God's Wrath was Satisfied

God's Wrath was Satisfied
Preach the Word!!

Friday 28 November 2014

THE MOST ABUSED AND MISUSED PHRASES PART 1

On the African soil we have so many ways in which people conduct funerals. It is also evident that some countries outside Africa have a unique way in which they conduct funerals. In recent years I have observed that some African countries are slowly conforming to the western culture of handling funerals. Nevertheless, there is one phrase that I keep hearing and seeing from people in Africa and from those in the other parts of the world when people lose a loved one. Sometimes I wonder why someone would make such a statement. Maybe its failure to understand what death really is.

Before I can state this most abused phrase during these emotional moments, let me try and unpack the meaning and definition of death. Death is the separation of the soul from the body. One example I can give to support this definition is the death of Christ. Remember when Jesus was dying? The Bible says in John 19:30 that “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” So you notice that Jesus died and gave up his spirit. In other words, his body was separated from his spirit when he died. I could site many other passages but that verse should do for now. Not only is death separation of the soul from the body but it is also separation of man from God. Remember when Adam sinned against God? He was at that time separated from God. Sin separated him from God.

The other thing I must mention before stating one of the most tortured phrases is the destiny of those who have died. It is clear from the Scriptures that when people die without having repented of their sins in faith towards Christ then their destination is hell. Hell is the place where they will spend eternity. A good example for this is the story of Lazarus and the Rich man. I am sure you know that story well. Lazarus ends up in Abraham’s bosom while the rich man ends up in the place of torment, a picture of hell. Why will such people end up in hell? Because they are Adam’s descendants and Adam, remember, died (was separated from God) because of sin.  And in the story of Lazarus and the rich man we have a good picture of someone who is separated from God. Each one of us is Adam’s descendant and we are destined to die and go to hell if we are not saved through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.


So here is my question now. If what I have said above is true and makes sense then why do people say, “May his soul rest in eternal peace,” during a funeral, when they do not even know whether that person was saved? This is abusing the phrase. In fact it is torturing the phrase. How can someone who lived in sin, cursed God and denied the Lord Jesus Christ even to his death ever rest in eternal peace? How? For all I know as the Bible says is that, “There is no rest, says the LORD, for the wicked” Isaiah 48:22. Could this be an African phrase or something from the western culture or Europe? Or is it just some people trying to be kind?

Thursday 13 November 2014

DON’T DESPISE THEM

The human mind in its sinful nature is framed in such a way that it considers certain creatures and realities of life to be more important than others, more powerful than others, more intelligent than others and even more beautiful than others. Strictly speaking, it is true. There are certain realities that surpass others when there is a comparison. There are those who are more gifted than others. That’s a fact. There are those who are more beautiful than others. It’s a reality. However, when these comparisons become more important than the eyes through which God sees human beings then notice the red light flashing. The light is a warning.

King David was the youngest of his brothers and so was Joseph who was only followed by Benjamin. Moses was rejected by the Israelites. Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth was an outcast among God’s chosen people. Hannah bore Samuel after years of being barren.  Our Lord was the son of a carpenter. He lived in Nazareth. There are a lot other people I can mention. When you go through the lives of these people as you read Bible history, you wouldn’t tell from the beginning that they would have achieved anything in future. David, the last born of seven sons, became King. In Jewish tradition being the last born meant you were the least of all according to the birthright rule.  That is why Joseph’s brothers even hated him more when he told them of his dream which seemed to suggest that they (his brothers) would in future be his servants. This reality came to pass. Do you see that in the eyes of man these people were less important, less gifted, not courageous, proud, cursed and despised? Being barren was not something that was easily accepted in those days. It was believed to be a curse. So you can imagine what Hannah was going through and what the people thought of her.

Why does God do this? Isn’t he the all powerful God and God of all wisdom? Shouldn’t the people he chooses to use display power. Listen to what he says in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29; “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.


We are human and at times we will fall into the trap of considering others to be inferior.  However, we have no clue what God has in store for them. What shall we do then? How can we better the situation? Firstly, we must pray that God shows us the best way to assist and accommodate such people. That is what Samuel did when he chose David to be King. He sought the LORD’S approval even though he was looking at the outward appearance of David’s brothers. God told him they were not the ones. Secondly, be a channel of blessing for such people. When you have prayed and God answers which I am sure he will, find ways of helping such people. Talk to them. Pray with them. Thirdly, God makes everything beautiful in its time. That building which looks so ugly when the foundation is being laid may be a different site when you see a copy of the finished architectural design. Fortunately it is God who has the finished product so we should not judge and change anything. Fanny Crosby, a hymn writer, became blind 6 weeks after her birth. Who would have known that she would write more than 6000 hymns which we still enjoy to date? Hymns like “to God be the glory” and “Blessed assurance.”  Have you noticed the way blind people are treated in some places?  What about the deaf, the lame, the gay and lesbians, the mentally sick, the introverts and the weak. It’s heart breaking. Let it not be so with you dear one. Let your love be genuine.

Thursday 23 October 2014

WHEN MY PHONE AND IPAD WENT OFF

God makes everything beautiful in its time. This is what the Bible tells us. I wouldn’t agree more to the truth of those words when I see the new technology that has come in. We have a variety of gadgets all over the world. Some are touch screens, some wireless, still some are priceless. These tools assist us with so much. They make work easier. Communication is at the tip of our fingers to a people who are 20,000 kilometers or 24 hours away. But something priceless happened to me when my phone and I pad went off.

I am Steven. I have the highest level of accounting qualification.  I have one of the best jobs and you know what I mean when I say that. My bank account gets me whatever I want. I have all types of technological gadgets. I get one whenever I want to. I am one of the first to have the new release of any type, Blackberry, iphone, Samsung Galaxy and you can mention it. My life is so busy and I don’t know what I would do without these gadgets. I didn’t realize what would hit me when my phone and ipad would go off.

With the help of technology I talk to my family on facebook and watsapp using my ipad and iphone. I don’t have time to see them face to face. My work is too busy. Whenever I get home I am so tired and everyone is already fast asleep. But one day my phone and Ipad went off.

I don’t have to worry about Church or any Church activity. I can download sermons with my ipad. I will see the photos on facebook of which people were present. Sometimes when the Pastor is preaching I can attend to my watsapp messages and visit facebook sites without hesitation. After all I can listen to it later. It’s recorded. But one day my phone and ipad went off.

My closest relationships, the relations with those people I love the most are not a bother. When I am with them I don’t bother to spend time and listen to them speak and have real meaningful fellowship. You know why? I can catch up with them on skype. I don’t have to bother to visit them. And when they say they want to come home sometime in the year, I simply say, “or we can do a video conference?” But one day, my phone and I pad went off.

When my gadgets went off, I went home and found my brothers and Sisters in the lounge. I joined in the conversation. We talked and laughed. The humor, facial expression and gestures which I rarely notice were visible. The way my young Sister laughs made me realize that we have the same Father. You can rarely tell such wonderful life experiences when all you see is “Lol, lolest and rotfl” on your phone. I thought to myself, “this is awesome. ” In fact I got into a very intimate conversation with my Sister and I was so disturbed when she got up almost every other minute to respond to her facebook notifications and watsapp alerts. On Sunday I went to Church. Yes, when my phone and Ipad went off. I sat on the pew and the song leader led us into a hymn. For the first time after years of emotional absence I sang the song with insight and my soul was revived. The coordination of the voices as the choir sang made me taste heaven. And when the Pastor brought the sermon to our ears, it was like ice on the cake. After all, I had no messages to respond to or to worry about.


You see, I realized when my gadgets went off that I was being self centered. Without noticing I became an island. I wanted attention but didn’t give others the attention they deserved. I wanted God to listen to me when I pray but I wasn’t ready to give him my all in my devotions and Church participation. You know why? It’s because my phone and I pad took all the energies. I almost lost touch with my God, friends and all those who mean so much to me. Unfortunately, many are still living in it. God brought me back to reality and I will not make my phone and ipad my idol.  I will discipline my body and bring it under subjection, lest when I preach to others I myself should be disqualified.

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Wolves in Sheep's clothing

He told me there was a wolf in the building but I couldn't see it. Now that my eyes have been opened I've seen the beast.

I went into that 500 million dollar building every week and wondered how a wolf could be found in such a place; projectors beaming to walls, flat screen TV’s everywhere, loud contemporary gospel music, a ten member choir dressed in blue and one vocalist leading them. It was amazing. I told myself this was the place to be. This only comes second to the best of Cinemas. I wondered where the wolf sat because everyone should be able to notice the flesh tearing animal but alas everyone was in frenzy, others screaming on top of their voices while others fell to the ground. “Could the wolf be the one causing this?”  I thought to myself.

Every time after the service I walked home with a mind full of thoughts. What did my beloved friend Steve mean when he said there is a wolf in that place? I sat on my bed and read through the verse he gave to me. It read, “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inward are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruit…” (Matt 7:15). I sat back and reasoned to myself. I flipped through other pages of Scripture to see if there was any other passage that talked about such kind of prophets. Instead I found one which talked about the good shepherd. It said that the good Shepherd goes before his sheep and the sheep follow him because they know his voice (John 10:4). This got me really confused. On one hand there are wolves in sheep’s clothing and on the other there is a shepherd whom the sheep follow. The former actually says you will know them by their fruit. I wondered what fruit this was.

One day, when journalist Banda read the news, I was perplexed as he mentioned that a certain bishop who was accused of defiling 9 girls had committed suicide. Not too long ago I read in another place that a certain Pastor had commanded his congregation to feed on grass. As if not enough I saw another Pastor telling his congregation not to take any medication whenever they fell sick. My heart sunk.  “Surely, the world is coming to an end,” I thought.


“Oh now I see.”  It finally clicked. I couldn't help but weep. I finally realized what Steve meant when he said there was a wolf in our Church. It was the man who stood preaching God’s word and called himself a “man of God.” His life was exactly what I saw from the three Pastors I read about in the media. The Scriptures then all connected together. The false prophets pretend to be God’s shepherd when in actual sense they are not. That is why Jesus calls them wolves. However, the true Shepherds are those who will preach and teach the Bible and lead people to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Their lives are a pattern you would want to imitate. They lead people to Christ by the way they preach and live the gospel. Many who listen to the false teachers and continue to follow them are most likely not Christ’s sheep because if they were, they would hear the voice of the stranger and  run away from him and at the same time they would hear the voice of Jesus as he spoke through his under shepherds and  would follow him. Are you following a wolf or the chief shepherd

Friday 27 June 2014

You are like Luis Suarez

If someone slaps you for no reason you will probably get upset. You will get really angry. If he does it a second time you will wonder what it is of him. If he does it a third time, you will think he is mentally disturbed and probably take serious measures against him. Next time you know he is somewhere close you will make sure you spot him and avoid close contact. This has been the routine of Luis Suarez, Uruguay and Liverpool striker. He is now popularly known for biting other players. He has bitten three players so far in his career and some people are saying its probably not the last time. Do you know that we are all like him? You ask, “How?” Well, let’s reason together.

There are certain offences that we all have done to someone once, twice, thrice and even more than thrice. Some people make those offences every day. They continue to insult, mock and even slap that individual every day. You say, “I don’t do that.” Yes you do. We all do.

Have you ever thought about your daily routines in relation to God? You sin against God daily. You mock him. You say you love him but many times you have chosen things of the world for him. You say, “I will be pure,” but yet again you find yourself touching and looking at dirty things. You haven’t done it once or twice but more than this and I am sure you will do it again. God forbid that it should be so. The interesting part is the character of the one we offend. Can you imagine we do all kinds of things against him and he does not retaliate? He still forgives us. When we do it the fifteenth time, God doesn’t say, “OK this guy us mentally disturbed.” No. It is at this moment that he lavishes his grace upon us. It’s only that we are so engrossed in sin and ungratefulness that we do not see it. We slap God for no reason. We slap him a second time and he still doesn’t act. We do it again and again and again but still he doesn’t act. What do you call this? It is grace.

Uruguay striker Luis Suarez 

The only difference with the Christian and none Christian is that the Christian is helped by this same grace of God to become better by the day. None Christians, however, wonder further and further away from it. They do not see it. There are some people who are still wondering away from God’s grace. Come back to him. You are living in guilt, fear and sorrow because you are rejecting this grace of God. For those who are in Christ, remember that song, the song that reminds you of the goodness of God's grace? Yes, that one. Sing it and let it remind you of how indebted you are to the grace of God.  Let it draw you closer to him. Pray often and thank God for his grace towards you. Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound? God forbid

Friday 6 June 2014

SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE: Will Celebrities go to heaven?

Rather, speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. Ephesians 4:15

When truth is known, passion is usually expressed.  It is a fact that as Christians we have the knowledge of the truth about Jesus Christ. It is the presence of this intimate and relational knowledge that keeps our hearts burning for Jesus. We can’t stop loving him because we know that he first loved us. We have come to know that he loves us and therefore we express this truth by being passionate about his will and glory. This is why Paul says, “for the love of Christ controls us…” 2 Corinth 5:14. There is nothing more comforting than to know that I am living in truth. If there is one thing that is so fearful to live under, it is ignorance about things that are close to your heart. Someone will not join a religion if he is not convinced that it is true. If he does it’s probably for a wrong reason. Why do I say all this? It is the nature of our speech. Sometimes our speech as Christians is ignorant, it lacks love and this can be destructive.

Christiano Ronaldo
Notice the phrase first says, “Speak…” Speech is part of our life. We speak every day. We talk to friends, parents, workmates and many others. So the Bible doesn't ask us to be quiet but encourages us to do what we are expected to do. We must speak.  Secondly, we are told what we should speak. We should speak the truth. Whenever we speak we should speak the truth. Thirdly, the speech must be in love. When we speak truth it should be because we love that person. We want to show how much we love them by telling them the truth. We love them and tell them the truth because we want them to become more like Jesus Christ. However, many times you get the opposite of this.

You will find some Pastors lying to their members because they don’t want to lose their job or because they don’t want to look irresponsible. Some parents lie to their children or vice versa because they don’t want to accept a weakness. This actually has caused more harm than good. Usually the truth eventually comes out and things become sour. There are many of us who haven’t told the truth about heaven to our beloved brothers and sisters. Still some have not told the truth about hell to those close to them. Nevertheless, we know that these realities are real. One day the truth will be revealed. It will be too late. Woe to you who told people that getting to heaven is through good works. You lied because it’s not the truth.
Arnold Schwarzenegger

I love sport, particularly soccer. The game is entertaining no doubt about that. The players have become heroes and celebrities to many. You see people nick naming themselves after the name of the player they like. Clothes, shoes, Billboard adverts and many other things are covered with images of these men and women. Sad to say others have idolized them. However, one thing is very clear. If all these men and women are to die without Christ then hell will be their destiny. This realization really breaks my heart.

Serena Williams
The Bible says, “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”  The neighbour is every other person. Speaking the truth in love therefore means that we tell people like them (celebrities) that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. Yes we should because they are also our neighbours. Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). If you love someone, tell them the truth even if it hurts. It will surely hurt someone if you tell them they will perish in hell if they don’t believe in Christ. But that is simple truth. The reason many people will not hear our plea is because the speech is not out



of love. We speak at times as though we are the judge. People notice it and don’t want anything to do with what we say even though it is the truth.  Speak the truth in love. I will be first one to acknowledge that there are times I have spoken that way and I repent. You too can do the same. It would be such a wonderful thing if all Christians can be praying for these men and women. The 2014 world cup is just around the corner. Before the games on the world’s biggest stage begin, someone please get this message out to those players. Tell them I love them as my neighbours and that their life will soon come to an end. However, Jesus stands to save all those who put their faith in him for the forgiveness of sin and assurance of eternal life.
Jackie Chan


So then what’s the answer, will celebrities go to heaven? If they acknowledge their sins, repent by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and God creating a new life in them then yes, they will go to heaven. However, they cannot know about way to heaven if you and I don’t tell them in love that there is forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

Stop watching that Movie

One day I sat to watch a movie called fireproof. As a young man like many young people, I had a different view of marriage.  Nevertheless, this movie helped me greatly in that it brought to reality the journey of a biblical marriage. While some movies are aimed at helping people to be trained in a particular area others are meant to entertain. However, I believe movies that tell Bible narratives in as much as they would be entertaining must give only biblical information and nothing more. Failure to do so will result in stricter judgment for the producers and all those who promote them.

Let me explain this a little more.  James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” In Galatians 1:8 it says, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”  How does this relate to movies of Bible stories?  A movie can inform and teach. Just like I was able to be taught and informed by fireproof. The Bible narratives like the story of Joseph and that of Samson teach us many things about God and how he related with the people at that time. It is from some of these that we know God’s character, God’s will, God’s attributes and so on and so forth.

So then if movies can teach and inform then they should teach or speak nothing else apart from what the Bible has revealed. For example nowhere in the Bible does it indicate that Joseph kissed Portiphars wife before he left his coat in her arms. So a movie that will show such a scene will be “teaching another gospel.” It will actually be adding to the Bible information that is not there. And I am sure you know what Revelation 22:18 says about people who do such.


How then will it bring stricter judgment? It will bring stricter judgment because the one who teaches will be judged with stricter judgment and that is what Bible narratives do, they teach. So God will have stricter judgment the producers of the movie and the ones who promote that movie.

Thursday 3 April 2014

Marry her the right way: Part 2

In the first blog I was arguing that the groom should at least be able to find the bride waiting for him and not the other way round and I got some helpful responses. One of them was that the waiting being referred to as we wait for Christ is different from the waiting in the hall when the groom is waiting for the bride. The other comment was that the passage in the Bible where Christ is being referred to as the groom is just an illustration. There were also comments that the waiting on the man’s side is closely related to how Adam got Eve. It was God who brought Eve to Adam and not the other way round. Adam had to wait for God to bring Eve so that is why the man waits for the bride. When you look at all the responses, they have meaning. One person gave a reason that while marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church the wedding ceremony is not.

My response then would be that if we are only considering Adam and not Christ then Adam’s argument stands. However, if we are considering Christ as well then we have some things to think about. If a couple is going to wed and have the picture of Christ and Church in mind, I believe it would be good for them to depict the pattern of the marriage supper of the lamb where Christ comes to take his bride away. The two should at least meet in the middle just as Christ will meet the Church in the sky. "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and the with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord"(1 Thes 4:16-17). This should be done in order to show the world what our marriages as Christians point to. I believe every genuine Christian wedding must point to Christ and the Church which many already do. This is for obvious reasons.

It’s true that the wedding ceremony is not marriage but I believe it is a step into marriage. Meeting the Lord in the sky is a step into the marriage supper of the Lamb just like engagement/courtship is not marriage but it is a step into marriage. I believe we as a church are in the engagement period. So we cannot say why do we have to meet the Lord in the sky? The answer is because that’s what the Bible says and you cannot change it. You will have to make that step before you get to the marriage. Same way we should not say why do we have to depict the image of Christ and Church? Is it really necessary? The answer is obvious. It’s because it’s a Christian wedding and that’s what Christian weddings should do. We also cannot say why did the Lord have to betroth us and not take us into the marriage supper directly? It is obvious isn’t it? So meeting the Lord in the sky is a step into the great marriage. If it’s a step into the marriage and its going to happen then our weddings must portray that. If the man and woman are going to wed and decide to follow this pattern then it must be done the right way. By the way it does not mean if you decide not to then you will not go to heaven or you will be sinning or your marriage will fail. This is not what gets us to heaven or what makes successful marriages. It’s about showing one of the steps into the marriage the same way Christ and the Church will make one of the steps into the great marriage by meeting in the sky. And if Christ will meet us in the air then we must also represent that in the wedding by having the bride and the groom meet somewhere in the middle. The groom takes the bride from the bride's Father and off they go to into marriage. The groom must not just stand like a statue waiting for the bride to come. At least this is not what Christ will do. He will come from somewhere and we will see him and then he will wait for us. If we think this act is less significant then we also shouldn't consider courtship and engagements to be important because they are only steps into marriage. In as much as they are significant steps into marriage they are not marriage. And if you do consider them to be less important then you may as well consider your “engagement” to Christ to be less important. We also shouldn't worry if courtships and engagements are not there since what is important is the marriage. We should just go straight into the marriage. I rest my case.

Tuesday 1 April 2014

Marry her the right way

Weddings are one of the most celebrated events in Churches and families. It is obvious because they are beautiful events. When you walk into a wedding ceremony, especially in the Christian context, you notice the groom, his best man and the other men on one side waiting for
the bride and the bridesmaids. This is usually beautiful. They all come in their beautiful attires while lovely music is playing. If you are in Zambia you even hear what we call utupundu coming from especially older women. It’s just lovely.

However, in almost all the weddings I have attended I have noticed one act which has raised a question. Maybe it’s my lack of understanding or appreciating the way things have been done or maybe it is just a preference I have. However, when you look at it from a biblical point of view, I think I have a point which every Christian wedding must consider putting into practice.

If you look into the Bible carefully you will notice that we are told that Christ is the bridegroom while we the Church are his bride. Before I pose my question let me give you some Scripture references. In Philippians 3:20 it says, "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” In 1 John 3:2 we are told, “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” You notice that in both verses and even in many other passages which I have not quoted, there is anticipation for the coming of Christ.  There is a sense of longing for the groom to come and get his bride. In Philippians 3:20 the phrase that suggests this is “we await a Saviour,” while in 1 John 3:2 it is the phrase “when he appears.” It is clear then that the Church eagerly awaits the coming of the bridegroom, Jesus Christ.

My question, then, is that why does the bridegroom in our weddings have to wait for the bride to come and not the other way round?



This is not to say that she cannot come into the ceremony alone. She can do that but not for the groom to be the one waiting for her. I believe for us to give a proper biblical picture the bride must wait for the groom to appear. She can come in alone and let all the people stand to welcome her and the like but the groom must not be there while she arrives. He must find her waiting for him. Maybe my thinking is wrong. I stand to be corrected.