ROOTED AND BUILT IN CHRIST JESUS

‘Keep your roots deep in Him, build your lives on Him, and become stronger in Faith as you were taught. And be filled with thanksgiving.’ (Colossians 2:7)

Introduction

Youth are a special people. I truly trust in our capacity for goodness, success, achievements and victory. But for us to become Vibrant, Alive and Active youth (VAA); for us to become Hopeful, Optimistic and Positive youth (HOP); for us to have Greater, Strength and Courage (GSC), we must be rooted and built in Christ Jesus. Let us give this matter a careful thought drawn from the beautiful story of Jesus on the two house builders; one of whom built his house on sand, while the other chose to build on rock. A fierce storm blew up, and the house built on sand fell apart whereas the house built on rock stood firm (Matthew 7:24-27). What a remarkable illustration?

The Parable of the two house builders

Jesus said; ‘Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mind and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built His house on the rock.’ (Matthew 7:24). One thing is sure, severe storms will come because not one of us knows what lies ahead – marriage break-up, redundancy, unemployment, bereavement, serious sickness, fire disaster, financial failure, war and violent terrorism. Without doubt, storms are most likely to affect us all at one time or another. We may worry,  become unhappy and tensed, we may doubt,  become desolate and desperate; the fact is that the follower of Jesus Christ does not build a house in land where there are storms, rather build a house that no storm can destroy because it is rooted in Christ Jesus. The pertinent questions to ask as Christian youth in the third millennium are: How do we prepare to meet and face these storms if they do come? What kind of house are we building? What is the foundation of our lives built on – shifting sand or on solid rock? How solid are our spiritual foundations?

A House no Storm can destroy

The secret of having a firm foundation for our lives as youth – a foundation which no storm can shift or destroy is to hear and heed the words of Christ. ‘Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mind and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built His house on the rock.’ (Matthew 7:24). In life we all face occasionally days of sunshine, sweeping rain and whistling winds, days of tempest and temptation. Under the pressure of these storms, some of us crumble and are rendered homeless. Others survive the storm and remain intact and safe. The difference in my thinking is the foundations. While some build on sand, others build upon rock. For us then, Jesus Christ is our place of refuge and rest, of security and strength from which we can move out to the world. If we want to build a secure place for our inner life, then we must pay good and close attention to the foundations. How do we do that? What do we need to do in order to ensure that we are dwelling in a house which no storm can destroy? Our Lord makes it clear in the introduction of the story of the two men and two houses: ‘Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mind and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built His house on the rock.’ (Matthew 7:24). Note the phrase and puts into practice. Many hear but do not heed. Thus their lives crumble in the time of storm. We can only live well and wisely when we are rooted in Christ.

What we must do to be rooted and built in Christ

Jesus tells us what we must do to have an unshakable and firm foundation for our lives as youth:

·         To hear, heed, believe and practice His words. There is no better and surer foundation than the truth in Jesus’ words

·         Self-renunciation and facing the fact of our spiritual bankruptcy. We do not have the inner resources to make it through life alone, and later to heaven. We need the help of God. We have to acknowledge our weakness and admit our need for assistance and say to God: ‘Help! I cannot make it on my own’.

·         Surrender our ego to Christ, because we are never designed to be ego-centred individuals but Christ-centred. Life begins in self-surrender, that God’s miraculous power is available to us only when we learn to say: ‘We need help’. Jesus does not reduce people to zero, but raises them to their zenith.

·         Be salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16)

·         Obey His statues and fulfill the law

·         Control our thoughts and align them always to God’s will (Philippians 4:8-9)

·         Avoid anger, negative and malicious thinking (Ephesians 4:26-32)

·         Make time for prayers

·         Give  to the needy and share with the poor

·         Trust God and stop worrying

·         So much of Jesus’ truth is condensed in the Beatitude (Matthew 5:1-12). Grab the Beatitude apply them day by day to your life, and you will have a firm foundation that no storm will be able to destroy.

Conclusion

I conclude by saying that it very important for us on this journey of faith together to grasp the truth that: We must belong to God before we can really find ourselves. If you have not surrendered your life to Jesus, then no matter how much you cultivate and assert yourself, you are still at the centre. You must place yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ in total surrender. Remember, you are not to be the centre - God is!

Rev Fr Michael Adefemi Adegbola, Director Media Service Centre, Kaduna Nigeria 2012

EMBRACING FASTING THIS LENT

‘But even now, says the Lord, repent sincerely and return to me with fasting, and weeping and mourning. Let your broken hearts show your sorrow; tearing your clothes is not enough.’ (Joel 2:12-13)

Introduction

Lent is a very important time in Christendom. Many people try to do something special during it whether as individuals or community  – giving up something, taking up certain spiritual exercises, surrendering defective attitudes and conquering bad habits. Our Lenten exercise begins with the readings of the scene of the temptation of Jesus Christ in the desert, where He needed to reflect on the nature of His mission and to equip Himself to carry it out.  (Luke 4:1-13). We sincerely picture Christ in the solitude of the desert, and rejoice with His victory which He wants to share with us. We too like Jesus must embark on a special forty days program of prayers, reflection and fasting.

Preparing for  a better Lent

How can we make lent more spiritually fulfilling and fruitful? It is not just a season we simply pass through, attending parties after parties or shopping for assorted gifts, with little spiritual benefits. Generally, doctors recommend regular check-ups to make sure that our bodies are functioning properly. Though we might not even realize something is wrong, undetected problem could potentially cause other health issues. The same is true with our spiritual relationship with God and with one another. Lent is a time for spiritual check-up, reappraisal and evaluation of our lives. Just as some people are nervous about seeing their physician, so we might also feel fearful of inviting the Holy Spirit to examine our lives and to help lighten our path. But we cannot hope to share his victory unless we fight His battle; and to fight His battle, we have to face the ‘desert’ – to fast and pray, and to die to our old selves. Today, everybody wants to seek something for themselves – pleasure, glory, honor, and power. We recoil from the cross and the desert experience. Lent calls us to true conversion and repentance as we taste God’s mercy and totally surrender our lives to Him. For without His help we cannot change our lives. The fact that God loves us is undeniable. He said so in His word and demonstrates it through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The rewards of embracing fasting

Since the Church’s earliest days, Christians have fasted in preparation for significant holidays or holy days. This lent, try giving up something. Traditional fast include meat and dairy, but what we give up matters less than the spirit in which we do so. Fasting should be challenging, but it need not be excessive. The purpose is greater awareness of, and devotion to God – letting Him remain the focus of our attention in the midst of the midst of activities that would otherwise distract us. Other options could be limiting media, such as television, film, music or internet usage to allow more time for Scripture reading and prayer.

The rewards of embracing fasting are great:

§  We gain greater intimacy with the Lord and others. Regular communion with God helps us avoid many snares from over-indulgence and materialism to judging others, idolatry or apathy

§  Grow in Christlikeness and holiness

§  Fasting purifies our motives and helps us to discern God’s will

§  It helps us overthrow Satan and free ourselves from the worship of false gods

§  God remove any spiritual blockage that impede a close walk with Him

§  Our energies is renewed as resentment, fear and other ungodly attitude stop draining us

§  Following and Serving God becomes a great joy, instead of duty

§  We have the opportunity to set our goals and priorities right

§  We experience spiritual freedom through forgiveness, and this gives us deeper fulfillment, peace and joy.

Conclusion

Therefore, let this lent be for us a great time of fasting, repentance, prayer and great anticipation in the days leading to Easter. As our faith matures, it certainly becomes a time grace and  growing in holiness. As maturity is a life-long process, I believe that with the Word of God to enlighten us, and the Holy Spirit to strengthen us, we would become victorious like Christ over Satan.

Rev Fr Michael Adefemi Adegbola, Director Media Service Centre Kaduna, Nigeria, 2012

THE FAITH OF CHRISTIANS IN TIMES OF PERSECUTION

‘I have told you this, so that you will not give up your faith. You will be expelled from the Synagogues, and the time will come when anyone who kills you will think that by doing this he is serving God… But I have told you this, so that when the time comes for them to do these things, you will remember that I told you’ (John 16:1-4)

Introduction

Witnessing for Christ in a world of confusion, a world that is often cruel, grasping, indifferent, skeptical and cynical becomes extremely difficult. How can we really stand for Jesus in troubled times? As Christians we do not live in a comfortable, safe, secured, sheltered and protected world. We live in a world full of confusion, temptation and trouble of every kind – violent insurgency, terrorism, ethnic bigotry, religious fanaticism, endemic corruption, political banditry, poverty, ignorance and disease. A world where we all have inhale the fatal germs of sin and human evil. It is in the midst of this world that we are expected to bear witness bravely to Christ. How can we let the light of Christ truth and goodness shine in the world? The common temptation is to isolate ourselves so as to keep ourselves free from contamination of evil and wickedness; we vanish into the crowd, and so lose our identity and sense of mission as Christians

Christ Warning and Assurance of Victory

Christ knew how rough and tough the world could be and told his disciples in advance about the trials, tribulations and persecution they would encounter. They would be hated by all on account of His name. They would meet all kinds false prophets speaking in His name. He told them that there would be terrible wars, earthquakes, plagues, famines and revolutions that will tear the world apart. There would be betrayal by members of their own families, imprisonment, trial and death. He urged them not to be afraid. Jesus Christ gave them assurance that in the end, His power will see them through all these trials. They were not to depend on their own cleverness or strength, but only on His help. ‘Everyone will hate you because of me, but not a single hair from your head will be lost. Stand firm, and you will save yourselves’ (Luke 21:17-19).

Witnessing requires great faith and Courage

Witnessing calls for great faith, courage and grace from God. How can we be bold and generous followers of Christ in the midst of skeptical and hostile world, in this turbulent and unpredictable times when our faith is ridiculed? (Matthew 10:32-33). We can truly be courageous witnesses for Christ in the following ways:

·        When our lives electrify the natural order

·        When we give public witness to Christ love, truth, goodness and justice on the trains and buses; in schools, offices, market, hotels, hospitals and play grounds.

·        Be true witnesses through the life of sacrifice, love, prayer and service

·        When we champion the cause of the poor, exploited and marginalized in the society by becoming the voice for the voiceless

·        When we make our homes, families and communities places of love, understanding, mercy and forgiveness.

·        When we become oasis of hope and freedom for our citizens.

In fact, Christ challenges us to walk without fear along the road of faithfulness. Only when we keep our eyes fixed on Christ can we:

Ø  Develop resistance and immunity to disease and the tyranny of wickedness

Ø  Have constant spiritual sterilization to live germ-free lives through prayers, confession and penance

Ø  Only then can we thrive, flourish, blossom and become healthy through His grace in a protected environment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we realize that that though we are in the world, but we are not of the world. So in the midst of a chaotic world, we should become messengers of hope and bearers of the light of Christ.

^{Rev. Fr. Michael Adefemi Adegbola, Director Media Service Centre Kaduna, Nigeria 2012}