Positive Mammon 2

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (Luke 4:18)

Allow me to focus this topic today on us ministers

And I do this because we know that judgment starts in God’s household.

And I must address us separately because for many of us we do not have the resources to pour into those enterprises, simply because we depend on others to supply our needs.

I do not earn money from ministering. But I know I am not speaking about the majority.

Some of us have no disposable income to do anything apart from the ministry God has called us to.

For example, it would be disastrous for me to take moneys God has availed for me to make books or audio Bibles to feed the hungry just as it would be for someone to take money God has released for a mission to be taken to an orphanage. On the same vein it would be as wicked to take money meant to feed the vulnerable for a mission.

There are churches that have abused designated giving and attracted judgment, and continue doing so.

But this does not absolve us from using mammon for kingdom purposes.

That is what I want us to look at.

A minister is a servant of another. A minister is a steward of someone else’s resources.

It is only that the Lord and Owner of those resources is not physically visible. Nor does He enforce our compliance towards His orders.

Many interpret that as not caring whether His orders are followed or not.

But nothing can be farther than the truth.

God holds us accountable for the last cent He has entrusted to us just as He does for every idle word we speak and every idle minute we waste.

It means God in a more demanding boss than the rest, only that He does not always hold the whip to enforce our obedience.

It is therefore instructive that we learn the basics of what is required of us by way of giving us a focus.

Who does God focus on?

This will guide us as we use mammon positively.

Matthew 25 talks about sheep and goats. This means that this can guide us on our use of mammon.

Needs.

And we see that even in the Old Testament.

Among the signs Jesus gave for John the Baptist to know that He was the Christ was that the poor have the Gospel preached to them.

Two things I want us to look at.

The first is, what is the focus of our ministry? Where is our focus for our ministry.

We would do well to imitate our Lord in that.

He focused on the downs and outs. He focused on the rejects. He focused on the hopeless. He focused on the sick and seeking. He focused on the ones nobody else dared associate with.

Have you ever wondered why Judas had to kiss Jesus for Him to be known to the authorities yet He was such a public figure?

They had probably never seen Him. And that simply because His ministry never took Him anywhere close to them.

Herod longed to see Him yet Jesus never honoured that desire.

That is the reason they needed for Him to be identified.

Where does our ministry take us?

And I am not questioning the executive and golf course ministries.

But according to Jesus, the focus of ministry is the hurting, the ones who are openly expressing their need for someone to rescue them.

The other aspect is our assessment of the giving toward us and the ministry we have been called to.

Again, look at Jesus to get your focus. Look at Him at that offertory.

The one who had given close to nothing in monetary terms is gauged to have given more that all the others who had offered huge amounts.

And we would be wise to use His standard to gauge the giving we enjoy from God’s people.

Most people who give sacrificially have very little to live on, just like that widow with her two mites.

They are in effect giving everything they have.

I remember once a young man gave me twenty bob (equivalent to a quarter during those times).

And he really pressed me to take it because he felt that rejecting it meant that I was rejecting his appreciation for my ministry.

To imagine he had walked the equivalent of two to three times that amount in fare, of course because he couldn’t have afforded it, is unimaginable for most.

That he could have saved himself half of his walk by using that amount for fare should guide our appreciation for that mite since he had literally offered his blood in that gift.

And I have had several other similar incidences in the course of the ministry God has entrusted me with.

Thinking that the thousand-dollar offering is worth more than that quarter is tantamount to walking roughshod on that young man’s blood.

Like the Macedonians in 1 Corinthians 8, he had first offered himself before offering the gift.

The gift was therefore an extension of his sacrifice.

And it is the same way when we give.

We might not feel anything when in plenty we offer a huge gift. But it is quite painful when we have to offer our last coin because it then means we are left with nothing.

I hope we will fill the gaps with more relevant revelation.

Toxic Friendships 2

Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. (Proverbs 6: 4, 5)

We talked about the dangers of sharing a common purse as we were looking at toxic friendships

Sharing a purse is an entrapment whose folly can only be seen by someone outside it.

Remember the case of bishops repenting on behalf of a fellow bishop who had impregnated his parishioner?

Or, have you ever wondered why very intelligent and educated people are swallowed into cults and some very stupid con games?

Common purse.

A common purse unites the parties holding it in ways even blood cannot.

It is a covenant, though not signed or sacrificed for; but a covenant stronger than those legally and spiritually binding covenants.

This means that those other covenants are lower in ranking than the common purse.

And that for the simple reason that it is the uniting of livelihoods. That common purse puts food on the table in more ways than one.

Have you realised that many people are in church because simply for burial purposes?

They will participate in all the church programs so that they will be accorded a befitting send off when they die.

Many people (probably most, if not all) will join one self group or the other with a crisis as the driver.

You will hear them always complaining of this or the other stupid contribution yet are scared to death of getting out.

Yet, if they had saved all those illogical and criminal contributions, they would be more than adequately prepared for any unforeseen eventualities.

But the worst part is that they will give their money and presence in support of a member caught in immoral, even criminal scandals. Like those bishops repenting on behalf of their adulterous bishop.

Simply because they are sharing a purse.

 Purse is amoral.

Your spiritual or moral positions hold zero sway over other owners of that purse.

You therefore cannot pontificate anyone.

However, you are a part of all the other owners of that purse you share.

They have a right to get your complete support even if they do something completely contrary to your beliefs or values.

You must bail them out even if they are caught doing something contrary to your values.

That is how corruption thrives.

Nobody will request you to choose corruption

Many times, it will start with an invitation to make a small investment in a company that can offer services or goods.

And the dividends will start coming steadily.

By the time you realise, you are sunk to your neck in corruption yet can do nothing because you have already enjoyed the loot before knowing where it was coming from. And you can’t abandon the team just because they have been caught. In any case you are part of them since you are a partner in the purse.

Pastors do not transition into motivational speakers because they have accessed a new revelation.

They have simply united purses with an Ahab somewhere. And it is impossible to preach against a purse that you are a partner of just as you can’t preach against yourself.

And I am not talking about a gift, unless it is a gift you requested or demanded as many pastors vary creatively and stealthily do.

But a gift is powerful and requires great sensitivity to the Holy Spirit to be able to avoid being defiled by the giver as Balaam was.

This reminds me of a time I was invited to join a pyramid scheme (normally called multi level marketing) even before I knew about them.

I prayed and God forbid me.

I was invited for a seminar in another one and of course I knew I didn’t need to pray for direction since they were similar.

But my friend, who was very senior in that one made a simple request.

Just pay the subscription and wait for the money. We will do everything else. And it was not even a lot of money.

Were it not for the fact that I had already received God’s order, it would have been very easy to have joined that purse.

And that could have killed any opportunity for speaking against or educating people about pyramid schemes since I would have been part of one.

Relationships are another place where a common purse plays a very pivotal role.

It is impossible to love someone and hate their family

That was the Peor dynamic.

Israel loved Moabite damsels and couldn’t resist their worship.

That is why in the past there needed to be intense investigation before two young people are allowed to get married.

You see, if I love someone from a family practicing witchcraft, I will have witches and wizards as in laws. And as an in law, I must participate in some of their practices since there are spelt out roles for in laws in their system.

Incidentally that is what happened with Jehoshaphat.

In my next post, I will look at how to avoid such traps.

Toxic Friendships

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. (2Chronicles 19:2)

I want us to look at friendship by exploring this godly king’s relationship with an ungodly neighbouring king, Ahab.

We do not need to state the fact that friendships are essential to human living and development.

It is also worth noting that even in evangelism and missions, relationships are a very key ingredient to their success or otherwise.

This means that we must develop some sort of relationships with the unreached, even enemies of the cross, for us to effectively reach them.

It is against that background that we are examining Jehoshaphat’s life choices and their fruit.

Neighbours must have relationships.

They will either be at war or in partnership.

An example is Israel’s relationship with the Philistines which was always full of conflict.

We also remember the beginning of the split between Judah and Israel when the Bible states that there was always war between Israel and Judah.

It must have been the thawing of that relationship that brought about this relationship.

When sworn enemies bury the hatchet, they will want to compensate for all the animosity they previously had.

I suspect that was the cause of what I want us to explore.

Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: (Proverbs 1: 14)

That is what we see with Jehoshaphat when asked whether he wants to join him in a war, twice. And not even a clear word from God through prophets is able to dissuade him from joining such a war.

Having one purse introduces a dynamic to any relationship, taking it beyond friendship to partnership.

You become one team with the ones you share a common purse with.

This means that they deserve our support, whether they request it or not, whether they are right or not.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2Corinthians 6: 14 – 16)

Most people associate this verse only with marriage. But I believe it applies more to other partnerships that it does to marriage.

And that is not to say it doesn’t also apply to marriage.

You see, in marriage, the two become one flesh with one purpose. It is a oneness and not a partnership.

You yoke two separate animals to maximise on their individual strengths.

A yoke of oxen can handle more weight that the combined weight of two unyoked oxen. Yet they will require less food and water than two separate oxen.

But a yoke of oxen will require more training to be able to do a good job. A mismatched or mistrained yoke of oxen will cause more than double the damage.

But the main point in this message is that a yoked team must more or less think and plan in unison to be able to maximise on their strengths.

I am still talking about Jehoshaphat.

Do you realise where he went wrong so early in his life?

He yoked himself to an enemy of the God he loved and worshiped early in his life.

Due to that, were it not for God watching over His promise to David, that partnership could have wiped out his posterity. All because of an ‘innocent’ friendship!

Our friends will definitely influence our lives much more than we think or imagine.

That simple business partnership; that simple pooling of resources; that simple sharing of transport, has a huge impact on how our lives, even destinies shape out.

The background to one of my favourite verses makes it clear

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. (2Chronicles 16:9)

This godly king had seen God when he had not ‘arrived’.

Then a small challenge comes when he can afford someone to fight his battles and he does what most of us would do. He uses his money to hire someone to fight his battles. He uses his team to win without a sweat.

Smart thinking. Or is it?

God calls it foolish and an invitation to war in his life. His effort at stopping a war became an invitation to unending war because it had brough about a toxic relationship.

Simply because that partnership, though to us it appears like just an exchange of money and services, extended to faith. He was simply paying a foreign god to fight for him.

Incidentally, many kings fell into that error when we study Kings and Chronicles.

What am I saying?

It is an open secret that many children start experimenting with sex and drugs with those young and innocent house girls and gardeners whose background was too poor to afford them an education.

Many children get exposed to pornography and homosexuality by family friends they look up to.

Amnon was innocent until his cousin opened his eyes and widened his horizons.

And this young man was on hand to assure David that only Amnon was dead.

This means he had all along walked with the knowledge of the planning of that assassination but did nothing about it, either to talk Absalom out of it or warn the king about it.

But he was a present friend in the palace.

Though it is not written, it is very possible he is the one who advised Adonijah to request for Abishag from Solomon because he looks that kind of person.

Pooling resources.

Friendship.

What is God telling you? 

Positive Mammon

And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Luke 16: 8 – 13)

It dawned on me that mammon can never be righteous. It also can never be neutral

Mammon is an enemy to righteousness, according to Christ’s own teaching.

No wonder it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s hole than for the rich to inherit eternal life.

Why then am I putting positivity on an unrighteous thing?

It is because of what Christ is teaching in this passage.

How can He associate something unrighteous to a safe eternity? How does a wrong thing open the door to heaven as He appears to be saying?

It is instructive to note the parable from where this is coming from.

A steward is accused of impropriety. But stealing may be a more fitting term.

He therefore orders him to clear his desk because he was being dismissed from his position.

What he does is the backdrop of this message. And you will realise that it started with the lord who was in the process of dismissing him commending him.

Reminds me of a story of an ancient king whose direst punishment was an offender being torn to pieces by his dogs as was done for Daniel with lions.

One of his closest servants was condemned to that for breaking one law or the other. Or probably doing something that made the king lose trust in him.

Before he could be taken to the dogs, he requested that he be given ten days with the dogs.

The king thought that it would not do much harm to humour this condemned confidante.

The man then fed the dogs and took care of them.

When the ten days expired, he was thrown to the dogs.

But instead of them tearing him to pieces as per their custom, they started playing with him.

The king sought to understand what had happened and the condemned said thus,

Ten days with the dogs and we have become fast friends. I have served you for years yet you can condemn me to death for a single mistake.

Mammon

I want us to look at situations in the Bible where this truth plays out

We will start with the harlot Rahab.

Like I always say, she was the scum of scums as a harlot in condemned Jericho.

Then some spies come into Jericho looking for somewhere to hide as they do their survey and the script completely changes.

It is possible everybody else they approached for refuge turned them away and reported to the authorities.

But she saw a chance that she could not allow to pass and lodged them, even lying to ensure their safety.

Is it any wonder that she is mentioned all through the Bible?

The next is the Shulamite woman

She saw a tired old man and ministered to him before she knew that he was a prophet.

Not only did she receive a son beyond her wildest dreams and prayers, but she also received him from death.

Not only that. She was able to benefit from that ministry even after Elisha had exited the scene.

Think about the shortie, Zacchaeus.

We are not told that salvation came to his house after his repentance but after offering half of his wealth to the poor as he was entertaining Christ’s huge crowd.

Remember the Roman soldier whose faith touched Jesus in Luke 7?

He had built the Jews a synagogue, a synagogue he was forbidden from entering. And he was seeking for healing for his servant.

Do you realise it was the Jews who were pleading with Jesus to attend to this gentile and oppressing coloniser?

Why was Peter sent to Cornelius?

And why did the disciples refuse to allow Tabitha to rest in peace after her death?

Unrighteous mammon.

They all used unrighteous mammon to make spiritual inroads.

Note that they did not consecrate mammon or even anoint it as some idiotic ministers are doing to continue enjoying the giving of other idiots like them. They simply gave unrighteous mammon as it was and it was able to change the direction of their lives and destiny.

A missionary friend was sent to a foreign nation and the man of peace was nowhere close to what he was preaching in his life or business. But he served my friend appropriately.

He had a health condition that was beyond doctors and hospitals.

Before he left, he prayed for his host and there was perfect healing.

Allow me to give a situation that I know happens many times.

A rich wicked man hears the struggles a minister is undergoing and calls him to his office, asking him to give him a breakdown of everything he needed.

He then decides to humour himself or make fun of the minister by writing him a cheque to cover all his needs, and more.

Who do you think will get heavenly credit for the success of this minister?

Do you think it is the church that sent him?

Think also of this funny story I heard.

A man was praying for a major breakthrough in his business.

Incidentally, every time he would get to the altar, he would find another guy praying very simply, shoes

He looked at him and got annoyed.

Why is this man flooding heaven with such a cheap request? Isn’t he stifling my prayer line by that prayer?

He therefore took enough money from his pocket and not very politely told him to go buy himself shoes to stop interfering with his prayers.

Do you think God was angry with his deed? Do you think the guy praying for shoes cared about the attitude of the giver of those shoes?

That is the message Jesus is passing to us today.

There are people who will get to heaven because they invested their unrighteous mammon into relationships and ministry.

Matthew 25 is testimony to that.

The sheep are wondering why they are in heaven because they were no giving with heaven in mind.

They were not giving to compete with (outgiving) God as preachers nowadays teach. Nor were they giving for accolades.

They were simply meeting the needs around them.

That then opened an account in heaven in their names.

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. (Mark 10:21)

And you remember that this young man was righteous.

I will also quote Cornelius’s interaction, noting that he also was a gentile

... And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. (Acts 10:4b)

What am I saying?

We could be breaking our backs touching lives by sprinkling the Gospel in bits and pieces when the wicked are securing real estate for themselves in heaven by changing societies, some even funding those same missions we find it difficult to fund through our stinginess.

I know this appears very rude, even wrong.

However, look at this

... That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. (Matthew 21:31c)

What you do with unrighteous mammon has a direct bearing with how you will be received in heaven, at least according to our passage.

As believers, we are answerable to God for how we use our money.

It is actually sin if we do not wait for God’s orders before we spend it.

But the standard for the heathen is different since they do not have the revelation we possess. They also are not led of the Holy Spirit as we are.

This means that their judgment will be more lenient than ours.

The yardstick for our giving is different because we are supposed to know better with the Holy Spirit leading us.

But I think the greater challenge is not just being led but a proper relationship with mammon, unrighteous mammon.

We can’t spread God’s love through unrighteous mammon unless we detach ourselves from its hold on us.

We will not be able to open a heavenly account if God must have our permission before using our money.

Christ must be the Lord even of our pockets and purses and bank accounts if we must have accounts in His heaven.

For believers, it is not about generosity or philanthropy. It is about obedience.

We must be guided to give. We must be ordered to give because it is not ours.

And I think it is called unrighteous mammon because God releases His authority over our money so that we can then willingly surrender it back to Him.

It thus becomes unrighteous all the time it is under our control because He has no authority over it.

Take this as an off the cuff comment.

Calling wealth unrighteous mammon has a very clear implication on how we acquire it.

Any honest pursuit of wealth is legitimate. Please underline the word, honest.

This means that there is no dichotomy to God between secular and spiritual occupations. And I am writing this as a minister God called out of secular employment.

I am not any more spiritual that I am in ‘full time’ ministry than I was when I worked for a media house.

God is the one who called the Levitical class. And He did not do it because they were more righteous than the other tribes.

He is the one who called Aaron to the priesthood. And we can be sure he was not closer to God than his brother Moses.

Remember his sons died because they played with their calling just after their calling was confirmed?

It is God who determines who He will call and why.

An honest publican is more spiritual than a manipulating archbishop.

Compare Zaccheus with Judas. Or the publican and pharisee at the prayer centre.

But this post is about our use of unrighteous mammon.

For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. (Mark 9:41)

There is a reward for the person who quenches the thirst of a minister.

And that does not demarcate between godly and ungodly quenchers of that thirst.

It does not talk about the motive of that quenching. Just like we do not have different levels of thirst.

Just like water quenches thirst, quenching the thirst of a minister invites a reward from heaven.

We might hide behind long words and titles. But the reality is that money can open doors, not only of corrupt offices as we are used to see, but also the doors of God’s rewards.

Look at the money and wealth you have

Do you manage it as your own or are you a steward of another?

Is the money you have yours or are you holding it in trust for another?

If you are holding it for another, how much say does he have on that money?

Can you expect a reward from the actual owner of that wealth in your name?

Can you confidently say that you are going to heaven because you have used that unrighteous mammon to secure eternal rewards?

And do not for a moment think I am nullifying grace.

This is simply the fruit our interaction with grace will produce.

 

Highest Bidder Truth

Recently, there was a story on TV that amplifies this point.

An incident occurred close to my place.

I was able to talk to several (not one or two) eye witnesses to it.

One of them told me to expect a surprise when I watch the news, though I do not watch any news.

The reason he said that is because stories involving those criminals have always been doctored to paint a sanitising narrative on the villains.

And that is exactly what happened.

Friends who watched that news were enraged to see truth butchered so mercilessly.

The evidence was conveniently shifted so that the story could go according to plan.

In one short swoop, the villain is made the innocent victim and vice versa.

The one who was doing his job has to apologise and compensate the offender.

I am reminded of an incident a dozen or so years ago when an estate demonstrated a whole week, even blocking a key road, so that a particular police officer is released.

Since that is so uncharacteristic of Kenyans, I sought to understand why that had happened.

The officer had done a proper job of ridding the estate of pests that had become such a nuisance because they were untouchable, coming from great wealth.

Incidentally, nothing was able to save the officer from jail because the of the influence money had on the case.

What am I saying?

We live at a time when it is critically important to verify what we call truth.

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:17)

This is because it could well be that what you call truth has been auctioned to the highest bidder. That the narrative you imbibe is the product of some auctioning process.

You could be fighting for a truth that has gone through boardrooms and marketplaces to be acceptable.

It could be that ‘unbiased’ reporting is the product of a purchase.

And being the product of a media school and media, I can confidently confirm that any news we read, listen to or watch goes through the filter called editorial policy that is the preserve of the owner of the media house.

That is why you will read or watch a news item and wonder why the same story has so many variations to the point that some appear completely different stories.

That is why you might follow a news item covering an incident you were part of or witnessed being so different from what you saw happening.

What am I saying?

We need to be very careful with what we follow.

Because what we follow has a way of shaping not only how we interpret issues, but also to shape what we ultimately become.

Truth is not relative, however much we may seek to demonstrate it.

As such, what we may call relative truth is actually auctioned truth, which is carefully packaged lies.

I have started at the marketplace. But my focus is not there.

I want us to look at Biblical truth.

And I do this because a vast majority of believers in our times place a greater premium on proclaimers, teachers, professors of the scriptures instead of the scriptures on their own.

Most are more comfortable quoting their favourite preacher (whatever title he may hold) than they are quoting what the Bible on its own says.

Others even quote women teachers even when the same Bible prohibits them to teach in church.

Do not get angry at me. I am not the one who wrote the Bible. I am just quoting it as you should.

Many believers are consistently reading the trash released by their spiritual brokers even as they neglect the Bible from where those conmen pretend to get their messages from.

The only time some will open their Bibles is to read the verses quoted by such brokers.

I intentionally use very strong words because of the danger following those characters are exposing their followers to.

I am also a teacher and also write books. And I of course write them to be read though I do not sell mine as per my orders.

But my books point to the scriptures and not me. they direct the readers to Christ and not my next release. They seek to build their faith in Christ and not draw them to my conferences and anointed events.

I want to help and guide people to read the Bible for themselves. That is why I include a Bible Reading Plan on the inside cover to challenge them to consider starting to read the Bible for themselves.

And it is the same with my blog.

You see, God has called me to guide people to Him. Like John the Baptist I should decrease even as He increases.

I am the most effective in my ministry when I am most decreased and He is most increased; when I am most invisible and He is most visible.

Jesus is the Truth; not me, not you, not anybody or anything else.

This means that any truth that does not have Christ at its helm is auctioned truth.

Truth with a man of God at its helm is unfortunately the best image I can conjure of that.

And it is because at its best, it is idolatry and at its worst, it is spiritual terrorism.

It is not different if we replaced the man of God with a spiritual structure, however spiritual its foundations may have been.

Only Christ is the truth, unadulterated truth.

He is the truth all other ‘truths’ find their validity.

No wonder even the enemies of the cross extensively quote Christ and the Bible to get any grounds for their opposition.

That is why faith in Christ and obedience to His revelation is the common ground for persecution.

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. (Psalm 2: 1 – 3)

That is why governments refuse to tackle conmen in clerical garb and use their conmanship as their ground for attacking the church of Christ.

Reminds me of a recent happening in Kenya when the government, instead of reining on the conmen using the church to enrich themselves as they preyed on the ignorant chose to block the registration of the churches for a decade or more.

You wonder which is easier between deregistering the openly crooked churches and blocking genuine churches from existing.

You wonder which is easier between prosecuting those endangering their flock through manufactured miracles on TV and blocking the move of God through declaring all churches conmen.

That is auctioned truth for you.

Any truth that does not have Christ at its apex is auctioned truth.

And in the simplest terms it is a lie.

What has Changed?

There is an interesting comedy on the world stage.

Roles have changed. Shoes have changed feet.

I have over the years said that the most judgmental people are the ones who shout the loudest about the most misquoted two words in the scriptures, ‘judge not’

Looking at the USA today exemplifies this.

Not so long ago, the abominable (and I call them so because that is how God calls them in His word) never stopped reminding believers to stop judging their abominable choices, reminding them that we are told not to judge. Yet the same people were doing everything possible, even changing laws, to criminalise the believers’ choices when they were in power.

Some were sacked and others lost their businesses for daring to live by what they believed. Simply said, they were judged very harshly for judging by the ones who were shouting the loudest not to judge.

The other day the dynamic changed and people who practice Biblical truth took power and decided to reverse those ‘gains’.

The same people who were judging believers for ‘judging’ them are again shouting loudest that the believers are not believers because they are not loving them.

What type of Christians are you if you are not full of love for our choices? How can your choice kill my choice?

They are now judging the believers for not loving them as they think the Bible teaches.

All the time forgetting that they were doing worse when they were in power.

If that is not comedy, then tell me what is

It is comedy because I am outside the drama.

And that is not the only incident where truth depends on who is sharing it.

Look at wars, terrorism, crime.

My side must be right because I am the one holding the microphone. My side must be right because I have the News outlet. My side must be right because I have the power.

All the time demonising any other alternative source of truth and shouting do not judge when the reality cannot be hidden.

It is absolutely wrong to trash any narrative you do not agree with.

It is wrong to call others idiots simply because they do not agree with whatever you call your values.

And it is wicked to force everybody to agree with your narrow interpretations of whatever you want people to believe as truth, especially if it differs with the revelation of God’s word.

Do unto others what you would have done unto you is valid whichever end of the stick I am.

I must be gracious in my judging if I should expect grace when I am the one being judged, simply because we reap what we sowed.

I should respect others’ opinions as I report their stories if I should expect respect when they are the ones doing the reporting.

Life is a mirror that reflects what is in front of it.

This means I should judge myself more harshly than I judge others because no other judgement can be harsher than truthful self judgment.

Nobody is an idiot. Nobody does not have an opinion. Nobody cannot be hurt or injured.

And people will reflect how you treated others as they treat you when you are on the receiving end.

Prepare for a nice and comfortable receiving end by extending grace when you are the one holding the stick.

Let me close this by simply stating the obvious; there is really one truth, God’s truth through His revelation in His word, the Bible.

Any truth that differs with it is trash, however trendy it looks.

It is trash however huge its support base is since a majority opinion can never be equated with God’s truth. Quite the contrary.

Foundation?

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5: 17 – 19)

We have been taught, and even I have taught, that the Old Testament is the foundation of our faith.

This implies that the New Testament is the only visible part of the building.

That is what I want to shatter today though I am open to correction.

And I will start by asking a simple question.

For builders, what is the percentage in cost, material, time, workmanship of a foundation vis a vis the completed building?

However demanding that foundation is, I doubt it would go beyond a quarter of the building’s total cost.

That is what I want us to examine as we look at the Bible.

Allow me to use some percentages I took as I went through the Bible. And they are rough estimates with some margin of error that statisticians might find fault with.

But I teach the Bible, not statistics.

·       Pentateuch 20%

·       History 25%

·       Poetry 12%

·       Major Prophets 18%

·       Minor Prophets 5%

·       New Testament 20%

How can 80% be the foundation?

And why did Jesus not say He was coming to start building but to complete?

The truth of the matter is that the Old Testament was not the foundation but the building itself

The New Testament came to complete and beautify the building that had been in process through the times.

What am I trying to say?

The Pentateuch is the foundation with the first eleven chapters being the preparation for that foundation.

From that point, the building started in earnest.

No wonder everything in the New Testament points to the Old Testament

It is written, haven’t you read?, etc.

Jesus was the crowning act of the whole drama, the beautifying part in the building.

That is why Apollos could accurately share the Gospel without encountering Christ or even the visible church members.

That is why the Gospel spread fastest among those with prior knowledge and exposure to the Old Testament.

We therefore err when we equate the Old Testament with a foundation, basically because it creates the assumption that it is not as essential for the day to day running of our faith.

Or whoever made any reference to the foundation when they are looking for some rentals? Whoever sought to see the depth of the foundation before moving into a house?

The only person who may be interested in knowing the condition of a foundation is the one seeking to install heavy machinery because of their impact on any building they occupy. Simply because they require solidity as their foundation.

No wonder many believers associate the Old Testament with expired instruction and obsolete theology.

What then, according to me, is the New Testament? Where does it lie?

Jesus is the door as He said in John.

And that is where the New Testament starts.

The New Testament is what is done to a house after the door is installed.

Allow me to describe a door.

A door stands for security and warmth.

A door is the testimony that the house is habitable.

You can move into a house without plaster, without furniture, without a floor.

But people will doubt your sanity and sense of security if you moved into a house without a door.

A door also represents a boundary. That is why people will question your sanity if you moved into a house without a door because it is open to all. It is simply a shelter from the elements and nothing else since there is no way you can stop anything from getting in.

It is impossible to count on a house without a door. Simply because you must be there for that to be a reality.

I will be building on this on (a) later post(s).