Gospel Life

This book, Four Levels of Practical Christianity, is predicated on the parable of the Sower given by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospels. In the parable, Jesus Christ told us of a Sower who generously sowed seeds in furrows on his farm. These seeds fell on four different soils namely, (a) roadside (b) rock (c) among the thorns, and (d) good soil.

But in this publication, there are expanded 5 stages embedded in Christian practical teaching, which a Christian soldier must go through. This coincidentally is the same number of basic stages in secular military training. “Thou, therefore, endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

 

 

“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier”

(2^nd Titus 2:-3-4).

 

Nevertheless, these 5 stages can be collapsed into four (4) stages as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 13: 1-8, 19-23).

 

I wish to state that there is no stereotypical mode of promotion or movement from one stage of Christianity to another as a Believer runs this race. An individual can meteorically rise from stage one to any stage in a fraction of a period, while it takes another Christian ample time to attain the same feat. It all depends on how well an individual handles his salvation pursuit and determination to achieve success. Apostle Peter, a disciple of Jesus Christ, and Apostle Paul are good examples in this regard.

Peter was with Jesus Christ for not less than three years (Luke 5:1-11), yet he denied His Master very easily (Luke 22:54-62); Peter went back to his secular profession (John 21: 3) after the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who commissioned him; even though Jesus had told them (His disciples) what was going to happen (Luke 22:31, 34).

Apostle Paul who came in much later had to correct Peter, a disciple who had been with Jesus Christ, to desist from hiding behind one finger – Galatians 2: 11-14. It can be concluded that Apostle Paul’s climbing the ladder was faster than Apostle Peter’s. This is not to judge anybody as they were all accomplishers in their areas of call. My reference is to explain the role of divine speed while undergoing training in the wilderness experience.

 

Similarities between Christian Army & Secular Soldiers

Comparing secular Roman soldiers (Ephesians 6: 10-20) with Christian soldiers is important because the Bible calls us soldiers for Christ (2nd Timothy 2:3) in addition, both descriptions of soldiers fight wars either physical or spiritual.

CHAPTER 2

SEEDS ALONG THE ROADSIDE

 

 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.

And ye are puffed up and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you

(1^st Corinthians 5: 1-2).

 

 

COMMON ATTRIBUTES OF THIS BELIEVER  

A NEW CONVERT OR CHRISTIAN

  

The main concern here is that this person, though a Christian, does not sin in secret because he is yet to understand the salvation he has received. His comprehension of the concept of salvation is shallow.

He therefore, sins openly.

 

 A shallow understanding of Plan of Salvation

The Brother hears the gospel, fears God, exalts God’s for His plan for salvation, and subsequently gives his life to Christ. Thereafter, he amalgamates his old life into the new

one. The salvation experience is but for a noticeably brief moment in his life even though he still goes to church regularly; attends Home & Life fellowships, Sunday School classes, Prayer meetings, etc.

 

The Brother is not ashamed of sinning (Genesis 35:22, 49:3-4, Leviticus 18: 8, Deuteronomy 22:30, Deuteronomy 27:20, 1^st Corinthians 5:1-2). He goes to church with his girlfriend (not fiancée or betrothed), he can call for a drinking spree with his old friends anywhere, be it bus stops, ‘joints’ or hotel premises (Matthew 10:32-39). He feels free to serve alcohol at his child’s naming ceremony, burial ceremony of his parents, etc. He will comfortably beat the traffic light as if it does not exist.

 

This Christian can fight anybody in the public and still be fulfilled about this inglorious behavior.

As said earlier, he is yet to grasp the understanding of a new life in Christ. He does not know nor does he understand the ethics of the new status.

Practicing unimaginable incest was found among these Christians who flaunted open relationships with their father’s wives and sadly, there was no one among the congregation or leaders who could chastise these Sinning-believers they were revered, probably given exalted positions in the church. The perpetrators got puffed up and refused to mourn. Having their fathers’ wives became a status symbol among these New Converts.

God used some of the Apostles, especially Apostle Paul to correct torrential misconceptions and practices in the New Testament churches. These were churches whose status just transformed from sinners to saints fusing their former style of living into a new one.

Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Rome, the danger of New Converts worshiping the created rather than Creator, which was the reason God gave them up for a reprobate life; a life devoid of reasonable or rational thought. God took away His defense from their thoughts and they behaved in manners alien to a normal human being. Because there can never be a vacuum in life, Satan will find a ready abode in such thoughts or minds and these human beings will do away with natural nature for an irrational quest. This is why the Bible talked about women and men glorifying in acts of lesbianism and gay practice, respectively.

 If this Seed By the Road Side Christian is a sister, she will conveniently fight her neighbors, colleagues, or business partners in public space with pleasure and satisfaction. She keeps malice with anyone and will even boast that ‘the misunderstanding between herself and her victim shall be settled in heaven.’

This person operating on this level simply glories in sins (1^st Corinthians 5:6).

This Christian fraudulently uses the Bible, the sterling Word of the living God, to justify his erroneous or corruptive tendencies. They justify telling ‘white lies’ to exonerate an error (1st Timothy 5:18).

I gave my life to Jesus Christ on 5th July 1992 as a fulfillment of a vow I took while seeking a corporate job. As said earlier, I left the university with a very weak result and ‘prayed’ to the God my sisters had been worshiping. I took a vow to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior if God would give me a corporate job.

That I got a corporate job at NICON Insurance was simply a miracle that only God could have orchestrated.

 My sister Mrs. Dupe Odeleye gave her life to Jesus Christ sometime in 1987 as an undergraduate at the then University of Ife, Ile Ife while Mrs. Foluke Amalu became a Christian when she was about 8 years old, in primary school. They had in some subtle manner encouraged me to follow suit, but I stuck to the way of the world even though we all came from a pious and enlightened home. Our faithful God honored His part of the deal on 2^nd July, which was a Thursday while I walked down the church aisle next Sunday, 5^th July, 1999 at Foursquare Gospel Church, 56, Karimu Street, Surulere.

Miserably, on the evening of my payday on 23^rd July 1992, I spent about N900.00 out of my N4,000.00 first salary to ‘wash’ my new job, at Lawanson Bus stop. I am sure that some of the readers of this book will affirm that Lawanson Bus stop is a smaller version

of Ojuelegba.

 The bus stop is 24/7 flooded with a crowd and to worsen my case, there were a handful of our church members living in this area, who could have seen me, yet I was not bothered. Remember that I was already a Christian having given my life to Jesus Christ on 5^th July. I spent more than double of my tithe on ‘washing’ my new job. This is one of the reasons why I shudder when some Christians question the rationale behind giving tithes to God, yet they conveniently spend more than 10% of their income on sinful activities.

 

 

Pools betting

This Christian does not see anything wrong in doing pool betting as a means of genuine income.

I have seen a couple of our youths (mainly) who participate in pool betting openly at pools betting parlors. Of course, they see this as a means of income fit for Christians. Some of them visit the pools betting parlors under the guise of playing billiards or snooker. They readily substantiate this vice by asking for bible texts that directly condemn betting. Without any remorse, they do betting in the open.

 

 Uncontrollable Temperament

These Christians get angry easily and openly. They react angrily to perceived aggression in a fraction of a second and do not see anything absurd or untoward in this attitude.

He tries to win every argument and insists that his points must be always accepted. They openly become malevolent when their points are rejected and will not want to forget the issue.

In some instances, this person forbids other brethren to contribute towards projects in his church. He wants to dominate every activity in the church. He vehemently and openly resists vows or pledges coming from other church members. This sounds unbelievable, doesn't it? But that is the truth. I once heard of a brother who told his pastor that, “ah! I thought I would be the person to buy this equipment for the use of the church.” This outburst was not as modest as I have stated it, but it came with palpable anger and insults.

At another instance, a leader in his church once attacked his pastor because the pastor made available some funds to purchase some assets for the use of their local assembly. This brother did not know when he voiced out his displeasure because someone else ‘played his role’.

A close friend of mine told me of an experience his wife had with a Christian tenant living in his mother-in-law's house.

 

To be continued