Nation Online

Reflections on Independence Day

 

Last Friday, we celebrated 48 years of independence in Malawi. On the same day, I also took my time to reflect on ‘spiritual independence.’ It then dawn on me that, spiritually, independence from God is not the best thing because the Bible encourages us to lean more and more on God than on our own.

 

God in Proverbs 3:5, 6 puts it: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."

 

Christ also says: "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me," (John 15:4).

 

Therefore, while in other areas of our lives independence is encouraged, in our spiritual life, it is otherwise. Whilst in other areas of life independence is a sign of progress, in spiritual life, independence from God is a sign of troubled and miserable life.

 

So, as we celebrate that Mother Malawi has been independent of it’s former colonial masters for 48 years, as individuals let’s ensure that we are not independent of Christ but that we are leaning more and more on him . Only then can we count ourselves as wise and successful people indeed.

 

Malawi to host AFJ conference

JAMES CHIMPWEYA

Malawi will this year host the Africa For Jesus (AFJ) Movement conference slated for July 11 to 14 at Grace Bandawe International Conference Centre in Blantyre.

The conference is expected to draw delegates from South Africa, US, DRC, Ghana, Liberia, Chad and Tanzania.

Apostle Raphael Chikwakwa, director of the movement in Malawi, said the guest speaker will be Reverend Dr Kyungu Mordi from Tanzania based in the US.

According to Chikwakwa, Mordi prophesised at a similar conference in Rwanda that Malawi would have a woman president.

"God spoke in a prophecy that Malawi will have a state woman president. The prophecy came to pass in April this year when the former president died of a cardiac arrest on April 5.

"God has called AFJ leaders to deliver His word in Malawi and the theme of this conference is ‘Discover God’s purpose for Malawi; politically, socially, economically and spiritually," said Chikwakwa.

He said people should expect transformation in their lives, saying people of all backgrounds are expected to attend the conference.

According to Chikwakwa, the conference will present special teachings on various topics for church leaders.

AFJ officials who visited Nation offices on Wednesday were Chikwakwa, general secretary Pastor Alex Chinyamu of Chief Mercy Ministries and Reverend Harlex Kanthiti, treasurer of the movement, from the Hope in Christ Care Ministries.

 

 

Evangelical College graduates 58

BRIGHT MHANGO

The Evangelical Bible College of Malawi Friday last week sent out a group of 58 graduates during a ceremony at Chilomoni Evangelical Church.

College principal Michael Phiri told the graduands that since they are transformed they should go and be agents of change in society.

"Our teaching was guided by 2 Timothy 2:2. We hope that what you have learnt here in class will be put to good use. Remember that life is an experience, never stop learning," he said.

Phiri also thanked the college’s partners for their support and took a hat off for the graduands for being patient during the time when the college was struggling.

He advised the graduating students to set an example in their married life and not have tumultuous marriages because they are men of God.

The students received certificates in Christian ministry, biblical studies and diplomas in theology and Christian ministry.

The rest were in the wives’ programme which catered for spouses of the married men studying at the college.

The college, situated in Chilomoni, started training church leaders in 1964, and will celebrate its golden jubilee in 2014.

It admits students from all denominations. The college has a full boarding set-up.

 

 

 

Spirituality in Action

Friends Paper Sunday raises K1.6 million

ANTHONY KASUNDA

Friends in need are friends indeed. The St Matthews Anglican Church project in Blantyre received a boost last Sunday when Friends Paper Sunday raised about K1.6 million (about $6 400).

It was all in the script after a powerful sermon on the importance of sowing seeds by Pastor Towera Masiku of Word Alive Church which evidently moved the congregation.

The first to respond to the call to plant seeds in the Kingdom of God through thanksgiving was Maggie Kasambara, who represented her husband, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Ralph Kasambara.

Kasambara, who was the guest of honour at the occasion, presented a K350 000 (about $1 400) cheque which was welcomed by ululation and handclapping by the excited faithful.

Member of Parliament for Blanyre City East and Minister of Trade and Industry, John Bande, also gave K52 000 (about $208) in absentia as Cabinet ministers were attending a symposium in Mangochi.

With the good example set by the friends, the congregation did not want to be left out of God’s blessings and gave with their hearts, with Kameza Ward winning the trophy for giving the highest amount of K433 000 (about $1 732).

At the end of the ceremony, priest-in-charge Rev Fr Makweya Chanza thanked the ministers for showing a good example that regardless of the positions people hold in society, God should come first in their lives.

 

 

 

Living Waters donate to Mwanza Prison

JAMES CHIMPWEYA

Mwanza Prison last Sunday received laundry and bathing soap worth K60 000 (about $240 000) from Living Waters International for the 3 000 inmates at the institution.

Receiving the donation, prison chaplain Geofrey Pashane, who represented the officer-in- charge, hailed the church for reaching out to prisons.

"Living Waters Church International is among a few churches in Malawi that have taken the prison ministry seriously. The church visits prisons, makes donations and preaches the word of salvation to inmates. For this, we urge more churches to emulate what you are doing in reaching out to inmates at their doorstep," said Pashane.

Director of Living Waters Prison Ministry Pastor Ernest Longwe said God uses people to assist others, adding that the gesture to prisoners is in keeping with this ideal.

"Apart from making this humble contribution to the inmates, our coming is also designed to help them know Jesus Christ as their saviour," said Longwe.

Pastor Brave Kamanga, from Mwanza Living Waters Church, said the church is committed to reaching out to prisoners across the country.

"Our aim is to help prisoners grow up spiritually and practise the word of God.

"We all face problems, but it is only Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, who has answers to our problems. So let’s cling to him and we will be set free," said Kamanga.

 

 

 

Sermon of the Week

The increase of God: What is it?

Pastor JOSEPH ZIBA

The desire of God is to see us bear a lot of fruits so that we bring glory and honour to his name. Realising the need for us to excel in our Christian life, God increases us in every area and it is this increase that elevates us and makes us flourish.

In 1 Corinthians 3 v 6 – 7, the Bible talks about the increase which comes from God, and it says: "I have planted, Apollo’s watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase."

The Bible is so clear here that it is God who increases us and not man. The increase of God comes in so many areas and these include ministry, gift, anointing, wisdom and finances.

The word increase means enlargement, and from this meaning we can see that what God increases is what you already have.

This means that if God has given you a ministry of evangelism, he increases your ministry so that it can touch many lives and bring a greater impact. When God has increased you, your capacity and influence grows and this is what puts you on top.

God knows that the only way we can operate at a higher level and display the fullness of what he has already given us is when we expand in every area. There are two crucial areas which God touches when he wants to increase you. These are your mentality and your spirit. When God has touched your mentality, the level of your thinking becomes higher and you outgrow the normal way of doing things. This is why those whom God has increased cannot be understood by others when they talk about where they are going.

The other reason why God increases us is to make us stronger over our enemies. In Psalms 105 v 24, the Bible says: "And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies."

In Psalms 68 v 1, the Bible also talks about the power of God’s increase, and it says: "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him."

When God has increased you, he gives you what your enemies don’t have and this is what puts you above them. When you arise in line with the increase which God has given you, no adversary can stand on your way.

It has to be noted however that for God to increase you, he has to be given access to do so since he does not act in a dictating manner. This can be done by asking the Lord to increase you through prayer and by acknowledging his initial plan to increase you. Let God increase you in every area. You will surely excel and live an effective Christian life full of results.

—For prayer and counselling, call 0994831730

 

 

FEATURE

Has the church failed on pre-marital sex?

The figures may not be there to capture the situation in Malawi, but how many people can honestly claim to have never had sex before marriage? Does the fact that many people engage in pre-marital sex means the church has failed its duty to teach the faithful about the value of shunning sex before marriage? BRIGHT MHANGO tries to answer the question.

A study published in Public Health Reports, 2002, in which researchers analysed data from four cycles of the National Survey of Family Growth from 1982 to 2002, which included information on sexual and marital behaviours, showed that by age 20, 75 percent of Americans have had premarital sex.

The number rises to 95 percent by age 44. Even among those who abstained from sex until 20 or beyond, 81 percent have had premarital sex by 44, the survey shows.

Such information is not readily available in Malawi where it would not be easy to get respondents for such a survey, but it is safe to conclude that the results are likely to be the same for Malawi as they are for America.

In America, 75 percent of the population claim they are Christians while in Malawi 80 percent claim to be Christian and 15 percent Muslim.

This means that most of the people that are having sex before marriage are religious people. So does this mean that religion is failing to shape, dictate and check lewdness, debauchery and ungodly behaviour in society?

That is the question Nation on Sunday flung at Malawians gathered around the Facebook fireplace.

Justice Banda, a Chancellor College finalist, said religion cannot stand forces such as modernisation and, thus, it is failing to check its followers’ behaviour.

"…with the high rate of growth in technology, sex is very easy to find. Religion is no longer a source of morality as it used to be. Religion has largely gone into worldly issues such that the value it had is no more," said Banda.

He also argued that because religious teachers no longer have a place in the lives of today’s people, they fail to check people because they have no mandate.

Banda’s assertion drew criticism from Owen Soko, an agriculturalist based in Machinga, who argued that the moral decay of today has nothing to do with religious leaders, but rather it is the youth themselves who should take the flak for the problem.

"Pastors and Sheiks are trying their best to stress the importance of abstinence/delayed sex…I strongly believe the problem is with the youth themselves. There is deep-rooted unfaithfulness on the part of one or both partners. If men and women not married to each have faith, they cannot engage in pre-marital sex. That would be trying to receive something not given from heaven - It is like trying to steal from God’s hand," said Soko.

He further argued that many people are having sex because they think everyone is having it, a view echoed by Welton Singano, a staunch Adventist and businessman.

Singano lays the blame squarely on Hollywood.

"It’s Hollywood that’s killing us. Almost every romance movie you watch portrays sex outside the wedlock. These movies have brainwashed us so much that we think fornication is okay and not a big deal. We should be careful when choosing what our eyes watch. Let’s not allow our lives to be shaped by people like movie directors whose marriages and society [America?] are a mess. Our lives should be guided by Holy-word not Hollywood," charged Singano.

Laura Mwamlima, a CCAP member, agreed with Soko and put the blame on individuals.

"I think that most people especially, Christians, compromise when it comes to such matters. For non-believers, sex is part of love, if not the basis of a relationship. For believers, you discover that some are told by peers that it’s okay to have sex as long as you know you are going to get married or about to.

"So it’s not exactly about religion, but individuals. In this era, we have been made to believe that it’s impossible to stay in a relationship without sex, so almost everyone has such a mindset," said Mwamlima.

Human rights activist Billy Mayaya also somehow couldn’t ignore the question. He said religion offers a value system for regulating morality, but in the real world where peer pressure and curiosity prevail, people succumb to such pressures and end up compromising these highly held values.

"Additionally, lack of sex education in schools and in homes during the formative years serves as barriers for sexually active couples to make informed choices and thus their sexual debut until the context of marriage," said Mayaya.

Reverend Clifford Baloyi, moderator of the Livingstonia CCAP Synod, disowned the US survey, saying it would be unreasonable to comment on a survey that was conducted on Americans.

Instead, he commented on the general decline in morality.

Said Baloyi: "If there can be a survey on Malawians and it showed that there is a rise in premarital sex, it would then be proper to comment. The fact that youths of today are more promiscuous doesn’t mean that the church has failed. It rather means that the many cultures that are around are influencing the behaviour of youths.

"The church has for a long time now been saying that issues such as condoms fuel such behaviours. It is the responsibility of the parents and the church to teach the youths using the Bible as the guide."

He, however, said there is no guarantee that when parents and the church teach the youths the message will translate into change.

Baloyi laid the responsibility back on the youths, saying the onus to avoid pre-marital sex is on them.

He advised them to use the Bible as their guide.

He called on the church to intensify teaching, to study the youth, the new influences and strategies on how best to contain them.

The Bible (1 Corinthians 6: 18-20) says "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins people commit are outside their bodies, but those who sin sexually sin against their own bodies. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies."

The Quran has not spared premarital sex, although the lack of a proper translation causes debate among scholars on whether it actually said premarital sex in Qur’an 17 where God orders Muhammad to tell people, saying: "…And do not go anywhere near zina (extramarital sexual intercourse): it is an outrage, and an evil path."

Even in the Hadith, the other book Muslims refer to apart from the Q’uran, speaks as narrated by Abdullah bin Umar of a Jew that Muhammad had stoned after being found having sex with a woman (Hadith 413, Book 23)

Of course, there are some minds such as Daniela Zgambo who say religion should not dictate what man does and that sex should be taken as chocolate or beer where anyone can have as much as they want as long as they are responsible.

 

 

 

FORUM

Ramadhan: Time of peace and prayer

Muslims will begin observing the month of Ramadhan from July 20 or 21, depending on the sighting of the moon. During this period, Muslims fast, pray and engage in charity, among other things. JAMES CHIMPWEYA asked executive director of the Islamic Relief Agency (IRA) Sheikh Abdul Razzak Fattani to explain what Ramadham is all about.

What is Ramadhan?

Ramadhan is the name of the ninth month in the Islamic Calendar that God ordered all Muslims to fast for 30 days. It is also the third pillar in the Islamic religion. The word Ramdhan means fasting. During this month, all Muslims are supposed to go for compulsory fasting. It is also regarded as the Holy Month of Allah. The Quran says all Muslims, rich or poor, should fast. In Arabic, it is Saum, which means fasting. The fasting is supposed to start from dawn to sunset. The fasting should be observed regardless of one’s gender, as long as one is a Muslim.

How about those who are sick, old or are travelling?

In some circumstances, people who are sick are exempted because they don’t have the energy, but if they are healed within the fasting period they have to join their friends. This also applies to those travelling that when they reach their destinations they have to fast. The other group is the aged. This category also does not fast because their bodies are weak so that they cannot stand and submit themselves before God. We also have another category, and that is the young ones (children). These should not fast but need to be encouraged by parents in order to be familiar with the religion’s dos and don’ts.

How does the fasting help the Muslims?

This fasting is the collection of unity in our religion because during this period all Muslims gather together, pray together and interact. All Muslims should feel the same pain in fasting and the rich are encouraged to make donations to the poor for them to have something for breaking the fast. This is why we have a lot of donations during the month of Ramadhan. During this period, most mosques are full, showing togetherness because people are devoted to prayer. In mosques, people receive some food items for breaking the fast like rice, sugar and bread. Those who receive such items include widows, the aged, orphans and the less privileged.

When is Ramadhan being observed this year?

We are expecting to start observing Ramadhan from July 20 or 21 depending on the sighting of the moon. During this period, there should be no provocations, no anger or vengeance, but have much time to pray, read the Holy Quran, observe peace, calm and order for the betterment of the country. We wish all Muslims in the country a fruitful Ramadhan.

 

 

PUBLIC PULPIT

When love is blind

......how can you say, ‘I love you’ when you won’t confide in me?

Judges 16:15-17

"Then she said to him, "How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength." With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.

So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man."

They say love is blind, but I don’t agree to this saying. What I believe in is that love has sight, it sees and it has ears, it hears. In other words, love is Jesus.

If you believe that Jesus is love and love is Jesus, you will agree with me that love is not blind. The only time love is blind is when it has got hidden agendas, and there is no other author of that than the devil himself.

In the above story about Samson and Delilah, love was really blind. Delilah came to Samson so innocently but full of hidden agendas. She came to him in her fullness of beauty and the art of the words of her mouth and truly, love was blind to Samson until he gave up the secret of his strength.

Today, the devil comes to us so innocently disguised in his slogan of ‘love is blind’ until he convinces us to give up our love for Jesus Christ and the strength of our faith in Him. The devil will never stop tempting us, but let us be assured that Jesus will never leave us alone. You only have to choose who will be your master.

 

 

 

The Abundant Life

Reflections on Independence Day

Last Friday, we celebrated 48 years of independence in Malawi. On the same day, I also took my time to reflect on ‘spiritual independence.’ It then dawn on me that, spiritually, independence from God is not the best thing because the Bible encourages us to lean more and more on God than on our own.

God in Proverbs 3:5, 6 puts it: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."

Christ also says: "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me," (John 15:4).

Therefore, while in other areas of our lives independence is encouraged, in our spiritual life, it is otherwise. Whilst in other areas of life independence is a sign of progress, in spiritual life, independence from God is a sign of troubled and miserable life.

So, as we celebrate that Mother Malawi has been independent of it’s former colonial masters for 48 years, as individuals let’s ensure that we are not independent of Christ but that we are leaning more and more on him . Only then can we count ourselves as wise and successful people indeed.

 

 

 

ISLAMIC FOCUS

Human weakness and perfection

Human beings resemble tender children. Our strength originates in our weakness, in our power and in our impotence.

All creation has been subjugated to us because of our lack of strength and power.

If, therefore, we perceive our weakness and become humble servants to God through verbal and active prayer, if we recognise our impotence and seek God’s help, we will have fulfilled our obligation of gratitude for the subjugation of nature to us.

In addition, God will enable us to reach our goal and achieve our aims in a way that we could not possibly achieve on our own.

Consider how great a source of power is a chick’s weakness, on account of which a mother hen will attack even a lion. How the weakness of a lion cub subjugates to itself so great a beast as a lioness, which suffers hunger to feed her baby. How remarkable is the powerful appeal inherent in weakness, and what a spectacular manifestation of compassion for importunate beings.

In the same way, loved children obtain their goals through weeping, wishing, or making a sad face, all of which can cause mighty people to serve them. If they relied on their own strength, they would never realize any of this. On account of their weakness and powerlessness, in fact, feelings of affection and protection are so motivated in their favour that a single gesture may allow them to subjugate powerful people.

If such children become so arrogant as to deny the care and affection shown to them and say, in accusation of the protection over him: ‘I do all this with my own power, they deserve to be punished. We also will deserve to be punished if we deny our Creator’s mercy to us by attributing all that we achieve to our own power and knowledge

—Note: 8th July 2012 correspond to 18th Sha’baan 1433

 

 

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION

Generous receivers

In John 4:1-15, we read that Jesus was weary, hungry and thirsty. As the son of God, HE could have met all his physical needs. He could have gotten His own food to eat and water to drink. But Jesus did not insist on doing everything for himself. On this occasion, He sent His disciples to a nearby city to buy food while He sat by the well to rest and wait. When a Samaritan woman of questionable character came to draw water, He did what many of us might hesitate to do. He asked for a drink

For many years, I missed an important lesson in our vulnerability until he taught me the subtle selfishness of not letting others help me. One day, a friend tried to do kindness for me, and as usual I resisted. In frustration, she said, "you know what? You are an ungenerous receiver." Instantly, I saw it quite rightly. I had always tried to live to Jesus’s words. It is more blessed to give than receive. The trouble was in my attempts to be unselfish I always had to be a giver. Others desire to experience the blessedness of giving, but we frustrate them by refusing their help. Let us learn to be generous receivers.

 

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

with Chimwemwe Matonga

Squeezed

"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34

When you are pushed to the corner, under pressure or almost on the edge we often speak words that reflect who we truly are – you can speak words of forging ahead or resigning to disappointment. Our character is often revealed in such difficult moments – when we are hard pressed or squeezed to a tight corner, when all that is left is you in between a rock and a hard place.

When a lemon is squeezed it brings out the juice that was inside it – only when it is squeezed does it bring out what was inside. Often our words are only a reflection of who we really are inside – they only succeed to confirm what we hold inside. Everyday we make a deposit of thoughts, different emotions into our hearts and only to manifest the same through our mouth as we speak. Stop blaming your mouth, the words it unleashes are only a reflection of what is deep-seated in our hearts.

Put away all bitterness, envy, grudge, negativism, malice, jealousy and all that is negative from your heart. It is time to check what you deposit into your heart – so that the words that come out of your mouth are pleasant to the ears that receive. People must look forward to hear you speak – encouragement in the face of discouragement, unifying where there is discord, complimentary where is demeaning, hope in the face of hopelessness. Even when squeezed you can still have something good to talk about – it’s all about the deposit into your heart!