Sage Voice

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV) Jesus promised that in him we would have peace even while troubles continue in the world. First of all, let us understand three key things here, namely; peace, peace in Christ and trouble in the world.  Peace  The Greek word for peace is eirēnē [pronounced i-ray'-nay]. By this word we see different kinds of peace and different levels of peace, viz, inner peace and outer peace; personal peace, interpersonal peace, national peace and global peace.  Inner peace Inner peace is the peace individuals feel within themselves. Outer/environmental/ecological peace Outer peace is the peace we feel within our environment. The quietness, tranquility and serenity we feel within our physical surrounding make for peace. When the environment is devoid of all forms of pollution, and there is harmony in the ecosystem, it amounts t...

"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." (Matthew 24:12 KJV) Today, it seems there is no standard for determining right or wrong attitude, behaviour and communication among Christians. It is said that attitude, behaviour and communication are the ABC of life. Institutions are founded upon patterns of attitude, behaviour and communication. The church is an institution because there is a pattern of attitude (regularised way of thinking), pattern of behaviour (regularised way of conducting oneself) and patten of communication (regularised way of speaking) among Christians. The pattern is Christ. Jesus said, "I am the way..." In the Gospels, his followers were initially called followers of the Way before they came to have the more suitable name, Christians.  Standard means meter—meter for measurement. The New Testament has it that all Christians are destined to measure up to the fulness of Christ's spirituality. Christ is the standard fo...

"His wife said to him, 'Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!' " (Job 2:9 NIV) One of the qualities of a virtuous wife, that is, a wife of noble character worth marrying is, that she works with her own hands, thus, earns her own living to provide support for herself, her own husband and family. "She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands." (Pro 31:13 NIV) "She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard." (Pro 31:16 NIV) Thus speaking I am not discouraging husband and wife agreeing for the wife to sit at home to take care of the kids while the husband earns a living to take care of the home. This may be an excellent decision for a couple to take, provided the husband earns enough to meet the basic needs of the family. The emphasis here is on women who have made a decision to not work with their own hands, that is, not earn their own living, but rather, depend on the housekeeping money th...

"That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24 NIV) When you encounter this verse (I do not mean read but encounter), your eyes will open to see that there is a foundation based upon which God originally instituted and ordained marriage. This foundation remains up to today. There is no building without a foundation. Some have solid foundation, others have weak foundation. A wise builder erects his (her) building upon a solid foundation. Marriage, like a building, is erected upon a foundation. A wise couple erect their marriage upon the solid foundation that is clearly revealed in Scripture.  What is marriage? In this message, I provide a working definition of marriage as the union between an adult male and an adult female who have agreed to spend their lives together as husband and wife. A glorious marriage A glorious marriage is marriage that satisfies God's heart. What kind of marriage satisfies God...

"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." (1Timothy 5:8 KJV) Christianity is not all about receiving and enjoying the riches of Christ. It is about receiving, enjoying and sharing the riches of Christ. Sharing to change lives and society, is the mentality needed for the holistic transformation that we want to see in the body of Christ.  In a day and time when everybody looks to their own good, the goodness of the Lord must reach to others also, especially those of our own household. Marriage is the first institution ordained by God himself. Through marriage family is established. It is a sad commentary on our day that Christian marriages are breaking and Christian families are tearing apart in an unprecedented manner due to selfishness on the part of many Christians.  The key text above clearly tells us that we owe it a duty to take care of our own families. A Christian who does not ...