Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo's Blog: April 2024

ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS

‘’But I do have something against you! And it is this: You don't have as much love as you used to. Think about where you have fallen from, and then turn back and do as you did at first. If you don't turn back, I will come and take away your lampstand’’. Revelation 2:4-5 (CEV)

One day, D.L Moody asked a man who claimed to be a devoted Christian this question: “Sir, how many souls did you lead to Christ last year?” The man responded, “Well, I don’t know.” Then, Moody replied him, “when a man gets up so high that he cannot reach down and save poor sinners, there is something wrong.”

Root Cause Analysis is a method or technique used to uncover causes of problems. The technique simply seek to answer questions like: “What is wrong? How did it happen? And how can we solve the problem and prevent recurrence? For instance, D.L Moody’s comments above is a typical example of a Spiritual Root Cause Analysis which attempts to provide answer to why some believers are not productive and effective in the kingdom.

In Revelation 2:1-5, the Holy Ghost carried out a comprehensive Root Cause Analysis of the Church at Ephesus and published the result in the Holy Bible. According to the publication, something was wrong with the love tank of the Christians in the Church at Ephesus. The believers love tank was leaking badly and instead of patching or sealing the leakages, they were busy attempting to fetch money, titles, certificates, positions and other worldly pleasures into the vacuum or empty space. This was a serious blunder and misplacement of priority. Indeed, something was wrong.

Unfortunately, many believers in this generation are still acting the same script written by their mentors in the Church at Ephesus. Today, many professing Christians are huge deficit in the balance sheet of God on earth. Like the Church at Ephesus, something is really wrong with their love tank and passion for God. If not, how can the child of a loving father become so callous and extremely insensitive to the terrible plight of unbelievers around them? How can a believer not have a single convert throughout the 365days in a year? How can one claim to know the merciful God and ones bowel of compassion is completely empty or dry. How can one continue to give flimsy excuses for being a relic, and irresponsible fellow in the vineyard of faith? It is extremely difficult to reconcile! Like D.L. Moody, we can only conclude that something is wrong with many believers in this generation!

Beloved, what will be God's comment about your attribute to kingdom business? Don't you think something is actually wrong with your love for God? Please stop playing politics with God. Those excuses and defensive tactics of yours are completely baseless and totally unacceptable in the sight of Heaven. I urge you to repent now before your spiritual root cause analysis result is published. And in case, you have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, I urge you to please do so now. You will never regret you did.

This powerful hymn below re-echoes what should be our prayers as many believers have gotten their permanent resident visa in the cold love region of this world (1 Tim 4:1).

MORE LOVE TO THEE , O CHRIST By Elizabeth Payson Prentiss, 1856

1. More love to Thee, O Christ,

More love to Thee!

Hear Thou the prayer I make

On bended knee;

This is my earnest plea:

More love, O Christ, to Thee,

More love to Thee,

More love to Thee!

2. Once earthly joy I craved,

Sought peace and rest;

Now Thee alone I seek,

Give what is best;

This all my prayer shall be:

More love, O Christ, to Thee,

More love to Thee,

More love to Thee!

3. Then shall my latest breath

Whisper Thy praise;

This be the parting cry

My heart shall raise;

This still its prayer shall be:

More love, O Christ, to Thee,

More love to Thee,

More love to Thee

May God take us back to our first love and keep us burning for Him till Christ returns.

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit -

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

Instagram: @lawontaiwo

X: @tammytaiwo

THE UNPAYABLE DEBT

‘’I have a duty to perform and a debt to pay both to Greeks and to barbarians [the cultured and the uncultured], both to the wise and to the foolish’’ Romans 1:14 (AMP)

David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary who spent thirty-three years in Africa. He endured much suffering as he laboured to spread the Gospel and open the continent to missionaries. This missionary once said: “People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply an attempt to pay back a small part of a great debt I owe God, which I can never repay? It is emphatically not sacrifice, rather it is a privilege’’ (The Life and Labours of David Livingstone, J. E. Chambliss)

In Romans 1:14, The Holy Spirit reaffirms David Livingstone’s comments about believers being debtors to God. We are debtors to God because He paid for us a debt we were unable to pay ourselves. God paid the debt for our sins by sacrificing His own Son (Colossians 2:13-14). It is impossible to offset the incredible debt we own, hence we are “duty-bound” to live in a certain way to please God at all times (1 Thessalonians 2:4). One of such ways is to make ourselves available to serve Him by preaching the Gospel (Matthew 28:19).

"Because we broke God’s laws, we owed a debt—a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross" - Colossians 2:14 (ERV‬‬)

The call to serve God in any capacity should never be seen as a burden but a privilege (Philippians 1:29). Unfortunately, many believers' attitude or disposition toward serving God especially in prayer, evangelism and follow up is quite appalling. They believe that working for God in such capacity is burdensome, hence they refuse to serve or rather render what I call the ‘Service of Convenience’ to God. These people seem not to understand that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and His reward system cannot be compared with the riches of this world (Hebrews 11:6, 1 Cor 9:16-17, Romans 8:18).

"When I preach the Gospel I cannot boast for I am compelled to preach the Gospel. Woe to me, if I do not preach the Gospel. If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward, if not voluntarily, I'm simply discharging the trust committed to me’’ 1 Corinthians 9:16-17.

Friends, serving God is not a burden but a blessing. It is not an obligation but an opportunity. Please don’t allow the devil trick you to believe that serving God is a burden. No, serving God is indeed a special privilege and it is filled with loads of benefits. Be a steward in God’s kingdom today and enjoy all the benefits of your stewardship.

This wonderful hymn below re-echoes the scriptures in Romans 1:14:

I MUST GO, FOR I AM DEBTOR By Margaret Clarkson

I must go, for I am debtor,

debtor now to all the race,

I must tell the love of Jesus,

I must share his saving grace.

I must follow where he leads me

whether near or far abroad:

where he sends me I must serve him,

debtor there to live for God.

I must go, for I am debtor;

I have known Christ's healing grace;

I am debtor, then, forever,

till I stand before his face.

I am debtor to the millions

who have never heard Christ's name,

debtor, too, to friends around me

who have never faced his claim.

Savior, speak through me your message

where you will, and when, and how;

let your Holy Spirit's fulness

seal me yours for service now.

Let your life suffuse my being

till I live your saving Word;

let me keep your last commandment

till at length I see my Lord!

May God revive His Church and create a deep urge in our hearts to obey the Master's call to duty for the end time harvest of souls into His kingdom.

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit -

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

Instagram: @lawontaiwo

X: @tammytaiwo

LIFESTYLE EVANGELISM

"Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives and we publish it." - 2 Corinthians 3:2‭-‬3 (MSG)

St. Francis of Assisi once invited a young man to join him on a trip to town to preach. Honoured to be given the invitation, the man readily accepted. All day long he and Francis walked through the streets, byways, and alleys, and even into the suburbs. They rubbed shoulders with hundreds of people. At the end of the day, the two headed back home. Not even once had Francis addressed a crowd, nor had he talked to anyone about the gospel. Greatly disappointed, his young companion said, "I thought we were going into town to preach." Francis responded, "My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many and our behaviour was closely watched. It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk!" (Our Daily Bread, December 15, 1991)

The above story re-emphasizes a salient truth that the Holy Ghost taught the church at Corinth about Lifestyle Evangelism. A preacher's greatest sermon is not written in his sermon note but on the pages of his daily walk with men. Our Christ-like nature should be the greatest selling point in the harvest field for souls. Many people don't really need to listen to our elongated and cleverly-fabricated words before they decide for Christ. Talk is truly cheap but the walk of a genuine believer can unveil the gospel and its simplicity to sinners seamlessly.

Unfortunately, there are many companions of St. Francis in the church today. These people do not understand that the walk is much more important than the talk. Despite their big titles and positions in the kingdom, they have many terrible character flaws capable of chasing unbelievers away from the narrow path. They display some negative anointing like pride, anger, unforgiveness, arrogance, hatred while preaching to their unbelieving neighbours and friends. The resultant outcome of those preaching engagements may be quite easy to predict! Unbelievers will make mockery of those hypocritical preachers and their sermons.

"We are the Bibles the world is reading;

We are the creeds the world is needing;

We are the sermons the world is heeding" - Billy Graham

Beloved, what gospel is your life preaching to everyone around you? Is your life preaching the gospel of anger, pride, greed, unforgiveness, arrogance, deceit, lies etc? Or are you a living epistle of Christ's love, mercy and compassion to the dying world? Are you walking the talk or are you an hypocrite? Can unbelievers read the gospel of Christ in your life?

This powerful poem below re-echoes the need to be a living epistle of Christ on earth till He returns.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO YOU By Arthur McPhee

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

Are read by more than a few,

But the one that is most read and commented on

Is the gospel according to you.

You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day

By the things that you do and the words that you say,

Men read what you write, whether faithless or true,

Say, what is the gospel according to you'

Do men read His truth and His love in your life,

Or has yours been too full of malice and strife'

Does your life speak of evil, or does it ring true'

Say, what is the gospel according to you'

May God have mercy on His church and restore all backsliders and hypocrites in the kingdom. May all believers become true beacons of light with their Christ-like character to the dying souls around them in Jesus name, Amen.

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit -

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

Instagram: @lawontaiwo

X: @tammytaiwo

THE SPIRIT OF COMPETITION

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"- Matthew 16:26 (AMP)

In a steamboat race, one of the leading boat suddenly began to fall behind. The coal in the oven had been exhausted. Then, the sailor took some of the ship’s cargo and tossed it into the oven. When he saw that the cargoes burned like coal, he fueled his boat with the material he had been assigned to transport. Although, he ended up winning the race, but burned his cargo.

Life is a race and many people are running to win at all cost. The spirit of competition has made many sailors to device several ungodly means of surviving and keeping their vessels going in a time like this. Many are ready to cut corners just to win the race and be applauded. Like Esau, they are willing to mortgage their souls, forfeit their birthrights and throw their integrity in the waste bin for worldly riches and gains that are transient (Gen 25:29-32).

Beloved, I hope you have not burnt your cargoes, misplaced your priorities in life or thrown your birthrights into the trash just for a single meal like Esau. Remember, how he wept bitterly to claim it back but the damage was irreversible (Heb 12:16-17). His cargoes had been burnt by the strange fire of ungodliness and profanity.

Your life is too precious to be wasted, so don't throw your soul into the oven of hell for any reason. Don't let any worldly competition make you dip your hands into things that will cause you to cry like Esau when you reach the golden shore. Your cargoes may look like coals but they are not coals. Don't throw caution to the wind or embrace the "quick fix" approach. But, rather go after God wholeheartedly.

Friends, are all your cargoes still intact? Have you thrown your virginity, dignity and integrity into the oven? What about the seven locks of hair upon your head? Where is the aura of God's glory and presence you used to carry? Are you sure you have not offloaded it into the oven? If you have, I urge you to please retrace your steps to where you lost it. Repent and plead for mercy today because without genuine repentance, I'm afraid your ship will capsize soon in the middle of the sea of life.

''What Will You Give In Exchange?'' is the title of a special hymn that reiterates the question that our Saviour asked in Matthew 16:26.

WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE IN EXCHANGE? By F. J. Berry

Brother afar from the Savior today,

Risking your soul for the things that decay;

O if today God should call it away,