Yes, We are Created for Community.

This morning, I was walking to my 9am class (yes, the same one I woke up an hour early for some weeks ago except this time I was on time), I was thinking about how our Christianity has become very private and individualistic especially in this culture. Our Christianity has become mainly about ourselves, while others around in our communities and churches are hardly involved in our spiritual lives and vice versa. Yes, being a Christian is having a personal loving relationship with God but it is also having a loving relationship with other Christians. My thoughts always go to community when I come across this topic. I think about the community of the 1^st Century Christians who lived in dependence on each other, eating together and meeting each other’s needs physically and spiritually (Acts 2:42-47). 

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer points out in his book Life Together, “Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ.” So this means, as Bonhoeffer goes on later to explain that “Christians need others because of Christ Jesus.” We need each other because first “what God did to us, we then owed to others”, meaning we are all bringers of the message of salvation and forgiveness to each other. Secondly, we are humans and some days we need “our brothers and sisters as bearers and proclaimers of the divine word of salvation” in our lives. We are to relate to each other in the way the 1^st Century Christians did, breaking bread, praising God together and enjoying the favor of all the people (Acts 2:42-47).  We are one body in Christ (Romans 12:5) and we need each other. And yes, we are created for community.

Persecuted Christians in Nigeria

For this blog, I am reflecting on an article on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. Link is provided below. 

Doctrinal Truth & Division or Cooperation

Concerning challenges to doctrines in cooperation in ministerial practice, I believe that the best thing to do when faced with an issue that might bring division is to stand firm on the doctrines but be willing to assist the other side of the argument to understand the importance of the issue. I understand it as it depends on the situation or the context of which there is a conflict of doctrinal purity in order to make the precise decision. I do believe that this is a very difficult and complex topic which requires much thought and carefulness not only to doctrine but also to the people that might be involved. A line has to be drawn somewhere between continued cooperation and division to protect important doctrines and ministry practices but on the contrary, I believe decisions should be made with great consideration of the context of which there happens to be a conflict, and the lives of which are involved with the focus on what is most important. Regarding politics within the church, I believe the same caution should be applied relating to doctrinal truth. The involvement of politics should be to the extent of which it affects matters conflicting with biblical truth. Both of these issues require a lot of careful thought because it does not have what may seem as an absolute answer in every situation. Doctrine should be held in all high regards while the focus of what is most important should be sought but at the same time not subsiding truth.

-Kingsley

History of Baptists

In the past two class meetings, I have learned interesting facts about the history of Baptist denomination. It began in the year 1612 with Englishmen John Smyth and Thomas Helwys. Both gentlemen argued for religious freedom for all individuals which led them to establish the Baptist movement who were then called the “dippers” referring to total immersion at baptism. Two principles that I believe are historically true and relevant for today is the genuine focus of missions that the Baptist movement had and also defending religious freedom for all individuals. Regarding missions, I believe Baptist mission leaders like ‘Lottie’ Moon  and Annie Armstrong who led mission journeys to China and in the United States would concur with the continuation of reaching out to the unbelievers of the world to show God’s love to the world. Both of these women have foundations founded because of their hard work. And I believe they would love to see the impact that they are continuing to have on the world. Concerning religious freedom principles, I believe these have had a huge impact on countries all over the world, including the United States. Citizens here have the ability to choose where and how to worship in whichever way preferred. And not only in this country has the work of God through Smyth and Helwys has been reaching but throughout the continents of the world.

Prayer

I could see myself as being sometimes too formal and too formless in my prayer life. I sometimes pray too formally and forget what prayer is mainly about and on other occasions my prayer is too formless because of my lack of focus on the intention of prayer. George A. Buttrick writes in his book Prayer that “prayer is friendship with God and it has its cultivation, its behavior, its obligations, even its disciplines; the casual mind kills it.” A strategy that I could adopt to help me avoid both of these errors in my prayer life is to practice Buttrick’s guide of prayer which is progressing gently from silent self-preparation to thanksgiving to confession to intercession and then to petition. My intent is to sincerely put these things into action and practice in my prayer life in order to develop a better prayer life. I am praying that God would guide me to enhance my friendship with him, because I am in need of more of him in my life.

-Kingsley

God's Gifts For His Glory!

I am very grateful for God’s work in my life; I am empty and useless unless he is working in me. I believe one of my possible spiritual gifts is compassion. Teachers of mine used to tell me this characteristic that they observed in me, but I rejected it because the world or perhaps the environment that I grew up in did not consider it to be a positive element. I believe it now, and I also refuse to deem it as a negative characteristic. It is a gift that God has deposited in me. The ways I can use this gift within my ministry calling is to have compassion towards discovering new ways to reach the outcast of the world.  One way in which I have felt discouraged or unworthy to use this gift recently is when I noticed a discouraged friend of mine who needed some encouragement. God was using my gift to lift up this friend of mine. I end with a quote from John Bunyan, “although gifts are good to accomplish the task they are designed for-the edification of others-yet they are empty and without power to save the soul unless God is using them.”

Making much of our time.

"Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much"-  Luke 16:10

A couple of weeks ago I was down on my knees in my room on a Sunday night crying out to God to help me begin using my time more efficiently. I had gone weeks without a set time for personal devotion, meditation and memorization of scripture. I was on empty! The next morning, (Monday morning) I woke up at 8am for my supposed 8am class which was actually a 9am class for Monday. I jumped out of bed, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, got on my knees said a quick prayer and ran to class thinking I was late. 

 I arrived in the class, looked around and did not notice anybody that was usually in the class with me including the teacher. Then I realized that my class was actually at 9am not 8am (foolish me). When I was walking back to my room, I recognized that I could jump out of bed thinking I was late to class but I couldn’t jump out of bed thinking I was missing precious time to spend with my Lover, my Redeemer, my Lord! I went back into my room and went back to the same position I was the night before. That was where I needed to be! 

Some areas that I believe I need to begin using time more effectively is in my personal devotion, prayer, meditation, and memorization of scripture. This is so important in my life; I am in desperate need for it! I am not where I was a couple of weeks ago but I could get better, it takes a lot of discipline, and I will get there faithfully with the reliance on the Holy Spirit. To reiterate the words of Sadhu Sundar Singh, “we ought to make the best possible use of God-given opportunities and should not waste our precious time by neglect or carelessness.”