianity is a lifestyle. People should not struggle to see Christ in you. Light cannot be hidden!

Naomi has a son: Praise the Lord!

Have you ever encountered people who had nothing and suddenly had their lives changed? It may sound surreal but they are people who move from grass to grace in no time because they encountered their destiny helpers. Anyway, if you have not met one of such people yet, I believe I am one. God in His mercies called me out of my little community and led me to a place of grace. Left to my parents alone, I would still be living somewhere managing my life. But God’s mercy pulled me out and connected me to the right institutions and the right people. Over the years, I have come to understand that all these systems I have encountered were God’s ways to take me to where I have to be. Obviously, it didn’t happen overnight; it has been years but God is still leading me. 

If you ever wondered why God has not done anything spectacular for you, just know that living, having food to eat and clothes to wear is a daily provision of God we take for granted. You will appreciate all these better if you ever come across someone with a life-threatening issue. Naomi and her family experienced famine and as a means of escape, moved to Moab. By the time Naomi returned, she had lost her husband and her children. In her sadness, Naomi wanted people to call her Mara (bitter) instead of Naomi (pleasant). As we have seen, God didn’t leave Naomi alone. When Boaz accepted the challenge to buy out Naomi’s family possessions, he agreed to redeem Naomi and Ruth from every debt and be their provider.  

The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:14‭, ‬17)

The people in Naomi’s community testified to the massive change this made to Naomi. Ultimately, Boaz and Ruth gave Naomi a reason to rejoice. In Ruth 4:14, “[t]he women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel!” God was gracious to Naomi and enabled Ruth to conceive. In Moab, while Ruth was married to Mahlon, she had no child. But when the guardian-redeemer married Ruth, a child was born. Once again, “[t]he women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” (Ruth 4:17).

These women were probably the same people who exclaimed when Naomi returned. They saw her face, her appearance and the sadness around her.
“So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” (Ruth 1:19)
But, when God’s mercy made a way for Naomi to be redeemed and then have a son, the same women praised God and named the son Obed meaning servant of God/worshipper. What the women didn’t know was that the name given to the son was going to go beyond Bethlehem. Obed was the father of Jesse and the grandfather of king David. As we know, David was a man after God’s own heart. He was a servant of God and a great worshipper. Most of the Psalms were composed by David.

God was not done with Naomi, through the genealogy of David, the ultimate redeemer of the world was born. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of men redeemed humanity from the clutches of sin and death.

Naomi’s restoration should remind us that God’s plans are bigger than ours. Whenever we need to make any move, we should consider this, “is this God’s plan for me?” Ask God to show you His perfect plan for you. 
As we lay our hearts before God, may he take away any form of Mara (bitterness) in our lives and give us Obed (worship)… Yes, we shall praise, worship and serve God for the rest of our lives. 

Merry Christmas

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 NIV)

Christmas without Jesus Christ is just another holiday. Jesus is the reason for the season. Peace on earth and goodwill to men.

Merry Christmas!