CHRISTIANITY NEEDS CREATIVITY

We don’t need more doctrinal precision and biblical knowledge, more conferences and programs. We don’t need more cookie-cutter youth groups copied from the megachurch down the street. We don’t want to hear another worship song with the same beat, the same tempo, the same words, and the same three chords as every other worship song.

Christianity suffers from the pandemic disease of just copying each other in what we do, what we say, and how we look. As the world struggles with the ethical dilemmas of whether or not we should allow clones, Christianity should just be shrugging our shoulders; We’ve been making clones for hundreds of years, from the way our buildings look to the way our people look. Sure, there are “cooler” versions out there, but they still gather at the same old places at the same old times to do the same old things for the same old purposes. When are we going to break out of the mold and do something that shocks, surprises, and amazes?

Let me back up and start from the beginning. The very beginning.

Who foots the bill in the home, the man or woman

Footing the bills is a very important aspect of our home management as Christians. We cannot hide under the guise that we do not have financial misunderstanding in our homes, infact its worse in Christian homes nowadays. A lot of people in Africa (including Christians) traditionally believe that financing a home is solely the function of the man in a home as it was in the beginning particularly in Africa. In the old good days, our forefathers were great farmers, they had enough to eat, sell and even give out without any fear. They had all they needed to get all they wanted. Most of them had many children who helped in farming. The more your children, the more strength and output you get. This was why men married many wives thereby had many children to increase their productivity. Women were not allowed to own much to their names nor even have access to formal education, some did not even have a say in choosing a life partner, and their father married them off. This was a bit of an issue that forced the women to take compulsory refuge under a man even when it against their wish; Women had no say of their own. Unfortunately, Men took advantage of this to maltreat women and made sure they had them as many as possible. Women had no option, they followed their husbands to farm to help out and then cook for them both in the farm and at home. They were never bread winners of their homes, therefore believed that men should provide.

COMMON EATING HABITS A CHRISTIAN SHOULD AVOID

There are a few general dietary habits (not necessarily specific foods) that stand out as increasing the risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

In our ongoing series on healthy eating, we have focused on what we should do to help us take care of our bodies in the natural. This time, we look at some things to avoid, as well as healthier alternatives.

1. Skipping Meals – A study in the journal Obesity found that skipping meals or eating inconsistently increases the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that include high blood pressure and abdominal obesity.

People who eat consistently at the same time each day are less likely to develop a large waistline or insulin resistance. Fasting lowers insulin sensitivity and leads to insulin resistance, making it difficult to remove glucose from the blood. It’s also much harder to make good choices if you’re extremely hungry.

Instead, eat three healthy meals (starting with a good breakfast) and two healthy snacks at approximately the same times each day to keep your blood sugar stable.

2. Eating Too Fast – Women who rush through meals are twice as likely to be overweight, regardless of what they eat, according to a study in the British Journal of Medicine. Eating food too fast does not give your brain enough time to realize you’re full, so you keep eating beyond the point of satiety.

Try chewing each bite longer, put your fork down in between bites, and concentrate on the flavors, texture, aromas, and experience of the meal.

EVERYBODY'S ROLE IN A CHRISTIAN FAMILY, AND THE WAY GOD WANTS IT.

Our roles in a christian home (family) as a father, mother, or children cannot be underestimated or overemphasized, we all have major roles to play to fulfill the plans of God for our individual life. The role of a father is not meant to be played by the mother and vise versa, likewise the children has a major role to play as they grow into adults.

A family is group a of people, and not individual, that is why God's intention from the beginning has been that a man will leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they two shall become one flesh, thereby starting up a new family. This new group is meant to multiply and function according to the plans of  God. This gave rise to why there has to be roles and function for each member of the family.

Like all families, Christian families come in all shapes and sizes.  There are some key guidelines in the Bible to help Christians in family life.  Christians believe that men and women are equal in God’s eyes (Galatians 3: 26 – 29). The Bible contains lots of ideas about the different roles men and women should play within marriage, and advice about how to get along as a family.

Husbands and wives

Some Christians believe that within marriage the husband is the head of the wife.

10 POINTS TO NOTE AS A YOUNG LADY WHILE PREPARING FOR MARRIAGE

Marriage is a good thing, infact it is one of the best feeling anyone can have on the surface of the earth. It marks the end of a phase in one's life and actives another phase. It is a confirmation of the fact that one has grown into maturity in all areas of life and one is ready to face any kind of challenge life has to offer but in the contrary, marriage can be very funny sometimes. If anyone misses it, one's life can be miserable. Most marital mistakes are life time mistakes, they are very difficult to correct, and you only manage it.

The below 10 points were specially selected to guide our young ladies while they are getting set to settle down.

1. Don't be in a hurry to move out of your parents’ house.

2. Don't wait for a man before you start living. You can live a fulfilled life as a single woman.

3. Stay away from alcohol. It has killed others and you are not special.

4. Don't entertain a wrong number call, especially at night. It’s not the right way to find a lover.

5. Develop a healthy eating habit. Always take breakfast and avoid sweets.

LEARN FROM APOSTLE JOSEPH AYO BABALOLA'S MARITAL EXPERIENCE

THE SAD EXPERIENCE OF APOSTLE AYO BABALOLA.


Pastor Joseph Ayo babalola is the founder of CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH. He was a widely known man of God with amazing healing powers. He is well known for going to the mountain for a number of days praying for people and relating with God for more powers to heal his people and brings prophetic messages from God to his people. He is known for the use of water for healing. He prays on water and gives instructions on how to use it. He was a great a man of God.

But sadly according to his subordinate who succeeded him, Prophet Babalola had one problem.

"His known mistake was his choice of wife. History has it that the woman he truly loved was a single mother, but the elders of CAC considered it an embarrassment for their leader to marry a single mother. Hence, they misled him to marry the spinster who later became the thorn in his flesh. Her name was Dorcas. A Christian name is not the same with a Christian at heart.

A WOMAN IN A CHRISTIAN HOME

 

A woman in a christian home is a special being who has a lot of responsibility in supporting the man, making sure the home does not fail at all cost.
As the name implies, women are part of men, that is one of the main reason why a woman should not be alone just like the way God saw that Adam was alone and decided to get him a helpmeet, so also the woman is expected to be around a man and not to exist independently. The design and life cycle of a woman is to be overseen by a man either in capacity of a father or an husband. This justifies why a father hands over the woman (bride) to the man (groom) at the point of wedding. The transfer of this role is very important shift which symbolizes marriage.
In marriage, the woman plays a lot of roles all in the name of it not getting spoilt or permit me to say a vacuum must not be left. A woman in the home is a wife, a mother first to her husband then children, a prayer warrior and partner, a friend, a lover(trust me there are times we don't feel like loving cos of what we get), a banker, a home maker, a teacher, a care giver, nutritionist, a helpmeet, a sister, a daughter (cos there are times she just need to humble herself completely even when she is right), these are very few among many but the  holy spirit will reveal to the woman who wants to be a complete woman roles she need to pick up in her home along the way.

LOVE AS A FLOWER

Love is like a flower, if not tended, it will look malnourished and eventually may die. You plant a flower with an end in mind. For example, you have this perfect picture of how you want your garden to look and you get the desired flower plant to help you achieve that aim. At first, the flower or plant you got won't look like the end you have in mind but that does not discourage you because you believe with time it will turn out to be your dream flower and beautify your garden. You water it, you prune it when necessary, you make sure it gets adequate sunlight and water, you even watch out for whatever may want to feed on it like pest and animals.

9 THINGS A CHRISTIAN YOUNG LADY SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR IN A MAN BEFORE SAYING 'YES'.

As a single lady, most time you image what your home would look like, having a perfect man as a husband, but most ladies make the mistake of believing that a man will be completely perfect without any down side, but this is not possible in the real sense. There is no perfect marriage anywhere (particularly from the scratch), you work it out. You play your part individually to make it perfect!

Meanwhile, a young lady should look out for these 9 qualities in a man before saying YES to his proposal as she prayerfully searches for a life partner, if you apply these, you will save yourself a lot of trouble and unnecessary prayer.

1. Emotional maturity

How well his he able to control his impulse when argument becomes tough between you two? Look for a man who is able to calm himself during stress, disappointment and pressure; a man who would rather not unleash his annoyance on you during this time. He should be able to attend to issues as they come and proffer positive solutions. He must be able to confront challenges in a steady and responsively manner.

PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE, THE GENERAL OVERSEER OF THE REDEEMED CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF GOD SHARES HIS OPINION ON MAKE-UP, JEWELRY AND WIGS.

Speaking to his children, (Church members during the 64th edition of the church's annual convention tagged AMEN 2016.

Below is the details of what he said:

The elders have a say, if children of the same mother enters into a room to talk and come out smiling, they have not told each other the truth, Alright so in the next 3 minutes, you might not be smiling, because am going to tell you the truth, because am your daddy, strictly speaking, and I have searched the scripture, there is nowhere that I have found where it is written, if you wear make-up, you will go to hell or you will not make it to heaven, I can’t find it in the bible, no where at all, but I have done my own research, there are two places in the whole bible where references were made to painting of face, only two places, and the two places are bad. One of the places talked about Jezebel. How many of you will name your daughter Jezebel? 2 kings,9:30, the day Jezebel was going to die, she did make up properly, painted her face, dented her face with jewelries, but at the end of the day, dog ate her.

The second place is in Jeremiah 4: 29-30 where God was speaking in anger to daughters of Zion, He says when I make up my mind to deal with you, you can paint your face as you like, it is not going to deliver you, read it, you have your Bible to read. Those are the only two places I found, and they are terrible references.