Diasporic Church, the weather is getting warmer as Summer is gradually pushing in, currently at 78 Degrees Fahrenheit. Reflecting on last week’s “Pentecost” Sunday amidst changes in my life and family. Today, I am seated inside my beloved “restaurant,” with the warm air outside and chilly inside; a layer of cloudy steam is forming on the glass windows, reminding me of my current valley of decision-making. Despite the mist blocking my clarity, it does not mean that the outside is blurry and dull. Child of God, do you feel like me? Are you unsure of what tomorrow holds? Cheer up because our God is “Alpha and Omega,” The First and Last, and has our tomorrow worked out if you only believe and obey.

The words of the apostle John are heartwarming at such moments. My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin. (1 John 2:1) Why does the Elder John use the pet name “MY LITTLE CHILDREN?” Is he calling them so because he is an elder talking to a younger generation, a master at talking to his disciples; he is a mature believer mentoring younger believers? Whatever the case, the term my little children defines a status everyone must possess to live the Christian way. In Matthew 18:2-4 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. What a great lesson to learn from Jesus Christ that humility invites exaltation. As a “little child,” It does not matter HOW RIGHT one is in winning a conflict; having your way does not make you a winner; every time you have your way, you lose your partner. Win your partner, not the argument! That is the posture of a “little child.”

My little children in Greek (Tek-nee-on), my “sweet ones,” John calls them, are anointed and abiding in the anointing, full of knowledge, and do not need a teacher. But he goes in-depth to remind them of their faith’s basic tenets, which they were seemingly beginning to forget. Who were these “sweet ones?” This writing, possibly to the Churches in modern-day Turkey, was meant to equip the diaspora churches growing outside the confines of Jerusalem yet undergoing socio-political and religious pressure from forces within and outside.  Today, this region that flourished with Christendom is estimated to have a population of about 0.2% of Christians of all forms out of 86 million Turkish people, one Christian for every 500 people. The majority are Muslim, with many of the ancient churches founded by the early Christians, including Paul and John, being converted to “Mosques, Museums and Music” cultural centers. The Old, rugged cross has been substituted by the way to the crescent symbol.

The “Diasporic Church” shares many similarities to the Asia minor church. Faced with socio-political, religious, and cultural pressures that threaten our traditional fabric of faith that we inherited from our first-generation parents. I have listened to most of us share concerns about the challenge these shifts have put on us and our third culture children, who have no idea what we are complaining about. And I believe that if we do not take the warning of Elder John, the gospel will continue in another space while we reap the consequences of not paying attention to God.

• My “Little Children,” when did we last drop the ball? What will you do about it?

Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people, ‘but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favour with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favour with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” (Exodus 33:12,13)

Seeking Soul while Abraham teaches us to agonize for the city; on day ten of prayer, Moses reminds us to be a voice for the people by “Taking God to Task” for the course of His people, whom he has created after His image. As you read the book of Exodus, You almost wish you would skip chapter 32. In this chapter, we find the children of Israel turning from God to worship the golden calf. They had waited too long while Moses got stuck on the mountain with God.

They got tired of waiting; they wanted to move on, but they could not go on without a leader and God. So they fixed a plan: First, to enthrone Aaron as a tentative leader to take the place of Moses, and second, to make a golden calf to substitute God. In essence, they plot a coup against Moses and God. Soul, when Moses returns, he chooses to deal with the rebellious crowd with his understanding. It is here that Moses separates the “hypocrites” from the “true worshipers.”

According to Exodus 32:26, Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him. And the Levites separated themselves from the rest and, from that day, were chosen to be servants of God. Moses commands the Levites to kill all men who prostituted with the idol; about 3000 people are instantly killed, including brothers, neighbors, and friends. As if that is not enough, God strikes the Israelites with a plague to punish the sin of rebellion.

In this chapter, Beloved Soul, we encounter Moses, the great intercessor. A great man to derive some prayer principles from today. While they were on the mountain, God hinted to Moses that he would want to eradicate the Israelite community and begin a whole new generation through Moses. Yet Moses pleads for their survival without knowing the gravity of his people’s idolatry. Moses descends from the mountain and cannot contain his anger at the extent to which the Israelites had fallen from Grace. He is so mad at them that he takes on himself to punish those who had worshiped the Golden Calf. Moses grinds the golden calf into dust and forces the digressers to drink Golden Calf Powder Juice.

After the death of the 3,000 people, Moses hurried back to the mountain to have an audience with God. He pleads passionately with God to disregard the people’s sins because, according to Moses, he had already inflicted sufficient punishment. He bargains with God to remove his name from the Book of Life and spare the children of Israel. Another example, Seeking Soul, of how God can choose to answer our prayers! In this case… God says no, he who sins is the one I will remove his name from the Book of Life! Every man for his soul.

God is about to dispatch His people, Israel, for the final quest into the promised land. They are standing between their slavery past and their free future. Seeking Soul, as we begin this year in prayer, I believe that’s where most of us are in life. We are standing between our past and our future, waiting to hear that ultimate word of God, whether to proceed and how to proceed. Soul, the beginning of the year, comes with its packages of uncertainties, expectations, and anxiety.

Dear Soul, shifting from the bloody scene of Exodus 32, Exodus 33 is a conversation between Moses and His friend God.  A calculated prayer where Moses seeks God’s attention by “Stating his case and listening to God’s intentions. From verse two, God initiates the conversation with a series of promises: the company of an angel the eradication of all enemies. and the inheritance of the Promised land

BUT WITHOUT THE PRESCENCE OF GOD.

God says, “But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.” (Exodus 33:3). Seeking Soul, Moses Takes God to Task in three significant areas we can learn today:

1. THE PROMISE: Do not settle for a promise without God’s Presence. Seeking Soul, every single moment, life offers a series of opportunities and favors. The fact is that not all opportunities that come our way are meant for Good! Remember, all that glitters is not gold, and if the deal is too good, think twice. Prayer precedes all. Moses tells God, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” (Exodus 33:15). Pray for discernment and against every distracting spirit that takes God’s people from his ordained purpose.
2. THE PRESCENCE: Seeking Soul, “Without holiness, no one will see God.” Whoever seeks the Prescence of God must be ready to abide by the standards of God. God states His position to Moses, “But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.” (Exodus 33:3). Seeking Soul, the Prayer of a righteous person prevails. I challenge you to stand in the gap like Moses and appeal to the mercies of God for all in need. Moses says to God, “Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people” (Exodus 33:13 KJV)
3. THE POWER: Answered Prayer demonstrates God’s Power. Seeking Soul, the conversation shifts a notch higher; this time, it is Moses presenting his case. Remember, Moses and God were so close to each other that the bible records:  And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. (Exodus 33:11a KJV) The persistent faith of Moses, the priest, and the prophet is seen here. Moses declares to God, “For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth (Exodus 33:16 KJV). Dear Seeking Soul, Pray that the power of God will be revealed in families, churches, communities, and the marketplace and that those who see God at work will worship him for His great deeds.

Seeking Soul, Your work is an evangelistic tool to the world around you. How will you represent God wherever you are, so that those around you may experience the “Promises, Prescence and Power of God? 

And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:23-25)

Seeking Soul, now that our eyes are getting opened and our hearts getting heavier with the burdens that burden God’s heart, our knees should bend in humble adoration as we CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD, just like the tax collector who was deeply grieved by his sin that he could not look up to the holiness of God’s Prescence to demand anything. I call on us to “Beat our breast” in shame for divine intervention, understanding that it is not our compulsion that moves God to respond but rather His mercy over our deprived state. (Luke 18:9-14)

In Genesis 16, Mr. and Mrs. Abram intervene to help God fulfill the covenant promise he had made to Abraham. The result is the consequence of a son who would be an enemy and troublesome to his brothers. In Genesis 17, God not only renews His covenant with Abram by introducing circumcision, for without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin, but He also changes their names. He demands of them a new wholistic commitment: “…walk before Me and be blameless” (Genesis 17:1). In their conversion, God “baptizes” Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. While Abram and Sarai both imply Father and Mother of “many,” God manifests His Omnipotence by expanding their influence beyond their immediate family to include “nations.” In the renewed covenant, Abraham and Sarah become the father and mother of “many nations.”

Dear Seeking Soul, God is determined to make it right through you. As you choose by faith to walk before God blameless, he transforms your perspectives from seeing local to seeing global. The apostle Paul prays the same for the Ephesian Church. Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come (Ephesians 1:15-21). 

Seeking Soul, from the intercession prayer of Paul to the Ephesians, we learn some benefits of having a “global” perspective:

1. Attentiveness: Since I heard of your Faith – Soul, you can only know the plight of others, neighbors, and nations by getting involved and being engaged, and you will get what to pray for daily.
2. Gratefulness: Do not cease to give thanks – Soul, building relationships with others will fill you with gratitude for what God is doing among them.
3. Distinctiveness: Making mention of you – Soul, constant remembrance demands intentionality and takes a personal interest in others and what they are going through.
4. Godliness: God of our Lord – Soul, God is the source of all wisdom, knowledge, enlightenment, hope, glory, power, and dominion; you can approach God confidently with the assurance that He can take care of issues, no matter what.

Once the eyes of Abraham are opened, his interests become Global. In Genesis 16, his “local” vision sees an heir to be received through his servant; in Genesis 18, Abraham’s “global” eyes are opened to Intercede for the city of Sodom and Gomorrah to be spared from destruction for the sake of his nephew Lot. Notice how Abraham is so sensitive not to allow the “Lord to pass by. ” He appealed to the favor of God. Due to his generosity, Abraham and Sarah are promised by “The Lord” a child. When the Divine guests seek to move over to Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy it due to “the outcry against the city,” Abraham cries for the City, appealing to God not to destroy the “righteous with the wicked.”

Dear Seeking Soul, shift your “local” lenses to “global” and see the outcry of the cities destined for judgment. Open your eyes to the  Seven Mountains of influence in every city attributed to Bill Bright, Loren Cunningham, and Francis Schaeffer. How are these areas influencing your city?

1. Religion: The Church (Religion) & Christian Laborers; Evangelism and Discipleship; Other Faiths and Belief Systems & Unreached Peoples. Identify and pray over the idols that are taking over the people’s hearts away from God.
2. Family: Family and Marriages; Parenting & The Vulnerable children; The Elderly & People with special needs; Poor and Displaced. Pray over the sustenance of the home institution that God founded.
3. Education: Teachers, professors; Youth and Senior High Schools; Colleges and Universities; Kindergarten and Elementary, Middle School and junior High. Pray against every mind that exalts itself above the purposes of God.
4. Business: The Economy, Health Care, Humanitarian Ministries, and NGOs. Pray for the marketplace economics against corruption and injustice that perpetuates slavery and poverty as a few benefits at the expense of many.
5. Government: Local and National Government; The Military & State, County Employees; Human Rights and Individual Freedoms; Crime and Violence; Justice and Integrity. Pray over every authority that God will use them to accomplish His purpose for the nations.
6. Media: Radio, TV, Print, Internet; Social Networking & News Media; Pornography Industry; Alternative lifestyles. Pray that the destructive forces of evil will be confused and that all media be used to proclaim the Gospel to hasten the coming of our Lord.
7. Arts and Entertainment: Arts and Movie Industry; Cultural Entertainment and Traditions; Addictions; Prayer of Salvation, Deliverance and Sanctification. Pray for deliverance from “hurts, habits, and hang-ups” that enslave people and nations to be unproductive.

Seeking Soul, what areas of influence in your city would you bring before God in Prayer?

…Then men began to call on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 4:26)

Seeking Soul, I am back to the “Restaurant” that has become my hiding space to seek the Lord. Today, amid the noises and chats from diverse people encroaching on this space and the sound of Middle Eastern Orient instrumental “Oud” music in the background, I am cast back to Eden. I can barely hear people’s conversations as I am lost in His Prescence filled in His word. God has impressed upon my heart to study the generations that grew outside the Eden sanctuary after Adam and Eve were cast out of the sacred Prescence of God as a result of disobedience. 

Mr and Mrs Adam lost both of their children, the second-born Abel, murdered by his brother, and the first-born Cain, cursed to damnation and mental deprivation by God as a result of his atrocities. Through Cain, true worship was exterminated when he killed his brother Abel, whose sacrifice God had accepted. Cain is jealous and masterminds the first murder recorded in human history. God intervened and warned Cain, “…Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6) 

The demise of worship comes with Cain being banished from the Prescence of God. Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden (Genesis 6:16). The generations that followed Cain are intertwined in this curse of violence and deprivation. Lamech Cain’s grandson deviates from God’s order of marital fidelity and takes on two wives. Sadly, Lamech continues the generational curse committed by his grandfather Cain when he confesses to his wives: “…I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me.”

Dear Seeking Soul, as we plunge deeper into prayer, our eyes in His Prescence begin to open to the diverse wickedness that bedevils our souls, families, communities, and nation. Is it not true what the scriptures say about those who choose to forsake God; “…The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me. (Deuteronomy 28:20) But does God reveal this so that we can join in judging the world? Seeking Soul, would you participate in responding to God’s dilemma; “…I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. (Ezekiel 22:30)

In my study, I am listening to the Oriental dirge music of the “Oud,” reminding me of the pain of the children, mothers, and fathers in the Middle East, ravaged by war that knows no boundaries. Those who sleep and rise with the wails of sirens and the tearing sounds of explosions. The trauma of death, bloodshed, and maiming leave unforgettable scars that only God can heal. The deep-seated vengeance that has become a malignant infection eating into the human soul. I hear the sacred warning from God demanding action. When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. (Ezekiel 3:18,19)

Seeking Soul ALL IS NOT LOST! Despite the decadence and state of spiritual derailment during the Adams era, a new season dawns. The Bible says, …And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Genesis 4:25,26). Abel is replaced in the person of “Seth,” who bears a son called “Enosh”. When all was thought lost, God, in His mercies, remembered Adam and gave him a seed that would restore once more the Prescence of God. With the Birth of Lamech, the grandson of Cain, evil was perpetuated, BUT In the birth of Enosh, the grandson of Lamech, Worship is restored. Hallelujah! And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then, men began to call on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 4:26)

Dear Soul, God is initiating a restoration. As your inner eyes are open, you begin to see gaps that can only be filled with divine intervention, healings that only God causes, restoration of broken relationships, and deep-flowing forgiveness. YES! When you take your space and intercede and bring these issues before God. Do not fall into the trap of fixing the problems and seeking man-made solutions. BEGIN TO CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD. Call the name of the Lord over:

• Every barren circumstance
• Every prevailing evil that binds into captivity
• Every broken relationship
• Every destructive hurt, habit, and hang-ups

CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD!

Oh, Soul, may God now open your eyes to the truth; Cain, in his “possessions,” failed to worship God in Spirit and Truth and is cursed to wander, while Abel, his victim, was all poured out in total surrender just like “breath” as his name suggests. Yet through Adam, a third son, “Seth” as a “Compensation” for his first loss, through whom the prophecy of a seed to crush the serpent’s head would be born. And through Seth, “Enosh,” whose name refers to “Mankind,” is born. God begins all over again to restore a relationship with humanity with the coming of “Enosh.” Enosh also gets Enoch, who walked with God till he was “no more,” and Noah, by whom God begins a whole new lineage of Mankind.

Thus says the Lord, When I shut up heaven, and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2Chronicles 7:13,14) Seeking Soul, take your Bible and notebook; as you read through the story of  Genesis 4, ask God to open your eyes to the things that break the heart of GOD. What are the things the Holy Spirit is raising to you that you can begin CALLING ON THE NAME OF THE LORD about?

Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar, her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife… (Genesis 16:3)

Seeking Soul, did you realize sometimes God needs help? That is what Sarai (Mrs. Abram) figured out. On this seventh day of prayer and fasting, you are highly expectant of beginning to receive answers to prayer. You feel you have just accomplished the perfection season of God. Today, God did a miracle by directing me to meet a stranger I barely knew, to intervene in the needs of our church in a significant way. God answers prayer!

Sarai may have heard the conversation between God and Abram and wondered how that could be. God had promised Abram in Genesis 15:4 “…“This one (Eliezer) the servant, shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Realizing she was aging and without the biological viability to become pregnant, she crafted a plan that would help her realize God’s promise.

Dear Seeking Soul, does that sound familiar? You need a  relationship; you search for it. You need money; you work for it. Have you not heard the common phrase that “God helps those who help themselves?” You bribe to get your way and thank God for giving you money to realize your desire. Soul, are we not the proverbial hyena who finds a bone on the road and instructs the bone that “if you don’t move from my way, I will have no choice but to eat you?”

In chapter sixteen of Genesis, Sarai relates her bareness to God, who has “restrained her from bearing children.” She is generous enough to offer her maidservant to the husband to bear a son for her as a surrogate mother of sought. That was a common customary habit of wealthy people who would get children through their “slave” laborers.

Seeking Soul, the Bible clearly indicates that “…Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.” What? Oh yes, even after the elaborate argument with God and sealing the covenant with blood, Abram never thought it prudent to consult with God before implementing his wife’s “emergency intervention plan” (emip). Please hold on before casting the first stone on Sarai. Don’t you think that is who we are?

Seeking Soul, do you feel as though you have waited too long for the answer to your prayer? You know you have done it right by praying, fasting, meditating on the word, and waiting upon the Lord. You suddenly remember that maybe I need to take the initiative by making this one call; what is wrong with spending one night to demonstrate my love? It looks like we will get married anyway! Soon, you realize you have made compromises and must bear the consequences of the drastic steps taken without consulting God.

It is not long before Sarai and Abraham are faced with a domestic quarrel. The slave girl despises Sarai now that she has gotten pregnant, Sarai blaming Abram for the jealousy fit and Abram lashing back at Sarai to deal with the girl according to her desire.  Sarai renders Hagar the slave to become homeless, and if it were not for God’s intervention, a pregnant woman would have starved to death in the wilderness. Seeking Soul, what lessons do we learn from this love scandal episode?

1. Divine Plan: There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12) Does your plan have the approval of God? Count the cost of the ultimate consequences.
2. Ultimate Purpose: Sarai intended to get a child through her husband; she never cared about the means. God was particular and had already stated that Abram was to get an heir, not just a child. Besides, this heir was not to come through the slave path. God never needed help from Sarai to make that happen.  Thus says the Lord, ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession (Psalm 2:8)
3. Sure Posterity: Through Abram’s son, a nation would be formed, a righteous nation after God to displace all the idol-worshiping nations that existed in the land. Abram’s heir would become a solution to the “evil” that prevailed. Unfortunately, with the coming of “Ishmael,” a lasting “restlessness” would coexist among the brothers. The Bible says, “Ishmael, shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” (Genesis 16:12)

Seeking Soul, how have you found yourself attempting to help, instead of waiting on God?

Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” (1 Samuel 1:13,14)

Let me usher you to the beginning…She was a desperate woman who wept day and night from the ridicule of her cowife because she could not get pregnant; the Bible says that “…her rival also provoked her severely to make her miserable.” The narrator goes further to describe the depth of the desperation “…that the Lord had shut her womb,” what can get worse than that? Even God was involved in her anguish.

In her desperation, she was blind to the overflowing love of her husband, who lavished her more to compensate for her childlessness; nothing could satisfy her. One time, her husband was so pained by her desperation that he lashed back at her …Why do you keep weeping? and why don’t you eat? and why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons? 

Don’t you feel the same, seeking Soul? Sometimes, you are so wounded that you don’t realize you hurt those around you. You lash back at what you don’t know, and it’s even worse if you feel like God has a part to play. That’s when Hannah resolves to go and settle her matter with God, who had shut her womb. It’s a long journey, so she prepares for it. She travels to Shiloh, which is about 24 kilometers (15 miles) east of Ramah, an exhausting 5-hour walk.

Once in the temple, Hannah does not go to the priest but immediately begins to pour her soul to God. The priest Eli, a man of God, is watching from a distance and concludes that the woman is drunk! Yes… typical of the men of God, Eli, the priest, gives his judgment without empathy. “…“How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” Oh No, not the man of God too… The man of God who had not heard from God for so long was short of discernment. His focus was on the wrong place! Instead of focusing on her heart, the narrator says, “…Eli watched her mouth.”

Hannah had faced a complete cycle of “Mistaken Identity”:

1. To Peninnah, her co-wife, she was Barren.
2. To Elkanah, the Husband, she was Winning.
3. To Eli, the High Priest, she was Drunk.

Seeking Soul, I hear you say, “That is unfair.” This morning, I am seated in the “Restaurant” that has become my “safe space.” Gazing at all the families, young people, and spiritual leaders walking in and out. Some are seated in isolated corners, others chartering in groups in “Arabic.” I don’t know the depth of their conversations, but I may not be wrong to say, that someone here is saying … “That is unfair.”

Seeking Soul, are you surrounded with “Peninnah’s”? Beautiful “Pearls,” as her name suggests, are those who have everything working out for them. They live with you; some are your colleagues at work, and others are your fellow members of the church. Every time you look at them, you judge yourself. Compared to them, You have failed, they are perfect, you don’t seem to be productive, you are “barren.” Are you there?

Seeking Soul could be you are surrounded by “Elkanah’s. These people identify with us in every need but don’t know how to meet our needs. They are the “Purchased of God” acquired just for us, as “Elkanah” means. But they reach a point of desperation where they get so frustrated, not knowing what to do to help us. At that point, without expecting, they lash out: Can’t you see, I am here for you. “…Why do you keep weeping?” But they have no idea that the depth of our needs is beyond their human intervention.

Seeking Soul, maybe you are a victim of the “Eli” syndrome, the lofty ones, the sanctified, set apart, holy folk who seem next to God. These elevated spiritual giants look at you from a distance and immediately diagnose your suffering. Sometimes, they even claim to have been sent by God, they saw a dream, they have a new revelation about you, but they get it all wrong. They accuse you of what you are not; you expect them to be different from the rest, But they turn out to be the worst of all.

Stand up, oh seeking Soul, as Hannah did; she cannot bear these “mistaken identities” anymore; she gathers all the courage left and, for the first time, speaks out her position. What lessons do we learn from Hannah?

1. Face your criticisms with humility: “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. 
2. Reject the false accusations: I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, 
3. Identify the genuine need: but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 
4. Stand Blameless in your actions: Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, 
5. State your case truthfully: for out of the abundance of my complaints and grief, I have spoken until now.”

At this point, the man of God comes to his senses and says “…“Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” Then Hannah makes the one prayer of the person she really is “…“Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” The narrator closes this confrontation at the temple with this memorable statement, “…So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

Seeking Soul, today as you seek God in prayer and fasting, follow the footsteps of “Hannah.” She appealed to God’s favor, just as her name suggests. Yes, in the depth of your anguish and seeking, appeal to the “Grace of God.” Seeking Soul Thus says The Lord, Only by Grace can you enter.

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Seeking Soul, Take your Bible Now, and read the whole of First Samuel Chapter One, and meditate on verses thirteen and fourteen. What “mistaken identity” will you confront in your prayer today?

Reflecting on the interplay between theology, education and community, one can conclude that “Theology” is the content upon which the means of education addresses the community context. Humanity is informed by acquisition of knowledge designed to help the believer engage their world with understanding. John Wesley challenged his hearers to engage in practical theology that addresses issues of life of the daily ordinary folk in their day-to-day business.[1] John Wesley’s intentionally developed a spiritual ecosystem in his era. In most contemporary practices, spiritual growth gets designated to the Sunday worship hour. The result has distorted the spiritual growth “ecosystem” where general, extraordinary, prudential, and instituted means of grace should get experienced. 

Rev. Dr. Tammie Grimm (Wesley Seminary) response to stunted spiritual maturity is to “grow in Christian fellowship.” She reiterated that, Christian formation first task is to inquire as to what is going on in the five areas of ministry praxis, which are prayer (lirtugia), service (diakonia), fellowship (Koinonia), teaching (Didache) and preaching (kerygma). Learning from the Le Chambon believers that an intentional community can influence and foster their faith among its members by:

1. The practice of long-lived traditions.”[2]
2. The development of structure and intentional activities. [3]
3. The continuous reenactment of the life of Christ among the people.[4]

Knowing that theology lays the foundational “content” for practical outreach, and that education is the “means” to access that knowledge, ministry “context” must be carried out with intentionality, consistency and competently. The next steps in engaging the knowledge acquired in ministry would entail:

1. CONTEXT ANALYSIS: Analysis of the present implicit and explicit ministry context
2. GAP ANALYSIS: Identifying the discovered gaps in the implicit and ministry context areas.
3. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT: Developing appropriate curriculum content to address the gaps identified.
4. EQUIPPING PERSONEL: Equipping the local church and ministry leaders through practical broad and precise proficiency to address the identified gaps.
5. SKILL IMPLEMENTATION: Implementation of trained skills to mitigate the discovered gaps.
6. ACCOUNTABLE FEEDBACK: Reporting of the results to measure if the gaps are being addressed and where appropriate adjustments must be undertaken.

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^[1] Maddox, Randy L.. Responsible Grace (Kingswood Series) (p. 17). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.

^[2] “A Requiem for My Church” by T. Grimm, Firebrand article published Sept 28, 2021(new site)

^[3] Blevins, Dean; Maddix, Mark. Discovering Discipleship: Dynamics of Christian Education . Beacon Hill Press. Kindle Edition.Loc 3483

^[4] Blevins, Dean; Maddix, Mark. Discovering Discipleship: Dynamics of Christian Education . Beacon Hill Press. Kindle Edition.Loc 3529-3622

Serving as an overseer of urban congregations, a church raised a concern as to what they needed to do with the growing number of youths in the church and noisy children who were distracting regular worship. After much consultation they made a deliberation to have all the children and youth attend youth church, but before implementing, they proposed to inquire some “wisdom.” Burdened by their concern I asked the elders several questions:

1. Do you perceive members with children as a blessing or a bother, how would you want them to participate in worship with peace of mind?
2. When the children and youth get separated from the main church service, when and how will they learn, to sing, pray, worship with the rest of the congregation members?
3. What avenues can the church incorporate these groups as part of the worship service so that they benefit from one another? 

In the current station of service, there are people of all ages, stages and generations made of citizens and immigrants. The concept of intergenerational worship is God ordained and timely. During the main service, the youths, adults, and seniors all congregate in the sanctuary and help with different aspects of the church service. Ushering, worship music, media operations. The young adults’ ladies and women of the church help with making tea and snacks for fellowship time. The men come with the younger men, their sons for men’s breakfast events. As the sermon is done in the main church so the children and youths are released to classes for age appropriate learning.

In the work “Nurturing Faith: A Practical Theology for Educating Christians” Fred P. Edie and Mark A. Lamport rightfully raise the necessity of intergenerational communal processes of faith. Spot on they declare that, “…faith communities are … essential greenhouses for nurturing faith.[1]” Essentially the “ecology effects both the young and old. The failure to do so lead to the loss of the “…distinctive language, gestures, practices, dispositions of the heart, and vision which are the ingredients of faith.[2]

Unlike the “Sunday School” models adopted by most Christian Educationists, appropriate Spiritual ecology responsible for intergenerational disciple making transcends “learning about” to incarnational “living out.”[3] Edie and Lamport offer some broad strategies for communal faith formation, which incorporate, developing catechetical culture, where new Christians reaffirm and reflect their faith learning, by “repeating faith.”[4] Offering leadership for congregational change through normalizing, adult, children, and young adults functioning together in intergenerational worship, through access for all methodology, that impacts all ages and stages of the congregation. Foster summarizes this as “Preparation, Participation and Reflection through the churches’, ritual practices, of worship and in mission. Intergenerational dynamics is enabled through a healthy congregational ecology of practices.[5]

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^[1] Edie, F. P., Lamport, M. A., Foster, C. R., Percy, M., Wright, A. M., Dykstra, C. R., … Groome, T. H. (2021). Pg 312. Nurturing faith: A practical theology for educating Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 

^[2] Ibid. (2021). Pg 314. 

^[3] Ibid (2021). Pg 315. 

^[4] Ibid (2021). Pg 318. 

^[5] Ibid (2021). Pg 324. 

In episode ten of “the mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. It traces the learning journey Air Force and Navy fighter pilots went through to become competent lunar geologists.” Demonstrating to the whole of humanity that “it can be done.” This competent team of pilots defied the odds of their profession, political and boardroom squabbles, the earths gravitational pull to prove that the scientist “Galileo was right” and that knowledge well packaged and delivered can be transferred and effected. Eager learners, appropriate content, and relevant context create a conducive environment. The fact that the pilots were seasoned never meant that they could not be trained as “Geologists,” they just needed the correct motivation.

The episode opens with the journalists being taught in a highly sophisticated geology class with a professor using formulas and scientific terminologies, probably keen to convert the “Pilots” into Geologists. The critique made on this “pilot” learners was that they were deficient of scientific minds and that is why they were not getting the concepts taught, within the shortest time that had been stipulated. The team leader confronts the transmitters of knowledge instead to identify a teacher with the capacity to “bring up the scientific in all of the pilots.” The learners’ source for a professor who had the capacity to transmit such knowledge but who is hesitant to become part of the program. Again, the team leader is persistent to inquire that if the transmitter was preoccupied why not teach the Astronauts to know how to identify the resources they need. The focus shifts from “converting them to become “miniature geologists” to equipping them with the knowledge to identify the required “resources” from the Moon.

Besides, the Class is shifted from the “standard” classroom, learning concepts to the field, to interact with rocks and landscapes. Another transformation happens in the boardroom when the “professionals” cannot agree on where the landing on the Moon should be done. The learners are engaged to give their opinion amidst diverse differences from the conflicted “professionals.” The learners take the challenge to attempt the most difficult landing to get the best results, because all along they were part of the process and were ready to get it right from the start. From the experience and exposure of the Pilots, we see them becoming not just “lunar geologists, but competent and passionate renaissance men” ready to put their lives at stake to attempt the “greatest lip for mankind” on the Moon. Men who could observe and translate the big picture to minute details, that the rest of humanity could now learn from them way out in space.

Similarly, speaking to my thousands of pastoral colleagues who have the rear privilege to declare the oracles of God from every pulpit around the world, we need an “upgrade.” Every pastor on the pulpit must shift from seeing the soul of its members as “a vessel to be filled but a fire to be lit.^[1]” Our aim as mandated by Christ is to stir the souls with a passion to seek the truth for themselves by the urging of the Holy Spirit who is at work in every heart. What relevance then, does the astronauts preparation for their lunar mission have for the contemporary leaders, inspiring communal or even congregational spiritual formation? 

1. Redeeming time: “Time is everything and preparation is critical” says the professor in the mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. Similarly, Paul reminds the Ephesian believers the essence of Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). Every opportunity to stir the souls on our pulpits must be used skillfully and urgently for the most impact when it is still “day”!
2. Relevant Content and Context: Just like the professor attempting to convert the astronauts into “mini geologists”, the pulpit teachers thrive to raise “mini theologians” with concepts we can barely pronounce and miss to equip the Christians in their arears of passion, our pulpit curriculum must transmit knowledge but answer needs.
3. Reduction from broad to Specific: Just like a skilled painter or artist who begins his work with broad strokes to minute details, the pulpit teacher must help the hearers see the “big picture” to “specific details” of God’s plan for their lives. 

The pulpit ministers are daily aware that the Christians’ warfare “gravitational pulls” are not human created, rather they wrestle “principalities, forces of darkness,” sometimes not visible with the human eye. Yet by the power of the risen Christ, such forces are brought submissive to the authority of Christ, with divine powers to destroy strongholds, defy every “gravitational pull” that stops the believers from achieving their utmost potential. The Sunday pulpit curricula must thrive to achieve this goal just like Geologist Lee Silver assists Dave Scott and his Apollo 15 crew in becoming field observers on the moon.

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^[1]primevideo://detail?asin=B07TV8G7KS&action=download&territory=US&ref_=atv_dp_btf_el_est_sd_tv_dwld_t1BLAAAAAA0wr0_atv_dwld_web_unknown_dp

The Anglican Church of Kenya raised a red flag on the demise of the “influence” of the Church in the education sector. The provosts’ desk noted, “Christian churches have played a pivotal role in providing primary, secondary, and higher education in Kenya. In the 18th century, the Church managed education in Kenya. In every mission center, the missionaries established three institutions: a church, a school, and a health center to cater to the holistic human need.” Due to the inability of most churches impoverished with personnel and finances to run the schools efficiently, “…The government has slowly but intentionally removed the Church from school ownership to school ‘sponsorship.’” [1] The shift of support has also led to a change in Christian authority in the management and curricular development of the schools. The more government influence the school has, the more likely its Christian ethos will be endangered.

The basic understanding of “Christian Education,” as taught in most bible school curricula, is the ability to inculcate “Christian ethos” into every area of study, be it humanities, social sciences, or art. Intentionally weaving into “all fields of study” the essence of godliness. Unfortunately, where applicable, the understanding of this has been limited to Christian teachers beginning the class with “Prayer” use of “God” vocabulary scantly. The challenge with this methodology is that most teachers lack the understanding and embodiment of education that is “Christian” in themselves.

To reclaim the Church’s lost birthright to influence matters of education demands a clear understanding of “Christian Education.” Beyond education incorporating “God language,” James’s Relay articulates that which informs the Christians’ ethos, including a “…conceptualization …informed by Scripture, living the Christian tradition, and articulating theology in the content subjects and teaching process.” [2] In essence, there is no way of teaching the “evolution theory” in a Christian way when the truth is that “God created” the world. In pursuing the desire to entrench the Christian ethos, Christian education must correct the ideology first and inform the people what is “theologically” unsound. Incorporating the content and teaching process demands an intentional shift from “disintegration to wholistic integration.”[3]

The result is education that bears “integrity, conspicuously distinctive, gives clear direction, bears biblical content, contains set parameters, filled with divine conviction, able to nurture souls, engaging an intentional process, and utilizes lenses to filter the knowledge being transmitted.[4] Africa Gospel Church, Kenya, my home denomination, has over five hundred schools that offer basic and higher education. Including mid-level tertiary institutions, a bible college, and a university. While the biases of my training may lead me to value theological training as a discipline, I am deeply concerned about the hundreds of teachers who interact with the students in these “church-sponsored schools” in teaching “social sciences.”

 On a scale of one to five, I would give myself a four on the emphasis of theology to prepare for pastoral ministry and a two on the interest in social sciences. Yet, the discipleship mandate demands that I shift my missiological focus to the hundreds of social science teachers who interact daily with the souls of the youth in the Church-sponsored schools. What improvements should the denominational leaders make to reclaim the Church’s birthright in providing Christian education? The mandate lies with the discipleship department in the following areas:

1. Denominational leaders have a “holistic” understanding of what it takes to get an “education that is Christian.”
2. Discipleship leaders analyze its institutions and institutional leaders to know what levels of “disintegration” exist in the church system.
3. In partnership with its institutional leaders, the Church will develop a holistic integration curriculum.
4. Intentional discipleship of all stakeholders to embrace the content, context, and processes that make “Christian education.” 

I realize that the dichotomy of theology and social sciences is an injustice to our formation as gospel ministers. Robing “education” off “theology” is taking away the “perfect lenses” that inform the social sciences from shifting to post-modern ideologies that tend to idolatry, all manner of deceptive social evils, that eventually lead to the disintegration of our societal fabric, which is the concern of the global village today. The church must take its place in impacting the spheres of society, be it family, religion, media, education, government, business, and entertainment.

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^[1] “All Saints’ Cathedral – Nairobi, Kenya.” n.d. https://www.allsaintsnairobi.org/514-2/.

^[2] Estep, J. R., Anthony, M. J., & Allison, G. R. (2008). A theology for christian education, (ch2 p1).  Nashville, TN: B & H Academic. 

^[3] Ibid, (ch2 p6).  Nashville, TN: B & H Academic. 

^[4] Ibid, (ch2 p13).  Nashville, TN: B & H Academic.