August 12, 2016 by Jide Ajayi • Thoughts • Tags: bible reading, church •
Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden
Is 29:13–14.
May 31, 2016 by Jide Ajayi • Issues, Life, Thoughts • Tags: church, faithfulness, life •
We all love success. It is one trait in us that makes us feel complete and allows us to express our desires, purpose and expectation. The world around us says only successful people deserve to be heard and have the platform to live their lives before others as they wish and we should not have a contrary opinion because they have something we don’t have just as they have achieved things we have not and so we need to let them talk and tell us how they became so successful so we can add them to the list of other achievers we are currently trying to emulate.
This is a pattern that works. This is why footballers and musicians and actors and businessmen and entrepreneurs are idolized. They have attained that which we wish and hope for and have not attained and we can only hope to meet it by emulating them. It works in businesses, schools, hospitals and everywhere you have humans.
Everywhere you have humans this works and that is including the Church. What is special about the church that it should not work there one might ask. There is a lot about the church that makes it a unique organization, that exempts its from certain things that are acceptable or commonplace in most areas of life but has no place in the church. The reasons are stated below.
The church is one with divine ordination.
The church does not exist to fulfill the personal desire of any of us. It is an institution that God created by his own means and ways, sustained and kept alive throughout the ages according to his divine will. The is the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, bought by the precious blood of Christ. Until God created it, there was none other like it. From its beginning, the church has been designed to break all barriers that affect human designs and to make the brotherhood of all believers across race, social status and time such that God alone is worshipped and glorified.
The church is not your typical organization.
The church does not exist so that it can operate like your typical organization. It’s leaders are not CEOs just as their visions and their goals are not about increasing profitability, rather, they to lead the people as shepherds and fellow heirs. While in dealing with a lot of people at the same time and in the same place and within the confines of a local church can bring up its own challenge, the means and the methods are to glorify God according to his revelation in the bible.
The church is called to faithfulness not success.
The Bible was written over many centuries but speaks of the things revealed by God himself in the written form. In it we learn of his mercy and grace and interaction with man. In it we learn of the rule of faith and practice. It is the word of God that can be verified by all and not subject to private interpretation. In the bible, the church gets its guidance on how to order its business in line with the desire of her Lord and Savior. Therefore the measure of progress is not the typical signs of success like increased sales, increased popularity but obedience to God and faithfulness to his means and ways. This is the success that counts.
January 6, 2013 by Jide Ajayi • Issues, Life • Tags: church, life •
Why do we go to church? This is a question that I believe every Christian should ask at least once a year. The question is important because it helps to appraise whether the reason for the activity is still valid or has been supplanted by some noble project or ideal.
In this part of the world where the willingness to partake in some out of the world experience in the name of being spiritual and days and night being fully booked with programs, prayers and tarrying, the church experience for most people is that of activity upon activity where the expectation is to sit, stand, dance, pray, listen, stand, sit and dance some more. It begs the question when the do you have the opportunity to serve and be a Christian in the world?
To be a Christian is to be like Christ and to follow Christ this fact is well expressed and explained in the bible see Act 11:26
The habit of Christians with respect to gathering together was encouraged in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25.
This is the reason and one that should motivate anyone trying to leave church or stay at home from church to have a change of mind.
This is also a reason to have an expectation that is inline with being Christian. The church is a place where we should be encouraged to dig deeper into the word, to mature in Christ, to learn to love one another a d bear the burden of one another. This is not the place to show off that God has blessed me more than my brother or has favored me above my contemporary.
We can get so busy looking for a parcel of land, executing a building project, installing new equipment that we get carried away by the busyness and forget The Lord.
The new shining church or video display system and software doesn’t make God any bigger if anything, it might just be our ego!
These things are good and at times important but never more important than maximizing the opportunity the fellowship at church provides.
So church let’s embrace the church for what it is this year
Shepherd’s Conference 2017
March 1, 2017 by Jide Ajayi • Issues • Tags: church, conference, leadership, life •
The Annual Shepherd’s Conference Summit of the Grace Community Church Sun Valley California has started. The event will run from Feb 28 to March 3, 2017. This edition is celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
So far it has been exciting and encouraging. And the wonderful thing is it streamed life so for folks who are too far to go or can’t make out the time to visit the beautiful campus of Grace Community Church, it is an opportunity to be a part of the summit.