The Hope of Man
Dr Afolabi encourages us not to boast of our earthly heritage, but to focus on our eternal citizenship in Christ Jesus.
Hello folks, don’t wonder too much about what I am about to share with you. God never fails!
Countries, banks, businesses, organizations, families and loved ones may fail you but I have come to agree with a preacher of the Truth who said not too long ago that the hope of man is not in a nation but in God.
I have recently returned from a week’s annual leave in Nigeria and I promised myself that I would share some of the joy and refreshing I encountered there.
I bless the name of the Lord for His journey mercies! My flight was a good one: leaving Shannon airport at 6.30 am I transited at CDG Paris and, after 5hrs 45min in the air, landed at MMA Lagos at 4.20 pm on the same day - Saturday 21st June. My brother conveyed me from the airport and as we drove through the city traffic, I was overwhelmed by joy unspeakable as I began to sing in my heart a song that plays over and over whenever I’m on the road in Clare:
“the great love of God, Jesus is his name, He is the Only one, my salvation …”
I blessed the name of the Almighty God for the quality time I could spend with friends and family. Out of my eight nights in Nigeria, I spent six at the Covenant University Guest House and the Camp House of Faith Tabernacle Ota located in Canaan Land - a suburb of Lagos.
The day following my arrival was Father’s Day, Sunday 22nd June and what an impactful service and celebration we had! There was no doubt that I did have a great time and my trip was such a huge success. Glory be to God!
But back to Canaan Land. Covering several hundred acres, it has become a mega-city in the space of 10 years and is the site of the world’s largest church building: Faith Tabernacle (a 50,000 seat auditorium which took 12months to build). There are also primary & secondary schools, the Covenant University, restaurants, shops, banks, petrol stations, etc.
Faith Tabernacle is one of the numerous prosperous ministries in Nigeria commanding supernatural breakthroughs all over the world for the Glory of God. Dear folks, great and marvellous are the doings of God on earth. In the course of my meditation, I remember ….”but people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits” (Dan 11:32, KJV).
In John 1.5 it says “the light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not” (KJV).
And think of this, the light shines most in the midst of gross darkness. Considering the strange moves of God in nations that suffer with diseases, poverty, corruption, crime, drugs, etc it is undeniable that the kingdom of God on earth is about to humble the world even at this time that all economic giants are crying out in hopelessness.
Please read what Bishop David Oyedepo (the man to whom God gave the Faith Tabernacle commission) said when the Guinness Book of Records announced it as the world’s largest church building: “it was a proof of the faithfulness of God…It is humbling that in the whole of the world, the largest church building is found in this corner of the earth. God is faithful. It is gratifying that out of Africa, out of Nigeria and from this obscure corner of the earth, a global church has emerged. This is an indication that something good can come out of any nation”.
But here is the good news friends, there is hope for us all in God because there is “… Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1: 27).
Also permit me to say that a redeemed man must see his new birth in Christ Jesus as a deliverance from the power of darkness and translation into the kingdom of His own Dear Son (Jesus Christ) to reign on earth as kings and daughters. We may be by birth from any nation but spiritually, we are heavenly citizens because we are not of this world. Thank God (our Creator) for His ‘manufacturer’s guidelines’ which is the Holy Bible wherein all provisions are made available for us (creatures) that we might profit (2Tim 3:16 -17).
Of the truth, the Bible says about us “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” (1Pe 2:9, NKJ).
That’s who we are in Christ Jesus! It would be downgrading for a Christian, part of a holy nation, to put his hope in an earthly nation. God cannot share His Glory with anyone, be it a nation, a politician, solicitor … all flesh inclusive.
I particularly like to read Ps 34:1-5 and in verse 5 it says “they looked unto Him and were lightened and their faces were not ashamed.” And in Ps121, the psalmist asks: “…from whence cometh my help?”
My help comes from ABOVE - not from ABROAD. It is impossible to look up and down at the same time, you are either looking down to the visible or you are focusing on the invisible God who never fails, the same yesterday, today and forever.
Our God is faithful, trustworthy and always dependable.
Our hope is in Christ Jesus, “ … the Hope of Glory” so rejoice! Your destiny is in God’s hands and not in a country.
May we receive His grace to put our trust 100% in God, to look to Him absolutely? Amen.
Praise the Lord!!
