Monday, February 24, 2014

NAMIBIA - A NATION OF SICK MEN ?

Today’s  headlines ( 24/02/2014) in   The Namibian” carried the title, “Nation of sick men written by Shinovene Immanuel and  Nomhle Kangootui.

This headline  comes  in response  to  the ninth killing  this year, and the sixth in about three weeks  of women  by their boyfriends.  The last killing, on Saturday   was said to  be  a 33 year old  Motswana  woman  who was  stabbed nine times and who had her throat slit in her flat at the Paulinium  Seminary. It was said that she was studying to become a pastor.

The article reminded us  that this gruesome murder came  hours after President Pohamba’s call, during a cabinet meeting on Friday, for a day of   national prayer.  He declared the 6th of  March as the National Prayer day.   Our church will  certainly join this initiative !

What  then shall we say?

Clearly, all this  deeply troubling. The   blood of these nine murdered women cries out from the ground. The heart of the nation  is  laid bare  at such times.  Deep anger  is expressed  and scape goats  are sought. The government is blamed, and  the church is blamed. Much heat and little light  is generally shed  on the true causes  of  such atrocities. The Namibian  Newspaper allowed  someone in their ranks to vent  their (uncontrolled) anger   against our President’s  call to prayer on the front page.  The article  (found below for your interest and information )  reflects  anger  upon anger. We are dealing here with an angry  newspaper  editor and  an   angry nation!

Back to the horrible murders. What shall  we  say about  the murderers? Our  psychologically  conditioned  society  says:   “These are  sick men!”  Sickness is thus  blamed for their actions, and if you take that  thought further, you could say , “their  sickness made them do it!”  That gives them sort of an excuse, doesn’t it ?

Here’s where Christian wisdom comes in. Biblically  we would not call them sick men.  These are angry men  who did this.  Anger is a sinful emotion,  which when not controlled   leads to all sorts  of pathological problems. The Bible  wisely observes : “Do not let  the sun  go down on your anger , and give no opportunity to the devil “ (Ephesians  4:27).  Well, clearly the  devil has had his day! He has found another  member of the human race  willing to perpetrate  a crime  which,  according to the Scriptures,  is worthy of the death penalty!

 “Why are these men angry?”  I remind you that we all  get angry at times. But  we, who come from  healthy  Christian families learn to control our anger.  I can assure you that these men did not do  this on the spur of a moment. Their hearts  were already filled with so much  accumulated anger, that  the argument   which they had  with their so- called girlfriends  was merely the straw that broke the camel’s  back. 

Much more needs to be said as  to why  there are so many angry men in our nation. Here are  a few  considerations  which contribute to  our understanding of the “angry man  syndrome” . These considerations  are rarely, if ever,   discussed in the media :

1.      Men, when they were young boys,  were not helped  by their families to deal with their anger. Absent fathers and mothers  are the curse of our nation.
2.       Anger is a most destructive emotion. Bottled  up anger  leads to  all sorts  of  societal  problems: suicide , murder , alcoholism , drugs etc.  
3.       Systematic biblical teaching  and application in the home and in the church on the subject of    proper relationships  and  the dealing with the emotions  ( including anger)   would certainly have  helped such men.
4.      Men  are often  provoked  by  the  vicious , uncontrolled tongue of a woman. A woman can drive a man to insanity.  When provoked,  men   tend to be physically violent . The woman by contrast, lacking physical strength   provokes with the tongue, and the tongue is a small  instrument that  has often set the world on fire!  Having said this, it  does not excuse  such  a  horrible deed, but it must be considered  as a factor.
5.       The marginalization of men  and the constant ridiculing and downplaying  of the male figure in our society  is  beginning to reap bitter   consequences.  The Ndeshi and Jakes column in the Namibian newspaper bears eloquent  testimony to that. Jakes clearly  is the ever  stupid  male!
6.      The  current   ‘gender  agenda’   blurs the  distinct  identity  and traditional roles   of  male and female. It  generally  favours women.  Men grow silently angry and frustrated in the process.    
7.       The Bible has amazing wisdom  to offer  concerning  the healthy  interaction between men and women. Men are called to be Christ-like  loving leaders , and women are called to be  Christ-like  partners . That is the secret ! And it really works .

The question I have  is this : Are Namibians willing to  listen to the wisdom of the Word of God?  You may be surprised  to find  the answers  here to your ultimate questions!
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Here is the article on the front page of “ The Namibian” (24/02/2014)   by  an unknown  writer . I  have expressed my surprise and disgust to the Editor of the Namibian for such  poor journalism.  

God Save us from Who?
IF OUR government is in such a hopeless state that President Hifikepunye Pohamba, his entire cabinet and the Swapo Politburo call for divine intervention to solve a nationwide problem then Namibians should be very worried.

The declaration of 6 March 2014, a Thursday, as a national day of prayers is nothing short of government’s acceptance that the politicians, who we voted into power, are overwhelmed by the challenges and have failed the masses.

Most worryingly, not only has the President, the cabinet and Swapo disregarded the very Constitution they enacted and which they are sworn to defending, but may well have sown the seeds for religious fundamentalism.

In a country founded on the principles of secularism, it is worth posing the questions: What god are we calling on for divine intervention? Whose god do we pray to? Who should people pray for [victims, criminals, would-be victims and would-be criminals we assume]? How far will the state take religion and religious interventionism now that the government brings the country to a standstill in order to pray?

Needless to say, the agnostics and atheists have been cast aside from this equation.

It may not be obvious now, but many moons down the line different religious groups (including the dominant ones such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism in our part of the world) and their different denominations would most likely begin fighting for turf.

Where religion predominates, and different sects start to demand control, views harden, killings and violence become the order of life. Evidence of religion-driven violence abound in the United States of America, China, India, Palestine and Israel, Afghanistan, Nigeria, the Sudans and the Central African Republic.

To the contrary, no proof exist that the absence of religion is the cause for common crimes such as murder and theft.

Our government will be better served by sticking to defending the Constitution in its totality and tackling challenges facing Namibians head-on without having to take a day off for prayers.

Besides, the rot is at the top where several leaders have publicly and privately been implicated in cases of violence against women and children (both domestic and in public).

President Pohamba has listed 13 points, including the day of prayers, as actions his government needs to take. How cynical!

All of those could have been acted upon many years ago – violence against women and children is an old problem in our country. Some, such as the proliferation of alcohol and drug consumption, have been ignored and tacitly encouraged over the years.

A crucial catalyst for despair and lawlessness – poverty in the land of plenty – does not even get a mention.

It is not the political leaders’ place to lead religious activities. And there’s nothing wrong with our Constitution. In the absence of complete capitulation, therefore, they must do to the job [fulfil promises] based on what they convinced Namibians to vote for them.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

BAPTISM IS NOT ABOUT YOU – IT’ S ALL ABOUT JESUS!

Some time ago,  as I was reflecting  upon the Scriptures in preparation for  the baptism of one of our  members, I was struck by this truth:  “Baptism is not  about yourself  - it’s all about Jesus!”
Let me  explain.

For years  I have  now observed that people tend  to approach  the matter  of baptism from   a subjective point of view – from the point of me, and how I feel about  it, and what my church tradition has  to say about it,rather than  submitting to the plain teaching and command of Christ in this matter.  

The imperative  of baptism [1] is trivialized when we  make  baptism  a subjective  matter.  Typical language  which reflects this subjective  mindset  is  reflected by words such as these:  “I feel  that I need  (or need not) be baptized “.  The thought patterns  behind these  feelings  are varied :

  • Someone  feels the  pressure of baptism  in accordance with  the rules of the church or even perhaps  of  the Scriptures themselves. Others feel that they will not be pressured by the rules  of the church or even  by Scripture.
  • Some  feel that their infant baptism  is a true baptism,  irrespective of what Scripture teaches, or what the Lord Jesus has plainly commanded and practiced Himself.
  • Others  who  have been baptized as babies will feel that they will go against their parents  commitment by being baptized again  as adults.
  • Others feel embarrassed  by the thought that they should stand before a church and give testimony. On this basis  a number of people have refused  to be baptized.
  • Some may feel  since   a well known person  in the church has never submitted to  biblical baptism, that this also constitutes  their reason not to be baptized. 
  • Still others   say, “Well, I have seen people  baptized  and a number  of those  I have seen baptized have fallen away  and therefore  I feel  that baptism isn’t that significant  after all.
  • Others may say the same thing in a different way: “I don’t feel that  I should be baptized  – just now I will fall away.“  It goes without saying that baptism should  never  be  considered  lightly. It  should  only be considered  by those that  have truly been born again.
Let me stop here  and point out  that at every point  people engage  in  an inward conversation,   and it is all very feeling centered and in the  end the doctrine of baptism  is all about me.

I challenge you to re-think  your approach  to  the  matter of  baptism, by putting the Lord Jesus  and His Word at the center of your thinking and feeling.

If you are a true Christian  baptism is not about you. It is even less about how you feel about it. It is all about  God and His Son Jesus and  what He has commanded YOU concerning it!

BAPTISM : ESSENTIAL OR NON-ESSENTIAL  TO SALVATION ? 

Before   I   move on   I must settle one more matter. 
Many good Christian people point out that baptism  is not essential to salvation. 
So it is! 
However, just because it is not essential to salvation,  some  have  concluded that it is optional, and therefore it is said  (quietly to yourself)  that you can make up your mind concerning it.    I submit  that this is  not a helpful conclusion at all. 
True, baptism in and of itself  does not save. However,  New  Testament baptism is always connected to salvation. Those that believe are baptized! They are not  saved because they are baptized. They are  baptized  because they are saved!  
So, we cannot  separate salvation from baptism, even though we need to be careful not  to invert  the  order.  The New Testament  pattern is this: Baptism always follows  salvation, and in that sense it is important that we obediently observe the pattern  given us in the Scriptures. 
Let no man separate what God has joined together! Do not let your subjective feelings  or church tradition  deceive you. 
You must do what is right according to  the plain  teaching  of God's  Word. 

FURTHER  FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS                        

I challenge you to stop right here  and to  ask yourself  what you would do with the fact that  Jesus Himself was baptized ? [2]

  • What do you do  with the  fact that  He commanded  all that  would believe  upon Him to be baptized? [3]
  • What do you make of the fact that  the New Testament Church  knows nothing of un-baptized believers?
  • What about the fact that baptism is  so closely connected  to conversion[4]

BAPTISM IS GIVING GLORY TO GOD !

Baptism is not about you  - it’s all about Jesus.  In His  great love  He laid down His life for you, granting you new life in Him! You are baptized, because you are His work of grace.
If per chance you had decided to get converted, then it might be reasonable  to expect that you might also decide  to be baptized  or  not to be baptized. 
But you know better than that!
You certainly weren’t born again by your own decision[5].  God the Father  chose you [6]; Jesus paid the price  of your sin [7]; the Holy Spirit  made you alive  even when you were dead in your sins and transgressions[8] .

Your salvation is all of God and therefore  your baptism  should be   a testimony   to  the glory of God.  Your baptism is not about you. Your baptism is not  simply to provide you with a ‘heavenly insurance policy’  or to  satisfy the tradition or expectations   of the church or  to fulfill requirements for church membership. Your  baptism is all about Jesus!

FOUR WAYS  IN WHICH YOU WILL GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BAPTISM 

   1.  You will glorify  God through your obedience. Whenever you obey what He commands, you give glory to God. So when He says,  “Repent… be baptized”, then you not only obey His Word, but you obey Him. It is not just  something that you feel strongly about (you may actually not feel it!)  but   it  is a principled, outward demonstration of obedience. This brings glory to God.

   2.   You will glorify  God  through   proclaiming His forgiveness. When you are baptized, you say to the world,  “God has  dealt with my sin.  I am forgiven. I did not forgive myself. God forgave me! All glory to God !  It’s all about God.

3.  You will glorify God  through  manifesting the new life which you have received! When you become a Christian, you inherit   new life  and  a new citizenship. You  have become a new creation[9]. To this you testify in your baptism.  Could there be a  better  outward testimony  of such an inward spiritual change?  The new believer goes down into the water, and rises out of the water, illustrating that the old things are dead and buried.  Rising out of the water  the new believer says “…everything has become new“.  Through  believers baptism you praise God for  your new life  and the people who witness your baptism see that  and  they praise God  for what they see. Outsiders  see that and  they are helped  to understand  the meaning of true conversion  in a powerful way. Glory is brought  to God   in every way. Ask yourself,  How  could  infant baptism possibly  illustrate this  powerful,  symbolic  burial and resurrection with Christ?   

4.  You will glorify God by identifying with  Christ and  the body of Christ! Baptism  not only means identification with Christ and with that which Christ has done for us  in His death, burial and resurrection.  In baptism  you  are also baptized into that which Jesus loves most, namely  His body,  the church.   By one Spirit we are baptized into one body [10].  We consciously follow the Lamb in the fellowship of  His church – our baptized brothers and sisters. It’s all about Him  and not about ourselves !

Therefore, let us never forget  that baptism  was commanded  by Christ, and it is  an ordinance  for all His  New Testament  people.  So if  you consider yourself a true believer  then you  would want to obey Him.  
It’s not about you. It is all about Jesus !





[1] Matthew 28:18-20
[2] Matthew  3:13-17
[3] Matthew  28:18-20
[4] Acts  2:38-41
[5] John  1:12,13
[6] Ephesians 1:4
[7] Ephesians 1:7
[8] Ephesians 2:5  cf.  John 3:1-8
[9]  2 Corinthians 5:7
[10]  1 Corinthians  12:13

ON THE PURPOSE AND USE OF THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN THE CHURCH

  In the last century, particularly in the in the 1980’s and 90’s the subject of spiritual gifts was hotly debated. John Wimber (1934-1997)...