LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF PETER (3) Know when you are Sinking

Matthew 14:22-31 (NIV)

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance a from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Peter had been bold in his quest to walk on the water to affirm the personality of Jesus; expressing his faith; something none of the disciples had thought of. Jesus agreed to his quest; and he began to walk on the water. However with the onset of the boisterous wind, Peter became afraid and began to sink. When Peter realised that He was sinking, He cried out to the Lord. Though he was rebuked by Jesus for his unbelief in the face of the storms, he was however saved. Peter could have drowned, but his call. 

In our walk with God as youths, we are called to diligently seek to pursue the ideals of God; desiring to please Him with all that we are and all that we have. Unfortunately, in the course of time, things including our faith may seem to dwindle, and like Peter we begin to sink. Our reaction to this unfortunate stage in our life matters a lot. It is either we pretend that all is well, and we sink or we cry out to Jesus for help, who is the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2).

What do you do when things are not going in the right direction; when the flesh seems to be prevailing? In such moments, do well to do away with pretension and cry out; and you shall be strengthened once again. 

Author: Ps. Benedict Eghan

LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF PETER (2) Overcoming Inconsistency

(Matt. 14:22-33; Mark 14:66-72; Gal. 2:11-13)

As Peter was growing in the Lord he was inconsistent. We see him having a great success in faith or action and that would be followed by a failure: he started walking on the water to Jesus and then looked around him and sank in the water; he declared his allegiance to Christ and then denied him three times; he brought the gospel to the Gentiles and then later would not eat with them. Part of this problem was caused because he was hasty and didn’t think things through completely before his actions. 

Thinking through things before acting or speaking is very key in ensuring consistency in life as far as our walk with God and our dealings with our world are concerned. When you intend taking any action or speaking, think through to ascertain the stance of God’s word on the matter; availing yourself to the convictions of the Holy Spirit. Many in their rush to take critical decisions had later regretted, having realised that, just giving a further thought on the matter could have saved them from trouble.

Continuous inconsistency can affect our credibility in any field we might find ourselves. As Christian youths, to be able to affect our world, credibility is required and this could be achieved among other things, being consistent in our ways and actions. Consistency in our way of life should never be limited to our public life but also in our private life. Absence of this amounts to hypocrisy.

How consistent have you been in your Christian life?

Written By: Pastor Benedict Eghan

LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF PETER (1) - Jesus Transforms

John 1:40-42 (NIV): Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter j).

Matt 16:13-20 (NIV): 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, b the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, c and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades d will not overcome it.  19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be f bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be g loosed in heaven."  20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Among the individuals who evidently had a special position in the establishment of the church was the man called Peter. Peter was introduced to Christ by his own brother named Andrew who was also a disciple of Jesus. We should never underestimate what God can do with persons when introduced to Christ in the face of their terrible backgrounds. Introduce someone to Christ today, and see how he or she is marvellously transformed for God’s use.

Peter was a fisherman. He hadn’t received a high education or training (Acts 4:13) yet God called him to be a fisher of men (Matt 4:19). His time with Jesus transformed him from an uneducated and even fearful man into a courageous and faithful apostle who became instrumental in the establishment of the church. He was the outspoken leader of the twelve. He was part of the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples who got to witness the transfiguration. He is the most well-known of the disciples, both for some of his blunders and for his outspoken faith. 

You have no idea, what the Lord can do with your life; just avail yourself to Him, and see Him transform your life.

Written By: Pastor Benedict Eghan

The Christian Youth and Music Pt. 1

“Music once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit and never dies” - Edward Bulwer- Lytton

“Where words leave off, music begins” – Heinrich Heine

“Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life, bringing peace, abolishing strife” – Kahlil Gibran

The above quotations narrate the potency of music on human soul and spirit. The power of music whatever field it may be considered cannot be overemphasised. It is from this premise that this article seeks to admonish the Christian youth to be selective of the kind of music they seek to avail themselves to. 

Going through scripture from Genesis to Revelation, the importance of music in worship is clearly highlighted. However, it is important to also appreciate the fact that, the use of music in worship is not only limited to the worship of God (Jehovah), but also to the worship of all other spiritual entities. Thus, music plays a key role in all religions. Which then means that music as a tool of worship cannot be downplayed regarding its spiritual and soulical impacts.

Apart from the religious settings, music also plays very important role in our socio-cultural settings, serving as one of the key modes through which society and cultures expresses itself.

The Bible Admonishes...

Colossians 3:16-17: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (cf. Ephesians 5:19a)

Scripture defines the categories of music the believer must be engaged with and these include psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. These are the songs that bring edification to the soul; not only that, but also serve as medium of worship of the One True God.

Though the various categories of music for the believer have been defined by scripture, this article goes further to propose factors one can consider before relating with any kind of music. This is necessary because the youth on daily basis is confronted with several kinds and types of music, of which one would have to be conscious of what such music seek to offer.

a.   Purpose: Music is written with a purpose in mind or what one will call “the concept” behind a song. One must therefore subject a song to the question: what is the purpose or the concept behind this song, and to what extent can I be identified with this purpose? It is out of the purpose we identify the values the song seeks to encourage or promote. If the song is classified by the author as a love song; one must then ask, what kind of love does it promote – lust, sensuality, infatuation or godly love? Again one must also consider the frame or package within which this love is presented or does manifest – profanity/nudity or a godly atmosphere where the love of God becomes the reference point. Considering an era, where sex has be devalued into a commodity, it has become the point of many secular music where its distorted form is always portrayed. Unfortunately, women become the objects of such distortion.

b.   Message: Examine the words of the song (the lyrics) and consider its message. Does the song communicate the Word of God or the intents of God? Paul from the scripture reference above admonishes, that whatever we seek to do, we must do it to the glory of God. If we then seek to glorify God, it is important that the messages of the songs we identify with are consistent with what God admonishes.

c.    Associative Behaviour: No music exists in a vacuum – every piece of music can be associated with some group of people or a certain kind of behaviour or attitude. Here the question that comes up for consideration is, “What does the music bring to mind or generate in the heart of the worshipper – violence, cheating, drinking, smoking, truancy, infidelity, prostitution, disloyalty or faithfulness, godliness, gentleness?

d.   Emotional Factor: Music stirs our emotions; either  negative or positive. The emotions test asks, "Does the music stir our negative or sinful feelings?" The ideal music for the Christian should stir our passion for godliness, prayer and righteous living.

e.   The Vessel involved: Who is the vessel behind the music, and what has been the source of his or her inspiration? Sometimes in seeking public attention and sympathy, some secular musicians can be very deceptive. They periodically come up with gospel songs to gain the attention of the public; especially Christians.

As I bring the first part of this article to an end, it is important to quote

Philippians 4:8 which provides an excellent guide to the choice of music for the discerning believer:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Does the song represent the truth, are the words noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy? Think about these.

By: Ps. Benedict Eghan