The Sunday Mail
My spiritual father once said when you are in the presence of a man or woman with grey hair it means you are in the presence of wisdom.
The grey hair represents the experience that they would have garnered in their life and this translates to wisdom for there is no better teacher of wisdom than time itself.
I had the esteemed pleasure of meeting one grey-haired person – Bishop Noel Jones — and was quite moved as he went through his paces during the Passion Java Ministries 2014 international conference.
I remember thinking to myself that here I am, in the presence of utter wisdom. I listened to every word, every teaching attentively not out of any wisdom on my part but out of shear fear that any loss in concentration, when a man like Bishop Jones speaks, ran the risk of losing the essence of the intended word.
The preacher from the City of Refuge in Gardena, California, with more than 17 000 congregants from across the world, made it clear that the greatest duty of preachers is to transform people’s minds through the Word of God.
He said Christianity has, unfortunately, evolved into a religion of seeking material things rather than establishing a spiritual relationship with God.
There are many preachers who nobody listens to because they do not have “style”, Bishop Jones said.
Those that have the so-called “style and charisma”, sadly only have that but with little or no substance. Yet those are the ones people are clamouring to see and listen to.
Because Christianity has been materialised, people celebrate more when wealth and prosperity is preached in anticipation of a better level of these things, than actually learning to the Word and how to get closer to God.
When a preacher speaks about the deep things that challenge their morality and conduct, they begin to question his/her credentials as a man or woman of God.
Deducing his message entitled “I am a survivor” from 2 Corinthians 4 v 1-9, Bishop Jones said despite the material accumulations and good looks or lack of them, every individual as an earthly vessel carries a treasure.
Remember that no matter how sanctified we look, everybody is struggling with something, for only God is perfect.
The only reason we are trickling into churches is because we are seeking God and for him to take away the sin and replace it with His good.
How come you have managed to remain in your right senses after abusive relationships or the struggles you have experienced?
This, while those like American Robin Williams, known to be rich and perceived to have it all together, commit suicide?
It is because happiness does not come from the outside but from within. God never intended for flesh to control the soul, but the spirit.
As such he never intended for your situation to control you.
Do not let anybody judge you by what you have outside, for God is concerned by who you are and not what you have.
Jesus Christ died to save your soul not your bank account, car or house. And that spirit breathed in you is His spirit which keeps you from going to the edge today because of life’s challenges.
The devil cannot do anything if you choose to believe God because he cannot get into your spirit, he can only help you to commit suicide.
When you have power in your spirit it does not matter what is on the outside.
In Daniel 3 the three Hebrew boys knew their God and had faith he would deliver them.
But if God was not to deliver them they still had committed to not bowing to the image of gold.
So it is up to you today to choose the blessing or the cursing, life or death, seeking God from the inside and let it flourish outwardly.
A few pointers from Bishop Jones:
God in his eternity no matter how far back you go or further you go you can still find him.
A relationship with God is neither material, physical, intellectual but purely spiritual.
Not to serve God is to literary serve the devil.
If you are with somebody who is not on the same level with you, you are still alone.
Never lose your mind over a man because you will need that mind for the next man coming, never lose your mind over a lost house because you still need that mind for another house which is on its way.
If you stand for what you believe in you win. If you die for that which you believe in you still win. The only way you can lose is when you bow and give in.
Feedback: [email protected]; twitter @BullaFatima
