THE CHURCH IN A CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY (27)


 THE BIRTH THAT HERALDS THE TERMINATION AND DEATH


Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;  

Matthew 2:1-3


Aren't you wondering why the mighty king Herod of the invincible Jerusalem was petrified by the announcement of a newly born king? Why would the birth of a new baby, 'supposedly' to be a king, unsettle a king who has such great feats and commands respect from within and outside his domain? What did Herod conceive in his mind that made him lose control of his spirit? This was a king whose disposition affected his entire domain. When he was troubled, the whole of Jerusalem turned into an abyss of confusion. Not a single citizen could express joy at the sadness of Herod. This was a king who was unperturbed by the threats of big nations. He could silence the raging voices and put to death any prophetic voices against him. He seemed to be immutable, and no one could challenge his audacity.


But this king was thrown off balance by the announcement of a mere baby. There is something we can glean from his restlessness. Herod knew that the announcement of the birth of a new king meant the termination of his kingship. There is no way he could ignore the fact that this announcement definitely meant he no longer fit for the throne. It was like announcing a vacancy for the throne he occupied. He knew that no matter how long he chose to struggle or fight to stay on the throne, he had been declared REJECTED. Indeed, a vote of no confidence had been passed on him, and God had already decided that his position should be taken by another man. A rhythmic phrase echoed in his mind: "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel 5:25-28


In the interactions that ensued between God and Samuel in 1 Samuel 16, God specifically told Samuel to stop pleading for Saul: "The LORD said to Samuel, 'How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.'"  

1 Samuel 16:1. The rejection of Saul did not amount to the speedy termination of his appointment. What it meant was that God was no longer with Saul. Whatever he did henceforth was on his own account, and he was alone in taking the risk. Whoever chose to follow his leadership did so at the detriment of their own life and eternity. Fortunately, Saul could discern this quickly by the constant visitation of an evil spirit.


God demonstrated the same stance when Samuel visited the house of Jesse while seeking to secretly anoint the new king. While Jesse made seven of his sons pass before the lens of spiritual testing before Samuel, God repeated the same message over them: "But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7. As it stands, right in the presence of these seven hefty men, God declared them PERSONA NON GRATA and REJECTED. So, what's the essence of their lives? Remember, these men followed Saul into a failed war against Goliath and the Philistines until David showed up to clear the mess.


Unfortunately, today, these Sauls, Herods, and the seven sons of Jesse are still in the pulpit and in choir robes. They are the known prophets and General Overseers who still occupy the throne that God has declared vacant and the occupiers dead. You see, they sleep with women without remorse. They receive inspiration without prayer and study of the Bible. They make public oblations without a personal burning altar. They preach prosperity over holiness and praise those who accept their ministries with offerings. The truth is this: when God recruits and inducts new ministers into the fold to serve Him, He is not necessarily multiplying or populating the ministry. He is simply replacing and overthrowing those who have transgressed and kicked against His offerings.


How well do you check your life in the light of the Word of God? Are you sure you have not been replaced and suspended indefinitely from performing, yet you're still parading yourself in the public sphere? Are you sure you're still on the path to which you were called in the first place?


Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. Repent if you notice any misbehavior.


The Lord is your strength. Amen.


Peter Abdul-Razaq OLAYINKA

A Serving Missionary with Living Grace Christian Missions, Ilara.  

WhatsApp: (+229) 94139130  

Mobile No.: (+234) 8066540987, (+234) 8028495639

Email: peterrazaq@yahoo.com  

Twitter & Instagram: @peterrazaq  

LinkedIn: Revd. Peter OLAYINKA  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A DOSE OF COUNSEL FOR ORO AND EGUNGUN FOLLOWERS

Image
I woke up this morning reading a lot of social media posts about the selected dates and days for the ORO festival in the part of the country where I live. ORO is a secluded cultic 'religious' activity. Traditionally, it involves mature males and initiated participants. Women are forever banned from witnessing it, except for hearing it from inside (ETI L'OBIRIN FI NGBO OHUN ORO). Nobody reveals the activities in public. You keep what you see and know to yourself. Nobody exchanges pleasantries about what happened the day before in public. During this time, men do all they can, including appearing like the first Adam in the garden. The absence of women grants men the freedom to engage in reckless behavior. A few days ago, I was shown a TikTok live coverage of an ORO festival in a certain part of the country. Oh! What a sacrilege. An abomination, you would say. It is anti-tradition and a taboo. But that's the world we live in. Nothing seems to be hidden anymore. Smartwatche...
Read more

RE: IS THE STORY OF ALHAJI WASIU AYINDE BARRISTER'S CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY REALLY TRUE?

Image
  "But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." - Romans 2:29 Since my previous write-up on the above subject, I have received several mixed feedbacks, especially from Christians. Some were ecstatic, praising God for doing such a wondrous thing. However, others opined that such an acclaimed conversion is nothing but a business tactic. They argued that his affiliation with the Celestial Church indicates that he is merely religious and pretentious about his faith in Christ. This group believes that the Celestial Church is not a place to find a true Christian. (Please, wait before you start casting aspersions on anyone.) Meanwhile, as fate would have it, I have been drawn to several of Wasiu Ayinde's songs on TikTok. I am still wondering why I consistently stumble upon his songs even though I do not follow his handle. I can only hope I will not be tempted to start...
Read more

TAKE YOUR MOUNTAINS. NEVER GIVE EXCUSES.

Image
 The children of Israel came into the Land of Promise as a conglomerate of twelve tribes. They needed unity to reach that point. But once they arrived in Canaan, each tribe had to take possession of its own inheritance. What you take is what you get. At this stage, collective effort would not suffice—each tribe needed to claim and secure its portion for future generations. God had already given clear instructions regarding what must be possessed: “For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off... I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.” — Exodus 23:23, 27 The command was simple and decisive: to cut them off—to destroy all the people. Only on this basis could Israel take full possession of the land and be free from intimidation. The b...
Read more