Olympics: Biblical encouragement on running to win the prize using the Kenyan long distance running prowess

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

1 Cor 9:24-27 (NLT)

The verses above come from Paul’s letter to the church in the city of Corinth. This was a historical city founded as early as 800 BC. It had been conquered by Rome and completely destroyed in 146 BC. Julius Caesar founded it again in 44 BC. He settled some of his war veterans here giving them lands and titles. It became the capital of the province of Achaia. Most of ancient Greece was contained within this province.

Greek and Latin were the main languages in the city. Greek was the language of daily use while Latin was principally for business purposes. It was strategically located on
a narrow waterway (only 6 kilometers wide). All North-South and East-West traffic had to pass through this port.

Paul and Silas planted the church in Corinth at around 50AD during their second missionary journey. (Acts 18:1-17) Their ministry was so successful that they stayed there for eighteen months. Only in Ephesus did Paul stay for three years.

In these verses, Paul uses a picture drawn from the Isthmian Games. This was the second most important Roman sports festival after the Olympic Games. The Isthmian games were held every two years in Corinth and attracted thousands of people from all over the Roman Empire. The sportsmen competed in six disciplines – athletics, boxing, wrestling, discuss throwing, javelin, and jumping. The modern Olympic games still incorporate these six disciplines. The winner was decorated with a pine wreath on their head. Paul refers to this crown as perishable. He contrasts it to the imperishable one a Christian receives after he finishes his race of life.

Historical records show that the games were held the following year while Paul and Silas were preaching in Corinth. It is highly likely that the missionary duo witnessed them. But he was writing this letter from Ephesus (1 Cor 16:8) as a reply to questions that the Corinthian saints had.

Since the games attracted tens of thousands of people, it seems Corinth did not have enough lodging facilities to house the visitors. The solution was the use of portable tents. These were simple coverings made from animal skins and goat hair, some of the finest materials in use in the ancient world. Paul himself was a tent maker. (Acts 18:3) It is therefore likely that Paul (alongside Aquila and Priscilla) did thriving business during the games.

But Corinth’s success was rivaled by its infamy on sexual vice. Its principal deity was Aphrodite, the goddess of sexual love.

The ancient Olympic games were first held in 776BC. They were the most prestigious event held in Olympia in Greece. The games were held every four years in July in honor of the Greek god Zeus, the senior-most god in the Greek pantheon. The champions in the different disciplines were awarded a wreath from a sacred olive tree. They were considered blessed by the gods and got eternal fame throughout the empire. In addition, they got other favors, awards, and privileges from their home cities.

Paul used the images of the games in three other portions of scripture. He wrote to his son Timothy in his farewell letter in 2 Tim 2:5; 4:7-8, and to the Hebrews in Heb 12:1. It is also possible that he wrote to the Philippians with this image in mind (Phil 3:14).

African athletes have excelled in the modern Olympic Games. More specifically, Kenya clinched most medals in the middle and long-distance races. The middle and long-distance races are the 800 m, 1,500 m (the mile), 3,000 m steeplechase, 5,000 m, 10,000 m, and the full marathon (42 km).

These middle and long-distance races differ from the sprints. The sprints are categorized as 100m, 200m, 400m, 400 m relay, and 400 m x 4 relays. Generally, the fastest athlete wins. Speed is key in sprint races.

However, in long-distance races, an athlete requires endurance rather than speed. However, speed is always important in the final lap. This is what athletes call the final kick. Having conserved his energy by properly pacing himself, an athlete unleashes a momentous burst of energy and sprints down to the finishing line. In other words, middle and long-distance races not only require intense training, but they also require strategic running. As Christians, each one of us needs to focus on his race of life, endure and finish strong.

Kenya in particular has pride of place on the winner's podium. In the thirty-first (XXXI) Olympiad (Rio 2016) Kenya was the best-placed African country at position sixteen. The country had a total of thirteen medals (six gold, six silver, and one bronze). In the thirty-second (XXXII) Olympiad, Kenya emerged position nineteenth overall with a total of ten medals (four gold, four silver, and two bronze.) These were in the men’s and women’s marathon, men’s 800 m, and women’s 1,500 m.

The essence of the verses is an emphasis on training in order to compete rightly. Training gives the athlete the confidence to run his race and focus on the prize.

Onward African Christian Soldiers

The last few days have stirred up deep pride in the Church of Jesus Christ in Kenya and Africa at large. 
Last week,  several church leaders in Nyanza openly called MP's and local politicians, hypocrites. The ecclesiastical leaders charged that the political leaders were doing little to help people get out of poverty.  They added that these politicians were only interested in political  succession battles. 
As was expected,  the politicians from ODM,  the powerhouse in the region came out fighting. Characteristically,  they lashed out at the church leaders almost questioning their moral  credentials.
Yesterday,  Evangelical Alliance of Kenya and other Christian religious organizations united in the call for them to be included in the 'handshake'.  They argue that they represent a critical segment of society.
As expected,  the backlash was severe.  The constant criticism was on 'tithe eating',  'offering loving', 'celebrity pastors' among other epithets.
I rise to support these Christian leaders for asserting the Church's critical position in national dialogue and healing.  To those whose harsh words are directed at the church,  I believe  she welcomes the bricks and bats. After all,  Jesus said 'woe unto you if everyone  likes you'. (Luke 6:26) That's a sure sign that you are conforming to society's standards instead of God's word.
Onward African Christian soldiers march.

Christian philosophy is the light for Kenya

Christianity in Kenya is a daily reality, as seen through this
street art. 

'Re-situating reason as the foundation of our society and engine of its aspirations must now be an urgent task of our activism' the author emphatically sums up this opprobrium against the church. Yet the author (and the paper) have colluded to ignorantly launch barbs at Christianity.
In summary, this piece tries to explain why religion (yet the author has the church specifically in his mind) and its growing role in Kenyan politics is a retrogressive idea. His idea is that reason and religion (church) can never co-exist. He goes further on a historical fishing (mis)adventure in shallow historical waters. His intention is to prove his personal notions by trying to get history to align with his fantastic ideas. Let me quote a few of his blunt sayings.
'Human beings need spiritual fulfilment. But when religion becomes a substitute for strategic action to solve our problems, then our society is in danger of regressing to a situation akin to that of the Middle Ages.' This does not make sense. From the beginning (I am Christian), ancient societies never knew a dichotomy between religion and the 'secular' world. This is a product of the 17th-18th century age of enlightenment. Philosophers, thinkers and men of reason began questioning the rationale of religion. Though it resulted in greater knowledge and refinement of religion, it also caused extremists to conjure up fantasies just for the sake of cramping up religious space. This is where the author has situated his argument, in a land called phantasmagoria, where people all their time talking endlessly about the latest ideas without coming to any meaningful conclusion.
Indeed, religion was (and is) an all-powerful balm in everyone's life, to the point that it was abused by men. This is really a problem of man and his self-serving desire to control fellow man for his own benefit. This is false (or contaminated) religion. Even the bible discerns between false and true (pure and undefiled) religion. James 1:27 declares that true religion is 'to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.' (ESV) Essentially, true religion is an issue of a beneficial relationship between one and his fellow man as well as rightness with God. Without knowing it, the writer's argument gets theological. He has just swum into the open sea. The article becomes theologically turbulent without hope of rescue. The author has no grasp of the Church and its nature. Let us throw him (and the newspaper) a lifejacket and lifeline.
He says industrial revolution and democracy are proof of human reason. Democracy itself is a confused idea. Even early philosophers saw it as more autocratic than absolute monarchies. (My opinion: Kenya and Zimbabwe in 2017 are proof that democracy is really a horror movie with an awesome trailer.) History shows us that the 14th century Church Reformation was the precursor to the Industrial Revolution. The church was able to recover and rebuild its true foundations. This allowed for critical thinking which led to innovations and discoveries that changed the world (and are still changing the world). Christian philosophy was behind this revolution. It is based on The Man Jesus Christ's innovative and true teachings that had been distorted by years of contaminated religion.
This author brings home his argument of reason over Christianity's dalliance with Kenyan politics by arguing subtly for separation of Church and state. Indeed he lampoons 'conniving clergy', exercising 'retrogressive influence on our politics and society' and an 'epidemic of preachers laying hands on politicians from both the opposition and government'. He singles out the national prayer breakfast as a hypocritical show of Church's influence. He also scoffs at the recent spate of cleansing prayers at accident blackspots arguing that reason should prove these misfortunes are a result of corruption and bad roads. As is now common, 'faith-based' miracles are labelled as conmanship. Bad leadership is also singled out as the cause of poverty and underdevelopment. He has very valid points, (of course except for the often repeated stereotypical lie about most preachers.) The general tone of the article paints the church and its beliefs as hocus pocus and spiritual twaddle. Reason then, to this author, is Kenya's salvation.
By reasoning then, I must ask Tee Ngugi, who owns The East African and what is his agenda!

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/oped/comment/The-thieving-leaders-and-a-conniving-clergy/434750-4248996-n096gr/index.html

The Terrible Failure of the Secular Gospel

By Michael Brown

http://www.charismamag.com/life/culture/23142-the-terrible-failure-of-the-secular-gospel

Almost 20 years ago, the journal First Things published an article by a famous German theologian named Wolfhart Pannenberg titled "How to Think About Secularism." In the article, Pannenberg outlined the nature of secularism and how it threatened the church, also explaining how the church should not respond to the challenge.

Looking back, it's clear that many of our pastors and leaders have done the opposite of what he counseled, and we are paying the price for it today.

Pannenberg himself was orthodox in some of his beliefs and unorthodox in others, but I'm focusing here on his observations about secularism rather than his overall theology.

Tracing today's Western secularism back to the 17th century, he wrote, "A public climate of secularism undermines the confidence of Christians in the truth of what they believe."

So, it is not just a matter of Christians becoming worldly and materialistic. Instead, the secular climate undermines our confidence in the truthfulness of the gospel.

At the same time, Pannenberg writes, "In a secular milieu, even an elementary knowledge of Christianity, 'its history, teachings, sacred texts, and formative figures' [quoting Peter L. Berger] dwindles. It is no longer a matter of rejecting Christian teachings; large numbers of people have not the vaguest knowledge of what those teachings are."

This is exactly what we see today in America and Europe, where a large percentage of the population is completely ignorant of the fundamentals of the faith. Is it any wonder, then, that we find ourselves in such a moral and spiritual tailspin?

But this is only the beginning. As Pannenberg notes, "The more widespread the ignorance of Christianity, the greater the prejudice against Christianity," and when people do search for spiritual truth, they seek out alternative religions instead.

Is this not an accurate description of our nation today, with widespread ignorance of the gospel leading to an increasing hostility to the gospel, and with the assumption that true spirituality must be found in another faith (or outside of any particular faith)?

Truth itself is under attack, as Pannenberg wrote with almost prophetic accuracy: "In the view of many, including many Christians, Christian doctrines are merely opinions that may or may not be affirmed according to individual preference, or depending on whether they speak to personally felt needs. ... Missionary proclamation was once understood as bringing the truth to others, and was therefore both legitimate and extremely important. For many today, the missionary enterprise is a matter of imposing our personal preferences and culturally conditioned prejudices upon others, and is therefore not only illegitimate but morally offensive."

"How dare you impose your religion on us," shouts the world to us incessantly.

That's why the "destruction of [the very idea of truth] is key to legitimating a secularist culture, since the idea of truth touches on secularism's greatest vulnerability."

How then should we respond to the crisis of secularism? What did Pannenberg counsel? Read these words carefully, and then ask yourself if we have followed his counsel or if we have done the exact opposite:

"The absolutely worst way to respond to the challenge of secularism is to adapt to secular standards in language, thought, and way of life. If members of a secularist society turn to religion at all, they do so because they are looking for something other than what that culture already provides. It is counterproductive to offer them religion in a secular mode that is carefully trimmed in order not to offend their secular sensibilities."

He has hit the bull's eye with his analysis. But there's more: "What people look for in religion is a plausible alternative, or at least a complement, to life in a secularist society. Religion that is 'more of the same' is not likely to be very interesting."

To be clear, Pannenberg stressed that he was not arguing for "dead traditionalism," noting that, "The old-fashioned ways of doing things in the churches may include elements that are insufferably boring and empty of meaning."

Rather, "Christianity proposed as an alternative or complement to life in a secularist society must be both vibrant and plausible. Above all, it must be substantively different and propose a difference in how people live."

In other words, we must show the world something radically different. We must call the lost into something radically different. We must live lives that are truly different, characterized by the radical, wonderful nature of the gospel and the radical, wonderful new life we experience in Jesus.

Unfortunately, when we try to accommodate our message and method to the secular society, and "when the offending edges are removed, people are invited to suspect that the clergy do not really believe anything so very distinctive."

Why should people listen to us if our message and lives are just like theirs? If we are just like the world, what are we calling the world to? We hurt and bleed like everyone else, and we deal with the same problems everyone deals with, but our message really does bring transformation.

That means that, "The plausible and persuasive presentation of Christian distinctives is not a matter of marketing. It is a matter of what the churches owe to people in our secularist societies: the proclamation of the risen Christ, the joyful evidence of new life in Christ, of life that overcomes death."

And while stating that, "Authentic Christian teaching appropriates all that is valid in the secularist culture," Pannenberg emphasizes that it does so while taking hold of and proclaiming the very truths that the secularist society neglects or even disdains.

Sadly, so many of our American pastors have gone in the opposite direction, and as things have declined in our churches, they have reaffirmed their error rather than corrected it.

In short, they followed a worldly philosophy of accommodation (which is very different than wise, Spirit-led, cultural sensitivity), but rather than this bringing a wave of renewal, salvation and discipleship, it brought more spiritual decline in the form of superficiality and compromise.

Then, as these leaders continued to survey the spiritual landscape, looking at the defection of so many young people from the church and the increasing hostility towards Christianity in our society, rather than recognizing that the real problem was lack of deep commitment to the radical claims of Jesus, they watered down the message even more, removing even more of the offensive edges, lowering the requirements and emphasizing what is trending more than what is truthful.

Now, the floodgates of apostasy have opened wide, and yet so many leaders still do not recognize what has happened, continuing to put the blame in the wrong place.

Yes, by all means, let us be sensitive and compassionate in our outreach to the lost, and let us with humility give ourselves to bless this dying world, living as servants rather than as those who are "holier than thou."

But let us not accommodate the gospel to secularism. Instead, let us show how totally different and other the gospel is, how dramatically transformative new life in Jesus is, and how it is absolutely worth it to know Him and follow Him to the point that we joyfully swim against the tide of a very worldly world, having exactly what this society so desperately needs.

Then, empowered by the Spirit as we proclaim the truth and live the truth, we will change the world rather than the world changing us.

This article was authored by Michael Brown on Charisma Magazine's website on 4/28/2015. You can access the full article by clicking this link http://www.charismamag.com/life/culture/23142-the-terrible-failure-of-the-secular-gospel

Biblical Perspectives on Wealth

The basic concept of wealth is: If you know the truth about money and wealth, you will reduce money - induced stress. 
Riches attract friends (Proverbs 14:20). Wealth also has wings and flies away. It is very important for the Christan to pray to God the Father to release from the 'normal' conundrum of paying bills for example, rent and buy your own home. Indeed, one of the characteristics of rich people is that they own the roof over their heads.
Keep in mind that genuine faith is far more precious than any amount of gold. Riches truly are corruptible. They are uncertain riches, so we cannot place any faith on them but in the God that gives us riches to richly enjoy.
In the pursuit of possessions, use the same wealth and possessions to pursue Jesus. Remember, wisdom is the principal thing. Get it and get understanding.
God bless us with wealth and wisdom to use wealth to advance your agenda on the earth. Your will be done.