The Essence of Our Christian Walk

Life in general has been properly described as a journey, not a destination. Therefore, the sum total of what we are engaged in is essentially a walk. In this life's journey many have distracted themselves with side issues, some are counting the miles they have covered so far (such as years on earth, accomplished goals, material achievement, etc.) and some have settled on the wayside. To a large proportion of people the activities of fellow pilgrims have become their pre-occupation, and so they turn themselves into walk-watchers.

To the believing community there are rules on how to walk on this journey. These rules are kept in proper perspective if we are focused on the essence of our walk. That essence is our faith in Christ . It is not the quantity of the power or wisdom or enthusiasm that exists in our walk that constitutes the essence of our walk.

As the song writer eloquently expressed it in "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" :

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee.
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea.
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews lays bare the secret of the marvels effected by the heroes of the Hebrew story. Obedient to His summons they range themselves in one great battalion, and with a united breath they cry: Why marvel ye at these things? Why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our power or holiness we had done them? The God of Abraham, of Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers made bare His holy arm and wrought them by us. And His name, through faith in His name, has done all these wonderful works.

We make a profound mistake in attributing to these men extraordinary qualities of courage and strength of body or soul. To do so is to miss the whole point of the reiterated teachings of Scripture. They were not different from ordinary men except in their faith . In many respects it is most likely that they were inferior to ourselves. We should probably be much surprised if we were to encounter them in the daily walks of our post-modern life and should find it almost impossible to believe that they wrought such acts of valor, endurance, and deliverance.

There was one characteristic common to all of these heroes which lifted them above ordinary men and women and secured for them a niche in the temple of Scripture--that they had a marvelous faculty of faith, which indeed is but the capacity of the human heart for God, a passionate hunger for and pursuit after God (Psalm 42:1). Four times over this faith is cited as the secret of all Moses did for all his people.

The same truth is repeatedly corroborated in the teaching of our Lord. He never stopped to ask what may be the specific quantity of power, or wisdom, or enthusiasm which existed in His disciples. In His judgment these things are as small dust in the balance not to be taken into serious consideration and not likely to affect the aggregate results of a person's life. His incessant demand is for faith. If only there is faith, though it be as a mustard seed, trees can be uprooted, mountains cast into the midst of the sea, and demons exorcised from their victims. To a father He once said: There is no 'if' in my power; it is in thyfaith. If thou can'st believe, all things are possible to Him that believeth (Matthew 9:19-23).

What is faith? It is not some inherent power or quality in certain persons by virtue of which they are able to accomplish special results unrealized by others. It is, rather, the power of putting self aside that God may work unhindered through nature. It is the attitude of heart which having ascertained the will of God and being desirous of becoming an organ for His will, goes on to expect that God will work His purpose through its medium. It is, in brief, that capacity for God which appropriates Him in its utmost limit, and becomes the channel or vehicle through which He passes forth to bless mankind. The believer, therefore, is God-filled, God-moved, and a God-possessed person, and the work which he or she does in the world is not his or hers but God through them. Thus, faith is the sum total of our expectations and the guarantee that they will be met (Hebrews 11:1).

For we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). It is certain, as the present age draws to a close, that our God has great schemes on hand which must shortly be realized. According to His invariable method, He will have to perform them through the instrumentality and faith of men and women. The question is:

Are you willing to die to your own strength, to forsake your own plans for God, to seek out and do His will absolutely, to take up the attitude of entire and absolute surrender to His purpose, to feed daily on the promises of God as a girl on the pledges of her absent lover, to step out in faith reckoning without emotion of any kind on the faithfulness of God being fully persuaded that He will perform all that He has promised?

Dr. T. Cyprian Kia
Written this day May 20, 2001
Ankpa, Kogi State

The Sin Called "Demandingness"

"So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak." (Genesis 32:24).

Jacob is probably one of the clearest Biblical illustrations of a demanding spirit. He insisted on having his father's blessing for himself and took advantage of his brother's hunger, buying his birthright for a plate of stew. Later, Jacob, went through a kind of conversion, making God his God and giving him a tenth, but deep in his heart there was still the spirit of demandingness.

It shows itself again at Paddan Aram, where he worked out a scheme to make himself rich at his father-in-law's expense (Genesis 30:40-43). He was still Jacob, though he talked about himself in terms of honesty. "My honesty will testify for me in the future." (Genesis 30:33); but it was nothing more than above-the-water-line honesty. His mind was changed, not his heart.

Demandingness is insisting that our interest be served irrespective of others. We demand that people treat us the way we believe they should. We demand that people support us in time of trouble. We demand that no one comes close to hurting us. Wedged tightly in the recesses of our heart is this ugly splinter, which if not removed, will produce a poison that will infect every part of our life (Psalm 7:1-7).

Let there be no mistaking, if we are to pursue God wholeheartedly, then the spirit of demandingness , which resides in every human heart must be identified and removed. So Jacob was pursued by the love of God, like the Hound of Heaven down the years, awaiting the hour when he would be ready to admit that he was beaten. A man wrestled with him until Jacob's strength was diminished, at which point He asked him, "What is your name?" (Hosea 12:3-6).

Jacob, after a tremendous struggle, made a crucial confession. "My name is Jacob -- the Supplanter" he sobbed. The depths were uncovered, Jacob's heart was naked before God. The real problem was identified.

If you have not reached this place in your spiritual experience, then I suggest you stop everything and tell God your name. You might have to confess: "My name is Demandingness; I insist on having my own way in everything." . The saying of the old name is a confession, a catharsis. When Jacob said his name, the angel said: "Your name will no longer be Jacob but Israel -- a Striver with God" (Genesis 32:28).

Demandingness manifests itself when we insist that God answer our prayers in the way we think He should. Our faith in God must be based on unconditional confidence in His character and sovereign purposes, rather than in the hope that He will relieve us of pain and suffering in the way that we think is best (Hebrews 11:1).

There is a world of difference between "praying in faith" and "demandingness". When we "pray in faith" we have the assurance in our hearts that God wants to bring about a certain purpose for His own glory. Demandingness insists on getting the answers that are in accord with its own desires rather than God's purposes. It is an attempt to bring God in line with our will rather than bringing our will in line with His will.

Deep hurt is a most suitable environment in which to nourish a demanding spirit. Nothing convinces us more that God must answer our prayers in that way that we think He should, then when we are experiencing continued heartache. The line between legitimate desiring and illegitimate demanding is a thin one, which is easily crossed. How can we be sure our desiring does not turn to demanding? When we are willing to say, "if God does not grant what I desire, then I can still go on because I know that He will never abandon me, and in His love I have all the strength I need, to handle whatever comes" (Daniel 3:8-30).

To be cured of the sin of Demandingness we need to return to the Lord our God. The pursuit of God involves a shift away from dependence on one's own resources to dependence on God. Obedience is extremely important, but it must be accompanied by deep heart repentance. The reason for our repentance must be clearly articulated in words. If we can't, then how do we know what we are repenting from inside of us (Micah 7:8-10)?

Repentance puts us in touch with God's forgiveness. We can work to bring about change also, but the greatest catalyst for change is humbly positioning ourselves before God and asking for His forgiveness (Hosea 14:1-4).

Written by Dr. T. Cyprian Kia on the 15th day of October, 2000 at the Makurdi Plaza Hotel, Benue State, Nigeria

PrayerLetter-Nov 1999

Dear Praying Partners,

E.M. Bounds has said: "The Church upon its knees would bring heaven upon the earth."

Our God is a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God. It is His Nature. David said: "The Lord has heard my supplication" (Psalm 6:9), and Jeremiah gives us the words of God Himself Who says: "Call to Me, and I will answer you" (Jeremiah 33:3). Is it any wonder then that the missionary letters we read are full of phrases like these: Please pray for us...We covet your prayers...Your prayers are urgently needed...Continue to pray...Because you prayed...Thank you for praying? We do thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

Cyprian continues a steady round of workshops and seminars and preaching. In Ghana the search for a place of worship for the young assembly is not yet successful. Keep praying. The Land Rover has been cleared but, because Cyprian has been in Ghana and communication is difficult, we have not heard its exact location. Keep praying. We thank the Lord that the container of Bibles is safely in.

At Makurdi Sule Moses took him to the prisons where a wide door has now opened for the Emmaus courses. A number of prisoners have given their lives to Christ as they studied the courses. While speaking at a service in Makurdi, a pastor testified that he had been saved at the CMML secondary school when Cyprian preached there in the late '80s. This is another encouragement from the Lord.

In Nigeria Cyprian is on the battlefield. He is very much aware of Satan's opposition and very much in need of your upholding prayer. Pray that he will have wisdom, discernment, health, safety and protection, and boldness to speak the Word of God. As he receives strength and encouragement from the Lord, we know victory is sure. But we all need to be backing him in prayer.

Because you are praying,
Cyprian and Joy

PrayerLetter-Apr 1999

Dear family and friends,


Greetings to each of you in the name of the Lord. It has been a long time since we have written, and Cyprian has returned to Nigeria/Ghana since the end of February. Join us please in praise and prayer as we give the following report.

Our recent trip to Canada and Indiana was wonderful, and we were blessed as we shared about what the Lord is doing in Nigeria and Ghana. We will not forget the wonderful times visiting family and old friends and being encouraged as we met so many saints who are faithful prayer warriors.

Since the first day of his arrival on March 1st Cyprian was busy with meetings, taking stock, workshops, and speaking engagements. The Lagos area coordination of the Emmaus courses has been exemplary. From March 2nd to the 4th, at their request, Cyprian had a workshop for new active correctors that were raised during the last quarter of 1998 and who are now ready with their own students enrolled under them. The Lagos area has also taken on the responsibility of raising an effective area coordination in Ibadan, the ancient city of the Yoruba's. Here there are about twenty students under a new corrector who was also raised during the last quarter of 1998.

On March 6th and 7th a workshop was held in Ankpa at the College of Education for the professors and instructors who are correctors. The meeting turned out to be a time of questions and answers, exhortation, and prayer. The result is that Cyprian was asked to revisit on the 4th of April.

He was in Makurdi, March 8th to 10th, raising awareness in the churches about the Emmaus courses and its current method of distribution and uses. On the 13th they held a workshop at Otukpo; many attended but seemed to lack focus. A special motivational meeting was held March 17th to 20th with correctors who now have more than 15 active students who have studied not less than eight courses. In these meetings the role of a coordinator, the challenges and benefits are discussed in full. Leadership and organizational skills were carefully presented to them, particularly its application to the Emmaus distribution network. The testimony given is that the skills are helpful for those in various positions of authority at work. In other words, association with the Emmaus project has proved to be relevant to their daily lives in this manner also.

On the 20th he left for Ghana and went to Kumasi to be with the Bowrons and the assembly that meets at their home. Cyprian held gospel meetings in the evenings, workshops, and counseling in the day time, and corrected courses with one-on-one discipleship. This work has grown and over nine benches have been made to ease the seating arrangement. Mike and Elaine will be returning for good to Canada in May, and the work there will be on its own, so to speak, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Please pray that that work will continue to flourish and that those left behind will be faithful.

Cyprian will be in Ghana again on 21st of April, where he will be joined by Jim Gillett (Ireland) and Hans Schieb (of Germany) for a few weeks of ministry. We cannot say how much we value your prayers for boldness, wisdom, energy and safety during this heavy schedule. As we see what the Lord is doing, we realize that we cannot focus our eyes on other humans but on the Lord of the whole earth, for when we "measure ourselves by ourselves and compare ourselves with ourselves, we are without understanding" (2 Corinthians 10:12). He is LORD. Prayer brings Him into ordinary situations and makes them extraordinary. Brethren, pray for us, as we pray for you, that we will resist the temptation to look at the little events in our lives as ordinary and recognize the sovereign purpose God is working out in our lives.

Praising our God,
Cyprian and Joy