Independence, Patriotism and the Christian

Zambia celebrates her 53^rd independence anniversary this week. Like every other year, 24^th October brings about all kinds of reflections among us and this year is no different. Suffice to say the reflections are mixed to say the least. What has caught my attention in the last few years is the fact that Christians have become more active in voicing their opinions about national matters. One tune that has really been played is the need to be patriotic to mother Zambia and being proud of who we are and what we have. The right response to that rallying call is a resounding Amen! We should indeed be “proud and free under the flag of our land” as the writers of our national anthem rightly put it.

My only cause for concern is what one may call a lack of objectivity in this call and desire to be patriotic which has at times simply fueled strife among believers and at times made Christians embarrass themselves before the watching country. This lack of objectivity I believe springs from a lack of clear definitions i.e. what it means to be a patriotic citizen. In our country patriotism has come to mean supporting the characters and polices of the ruling party without questioning or debating anything. To disagree with people in power is therefore deemed unpatriotic. No wonder it is common practice to have politicians jump from party to party depending on who is in government. In fact I know of very few politicians who have stayed in the same political party (but that’s a discussion for another day). The reason is simple, our patriotism is not tied to values but personalities. And because rulers change, our patriotism follows suite. However if someone’s patriotism is tied to unchanging values and principles, they will hold on to them regardless of who is in power! As Mark Twain put it “patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it”.

Patriotism is a funny thing, two people can claim to be patriotic to the same country and yet be at loggerheads with each other. For instance, in the USA, Obama rallied people behind him and called them to patriotism with his “yes we can slogan” Trump equally rallied the people to patriotism with the “make America great again” slogan. Both claim to be patriotic and called others to be and yet they are polar opposites in character and policies. Hence, the only objective way you can judge patriotism is by the values a person holds on to, not the people they agree with or support. This is why I particularly like the pledge of allegiance that the pupils at our primary school recite;

 “I pledge allegiance to the Zambian flag and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice all.”

These are the values we should all stand for and fight for at all cost. It is for these same values that our freedom fighters were willing to sacrifice their lives. We dare not belittle their sacrifices by making patriotism about partisan politics and tribalism! Henry IV of England once said “patriotism must be founded on great principles and supported by great virtue”. The pupils also recite another pledge which has far greater importance and eternal value. This is a pledge to the Christian flag;

 “I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the savior for whose kingdom it stands, one savoir crucified, risen and coming again with life and liberty for all who believe”

The ultimate independence is freedom from the power and captivity of sin, which only comes about through the life, work, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And those who believe in Christ need to realise that they are Christians first and therefore citizens of heaven. Our Zambian citizenship is temporal for we are only passing through this land. Yet while the Lord keeps us here, we are called to be salt and light and to make such an impact that on lookers will say, ‘these Christians have turned Zambia upside down with the gospel!’

 Happy independence to all. 

When Christians fight to be worldly

My good friend Sandala Mwanje posted on his Facebook page the other day saying “[it] seems there's a generation of young Christians who are on a mission to bridge the gap between Light and Darkness. Good luck! i.e., if you come out alive!!!”[1]

His observation struck a chord with the feelings of my heart. Maybe he and I are just doomsayers and need to lighten up a bit (or as we young people would say “take a chill pill”). But the truth is the line between light and darkness gets thinner by the day. Christians seem to be on a mission to outdo the world in living sensual lives. Or as they would put it, become like them to win them over. What is even worse is the desire to justify the worldliness and to attempt to do so with the Bible (at least by abusing it). Others have simply resorted to waging war against the Bible itself and denying what it teaches or trying to discredit it, in an effort to simply not live holy lives. This trend reveals a serious lack of understanding of what the Scriptures teach. Particularly the meaning of salvation and its implications.

Let me begin by making a proposition and then show it from Scripture. Anyone who has been saved from their sins will live a transformed life such that they will be distinct from the world they live in. Regardless of your worldview, traditions, or culture, obeying the words of Jesus sets you apart from the world you live in. And no I am not talking about isolation (isolating yourself from the world, if it is even possible is not biblical either), nor perfection (none of us will ever be perfect while on earth) and neither am talking about taking up another culture (every culture is sinful). However, the Bible calls us to holy living (set apart, distinct) because the God who has saved us is holy (1 Peter 1:15-17).

We need to understand that before salvation we are lost, sinful and under the wrath of God (Romans 1:18-19, 3:10-18). We were enemies of God and hostile to him and his ways (Colossians 1:20-24) because as the Bible describes us, we were dead in sin, totally unable to please God (Ephesians 2:1-3). But thanks be to God, he made us alive, and saved us from our sins through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now if you ever needed an example of radical transformation, a dead person made alive is as good as you will get! In Romans 12, the Bible commands us, in light of our salvation, to not be conformed to the world (do not pattern your life after the world) but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (consistently changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ).

In other words, those who have been truly saved from their sins will not continue living in their former lives. They put off their sinful (worldly) ways, they renew their minds (cleanse and change way of thinking), and they put on the new man (take on Christ like virtues); this change makes them distinct from the world. It is in fact this distinctness that brings about persecution from the world but also serves as a powerful testimony to them.

To be saved and remain worldly is to claim you are dead, and yet remain buried in the cemetery. To be saved and remain unchanged is to claim God’s work of salvation is not effective and does not bring about change. To be saved and remain in sin is to call God a fraud because he boldly declares that he will wash us white as snow (Isaiah 55) and further tells us we are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6). Furthermore, it is illogical for believers to want to win unbelievers by acting like them; how exactly are you supposed to win someone to a different way of living, if you yourself are not living in a new way but are living exactly like him? Like I said, I am not talking about perfection; Christian’s do sin; however, when they do they humbly confess the sin and repent of it, no explanations, no justification, just humble, honest acknowledgement of sin.

Hear the words of Scripture exhorting us to holiness before the watching world, so that we may glorify our Father:

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:11-12.

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[1] https://www.facebook.com/sandala.mwanje1

Antidotes for a Discouraged Soul

I recently noticed that I was becoming disinterested in the events of life, my responsibilities, church meetings and people. I further noticed that I was getting mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually tired. So there I was busy with life and work, yet tired, disinterested and wondering why I should keep going. And the fact that everything was, by and large, going well simply deceived me into thinking all is well. However, the restlessness and the disinterest was not ceasing. Then one morning it hit me, I was discouraged! When I did a diagnosis, I found the cause was a combination of little things (i.e. persisting illness, failed plans, unmet needs/wants, etc.). I prayed to God and quickly reached out to a few godly friends and mentors. So here are some antidotes that began the healing for my discouraged soul.

Repent of Pride

One brother called me to inquire what was going on, and after hearing me out said to me “you need to remember that you are dust and if you drop dead today, this world will go on just fine.” In other words, do your part and rest. There will always be something that needs to be done, but just because it has to be done does not mean I am the one who has to do it. Christopher Ash in a sermon preached at a pastors conference on burn out says, “There is only one saviour in the world and it is not you.” He later says, “God has already appointed his messiah and it is not you.” In my pride, I was beginning to think I am the god of my life, and if I did not get things going or get things done then the work will fail. I was rebuked to repent of my pride. As my dear wife likes to say, “stop thinking you are superman and rest!”

Remember and Savor the Goodness of God

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:1-3

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Psalm 42:1-5 (Emphasis added)

Meditate on the Gospel

We are often guilty of a narrow view of the gospel. Preaching through the book of Romans has given me a greater appreciation of the wonder and power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the gospel, we (condemned sinners) are saved from the penalty of sin and the just wrath of God. Through the gospel, we are reconciled to God and have peace with him. The gospel liberates us from the power of sin and the law and secures us in Christ Jesus. Paul then asks if God gave us his son what else can’t he give us by his grace? He ends chapter 8 by assuring us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Even those times when trails are raging, the love of God is ever with us.

Take time to Sing

I love singing, and I find meditating on the great truths of the Scriptures through song can be quite encouraging for my soul. Jonathan Oatman’s old time classic was a song in season. Listen to the first stanza.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

The sermon I needed to hear

The last few days have been quite challenges in many ways. And I found my faith in God wavering, as doubts began to settle in. Even though I knew the truth about God I wondered if He truly was a God who sees and provides, whether he is indeed good and kind. In short I was beginning to doubt the wonderful promises of God in His words and anxiety crept in as. Thankfully my dear wife was having none of such nonsense! She sat me down and gave me a good talking to. She batted away all my arguments and reminded me of who God is and what His word tells us.

Providentially it so happened that the passage I was preaching on this past Sunday was dealing with the nature of Abraham’s faith! God truly has a sense of humor. I preached a sermon that I totally needed. Let me quickly share a few thoughts from the passage that reminded rebuked me and encouraged me at the same time.

Biblical faith trusts the revealed word of God

Abraham believed in what God had promised and trusted that the God who promised will indeed fulfill his promises. This meant that Abraham had to recognize his own inability. To truly trust God is accept that without him you can do nothing. And yet at the same time, it is to recognize His power and acknowledge your total dependence on Him. Louisa Stead put perfectly “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, and to take him at his word; just to rest upon his promise, and to know, "Thus saith the Lord."”

Biblical faith does not waver

God had promised to make Abraham a father of many nations through a son that God was to give him. When Abraham looked at his age and that of his wife Sarah he knew they were passed the age of conceiving and yet his faith did not waver. He had a confident expectation that God will deliver what he has promised. In fact the scriptures tells us that even when God asked for Isaac to be offered, Abraham was confident that God would raise him from the dead.

In the midst of obstacles, this faith still trusts in the God who saves.

Biblical faith brings glory to God

The dead do not get credit when they are brought back to life. Those who are totally unable and desperately in need do not get credit for been delivered. The deliverer gets the glory. God saves us by His grace though we are undeserving so that He may receive the glory. He justifies us in such a way that it is to the praise of His name.

The same is true of our lives after justification. We are to live in such a way that our lives are a pleasing sacrifice that glorifies our God.  

Biblical faith results in obedience

We are saved by faith and we live by faith. Biblical faith results in justification and obedience. Those who truly believe in God produce works. Those who trust in God will obey Him. A faith that does not produce fruit is a dead faith. Those who walk with God learn to trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.