AFRICAN PLUME

By Akin Ojumu When the average modern-day preacher looks into the Bible, his principal interest is to find himself and his congregation, and not to find Christ. In his quest to make the Gospel relatable, and in his attempt to make Christianity more fashionable, the preacher forays into Bible texts in search of what the Bible says about him and his congregation and not what it says about Christ. Consequently, the preacher’s sermons are always focused on the “people in the Gospels” rather than on the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Gospel. He is preoccupied with why the names of certain individuals are not mentioned in the Bible. The question the preacher is most interested in asking and answering from Bible stories is not “How do I find Christ in this story?” but “Where am I in this story?” What he is keen on knowing is not “What has Christ done for us” but “What have I got to do?” Thus, the preacher and the congregation become the heroes of Bible stories. They see themselves as Elijah def...

By Akin Ojumu Cognition leads to conviction. What you know becomes what you believe, and what you believe becomes a conviction. Life imitates theology. People live within the framework of their convictions. We go from cognition to conviction and then to affection. The ship of our lives is piloted by our beliefs. A sound cognition of Scriptures produces a healthy conviction. A healthy conviction yields a wholesome affection. Without an accurate interpretation and sound understanding of the Bible, our faith in God shrivels and our love for God becomes lukewarm. For this reason, every true follower of Christ must study the Scriptures diligently and persistently. And it is also what the Bible commands. 2 Timothy 2:15 King James Bible “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” English Standard Version “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling...

By Akin Ojumu Pharisees of Jesus’s day and modern-day Charismatics are like peas in a peapod. On the one hand, the former attributed to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit. With their false teaching, erroneous doctrines, false signs, fake wonders, phoney miracles, gibberish speaking, ecstatic chanting, euphoric groaning, etc., the modern-day Charismatic Movement attributes the work of Satan to the Holy Spirit. Yet, when the leading heretics of the Charismatic Movement are denounced for their diabolical dramatics and heinous theatrics, their fanatical followers devolve into uncontrollable outrage. The disciples of charlatans descend into complete meltdown whenever the false teachings of their heroes are called out.  The touchiness of the devotees of the Charismatic heretics is instructive. Every time the admirers of false apostles and false prophets lambast the critics of their lords and masters, they send the signal that they care more about the reputation of impostors than the desec...

By Akin Ojumu  This is a video clip of a song titled, “We Need Another Pentecost.” It's a promo from a soon to be released single by Jesus Culture, titled “Pentecost.”  “We Need Another Pentecost” is a passionate cry to God to send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. It’s a call for a repeat of the Acts Chapter 2. They want to hear the sound of the mighty rushing wind and are desirous of cloven tongues as of fire. To which I say:  “Nyet!!!”  “No way, Jose!!!”  “Mba!!!” Last time I checked, Pentecost is a one-time occurrence. We most certainly don’t need another one. God has already sent the Comforter. Our Helper, the Holy Spirit, lives within us.  A call for another Pentecost is a call for a different spirit, which is not the Holy Spirit. The quest for a repeat of Acts Chapter 2 is a pursuit of the unholy spirit. Those making such a call do not have the Spirit of Christ in them and do not belong to God. Romans 8:9 “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the ...

By Akin Ojumu Once upon a time, a bright blinking line demarcated Christianity from mystic religions such as Eckankar. Even as a new, wet behind the ear, follower of Christ whose knowledge of Scripture was infantile, I knew that New Age sects such as Eckankar, Grail Message, Rosicrucian Order, etc., were all demonic organizations to be avoided like the bubonic plague. Yet, a cursory look at the religious landscape of Nigeria today would reveal an alarming reality. The bright blinking line that separated Christianity from the New Age religious sects in Nigeria has been obliterated. Gone is the unmistakable distinction between Biblical Christianity and Mysticism. In a deadly syncretic mixture, the practices of the Christian Church and the rituals of Eckankar are now so co-mingled that it’s nearly impossible to tell which is which. Many of the things that are done in the Church today and are highly regarded as deep spiritualism were the very things that we saw the ECKists and Grail Messen...

By Akin Ojumu There was a time in Old Testament Israel when every man did what was right in their own eyes. During this period, Israel had no king to provide guidance and direction. The people had no leader to put down the plumbline of righteousness. As a result, they devolved into a decay of moral relativism. The standard of what was right and wrong was up to each person’s subjective judgment. Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” It breaks my heart to admit that we are at such a perilous time in the contemporary Church, especially with respect to the way church folks handle the Scriptures. Just like Israel in the Book of Judges, the Church is lacking God-fearing leaders who would provide clear guidance for the interpretation and understanding of Scriptures. When it comes to interpretation and application of the Scriptures, what we find in the modern-day Church is that everyone is doing what’s right in their own eyes. To...

“They Want to Make Themselves Like the Most High” By Akin Ojumu In this commentary, we are examining what the Lord Jesus Christ meant when He promised His disciples that they would not only do the works that He did, but that they were also going to do even greater works. John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” Until a few years ago, my understanding of what John 14:12 meant was that believers in Christ are going to perform much greater supernatural miracles than the Lord Jesus Himself did while He was on earth. I thought “greater works” meant more spectacular signs and grander out of this world wonders. This understanding of this verse wasn’t original to me. I was taught it, and so are many of you reading this. Whenever John 14:12 was preached, what we were told was that Christians were going to demonstrate power like nothing the world has ever seen. Thos...

“Witnesses to the Uttermost Part of the Earth” By Akin Ojumu It’s Thursday of the week of His crucifixion. The Lord Jesus is having His very last meal with his chosen disciples. There in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, the Master, with whom they’ve been for the past three years, has just announced to them that the end has come and that He would soon be arrested and put to a sham trial that very night, and crucified the very next day.  Five days earlier, they had made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Their Master had ridden into town in style, on a donkey no one had ever ridden before. Large crowds of excited people had welcomed Him. And in a scene reminiscent of a conqueror King returning from victory in war, the crowd laid down palm branches in His path, singing in jubilation, believing the King of Israel had come to vanquish their Roman oppressors and take His throne in Jerusalem. John 12:13 “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” Mere f...

“Those Who Preach a Different Gospel Are Damned” By Akin Ojumu This commentary is a good faith effort to understand exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ meant when he told His disciples during the Last Supper that they would do greater works. John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” It’s important that we examine this passage not only because of the way it has been abused and misused by many over the years, but also because of the dire consequences of getting a Bible text wrong. Misinterpretation of Bible passages often lead to erroneous doctrines. Those who teach erroneous doctrines are peddling a false gospel, a false Christ, and a false god. The Bible tells us that such people are accursed or damned. Galatians 1:8-9 “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! As we have s...

By Akin Ojumu It’s with mixed feelings that I receive the news of the transition to glory of Pastor John Fullerton MacArthur. On one hand, I mourn deeply that this great man of God is no longer here with us to continue to impart to us the riches of his knowledge. On the other hand, I rejoice greatly that Pastor MacArthur is now resting in the bosom of the Lord in glory. As a matter of practice, I shy away from singing the praises of men. While I try to give respect to whom respect is due, what I don’t do is venerate men. The reason I don’t let myself lavish undue praises on men is because we are all fallen humans imbued with all sorts of foibles and prone to various fallibilities.  That said, if there’s anyone that I believe is deserving of praise and accolade, it would be John F. MacArthur. This man was one of the few ministers of the Gospel that I trusted and respected. He was the true and authentic God’s General, if, indeed, there’s anyone that could be described by that title. ...