House2HouseMD

Make a Difference – Use or Lose It. With the turbulence in the stock market and banks and companies failing and filing for bankruptcy, there is the tendency for most people to fear and put their monies under their pillow. Some are even predicting the end of the world as a result of the recent economic downturn. On the other hand, smart investors are taking advantage of the bargain and buying up stocks at very cheap prices so that they can reap big gains in the future. Today, Jesus confronts our fear of investing and reluctance to use what has been given to us for advancing His kingdom. It is not a question of how much you have but what you are doing with what you have in your hands. You either use it or lose it. Luke 19: 11-23 11While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself ...

Richness and Wealth, the Greatest Obstacle Few months ago, I read about a billionaire in the London suburb who killed his himself and his family. He did it by barricading the entrance to their gated mansion with heavy duty equipments. He used gasoline and pour all around the premises. Then he shot his wife and children. After that he set the premises on fire and then shot himself. The whole mansion burned to ashes because the fire fighters could not get in since the gate was sealed. What went wrong? What a sad ending! On the other hand we read about other billionaires like Bill Gate and his wife who are doing wonderful things around the world with their money and wealth. The Gates are fighting diseases, improving the health and welfare of the poor around the world. Is wealth and being rich an obstacle, a hindrance or an asset for entering and enjoying the kingdom of God? Wana be rich? Watch out! You are already rich in many ways. Luke 18: 18-30 18A certain ruler asked him, "G...

Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner The 2008 Presidential campaign and election has brought out the worst of us in the American Christendom. Accusations and counter accusations were flying left and right. Christians on one side of the political debate are calling each other hypocrites and other names. Some say because you are not concerned about the abortion disease that has plagued this land, therefore, the others are not “righteous Christians”. Another side says because you are not caring enough for the poor and feeding the hungry, therefore, the others are not “caring Christians”. Each side is claiming to have a hold on righteousness and doing only what God wants. Who is really right and is there really such a one who is right in their position? Can our self righteousness and what we do or don’t do get us any where with God? What really should we be doing and what attitude should we live by? Come on! I know you, like me have and did take a position one way or the other during the debat...

Gratitude will Un-Shackle You We are familiar with the catch phrase, “Your attitude will determine your altitude”. There is some truth to that. There is even a better catch phrase, “Your attitude of gratitude will determine your wholeness, wellness and total healing”. Jesus wants us to learn the power of gratitude in making us whole and setting us free from the shackles of an un-ending pursuit of more stuff instead of being satisfied with God’s provision at the present. What is the point receiving a great miracle when you can’t acknowledge and thank the maker/giver? You can still feel empty inside even upon receiving the greatest miracle of healing or whatever else you prayed for. In addition, Jesus wants to teach us how to exercising our faith through simple obedience and the need for gratitude as an aspect of faith. Luke 17: 11-19 11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had lep...

Offences, the Offender and the Offended May be you have not thought about it in this light, but classes of people make their living and are well paid because of offences. In fact, if there were no offences, there will be no lawyers, judges, small or supreme courts. Some of us reading this are lawyers by profession, so you may understand this better. It may even surprise you to hear that lawyers are in an ordained profession and some are gifted by God to be good lawyers. Don’t worry about a few bad apples (I don’t mean New York lawyers) and every profession have those any way even in my trained profession of accountancy. Some accountants can cook the books too and we have seen it in Enron and other companies. When it comes to offences and being offended, Jesus is telling us, “get over it”. It is a fact of life. You and I will be offended and will offend others. So, what else is Jesus saying regarding this undeniable human dynamics? What are our responsibilities and what should be o...

Divorce and Remarriage Our topic today is a hot and controversial one. From the onset, I acknowledge that the body of Christ is divided on this topic and many do not want to discuss nor talk about it. But if you were attending Church service in the New Testament times and Jesus was the pastor preaching, all that we have been reading in the Gospel of Luke are his sermons including divorce and remarriage. In that case, let’s hear directly from Jesus on this topic of divorce and remarriage. Let’s go into this study with the background statistics that puts the rate of divorce in America at about 50-51% for the general population. The unfortunate thing is that the rate of divorce is no different in the Church or among those who claim to be “born again” Christians. I therefore enter this study with most humble attitude that says I am equally as vulnerable as you in keeping my marriage intact. Luke 16: 13-18: 13"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the...

Be a Shrewd Operator The recent melt down on Wall Street calls to question the greed of our capitalistic system. Corporate executives of commercial and investment banks and mortgage companies and individuals in the “Main Street” are all to be blamed. Everybody was in the greed business – to have more of what they are not entitled to. The individual wanted a house he can not afford and the bankers wanted interest they are not entitled to because they knew from beginning that these were bogus loans people could never be able to pay. This brings us to this weeks lesson on the parable of the shrewd manager (operator).This is one of the most misunderstood parables but not to Jesus who told it. Are we to use dishonest means to acquire wealth and then turn around and give it away in order to make room for heavenly reward? What are we to do with the wealth/resources God has put in our hands knowing there will be an ultimate world-wide melt down and we can’t take our money with us when we di...

The “Un-Prodigal” Son We have heard so much about the “Parable of the prodigal son” in Luke 15. I am not sure if that should be the appropriate title for the parable as you may see in some Bibles. There were three main characters in the parable, the Father, the prodigal son (I prefer the lost son) and the “un-prodigal” son (the older of the two). What exactly does Jesus want us to understand from the parable? The younger, prodigal son asked for his portion of riches from their father. He went away and spent all of it in rebellious living with the “street boys and girls”. He finally came to his senses because he had hit the rock bottom (eating what pigs eat). In every day life, sometimes the only way for us to come to our senses is to reach the bottom. Be careful about stopping people from reaching their bottom. We often stand in the way of God who has all things under control in the lives of His children. The prodigal son came back, asked for forgiveness and repented of his sins. An...

Exclusive to Ourselves Country clubs are social groups organized for various reasons for the enjoyment of its members. Usually, they are suburban clubs with facilities for golf, other outdoor sports, and social activities. In America, membership in the country clubs is often for the rich and well connected. The clubs all have requirements for membership. Their requirements often are for exclusion and limitation for member rather than for inclusion and the welcoming of many. It was not long ago (in the 80s) that it was discovered that one of the country clubs in the Washington DC suburbs excluded certain races like blacks from membership. This discovery made news because it was clearly against the law to discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity or gender and age. Racial discrimination may still exist in some country clubs but secretly practiced. Of course I do not have proof since this is not our focus here. There is however, an on-going exclusion that you and I engage in and the Ph...

Total Commitment Even to Die Last week, the nation observed a moment of silence in memory of the 7th year after the terrible, hideous act of 9/11 that ended the lives of over three thousand. This terrible act that brought to the ground the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York will never be forgotten. We continue to pray for the maimed survivors and the families of the deceased that God will comfort and heal them of their wounds and deep pains. American has learned so much from this event and we see the lasting effects in tightened security and many other areas of our lives. Though a terrible event, there is one positive lesson of 9/11 we can learn. The perpetrators and like-minded followers display for us, the true meaning of a disciple. Please hear me out. What I mean is that we see the highest level of commitment required of disciples or followers. These guys are committed to their leader and principles even unto death. We all agree that their commitment is for the w...

Total Take Over Have you ever gotten into something and later discovered it was more than you bargained for? Unlike advertisements that invite you but hide important information, Jesus wanted full disclosure. What exactly is the kingdom of God like? In the Gospel of Matthew, the reference is to the “kingdom of heaven”. They are the same thing. Jesus spent His whole ministry and life speaking about the kingdom of God. He even taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come”. Jesus has encouraged us to first seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness. We must understand what it is that we are seeking otherwise we may be disappointed or come to a different conclusion. Let’s hear Jesus illustrate for us what the kingdom of God is like. Jesus used many parables to illustrate what the kingdom of God is like. We will focus just on two of these today. Luke 13: 18-20 18Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19It is like a mustard seed, which a man to...

Ample Time to Repent & Live for God? We are in the season for hurricanes and severe weather effects. Gustav just touched down this week doing great damages and killing people in Cuba and southern parts of Louisiana. Now, hurricane Hanna is on the way. Who can forget the 2004 tsunami that wiped out thousands in Asia? In spring of this year, an earthquake struck China killing thousands. There is calamity after calamity. After a while, you begin to wonder where it will strike next and not whether it will strike again. There is the temptation to think that those affected by these calamities have done something terrible and offended God in a way no one else ever did. You may not think so but in the Jewish tradition, there is the notion that calamity will befall only those who are extremely sinful. Even in my own African culture, I would hear as child, the elders say, “Who knows what they have done?” This implies that whatever calamity was as a result of the sins the affected p...

Medicine for Our Worrying Some of us have PH.D in worrying from the famous Anxiety University. Of course there are no pre-requisites for admission and the tuition is free, so we often go back for second and third degrees on the same day. Many are dying because of the disease of worrying. High blood pressure (BP) or even some cancers are known killers and they are partly due to stress or plainly worrying. I know this because I went to the doctor and he asked what is happening in and around me for my BP to be increasing. I could trace it to a project that I started and I was stressed and worried about. What is the root of our worrying and what can we do about it? Webster has the following applicable entries on the word “Worry” – 1. “To feel uneasy about some uncertain or threatening matter; be troubled.” 2. “To grasp and tug at repeatedly: a dog worrying a bone”. One thing is obvious from these definitions and that is, worrying is when we focus on a situation or uncertainty and keep c...

The “Nike” Moment – “Just Do It”! The Beijing Olympics is on and going great. One name is has become very prominent, Michael Phelps. He has broken and set records (8 gold medals) that no one else has ever set. He is being decorated and highly honored. He is blessed and we will all agree. The question is how did get to this point of honor? By doing and putting into practice whatever his coach has taught him. Any of us may be tempted to envy him but are we willing to do the same things he has done to put into practice what he had learned from all the many swimming lessons he has had? Honor, blessing comes through doing. It is faith in action. Jesus makes this point clear to an admiring envious woman. I believe Jesus is also saying the same to us, “Just do it”. You will be blessed when you obey God’s word. Luke 11:27-28 27As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." 28He replied, "Blessed ...

Why even Pray? This past Saturday, my family went out for a walk. As we left the house, I locked the front door and put the key bunch in the baby stroller. On our way back, we started to look for the key bunch. I was convinced that I did put it in the stroller, so I searched and looked. I then concluded that it must have fallen out. At the same time, I began to wonder if I actually removed the key from the front door after I had locked it. I started to trace our way back and look along the side walk. We got to the house and I was hoping it may be at the door and it was not. I concluded that may be someone saw the key at the door and took it and now a stranger has access to our house. However, we managed to get into the house with a spare key through the back door. By now I was very frustrated and I went back again to look tracing our way. I started to pray and ask God to help me find the key. If you had seen me, you would probably think I was crazy. I was walking very slowly and mumbl...