On Cause Related Marketing

Sayo Ajiboye, 2004

More and more, leaders of non-profit organizations must evolve innovative ways for securing finances for their operations. For instance, how do you restore an iconic historic structure when faced with dwindling income? The custodians of Statue of Liberty faced this very question and they turned to cause related marketing for solution. Cause related marketing (CRM) is defined as the public association of a for-profit company with a nonprofit organization. It is designed such that the non-profit promotes the for profit company's product or service to raise money for its operation. The term was first used when MasterCard raised money for the restoration of Statue of Liberty by donating one cent every time someone uses MasterCard. The result was that number of new MasterCard members grew by 45% and card usage increased by 28% (Foundation Center, 2004).

The big danger of cause related marketing is in the charge that it causes non-profits to divert attention from a pure focus on mandate to pleasing big commercial organizations in the name of CRM. Many have questioned the ethics of non – profits lending its name and reputation to a profit making commercial cause. It has been alleged that it is unethical because such relationships challenges the very base of existence of non-profit, it questions the concept of market failure as the basis for non profit intervention, it blurs the distinction between government, private and non profit organizations; it leads to “cherry picking” a situation where certain causes become the cause celebre… An instance of this is the Breast Cancer campaign which has over 70 major company associated with because of the high incidence of the disease among high income, white, upper middle class women. Compare this to the campaign against domestic violence, AIDS and date rapes. These does not attract such stampede of cause marketers because its incidence is among those with not as high a financial power as those breast cancer campaign and because it will not allow a tapping into the donor dollar and purchasing power of victims (Parker and Selsky, 2004).

The advantage however is CRM taps into the well-researched fact that consumers often wish to link their purchases to issues that matters to them within their community. CRM does not affect only the consumers but it affects even the employees of companies involved by boosting their morale and increasing their loyalty. In other words, CRM is a win-win situation for all involved. Non –Profits and their publics have been given the opportunity to look beyond traditional sources of servicing and procuring solutions to pressing social issues by CRM (Meinhard, 2004).

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PAPERS SERIES

TAXATION REFORMS & THE RESPONSE OF AFRICAN POLITY

A Critique of Taliceiro, R. 2004. Designing Performance: The Semi-Autonomous Revenue Authority Model in Africa and Latin America, Policy Research Working Paper 3423. World Bank: Washington, D.C.

Author: Sayo Ajiboye Washington University In St Louis

It is worth nothing that the populace does adjust their behavior to match the errant tendencies of political agents. Will the people indeed be free from the octopoidal arm and ever-present influence of political agents if nations create autonomous revenue authorities? It is received wisdom that the more fair efficient and effective tax administration is, the higher the compliance rate of tax-payers to paying their taxes. It is interesting to note the Taliecio’s observation that “no matter what the taxpayer does, the dominant strategy of the political class is not to invest in reform.” For politicians to maximize their benefits, there is a temptation to renege on their net commitment to reform. The taxpayers responds to this by opting not not to comply with drives for reform, it is more cost effective to maintain the status quo.
Taliciero suggested three technologies for reforming the tax regimes, but all of it have been shown to be susceptible to political manipulations. Establishing institutions that are involved in joint decision making may look like an answer but how does one deal with the fact that stakeholders often become stake raiders when opportunities to do this present themselves? Consider the particular Ghanaian situation that was cited, has this helped resolved issues of political opportunism among the new members of the House of Chief? Has this stopped the Chiefs themselves from continuing the process that they have perfected over decades?
On the technology of delegation, can the newly delegated authority become a “power center that wields influence beyond and become corruptible? In Nigeria of the 1990s, Adekanola and Company was contracted by the government to collect taxes in at least 15 States of the Federation. This worked well except that Adekanola and Company became a new power center. As long as it supports the intentions of the powers that gave him authority, all went well; but the moment Adekanola went after major companies in which the powerful people have interest, its authority as the government tax Collector was revoked. Given this scenario, when does the political systems become again a servant of the people? How can government become people’s agent?

Development Constructs and the Vernacular of Control

Washington University in St Louis -2004

If development arose as a construct of Western motivated problematization of poverty, how are we then to understand true social reality in nations that are negatively affected by this activity? Can we possibly define a social reality different from the concept of development as presented by the Western World? My tendency is to frustratingly throw up my hand and say -too late! Development is indeed a repetitive, omnipresent reality. This reality has been colonized by the development discourse motivated from a Western construct.

Why has other attempts to construct development reality in terms other than western denominated propositions failed? Ujaama in Tanzania, collectivization in the former Soviets, the Kibbutz in Israel, even the Ghandi Ashrams of India are largely relics of history, they do not have the continuing impact or influence of the all Western colonial construct of development. Our world seems to have been wired in a manner that makes any divergent form of thinking essentially impermissible. This is what Foucault asserts.

Even when development is seeing as encompassing cultural space, we must ask the question: which culture is being referred to? Are we referring to the hermaphroditic co-mingling of contexts which now exist in virtually every cultural space on the globe? Can we point to any space where cultural reality maintain a pure strain? The answer to this is clear, such pure cultural spaces are virtually non-existent.

Critical reinterpretation of African history which is defined from a purely western perspective, understanding of gender issues in non western world on grid presented solely by scholars from the West are a deep cause for concern (Chandra Mohanty, Mudimbe)

When we see the poor as a social problem and when we refer to them as a people needing transformation and assistance is essentially a vernacular of control. It is amazing how strongly we have all imbibed this vernacular! It is so easy to associate pauperism with immobility, vagrancy, independence, frugality, promiscuity, ignorance and refusal to accept social duties, refusal to work, to submit to the logic of expansion of needs. Realistically however, we are surrounded by living proofs that the opposite is the truth (Proccaci in Escobar)

The historicity and the depths of the economic conception of poverty and the creation of a separate class of poor nations and basing this solely on needs as defined by the so called development experts is a further manifestation of the vernacular of control. The declaration by Mr. Roots in 1916 that America has a duty to build the Panama Canal "with or without the consent of Colombia” sounds terribly familiar in 2004 geopolitics. Today, the dominant discuss revolves around the "Axis of evil." Conflict in nations seems to be motivated by partners in economic adventurism, there is a rise in unilateralism, there is a neutralization of the views of non-compliant nations and even non compliant multilateral institutions. It is interesting to watch the "Root Doctrine of Strategic Self Interest of United states” seems to dominate US foreign policy in the 2004 elections.

We must cease presenting development as a secular theory of salvation and stop the infantilization of the Third World.

God’s Messengers OF Hope

We live in world feeling a desperate need for the Message of Hope. Everything around us is falling, Mountains & Money, and everything under our feet is shaking, Land Masses & Relationship en-masse. There is no time such as this, that is Tailor Made for Christ’s Message of Hope.

Consider this however: When Christ said “Go Ye…,” was his charge to a group of Specialists? The answer of course is NO! His charge was to a group of very flawed men, an indistinct group of men with doubtful personal credentials. One cannot control his mouth, two cannot control their anger, at least another two were professional doubters!

What they lacked in personal strength, they made up for in Time Spent Living with the Lord and Watching His Ways. What they saw that is relevant to us in this Season is in John 4. How to bring a “A Message of Hope. We will look at headings in the process.

They Saw Christ Step Out: To bring a message of Hope will always require someone to step out. From one’s personal comfort zone, from our groups cultural assumptions, from the tyranny of public opinion, at the risk of being misunderstood.

They Saw Christ Grow Vulnerable: Why will He ask a woman to give him a drink? Does he not realize the possible implications? What about blackmail? What about the Pharisees? Anyone bringing a message of hope must be willing to become Vulnerable

They Saw Christ Talk Straight: There has been a lot of talk about Straight Talk in the last few days. There is no time as now that such is needed. What is the straight talk that our World needs?

i. That they are drinking from a cistern that will never satisfy

ii. That the only Water that will Satisfy is the water that Christ gives

iii. That a drinker of the Water of Life will become a Spring of the same.

iv. That No One is ever left out who Wants to Drink.

In my City, the Sun is Out, the people are walking the streets again but their hearts have questions, their life have fears, many are hopeless, They await YOU, A BRINGER OF HOPE.

Originally written for Victory Court RCCG on May 18^th 2008

Mother’s Holy Call

Today is Mother’s Day, I want to dwell on the Holy Call that God has given our Mothers.

Like Eve, it is a Call to be Productive. Have you ever wondered why God waited and made a woman before he instructed mankind to multiply? There is a mysterious gift of productivity that is only fully activated by Mothers in our life.

Like Sarah, it is a Gift of Hope. In Genesis 17:7, Abraham laughed at God’s plan, in Gen 18:12 Sarah did the very same thing, but when God confronted both with their situation, their responses were different. Abraham suggested that God should change his plan and choose Ishmael, Sarah on the other hand decided to keep her own confusion to herself and said “I did not laugh.” Many have focused on Sarah’s lie in this passage but can we look again and possibly see a woman fulfilling Romans 4:18, a woman who “against hope, believed in hope?”

Like Deborah, it is a Call to Fight. There are certain fights that no none can fight on behalf of the Son but that the Mother choose to pick up the gauntlet. In Judges 4:4 – 9, Deborah wanted the big General Barak to go fight the Battles of the Lord, but rather than fight, Barak, balked; the Mother in Israel had to stand up and say “ I will fight!” Thank God for Mothers who are saying today, “I will Fight!”

Like Bathsheba, it is a Call to Grace! Who else understood favor like Mama? Who else has the capacity to bestow it like the same? Bathsheba, should have been stoned, she was an adulterer, co – criminal with David. By a mystery of divine intervention, David’s prayer became Bathsheba’s prayer, her sins were remitted, her transgressions were taken to the Sea of forgetfulness! Oh that God will teach our Modern Mothers that they are called to receive Grace so that they can give grace!

I can write about Ruth, about Rahab, about the female Prophetesses of Israel, about Esther, the wise woman of the world who was a princess of God. But let me close with the epitome of it all – Mary. The prophet said “a dagger shall pass through your side also…;” matter of fact, no frills: “a dagger…!”

What pains Mothers know! But what Joy, what Victory, what manifestation of the POWER OF RESSURECTION!!! I pray that this Mother’s Day will make this Real, the POWER OF HIS RESSURECTION IN THE LIFE OF OUR MOTHERS. MAMA, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally written for Victory Court RCCG on May 11th 2008

“Way of Sinners”

Psalm 1 described the blessed man, at the core of this description is a statement; this man does not stand in the “Way of Sinners.” How do we define and understand the way of Sinners so that we may not stand therein? How do we become the blessed man?

We can take our cues from our Lord who specifically discouraged us from associating with certain people.

1. The Praying Pharisee – Luke 18:9 - 14

– He judged others

– He thought of Himself more highly than he ought to

– He justified himself in the presence of God

– He did not humble Himself

2. The Rich Young Ruler Luke 18:18 - 26

– His possession was his God

– His observance was a ruse

– He was an Idolater

3. The Thankless Lepers Lk 17:11 - 19

– A sense of entitlement

– It is my right (I am a Jew)

4. Wandering Demas – 2Tim 4:10

– Loved the present world, The word used is Agapao

o He is fond of the world

The most intriguing is Demas. In Col 4:14 he was Paul’s beloved fellow laborer, by 2 Tim 4:10 he has become a man that love the present world. The word used by Paul is instructive, Demas Agapao the present world. The very word that distinguishes the people of faith and stands them out in the World was turned on its head by Demas. He Agapao the present world…

What do we love today? What you love will determine how blessed you are. Let us take the Counsel of the Psalmist: Do not to stand in the way of the Sinful Man.

Originally writen for Victory Court RCCG on May 4th 2008

“What Wisdom Does”

In the Book of Proverbs, the Bible lists certain things that wisdom does… The Scriptures says that “Wisdom Calls and cries aloud…” to God’s people to cease being simple (Prov. 1:20). Why must we do this? Because “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places” We are in conflict with strategic forces who have committed themselves for eons to thwart the purposes of God in the life of His people.

The Scriptures commands the righteous to “incline your ears to wisdom and apply your hearts to understanding” (Prov. 2:2). If Wisdom cries God’s people must listen. Listening takes effort. The righteous will be faced with distractions, sometimes the righteous will be challenged by things that confuse; but in all of these, the righteous “must seek discernment and directions”

The effect of such a listening heart is dramatic. Wisdom moves from being an external factor to becoming an integrated reality. Wisdom becomes a gift from God (Prov. 2:6) in the life of such committed listener. God creates “a storage tank” into which the righteous can dip his/her heart in the Season of need (Prov. 2:7)

In Proverbs 2:8, wisdom is the guard that protects the righteous in conflict. He is a shield that defends him from the fiery darts of the wicked one. It is therefore easy to see why Proverbs 3:21-22 instructs the righteous to Keep Sound Wisdom…” So they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck…

Originally written for Victory Court RCCG on April 26th 2008

The “Come-Back Kids”

Whenever someone snatches victory out of certain defeat In the American Culture, that person is hailed as “The Comeback Kid.” As I meditate on Hebrews 11, it certainly occurs to me that the famous Faith Hall of Fame was about a group of individuals who were the “Ultimate Comeback Kids!”

It all started with Abel who was not just defeated in the physical battle for supremacy, he was actually eliminated. He was killed, slaughtered, caused to cease existence before the end of his expected lifespan. Abel’s case was the ultimate “Cold case” (to borrow another term from the American popular culture), if God did not solve it, it could not have been solved. Abel however defined the operational parameter for every person of faith that will come afterwards; this parameter is well summarized in the words: “he being dead yet speaketh”

We must note that always, the strategy of God is “to be manifest in the midst of death…” It was so for Noah, who witnessed the annihilation of the Human Race by the Flood, it was so with Abraham who was “was as good as dead…;” it was true for Jacob, who was dying yet he blessed and worshiped; it was so for Joseph who was sold and presumed dead, and who demanded a prophetic commitment from Israel even as he died. Moses faced certain death as a child, was given a real sentence of death as a young adult; was challenged by the Angel of God himself and nearly died with Ziphora. One can only use the same words that the writer of Hebrew used “What more can we say…?” Joshua, Gideon, Barak Samson Jephtah, David…? All of them faced death and should have been annihilated; but in all of their lives, God seemed to declare: I AM THE GOD OF THE LIVING, NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD!

Many of us woke up this Sunday morning and are faced with challenges. Death seems so close; life seems to be ebbing away: except that we hope in the Lord, except that we believe that He is the God of the living, we are like those that are led and given over to death. God wants such people to be reminded today that HE GLORIES IN WINNING OVER DEATH. Dead situations, dead circumstances, dead relationships, dead hopes, dead expectations, dead dreams, dead desires…, dead faith, God is the God that rejoices in showing forth his Resurrection Power. Faith is the Power of Christ’s resurrection at play in the in the life of the faithful, faith is the opportunity of God to reveal himself as the God of the living, when death seems to be winning. The ultimate people of Faith are always given over to Death but somehow; by His Power; they stage a “Come Back” from defeat; they are the “Ultimate Come - Back Kids.”

Originally written for Victory Court RCCG on April 13th 2008

WORLD CONFLICT

The Conflict in our world bothers me. Look at the non- stop bickering over nothingness among nations. Leaders bicker over issues that should make children blush, armies march, fight and kill to maintain position that are suspect at best. Years of lives are wasted, deep seed of sorrow is sown, misery is spread for generations: From the depths of Europe, to the expanses of Asia, to the hearts of Africa; nations rise against nations and innocent people suffer.

When we look at the marketplace, people do not look to just make a profit, greed causes people to seek a killing! There was a time in our world (late 1800s early 1900s) when American business leaders were referred to as “Robber Barons,” those given the privilege of managing God’s resources deploy it to miniaturized God’s people. This is still true today. Children cannot get health-care in America, China marches across Africa with the Jackboot of economic depredations; there is deep hopelessness in the heart of Europe (France for instance); Africa’s young people take to the Sea in a willing reenactment of the Middle Passage.

When we look into the family Unit, the misery deepens. Wives are ruled like slaves, children are treated like minions; fathers sometimes are victims: violence, infidelity, abuse, injustices, it seems as if the war deepens in the bedroom. One man of God puts it like this: the Bedroom, the Boardroom and the Throne-room have all become War Rooms.

The tendency is to cry Why? The well worn path is to give in to despair and cynicism but God wants us to look at it from one more angle.

The Lord is the one who rules in the midst of conflict, the Lord is the King who demands that there be conflict. In Genesis 3:16, God essentially said to the woman, “you will desire for what is rightfully yours, but instead of getting it; it will rule over you – like a slave!” But why will God do this? He does it so that somehow men may stop, think and see the futility of his activities. He does it secondarily so that men may seek Him. Thinking about this was for me a Eureka moment. Instead of despairing at conflicts, I saw hopeful possibilities, instead of a sense of loss, I received a renewed sense of vision. The words of Apostle Paul take on a new meaning: that “the whole creation waits with groaning for the manifestations of the Sons of God.”

Man by default of Sin is designed for conflict, the Christian by the default of transformational redemption is designed for peacemaking. No man comes to God except through the Son, no man gets to the Son except by the witness of His Church; everyone outside the orbits of this witness is reduced to an unending conflict. Oh Brothers and sisters, that we may arise and become an instrument of His peace.

Mark 16: 15 "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned

The most visible sign of condemnation is conflict, the most potent answer to conflict is the preacher of the Gospel, brothers and sisters; LET US GO! LET US PREACH!

Originally written for Victory Court RCCG on April 6th 2008

“You Won’t Believe This …”

The prophet’s vision of our Lord in Isaiah 53 is intriguing. It was so revolutionary that the Prophet asked: “will anyone believe this?” I re-echo the prophet’s question today and ask: “can we live our lives as if these words of the Prophet are also true concerning the life and ministry of our Lord. Consider the words:

“That He was a Tender Plant….” Jesus was (and still is…!) amazingly easy to hurt, easy to bend his words and easy to break his plan; our Lord was surrounded by evident human weaknesses. His history, his exposures, his manner of life and his commitment to the people made it easy to wound Him. Consider this, anyone could have raised foolish questions about his birth (was it really an Angel or a Roman Soldier? “Mary, Be Real!”), Anyone could have questioned his pedigree as a prophet (since when did Nazareth produced a sage not to talk of a prophet?), anyone could have questioned his authenticity (He was not linked with the Jerusalem machine, He carried no letter of recommendation from any denomination; even the 1^st Synagogue of Nazareth disowned him… yet he is our Lord!) Today, I see a hardness of structure of the Church which is not right, I see a hardening of the boundaries of our love, our Laws are rigid, our wise positions are immovable; our traditions does not change – for any reason. WE ARE NOT TENDER. We need to remember “He grew up before him as a tender plant…”

He Grew Up as a Root Out of Dry Ground: It is amazing how Christian ministry has been reinterpreted in our days. Ministry has been elevated from being a simple service offered with grace, to a money guzzling machine that must be serviced. This machine model has made it so difficult for some of us to focus on Christ who is calling us to serve. We need to remind ourselves therefore that Christ “came forth out of dry ground” We need to convince ourselves that we can serve God’s people simply, like the root; with no pretensions. As a Pastor, I share in the struggles of my brothers and sisters in ministry, I see good people, great servants who allow themselves to be neutralized and hounded out of ministry because of limitation of resources. May I say that the dry ground is a gift, The Dry Ground Model is a valid model; it is a representation of our Lord who was such a root.

A Man acquainted with Grief: Ours is a generation in pursuit of happiness. We run so hard in this pursuit of happiness that we lose JOY. It is the blessedness of our calling that we have the privilege of developing a conscious friendship with grief. Friendship with grief includes a humility that says I do not have the answer! I am content to wait and to trust in the Lord. We must be strong enough not to try to give an answer to questions that cannot be answered. I ask you my friends to let us together Embrace His Call to Tenderness, Receive His Gift of Dryness, and Allow His Visit with Grief. Remember, the prophet said “he was as a root out of dry ground…”

Originally written February 24th 2008 for Victory Court RCCG

“To Those Called To Be Kings…”

Running From The Greatness Call: Greatness is something that resonates with all humans but that most seems to avoid. Serious Christians tend to emphasize the core values of humility and servant-hood as opposed to greatness. They do this either out of a sense of genuine but misplaced meekness or out of fear that greatness is elusive and cannot be attained. God has not excluded his people from Greatness, He just redefined it in manners that contradict and make meaningless the popular understanding of the word. God’s definition of Greatness is at the core of the Christian Call: We are called to be Kings!

Scriptures and the Greatness Call: Consider the following passages, in Exodus 19:1-8, God made a bold declaration: “I want a Kingdom peopled by Priests.” In 1Peter 2:9, the Holy Apostle re-phrased this and stated “You are Kings who are Priests.” By the time we got to the book of Revelation, the lid was totally off the secret, John the Revelator said that Jesus “hath made us Kings and Priest unto God and His Father…” (Rev. 1:5). So, I write today to those Called to be Kings.

Our Lord & the Call of Greatness: Think about this: One of the final acts of our Lord was to validate Greatness. Speaking to His disciples on the night he was betrayed, Jesus assumed that there will be those among His disciples who will be “the greatest … and the chief…” He however defined the greatest in a manner that is different from the world. The greatest must be as “he that serves, as he that is the least…” Lk. 22:26 – 28.

The Call Today: God is calling some of us to True Greatness. God is calling us to a true life of service. The Truly Great is like the Father who at Creation modeled greatness by walking into the darkness and wading through the mud. He is like the Son, who at the beginning chose the role of a Redeemer, a Lamb to be slaughtered in Silence, a King that will be crowned with Thorns. The Truly Great is to be like the Spirit who is Powerful and Brilliant but will not pursue glory. He the Spirit of Grace, bestows Unction but will not demand Worship. He rather points the seeker to the Son, who lifts up the Father, who in turn gives all honor to the Son, who tells us that all things is done by the Power of the Spirit and the Pattern of the Father. Awareness and Commitment and the Capacity to Lift up and Serve the Other… this is Greatness.

Let us think about these things, let us think about “the other” to whom we have been sent. Maybe there is around us the weakened other, or the disgraced other, or the powerless other, or the possessed other, or the hopeless other, or the helpless other, or the lost, the sick, the weary, the sinful, the forsaken… those who will be King will “Serve the other” who cannot repay the service.

When we so serve, we will hear at the end of the days… well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the Kingdom prepared by your Father…

Originally written for Victory Court RCCG February 9th 2008

CLEOPAS & HIS FRIENDS

Emmaus is significant to our Faith, it is the place where the Lord fully revealed himself and explained the events of crucifixion and also affirmed the fact of resurrection. The process that gave us Emmaus was complicated – however, it is a worthwhile exercise investigating Cleopas and His friend.

They lived in their Past: They talked about it, they were sad about it… but What did all the talk get them? What did it change? I suggest that God wants us to learn from Emmaus and to spend our energy on things that profit. God does not want us to waste our Spiritual Energy.

They nearly missed Jesus himself: While they talked, Jesus Himself approached them: but their eyes were prevented from seeing Him. Like these men, we often cannot see the Lord in the midst of our Journeys and yet, he wants to show himself to us; not a substitute, not a Pastor, not a prophet, but “Jesus Himself”

What Did Jesus Do?

i. He pointed them to the source of their problem

a. they were slow of heart

b. They did not believe what the prophets wrote

ii. He gave them a lesson in Hope

a. Suffering has a purpose

b. Glory is God’s goal for the Christ and His followers

c. Answer to all of life’s problem is found in the revelation of Jesus

iii. He Revealed Himself to them at the Place of Rest

a. Rest… (Isa 30:15) trust… (Isa 50:10) Fret not thineself… (Ps 37:1,7) Be still… (Ps 4:4), Let the Peace of God reign in your heart… (Col 3:15)

iv. He opened their eyes and made sense of their experiences.

Who Was this Person that Met with Them?

He is the Lord who has left the Kidron Valley Behind

He is the Lord who has vanquished Golgotha

He is the King of Glory

He is the Ruler over the Nations

A Final Word about Emmaus : Why did the Lord chose the first full length revelation at Emmaus.

i. Because Emmaus means Beauty & Comeliness… Isaiah 53 is fulfilled and done with, Isaiah 60 has catapulted man and His Lord into a new age…It is an age of beauty… an age of comeliness…; it may be hidden, it may be recessed but it is there FULFILLED.

ii. Because Emmaus looks to Joppa, the Seaport of the people of Israel: Jesus was enacting his commandment to “Go into all the world..”. Go beyond the Jewish world, ride the seas and rule the Oceans

iii. God is still leading His precious people to Emmaus so that He can open their eyes and send them on the Holy Journey to the uttermost parts of the Earth.

Originally written for Victory Court (RCCG) March 30th 2008

“IT IS FINISHED...”

Many things came to a halt on Golgotha. Human Love Ceased and became confused so that Divine Love can triumph; time ceased and became challenged so that a new season might be inaugurated. However, nothing stopped with such finality as Jesus’ declaration of an end to his life and ministry; in John 19:30, Jesus said “It is finished!” It has always been easier for the Church to explain this as a statement of completeness. Jesus was saying that the work of redemption on earth is finished. While not doubting that this is implied, we might be more comforted if we look for a more nuanced meaning.

The context of the statement “it is finished” is set in the words “and they crucified him.” This was a bloody statement that epitomized human capacity to inflict pain at a level difficult to describe. The Roman nails were blunt and square, not pointed (triangular) and sharp like ours. The tendons and muscles at the front of the wrist (not the palm!) was mashed to create two upper hanging points for the body; the arch of the two feet (not the ankle!) was mashed to create one lower hanging point; these monstrous deformities were then used to hang up the person to be crucified. There was a guaranteed loss of body fluid, key nerves are crushed, fiery pain surges to the brain in waves that does not stop; fatigue and loss of fluid in the arms create cramps that cannot be described. Attempts to ease upper body pain activates lower body pain, attempt to ease lower body pain activates upper body pain. The crucified man was doomed to spend every second in searing fiery pain.

More than the pain is the sense of abandonment. “Why has thou forsaken me?” Jesus said from the cross. Put all of these into context, we cannot accept an explanation of triumphalism; we must rather see Psalm 22 fulfilled in totality. God forsook him, He was distant in this hour of terrible need, Isaiah 53:3 was true, we hid as it were our faces from Him. For him at that point, it was “finished.” All he had was “a hope in the Father who judges rightly…” On that brow of Golgotha’s painful face, the Just must live by Faith, the just must tell his Soul to hope in the Lord who will yet be his salvation.

There may be people reading this for whom “it is finished...” literally. Relationships have failed, power has ceased, God seems far; his Spirit seems to require, nay, demand that you submit to pain. Does the spirit author Pain, you ask? Does He command Sufferings? I challenge you not to ask the question of fools, I challenge you to rather say like our Lord..., “It is finished!” This phase of my life is finished, my effort has faltered, my strength has failed, my capacity to engage has ceased, I am not able...; it is finished! I challenge you to go further and say: “Yet I believe!” “For He shall not suffer my soul to see corruption...!” Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil...!

In this must the Saint rejoice, that S/He is called to live by Faith in the face of certain unavoidable death. In this must the Saint hope, that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not the God of the dead, He is the God of the Living. HE FOR WHOM “IT IS FINISHED” SHALL YET ARISE! HE FOR WHOM IT IS FINISHED SHALL STILL SHINE!!! THE END IS THE BEGINNING, THE RESSURECTION LIFE WILL FLOW!

Written for Victory Court RCCG on March 23rd 2008

“Focused Fire”

Jesus approached Bartimeaus after dealing with four distinctly discouraging groups. He met first with those seeking to tempt Him. They wanted to trap him with questions that were irrelevant. He then dealt with those that were his friends but misunderstood the essence of His ministry. They could not separate between their picture of Christ’s grandeur and the reality of his calling. They stopped little children from coming to Him. He then met with one whose motive was not right, he wanted to buy his salvation with good works and good words. Finally he met with Bartimeaus. What was unique with Bartimeaus?

His was a life Stripped: He sat by the wall of Jericho. Jericho means fragrance. Can you imagine Bartimeaus’ experience of Spring? Can you imagine the riot of beautiful fragrance all around the man? Can you imagine the feeling of desolation – He knew that it was there but he could NT access it.

His was a Life Covered by Meaningless Layers: Can you see Bartimeaus casting off his gown when the Lord called him? What was he doing with those layers before? Does he seek significance in the layers? We will not know what the layers were or what they represented for Bartimeaus. All we know is this, that “he cast them off.”

His was a Heart fired about a focused Desire: When the Lord asked Bartimeaus about what he wanted, there was no ifs buts or wherefores, there was one clear statement of desire: that I might receive my sight. Such a focus must have fired the Lord then, such a focus will definitely energize his spirit today.

In our world that tries the Lord and in a global church that often confuse the core of His Holy calling with our own picture of grandeur; God loves the poor in the spirit, those stripped of meaningless cover, and those who are willing to cast off the layers. God is happy with his people who have a focused desire about the possibilities of vision with the King.

WRITTEN FOT VICTORY COURT RCCG BELLEVUE ON MARCH 8TH 2008

LIFE ON THE FRONT_SIDE AND THE BACK_SIDE OF THE DESERT

In Exodus 3:1, the Bible says

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

I want us to describe the route to this place called the “The Backside of the Desert” and learn a few lessons from its realities. It is also important to ask: what for instance is “The Front-side of the Desert” if this new place that Moses is located is called “The Backside of the Desert.” We can only fully realize the riches of God’s wisdom as we investigate the psychology and spirituality of the desert and what the physical conditions typifies.

WHERE THE ROCKS ARE STRESSED: The “Front-side” of the Desert” is a much tougher space than its Backside. As Moses ran away from Pharaoh and from the murder charge, he is confronted by an environment that got more hostile every inch that he traveled. Animal life is drastically curtailed till all that remains are desert rats and a few lizards here and there. Even trees cease such that resilient Acacia trees becomes anemic!

Can you imagine a community within which Rocks are Stressed? The great traveler, Lawrence of Arabia writing about his journeys said “the Rocks are so stressed that they are bright brilliant Red! The sun and the wind forms a fraternity of pain in the daytime; they simultaneously blind the traveler and suck from him the little moisture that he has left in his body. The children of Israel later called the place "great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions, and drought where there was no water"

WHY THE STRESSFUL PATH? The question then is this: Why does God take a man on the way to Destiny through such desolations? He said in His word, “I do it to try your heart.” Why God will you choose such a method? Why will you confront us with such hopelessness? Why must we endure such pain? Why must we be given to the extremes of isolation? A writer said that “the words of the language in this place is silence” But God who is the word, took his prophet and his sons through that space! (Deut 8:15)

PAIN TODAY: Why does God cause us to experience pain today? Why does he allow the desolations that we see in the nations? Why the drought in our world? Why the Wars? The flood of neediness created by human foolishness … incest, divorce, emotional violence, spiritual desolations…, leadership failures…. Why? God said to Israel: “I tested your hearts… on “The Front-side of the Wilderness!”

THE BACKSIDE OF THE WILDERNESS: There is however “The Backside of the Wilderness” What does it represent? After such a trip across the range of Sinai, any kind of rest is a welcome respite. Some of us are right now in such a place of rest. It is from here that the Lord of Israel, He whom we seek will appear suddenly! How difficult it is to trust in such instances, how hard it is to be still; how tough it is to be silent…! On the Backside of the Desert, we are given only one instruction; “Be still and know that I am God! I will be exalted among the nations…, I will be exalted in the earth.”

How to Be A Prince in Egypt

This week, I spent time meditating on what it means to be a Prince of Egypt, What wisdom can we learn from the life of Joseph and Moses? After many days of meditation and ruminating on the topic, it suddenly dawned on me that we are right in the very same shoes as these men, we are that Prince of Egypt! Like the two Prophets, we are really from another nation. The ethos and governmental propositions of our nation is diametrically opposed to that of the nation in which we find ourselves. Yet, it is as if the Lord of our life commands us to suffer it to be so for now. Like our Lord, we must be shorn of the glory of our antecedence and be an active part and a subject to a system which at its heart is an enemy to our purpose.

Like Joseph, Moses and our Lord, we are required to learn excellence in the system. Moses spoke 70 languages, was a specialist in public speech given, He was reputed to be a War Hero, he knew all the knowledge of Egypt better than his Egyptian compatriots and he was accomplished in many other ways than most. Looking at the modern Christian Church, our profile is similar. The best education, the best in civil leadership; the best in business and military capacity are in the church: and our Lord intends it so to be.

We however have certain responsibilities. I will Itemize them in a short order.

A Prince must learn to Manage the Tension of Living in Two Worlds: Oh that God will give us the wisdom that WE ARE TO BE EXCELLENT IN THIS DAYS CONTEXT, but WE ARE NOT OF THIS DAY, WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD! Whatever our hands finds doing, we must do with all our might, but Our Focus must be on HIM the Author and the finisher of our faith.

A Prince must be Comfortable with Great Possessions: Freedom in the heart and being comfortable enough with possessions to have an innate willingness to release such possessions is the proof that we are comfortable with the possessions. Men always hold on tight to whatever they are not really comfortable with… but whatever we are comfortable with, we let loose knowing it will not be lost, it will come back to us. Moreover, the prince must realize that He is a steward of those possession and actively seek those for whom he is responsible to give it to.

A Prince must carefully Define His Passion: despite full integration into Egypt, the three Princes – Joseph Moses and Jesus had one passion- Canaan land. Joseph said: Never leave without taking my bones, Moses killed a man to prove his commitment to Canaan land; Jesus gave his life that he might take many sons into Canaan land. Our passion must be focused on heaven, from whence came Jesus!

A Prince must pay Attention to Unction: A Prince knows that nothing is really achieved but by the anointing. Long term impact is always a function of God’s hand upon a man. We also must learn this mystery and it will be well with our soul.

A Prince must wait for His Real Mission: All of God’s princes have myriads of daily responsibilities. All true Princes are aware – however that for their name to be written in the immortal cannons, there is a particular mission. When they carry out this mission – and win, then history looks on them with kindness. So a true Prince learns to wait on the Lord, he learns to renew his strength; he learns to focus and refocus; awaiting that glorious mission, that will cause him to hear: Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the rest of your Lord.