Not Condemned!!?! How?!?!!

.. I do not condemn you.. 

John 8 tells the story of a woman who was brought by the Pharisees to Jesus because she was caught in adultery.

Firstly, we all know it takes two to complete the act of adultery that she was being accused of and I can’t but wonder where the other person was. Why wasn’t he brought down as well? Maybe he was too fast for them and jumped through the window before they could catch him, or he bribed them as they brought him. I’m also suspecting the woman is probably the wife of one of the accusers who wanted to ensure his disgraceful wife was stoned according to the law while using the situation as a bait to get Jesus.

Jesus’ answer to their question was simple “the one without a sin should throw the first stone”. His answer did not try to encourage the woman’s sin but exposed the many questions that are hidden leading to this judgement and ensure it was a fair one. 

It became obvious that they had no legal or moral right to judge the woman because they also had sin hanging round their necks. They all walked away one after the other throwing away their self acquired judge’s gown and gavel in shame and disgust.

Jesus looked at the woman who was caught in sin to assure the woman that judgment is not in the hands of men but with God and that He did not come for judgement at this time but to save. He assured her that though He has the right to condemn her but He wouldn’t.

You would have found yourself on either side of the divide where you have judged someone or have been judged by others, but as the one with the absolute right to judge did not judge her, He is not judging you at this time nor expecting you to be the judge of people He has paid for with His blood. 

The time of judgment will come when Jesus returns a second time and it will be too late for anyone who has refused to accept His love and enjoy this graceful dispensation that is full of forgiveness without condemnation. 

Lastly, Jesus did not leave her in her sin but charged her to go and not sin anymore. It should not be grossly misunderstood that grace is a leeway to continue or encourage sin, but an opening to start living above it. An acknowledgment of how awful your past is and not being condemned as it is due should generate a reverence of God that leads away from sin to righteousness. You don’t encounter Jesus and remain the same, because it brings about an irreversible transformation that causes a nauseation for sin and an appetite for godly living.

Fall into the arms of the Lord and judge of all who at this time has chosen to withhold judgment and condemnation but offers forgiveness and strength to live triumphantly above sin. Like He looked into that woman’s eyes, He’s saying the same words to you as you acknowledge and stand at His mercy saying I do not condemn you.. go and sin no more.

Believe and be saved.

Fisi…

 Fisi…

Fisi…

The gospel of Jesus Christ through the cross has been laced with many glamours that has taken away the focus from what it truly represents to the other things THAT are merely additions. 

“Fisi” is a Yoruba phrase that literally means “add extra”. It is what a customer demands from a seller for a purchase made that should serve as an incentive for choosing to buy there. In some instance, it is the seller that throws it in the deal to reward loyalty or attract the customer back. Most of the time, “Fisi” achieves more of a psychological satisfaction to the customer than any real impact on the real need but definitely the seller is making a profit either immediately or on the long run.

Many preachers have garnished the gospel with enticing promises that majorly satisfy needs and wants of the physical demands, challenges and lusts. Thus, setting the eyes and hearts of people on the physical which can only be counted as secondary while subtly de-emphasizing on the spiritual accomplishments that the gospel has delivered. 

This is not to imply that God is not interested in your physical gains and improvement after believing in the gospel of Christ but that Jesus accounts for them as “Fisi”. Jesus said “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”(Matthew 6:33). This was His position about the basic needs of life - food, shelter and clothing. He simply said they will be added as you focus on the primary thing which is found in Christ's death and resurrection.

Many messages have been preached, songs sung, movies produced that have presented the message of the cross as a means to end all physical challenges and needs. While this may not be absolutely out of place but it sets a misconception in the heart of the hearer. There must be a careful consideration and assessment to ensure that the primary message is not diminished while exalting what is secondary. The objective ought to be to seek the giver of the gifts and not the gift.

Jesus was clear about the primary gain of believing into Him and that is eternal life. He said “whoever believes... will have eternal life”(John 3:16). This position is undeniably mentioned all over scriptures and affirms what the main promise is, that is the God kind of life - eternal life. It’s not in the car, monies, jobs, aspirations, healing, spouse, child, etc that is brandished by many ministers. It is primarily about receiving eternal life and other things are added accordingly.

Focus on the main gift, not on the “Fisi”. Seek the giver, not the gifts.

God be praised forever!

Father’s Day Celebration, more to be celebrated!

 Father’s Day Celebration, more to be celebrated!

The role of a father is not one to be underrated in any way. Jesus readily proclaimed God as His father and did not allow the threat of cultural bias deny Him that at anytime. 

The Jewish culture accepted a father’s relationship to mean equality, that is a father and a son are same of a kind.

Jesus” frequent deferring to God as father shows the importance of a father in our lives and the responsibility conferred on fathers.

A father is needed in a child’s life to guide, teach, support, love, protect, comfort, be available, provide etc. These expectations confers on a father the responsibility to be in control of himself and be able to chat a course the child should desire to emulate. 

It is quite “easy” to be a father through reproduction as taught in biology but it is an enviable responsibility to be a father as God expects us to be.

While fatherhood is celebrated once a year, let us all appreciate the role without down playing on the importance. Let the men embrace the responsibility to be a father to the children in our lives (biological or not). Embrace the Father’s love and learn from Him deliberately to guide and teach you how to be the father He will be proud of.

Enjoy the fatherhood celebration everyday. Happy Father’s Day!

Take a moment to appreciate the people who have played the role of a father in your life at any stage. Celebrate them and say a prayer.

Born Again? What does it mean?

 “What does it mean?

So there is a growing number of people who do not understand what it means to be born again. Some assume it is a bad thing and always despise people who claim to be. Another group even say they are and cannot even explain clearly what it means to be one. The question then will be, can you be what or who you do not know how to describe?

If you say you are something, it doesn’t make you the thing. If you act like you are something, it still does not make you that thing. If I were to say I am a medical doctor and even go ahead to dress like one, it does not qualify me to become a medical doctor. If I were to do some medical diagnosis and treatment based on my experience with being around a doctor and caring for the sick around me, it does not qualify me to be a doctor. A medical doctor is someone trained and licensed to diagnose and prescribe medications for the sick.

To be born again means that one is born of the Spirit. In John 3 verses 5-6,

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Jesus clearly presents a distinction between spiritual and physical (fleshly) birth to make it clear that being born again is a spiritual birth. To be born again is to be born spiritually and this is absolutely different and has nothing to do with your physical birth. It is a birth and it must be seen and acknowledged as that.”

Excerpts from the book “Born Again?”

Available on Amazon.. see Link below 

Born Again?: A simple guide on the new birth Jesus Christ talked about: Making plain the realities of what being born again is all about. See it as it is and be sure of what you believe .

Fan to Flames

Fan to Flames.

It is true we need to actively fan a combustible to flames, and it is easy to be happy when we see the flames come up. I think it is more important that we keep the flames alive. 

For fire to burn, it requires a few component. Heat, fuel and energy that is heat; wood, paper or PMS (basically anything that can burn) and air. 

As Christians, our call to fan to flames means we ought to throw in the components to fan to flames and keep the fire burning. The components required are prayers, bible reading, meditation on the word of God, preaching the gospel and doing the word.

As Paul told Timothy, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”- 2Timothy 1:6-7(NIV) , 

Accept this as a reminder that you need to be on fire for Jesus Christ so that you can reach your world through His abundant gift in you. 

Also be reminded that you have the Holy Spirit to help you do it. 

Fan to flames!

Parkrun - 32:15:64 Life lessons from my first Marathon

 Parkrun - 32:15:64

Life lessons from my first Marathon 

Running a marathon is not so popular where I come from (Nigeria), so I participated in my first Marathon race organised by parkrun in July, 2023. I signed up because it looked exciting when I saw contestants run the previous week and I believed I’ll just breeze through it - “a run through the park” right?!?.

Parkrun is an initiative to get people to run, walk or jog weekly in their different communities. It is a free 5k race and encourages everyone to participate just as you are. You can walk, jog, run or volunteer(or a combination of any of these), everyone is a winner. It is inclusive, positive and welcoming with no time limits (Parkrun.org.uk).

I entered for it confidently and arrived on time with a strategy in my head to finish well and strong.

On the day of the event which was cloudy and windy at the Thames Path parkrun, Woolwich, as we gathered, instructions were given, milestones celebrated and the course described to newbies like myself. It was a straight run on sandcrete floor then continued on ground path and further through a park and unto the “curly-wurly” hill where participants make a return back the same way from the top of the hill along the same route down to the finish line.

I confirmed what I had seen the week before the race but this time in the race. There were different people, from old to young, big to small, diverse colour, different groups, some with dogs, trollies with kids in it and even a pregnant woman. Status was not clear and obvious as intentions and achievements of participants was unrecognisable.

As the race began after the call “GO, I began to realise some  lessons from this marathon race. I will be sharing seven of these lessons that I consider useful for our life race that God has set before us. Hebrews 12:2 says we should run with perseverance the race set before us. Everyone is in a race, how you run it goes a long way. Below are the lessons.

• It starts with a step: as the announcer said go, it became paramount that it only takes a step to start and another one then another to continue till you finish. The end line is the goal but you only need a step at a time to cover many grounds. It’s the same thing in life, you cannot do it or be it all at once. Go through the process and enjoy the moments one after the other.
• It is a race against time: as the race commenced, it became obvious that the race is not against the many people in it. It is a race against myself and at best my time. Running against people was not worthwhile as some moved ahead and some dropped behind who couldn’t keep up.  Living your life based on other people’s opinions and achievements will either leave you distressed or short-changed as you will be messed up either ways. Let your eyes be on the focus, not on others.
• Pace your race: just after five minutes into the race I was already panting and couldn’t continue at the pace I started with. I immediately started pacing myself so that I could keep up through the race. Some times I walked so I can catch my breath and run better, at other times I dropped my speed so I could increase it later. One thing I didn’t do is stop moving or give up.  Learn to take rests and breaks in life as the pressures come. It helps you gain strength to press forward subsequently.
• Travel with the necessities: it’s easier to say travel light because that is the key to running fast but I carefully observed that it may not work for everyone as I learnt. I observed people travel with different things as inhaler, phones, trolley with their kid in it, bottle water, dog (yes! a dog) etc. Traveling light would have meant leaving behind something important that would keep them stable during the race or keep the mind together. Imagine the man with the kid in that trolley spending time with the child as he ran. In life, you should know how to identify what is necessary per time and run with them. Run without being hindered by what you have or do not have.
• Cheers are good: as we jogged, ran or walked along, we gave and received cheers from one another and from non participants. The cheers did spur me on when I got tired and really felt like giving up. You should have people who cheer you on as you also do same to other as you go through life. We need to celebrate one another so that we are all charged up to go on. 
• Take advice and run with it: As I burnt out on my way back an older man jogged past me and said “take off your head gear, you’re burning up”. I had covered my hair up because I couldn’t comb it before setting out. I hesitated for this simple reason but decided to remove it as advised while he jogged on and left me behind. As soon as I removed it, I felt the breeze blow over my head and I soon felt refreshed and better. I finished the race without the head covering. There are people who have gone ahead of you in life and gained the relevant knowledge of the course you are chatting. Take a moment to listen and learn from their experience. You do not have to learn the hard way, just enjoy the benefit of having people around you to offer guidance as necessary.
• Finish: as I crossed the finish line, receiving the cheers of the organisers, it felt good, really good and then relief. I secured my time( 32:15) and went on to scan my barcode. The lesson here is in two folds, which are that everyone who commits to continuing will finish and the time you finish is personal to you. For me, the time was the first, it felt okay and the standard to beat the next time I try. On the flip side, I saw a dad pushing his child in a trolley who was tired and had about six meter to the finish line suddenly rushed up as he was encouraged he could still beat the 44 minutes mark. Everyone will finish but how will you finish?

We all have a race set before us and we must do well to run it with every diligence. Everyone one will give an account of how well it has been run.

Have you been part of any race before? What do you think about the points raised and which one caught your attention and why?

Please share your thoughts and register for the next Parkrun event through the link below.

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/