Social Media and the social Christian

Keeping up with the frenzy of social media is fast becoming a herculean task for most people. More worrisome is the impact of this trend on an average Christian. 

Today, being social or sociable is measured by several  parameters, beginning from how many friends you have on Facebook, how many people are following you on Twitter, Google+ etc.

The point is, what do we really do with the 1000+ friends on Facebook, other than like their pictures and send birthday wishes? When we get on Twitter, what do we Tweet about? Should we really accept everyone’s friend request? 

I see respectable Pastors post 30 to 50 pictures of a Church service on Sunday afternoon after Church. Some of the pictures are intended to help us see how the Holy Spirit moved in the course of the service...nice! But sometimes I wonder if it wouldn’t have been more impactful sharing highlights from the message that was preached. Are we really evangelising here? We all seem to be caught up in this ‘show me – see me’ band wagon. So, we are here sharing pictures, viewing pictures, liking and commenting where necessary, at the expense of several more important things in our lives.

Before you accuse me of judging you, I am also a culprit. How many hours, huh! (did I say hours)...I mean minutes do we really spend reading our Bibles? Is there such a thing as a time for meditation anymore? Sadly, the world is steering us in the wrong direction in the name success and knowledge. I see believers  typing ‘amen’ at a picture of pregnant women as a demonstration of their faith to get their own babies. Hmm...m! Who has it ever worked for? Find Bible passages that are relevant to your situation, read it, eat it, pray it and the creative power in the Word will come through for you. Anyway that’s the subject for another day.

There’s also the endless streams of WhatsApp messages and videos. One day, I spent close to two hours responding to WhatsApp messages. That’s when I started asking me questions.

My point dear friend is, most of us are wasting our destinies on social media. The devil wants to keep us at the level of the physical....enhanced pictures, flashy cars, fashion and all of them. Remember also that the things that are physical are temporal...flitting...ephemeral! 

While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 NKJV

Please let us do more to invest in our spiritual lives. That’s where the power lives. That’s what will count in the end. Please as a matter of urgency, censor your social media time! 

#stayfocused

Christ is Risen! The tomb is empty!

Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” Mark 16: 2-7

May the power that raised Jesus from the grave set you free from every captivity of the wicked. All of the pain and shame of Calvary and His resurrection is to enable you and I walk in our dominion and authority.  
No matter how large that stone of limitation is, the Spirit of the Lord shall roll it away for you as you embrace His love today!

Happy Easter dear friend! 

The Purpose of the Cross

When the Cross is mentioned in  certain circles amongst Christians, all that come to mind is pain and agony. You get to hear someone say about a difficult spouse or child- ‘leave it, that’s my cross to bear’. To a lot of us indeed, the Cross is misunderstood as a symbol of defeat or ill-luck. There’s also the very interesting group that sees the Cross only as a symbol of Christianity. Such people put it on their door posts and use it as ornaments. 

The Cross is much more than all of those. It’s symbolic of Christ’s triumph over death and the grave. It’s the miraculous reconciliation of mankind to God. If you study the book of Leviticus; all that we were to keep doing in other to be in right standing with God, then you’ll better understand the purpose of the Cross. 

The death of Jesus is the once and for all sacrifice that released us from the bondage of atonement by the blood of bulls and goats. Sacrifices that were in themselves a futile effort to take away sins.

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Hebrews 10:4

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, Hebrews 10:11-12

So powerful is this sacrifice that it not only redeems us but also secures our future. 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Cross represents our triumph over sin and the condemnation of the wicked. It’s a seal on our adoption (Gal. 4:5-6) and our access into the promise of the eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15).

As we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus this season, may the purpose and the power of the Cross find FULL manifestation in our lives!