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AND UNTO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN SMYRNA WRITE

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By Akin Ojumu Contrary to what you’ve been taught, the fire of faith of the Christian Church was not quenched at the close of the Bible Canons when Apostle John wrote “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” of Revelations 22:21. Unlike what you’ve hitherto believed, the fervor of the faith of believers in Christ did not fizzle out with the death of the last of the original Twelve Apostles in c. 100 AD and then rekindled 1800 years later at Azusa Street. The advent of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements did not bring about a great awakening in the Church and resurgence of Biblical Christianity. Charles F. Parham, John G. Lake, William J. Seymour, Kathryn Kuhlman, Aimee Semple McPherson, Maria Woodworth-Etter, William Branham, E.W. Kenyon, Kenneth Hagin, Oral Roberts, etc., did not birth a revival or rejuvenation to the Christian faith. On the contrary, the aberrant strain of Christianity perpetuated by these individuals, which is mostly focused on experience and phenomenon...
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POLYCARP OF SMYRNA, A DISCIPLE OF APOSTLE JOHN

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By Akin Ojumu A significant number of Christians, especially the folks of the Pentecostal/Charismatic/New Apostolic Reformation movements, assume that Christianity somehow went into a cocoon of spiritual hibernation between the time the last of Christ’s Apostles died and the ascendancy of Emperor Constantine or between the conversion of Constantine to Christianity and the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century. The general belief in these movements is that the move of God ceased and that Christianity became dormant after the Book of Revelations. If you subscribe to that notion, this YouTube video is a must watch. It is a historical account of Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna. To many of you reading this, I’m sure the name Polycarp probably doesn’t ring a bell.  Born between c. 69 AD and c. 70 AD, Polycarp, whose name in Greek means “Much Fruit” or  “ Many Fruit, ”  was instructed in the teachings of Christ by the Apostles. He was a direct disciple of Apostle John. Irena...
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IRENAEUS, THE FIRST CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST (c. 125 – 202 AD)

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By Akin Ojumu Gnosticism was perhaps the most dangerous heresy that threatened the early church during the first three centuries. Influenced by such philosophers as Plato, Gnosticism is based on two false premises. First, it espouses a dualism regarding spirit and matter. Gnostics assert that matter is inherently evil and spirit is good. As a result of this presupposition, Gnostics believe anything done in the body, even the grossest sin, has no meaning because real life exists in the spirit realm only (Source: Got Questions). Second, Gnostics claim to possess an elevated knowledge, a “higher truth” known only to a certain few. Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis which means “to know.” Gnostics claim to possess a higher knowledge, not from the Bible, but acquired on some mystical higher plane of existence. Gnostics see themselves as a privileged class elevated above everybody else by their higher, deeper knowledge of God (Source: Got Questions). During the second century, the c...
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THE CROSS IS STILL AN OFFENSE

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By Akin Ojumu There are many today who subscribe to the notion that there’s no daylight between Christians and Jews. These are folks who, in their egregiously erroneous understanding of Scripture, see the Jews as Christians best buddies. Very often you hear them assert that “The Jews are our allies while the Arabs are our enemies.” As these two video clips demonstrate, nothing can be further from the truth. Just as it was in the days of Christ and His Disciples, so it is today. The Name of Christ continues to evoke maniacal, raucous, rabid and even aggressive sentiments among the Jews even to this day. In the first clip, a group of Orthodox Jews, both old and young, can be seen spitting at Christian tourists who were carrying the Cross in the Old City of Jerusalem on October 2, 2023. The second clip shows an Israeli man run up to a Catholic Nun and shove her to the ground from behind in an unprovoked attack in Jerusalem. Not content with seeing the poor woman crouch in pain on the cobb...
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ALADDIN & THE GENIE CHRISTIANITY

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By Akin Ojumu Woven into the tapestry of my commentaries on the Christianity faith is a strident emphasis on historical biblical Christianity. Those who have followed me for any appreciable period of time know that this particular subject is a recurring feature in my musings.  But what exactly does it even mean? Well, let me define it for you. In a nutshell, historical biblical Christianity is the Gospel that was taught by the Lord Jesus Christ to His chosen Apostles. In His final instructions to the Apostles, the Lord Jesus commanded them to teach the exact same thing to their own disciples with the help of the Holy Spirit who will bring to their remembrance everything He had taught them in the preceding three years that they had been with Him. John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, ba...
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WHAT BECAME OF THE APOSTLES

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By Akin Ojumu Power. Power. Power. Just as it has always been in the history of mankind, the average churchgoer today is obsessed with supernatural power. Possessed, as it were, with the ever-consuming passion for the miraculous, they chase after any charlatan professing to live a naturally supernatural lifestyle.  Being the type to never to let an inordinate desire go to waste, the shysters of the contemporary pulpits fan into flame the lustful longing of their captives by leading them to spend their lives jumping from crusade grounds to prayer lines all in pursuit of miracles, signs, and wonders of the type performed by the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ and documented in the Book of Acts. Yet, if I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard a preacher wound up their biblically uninformed and spiritually undiscerning audience by whetting their appetite with the pie-in-the-sky idea that the authentic Christian life is a daily re-enactment of the Book of Acts, I’d be a multi-million...
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SAINT AUGUSTINE’S CITY OF GOD

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By Akin Ojumu As the theological juggernaut who launched an enduring movement, Martin Luther is the recognized leader of the Protestant Reformation. On October 31, 1517, the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg’s Castle Church, the Protestant Reformation was born. But what if I told you that the theological underpinnings and the doctrinal pillars of the Reformation and Protestantism were actually laid by St. Augustine (c. 354-430), Bishop of Hippo, more than a thousand year prior to Martin Luther? Perhaps the most significant Christian thinker after St. Paul, Augustine’s adaptation of classical thought to Christian teaching created a theological system of great power and lasting influence. His numerous written works, the most important of which are Confessions (c. 400) and The City of God (c. 413-426), shaped the practice of biblical exegesis and helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought. (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica). I...
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PUTTING UP READILY WITH A DIFFERENT GOSPEL (PART V)

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“Pharmacodynamics of a Rightly Divided Word of Truth” By Akin Ojumu Trauma bonding is the term used to describe the intense emotional attachment that forms between a victim of abuse and their abuser over a period of time. Despite the fact that the bond is damaging to their psychological, physical, and financial wellbeing, victims of abuse often develop a strong sense of loyalty towards their abuser. Stockholm syndrome is a specific, extreme form of trauma bond occurring during immediate, life-threatening captivity. Considering the abusive relationship that exists between the vast majority of church folks and the people they look up to as their spiritual leaders, you don’t have to be a licensed clinical psychologist to make a diagnosis of trauma bonding in the clergy-laity relationship dynamics. The fierce loyalty and the impassioned allegiance of many parishioners to their pastors, despite documented history of exploitation, manipulation, and deception on the part of the former, is evi...
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