Spiritual Blackmail

When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. (Psalm 32:3, 4)

I remember a story we were told when we were children. I will recreate it with the topic being our goal.

There were two brothers. One was very creative and adventurous and the other just gluttonous.

One day the adventurous nature of the boy overtook him that he released an animal his father had caught in the forest and was domesticating. It disappeared into the forest before he could recapture it. And of course he was with his brother, only that the initiative was his.

They decided to cover the fact up by creating a story that the bright one told.

But that was the beginning of his woes. His gluttonous brother had finally got a tool to eat all he wanted.

In those days people ate by the firelight as there were no lanterns, leave alone electricity. When food was served, he would push his plate to his brother after creating space for the food he wanted added.

After some time his brother started getting tired of starvation and would protest as I suspect they were teenagers. Then his brother would pretend to clear his throat as if he wanted to spill their secret. Of course he would cave in faster than the throat was cleared.

He started becoming thinner as days went by. His parents asked him what was wrong but he couldn’t say. They asked him why he gave most of his food to his brother and he said that he had lost his appetite.

In wisdom the father decided that what he was seeing was not all there was and realized that the secret would not be easily be revealed. He could see the game being played and the cost his brighter son had already paid and continued to pay. He therefore became sly.

One evening as usual the game of plates started being played. But before the food had changed plates their father jumped in.

‘Don’t give him anything. He is taking your food and I already know the secret.’

‘I haven’t told him anything.’ the glutton said when his brother gasped in shock.

‘Who haven’t you told what?’ the mother asked

‘I haven’t said that my brother released the animal you were domesticating’ the glutton said

‘So that is why you have been eating his food all this time’ said the father.

Of course the father had known that the boys had released the animal and created a story since he had also been a boy. But he had intended for them to come and confess, a thing the glutton was using to his advantage.

That is what guilt does to a person when it is concealed. It gets worse when there is a witness to the sin who many times was an accomplice but whose stakes for the infringement will not be as dire as yours, at least in your thinking.

A pastor is found having sex with his congregant. Of course the discovery of that means he should stop being a pastor and may thus lose his livelihood. Of course the discovery of that will strain his marriage, probably even break it. This witness will therefore hold the pastor by invisible strings which eventually can be seen by the observant. He will eventually stop pastoring for God (he had already done that when he fed on the sheep he was supposed to feed and protect) and make sure that this witness is never offended. He will preach sermons looking his/ her way to ensure that they are not offended. Eventually this blackmailer will run this pastor’s church through remote control (and that is not witchcraft) as long as this pastor is leading. Many times the witness is the said sheep he ate complicating things a hundred fold. He might even divert church resources to this witness as he owes his position to them hiding that secret.

And he will be their slave until he confesses that sin, and of course the many other sins that he committed to cover up that initial one by feeding the blackmailer.

Or maybe a deacon, who according to scriptures is the epitome of virtue is found in a distant land misbehaving because he did not envision anyone who knew him so far from his base. The same game will be replayed especially so that his ‘reputation’ is not harmed.

But marriage is the one place spiritual blackmail thrives. Most of the vice and violence we see in marriage may have their source in blackmail.

Consider this man who is literally ‘sat on’ by his wife. He is a lion out there but is meeker than a lamb when his wife appears. I remember this man in the elite anti riot forces. They are known to singlehandedly handle dozens of violent protesters even when they are armed. Yet he was being battered by his wife! It can be compared to a bicycle running all over a battle tank!

Though there is an element of spiritual sabotage, which is many times from the same source, a huge percentage may be traced to spiritual blackmail.

Consider this man who at one time stole to feed his family but inadvertently leaked the secret to his wife. He even told her from whom he stole. Now suppose the victim is a very powerful man.

That leaked secret will haunt this man until he confesses or dies. This is because his wife will use that secret to leverage him for anything.

Very few women can beat their husbands from a point of physical strength. If a man decided to throw a punch in his wife’s direction the ramifications could be dire. Yet why are so many husbands being beaten by their wives that recently we had a battered husbands’ support group formed? Ever realized that many of those women famed for beating their husbands are normally very petite as opposed to gym masterpieces? What gives them the power to keep a man so down that he is beaten like a child?

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

The woman simply accessed a compromising or shameful thing her husband did and used it to castrate him spiritually to the point that he stopped functioning. Maybe she is the one who broke his resolve for character by leading him to that compromise or sin. And women know how to take that advantage. Remember Eve’s curse was directed at that in Eden?

… thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.(Genesis 3: 16)

It is therefore her instinctive nature to desire to overrun her husband like Eve did to Adam. Giving in to concealing our sin releases all that power into her hands.

We many times wonder how a wife can be openly adulterous even without hiding it from her husband. The key may be in this blackmail. The woman uncovers or creates a scandal that has a capacity to destroy the man’s reputation and livelihood should it be known. Since by nature (creation) a woman does not see as far as a man (that is why the husband is the head of the wife, and that is where sight is), she vows to reveal the secret unless the man bottles his manhood. She forgets that her reputation and livelihood also depend on the man’s. But she also loses her respect for her husband if he yields to her blackmail.

What is the solution?

A man is man enough who faces his sin. It is strength to confess sin and failure. In fact it is infinitely stronger to be a broken man before God and His people than to be strong due to all the sin you have concealed.

We are deceived if we think we will ever get away with sin, however cleverly we conceal it. Satan is in the business of shaming anybody who has ever turned his back on him.

David wrestles with that until God confronts him. Then after repentance he is able to regain his posture. I suspect Bathsheba had set him up with the intention of bearing the next king as she still has him doing exactly that by vowing that he will overlook probably ten older sons to make Solomon king. It is very probable that she used guilt induced control by alluding to her loss of this husband through David’s ‘scheming’. Then David had to bend all the rules to keep this wife he had so badly offended content. But that is my suspicion with no scriptural backing.

We see the same with Herod. He may have thought he had snatched his brother’s wife but the contrary was true. Though he fears God enough to refuse to kill John the Baptist and continues listen to him even after his rebuke which must have been public, Herodias knows that her security in that adulterous marriage was as insecure as John was alive. She knows that Herod might open his eyes to her blackmail if he continued to listen to the prophet. And that the reason she had him conclusively dealt with.

Having preached for many years, it is not very hard to see inspiration from a preacher. It is easy to see a sermon flowing from direct inspiration as opposed to one prepared well. And it is at the point of inspiration that you can easily see the blackmail.

Several times I have heard preachers preaching where the inspiration is clearly evident. They address issues they normally won’t. They harass sin and sinners and really preach the Gospel. Then as they go on with that inspiration they notice the glare of their blackmailer/s and the picture becomes blurred. They bid inspiration bye and start explaining and excusing that inspiration.

I did not mean. I was not saying. What I meant. This is what he starts explaining to the congregation which had not long before been spellbound by the clear evidence of God’s voice. I remember once enjoying such inspiration as the preacher was preaching so different from his normal sermons and was confronting values and standards that are contrary to scripture. Then all of a sudden he took an about turn that I was left dazed.

Many times this is what gives away the preacher as compromised to those with a deeper spiritual and scriptural experience. That evidence is so clear that it really does not need much explaining in the spirit. Just as one does not need to smell liquor from a drunkard to know that he is drunk; one does not need to get the actual evidence from the blackmailer or elsewhere to know that a minister is fallen, especially if he is under blackmail. Just listen to him when he gets under inspiration and how he handles it, especially as inspiration will point at sin, hypocrisy and a rotten value systems of the world.

But blackmail is not the real culprit, unconfessed sin is. It does not matter what pretext one uses, unconfessed sin gets us under blackmail whether by the witness or the devil himself as he knows that I will be completely impotent spirituality. You see he really does not care for the motions and excellence of my delivery at the ministry front. As long as I am not reconnected to God who is most offended by my sin and who was a witness long before it was committed, I have no capacity at all to serve Him.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7: 21 – 23)

That is why we see these mighty ministers being condemned to hell yet their works demonstrated great spiritual potency. Could it be that they were under the cloud of a blackmailer somewhere? Could they have had some secret sin somewhere? Could the respect they received for their spirituality have convinced them that the fact that God so mightily used them was because He had also winked at their hidden sin?

God never overlooks unconfessed sin, whoever it is that is guilty of it. It is therefore imperative that we deal with our sin whatever shame may result from the same. That is what David did and he was forgiven. That is what Saul refused to do and he was rejected.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1: 9)

That is God’s promise. Let no blackmailer convince you otherwise and cut you off from your reward.

God bless you.

Adam and the Serpent

(This is a fictitious rendition of what may have transpired at the Garden of Eden on the day Adam fell. I have taken liberal license)

It was just another day in the garden. Adam and Eve had had a very wonderful night and started their day as usual, selecting some very delicious fruits for breakfast. Since the weather was always just wonderful, they just lazed around, walking and just having very great fellowship.

They interacted very well with the animals since Adam had made good connections with each of them as he chose and gave each of them its name. Of course not all the animals were in the garden, though the garden was extremely large. But each family of animals was represented. You see they were not only created before Adam, they had been created in numbers so that they could fill the earth before he was created.

The animals liked talking with Adam a lot, giving him their own version of this or the other fruit as he chose them for his wife. Most times Eve would wonder aloud what it was that made Adam connect so well with the animals. Adam of course did not want to offend her by commenting on her impatience with the animal’s ‘foolish’ questions. And this was because she was not there as he spent time with each before he gave an appropriate name. He knew that that could easily destroy their most intimate moments. Sometimes Eve would wander away for some time to cool off as well as not offend the animals as they asked Adam very ‘foolish’ questions or gave him very ‘crazy’ advice. Adam would notice that quickly and set off looking for her, relying on the animals for directions as the garden was very, very large.

But this day was different. She had asked to be given some time alone since she realized that there were some animals that needed some treatment from some injuries, a thing her whole system cringed from. Pain was something she really hated to be associated with. Blood was even worse. And that day both were present in a big way. Let Adam deal with that. In any case he was there before her!

The serpent had of late been acting very strangely. He had been pestering them about the tree God had told Adam not to eat from.

‘Did God really say that?’ he would ask Adam, looking at Eve very sheepishly so that she started having second thoughts about the validity of the commandment.

‘We are not to eat it. We should not even touch it as it could easily start the long journey of disobedience’, Adam had told Eve when they were alone.

‘What will happen if I did so?’ Eve countered.

‘Sudden death’ Adam replied, aiming at totally dissuading her from entertaining doubt about the word God had given.

As Adam continued treating the animals the serpent came around. This time he was groomed to kill, to use the terminology of generation so far as to be imagined.

‘Where are you going today? Have you finally found the ‘girl’ of your dreams?’ Adam asked.

‘You are fortunate that you are only two and have no struggle to find a mate. When you become as many as we are you may realize why some have to die for others to mate. By the way why are you still two? Are you saying that you have not yet mm…?’

‘It is different with us. We do not -’

‘Mate only to procreate la la la… The intimacy part escapes me. I simply do not understand why that should be. Look at the animals you are treating. What would happen if there were ten, or even twenty of you doing the same thing? You could now be having intimacy with you wife. By the way where is Eve?’

‘You know this makes her uncomfortable. And we were commanded to -’

‘Multiply and fill the earth? How? By continuing to have fruitless intimacy? Look at us and our lack of that intimacy you are boasting about. Some give their life for that moment of fruitfulness. Who could do that if he was after intimacy? And about intimacy being good for a good night’s sleep also eludes me. If some of us slept after mating then life would end. Some would be trampled on; others feasted upon and so on. You are fortunate any animal can feel your presence even when you are asleep. I wonder why you were created after all of us instead of before.’

Then the serpent looked at the forbidden tree longingly.

‘Did God say…? Well forget it’

He knew that he had engaged Adam very intensely as to almost make him forget the job he was doing treating the animals.

He slowly sauntered off, proudly displaying his very careful grooming.

He was very handsome, and intelligent. He was one animal that related to Adam at an almost equal intellectual level. And of late he had been at his best. And today he had exceeded even that.

His front legs could be mistaken for hands, a fact he did not ever want to hide his superiority. He had a most regal bearing. But it was his intelligence that set him apart from the rest. You almost thought that he had been created long before the other animals. You could be mistaken if you thought he was part of the creating team. Most of the other animals evaded having an argument, even a discussion with him of late. Though he had always been more intelligent than most in the past, he had recently become worlds apart from the other animals. At times even Adam was at a loss when they had discussions. Everybody was wondering where he had got all that information all of a sudden.

But he was also very shrewd. He displayed his superiority without giving away its source. He may have feared another animal getting in contact with that source. And of course that mystery elevated his status even more.

As soon as he was out of sight he rushed excitedly to where Eve was, since he had first seen her before going to Adam. He behaved as if he was shocked to see her alone.

‘Adam always amazes me’, he told her

‘Why?’ she countered.

‘How does he let you wander alone in this big garden as he attends to self-inflicted injuries of some foolish animals? Can’t he see that they are after having him all to themselves especially since they know you are too sensitive to pain?’

‘He was created before me and is the one that can do such things. I just give him the time to deal with that’

‘But what about your space? Doesn’t he know that you are the one specifically created for him? I can remember him looking very lonely even as he was naming us, looking for someone he could relate with with the intimacy he is always talking about. Why does he now neglect you to spend all his time with the animals that could not give him that?’

‘That is his responsibility before God. Mine is to help him perform it well’.

‘By running all over the garden to escape exposure to pain?’

‘I will allow God deal with that’

‘Still dwelling on God, why has your intimacy not given you any of your kind? Has He refused to give you your own? Or is it as I suspect that Adam is just bidding his time to give his seed to someone who understands him better, one who does not run from his concern for his animals? I suspect he is secretly pleading with God to give him a more compatible companion who does not run away from him when he is busy at work’

‘Now that is stretching it too far. Adam loves me intensely and understands that I was taken from his side and so a part of who he is. You are not the same with the female serpent you have groomed yourself to impress today. Or you think I had not noticed?’

‘Just wait until he is given another helper. That is when you will realize that he has denied you his seed for a purpose. Mating without procreation, what he calls intimacy, is a creation of his mind to hide the fact that he is not comfortable with the kind of helper he was given’

‘I did not know you could be so evil. You can create anything out of nothing’

‘Are you saying that I do not have a point?’

‘Precisely’

‘Let me ask you another question since you think I do not know what I am talking about. That fruit tree Adam forbids you to eat, are you sure he has not eaten it?’

‘Of course not’

‘And you say God said not to eat any fruit unless Adam gets it from you?’

‘The only reason he gets them from me is because he knows the really good ones. He has been around longer, you know’

‘And you can eat any fruit you want, any?’

‘Except that one’, she said, pointing to the forbidden tree. ‘We are not even to touch it’

‘Why?’

‘We will die’

‘And you say who said that?’

‘God’

‘You heard Him say that?’

‘That is what Adam told me. I was not yet there when he was told’.

‘You say God will kill you if you touch a tree He has created, yet He has made you rulers of everything He has created? I don’t buy that. God cannot be that petty to kill someone just for touching a tree he expects you to manage’.

‘I think Adam forbid me to touch so that I am not tempted to eat it. Or something like that’

‘What else did He say that wasn’t told? Like I told you I suspect he, or God, wants to keep you from what you need very urgently. Why haven’t you produced any offspring? Why must Adam tell you what he is told? Why can’t God tell you Himself? In any case how sure are you that Adam was told anything at all? What I know is that Adam wants to keep you down. He wants to be able to control you. He fears you being able to think independent of him. I was around for longer than Adam and know what that fruit can do. Just look at it. Does it look like something a loving God can withhold from the pick of His creation? Does it look like poison that could kill you on your touching it? Does it…’

‘Slow down. Won’t it be better if you brought this argument with Adam who was given the commandment?’

‘That is the reason I want to reason with you. Adam has hidden the truth from you. He gives only what will make you continue feeling inferior, and then he can control you. You should think and make decisions for yourself. That tree is the only thing that will free you from his control and domination. That tree will make you accountable for your decisions. That tree will make you wise. And that is what Adam is hiding from you. I heard it when God was speaking to him. Wisdom is the thing that the tree gives. And that is why it is placed at the middle of the garden so that as you take it you are able to manage better the rest of the garden. That is why Adam doesn’t want you to eat it’

‘I wish Adam was here to respond to that. I am getting confused …’

‘So that he continues dominating you with half truths? Come and see’. He said, leading her to the forbidden tree. But he was careful that Adam does not see them.

He touched the fruit hanging closest to the ground.

‘Instant death. eehh? Am I dead already?’

Of course not. But you are not…’

‘Adam? Poison is poison. Tell me you enjoy being overrun all over by Adam and I will leave you alone. Look at it. Touch. Does it taste like poison?’

By that time Eve was mesmerized by the tree. She had stopped thinking straight. She had started judging Adam harshly by thinking that he was the one shielding her from wisdom, from being in control.

She dreamily stretched out her hand and touched the fruit. She did not die. This released all the pent up emotions the serpent had been trying to arouse in the course of their conversation.

‘Adam is a traitor’, she said aloud to herself. The serpent smiled.

About that time Adam saw Eve at the tree and was alarmed.

‘Eve, what are you doing? Get from that tree at once’. He shouted, running towards his wife. He was truly alarmed to see her standing next to the tree.

‘See what I told you. He fears you being in charge of your life’, said the serpent

By this time Eve was past reversal. She had breached a barrier and there was no way anyone, even God, could have persuaded her otherwise. She had made up her mind.

As Adam was rushing toward her, she plucked a fruit from the tree. This time she did not mind Adam seeing her. Adam almost fainted.

‘Eve, what are you doing?’ he shouted even harder, increasing the speed he was running.

By the time Adam had reached to where she was, she was already putting it into her mouth. Adam could say nothing, fearing the worst. He just stood there, mouth agape and completely lost for words.

‘Am I dead, Adam?’ she asked

‘You have broken God’s commandment’, was all Adam could say.

‘And you have misrepresented God. Why am I not dead? I have touched and even eaten the fruit. I am still alive. In fact I feel even more alive than I was before. I feel liberated. I can see even better. Want to try?’

‘But God said …’

‘You shall not touch it. I have touched and eaten and I am still alive. You did not hear God clearly. Probably you just imagined it. Maybe you feared eating the fruit because it is more delicious than the rest. Probably you did not want me to eat it so that you can eat it secretly. God couldn’t have told you that. You just imagined it so that you can continue dominating me’.

‘What are you saying? God said …’

‘God said nothing of the sort. Just look at this fruit. Does it look like poison? Stop imagining things. Remember what you think God said and look at me. Are you so afraid of wisdom that you are creating myths out of the only tree that has the capacity to give it? Taste, it is more delicious than anything else I have tasted. Why are you so scared?’

‘God told me…’

‘God told you nothing. You are just imagining things. Just look at me. Do you love me? Do I love you? Does my love mean anything to you? Why is it that you expect me to eat anything you bring me yet cringe the only time I have used my initiative to get you something. Am I so despised in your eyes that you cannot eat out of my hands? Are you implying that I intend to poison you with something I have eaten myself?’

By this time the story had moved from God’s command to Adam’s love for his wife, a most uncomfortable diversion. Though it had not been easy arguing about what God had commanded, it was nigh impossible to get any words to defend his love for Eve. And she was so relentless. She must have been talking with the reloaded serpent. But where was he? He had disappeared.

‘Have you been talking to the serpent?’ Adam asked

‘Is he the one who teaches you to express love to your wife? Take charge of your life. Stop hiding behind the animals you are supposed to rule over. They might stop respecting you.

By this time they were surrounded by the animals who were wondering what was happening. Adam was starting to get embarrassed by all the attacks Eve was directing to him. He sought to make a compromise. He felt that he could not bear that pressure any longer. Though he was sure the turn of events were orchestrated by the serpent, the serpent was nowhere to respond to his concerns. And Eve had become a real thorn in his flesh. The argument was tearing his heart apart.

Should he choose what God had said over the pain his wife was inflicting on him? It appeared pointless to argue with Eve as she did not give him time to complete his side of the argument. It was completely pointless to talk with Eve. But then what should he do? Taking God’s side was appearing senseless by the minute as His word that death would be the result of eating the fruit had been proven ineffective. In fact that was the point Eve was sticking to his heart again and again.

‘I would rather die that continue in this tension’, reasoned Adam. I pray that God will kill me as soon as I take the fruit. I would rather lose my life than continue looking foolish to all these animals that had been unquestionably obedient to everything I say’.

‘Let me disobey God and die. Bring me the fruit’, he said to Eve

The rest, as they say, is history

Did The Great Commission Envision Poverty and Illiteracy?

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19, 20)

What was the scope of Christ’s last order in Matthew 28: 19? What did He actually mean when He ordered His followers to disciple (teach) the nations? Who was included when He said all nations? Did that exclude anybody?

What were the qualifications of those needing discipleship? Was there any small print in that command that we can use to excuse ourselves from the extremities?

What qualifications did He look for to issue that command?

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

He also called them from professions that did not need much letter education.

It is instructive to note that even the Bible we read was written in the common (market place) languages instead of the elitist and classical ones for scholars and experts.

What example did He give for that discipleship?

And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach (Mark 3:14)

He did not send them to universities. He simply called them to Himself. It was as they saw Him in ministry that they were being discipled into His likeness. The discipleship was therefore a learning of the life of Christ at close quarters. They could not second guess anything He needed them to do as they had had enough time to see how He handled it.

We will argue that we do not have as much time as he had due to our overwhelming schedules. I do not want to get into arguments about it.

But we need to realize that relationship needs and challenges are as pressing now as then, probably more now. Man has not changed from how he was since creation. That we are social beings is indisputable. That we need close relationships to grow properly is beyond question. That Jesus was able to accomplish the level of effectiveness because of those relationships is very clear even to those opposed to Him. No wonder no religion disparages Christ or His methods. The only thing they choose to argue about is His assignment and divinity. That is why they treat Him as a great prophet and teacher because they realize His divinity has clear implications and expectations on their living.

Assuming that we do not have the time to do it like Christ did, what are we then supposed to do to accomplish that kind of discipleship? Is there a way we can disciple to an extent as to produce people who are as close to Christ’s model as possible?

Over the years many church fathers (I am not talking about Roman Catholics) discovered that they could do it by offering close instruction to those who joined their churches. (I know that as I come from a Methodist background.) Those materials have such a deep spiritual content as would spur one to great spiritual growth.

But as the denomination grew and generations became more removed from the preparers of the materials, the classes become meaningless as they are just a means of attaining this or the other qualification (baptism, confirmation, full membership etc.) Lessons are then memorized to pass requisite examinations to qualify. You will find many who have no relationship at all with the living Christ passing those tests which were meant to deepen their salvation experience.

Let me here state that I have discovered that even in evangelical congregations where salvation precedes baptism and are the basis of church membership have also become the same. Recently I heard people discussing church membership. Some were saying that they are members of a church that requires believer’s baptism before accepting membership yet they became members by attending classes though they were not even saved. Why did they do it? They just wanted to have their wedding done in church. We have gone full circle.

Not very long ago some people discovered an even better method to grow. It is the interactive method where a group studies the Bible together instead of listening to a teacher and responding to his study. Materials are made to stretch our thinking and deepen our spirituality as we interact with the Bible and one another in small groups.

This time it is not only our fellowship that grows but also our appreciation and appropriation of the Bible. We are able to help one another through our collective revelation. The level of growth is not only wholesome as it is tempered by relationship but it is deep as lessons are not only learnt but are practiced due to that context.

But there was one problem though. Each member of the group will need the material individually to adequately participate in the study. This means that very many books will need to be printed. Incidentally only someone who has benefitted from that kind of discipleship appreciates it enough to want to spend money purchasing those books. Another thing I need to mention is that preparing that kind of material requires so much input that quantifying it in monetary terms is impossible. It therefore means that even subsidizing the books might still make them quite expensive. Now imagine selling that book to someone who has no experience or appreciation of discipleship!

That is why I propose we go the pearl of great price way.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (Matthew 13:45, 46)

Does the world need to be discipled? Is the commission binding on our generation? Am I expected to be part of Christ’s team to disciple the nations? Am I willing to spend and be spent to make that discipleship possible (2Corinthians 12: 14, 15)?

But I want to take us even farther. Do you know that most of these discipleship materials are in English? Do other languages need them? Is that really a question I should ask with Matthew 28: 19 in mind?

Did Christ include indigenous languages in the command to make disciples of all nations? Can we make disciples of them without giving them what is helping our discipleship in a language they can understand? What does Revelation 7: 9 mean? Are we willing to be used of God to make that a possibility in our generation?

You see not everybody understands English.

I know Christians who have never gone to school who for their love of God and His word learnt to read the Bible in their indigenous languages. I ministered in my youth with people who got saved in the East Africa revival of 1949, many of who fit that description. My father in law briefly went to school in Ethiopia where they used Amharic which is similar to Hebrew. He came to Kenya and can read Borana very fluently due to his love for the Bible. He has been an evangelist for very long, still is. I saw a man who could barely write his name after seven years of primary school start reading the Kimeru Bible quite well when he got saved.

Do these people need to be discipled? Can we enrich their intake of God’s Word? Does God expect us to do so? Will we do it?

We MUST have discipleship materials for them too. Each language on planet earth must have such materials in the language closest to their hearts.

But there is something foundational we must tackle. It is important to realize that this will not make business sense. We are investing in a venture for the obedience in it. Like I have said only someone who has been discipled will understand the need to spend on discipleship materials. But there is another reason. We might find communities that are not in a position to fund the purchase, leave alone preparation of those materials. Again let us look at Christ.

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)

We are investing in this for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God. We are investing in heaven (Matthew 6: 19 – 21). We are placing our money where our heart is. We are funding the translation and printing of the discipleship materials to GIVE to those people who need it as opposed to looking to get our money back.

Why did I have to prepare a new material though there are very good materials on the market? I am sure someone is asking. Over two years ago we went for a month long mission to Mozambique where we covered most of the country. We were teaching discipleship for the most part. Their cry for discipleship and materials was heart rending. Wherever we went we met one cry that were it not for the distances we covered we could have thought they were reciting. They told us that less than 5% of pastors have any training at all, and that is not even theological. Very many are illiterate. They pleaded with us to look for materials for them and we promised to do so.

But we did not find any materials in Portuguese even on the internet. And we felt the urgency deeply.

We therefore took a basic discipleship book and God provided an interpreter. We then went to the publisher for permission if they were not ready to print the translation. We were only given verbal permission. To date we do not have official permission.

As an aside when the translation was done, I sent the work to the partners who had invited us to proofread and give us their assessment of the same. I waited and waited and got no response though I severally asked for it (months). It was after we printed it that they told us what had happened. When they got the soft copy, they were so excited that they just made copies and started using it. They could not ‘waste’ time doing anything else like proofreading.

In Kenya the material is used to disciple new believers but there it was used on pastors and bishops. That is the kind of privilege we enjoy. But I believe it is more than that. It is a stewardship we have been entrusted with, a stewardship we will one day give an account of.

It is for the challenge of permissions that I decided to prepare this material (Fruit That Lasts). This was so that anyone who will need this material has my permission in advance to translate it into any language without fearing any legal reprisals provided they do not alter it. The target was missions. But then God challenged me to the nations in the land of Kenya who need to be discipled in their languages.

What will we need to do this? We will need a translator for each language. Then we will need the resources to print the translated work.

Now suppose a church adopts a language group in this line of thinking. It will require 50 churches to have all the languages in Kenya fully covered. Some churches even have structures to facilitate that discipleship.

Such material can be used for the follow up after missions. My experience with church missions is that there is a big challenge to organize and fund follow up initiatives after successful missions. But I believe there would be more impact if the books were just given to the churches and they are trained on its use though it is self explanatory.

Please contact me if you are interested in being part of this initiative. I have translators for some languages and am looking for others. Contact me if you can translate so that we can avoid duplication should more than one person be available for a language.

I trust God to raise a team for this whole project that should come from sponsoring churches, ministries and individuals to ensure that the materials we provide are utilized in a way that will maximize their impact. It will also oversee training that may be required to set the process up.

Support this initiative as God prompts you.

Of course I will have it translated into Portuguese as this is where the challenge originated from. Plus of course French and other languages that need such materials especially in Africa and Asia.

Another challenge I want to pose to churches is the need to develop a strategy to evangelize the Chinese who are flooding Kenya and especially Nairobi. I do not want us to fail like we did when God sent us the Somalis as their country broke apart. We took advantage of their need instead of offering them the Gospel which I am convinced was the reason God allowed for the disintegration of that nation.

Again I really would like to see a united and focused effort directed at the Chinese because as we know Christianity is resisted in China.

It is a pressing burden in my heart that I am sharing out trusting that it will find fertile and responsive ground for such a strategy to materialize. My prayer is that churches will unite for this purpose and raise a team. Then China can be reached from Kenya.

We wasted the opportunity God gave us to evangelize the Somalis when they were vulnerable and searching for God. I believe we can correct the situation by making our churches focus on reaching out to the Somalis with the Gospel. Then we will not need to spend so much on security as we will be bringing Al-Shabaab to our churches as believers in Christ and of course our brothers. Otherwise explain

… I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16: 18)

But my burden for this time is the flood of the Chinese though in my blog you will find my arguments that the insecurity we are experiencing is blamable on the church for refusing to take the Gospel to the Somalis as I am convinced that one reason God allowed for the disintegration of Somalia was for the purposes of them hearing the Gospel since we had refused to take it to their country, the same as with the Chinese. They are hitting back at the Christians because they came to the well and found it dry Gospel wise.

May we not be found wanting in our generation.

God bless you.

Gituma M’Ikiara

                                                                                 

E-mail: gitumastudent@yahoo.com                                                         

Blog: biqil.blogspot.com                                                                                         

Tel: 0722 220 147