EVANGEL AFRICA

Last time we considered the important topic of supporting our local Pastors. And I believe the point was made that it is a Biblical requirement to support a Gospel minister, although the amount of that support is subject to location, economic status and the size of the congregation. The question now remains, what about other people who also labour tirelessly to keep the church functioning? What shall we say about that lady who leads worship, that secretary who does the hard job of handling church funds, and many other people whose time, and skills are crucial to the growth and wellbeing of the house of God? Should we also support those people financially, just as we also do to the Pastor? Believe it or not, the answer to this actually depends on the type of church that we are dealing with. If we are dealing with the popular African personality leader, whose "church" is all about him and his "anointing". Then it means people are coming to that gathering because of hi...

Porn is one of those things that no believer wants to talk about, yet the reality of its damage and effect remains open for all heaven to see. As always, I have not planned to use this document to shame anyone. I am just a concerned believer who genuinely seeks to help my fellow comrades in the Lord, even with their secret struggles with sin. And guess what? As long as I am still in this body of the flesh, I also need the same grace as everybody else – there are no super-Christians in this journey. In that spirit, we can proceed to discuss this embarrassing topic. I have two questions for us: when did you last view porn? And how is your progress so far in fighting it? I am aware that perhaps someone is reading this who is currently trapped in this quagmire, with no hope of ever getting out. I pray that this article will be your stepping stone towards victory. Next time the temptation comes, please remember these facts below, they might help you to think twice before you watch those na...

When you die, don't worry about your body... Your relatives and funeral staff will do it. I know this first hand. I’ve done it myself…They will take you out of the house and deliver you to the funeral home of your family’s choice. They will take off your clothes. They will wash you. They will dress you up. They will even apply makeup to make you look presentable. Many will come to the funeral to honour you. Some will even cancel their plans and ask for leave to go to the funeral. Your things-- your keys, your tools, your books, your passwords, your clothes and even those you hate to be borrowed; it will all be taken by others, sold, donated or burned....And guess what? The world won't stop and cry for you. The economy will continue. You will be replaced at work; someone with the same or even better ability will take your place. And no doubt the small and big things you have done in your life will be spoken of, judged, doubted and criticized. People who only knew your face will ...

Imagine your 10-year-old daughter, still carrying that bright future that you have envisioned for her. However, what if all that bliss goes up in smoke one night after a group of grown men knock on your door and demand to have your child daughter. They tell you that one of the men has come to have her as his wife and you have no say in that because they are welding AK47 machine guns. With a bleeding heart, you hand in your princess, ignoring the cries of your wife as the armed men carry her kicking and screaming into the dark. Even worse, you wake up tomorrow to see a television broadcast of a group of young girls, inside a cage, being paraded in a pickup truck, apparently accused of rebelling against Allah, awaiting the worst of all fates – being burned to death. Unfortunately, your daughter is among them. Just in case you didn't know, this is a true story that happened in 2016 in Iraq. There were 19 of those Yazidi girls. Just one among many atrocious crimes committed under the b...

Perhaps I could have titled this, “How do I know God’s will for my life?” There is nothing I have emphasized more than the sufficiency of Scripture. That is, your Bible contains everything you need for your salvation, godly living and everything else you need in this life and the world to come. Nonetheless, I am aware that someone might object that there are some things that we face in our lives that are outside the Bible, for example, the Scriptures do not directly deal with some critical life decisions such as what career should I choose, should I get married now or next year, who should I marry between Janet and Julia? What colour should I paint my room? Should I look for another job or not? Those kinds of things: how can you know God’s will for your life? This question has troubled even ministers themselves until they have written books, and made sermons about “how to hear God’s voice.” According to them, God speaks to us every time, all you have to do is to tune into the right cha...

I guess I should begin by defining terms. In fact, the original title of this post was, “Cessationism is not what you think it is.” That is because I have often been embarrassed by the ignorance of those who claim to know what cessationism is, particularly those from the opposite end. My hope is that today we all get a clear understanding of this once and for all. Come the future we will not be guilty of being false witness about other believers. What is not cessationism We have all heard the famous teaching that a cessationist is the one who does not believe in the Holy Spirit; one who denies the gifts of the Spirit, or perhaps that person who believes that God no longer does miracles. That, beloved, is not true – not even close! Cessationism (from the word cease) is the belief that the gifts of the Spirit are still operational in the Church; that God still does miracles, however, it is only the “revelatory gifts” that have ended and only the “Apostolic miraculous gifts” that are ...

How blessed it is when the couple walks down that church aisle. For once, all creation comes to a standstill as they all gather to witness these two souls that have decided to spend a life till death do us part – a perfect match! Well, let the wedding day pass with its memories, let the guests travel back to where they came from. Give the newlyweds a chance to live together for two months, six, one year, five years. And before you know it, one of them discovers that this partner that they swore to eternity is not what they expected them to be. They have shed their outer skin to reveal some sinister behaviour or perhaps a habit you would not even wish on your worst enemy. S/he has become a problematic spouse. It’s my observation that a large number of Christian couples successfully display a happy marriage to the rest of the world, yet the walls of their bedrooms testify of something different, if not terrible, for lack of a better word. My goal today is to acknowledge those who find t...