WHAT DID YOU SEE/HEAR BEFORE FOLLOWING?

After defeating the devil in the wilderness, we see our Lord Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee and asking certain fishermen to follow him with the hope of making them fishers of men. According to the account of Matthew, after the selection, Jesus gave a long lecture which is recorded in Matthew chapter 5 through to Matthew chapter 7. By Matthew chapter 8, we see Jesus closing service and mingling with His congregants as He descends from the mountain. We also see several healing testimonies until we get to the eighteenth verse of Matthew chapter 8.  All this while, the Bible stresses the fact that He was being followed by a crowd and His disciples.

Now at the shores of the same sea of Galilee where He called certain people to follow Him, He asks to be transported to the other side (Matthew 8:18). To this, a Scribe, who was also following Him, quickly opts to follow Jesus on the trip. And Jesus’ quick response was, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then, another of the disciples asked for permission to go and bury his father. In other words, he should be permitted to go home for his inheritance before he embarks on the journey. To this, Jesus said, “Follow Me and allow the dead to bury their own dead.” 

Before we continue, let me quickly share Jesus’ responses to these two men from the message bible. It will bring home what I have to share.

MATTHEW 8:20 (MSG)

Jesus was curt: “Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.”

MATTHEW 8:22 (MSG)

Jesus refused. “First things first. Your business is life, not death. Follow Me. Pursue life.”

Wow! Anyway, my point of interest in this passage is found in the 23^rd verse of Matthew 8. The Bible says, "When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him." This verse got my attention. As I meditated on it, I said, "What happens after this decision cannot be the fault of Jesus, but those who chose to follow Him." Jesus never pointed or called out specific names to join Him in the ship/boat. He made a general call like any evangelist would. But, His statements to the two men needed to be pondered on before making the decision.
When Jesus sat in that boat/ship, He was saying, “If after hearing all that I said minutes ago, you still feel/know that you are ready to ride and die with me on this journey, join me. If not, please stay here or go back home.” The few who thought they were ready quickly made their way into the boat/ship. Every single being on that boat/ship was there because he/she wanted to. None was forced.  None was called. None was bribed. Everybody was there at his/her own will. Why they were there were either based on what they thought they had heard or what they thought they had seen in Jesus.  

Like the scene in Titanic, they wave their wives, children, friends, and relatives goodbye. The journey was calm until the inevitable happens. A violent storm arose on the sea so that the boat was being covered by the waves. As human as they were, they became terrified. They began to question their decision. Were they right when they accepted to follow this weirdo who performs miracles and speaks at length of a mysterious kingdom they knew nothing about? Were they hypnotized? Where is the man we got into this boat with? Where is He? Hasn’t He heard our screams? Hasn’t He sensed our fear? 

As they quickly searched the boat/ship, they annoyingly find this weird man comfortably sleeping. What they thought was about to be the cause of their death was this man’s rocking chair. Like a baby, He was enjoying the way the waves kept swaying the boat on its axis. (I am very sure they were ready to throw Him into the sea like it was done to Jonah. That wouldn’t have been wrong because He later said He was greater than Jonah.) Since that was a bad idea, they decided to wake Him up and let Him know the situation at hand.

Jesus woke up and all He could say was, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” The message bible puts it this way, “Why are you such cowards, such faint-hearts?” Then He got up from His comfortable bed and rebuked the winds. Immediately He rebuked the wind, the sea was totally calm. (NB: He did not stay in bed to rebuke the wind when He woke up. No! He got out of bed and rebuked the very wind which was rocking Him to sleep because of the faint-hearts He had on the journey.) They couldn’t believe it. What did they just see? Were they seeing right or were they dreaming? Did they really hear those words from His mouth? A man can actually speak to the elements of this world for them to comply? Why didn’t they think of that? 

I can go on and on with this passage. But I am very sure most of you got the head and tail of this article halfway through it. For those who didn’t, all I am saying is this, “Before you chose to follow Jesus, He told you the advantages and the disadvantages. He did not compel or bribe you to follow Him.  He did not promise you riches or an extravagant lifestyle. One thing we are sure of is this: JESUS IS IN THE BOAT WITH US. He may not be visible or in plain sight, but He is around. He may be sleeping but He is on the boat. The boat may toss and turn, but He is in the boat with us. The boat may have the waves entering, but He is in the boat with us. Do not question your conviction. Do not question your decision. He is in the boat with YOU. Whatever you saw and heard is true and if you would stay in the boat with Him, you will see and touch them when you get to the other side. Do not accept those evil thoughts of jumping out of the boat. You cannot swim back to the shore. You may get there, but the fact is: it would be your lifeless body. Stay! JESUS IS IN THE BOAT WITH YOU. If your faith is wavering, just call Him; He knows what you must say and do. Jesus is in it with you until you get to the other side.”

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD.

JESUS IS EVERYTHING

“Would you mind going to church with me this Sunday?” I asked. The question was directed to my cousin. I did not know whether to call her a Christian or a churchgoer. She never missed Friday All Night Services at any church, but would never go for a Sunday service or any teaching/worship service or program. If it were a prophetic prayer meeting, it was a big plus for whoever invited her. If the focus of the service isn’t prayer, she was not interested. So, asking her to join me for service on a Sunday was not just weird, it was completely off her books.

All she could say was, “Sunday would be a problem, but I wouldn’t mind joining you for any prayer meeting on a weekday, especially Friday All Nights.” Per her understanding, there is a big difference between a prayer meeting and any other church service/program. And surprisingly it is the understanding some "Christians" sadly carry around today.

Unbeknownst to Christians, the church has found a formula to solve every possible problem any Christian can ever think of. As a matter of fact, most church members already know which Psalm or passage in the Bible to read when in trouble, in need, sick, vulnerable, etc. For some bizarre reasons, the spiritual or “Christian” cure to every problem in the 21^st Century Church is PRAYER. If the problem is weighed and found to be weightier than imagined, the next additional drug to complement PRAYER is a three (3) or seven (7) day dry fast with some minutes or hours of worship and praises. For others, some days or weeks or months away from family, friends and loved ones on some mountain without food is the greatest solution. And to show how important these activities – PRAYER, FASTING, RETREAT, etc – play in the lives of Christians, not only do pastors or spiritual leaders preach them as the only solution, but the acclaimed gospel musicians also compose songs to emphasize these teachings as well. One of my favorites was “PRAYER IS THE KEY.”

PRAYER is the Key.

PRAYER is the Key.

PRAYER is the Master Key.

Jesus started with Prayer,

And ended with Prayer.

PRAYER is the Master Key.

Raise that song among zealous prayer warriors and like a wild spark close to a leaking gas you would set the whole room on fire. For the next hour or more, you should be ready for heavy tongues that can make any demon mistake the sound from that meeting space as the sound from the last day trumpet. No witch or wizard in their unstable evil mind would even dare to come anywhere close to the vicinity than to the building where the meeting is taking place. And after whatever number of hours spent in prayers, the men and women in that room would ignorantly trust that their effort and long hours spent in prayers would surely expedite the answer to any prayer request raised during that prayer meeting.

Brothers and Sisters, if PRAYER is the Key or Master Key, who is JESUS? Was JESUS lying when He said He is the way, the truth, and the life? If not, why are we giving more attention to activities in the Kingdom of God instead of Jesus? Why are we looking unto Prayer, Fasting, Worship, Praises, Retreats, etc for solutions instead of Jesus Christ? Why do we think performing activities in the Kingdom is the key to getting anything in the Kingdom of God when God said He has already placed these things in Jesus Christ? Wouldn't it be wise for us to spend more time with the gift keeper to get the gifts than to struggle by ourselves hoping to get it? Are we not twisting the truth? Are we not twisting the way? And are we not twisting the life?

Until we know Jesus, nothing is relevant. And I mean absolutely nothing in the Kingdom of God is relevant. If we do not know the Son of God, Jesus Christ, our numerous activities – the long hours of prayers, fasting, retreats, singing of worship songs, praises, bible studies, etc, are all absolute "rubbish". We are not Christians because we follow laws or principles in the Kingdom or perform some activities; we are Christians because we believe in Jesus Christ.

Please do not get me wrong. I am not saying that prayer, fasting, retreats, worship, praises, bible studies, etc are not relevant. I am saying they are worthless when they are performed outside the knowledge or revelation of Jesus Christ.

I am a spiritual son of a prayer and fasting machine. I am a prayer warrior who used to judge my spirituality and the spirituality of others by the number of kingdom activities I or they perform daily until the Holy Spirit enlightened the eyes of my understanding. The key isn’t the activities, THE KEY IS JESUS. And until we know Jesus, our kingdom activities aren’t different from the rituals a fetish priest/Muslim/Buddhist/Hindu performs daily.

We do not pray to get things, we pray to draw closer to our Lord Jesus and maintain our fellowship.  We do not fast to expedite answers to prayer requests, we fast to draw closer to our Lord Jesus and maintain our fellowship. We do not go on retreats to become God’s favorite child, we go on retreats to draw closer to our Lord Jesus and maintain our fellowship. We do not worship and praise the Lord to trick Him to answer our selfish desires, we worship and praise the Lord to draw closer to our Lord Jesus and maintain our fellowship.
If the focus is not to draw closer to our Lord Jesus and maintain our fellowship but to satisfy our selfish desires, we have totally lost the focus of these kingdom activities; and we are no different from the members of other religions.

JESUS is the Key.

JESUS is the Key.

JESUS is the Master Key.

God started with JESUS,

And will end with JESUS.

JESUS is the Master Key.

Prayer is not the key. Fasting is not the key. A retreat is not the key. Worship is not the key. Praises are not the key. Bible studies are not the key. Church activities are not the key. Stop worshipping activities and start looking unto JESUS. JESUS is the Key. JESUS is the Door. JESUS is the Doorknob. JESUS is the Path. JESUS IS EVERYTHING. 

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD.

GO OUT THERE AND FIND THEM

In the book of Luke, chapter 15, our Lord Jesus shares three powerful parables. One had to do with the lost sheep out of a hundred which was later found by the owner, the lost coin out of ten which was also later found by the owner, and the last but not the least being the lost son out of two who was later found by His Father.

Reading this chapter of Luke, one can accept or agree that the Kingdom of God is more of a “Search Organization” whose joy is dependent on its ability to find the lost and not the fact that it is an organization.

For example, Fanmilk Ghana was not primarily set up to create jobs for the unemployed as it does; it was created to produce specific products which are sold purposefully for profit. Though it is creating a solution to a national problem, if it doesn’t fulfill its primary objective, it would not be able to sustain this secondary solution (creation of employment) it has brought. Concentrating on the secondary and yet ignoring the primary always results in the collapse of the established company.

And that is gradually unfolding in the Church today. The Church is not meant to be a static organization or being who is fully concentrated on him/herself but one fully dedicated to the “Lost & Found” system as the Father is. Like the characters described in Luke 15 by Jesus Christ, THE FATHER’S DESIRE is to find the LOST. 

Reading Luke chapter 15 verse 11 to verse 32, I was forced to find an interest in the elder brother described in the book by our Lord and Master Jesus. I believe our Lord Jesus was trying to describe a group of people the church today is slowly imitating unaware of the dangers he stands to face. And these are the Pharisees and Scribes who took offense that Christ was receiving/entertaining publicans and sinners (Luke 15:1-2).

In the Parable of the Lost Son, we are introduced to a wealthy family of three – a father and two sons. At some point in their life, the younger brother is believed to have asked his father to give him his portion of the inheritance. We cannot tell if he was scared that, his father was immortal or he may die before his father. For some weird reason, he just wanted to have his inheritance and start something on his own. (Let us imagine Prince Charles asking Queen Elizabeth to abdicate so he can be a King before he dies.)

Anyway, his father agreed and freely gave him his portion of the inheritance. As the story progresses, we are told how he left home and squandered the inheritance with no investment. The once rich man who had it all became a poor boy with nothing to eat except the food he fed the swine he was looking after. 

Back at home, we see the Father of this young man, who was now living miserably, waiting patiently for his son. All the Father did, day and night, was to hope for the day his son would walk back the same road he used when he left home. For the elder brother, he went about his father’s other business – he was busy in the field. He failed to recognize the true heart desire of his father.

The story takes a different turn when the young man realizes an important fact – Though he was now poor, dejected, rejected, and hungry, he was still the child of a rich man. To this, he prepares a beautiful speech for his father and begins his journey home.

As usual, the father was watching but this time his heart desire came to pass. He saw his son from afar heading towards the house. Like a couple who have been in a long-distance relationship for years seeing each other for the first time, the father runs out to welcome this very son who disrespected him by asking for his portion of his inheritance and now returning after being heavily beaten by life. Instead of the father lambasting him, he hugged and kissed him like a newly born child.

The young man quickly tries to make use of his father’s compassion to ask for employment, but to his surprise, his father treats him like a son who has only returned from a stressful journey which almost cost his life. 

But, this beautiful picture is almost trashed when the elder brother comes back from his usual fieldwork to be told that the sound of celebration he hears and is asking about is from the party his father has organized for his younger brother who has finally returned home.

Do you know that, according to the Bible, this elder brother was ready to stay out of his father’s house because of the pain he had against his younger brother? Did you notice that though his father made a point of him having all the inheritance and the importance of him accepting the return of his brother, the story never said that he finally went into his father’s house? (Luke 15:25-32)

Anyway, I believe Jesus Christ, through the above parable and the others in Luke chapter, spoke directly to the publicans and sinners, and also to the Pharisees and the Scribes.

To the publicans and sinners, that is the younger brother out there who feels rejected, dejected, poor, and spiritually hungry, Jesus Christ is saying, “Your Heavenly Father is still here looking for you. Just make the journey back home. Make that decision to go back and he will be there to welcome you this very minute. He doesn’t care about the mistakes but he surely cares about what you have been through. He is ready for your return. He wants you to know that you are still a child of the Most High God. And He truly loves you as you are.”

To the Pharisees and the Scribes, the judgmental church who is comfortable being the only one in the Father's house, that is the elder son, I believe Jesus is saying, “Instead of being judgmental, concentrate on the father’s desire to find your lost brothers, and not just working the field. Be like Jesus, the apostles, etc, go out there and remind your lost brother of his father’s love. Do not just talk about the Father's love to him, demonstrate it to him. It is about time we take our cross. It is about time we start focusing on the main assignment. Many will hate you, but one thing is sure, your inheritance is still intact with the Father. Stop being angry and bitter at the error of your younger brothers. Go out there and find them.”

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD.

THE GREATEST GOSPEL SANG BY A GHANAIAN RAPPER

Since it rained heavily on Sunday, the 26^th of April 2020, I decided to wash on Monday, the 27^th of April 2020 after days of piling clothes in the name of COVID-19 lockdown. For some weird reason, I have been thinking if I washed and a COVID-19 infected person passed by and mistakenly coughed, the virus would contaminate the clothes and in the long run infect me. I said it was a weird thought; please stop smiling.

Anyway, as I was washing I was meditating on the Love of God in relation to my newly found favorite scripture – Romans 5:7-8. As I was thinking about the verse and the various scenarios in the old and new testaments that displayed the love of God through the prophets, great men and women of old, and especially through Jesus Christ on earth; Evangelist Sarkodie and Sister Efya’s song, SAARA, came to mind. Now, this was very strange to me because as I was washing I had a good collection of gospel music playing as it is my custom. And when I mean Gospel music, I mean songs from Theophilus Sunday, Juanita Bynum, Nathaniel Bassey, and others. There was nothing Sarkodie, Efya, Wizkid, Davido, etc playing. And I happen to be a big fan of Diana Hamilton, Denzel Prempeh, Joe Mettle, Nathaniel Bassey, Pastor Isaiah, and a few others; so, WHERE FROM THIS SONG?

Being a spiritual son of a Prophet, I immediately wanted to rebuke the thought but then I was encouraged in my spirit to rethink the lyrics especially the chorus. I did and all I heard within was, “That is the love of God. He doesn’t love you because you are good or perfect. He loves you because He is Love. You were made in His image. What you are now isn’t what He sees. He sees what He made you to be. He doesn’t see a prostitute when He looks at one. He sees a daughter who has been misled like the prodigal son.” Don’t forget what happened in the Garden of Eden: when God met Adam and Adam told God he was naked, God asked a relevant question – “Who told you that you were naked?” Our failure to meditate on that question is the reason most people find themselves where they are today. They are listening to another voice, instead of the voice of God which is always saying, “I Love You and I love you just the way you are.” (If you are thinking “Bruno Mars”, you are in the spirit.)

Now, many have a problem with IRREVERSIBLE/IRRETRIEVABLE LOVE. Let me explain: Many have come to believe in the doctrine of, “whatever I give must surely come back to me in ten thousand folds.” And this weird doctrine has been the main reason for the many heartbreaks and bitterness we see in many today. And I am a living example. So, when I asked the Holy Spirit to start working on me, the first thing He did was to renew my mind on this evil doctrine. And I call it evil doctrine because the end result builds no fruit of the Spirit; rather it magnifies the works of the flesh as seen in Galatians chapter 5.

Reading Ephesians 5:22-33, we are introduced to a way of living in the Kingdom of God when it comes to the relationship of the highest order - marriage. Husbands/men are advised to love their wives/women just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. Our failure to understand this allegory has led to the greatest error in this highest form of human interaction – marriage. According to the passage in Ephesians, the only thing a wife/woman must do is to submit to the husband/man, and the husband/man is to love the wife/woman. But, the love of the husband/man must be like the Love of Christ for the Church.

So, how does Christ love the Church? According to Romans 5:7-8, while the Church was still wallowing in sin, Christ still died for the Church. Indirectly, while the Church/the bride of Christ, was imperfect – stealing, lying, murdering, worshiping idols, fornicating, blaspheming, etc – He still thought the right decision was to sacrifice Himself for her. That is the definition of IRREVERSIBLE/IRRETRIEVABLE LOVE. Now, any human being reading this with earthly wisdom will surely say it is insane. Yes, according to earthly standard, it is insane; but it is wise according to heavenly standards. Christ did not agree to die because the church promised to change.  No! He died because He wanted to show the church that His Love has no condition attached to it.

From the Book of Genesis to John, we see the only Loving God asking His bride to come back to Him after forcefully sacking her from His abode (the Garden of Eden) because she disobeyed a simple instruction. When God gave Jesus, all He was saying was this, “I know the enemy would still try to whisper things into your ears, but know that I still love you and always have my hands opened to welcome you back. Do not try to change yourself before coming back. Like the prodigal son I am the only best person to make you truly look and act as a royal again; not you. Just come as you are. My words will wash you like water. If you do it on your own, you will surely go back. If I do it, it is forever. Just come back home the way you are.” (For further explanation of this insane love, please read the Book of Hosea.)

NB: If you are loving someone because you are expecting the person to do likewise, you are in no way loving like Christ loved the Church. You are only investing wrongly. Until a bank knows that you are investing, it will continue to treat your investment as Savings. If you truly love her, you would love her as Christ loves the Church.

Anyway, a big thank you to Evangelist Sarkodie and Sister Efya for such a unique reminder of the Love of God for all. I would wish to write more but it would take an eternity to finish. And as long as the church refuses to tell the world about the Love of God, the Lord will always find a way to do so.

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD.

ONE MAN IS ALL GOD NEEDS TO START

Genesis 6:8 (AMP)           But Noah found favor and grace in the eyes of the Lord.

In the sixth chapter of Genesis, our beloved Heavenly Father is angry at humanity for the wickedness and evil He constantly sees in the beautiful world He took ample time to create in light. To this, He takes a drastic decision to destroy the very man He created in His own image and likeness to be fruitful, to multiply and to have dominion. But, according to the same chapter, one man found favor and grace in the eyes of the Lord; not two or three men. JUST ONE MAN!

The Lord had made up His mind, but He was also not ready to destroy the only man who was going against the norm of that evil generation. So, He decided to use the very destruction at hand to raise the only man. For example, the same cross that brought doom to wicked men was the same cross that brought Glory to our savior Jesus Christ. In the case of Noah, the same water that drowned all men and animals was the same water that kept Him above the destruction. (NB: my concentration is on Noah, not his family)

It is not a mistake or a waste of time that you are the only one who seems to be going against the evil norm wherever you find yourself. It is not a mistake that you are the only one not taking bribe in that office. It is not a mistake that you are the only one not stealing from your boss. It is not a mistake that you are the only one not sleeping around with every single lady or gentleman you tag as a girl/boyfriend. It is not a mistake that you have decided to be faithful to God. It is not a mistake or a waste of time.

Do not forget the teaching of Jesus on the mountain. You are the Light of the World. It is your responsibility to make your Light shine in the space (world) you find yourself. Your Light is not meant to shine in the church building. Your Light must shine in the world. The world is your office, your house, your school, your society, your family, your school clubs, etc. God needs you to shine your Light there so He gets the glory from men. You are the man/woman He is looking for in that family, church, society, office, etc; no one else.

I know the path looks lonely, but I can promise you this: YOU ARE NOT ALONE. 

God is not in need of an army, He only needs one man in the family, society, school, or church to make that difference. 

He has carefully done His search in that family, society, church, office, etc and one man/woman has found favor and grace in His eyes. That man/woman is YOU. 

You are the Noah He wants to covenant with to save that family, society, church, office, etc. 

You are the Noah He wants to covenant with to build that ark for the family, society, church, office, etc.

The question is simple: LIKE NOAH, ARE YOU READY TO DO ALL THAT THE LORD WILL COMMAND YOU?

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD.

HOW MUCH ACCESS DOES GOD HAVE IN YOUR LIFE?

Ask a Christian how much access God has in his/her life and the immediate answer would be 100%. Sincerely, that has been easy to say for most Christians because we believe or think when we gave our lives to Jesus Christ we did exactly that. But, if we should check our lives to affirm the veracity of our answer, only a few Christians will pass the test.

How does God have 100% access to our lives yet the decisions we have taken so far in our lives have no resemblance to Him?
How does God have 100% access to our lives yet there is nothing about us that can directly show forth His Glory?
How does God have 100% access to our lives yet we are still living as we please, not as He pleases?
How does God have 100% access?

In my layman understanding, if one has access to something, he who has access to that thing has every right to do as he wishes to that thing.
Depending on the level of access, some or all of that thing belongs or is at the care of he who has access as long as the privilege lasts.
Until access is denied he who has access, he has the liberty/freedom/right/authority to do as he pleases and wishes any day, time or place.  

If God truly has 100% access to your life after you gave your life to Him, why is your life before you accepted Christ better than after you gave your life to Christ? 
Yes! Why is your life before you openly “recited” the "sinner’s prayer" better than now? If you will be sincere with yourself and do a quick analysis of your life, you will come to the realization that you are getting worse instead of being like Christ, He who you have accepted as your Lord and Personal Savior.
Please do not fight this with that adulterated Grace message that has given many the license to sin in the hope that they will surely go to heaven because they have already said the so-called “Sinner’s Prayer”.
You cannot truly have Christ, He who was hated by the World, in your life and be like the very World that crucified Him for you and me.

JOHN 1:12(a)      But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God…

The above scripture is the key to unlock the understanding you need to walk in the light again. But, before we delve into the scripture, let us quickly have a background of the verses before the above verse.

From the first verse of the first chapter of John, Apostle John, the writer of the book of John, opens his writing by stressing on “The Word”. Apostle John describes “THE WORD” as being in the beginning, being with God, and being GOD. He further states that “THE WORD”, which he has already described as being God, was with GOD in the beginning.

It was as if Apostle John thought we would ask, “WHAT ABOUT THE WORD?” To that, he quickly went further to tell us about “THE WORD” by saying, “all things were made by HIM (THE WORD); and without HIM (THE WORD) was not anything made that was made.” To Apostle John’s understanding, any or all forms of creation come only from “THE WORD” and nothing else.

Again, Apostle John was quick to think we would ask, “WHY IS CREATION DEPENDANT ON THE WORD AND NOTHING ELSE?” To that, he added, “In HIM (THE WORD) was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” Apostle John believed that “THE WORD” had a LIFE, and that LIFE was the LIGHT men needed to walk in this dark world.

Jumping to John chapter one verse nine after he briefly introduces John the Baptist, whose duty it was to bear witness of the LIGHT spoken of in verse four and five of the same chapter; “THE WORD” is again described as “THE TRUE LIGHT” which lights every man that comes into the world.

In verse ten of the same chapter, Apostle John said, “He (THE WORD) was in the world, and the world was made by Him (THE WORD), and the world knew Him (THE WORD) not. According to the Greek word translated as “knew” which also means “to learn to know or to understand”; the world did not learn to know or understand “THE WORD”. And because the world failed at getting to know and understand “THE WORD”, when He (THE WORD) came to His own, His own received him not. But, those who took the time to know and understand “THE WORD” and give it 100% access into their lives, it is to these people that He (THE WORD) gave the POWER to become the sons of God.

Studying the Greek word for “received” very carefully, I found out that it does not only mean claiming or possessing “THE WORD”, but also allowing “THE WORD” to have full access to one’s self/life. James explains it better when he says, “be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only.” We are failing to be what Christ is because we fail to learn to know, to understand and to grant 100% access to the very Word that has the divine power to make us the sons of God.

Now, let me rephrase the question: HOW MUCH ACCESS DOES THE WORD HAVE IN YOUR LIFE?

“The Key to Sonship in the Kingdom of God is in the level of access a believer gives “The Word” in his/her life.”

THE “AUTOPILOT” CHRISTIAN/BELIEVER

When the word “autopilot” is mentioned, the first thought is the device in an aircraft that takes control of the aircraft when the pilot stops controlling the aircraft manually. So, an “autopilot” Christian/Believer is one who feels or thinks that his/her Christian walk or life has nothing to do with him/her, but a special "something" within.

This kind of Christian/Believer takes no responsibility for his/her Christian life. All he/she believes is the famous statement: “IF GOD HAS SAID I WILL BE ‘A’, I WILL DEFINITELY BE AN ‘A’ NO MATTER WHAT I DO.” For this kind of Christian/Believer, all he/she does is to continue living life as he/she pleases with the hope that he/she will eventually enter into the promise of God. This kind of Christian/Believer is a great fan of Carrie Underwood’s ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’. I can promise you that he/she enjoys the chorus more than the verses. If you have not heard the song I am talking about, please follow this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lydBPm2KRaU.

Anyway, the above believer was me before I decided to go to Bible School in October 2017. And before Bible School, I had already been a Christian for thirteen (13) years. Yes! I mean thirteen (13) good years, not three (3) years. If my years as a Christian could be translated to years in school in Ghana, I should have been preparing for my Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E) in Junior High School. Indirectly, I should have been knowledgeable about the basics of mathematics, English, integrated science, social studies, etc.

If I had translated that understanding to my spiritual life then, I should have had knowledge of the “principles of the doctrine of Christ” as the writer of Hebrews puts it, even before going to Bible School. Yet, for thirteen (13) good years, all I did was to put my Christian life on AUTOPILOT.
Do not misunderstand me. Though I was on "AUTOPILOT", I was always at church for any and every service. I evangelized more than I'm doing today. I worked at church more than I'm doing today. I could repeat the messages of my pastor like a CD on replay. The only problem was that: I DID NOT KNOW GOD FOR MYSELF. The God I kept telling others about was the God my pastor knew and preached about.

Hebrews 6:1-2 King James Version (KJV)
1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

According to the writer of Hebrews, Repentance, Faith, Baptisms, Laying on of Hands, Resurrection of the Dead and Eternal Judgment are the basic lessons every believer must understand in his/her baby stage. These are the ingredients he/she finds in the milk he/she must suck when he/she becomes a Christian. If he/she does not know them, he/she is a baby no matter the position he/she holds in Church. The Apostles followed Jesus Christ for three (3) years learning all these secrets. Yet, for 13 years I had nothing to show.

1 Peter 2:2 King James Version (KJV)
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

I had heard 1st Peter chapter two verse two several times when I gave my life to Christ at Winners Chapel. This is a Word-based church. But, because my Christian life was on “AUTOPILOT”, I didn’t see the need to study the Bible. Why? I thought the "thing" within me was responsible for my spiritual growth without my effort. I did not feel the need to be RESPONSIBLE for my spiritual growth. And I could misquote several scriptures to back this lazy Christian life. The famous one being: “IT IS NOT BY MY STRENGTH BUT BY HIS SPIRIT SAITH THE LORD.”

If this describes you, I have some scriptures for you to study. Please do not read-only, I want you to study them. They are different scriptures from different writers. Find the Greek meanings, note the similarities, and let me know what you will find.


Luke 13:24 King James Version (KJV)
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Philippians 2:12 King James Version (KJV)
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

1 Timothy 6:12 King James Version (KJV)
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

2 Timothy 4:7 King James Version (KJV)
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Jude 3 King James Version (KJV)
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

QUESTIONS:
1. Do you believe in the concept of “AUTOPILOT" CHRISTIAN/BELIEVER?
2. Do you believe a CHRISTIAN/BELIEVER should do nothing after accepting Jesus Christ?
3. Do you believe a CHRISTIAN/BELIEVER should live as he/she pleases after accepting Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Personal Saviour?

We would love to read and share your thoughts and opinions. Please try to back your opinions with scriptures to help a brother/sister in the faith add to knowledge. Send us an email trotrodevotion@gmail.com or send us a WhatsApp message or voice note to (+233)(0)557-445-225.

Remain a blessing as you remain in Christ.

(...to be continued)