Take due cognizance of the cost of discipleship

Luke 9:57 – 62

Take due cognizance of the cost of discipleship

Luke 9:57-62 New King James Version (NKJV) -

⁵⁷ Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
⁵⁹ Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
⁶¹ And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 8:19-22 New King James Version (NKJV) -

¹⁹ Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
²⁰ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
²¹ Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
²² But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

While Luke gospel mentions “someone”, the parallel account in Matthew gospel says “scribe”.   The latter description is the accurate rendition, i.e. a “scribe” is a better description than just “someone.”

Therefore, if the person was a scribe, it would appear that he was an informed person and would have been familiar with Christ’s ministry by being on his trail.  So his request to become one of Jesus’ intimate associates was not out of place; and Jesus did not reject that request, for He had enjoined that whoever made a request deserved a granting. (Matt 5:42)

However, Jesus summarily explained to the scribe the uneasy life of a disciple by saying, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  That was probably too hard for the scribe to bear.  The scribe certainly lived a life of comfort – far better than that of the fisherman like Peter, or a tax collector like Matthew.  Though the scriptures do not tell whether or not the scribe eventually became one of Christ’s disciples, the inference may be correct that he did not.  But certainly Jesus did not reject the scribe as a disciple; and He would never have rejected his proposal, for He would in no wise cast away anyone coming to him.  The confirmation of this all-embracing love is the healing of ALL the sick that came to him. (Matt 12:15, 15:30)

And Jesus would not have commandeered the second applicant to “follow Him” but the man must have made a request like the scribe did.  Compare Matthew 8:21 with Luke 9:59.  Matthew’s account here is more in the character of Jesus than Luke’s parallel account.  There is no compulsion in Jesus’ relation with others, even though He is the Lord.  This character is attested to when Jesus rebuked John and James for asking to call down fire to destroy those who rejected them in Samaria. (Luke 9:53-55)

The lesson from the gospel narrative of the three applicants for discipleship is that the ministry of the gospel of God’s Kingdom is not merriment and wealth acquisition; it is rather a tough ministry though with a glorious future in the new earth society wherein those who endured to the end will have everlasting life – the real life. (I Tim 6:17-19)  It is not a ministry of excuses and rationalizations; it is a ministry of wholehearted service by unrelenting followers of the Master and Great Shepherd.  (Deut 6:5, Deut 1:36, Josh 14:8-10)

CF Monye

1 November 2018

Anointing oil of any recipe - Is it still valid?

Contrasting the fake anointing oil of the churches with Jehovah's exclusively Aaronic anointing oil

The churches are awash with olive oil - with the deceptive misnomer, "anointing oil."  Now the question: Is what they bandy about as anointing oil truly according to the recipe handed down to Moses by Jehovah?  Another question: Is the use of anointing oil (pardon me, the popular olive oil by the name Goya) still authorized in view of the work of Jesus Christ in finishing off with the Law?  Yet another question:  Are all people allowed to use anointing oil* apart from the priests descended from Aaron?  The scriptures below answer these questions. You may now see how the churches, in concert with Satan, are misleading the entire world. 

*Please note that the oil used in Mark 6:13 by the apostles was not the one with the Aaronic oil recipe.  Yes, it is reasonable to think that the Aaronic oil ought to cease in usage, given the fact that the Aaronic priesthood and the system for which the oil was used have equally ceased to be.

 - CF Monye: 9 August 2018

Anointing Oil (Exodus 30:22-29)

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant calamus, ²⁴ 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. ²⁵ Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. ²⁶ Then use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, ²⁷ the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, ²⁸ the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. ²⁹ You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.

³⁰ “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. ³¹ Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. ³² Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. ³³ Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from their people.’”

And see what will happen to the Churches for counterfeiting Jehovah’s Aaronic anointing oil. (Rev. 18:11-13):

¹¹ “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— ¹² cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; ¹³ cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.

Not forsaking the gathering of ourselves ...

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” – Heb. 10:25

So very often, someone would say to another whom they suspect has withdrawn from church membership, “Let us not forsake the gathering of ourselves …” and then cite Hebrews 10 verse 25.  This is the usual cliché of encouraging presumed backsliders to return to the fold by regularly attending church activities such as praise-worship, shouting matches, clapping competitions and vigils.

Some have said that to me when they knew that I had kicked the church and no longer on the membership roll of any church or religious organization.  Yes, since 1996. However, the question that readily comes to mind on such occasions is: “What is God’s purpose for our gathering together in solemn assembly?”

Purpose of solemn gathering

The purpose of any Christian gathering is to learn about God and His first son Jesus Christ.  From Moses’s day with the Israelites in the desert, God had set this primary purpose – that the gathering must be a study assembly.  (Deut 4:10)  Going forward, God included the prospect of aliens being allowed to learn of Him. (Deut 31:12)  And Paul the apostle to the Gentiles reminded the congregation in Thessalonica to be so engaging. – 1 Thes 5:11.

Examples of Christian gathering

We find that the practice of gathering together in study groups continued with the early Christians as Acts 2:42 makes us to know.  Paul the apostle looked forward eagerly to meeting with the Christians in Rome for the purpose of imparting the knowledge about God and for mutual encouragement in righteous living. – Rom 1:11-12

The Benefits of gathering as purposed by God and Christ

-          God’s Holy Spirit amidst:

“18 Truly I say to you, whatever things you may bind on earth will be things already bound in heaven, and whatever things you may loosen on earth will be things already loosened in heaven.  19 Again I tell you truly, if two of you on earth agree concerning anything of importance that they should request, it will take place for them on account of my Father in heaven. 20 For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst.” – Matt 18:18-20  For example, the life-giving power  of the Holy Spirit in the case of Eutychus (Acts 20:7-12)

-          A leeway to everlasting life:

^“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. – Jn 17:3

Conclusion

Now then, if the purpose of gathering is to learn about The Most High and his first son Jesus and the churches are NOT fulfilling that purpose but instead, engage in plaintive noise-making, swearing prayers and unscriptural cult-like vigils, should a well-informed Christian not disconnect and distance himself from the Church?  The apostle Paul’s advice to the fledgling Christians in Jerusalem as contained in the often-quoted Hebrews 10:25 is still being addressed to those who keep solemn and studious Christian assemblies as opposed to the cacophonous gatherings of ignoramuses which now go by the name “churches”.  The message of God is to flee from this “Babylon” so as not to share in her destruction. (Jer 51:6)  The studious and wise Christians are right to heed this warning.

CF Monye

8 September 2017

The Hyena Anecdote

The hyena is a scavenger, but a usurper at that.  It comes around when other animals have done their work and meat is ready. A pack of hyena will always appear out of the blue to commandeer their own portion of the reward of another fauna’s labour.

In a park, the clan of hyenas assumed that their bravado had been taken for granted and no animal would dare put up a resistance whenever a pack of hyenas would come to harvest where they had not sowed.  As you may know, the hyenas are a lazy and loathsome pack.

A time came when other members of the park decided to turn the heat on the hyenas.  It was time to make inroads upon the clan of lazy but greedy and gluttonous hyenas and do away with them.  So they agreed to set bonfire in a crescent around the clan of the hyenas so that the only way of escape from the fire would be the opposite direction.

Spearheading the fire plan was the pride of lions.  The lions would lay ambush in the direction that the hyenas would run in their flight from the searing heat.

At the sudden burst of fire around the clan, the hyenas took to their fours in the race for life toward the only avenue of escape.  The lions waiting in ambush pounced, tearing in pieces many of the hyenas; while those that ran back went headlong into the raging bonfire.  The carcasses of the hyenas lay wasting in the field for vultures to feast on, as the flesh of the hyena is not a nutritious meal for other members of the fauna.  Thus ended the inimical presence of the worthless hyenas in the park.

If only a people will rise and call the bluff of the hyena-like loafers in their community, then the community will be liberated from those who laze about but looking toward harvesting where they neither laboured nor sowed.  The writer Chinua Achebe called them “efulefu.”  Yes, ndi efulefu must be resisted and put where they belong.

Those who do not work do not deserve to eat. And the Bible supports this concept. (2 Thes 3:10-12)

Frank Monye

27 January 2017

Gilbert Carter

THOMAS GILBERT CARTER (1848 – 1927)

The month of January appears to be crucial in the life of Gilbert Carter who was governor of the British Colony of Lagos from 1891 to 1898.  He was born on 14 January 1848 in England, died on 18 January 1927 in Barbados; his first wife died on 13 January 1895 in Lagos.  One can say that January meant life and death for Thomas Gilbert-Carter (Jnr).

As governor of the Colony of Lagos, Gilbert Carter would appear to be the first to move hinterlands on military expeditions – to further conquer the land – first to Ijebuland, then to Egbaland on route to Ibadan, Oyo and Ife.

Carter seemed to have enjoyed his interactions with the Egbas and so much was his fond memories of Ilaro (then regarded as part of Egbaland) that his second wife Gertrude Parker named the British colonial governor’s residence in Barbados “Ilaro Court.”   He had been transferred from Lagos in 1898 to Bahamas, then to Trinidad & Tobago and finally to Barbados where he ruled from 1904 up to his retirement in 1911. 

Ilaro Court in the parish of St. Michael, Barbados, was completed in 1919 – eight years after Carter had retired from the Colonial Service.  But as the memory of his Ilaro encounters lingered, Carter returned in the 1920s to Barbados and lived in Ilaro Court where he died on 18 January 1927.  Ilaro Court has remained the residence of the prime ministers of Barbados to date.

Diokpa Ndukwe A. Atube always talks about the need for an Olubor Hall in Lagos; and I am thinking that with the above historical narrative, we can brace up and do the needful in this regard.  Olubor natives in Lagos as well as in the Diaspora can, individually or collectively, put up an edifice if only to emblazon the name OWERRE-OLUBOR in faraway places.  We have seen how doing a similar thing has popularized the Egbas (or precisely, the Egbado, now Yewa people) outside Egbaland. 
 
In this era of cooperation and development, let the glorifying of Owerre-Olubor be our preoccupation, even if it means realizing this in other areas of human endeavours or actions.  Perhaps, a native may name his house outside the native land OWERRE OLUBOR VILLA, or OWERRE OLUBOR LODGE, or OWERRE OLUBOR COTTAGE.  In the same vein, a street in another city can be named OWERRE OLUBOR STREET if an Olubor native were the first developer on the street; for example, Eloseh Street in Surulere (Lagos) might have been named OWERRE OLUBOR STREET by Chief Nwankwor Elosie.  In Lagos alone there are more than a dozen streets named ABEOKUTA, rather than the personal names of the first Egba developers. 

It is in the above contexts that I remember the colonial governor Thomas Gilbert Carter (Jnr) who died today in 1927.  And lest we forget, Carter Bridge in Lagos was named after him.

Frank Monye: Lagos, 18 January 2017

Israel Kabonye

Onwu bu onye oshi! O zulu oyi!

Israel Kabonye!  He had a protracted illness.  He is now asleep!

I am yet to find a fellow native who complained that Israel Kabonye had an axe to grind with them (him/her).  Perhaps there was someone who nursed a grudge against him, but not the other way round.  I reckoned with him as a jolly fellow – always aiming to be at peace with everyone.

Israel Kabonye had such a focused look as someone looking intently toward a goal.  Yes, you could see this from his calm and smooth face.  He was indeed a fine gentleman.  He looked too youthful for his age of 59.  That could be an indication that he had a happy home.

Israel Kabonye went on to his final rest Monday, 15 February, at about 8 pm in his Ketu residence. It was good enough that fellow natives in the neighbourhood summoned themselves and braced up to do the needful.  They proved that they were true-born of Owerre-Olubor in that noble act.

The ancient man Job, in his travails, asked the question: ‘If a man dies, will he live again?’ (14:14)  Now let us come down to our present circumstance and plight and then ask: “Can Israel Kabonye live again?”  If your answer is “Yes,” as Job himself implied in his latter statements, then we can take it that the fine gentleman is asleep and that the One who is the “resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25) can bring him up in the New World.  Therefore, though we may mourn, let us keep this glorious hope in view!

As the late Israel Kabonye is being interred today, may I echo the dirge, “O wutele ayin …!” –

O wutele ayin,

          wutele ayin,

          wutele ayin;

O wutele ayin,

          mgbe ayin nulu ’ya.

Frank Monye

Umuikpulu: Fr1day, 11 March 2016