Our Conception of God Determines Our Dedication

The hundred and twenty men and women who gathered at the upper room on the day of Pentecost understood themselves as living out Christ Jesus in their lives. They lived, acted and walked, expressing Christ before the watching world. Their response to life’s situations was always in obedience to God’s intent of it (Acts 5: 24; 4:19). They were curious in exploring the depth of His love and person. To them it was a discovery of His love and person involved in something much larger and more glorious than they ever dreamt. They were passionately consumed with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ was their love and their lives were totally centered around Him as their Head (Acts 1:8-15; 2:1-4).


All these are unlike what many see as the Christian life to be today. The Christian life, to many today, is merely about a list of things to do; winning souls, helping the poor, learning theology, studying doctrine, mastering the Bible, deciphering eschatology, praying more, attending church services, praising and worshipping, doing spiritual warfare, exercising spiritual gifts, hearing God’s voice; imitating Christ, and engaging in good works. Above all, it is also about endless activities that they are taught are the center of God’s will.

In a piece written by Frank Viola, we are reminded that “all the above had an end in view that went far beyond giving people a celestial fire insurance policy, bringing in the last great harvest, or changing the world for Christ.” Speaking further he said, “Being a Christian had taken on a completely new meaning. That meaning has to do with something bound up inside the beating heart of God. The Christian life was no longer about me and what I could do or should do. Neither was it primarily about others; the needs of human beings becomes secondary.” Yes it is all about Christ (Psalm 115:1) (2008, 11-12).

De Vern Fromke described this stage of human relationship with God as living in God’s viewpoint and sharing of the yearning of God’s heart beat. He said, believers should grow daily in their experience of the Christian life until they attain the fullness of Christ. Such an experience with Christ is not an overnight attainment or an act of human effort. It takes one’s willingness to walk daily in the full submission to the presidency of the Holy Spirit, a moment-by-moment submission.

It would seem that both apostles, Paul and John, lived in God’s viewpoint and shared His yearning father heart whose desire is to move the believer from childhood unto young manhood and unto fatherhood.

In the first epistle to John, John exhorted:
“I write unto you little children…”
“I write unto you young man…”
“I write unto you fathers…” (1 John 2: 12-14).

As a child, we are most alive to what we can receive from God. No one is alarmed when “little children rejoice in what their Savior has wrought for them in giving personal forgiveness and in providing a relationship with God the Father. Yet there is reason for concern when after many years they remain “little children” who live only to be ministered unto and who are mostly alive to the blessing, benefits and gifts they can receive.” They only interpreted God’s working as it related to them to their only welfare, their victory, seeking to move God around their little center.

Next are those who have matured unto young manhood. They have overcome the wicked one, and are strong, and the word of God abides in them. Through experience they have moved from defiance to the offence: instead of running from, they are now overcoming the Wicked One. At this stage one would feel a sense of “I have arrived at last”. They are centered in activity for the Lord as though their instrumental calling was more important than their expressive calling. The ultimate goal of our salvation in Christ is to have Him within and express his love outwardly.

The last stage in the growth process is to be a father. Here the believer’s walk with the Lord has led to spiritual fatherhood. The believer is suddenly awakened to something quite wonderful. As little children, “we recognized Him (God) as our Father in a begetting relationship, as “young men” we honored Him as our father in a governing relationship; but now as “fathers” were are one with Him in His fatherhood. Through an intimate identification we have an expressive relationship. We come to share a union with His Spirit, purpose, desire, vision, and dedication. The depth of God’s heart and His yearning now becomes the only goal that motivates us in life, and shapes our daily experience (2001:9-10).

Suddenly everything becomes about Him and His ultimate purpose. In other words, the Christian life is Christ and nothing more, nothing less. It is not an ideology or a philosophy, neither is it a new type of morality, social ethic or worldview. The Christian life is the good news that beauty, truth and goodness are found in a person. True humanity and community are found on and experienced by connection to that person—the Lord Jesus Christ.

We should all ‘seek Christ, embrace Christ, know Christ’ because to do so one will have touched Him who is Life. This is needful since in Him resides all truth, values, virtues, and gifts in living colors. Beauty has its meaning in the beauty of Christ. Only in Him do we find all that makes us lovely and lovable (Sweet and Viola 2010: XV). Ultimately the Christian life is Christ Himself.

T Cyprian Kia

Speaking Like a Godly Woman

     In Matthew 12:34 we read “…For the mouth speaks that which fills the heart.” Our words reveal our character. What is in our hearts will soon be expressed by our lips.


     Unkind words, gossip, lies, flattery, boasting, anger, slander, craftiness, shouting and cursing are all to be put away because we are now in Christ. “But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the Head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Our instruction as to speaking in a godly manner is in Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification, according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Even apology cannot erase the destructive influence of unwholesome words.


     At the ladies Bible study a few weeks ago, one sister told us she was riding in the car with her daughter who was driving. They were suddenly cut off by another driver almost causing an accident. She said she then heard a very quick outpouring of expletives and profanity proceeds from her daughter’s mouth. She could not believe the intensity or the choice of words. Her reaction was one of shock, disbelief, and embarrassment so that she couldn’t say anything for a moment. What should we speak in similar situations? We may be at the apartment potluck, or work, or with the family and want to respond in a godly manner. We can speak the truth in love that we are not comfortable when our Savior’s name is spoken so disrespectfully. Let’s not be holier-than-thou but have the courage to speak out in love, and remember that it may turn into an opportunity to witness for Christ.


     Then we come to the OMG expression that has pervaded our language as a response to anything and everything by everyone, of any walk of life, any religion, believer and unbeliever. Any situation or circumstance will bring this quick response, and it is unknown exactly what the speaker means when he says it so loosely. We as godly women can choose not to use this expression which takes the name of God in vain. The Psalmist said (17:3) “I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.”


     Most trouble is caused by what we say: wrecked homes, broken friendships divided churches. Therefore, it is imperative that we have a clean heart, so that the words will be wholesome reflecting God’s light. Man must depend upon God to control his thoughts and their expression. So then Philippians 4:8 says “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Keep our hearts and minds clean thinking on these things, so our words may reflect the beauty of Christ and be pleasing to Him. With our tongue we can pray, praise Him, share and teach the Word.


     “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O lord, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

 Joy Ann Kia

The Christian Life is a Spiritual Walk

     The Christian life is a spiritual walk; it is not about a new religion or religious experience.  The new creation we have become is unlike the person whose end is to live in the world.  A person who is living in the world, would embrace Christ as Saviour, but lives in pleasure and puts earthly pursuits above that of the Lord, and sinks his life into acquiring name, fame and money (1 John 2:15-17; 2 Peter 2, 18, 20).  This is walking in the flesh.
     Human wisdom and strength are useless in spiritual endeavors (John 3:6; John 15:5).  The desire to make a name for oneself is carnal and antagonistic to the Spirit of God.  All these are a contradiction to the Spirit of Christ.  Therefore, these are a preference, an attempt to make a good appearance on the outside while the inside is corrupt.  The Christian life is beauty from within and radiant reflection of Christ outside.
     This person possesses a divine life and is capable of making God visible on the earth and ruling the planet with divine authority.  As a Christian, one has been given God's uncreated life.  As such, one is not called to live by "a Christian code of ethics".  Instead one is called to live God's life.  When a person lives by God's life, that person would possess divine impulses, instincts, promptings, senses and tendencies.  This would yield to the person the secret of growing up with the Head, who is Christ (Ephesians 4:15).  When collectively as a Body we live by the Lord's life, the character of Jesus begins to take shape within (Galatians 4:19).  In the words of Detrick Bonhoeffer, "Jesus calls men not to a new religion, but to a new life." (John 10:10; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:4; 1 John 5:11-12).
     God's mind is that humanity would share His life.  He wanted us to live in union with Himself and express His goodness in the earth.  That is what the Tree of the Lord offered.  Hence, Frank Viola, warned that when we strive to be "good Christians we are eating from the wrong tree. " Living by 'right and wrong' is not Christianity.  It is old covenant living and its very human, certainly not spiritual.
     By contrast the Christian life is to live by the energy and direction of divine life which dwells in us.  It is to depend upon the living Christ rather than upon one's knowledge of good and evil; right and wrong.  Thus, the man who partakes of the divine nature lives by the indwelling Christ rather than by ourselves (2 Peter 1:9).
    Having been transformed into a new creation in Christ, one who walks in the Spirit is largely delivered from idolatrous abominations and Protestant misconceptions of Scriptures, and brought again to own in simplicity to the headship of Christ, the presidency of the Holy Spirit in the assembly of God's people and the authority of the written Word over the conscience of all who call upon the name of the Lord.
     These believers consciously seek to avoid losing sight of the tremendous importance of walking in the Spirit in living, fully realized fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, to whose peerless name God would gather all His own.  Their Christian walk or life points always to Christ in them, the hope of their glory.  They are creations in Him, walking in the Spirit.

T. Cyprian Kia

A Tribute: Caroline Gross, God’s Gift to Nigeria Among the Igala

     Jesus was a faithful High Priest in all of God’s house. He was an Apostle, a Good Shepherd, and a Master Teacher. He was the Good News manifested in the flesh (Hebrews 3:1-6).
     He went to heaven and sent His Spirit. He took parts of Himself, and spread them out over the Body of Christ, the Church. Every true believer, therefore, is endowed with any one of these gifts (Ephesians 4:7-11). Caroline and Paul were certainly gifted. They were builders, a gift to Nigeria among the Igala speaking people. Their authority to serve was derived from their gift, not from their position as foreigners who lived among the Igala as missionaries.
     The Hewstones and the Grosses as well as Miss Gillette were the pioneer missionaries of the Plymouth Brethren work in Nigeria. Paul and Caroline assumed leadership of this growing and fruitful work upon the death of Paul’s parents. Paul’s heart was prepared as he grew up observing the dedication and commitment of his parents to the Lord in their service to Him. He saw firsthand the extreme challenges of pioneering missionary service and learned well.
     Caroline, whose parents were also missionaries, learned greatly from the life of their devotion, dedication, and spiritual engagement to the Lord. Though Caroline and Paul were both missionary children, their decision to serve the Lord in Nigeria was not intellectual or emotional; it was an exercise of devoted hearts, in response to the Lord Himself. They were sent to build, and build they did (Romans 10:14-15).
     Having been sent by the Lord, together they endured the trials that came to them. They did not shrink from doing anything helpful in proclaiming the message to all they met in the land. Their method was holistic, addressing the needs of the human body, soul, and spirit. They were incarnational in ministry, adapting to challenges and changes as they occurred.

     When Paul died in 1982, Caroline carried on the work through dedicated men and women whom they had raised in their many years of fruitful ministry. At long last, Caroline has gone to be with the Lord she loved and served and her husband who had earlier crossed the veil. The work she left is with us as the Lord’s work in Nigeria. It will not be remembered as the Gross empire.

     Caroline and Paul did things worth writing about as evidenced in the various aspects of the work under their brand name: Christian Missions in Many Lands, Nigeria, Inc. They were not limited to themselves; they reached out, loved, and worked well with all in the land who were equally reaching out to the lost for the greatest of all Masters. The works they mentored, nurtured, and assisted were Ejoka Mission, Ayangba Fellowship, Faith Bible College, Robert Hyslop’s Bassa Mission, Igala translation work, Iyale Memorial Hospital, and Ministry of Mercy. In addition, every day in their home they entertained friends and strangers. Besides, they represented the ministry of Grace and Truth in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as their daily radio broadcast in Igala through the network of ELWA.

     Today their day may have ended with their deaths, but certainly their legacy and the cherished memories of their labor of love will remain with us, as service without hate, bitterness, or rancor. We celebrate their passing as lives well spent on earth. We join, therefore, the Lord in saying, “Well done, thou faithful servants.” Adieu! Till we meet again at the golden daybreak.

T. Cyprian and Joy Ann Kia

The Christian Life is a Transformed One

   Christ is expressed and extended when an individual, in a relationship with Christ, responds to the leading of the Spirit of God.  This is what the Holy Spirit testified to, when in Romans, we are told “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the first born among many brothers” (Romans 8:29).  When we respond to the leading of the Spirit, we are simply allowing Christ within us to be seen and touched through us.  If, as a group of believers, we walk in response to the Spirit, we collectively reflect the fullness of Christ.
            However, what we see daily is a people who collectively act like spoiled children demanding for attention,  rather than giving headship to so great a salvation and the Author of it (Hebrews 2:1-4).  Our actions are due to the fact that we have so easily forgotten that the central issue in a Christian’s life is the becoming more like Christ than it is to merely go somewhere or do something.  Our efforts should be to realize the necessity of a God-centered focus instead of a man-centered approach to the pursuit of God.
            It is an act of immaturity to relegate spiritual reality to the past or to the future.  We should never be satisfied with a return to the barren pathway of living in the past experiences or the dreamy imaginations of the future.  Spiritual reality demands that we participate in the life of the Sprit, cultivating the Lord’s presence, and responding proactively to the Spirit’s leading in our walk.  In this way we become a channel of God’s expression of His glory, pleasure and satisfaction; a situation that allows us to be in a continuous living relationship with Christ Himself.
            For this reason, the Holy Spirit testified through the Apostle Paul saying, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17).  God’s intent is for all of Himself to be in His Son.  For at last, God’s secret plan is now made known in Christ Himself.  So, just as one trusted Christ to be saved, one must also trust Christ for each day’s problems to be taken care of as they arise, if we are in a vital union with Him (Colossians 2:2).  For in Christ is all of God (Colossian 2: 9).
            So we have everything when we have Christ, and we are filled with God through our union with Him.  Christ is the highest ruler over every other power (Colossians 2:10).  In this new life one’s relationship was not based on nationality, or race or education or social position in life.  All these are unimportant.  Such things mean nothing.  What matters is whether a person has Christ and He is equally available to all.  Indeed, any person who would accept Christ’s offer of Himself, as the true path to eternal life, and a relationship with God, achieved on the basis of His death and resurrection,is on the path to Christlikeness. The Christian life, therefore, is becoming more like Christ, which is Christ likeness, our expressive calling in life.
T. Cyprian Kia