If, by any chance, you pick a post I wrote on this blog last year (before I went on my “sabbatical”) and compared them with my posts after I returned to blogging, you would notice some remarkable changes.
Now, I won’t tell you that my writing has improved drastically (your comments would inform me of that!). However, I believe that the most glaring of these changes is the way I now write my Christian posts. Back then, I used to refer to Christians as “Children of the Light”. I remember once referring to God as the “Ultimate One” or the “Ultimate Being”. While Christians are actually Children of the Light and God is indeed the Ultimate One, my motive behind coining these terms was far from the best. I was a timid person who was looking for readers to follow…and I did not want to offend anybody with my beliefs.
However, that was to change. I believe the Holy Spirit reminded me of what I would call a miniature version of the “Abomination of Desolation” that my eyes had the displeasure of seeing 5 – 10 years ago. My family was invited for a church’s fundraising program. When it was time to make the donations, a turbaned man walked to the front of the church, requested for a microphone and quoted from the Quran in Arabic for two whole minutes. Right there in the church of God! And nobody could, or rather would do anything. To crown it all, the turbaned guy said something like,
“Isn’t it money you want? By Allah’s grace, we would give you folks the money you need!”
He all said these in Yoruba, and I’m just making a rough interpretation. But you get the point.
I’m tempted to say the story of a Christian girl that dressed as an Alhaja and entered into a mosque…
Well…I just might as well summarize the story. During the course of the Jumat service, the girl suddenly threw off the hijab and started screaming something like,
“Jesus is coming soon, repent!”
Needless to say, she was beaten black and blue.
Now, I’m not trying to start a religious war here on blogosphere. Far from it!
I’m just trying to tell myself and others who care to listen: I know who I am. I am a Christian. I represent Christ Jesus in everything I say, in everything I think, in everything I do and most definitely in everything I write.
I think the ever-eloquent Paul did better justice in penning down the emotions I feel right now,
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth… (Rom 1:16a KJV)”
For all I care, the Gospel of Christ is the POWER of GOD unto salvation to EVERYONE that BELIEVES!
I am a believer. I mean, what is there to be ashamed of?
That God saved me from spiritual death?
That God saved me from sickness?
That God saved me from poverty?
That God saved me from depressions?
That God saved me from fear?
That God saved me from failure?
Sorry sir, but I don’t think so.
And by the way, if Paul was not ashamed of the gospel, who am I to be???
