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A Loving Rebuke If you have children, you will feel what Apostle Paul is feeling now at the end of this corrective and rebuking letter. Children do some funny and stupid stuff. I have had many occasions when either Jonathan or Grace would do some stupid stuff and my first reaction would be “Are you out of your mind?” Sometimes it is followed with a friendly corrective padding at the place where God had already designed the appropriate buffer/cushion. Of course they will often cry but next I am hugging and comforting them. It is only a bastard who does not get correction (Hebrew 12:7-8). Apostle Paul has finished the “padding”. It was not an easy and comfortable one for him. Listen to Paul referring to the first Letter to the Corinthians, 4 “I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you” (2 Corinthians 2:4). Now that is a father’s heart. Paul has to conclude this letter

Could the Dead Rise Again? On October 3, 2011, my father in-law, Chief Ukachi Ikemba passed on to Glory at a good age of 93 years. We thank God for papa for the life he lived and the years he loved and served us and many others. We greatly miss him. Lately we have been having discussions about heaven. I informed Jonathan that grandpa is now in heaven. He has been asking us all kinds of questions about heaven. He asked if I want to go to heaven. I said yes, but not right now. He wants to know who else is in heaven and where do all the bad people go? I have given him some kid’s theology 101 answers. The good people are those who believe and love Jesus and they go to heaven. The bad people are those who have refused to believe in Jesus as their savior and they go to hell. My father in-law was a good and reasonable man but his goodness was not good enough to get him into heaven. By special grace of God, Chief Ikemba believed and trusted Jesus Christ as the savior from his sin and that

Women Silent in Church? Here is a Middle East News Maker in this 2011. “Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has pardoned a woman sentenced to 10 lashes for driving a car”. Who can believe it in 2011 but it is true? In fact the Saudi women for the first time would get limited voting rights in an upcoming municipal election and may run for office if they meet some strict criteria. For the Western mind, this is hard to comprehend in 2011. Should we just say that things are different in Middle East now and during the Bible times. There were all kinds of laws and rules that imposed restrictions on women then. Jesus came and became the greatest liberator of women in all ages. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Freedom was not originated by NOW (National Organization of Women). So what’s up with Paul and women? “As in all the congregations of the saints, 34 women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as

Prophecy Preferred (Be a Builder) About 3 weeks ago, I was overwhelmed with so many issues going on around us that I decided to pray. I was praying in tongues and trying to make pancake for Jonathan who was with me in the kitchen. Jonathan (who will be 6 in December) turns to me and asked, “Daddy, what are you saying?” I replied and said that I was praying. Jonathan followed up and said, “You are not praying that is God”. At this point, I did not know what else to say to him or what to make of what he said. But anyway, there you have it. Out of the mouth of babes God has ordained praise. Obviously Jonathan was reacting to a language he did not understand. Imagine more people in the scenario and you have a church gathering (where two or more are gathered in my name); and where nobody including the speaker understands what is being said. This is the situation Apostle Paul was addressing in 1 Corinthians 12- 14. In today’s study we will focus on chapter 14 where Paul specifically

What’s Love Got To Do With It What’s love got to do with it as sang by Tina Turner? Well everything. It is not “a second-hand emotion” and yes your heart can be broken. “Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken” according to Tina Turner. What is love? Let’s define LOVE in the context of 1 Corinthians 13. I like this rendering by one scholar, “The Greek for this word love indicates a selfless concern for the welfare of others that is not called forth by any quality of lovableness in the person loved, but is the product of a will to love in obedience to God’s command. It is like Christ’s love manifested on the cross” (cf. John 13:34-35; 1John 3:16). You can’t earn love and you can’t love those who have earned your love. Years ago I went through one of the most difficult times in my life. It was a church split. There was a division of two camps in our local assembly. One group was for the assistant pastor and the others like me without choice wanted to remain one as we were. I have n

Do All Speak in Tongues? Last week we got introduced to our study of 1 Corinthians 12 on Spiritual gifts. We established that as long as we have received the Holy Spirit who now lives in the believers of Christ, then we have some gifts of the Holy Spirit. In addition, since we now serve a living God as opposed to a “dumb god” who cannot speak, we definitely have the Holy Spirit who relates and speaks to us. We should note that 1 Corinthians 12 through 14 go together and should be read in a continuous manner to grasp exactly what Paul is saying about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 12 outlines the gifts for the common benefit of the body of Christ. Chapter 13 shows the best way to exercise the gift in love and chapter 14 corrects the exalted and elevated position the Corinthians had placed on speaking in tongues. Paul answered the Corinthian’s questions in chapter 12 but then he had his own questions to ask them. He had observed some inappropriate ways in which the Corinthian Chu

All God’s Children Got Spiritual Gifts Sing along with me. “This little light of mine am gona let it shine. This little light of mine am gona let it shine. This little light of mine am gona let it shine. Let is shine, let it shine, let it shine”. You now recall this familiar Sunday school song. Well, it is true if you are a child of God as defined by God(“To all who received him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent,[c] nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God”. John1:12-13). God created all but not all created human beings are God's children. Are you a child of God? Every child of God has some gift from God and we better use them and allow people to use theirs. Apostle Paul again answers one of the Corinthian Church’s direct questions to him. Does every one of us have a spiritual gift and how are we to use them? What are the gifts? “1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers,

The Lord’s Supper or Communion There are two great ordinances of the Church that Jesus left with us. Water baptism is one and the other is the partaking of communion with the saints of God. Water baptism is an act of obedience and identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. We all can debate the proper method of baptism but the word itself comes from the root word, immersion. This is why many and even Jesus himself was immersed, dipped into the water and then brought up. However you choose to do it, as a true believer in Christ we must be baptized. Baptism is not the basis of salvation because water baptism would not save anyone from sin otherwise all who can swim and go under water would claim salvation. We get baptized once and it is not a routine practice like the Holy Communion. The Lord’s Supper is a special occasion which we are encouraged to do as often as we can. How should we partake and what are the conditions for partaking? Apparently, the Corinthian

Answering Your Critics Have you ever been criticized? Well you are in good company with Apostle Paul and all of us. How do you answer your critics? Apostle Paul had answers. “My defense to those who examine me is this” (1 Corinthians 9:3). Like Paul, the proper answer is to look to the finish line and keep our eyes on Jesus who has called us. Paul did exactly that. Paul’s defense is to demonstrate with his own life example, the principle of exercising liberty with love (chapter 8). He could charge for the gospel, but he is not doing so but rather he has worked with his hand to support himself. “When I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ[b] without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel”. Recall that there had been divisions in this Corinthian Church. Some were taking sides with Paul and others were for Apollos (see chapter 1). Paul has addressed the issue in chapter one for them to cut off the bickering and quarrelling and taking sides. He told th