Abiding in Him by Bola Olu-Jordan
The Boeing 767 plane flew in altitude of forty thousand feet above sea level and ground speed of over 500 miles an hour from Nairobi to Lagos on a clear sky. I could look through the window, seeing the thick clouds below, some coming together in desperate hug and some flying aimlessly in the expanse of space. For the umpteenth time, I am yet amazed again at the ingenious and immense power this creation of God called man possesses!
Man is clearly standing tall in the index of God's creation with breakthroughs and inventions in unexplainable but acceptable alien technologies. He can be truly called an intelligent being, conquering barriers; natural, health and environmental limitations and also holding the destiny of humanity at the tip of his fingers, awaiting provocations to justify the experimental quest of reducing it to rubbles in minutes. But I have little joy and deeply saddened that in all these, Satan seems to be living large still and holding sway the heart of man, despite the complete work of Christ on Calvary. More saddened that his greatest weapon is religion, especially, Christian religion. Visiting many cities, towns and villages in the East African nation of Kenya, the story is the same: the semblance of godliness, but a total denial of the power of God. If the world is in darkness, then we know there is work to do, but the world is actually in darkness, but think she is not. That is where the deception lies, Satan's master card for the end time. However, I am very much encouraged that God still have a remnant of people for himself everywhere in the world. From the villages of Maridadi, Manimanjalala, Mumias, Matisi, Webuye to cities of Eldoret, Kitale, Bungoma, Nairobi and other villages and town visited in Kenya in two weeks, it is comforting that God is working in the hearts of few; opening their eyes to see the true church, which is embodied in the people and not the building, denomination, structure, law or the organized church. When two former Bishops testified how they were led by God to relinquish their titles and one of them specifically said God asked him to close down seventeen branches of his church, spread across the nation of Kenya and many other 'pastors' and 'rev's openly relinquished their titles and came out of the organized church to a simple fellowship in homes according to the early church pattern, what other rejoicing could fill Jesus' heart more than that! It was a blessing to meet with people that God is working in their hearts and showing revelation of Himself to. Brethren who see clearly what the church is and not what it has been made to be, and many others who are sincerely hungry for Him, And many still, who want to get out of what man is doing and desire to press in to what God is doing, but don't know how. When Jesus said He would build His church and the gate of hell shall not prevail against it, He was talking about the church where He is the head and not the ones that man is the head, the owner and founder, with branch networks, hired staffs, properties, constitution, etc. God does not interfere with what man is doing as man builds personal religious empire, calling it the church of God. Again, man has the potentials to do great things, the evidence of which we see all around us as denominations. The key to Christian living is abiding in Him, not organizing for Him. Lord, keep us humble, only looking unto You and not our potentials. Teach us to hide ourselves in You, not all around busy working for You. |