Category Archives: Youth Talk

Our final Salvation: God’s Work; Our Work

by oafak

by Omotayo Fakinlede, Oda, July 14, 2024
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. Philippians 2:12-18
Salvation: With Trembling and with Fear
In preparing for today’s sermon, I began to imagine things in life: Some things are handled carelessly with little thought. There are other things that must be handled with trembling. There are things that must be handled with fear. Others may be handled with trembling and fear! Can you give examples of these things? You can, for example, trow your slippers carelessly anywhere near the door. No trembling, no fear! You do not really care if someone were to walk on it! Supposwe I give you a day old child to carry? The little thing is so fragile. Can you treat the baby the way you treat your slippers? Can you even carry it anyhow? There are parts of the body that must not be stressed. The skull, for example, is not fully hardened, etc. How do you feel if you are told to carry one? You do it gently, particularly, paying attention to details because any little mikstake can be fatal! Trembling, and fear! What does the Bible say about Salvation? The Contemporary English Version translates vs 12b as : “Work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved”. Apostle Peter wrote his epistle to a people that “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”. 1 Peter 1:3-5
What does “being guarded” in this passage mean? Imagine, again a toddler, learning to walk. The father is staying close to him, just to ensure he does not fall to the hard floor. – yet not touching him. But the little boy has to do the walking! He is learning to move on his own! Eventually he will be walking all by himself. But right now, he is being gaurded! The Psalmist (63:8) said

My soul followeth hard after thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me

Working out Your Salvation
As my main passage for the day is the Epistle to the Phiilipians, I want to make matters easy for us all to understand. The monolithic “salvation” as a fomular is lower than the bar God sets for us. Instead, there is new birth that will be given to all who repent and confess their sins and can therefore enter into the free grace that Jesus offers in the new birth. These people, let us say, loud and clear, are not yet in heaven! They are in this world, and they are in a battle. If the gospel began and ended in salvation, there would have been no need for the exhortations in the apostolic work of the entire acts and Epistles that represent the teaching of the “Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church” we talk about in the creeds! That Church is the Church of God and therefore “Holy”. The Church is not founded by any “President, Founder, Superintendent nor GO” but it is “you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” Ephesians 2:19-21. That is what we mean by the fact that the Church is Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. Catholic means it is one church all over the world, and Apostolic means it is built on the teachings of the Apostles. The Epistles, where the Apostles explained what the Gospel was all about, was the initial summary of Apostolic teaching!
The Four Rs
In this teaching, there are four Rs! They, in order of precedence are Repentance, Reconciliation, Regeneration and Redemption. We repent, God forgives. He sent his Only begotten Son to reconcile the world to himself. Everyone that wills and submits becomes regenerated and embarks on this journey and proceeds as Peter the Apostle said “to the inheritance laid down for us all. These people will be engaged in a titanic battle in this world. But they will not be left alone. As Hymn 307 tells us,

Stand up, stand up for Jesus; The strife will not be long:
This day the noise of battle; The next, the victor’s song.
To him that overcometh – A crown of life shall be
He with the King of glory, Shall reign eternally!

In conclusion, let us be further instructed by the words of the Apostle Paul in Phillipians. There are things we cannot fully comprehend in this epistle unless we get the context clearly. It is one of the most popular passages in Nigerian Christianity! Unfortunately, it is popular because we do not often get the context! O that we would understand, the great truths of the gospel would be ours in its power and majesty and we will grow up from the “loaves and fishes” Christianity that we practice so well!
The Context of the Message
Imprisonment and confirmation of the message:
It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:7-8
Expansion of the work to fellow prisoners, jailers, political leaders:
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Philippians 1:12-14
Conviction & Charge
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. Philippians 1:18-30
Trust in God and the 419 passage
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:10-20

The Spirit-Filled Believer

by oafak

By OA Fakinlede, St James’ Church, Oda June 2, 2024

We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread,
and long to feast upon Thee still;
we drink of Thee, the Fountain-head,
and thirst our souls from Thee to fill.

Our restless spirits yearn for Thee,
where’er our changeful lot is cast;
glad when Thy gracious smile we see,
blest when our faith can hold Thee fast.

Bernard of Clairvaux (Hymn 387)

Looking at the topic of the day, what should be the duty of the preacher? Is it to
1. Tell how to become a Spirit-Filled believer?
2. To show how to recognize a Spirit-Filled believer?
3. To understand how a company of Spirit-Filled believers will act like or what they will achieve?
4. To avoid counterfeits and avoid the wastage of time resulting from wrong emphasis?

I leave for my hearers the judgment if any of these possible goals is achieved. Nearing the close of the Epistle to the Romans, Paul told us: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4. One bitter truth written for us is about the people of God in the old Testament. They behaved in such a way that we have this testimony about them for our instruction and to ponder on: ‘For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”’ Romans 2:24. Here the Apostle was quoting Isaiah 5:25 on the conduct of the People of God! Their lives, things happening to them, in this place, were putting the name of God in disrepute!
They lived in error! And when you are in error, you can easily do the terrible thing of being responsible for causing the name of the Lord to be blasphemed! Our Lord Jesus explained to the Sadducees, the deep disease that caused them to go into error. “Ye do err”, He told them in Matt 22:29 – “not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God”. We will therefore begin on what the scriptures tell us about the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit: The Activity, the Character & the Word of God
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. John 16:7-14
Why are the scriptures so important? And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:19-21
Organizing a Spirit-Filled Company
My real focus in this sermon is the entire book of Titus. In there, the Apostle outlined the organization of a Spirit inspired and activated company of Christ’s followers. There the principles are enunciated and the goals of each member are clearly outlined. Enough of this pining for the days of the Apostles! This is OUR DAY! We can actually serve God right now because we are the people appointed for this hour!
The most important thing about being Spirit-Filled is Desire! Paul actually implied, if you interpret like I do, that you can have as much of the Holy Spirit as you want! Doubt me? OK, can you have as much coke as you want? Can you have as much wine as you want? If that is true, consider what Paul says here: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 5:15-20

Sound Doctrine for old men & women, boys and girls, bond and free: Titus 2.
Note the purpose of each admonition: “that the word of God may not be reviled”.
Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 9 Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:2-14

Prayer to the Holy Ghost: Hymn 235
1 Come down, O Love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

2 O let it freely burn,
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

3 Let holy charity
Mine outward vesture be.
And lowliness become my inner clothing.
True lowliness of heart,
Which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

4 And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace,
till Love create a place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling.
— Bianco da Siena

Living in the Knowledge of His presence

by oafak

OA Fakinlede, Oda, April 7, 2024

16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” ESV Genesis 28:16-17
“16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven”. KJV Genesis 28:16-18
Jacob, having cheated his brother, was on the run for his life. Tired, he saw what he thought was an ordinary place by the wayside. Unlike us, he did not get a good pillow – he had to make do with a stone! But the night was eventful. He saw a mighty vision in the night. Angels of God were ascending and descending and he received a promise – not just of protection, but about mighty acts of God that transcended his immediate problems. By the time he woke up, he had a completely different perception of the extra-ordinariness of the place! “The Lord is in this place! And I did not know!”
11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! Genesis 28:11-12
When he knew of God’s presence, what was his opinion of the place? “Dreadful”! “Awesome”!
One baffling thing about the present religious climate in Nigeria is the “arifin” of God. In the new testament, simply falsifying the account of what they gave to God caused the death of Brother Annanias and Sister Sapphira! (Acts of the Apostles, chapter 5) The presence was awful, it was dreadful! It was not trivial! It was awesome!
The presence of the Lord with the travelling Israelites to the promised land was as mighty as it was awesome! It was a shade during the hot day sun, it was a defence and fire in the night. Awesome!
We cannot demand the presence of God! We are too unworthy to even ask! Imagine that I wish that the governor of Ondo State to have his presence with me when I am going to the market. Can I go and ask him to follow me? Maybe his assistants will think I was mad to even contemplate that! But it will be a different matter if Mr Aiyedatiwa, of his own accord, decided to follow me to the market! Jesus said “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I will be among them!” Matt 18:20. It was His idea, not ours. Otherwise, it would have been preposterous!
There are several issues to consider about our being in the presence of God. Two of these will be discussed today: Being in God’s presence worthily, and being conscious of it! Are we not most frequently like Jacob? The Lord was there, he was not aware.

He’s got his eyes on you
He’s got his eyes on you
My Lord, sitting in His kingdom,
He’s got his eyes on you!

I will not be a liar, I tell you the reason why
Cause my Lord might call me,
And I wouldn’t be ready to die.
He’s got his eyes on you …”Hypocrite”, “Cheater”, etc.

Backtrack to the passages given by the reverend for this occasion. There are six of them. When I printed them out. They occupied four pages! If I were to simply read them, they would take the time! But I guess he wants me to do better than that. I will therefore base this message on only one of these passages.

“1 I will bless the Lord at all times
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD:
the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened:
and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encampeth
round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good:
blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints:
for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger:
but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing”. Psalms 34:1-10

First three verses here are our lead and watchword every communion service and Hymn 290: Through all the changing scenes of life

1. Through all the changing scenes of life
In trouble and in joy,
The praises of my God shall still
My heart and tongue employ.
2. Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
With me exalt His name;
When in distress to Him I called,
He to my rescue came.
3. The hosts of God encamp around
The dwellings of the just;
Deliverance He affords to all
Who on His succor trust.
4. Oh, make but trial of His love,
Experience will decide
How blest they are, and only they,
Who in His truth confide.
5. Fear Him, ye saints, and you will then
Have nothing else to fear;
Make you His service your delight,
Your wants shall be His care.

We shall conclude this morning message by focussing on verse 5. How many times does the word “fear” occur in the Bible? 437 times!
Did you know that God commanded us not to fear 366 times in the bible? There is a “Fear not for each day with a spare one for the leap year.
Did you also know that the reason God gave that we may not fear is NOT because bad things cannot happen to us? The quality of faith is not in the avoidance of evil. It is instead in the hierarchy of the evil. “iku ti o pa ni, t’o ba si ni ni fila, ka maa dupe”! Some things are worse than others!
In verse 5 the poet drew powerfully on that thought by telling us whom to fear after which we have nothing left to fear! Matthew 10:28. Fear hath torment (I Jn 4:18-20. Jesus came to destroy all the works of the devil. One of the works of the devil he came to destroy is to free those who through fear are made captive all their lives-Heb 2:15 “and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”
One “koko” of the matter of walking in the consciousness of the presence of God is in our not fearing not being afraid. The positive part is in being thankful: two sides of the same coin.
Do you forget the presence of God? You are like Jacob, and you come to know it intermittently? Do you fear for your life? Are you in bondage by the fear of death?

You are not alone! I fear like you also.

1. Come to the realization
2. Know that God has a cure
3. Thankfulness can help us practice the presence of God. It helps us know that God is near us, that He is with us.
4. We can grow. We do not have to go from bad to worse. We can be better. We can know God better. And feel him better. And be more obedient.
5. It is a choice to move in that direction; or the opposite!

Excellency in Today’s Terms

by oafak

If you are already a university student or a graduate, please also read The Set of 2020 article on this site.
Dateline 1965.
What were my 9-year-old ears hearing from the common Rediffusion of those days?

“Bata re a dun ko ko ka
Bi o ba ka’we re,
Bata re a dun ko ko ka.
Bi o ko ba ka’we re,
Bata re adun pelebe pelebe pelebe!”

This erstwhile popular song must be nuanced and given context for it to make sense. First, what was “Reddifusion”? In 1965, believe me, there were no smartphones. Akure had some electricity but even in homes, like mine, that had a little access, it was mainly for lighting. Some people had “Transistor Radios” but most of those used dry-cell batteries. Hotels and beer parlors often had loudspeakers playing songs in the streets. I learnt most of the popular songs of that time on the streets from kind Parlor owners that broadcast IK Dairo, Haruna Isola, Jim Reeves, Ogunde, Olaiya, Roy Chicago, etc., as you passed by their buildings on the way to my father’s shop!
The government of that time had this little box that talked all day and was wired into all subscribing households. It was like a wired radio set to a single frequency. The little box was called “Rediffusion” or Asoromagbesi in Yoruba. It was such a clever idea. For a little monthly fee, each household could be connected to government programs, hear the latest news, listen to some music and adverts. That was perhaps the first idea of Power-over Ethernet, popular today, as it did not require you to have electricity in your house.
At that time, the young school child was taught that education will allow him to climb the social ladder and become “important”, “successful”, etc. by studying very hard at school. Our ideal in 1965 was the middle-level civil servant that wore covered shoes. Most of our parents: farmers, traders, cleaners, etc., wore slippers. The above song therefore counsels you to study hard (Ka iwe re) so that you will wear covered shoes that make the sounds “ko ko ka”. If you failed in school, you will either be like your parents – wearing slippers or become a servant. That is why your footwear will sound “pelebe, pelebe pelebe”.
My mother, having no school education herself, was waiting for me to return home from school with my result at the term’s end. Unfortunately, she could not read the result herself. She would not listen to whatever I told her about my result. She waited for a civil servant tenant to pass by. Such people will be called “Akowe” in those days. My report card will be given to an Akowe and he would explain my grades subject by subject to mama. And mama had ready, a spanking rod or a bowl of delicious food – usually rice and stew. Which one I got, depended on the interpretation given to my report card by the Akowe.
Now that we have an idea of what that song said, let us study the philosophy that drove people of that era.

1. It was not your duty to build your society. Just read your books and take the place of a civil servant to maintain the colonial structure built by the British.
2. The social order is fixed, just find your place or seek to move higher.
3. Your ticket is your paper certificate.
4. Nothing else matters!

In the next 60 years, the philosophical underpinning of our society values created a Nigerian mindset that is perpetually seeking paper qualifications. In secondary school, our chemistry book taught us topics such as the Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil as well as the Blast Furnace manufacture of Iron from Ore. We were taught the Saponification process of soap making as well as fermentation process in alcohol manufacture. Even the sanitation of our environment to prevent mosquitoes from biting us to the direction of flood waters to safely drain our water are all known to us in secondary schools.
Why do adult Nigerians develop zero inquisitiveness to find how these can be used to create products and services so to make a better living around themselves? Can the answer not be found in the fact that your duty – your bounden duty was to repeat these processes to the teacher at the end of term and collect your grades for promotion to the next class? Was the goal not only to get the Civil Service job so that “Bata re a dun ko ko ka?” Was there any other incentive?
I had the opportunity to ask my children to repeat SS3 in Canada after finishing here in Nigeria. Ireti’s comments comparing Physics and Chemistry as taught to final year secondary school students in Nigeria and Canada opened my eyes! The people here learn more chemistry theory and principles with much more mathematics than the Canadian school leaver. But the purposes are different! The little the Canadian child learns is orchestrated to produce something! The plenty the Nigerian child learns is CPPF (Cram, Pour, Pass, and Forget).
In Abuja, I observed that several young women that had completed the NYSC opened hair dressing salons along the roadside behind my house. I sometimes used the rear entrance and observed that they threw hair remnants and used threads into the drain – creating a good habitat for mosquitoes to thrive. These mosquitoes bite them, and they fall sick. And most of them are post NYSC – some of whom taught Biology and ecology during their service years!
Conclusion: Excellence in today’s terms is not merely “Academic” in the CPPF format of your parents! Of course, you still need to pay attention and succeed. But it is not enough! It is a mistake to imagine that it is when you reach university that you will learn what is needed to survive in society! Primary and secondary education are far more important than university education! You need to start early to develop excellency in skills and seek how to be productive using knowledge as early as possible! There are enormous opportunities to be creative that you are missing right now. Find out about them and stop doing “Bata re a dun ko ko ka”!