Now, here is a visualization I was working on towards the Christmas celebration – but I completed it about a week ago, so I’m now able to share it. It shows the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the birth of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. I was specifically interested in the topic because of the euphoria that characterizes modern-day Christmas festivities. A lot of it is just secular with zero reference to the Birthday Boy himself. This is my attempt to draw attention back to the reason for the season. There were numerous prophecies in the Old Testament pointing to the birth of this one individual and how they all come together in the mysteries surrounding the birth of Jesus. Now, if you are a student of biblical prophecies, you know there is a somewhat sub-genre called Messianic prophecies. I didn’t focus on Messianic prophecies as a full scope but only prophecies that deal with the birth of the Messiah.

The visualization is made up of a prominent Sankey chart and 3 bar charts beneath it.

Sankey Chart:

The Sankey chart features green nodes on the left and red nodes on the right. The green nodes represent prominent Prophets in the Old Testament who prophesied the birth of the Messiah. The size of each node is indicative of the number of times the said Prophet prophesied about Jesus’ birth. The red nodes represent the New Testament books in which these prophecies were fulfilled. Again, the sizes of the red nodes indicate the number of prophecies fulfilled in each New Testament book. The entire visualization is an interactive one; hence, you can especially check out the links between the green and red nodes to reveal more useful information. Once you hover your pointer over each green link, it reveals the following: the name of the Prophet, the exact Old Testament reference where the prophecy is recorded, the theme of the prophecy, the New Testament book in which it is fulfilled, and then the exact New Testament reference.

The bar charts

1. The green bar chart shows the number of prophecies each Prophet declared regarding the birth of the Messiah.
2. The blue bar chart shows the number of these prophecies that were recorded in the Old Testament books.
3. The red bar chart shows the number of these Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in New Testament books.

Follow this link to my Tableau Public account to check out the interactive version of the visualization:

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/eli.sabblah/viz/MessiahBirthProphecies/MessaiahBirthProphecies

There were some instances where I found the author’s use/communication/application of certain terminologies difficult to process. One of the terms that he spoke at length about is “revelation”. In textual analysis, two statements can help guide you in the process of deriving the author’s intended meaning from a text. They are “context is king” and “meanings are not in words, meanings are in people”. Both of these statements point to the fact that a word might mean nothing unless properly situated in the intended context by the reader. Which means one word can mean different things in different contexts. This is the case for “revelation”. The term comes from the Greek word apokalupsis, which simply means a disclosure or an unveiling. For our discussion, we will look at 3 different contexts within which the word can have a slightly different meaning:

1. Revelation in the ordinary sense: It is used to signify the uncovering or divulging of information that was previously hidden or unknown. 
2. Revelation in the theological sense: It is used to refer to what God has made known about himself. Dr. Otabil refers to this context as the specific canonical meaning of the word in relation to scripture.
3. Revelation in the prophetic sense: This refers to the uncovering of spiritual and physical information to a man or a woman by God. 

All three are valid and legitimate; the same word but different contexts, hence it is always important to state or clarify the context within which the word is being used. In the book, we see the author use the word revelation both in the theological and prophetic contexts. The theological definition and usage can be found on page 9, and the prophetic usage can be found on page 19 when he said that “prophets received visions, dreams, and revelations…”. Here, he was referring to “revelation” in the prophetic sense. We see Paul also use the word in the prophetic sense in 1 Corinthians 14:26 to signify the uncovering of the mysteries of God, secrets of men, and future occurrences. Hence, when Dr. Otabil stated that the word ‘revelation’ “… is often used more loosely in present-day prophetic discourse”, I didn’t agree with it. Referring to the use of the word in the prophetic context as “loose” downplays its legitimate existence and usage in any other sense apart from the theological one. Every single contextual meaning of a word is valid so long as the context is properly defined and communicated. One context (the theological one) should not be given undue prominence over others. 

Secondly, from the book, I get the sense that Dr. Otabil believes that “Pastor” is a more humble title for any man of God to take on as compared to “Prophet” even if the said man of God is called to be a Prophet. I am not quite sure of this, but there are some statements he makes on page 92 that give me this impression:

1. During the early years of the Pentecostal movement, church leaders were typically addressed in HUMBLE, relational terms such as brother, sister, pastor, or reverend minister.
2. Such restraint guards against potential spiritual abuse, preserves the primacy of Scripture, and upholds the humility and servanthood characterising true Christian leadership. 

He argues his point by referencing historical church practices and what he refers to as classical Pentecostalism. For these reasons, he concludes by saying, “given the biblical witness and the broader experience of the Christian church, it is WISE for ministers of the Gospel to avoid adopting the title ‘prophet’”. 

Of course, if you are a Pastor, you must be called one; there is no need to assume a title that doesn’t holistically define your God-given calling. But my point is, “Pastor” is an office on its own and should be treated as such. It shouldn’t be regarded as a generic title for every man of God. I believe that, so far as there were people identified in the New Testament as Prophets, we should have absolutely no qualms with contemporary Prophets being called “Prophets” in the church today -especially if they are called of God to be Prophets. Acts 13 opens by informing us that there were two distinct groups of ministers in the church in Antioch: Prophets and Teachers. Again, in Acts 11, we are told that some Prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, including Prophet Agabus. He was singled out because he gave a prophecy that came to pass about a famine coming over the whole world. The precision exhibited in the bible, in calling ministers by their actual title, is also a demonstration of doctrinal precision. The bible doesn’t mince words, and we shouldn’t either. The bible calls prophets “prophets” because they are prophets, and for those who just had the prophetic gifts, we are told so. In the case of Philip’s daughters in Acts 21, we are told they prophesied, but it was never said that they were Prophetesses. That is precision. So I expect that if someone is a prophet in the contemporary church, they should be called so, regardless of what practice was predominant throughout the history of the church after the closing of the canon of scripture. Additionally, positing that “Pastor” is a more humble title to assume somehow suggests that “prophet” is a prideful title to accept. I might be reaching, but please bear with me. What I do think is this: if God calls me to be a Prophet, then a Prophet I am. Pride is when I change my title to something else for whatever reason. 

There is one more quote from the book that I respectfully disagree with. On page 107, Dr. Otabil had this to say about contemporary prophets:

Their words do not give direction to the believer, in their day-to-day walk with God. Instead, a prophet’s ministry serves as confirmation of the direction a believer has received, either through God’s written word or the inward witness of the Holy Spirit.

I agree strongly with the first part. I believe that believers must strive to live a life daily led by the truth of God’s word and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. Some are so dependent on their Pastors and Prophets that they are unable to make decisions and take actions without first consulting their man of God and getting confirmation to proceed. I find this to be wrong and inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible in the New Testament. Prophets are not omnipresent or omniscient, but God is. Therefore, we must all strive to know God in a way that is deeply rooted in his word and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. However, the point of disagreement in this quote for me is when the author says a prophet’s ministry is to serve as confirmation of the direction that the believer has already received. I believe this to be true and important, but it is not always the case. We are aware of prophecies in the New Testament that came as a confirmation of what the believer already knew; case in point, the story of Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem. In his farewell message to the Ephesian Elders, Paul states that the Holy Spirit had testified to him in every city he had been to that imprisonment and afflictions await him (Acts 20:22-23). This message will be subsequently prophesied by people in two other cities he visited:

1. Tyre: Some disciples urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4)
2. Caesarea: Prophet Agabus also prophesied the impending arrest of Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:11)

In this case, the believer, Paul, knew this because he had already been told by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps, you can say the subsequent warnings that came had more details – but from what we are told, at least, Paul knew affliction and imprisonment awaited him. But there are some cases in the book of Acts where a prophetic word comes, and the believers involved seem to have no prior knowledge of it. Here are two examples:

1. When Agabus prophesied global famine, we are never told that the other believers already knew by the Spirit that it was going to happen. But rather, they heeded the Prophet’s warning and determined to send relief to their brethren in Judea (Acts 11:28-29).
2. In Acts 13:1-2, we are told that a group of Teachers and Prophets in Antioch met and spent some time worshipping and fasting, and the Holy Spirit instructed them to separate unto him Paul and Barnabas. This prophetic word didn’t seem to come as a confirmation of what any of them knew. It seems this group of believers received the word as a direction from God that they needed to act on, and so they did. 

I guess what I am trying to say is, in my perspective, a prophetic word can come as a confirmation of what the believer already knows from scripture and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. But I believe there are times when the word might come as a fresh prediction or directive from God that the believer would have to pray about, then act on. Perhaps Dr. Otabil holds this view too, but it wasn’t clear from my reading of the book, or it wasn’t stated at all.

I really loved reading this book, and writing this review allowed me to re-read my favourite parts. It is an essential document every Christian must have on their bookshelves, especially in these times. It takes a more critical and theological look at the prophetic ministry, and this is exceptional because we are often told not to look at the prophetic like that. We are told not to subject the prophetic ministry and prophets to sound theological scrutiny. That is why I loved reading this so much – the author shares no experiences, just a strict adherence to the counsel of God through scripture on the subject, and I loved it. So I hope you grab a copy, read it, and do share what you learnt. 

There is a story in John 8 that details an extended interaction Jesus had with the Jews. His audience was a mixed crowd of Pharisees, Scribes, and the Jews who believed in him. Typical of Jesus’ conversations with this group of people, it was quite confrontational and argumentative as they pressed him regarding a few statements he had made earlier in his submission. Specifically, Jesus had referred to himself as “the light of the world…” and this rubbed them off in the wrong way. During this confrontational interaction, Jesus did an extensive characterization of his audience and their “master”, Satan. He referred to the Jews as children of Satan and then to Satan as “… the father of lies”. 

If we are going to learn anything about the devil, we must prioritize what Jesus says about him. This is the crux of this series: to shed light on Satan’s operations and that of the people he influences. 

The text in John 8:44 is the anchor verse for this entire article so I will take time to do a breakdown of how Jesus described Satan, his character, his mission, and his relationship with the Jews:

1. Satan is the father of the Jews – Jesus said this because he could tell that the people had purposed in their hearts to kill him. Their murderous intent directly linked them to the devil because Jesus described him as “… a murderer from the beginning”. It was clear Satan had a strong influence over the people hence their willingness to do his bidding. This is similar to the kind of influence a father has over his children. The Jews opposed the truth claims Jesus made about himself, therefore they were behaving like real offsprings of the devil because there is no truth in him either. In summary, the father-child relationship between the Jews and Satan can be established on 2 main premises: 1. The murderous intent of the Jews towards Jesus and 2. their opposition to the truth. 
2. He was a murderer from the beginning – this refers to the fact that Satan tempted Adam and Eve to sin which introduced death, separation from God, and corruption into the world. It could also refer to the actual first murder case ever recorded and the fact that Satan was instrumental in it (the murder of Abel by Cain).
3. Satan does not stand in the truth –  He has no relationship with the truth, no history with the truth, and doesn’t intend to tell the truth anytime soon because there is no iota of truth in him.
4. When he lies he speaks out of his own character – this description is quite interesting because it points to the fact that lies and deception are the essence of Satan’s character. Hence, it would be hypocritical on his part to tell the truth or a denial of his nature to tell the truth. Honestly, I don’t think anybody should have anything to do with somebody whose very nature and character is lies and deception. 
5. He is a liar and the father of lies – this implies he is the inventor, originator, and progenitor of deception. No lie was ever told or recorded before Satan deceived the angels of God to rebel in heaven. 

This is who the devil we are fighting is. He is not described as powerful but a liar and murderer; we must treat him as such.

The nature of Satan’s lies: 

To the Christian, a lie is not just misinformation or disinformation, it is any information that is contrary to the word of God. Contrariness doesn’t mean the information should always be the direct opposite of what God said. Sometimes, the lies of Satan are even deadlier when they are only slightly different from what God said. He twists the truth by introducing a little falsehood which, if adhered to, will eventually lead the believer on a path of destruction.

Here are some ways the devil presents his lies: 

• False information – as seen in the temptation of Eve in Genesis 3. She informed the devil that God instructed them never to eat the fruit of the tree amid the garden lest they die. Satan’s response to this was in direct opposition to what God said. He said, “You will not surely die” and that’s an outright lie. That is false information from Satan because it was in direct contradiction to what God had said.
• Exaggerations – again, as seen in the temptation of Eve in Genesis 3:5 the devil told Eve that the day they eat of the fruit, their eyes will be open and they shall become like God, knowing good and evil. This is an exaggeration of the actual effect of their actions. Satan promised them way more than their sin could deliver.  The eyes of Adam and Eve did open, but it opened to their nakedness, shame, and guilt; they didn’t become like God afterward either. The opposite happened and they lost their place with God in the garden instead. 
• Truth wrongly applied – this refers to the times when Satan wrongly applies the word of God as a way of deceiving people. A typical example is seen in the temptation of Jesus when the devil asked Jesus to jump off the pinnacle of the temple if he truly was the son of God. He said this on the premise that the word of God says in Psalm 91 that “he will give his angels charge over you…”. The quotation is true but it is wrongly applied in the temptation of Jesus when Satan implies that Jesus should recklessly throw himself off a temple to prove he is the Son of God. God’s promises are true and call for responsible conduct in the believer, not a reckless abandonment of sound behavior to actualize them. 

The devil’s approach has not changed since the first temptation recorded in the book of Genesis. He will always seek to distort the word of God either drastically or slightly. This was the approach he took in the temptation of Eve in the Garden. He asked a question that was aimed at engendering doubts in the woman. It is also the first ever question recorded in scripture. Satan asked, “Did God actually say…?”. Today, he is still asking this question to get believers to doubt the word of God.  In some circles, strong philosophical positions and scientific theories have been developed to debunk the truth of God’s word. There can only be one person behind all of this – that old serpent, the devil. When Satan attacks our theology or the true interpretation of God’s word, it is an attack on the nature of God and how we view him. It has implications for our Christian walk and our trust in his word. The effects are more far-reaching than we can ever imagine. 

Sometimes, this attack affects us by casting doubts in our hearts regarding who the word of God says we are. A typical example is the condemnation most Christians feel after they sin. Indeed, the bible doesn’t mince words in painting a grim picture of sin and its impact. However, a more impactful picture is painted of how Jesus redeemed all who have faith in him by taking their place and receiving in his body the punishment for their sins. Therefore, none of them should stand condemned in any way because of their sins. This is why the bible employs us to come boldly before God. This truth of God’s word is often attacked by Satan because he presents to us a lie. He often elevates our sins way above the mercy of God to condemn us. He is the accuser of the brethren and will accuse us all day. 

Another example of the devil’s deceptive attack on the believer is the kind of lie that makes you feel isolated. Satan has a way of exaggerating your predicament while highlighting everyone else’s seemingly perfect life. This creates a sense of isolation and abandonment. It makes you feel like you are the only one in the whole wide world going through a hard time when in actual fact everyone else is battling something. This approach is evil because it stirs up discouragement, anxiety, and even depression in the believer. It is also in direct contradiction with God’s word. Peter said:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9

You are not alone. Your case may be unique but it is not the first of its kind or you are not the only one going through something like this. Everybody else is dealing with one thing or the other. I say this to encourage somebody because a trial would feel twice as devastating if coupled with the idea that you are the only one going through anything close to it. Peter said the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by other believers all over the world.  This is not a case of “misery loves company” but the truth of God’s word. He didn’t say the exact same suffering, but the “same kinds” which implies that the issues may not be identical in detail but they are similar in magnitude. Hence, we need to understand we are not the only ones burdened with trials and tribulations because nobody around us seems to be going through “our kind” of problems.

How then can we counter the devil’s lies?

• Immerse yourself in the truth of God’s word: know what God says about himself and what he says about you.
• Resist him: use the word of God to resist the devil just as the passage from 1 Peter posted above suggests. 

We must pay Satan no heed or even entertain him in any way. I repeat, if we are going to learn anything about Satan, we need to prioritize what Jesus says about him. Jesus said he is the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning, you don’t need to be convinced to stay away from such an entity. Resist him when he comes at you mentally, psychologically, spiritually, and physically. He shall flee!

If there is anything I expect you to walk away with from this short series, it is the fact that no salvation story should be underrated or undermined. Salvation is God’s rescue mission. A rescue mission is still a rescue mission regardless of how long it took, how many boulders were lifted to get to the victim(s) or even what sacrifice had to take place for the victim(s) to be saved. This takes me all the way back to cross. 

I have heard world renowned atheists like Richard Dawkins belittle what happened at calvary and suggesting that the all-knowing God who created the heavens and the earth could have thought of a better way to save the world than to die on the cross. This will appear logical until we deeply interrogate what sin really is and its remedy. One would have expected the all-powerful God to just snap his finger and immediately zap away all that is wrong with the world and start a new one devoid of sin. Well God is not Thanos. This is the real world; we are not stuck in a Marvel comic either. 

First of all, sin is consequential both in the spiritual realm and the physical. I dare say it is more consequential spiritually than otherwise. The bible states categorically that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). This death is not a physical one, but a spiritual death which is characterised by a separation from God. In the New Testament, Jesus illustrates this same concept of spiritual death with an agricultural metaphor when he says in John 15:5 that, “I am the vine, ye are the branches … for without me you can do nothing”. When  a branch of a tree is broken off, it is dead because it is has been separated from its source of nourishment. This is what it means to be spiritually dead. 

Adam and Eve were instructed to refrain from eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil because the consequences of doing so was death (Genesis 2:17). From the story, we can tell that they didn’t die a physical death when they disobeyed God, but a spiritual one which was characterised by separation from God and a spread of decay through generations of the human race. Hence, to deal with sin and its consequences with a physical approach and not deal with its spiritual roots is an exercise in futility. Take for example Jesus’ description of the Pharisees and their attitude towards righteousness. We see this clearly in his chastisement of the Pharisees in Matthew 23, popularly known as the “7 woes to the Scribes and Pharisees”. From verse 25 to 28, Jesus referred to the Pharisees as hypocrites because of their approach to righteousness. His chastisements are summarised as follows:

• Jesus accused them of cleaning the outside of cups and plates while there is greed and self-indulgence inside. 
• Jesus described them as whitewashed tombs that are clean on the outside but are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness
• Jesus accused them of outwardly appearing righteous to others but being filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. 

This is how God sees the Pharisees who followed the very laws he had given to the Israelites. It goes to show that it takes a lot more than dressing the outside of a vessel for God to consider it clean. It takes a rebirth of your spirit, a transformation of the heart, for you to be truly saved. If you expect God to snap his finger for all of this to happen then you are expecting him to go against the laws he has made himself. 

This brings me to my second point: without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22). The debt we owed God while we dwelt in sin is not cancelled unless blood is shed. Hence, all the sacrifices in the Old Testament only serve as a foreshadow to the great sacrifice on calvary. To save us, God intended to do a thorough job. He didn’t set out to do a lazyman’s work of merely washing the outside of the vessels we possess. He intended to create in us a new spirit that is united with his Spirit. This is no joke. It had to take the shedding of precious divine blood. In Hebrews 10:10, we are told that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. Which means, the sacrifice of Jesus doesn’t need to be repeated (contrary to what happened in the Old Testament when animals were sacrificed). Jesus’ sacrifice is good enough to deal with all our sins and for all time. This is the essence of God’s approach to saving humanity. He intended for Jesus to be sacrificed to fulfil the law regarding remission of sins and also to offer us salvation that is good enough to save all of humanity and at any point in human history after the cross. 

God’s rescue mission was not all pretty and flowery, but it was effective and that’s just what we should focus on. Christians the world over sing songs about the cross and speak flamboyantly about its essence to the body of Christ, however, the cross is basically a symbol of death. In our world today, it could be synonymous to an electric chair. When we sing songs of adoration for the cross, we are not praising it for the instrument of death that it is, but for the life that came out of that one cross on calvary. At the center of our salvation story is an instrument of death. From the perspective of our Saviour, I can boldly state that salvation can be messy but completely worth it. The agony of Christ on the road to calvary and the pain he felt while hanging on the cross should tell us that our salvation caused him a lot of pain and cost him his life. 

In Hebrews 12:2, we are told that Christ endured the pain of the cross and despised the shame because of the joy that was awaiting him. This affirms the fact that God’s rescue mission of the whole of mankind didn’t come on a sliver platter. However, the Saviour was not perturbed or discouraged by the enormity of the task at hand, neither did he abandon the mission because of the excruciating pain. Rather, he endured the pain and disregarded the shame that came with being executed like a sinner all because of the joy that was set before him. Perhaps, we should also concern ourselves more with the joy of salvation rather than the manner in which salvation comes to us. I know there is exceeding joy in being saved, but today I came to remind you that the road to salvation is not always pretty and maybe we need to appreciate salvation a little more because of this.

We certainly cannot talk about consecration without making a single reference to cleansing. Consecration involves the purification and cleansing of an individual, a group of people, artefacts etc. at the Lord’s command or request. The cleansing process could be a ritual or an actual washing of the person in question to make them fit for the Lord’s presence or an assignment. 

When we say an individual is being consecrated, we are saying the person is undergoing a purification process which will produce holiness. Holiness is a command therefore we must subject ourselves to the process that allows us to carry out this command. God commanded the Israelites through Moses in Leviticus 19:2 saying “you shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy”. Apostle Peter echoes this command in 1 Peter 1:16. Holiness connotes sacredness, uncommonness, and being set apart or distant from that which is mundane and profane. To be holy is to be like God in character, conduct and deed. It requires putting off the old nature and its demands and putting on the new man which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator (Colossians 3:10). Believers all over the world are undergoing this same process of being made perfect and holy. This is what consecration is all about. 

When it comes to cleansing during consecration, the bible often talks about it in two ways: physical cleanliness and cleanliness of the heart. There is an emphasis on the former in the old testament and an emphasis on the latter in the new. 

Physical cleanliness

In the anchor bible passage for this article, God commands Moses to consecrate the children of Israel in preparation for his meeting with them. The terms of this consecration required the Israelites to wash their garments (Exodus 19:10). This indicates the necessity of a clean appearance before the LORD which is similar to the purity laws outlined in the book of Leviticus. Therefore, the LORD’s command to the Israelites to wash their garments before meeting with him is very consistent with his character. He is holy hence anybody who wants to draw near him must cleanse themselves from filth. Without holiness, it is impossible to see God (Hebrews 12:14). When God manifests physically in a place, your physical appearance and the cleanliness of the environment are very crucial. This idea is evident in the verse below: 

“You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement. Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you. Deuteronomy 23:12-14

The above passage builds a bridge between the cleanliness of the environment and holiness. Prior to this command, it seems the Israelites eased themselves within their camp. This is an environmental problem that could have led to outbreaks of diseases and whatnot. However, the LORD addresses this problem as a spiritual one that has implications on the holiness of the people and his closeness to them. God says, because he walked in the midst of their camp to deliver them and give up their enemies before them, they must be holy. In this case, their environment must be clean. 

Wherever you intend to host God must be clean and devoid of filth. That includes physical locations like temples and prayer rooms. However, in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 6:19), we are told that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are expected to keep the temple (our bodies) as sacred as possible and homely for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 

This leads me to the next point…

Cleanliness of the heart

God is very much concerned about the state of the human heart: how sinful it is or how hungry it is for righteousness. God who is Spirit outlined several purity and hygiene laws in the Old Testament because he walked in the camp of the Israelites and in some cases he manifested himself physically to them. In whatever space God chooses to appear, it is our responsibility to make that space clean and habitable for him. Be it a physical space or in the heart. 

God is concerned about purity at all levels and in all aspects of a person’s life. Be it in their thoughts, actions, appearance etc. God commands all of us to be holy as he is holy: without spot, without blemish. God wants us to be pure, without any impurities existing in us. In 2 Timothy 2:20-22, Paul makes an illustration that puts the responsibility of becoming an honourable vessel in the LORD’s house on the believer. He put it this way:

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

There are many vessels in the master’s house; some are honourable, others are dishonourable. If anybody would put in the work to cleanse themselves from dishonourable activities, the master will set them apart as holy and use them for every good work. When the Apostle speaks about being cleansed from that which is dishonourable, he isn’t referring to physical appearance here. He is referring to sin and in some cases mundane activities. That which is common among men is usually unholy or unlike God. In the New Testament, appearing physically clean and honourable is good, however, being clean in your heart should be the top priority to us all. Jesus made this clear when he rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 in what is popularly known as “the 7 woes”. Between verses 25 and 28 Jesus rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees in this manner:

• Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence
• You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
• Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
• So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

The Scribes and Pharisees appeared most righteous among all men. They put in a lot of work to appear clean (kindly read Matthew 23). They put a lot of effort into physically distinguishing themselves from the average person. But they paid very little attention to the cleanliness of their heart. There was greed, self-indulgence, hypocrisy, lawlessness and all manner of uncleanness in their heart but they focused on their appearance before men. They cared very little about their appearance before God. This was the reason why Jesus rebuked them sharply. There are lessons here for all of us: we need to put a lot more effort into cleansing ourselves from that which is dishonourable and indulge in that which is honourable. It is only then that we will become vessels set apart for honourable use. 

How do we cleanse ourselves from that which is dishonourable as New Testament believers? The answer is in what Jesus told the Pharisees: First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, so that the outside also may be clean. Although, physical cleanliness is important the priority should be the cleanliness of the heart. Once we start from the heart, it will be projected on the outside. The Scribes and Pharisees had it in reverse; they thought being physically clean would make them more acceptable to God.

To be consecrated is to be conformed to the image of God. Conformity is a proximity issue. You are more likely to conform to the image of the closest person to you. Therefore, in all our pursuits, we need to be deliberate about pursuing God and drawing close to him on a minute-to-minute basis. Jesus made a statement in Matthew 23:17 that captures this thought perfectly. He said the gold in the temple is made sacred because it is in the temple. Gold is valuable in and out of the temple. But gold is only regarded as sacred or holy when it is within the 4 walls of a temple. Where you are and who you are close to determines whether you will be successful at living a consecrated life or not. Choose to draw close to the Holy one and he will expose the uncleanness of your heart and grant you grace to cleanse yourself from that which is dishonourable.

Feature image: @frankfmx on IG

The simple dictionary definition of consecration is “the action of making or declaring something, typically a church, sacred”. To declare something sacred is to enshrine it as a hallowed thing. Anything sacred isn’t common or ordinary. A sacred temple isn’t a place you can walk into without obtaining permission and/or observing the proper protocols. All throughout scripture, we see God command his children to consecrate themselves or consecrate certain things to him. These are always people or things that he claims ownership of. They belong to the supreme being of the whole universe therefore they cannot be ordinary or like every other created thing. 

The theme of consecration can be broken down into so many sub-themes that come together to give a good picture and understanding of what the concept truly means. In this series, I am going to explain these sub-themes and how we can apply them to our lives. The first sub-theme of consecration to be discussed borders on being chosen by God from the lot. To be consecrated is to be chosen. This idea is evident in both the Old and the New Testaments as shown below:

From both verses, we see God selecting a certain group of people among the lot. It is very important that we realize that consecration is initiated at the command of God. No man out of his own volition can consecrate himself or declare himself sacred to God without God giving him express instructions as to how to go about it. In the words of Jesus, “you did not choose me, but I chose you…”. In the scriptures, we see two kinds of consecration. I have loosely termed them as Group Consecration and Individual Consecration.

Group Consecration

There are special groups of people that God consecrated to himself in both the Old and the New Testaments of the bible. In the Old Testament, we see God ask Moses to consecrate firstborns, the priests, the Levites and in some cases the entire congregation of Israel. Sometimes it is a lifelong commitment, other times it is momentary for a specific activity or event (Numbers 6:5). Take for example the consecration of the Levite tribe of Israel, God told Moses specifically to “take the Levites from among the Israelites and ceremonially cleanse them” (Numbers 8:5). Prior to this, God had consecrated to himself all firstborns of Israel. He did this on the day that he struck the firstborns of Egypt in the last plague. But later on, he consecrated the Levites to himself as a replacement for the firstborns of Israel. 

The nation of Israel was consecrated to God among all the nations of the earth as well. God consecrates groups of people. He claims ownership of them by choosing them from among the lot.

In the New Testament, we see groups of people being consecrated to God as well. The apostles were chosen by Jesus and he affirmed this in John 15:16 (posted above). Salvation is a form of consecration as well. On this side of the cross, I believe that salvation is the first experience of consecration that anybody can have. Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day”. No one becomes a Christian unless God draws the person. The entire family of believers around the globe has been specially handpicked by God to be conformed to the image of his dear son. 

Individual consecration

All throughout scripture, God works with and through individuals. He chooses them among a great number of people and uses them to achieve some amazing feats. We will take a look at two such individuals who were chosen even before their birth.

• The first personality we will talk about in this write-up is Samson. Samson’s parents, before his birth, had no child; his mother was barren before his birth. The angel of the LORD appeared to them on two occasions to inform them about the child they were about to have and his assignment on this earth. This is recorded in Judges 13:5, “for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines”. The terms of the Nazirite vow are recorded in detail in Numbers 6:5. It is a vow taken by some individuals who are consecrated to God. Outwardly, one of the major characteristics of such individuals is the locks of their hair: Nazirites do not cut their hair. 

• The second bible personality to be discussed is Jeremiah. Similar to Samson’s story, Jeremiah was also chosen by God even before his birth. I intentionally highlighted this fact to emphasize this point, in consecration, God often chooses men who have done nothing to deserve being chosen by him. That is why it is important we understand this through the stories of people God chose before they were born. In Jeremiah 1:5, it says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations”. In the world, people are appointed based on merits: educational qualification, experience etc. But when it comes to God, he chooses his servants in the womb and appoints them for specific assignments. Jeremiah lived the rest of his life as a Prophet to the nations to fulfill this word.

To be consecrated, you are chosen first among the lot, set apart, then told what to do and/or what to desist from. You don’t ‘do’ to become, you are first chosen before you can act on the terms of your specific consecration. You will see that the terms of the consecration of different groups and individuals in scripture are not the same. Compare the consecration of the priests to that of the Nazirites, they are completely different. That is why it is always important to walk closely with God and find out what he expects you, as a believer, to do or desist from to fulfill the terms of your consecration. We have been chosen by God as consecrated individuals, appointed to perform specific tasks on this earth. We must endeavor to fulfill our part of this gracious experience by following the instructions given to us by God, and he will also honor his part.

Feature image by @frankfmx on IG

In Isaiah’s prophecy about the birth of the Messiah (Isaiah 9:6-7), he used a number of phrases to tell his readers who and what the Messiah would be to the world. He preceded the listing of these phrases with the statement “… and his name shall be called”:

1. Wonderful Counselor: This refers to the wisdom evident in the counsel Jesus gives.
2. Mighty God: This is in reference to the deity of Jesus Christ. The “birth of God” was prophesied by Isaiah and Jesus lived, died and resurrected to fulfil this prophecy.
3. Everlasting Father: This refers to the fact that Jesus is the eternal father. Simply put, Jesus is God. 
4. Prince of Peace: This is in reference to the peace evident in his reign and it also reveals to us his ranking in the spiritual and physical realm. 

The prophet tells us that “of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end”. Meaning Jesus’ rulership is everlasting and ever-increasing and so is the peace he gives. His reign is characterized by an outpouring of peace and his tank will never run out of the peace he dispenses to all who call on him. It is my sincere hope and prayer that anybody going through a turbulent season in their lives will come to the saving knowledge of the government of the Prince of Peace. I pray that nations that are in a state of constant warfare will hear the good news of the Saviour who dispenses peace in abundance. After hearing the good news, you must believe in him to have access to the peace he gives. But as Paul asked in Romans 10:14, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him, of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”. Christians must carry out the great commission and preach the good news to all creation. But before we go about telling people who he is, what does “Prince of Peace” really mean?

Let’s begin with the word “prince” and its usage in the bible. According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, the Old Testament contains different words mostly rendered as “prince” or “princes” in the English Versions of the Bible. One of them is “sar”. 

This word occurs quite frequently in our English Bible, mostly in the Old Testament. While it is never used to denote royal parentage (compare 1 Chron 29:24), it often indicates actual royal or ruling power, together with royal dignity and authority. As a rule, the name is given to human beings; in a few instances it is applied to God and Christ, the angels and the devil. (from International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the book of Daniel, the word is used in reference to angelic beings and demonic forces as well. Below are a few sightings of the word in Daniel:

• Daniel 8:25:  “the Prince of princes” refers to God Himself
• Daniel 10:21: “Michael your prince” refers to Michael as the guardian angel of Israel. Also in Daniel 12:1, the word “prince” is used again to refer to Michael as the angel in charge of Israel. He is referred to as the “great Prince”.
• Daniel 10:13 & 20: In these 2 verses, we are told of the “Prince of Persia” and the “Prince of Greece”. These two are demonic forces in charge of the nations of Persia and Greece respectfully. They are also referred to as principalities. Similarly, in Ephesians 2:2, Paul refers to Satan as the “prince of the power of the air”.

The word “sar” is always used to denote a ruler or leader and never to refer to an actual prince who is the son of a King. As stated earlier, the word is sometimes used in reference to human authority. For example, when Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 10:16, “woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning”. The word “princes” used in this verse does not refer to the son of a king but rather human rulers and leaders. The Amplified Bible actually translates that word in this verse as “officials”. 

“Principality” is another word used in the English bible in reference to a powerful ruler, usually in the spiritual realm just like “prince”. The two words are similar but not the same, especially because according to the english dictionary, “principality” also refers to the reign or the territory this powerful ruler presides over. In the bible, the word is often used in the plural form in reference to all manner of spiritual authorities and human rulers.

The word (often found in the plural) may refer to human rulers (Titus 3:1, KJV), demonic spirits (Rom 8:38; Eph 6:12; Col 2:15), angels and demons in general (Eph 3:10; Col 1:16), or (especially when used in the singular) any type of ruler other than God Himself (Eph 1:21; Col 2:10). While Christians must often wrestle against evil principalities (Eph 6:12), they can be victorious because Christ defeated all wicked spirits (Col 2:15). (from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Michael was described in the book of Daniel as the Prince of Israel. We are also told of the operations of the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Greece: demonic forces in charge of specific geographical locations and territories. Principalities are territorial spirits. Therefore, if peace was a geographical location, Jesus Christ would have been the Prince in charge of it. He would have been the ruling authority presiding over the territory called “peace”. Peace is his principality. The bible makes us understand that it is in him we live and move and have our being; we are in Christ. If this is the case then the “peace of God which surpasses all understanding” should be abundant in the life of every believer. We should access it on a daily basis and never panic or be thrown into a state of turmoil and chaos because of the issues of this life. The peace of God is only operational in Jesus Christ, the Prince of peace (read Philipians 4:7). Outside him, nobody can access the peace of God. His peace is not like the peace the world gives (John 14:27). His Spirit lives in us to produce this peace in the face of adversity and all manner of chaotic situations. That is why peace is listed in the fruit of the spirit. It is produced in you as a result of the operation of the Holy Spirit in your life. This peace comes to guide our hearts and our minds for specific reasons. It guides our hearts lest we are thrown into a state of emotional turmoil and fall into deception, and our minds, lest we are affected mentally by the issues of this life and give in to the wiles of the enemy. 

Storms are a good representation of chaos; similar to what human beings go through in life. How Jesus dispenses peace to us when we are in a turbulent season is best depicted by his relationship with storms. In Matthew 14, the remarkable story of Jesus walking on water is recorded. When the disciples saw him walking on the storm, upon Peter’s request, the Lord asked him to walk on the water too. The very water that Jesus walked on, was the very water on which Peter walked until he turned his attention to the waves and began to sink. Peter panicked and that’s why he sank. The waves were already raging before and during Peter’s walk on the water, so it wasn’t the “waves of the water” that caused him to sink. It was the raging storms of fear and doubt in his heart that caused him to sink. 

In Matthew 8, Jesus was in a boat with his disciples, and while there was a storm, he was fast asleep. They had to wake him up to the reality of the storm. His immediate response was to rebuke them for their lack of faith, then he proceeded to rebuke the storm too. He exercised authority over the disciples and the storm. 

Here are the observations I made from these two stories: the Prince of peace is either strolling “on” the storm, telling it to shut up or sleeping in the midst of it. The first two observations depict Jesus’ authority over turbulence and the last one shows us how much he is unaffected by it. He was so much at peace that while his disciples were struggling to keep the boat floating on the water in the storm, he was fast asleep. He had to be woken up. In my sleep, sometimes I am startled by the vibration of my phone and usually it jolts me into consciousness. The Prince of peace was in a boat that was being tossed to and fro by the waves  yet he was asleep. If he could sleep in the storm, then he can grant us sleep in the turbulent seasons of our lives too. So long as the struggles of this world give some people sleepless nights, we have to understand that sleep can never be underrated in the assessment of the amount of peace we have. The Psalmist did say in Psalm 127:2 that the LORD gives sleep to his beloved.

The Prince of peace is the head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10). The Prince of peace disarmed every principality there is in hell, defeated them and made a public show of their defeat (Colossians 2:15). This means, there is no evil principality in existence that hasn’t been stripped of its power to harm those who are in Christ. Beloved, it is my sincere prayer for you that no matter how chaotic and turbulent the season of life you are in may be, remember who your savior is. He is the Prince of peace, he gives peace – perfect peace. Just as the disciples called on him to restore peace in the midst of the storm, you too can have peace when you call on him. It takes one statement from him, “peace, be still!”, to restore peace in the tempest. It won’t take more from him to restore peace in your life. Call on him now. 

Feature image design by @frankfmx on instagram

Out of the 70, there was the “12”. In Luke 6:12-16, we are told that Jesus spent all night praying before he selected the 12 out of the 70. They are the most popular disciples of Jesus because the New Testament makes mention of their names and tells us stories about their ministries. Even some New Testament books were written by some of them, about the details of some events of their ministries and even named after them. They were the ones to whom the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit was made and they waited for it together with other believers in the upper room. These ones walked more closely with Jesus. Anytime he would speak a parable to the people, he would explain it to them privately. It was to these 12 that Jesus said he would no longer call ‘servants’ but ‘friends’ (John 15:15).

Out of the 12, there was “the 3”: Peter, James, and John who seemed to be closer to Jesus than the rest. He often separated these 3 from the 12 for special assignments. For instance, when he went up the mount of transfiguration, he took these 3 along and charged them not to share the events of that day with anyone else. In Gethsemane too, he told the rest of the disciples to wait for him while he went further with Peter, James, and John. Then he went further ahead to pray alone.

Out of the 3, there was John. John in his own epistle called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. In John 13:25, it was said that he leaned back against Jesus or rested his head on his chest. That’s how close he was to the Messiah. It is not surprising at all that he was the only one amongst the disciples of Christ who was present at the foot of the cross of Jesus. Also, when Jesus resurrected from the grave, he wanted to have a private word with Peter so he asked Peter to follow him. Peter noticed that John was coming along too and he expected Jesus to disallow John from following them. On the contrary, Jesus didn’t, he actually went on to ask Peter that “if it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me” (John 21:22). 

What greatly intrigues me here is that all (but one) of Jesus’ disciples abandoned him at some point in their walk with him. Once, Jesus taught about the communion and mentioned that unless the people eat of his flesh and drink of his blood, they didn’t have life. This was a hard message for some of his disciples to receive and so that was the day they left him and only the “12 disciples” remained. But even 11 out of the 12 disciples were not present at the foot of the cross. 

1. Judas had already committed suicide because of the guilt he felt after betraying Jesus. 
2. The remaining 10 had gone into hiding, leaving only John at the foot of the cross with the women. Jesus turned to him while he was on the cross and committed Mary, his mother, to his care. 

Let us never forget that Jesus had a lot of people around him, however, they left him when things got hard. When his message was too hard for them to accept, they left. When he was arrested, they left. He even said that “have I not chosen 12 of you and one of you is the devil?” in reference to Judas (John 6:70). Out of the 12 apostles Jesus prayed and hand-picked, he was betrayed by 2, Peter and Judas. This is a simple message to us: people will disappoint you and betray you, even people who came into your life by some divine orchestration. If it happened to Jesus, then we must understand that it can happen to us as well. But when Jesus resurrected, he appeared to the very people who had left his side during the hardest moment of his life here on earth. He came after them. Which means he had forgiven them even before they could have the opportunity to ask him for it. 

Let us also learn to segment our relationships just like Jesus did. There were things he told the 3, that the 12 didn’t know about. There was something he told John(as stated above) that he never told any of the other apostles. This is the kind of wisdom we must apply in organizing our relationships and segmenting our friends as well. Let us put people in circles, ranging from the smallest and closest circle to the biggest and farthest circle. Know where to put who.  With prayerful consideration, let us segment the people in our lives while knowing that we can still be hurt by such people no matter which circle they are in. And when that happens, let us do what Jesus did, forgive them.

Jesus sent out his followers expecting them to not only proclaim the gospel, but also heal those who were oppressed by demons through sickness (Luke 9:2). Jesus did so back then, and I believe he is still doing it now. The gift of healing, like all the other gifts, is not reserved for a special group of Christians. The Holy Spirit gives it as he wills and the believer is expected to desire for it earnestly to operate in it (1st Cor 12:11, 14:1). 

I have seen a few posts on social media that seek to ridicule this special gift of God to believers during the COVID-19 global pandemic. These posts seek to question where the men of God who operate in the gift of healing have been hiding in the wake of the pandemic. 

On my social media timelines, most of the people doing the mockery are atheists. Atheists according to the precepts of their worldview, do not believe in anything supernatural hence for them, to question the authenticity of the healing anointing in these times we are in is basically a projection of their worldview. You cannot fault an atheist for thinking and speaking like an atheist. However, I have seen some Christians share these same views in their posts as well. They dare men of God they call ‘Faith Healers’ to come out of hiding, walk into hospitals, demand to have access to those who have been infected by the deadly virus and heal them all. This very much sounds like a challenge. It sounds something like this, ‘if you claim to have the power to heal, prove it to us by healing the COVID19 patients’. 

There are a number of assumptions and misinformation about the healing anointing that probably led to this perception. I will try and address them. First of all, the healing anointing is not authenticated by the number of people, the kinds of people or even the kinds of diseases healed. If there was only a single healing done by Jesus during his entire ministry here on earth, it is enough proof that he can heal the sick. If he healed only blind people in his ministry, it is still enough proof that Jesus can heal. The gifts of the spirit are given for the common good of believers not to satisfy anybody’s curiosity or doubt (1st Corinthians 12:7). 

The second point I would like to establish is the sovereignty of God in the operation of the charismatic gifts, better yet, the sovereignty of God, period! God is sovereign. He takes orders from no one and answers to no one. He has the right to exercise his authority and nobody can question him on that. He gave gifts to men to operate in. He still decides who gets healed and who doesn’t, what to heal and what not to heal, when to heal and when not to heal. There were times when Jesus could minister to a multitude of people and heal all who were sick. Like in Luke 6:19, the bible says as the crowd pressed in to touch him, power emanated from his body to heal them all. You heard right, everybody was healed. But was everybody healed everywhere that the healing power of God was manifested? No! In fact there was a time when Jesus couldn’t heal anybody because of their unbelief. Then there is the story about the healing pool of Bethesda. According to John 5:4, periodically an angel came to stir up the water and right after that the water assumed some healing powers. The first person to plunge into the pool gets healed. So the sick man that Jesus met there, had been lame for 38 years and probably been at the pool for a number of years too, seeking healing. He tells Jesus how there is no one to toss him into the pool when it is stirred. And anytime he makes the move to enter it, another person goes before him and gets healed. The pool of Bethesda was a healing move of God that was in operation at the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem yet not everybody got healed when the pool was stirred. Even in this scenario, we are not told whether Jesus healed any other sick person at the pool apart from the man he spoke with. My point? The fact that not everybody gets healed doesn’t mean what happened wasn’t a move of God. The fact that no supernatural healing happens at all doesn’t mean God isn’t powerful enough to heal. Also, the fact that only a few people are healed doesn’t mean God cannot heal through his servants at all. He chooses to do as he pleases and very much according to his will and purposes for individuals. There are seasons and times for everything – including healing. 

When Christians question the authenticity of the healing anointing on the lives of some men of God during a global pandemic, they are calling into question the sovereignty of God. I know some may argue that they are rather calling out the ‘fake faith healers’ who boast of their healing powers. That is still not enough reason to make social media posts asking for the whereabouts of faith healers during the COVID 19 pandemic. Whether or not people get healed supernaturally during this pandemic does not prove the authenticity of the call of God on anybody’s life. What we are told in scripture is that we will know the fake men of God by their fruits. Their fruits here stands for their general conduct, character and behavior. Do we call out evangelists because the world is drenched in sin and many more people are dying without coming to the saving knowledge of Christ? Do we not see it as a collective responsibility to spread the gospel even in the little corners of the world that we reside? Jesus said the gift of healing is one of the signs that will follow those who believe in him (Mark 16:17-18). One must believe in Christ to be a Christian, so it is our collective responsibility as Christians to pray for the healing of the sick and even raise the dead. So the more important question to ask here is this, have we prayed to God to heal those infected by this dangerous virus? This is not the time to make mockery of anyone. We are warned in scripture that in the last days there will be pestilence (Luke 21:11). The fulfilment of any of the end times prophecy is not a dent in the ministry of any servant of God. There will be wars and rumors of wars in the end times. Do we actually think when these things happen it is enough reason to mock men of God for not praying enough? Where is the sense of responsibility that we should all have concerning things that happen in our world? When Paul became blind, God didn’t use any of the Apostles to heal Paul. No! He used a disciple named Ananias (Acts 9:17-18). The point here is, God can use anybody to heal the sick. So instead of questioning why God isn’t using faith healers to heal those infected by the virus, ask why you haven’t been used by God to do it. 

For if God’s people who are called by his name, would humble themselves and pray, he would hear their prayers from heaven and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). The spread of this virus should rather drive us to pray for the sick and also for souls to be saved. It should compel us to pray, period! WIll God supernaturally rid this world of the virus? We don’t know. Will he do it through a vaccine? We don’t know. Does God heal through known traditional remedies? Yes, he does, refer to the story of King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20. Whatever way that God chooses to bring healing to this world, it is up to him. Our responsibility here on earth is to pray and observe safety precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. 

I have always told people that my position on healing is the attitude I see Jesus exhibited in scripture when he came into contact with sick people. Anytime he did, he prayed for them. This is what I see in the bible. Do I always have the faith to lay hands on the sick and pray for them? No, I don’t. But this is something I am learning to put into practice these days. When Jesus told his followers to heal the sick in the bible, it was a command. This command still stands today. Will you obey him? 

(Thanks for reading each of the articles in the #COVID19series. I hope you learnt a thing or two about healing, God’s sovereignty and what Christians should do when faced with sickness. It is my prayer that God will heal people of their sicknesses who read any of the parts of this series, in Jesus’ name, Amen!)

At least once every month I see a street magician set up his ‘apparatus’ at some vantage point on the streets of Accra to display his magical powers in the full glare of a captivated crowd encircling him and his side kick. I have been told that it is actually a ploy to create the opportunity for pickpockets to steal from people. I don’t know how true that is but what I do know is that the goal of a street magician is to ‘WOW’ his audience but the end goal of the miraculous is to solve a problem and glorify God.

In 2015 I was in a service and Dr. Lawrence Tetteh prayed for a little girl whose legs were unequal in length. All of us in the congregation literally saw the little girl’s leg grow out slowly. It was amazing. I had never seen anything like that before. I was wowed! It was spectacular. However, the point is God didn’t set out to impress us by that miracle that day. He has already done that enough in the splendor and majesty of the universe and creation at large. That day God simply set out to solve a problem in a little girl’s life. It was a health problem. This reality dawned on me when the lady sitting next to me told me the little girl’s story. Apparently, she knew her and long story short, the little girl was supposed to have a surgery some time ago but her parents couldn’t afford it. It was then that it really dawned on me that what just happened was a major solution to a problem in the little girl’s life only that the solution came dressed in the supernatural. The miraculous is meant to make social impact so let’s not get lost in the grandeur and forget the true purpose of miracles. In my opinion this is the reason why Jesus didn’t sin when the devil tempted him. He knew that the true purpose of the miraculous was to help people and bring glory to God. Miracles are not done to merely show off God’s power. Some of us wouldn’t have even known that the devil was tempting us if we were in Jesus’ shoes. We would have seen it as an opportunity to show off God’s power. But it wasn’t. Where is the problem solved? Where is the glory to God? If Jesus had done the devil’s bidding he would have cheapened the miraculous and dishonored God who gives us power to do miracles.

When Jesus healed the blind, the lame, the leprous etc. he was solving health problems. In the book of Acts Peter’s shadow and aprons rubbed off on Paul’s body healed sick people – a solution to health problems too. When Joseph, used his gift of prophecy (word of wisdom) to save Egypt and other nations from famine, he was solving a hunger and economic problem. When Jesus fed the 5000 men and the 4000 men, he too was solving a hunger problem. When Moses used the power of his rod to save the children of Israel from Egypt, he was solving a slavery and servitude problem. The bad water of Jericho was killing people, when Elisha prophesied over the water and turned it into good water, he was solving an environmental problem. In the garden of Gethsemane when the soldiers came for Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of one of the soldiers. Jesus healed the soldier (by putting the ear back in its place, I suppose) right there and then he rebuked Peter. When Jesus did that, he was dealing with the problem of religious extremism. When Jesus instructed Peter to go catch a fish, open its mouth and remove some money from it and use it to pay the temple tax, what he was doing was employing the miraculous to solve a financial problem in the temple. I can go on and on and space and time won’t allow me to finish giving examples.

In our day and age though there is a dramatic advancement in science and technology yet the miraculous has not lost its essence. Healing evangelists are moving from town to town, city to city and country to country, healing the sick, raising the dead and above all restoring the lost to the fold of God. These are examples of social problems being solved by the hand of God. Advancement in knowledge doesn’t mean the miraculous is outmoded neither does the miraculous imply that there is no need for pursuing knowledge. We need Christians to function in both capacities to the glory of God. I believe the advancement humanity has made in knowledge helps us (those who haven’t experienced certain health problems before) appreciate the cost of a miracle sometimes. Until you know how expensive an eye surgery is, you will never understand the joy of a poor blind man healed at one of the Healing Jesus Crusades organized by Bishop Dag Heward Mills. We may never know what it feels like to be blind, but the fact that we can put a price tag on what it takes to make a blind man see, when his sight is restored unto him by an act of God, we too can understand to some extent what it means.

The miraculous must always be employed to solve problems in the lives of people and ultimately bring glory and joy to God. Jesus said in Matthew 10:8 “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give”. This sounds like a command to believers. We are commanded to do these things. Are you carrying out this command? Am I? The last sentence also sounds like a caveat. We are warned by Jesus to do all these things without taking a fee because the ability to do miracles is given to believers freely. Remember, when a socially impactful activity is made for sale it is no longer a noble act but a business. So may we not make profit from that which we have been commanded to give freely.