Today’s Sermon
Ethiopia’s Evangelical Prime Minister Wins Nobel Peace Prize
From Christianity Today
Image: Francisco Seco / AP
Less than two years since taking office, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has helped Ethiopia achieve the kind of peace and reconciliation once deemed impossible, including resolving a border conflict with its East African neighbour Eritrea.
Today, his efforts earned him the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.
Though some Ethiopians have questioned whether the recognition has come too soon, the Nobel Committee stated, “… even if much work remains, Abiy Ahmed has initiated important reforms that give many citizens hope for a better life and a brighter future.”
At 43 years old, Ahmed is Africa’s youngest leader. He made quick and deliberate efforts toward reform when he took office in April 2018.
Ahmed signed a peace accord with President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea last year, after decades of political stalemate and two years of violence that cost 80,000 lives along the border. The two countries have grown increasingly open to one another, with resumed air travel and telecommunications, the New York Times reported.
The prize announcement commended his leadership, saying:
He spent his first 100 days as Prime Minister lifting the country’s state of emergency, granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, discontinuing media censorship, legalizing outlawed opposition groups, dismissing military and civilian leaders who were suspected of corruption, and significantly increasing the influence of women in Ethiopian political and community life. He has also pledged to strengthen democracy by holding free and fair elections.
As CT previously reported, Ahmed also helped reconcile two branches of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which split for political reasons in 1991. Orthodox represent the largest religious group in the country (around 40% of the population, compared to 19% Protestant and 34% Muslim).
He fostered reconciliation between Muslims and Christians in his hometown of Beshasha while a member of parliament and immediately began meeting with Abune Mathias, the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as prime minister, offering his support to help end the schism. Negotiations had been cautiously ongoing for years, but perceptions of government opposition muted the effort, reported OPC News.
The son of a Muslim father and Orthodox mother, Ahmed is a Protestant Pentecostal, or “Pentay,” like many Ethiopian politicians.
His faith is seen as a driving factor in his push for peace. “There is something of the revivalist preacher in the way he evangelizes for his vision,” BBC News noted. “He has the energy, the passion, and the certainty.”
According to the Catholic Herald, Pentecostal beliefs correspond with the sense of hope and ambition in politics. “The beguiling feature of Pentecostalism is the idea that nothing is impossible,” said Andrew DeCort, director of the Institute for Christianity and the Common Good,
A member of the Full Gospel Believers’ Church, Ahmed told followers after taking office, “We have a country that is endowed with great bounty and wealth, but is starving for love.”
After today’s announcement, the prime minister tweeted, “I am humbled by the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. My deepest gratitude to all committed and working for peace. This award is for Ethiopia and the African continent. We shall prosper in peace!”
Ahmed is the 24th Nobel Peace Prize recipient from Africa; last year, the award went in part to Denis Mukwege, a Christian doctor dedicated to healing rape victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Reflection on John 8:21-41
Scripture
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teaching. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Observation
Jesus continues to teach the crowds at the Temple. He tells them that because they are from below and belong to this world, they will die in their sins.
The people do not understand who Jesus is or what He is saying to them. He tells them that when they see Him lifted up on the cross, then they will know that He is the one sent by the Father.
Everyone who sins is a slave to sin, and many of those who claim to be children of Abraham are in fact children of the devil.
Application
The true disciple of Jesus is the one who remains faithful to His teachings. Saying a prayer or going to church will not save you. You must be born again in such a way that your life reflects the teachings and the lifestyle of Jesus.
A true disciple walks the walk as well as talking the talk.
As we grow in faithfulness to Jesus, we will increasingly know the truth that sets us free.
There are two aspects to this word truth.
Firstly there is truth in respect to doctrine and scripture. As we live out the path of discipleship, we will gain greater insight into who God is and what the Bible teaches.
Secondly, Jesus is the Truth. He says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” So as we determine to walk with Jesus we get to know Him better, and He is the Truth.
The truth sets us free. True religion s about freedom from guilt and shame. True religion sets us free from meaningless rituals based on fear of an angry God. Jesus Christ has set us free from all guilt, shame and fear.
Prayer
Thank you Jesus, you are the truth that sets me free. Help me to walk in your ways every day so that the truth of who you are opens up in me. Amen.
Reflection on John 8:12-20
Scripture
“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness because you will have the light that leads to life.”
Observation
Jesus continues to teach the people. He says He is the light of the world, but the Pharisees say His testimony about Himself is not valid. Jesus says His Father testifies about Him also, so there are two witnesses- Jesus and the Father.
The Pharisees say they don’t know His Father, not realising that He is talking about God.
Application
Jesus is the light of the world. He brings knowledge of the grace of God to all who will receive it.
Light is the source of nearly all life on earth- without light there are no plants. Even people need exposure to sunlight to produce Vitamin D. Jesus came to bring abundant life to the world. Without Him, we live ghostly, miserable existences that lead to hell.
Light brings knowledge and interaction with our environment. We use sight as our main source of knowledge in the world. Jesus brings us true knowledge about eternity and salvation.
Light brings safety. Crime plummets in areas where there is adequate street lighting. The people of darkness don’t like the light to expose their deeds. Jesus protects us from the deeds of satan, the prince of darkness.
Light cleanses and purifies. Sunlight kills germs in clothing. Ultraviolet light is often used to purify drinking water. Jesus cleanses sin from our lives, removing the desire to sin as well as the results of sin.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the light of the world. Come and light up my life, purify my heart and make me like you. Amen.
Ephesians 1:13
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:13. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.
Ephesians 1:13
In him, you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
Having talked about the Jews who were saved by faith in Christ (“we”), Paul now turns to the saved Gentiles, the “you” in this verse.
We ,the Gentile believers, are included with the Jewish believers. This is the significance of the word “also”. The Jews were the first to believe, but in Christ we Gentiles are also saved.
Apart from timing, there is no difference in the destiny or the quality of salvation of those who are Jews and those who are not Jews. As Paul says in Romans, God has made one race or type of humanity out of what was formerly two, and now there is no difference.
This is so important to understand. The Gentiles have been grafted into God’s kingdom, but that does not mean that we are not part of the tree. And those who were born as Jews still need to be saved by faith in Christ. People who make distinctions between Jews and Gentiles (or between Israel and the Church), and those who argue that Gentiles must take on aspects of Judaism to be properly saved have it all wrong.
Paul notes here a three part salvation process
- We hear the word
- We believe in Christ
- We receive the Holy Spirit
The gospel of salvation is the word of truth. The gospel is God’s good news first announced by Jesus. The gospel can be expressed in many ways, but its heart is found in John 3:16. “God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
We were dead in our sins, lost and far from God, with no hope for salvation. Good deeds could not atone for our sins, and false religion left us in bondage to rules that only served to convict us of our hopeless condition.
Then Jesus came and set us free. His death on the cross paid the price for every sin ever committed. Suddenly there was light in the darkness.
This is the Good News about salvation. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.
The gospel is the word of truth. It is God’s word to us so it must be truth. Jesus is the word become flesh. He is the light in which there is no darkness. In Jesus we have all truth.
The devil is the father of lies. He is the cause and source of every deception, every falsehood, every forgery. The devil delights in lies because they hide what is true.
The Father is the source of all truth. Every revelation, every discovery, every scientific fact, owes its existence to God.
When we say the gospel of salvation is the word of truth we are saying it is from God and it reveals God.
We live in a post-truth society where it is claimed that we are free to believe whatever resonates within us at the time. The whole concept of truth is considered by some to be a tool of the white patriarchy.
Nevertheless, the law of gravity applies to everyone, regardless of their race, sexuality or gender. Everyone who jumps from a tall building in an attempt to defy gravity will themselves be broken by gravity.
The gospel is God’s word of truth and it applies equally to all people everywhere.
Hearing the gospel is not enough in itself. We must also believe in Christ. The word believe is often thought of as being a weak word of less credibility than knowing.
Believing in Christ means something stronger. We hear the word of truth and we decide to stake our lives on it. We don’t just have an intellectual belief that we are saved by Christ, but we know and trust that the word is true.
I know that gravity is real, not just an abstract theory of physics, but a daily reality in my life. I can fall over and hurt myself. I can imagine falling from a great height and so I am nervous when I am near a cliff edge.
I know in my head that the laws of aerodynamics are also true. I see planes take off and land at the airport. When I buy a ticket and get onto a plane, I am saying that I trust the pilots, the maintenance engineers, the air traffic controllers and a host of people to get me safely into the air and back down again.
Many people believe the gospel is true, but fewer people take the step of trusting Jesus, believing that He alone has the power to save us.
When we trusted in Christ, we were sealed by the promised Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is promised to everyone who believes. God is no longer “out there”. He is in me, empowering, sanctifying and making me more like Jesus.
We are sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is God’s mark of ownership on me. He seals us to remind us that we have been set apart for His purposes, to live as His bond- servants.
The seal is for our benefit not God’s. When I allow the Holy Spirit to work in me and through me, it is a reminder that I have been bought at a price and I am no longer my own.
The gift of tongues is a daily supernatural expression of the God who is in me. The “little miracles” of words of knowledge and prophecy are a powerful sign that God’s power has sealed me for His purposes.
The fruit of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, and so on- are a sign that God is at work transforming me, lifting me out of my bondage to sin and self, and changing my temperament to be a holy person.
The benefits of salvation are not limited to individual people. God is building a Kingdom made up of millions of born again disciples. As our individual lives are transformed in God’s three step conversion process, we influence and shape the culture around us, even changing nations.
We hear the gospel, believe in Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. Then we have the responsibility to pass it on, to speak the words of truth so that our neighbours can hear, believe and receive,
Key points in this verse:
- There is no difference between Jew and Gentiles
- To be a part of God’s kingdom we must hear the truth, put our trust in Christ and receive the Holy Spirit.
- Belief in Christ is total surrender not just believing facts.
Reflection on John 8:1-11
Scripture
Then Jesus stood up. “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of these condemn you?” “No Lord”, she replied. Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
Observation
Jesus is at the Temple when the Pharisees bring a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. They demand to know whether Jesus says what they should do with her.
Jesus says that it is acceptable to stone her, but the one who has never sinned should throw the first stone. One by one, the accusers slink away.
When they have all gone, Jesus tells the woman He does not condemn her. “Go and sin no more,” He tells her.
Application
Jesus is not saying here that sin does not have consequences. He is not denouncing the practice of stoning adulterers. In this situation, He sees that the woman’s sin is incidental to the political games being played by the Pharisees.
When He reverses the condemnation game back onto the Pharisees, the woman is left with no one to condemn her. According to the rule set by Jesus Himself, He was qualified to stone her, being without sin. But He chooses not to condemn her.
Jesus is qualified to condemn each one of us, but in His grace, He chooses not to.
Grace brings responsibilities. “Go and sin no more,” Jesus tells the woman.
This does not mean that she must be perfect. She is to give up her ways of rebelling against God’s ways, that is, to repent of her sins, and live for God.
Jesus calls us to the same kind of repentance. I do not have to be morally perfect in every way, but I do have to set my desires on living for Jesus.
Prayer
I thank you Jesus that for those who follow you there is no condemnation. Please help me to be faithful in serving you. Amen.
Reflection on John 7:37-52
Scripture
“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me. Anyone who believes in me may come and drink. For the Scriptures declare: “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.”
Observation
Jesus stands in front of the crowds and invites them to believe and drink. Rivers of living water flow from Him.
The crowd is divided, with some believing Jesus is the Messiah, others a prophet, still others saying He can’t be the Messiah.
The Pharisees deride the guards for failing to resist Jesus. When Nicodemus says they should not condemn Jesus without a trial, they turn on him also.
Application
Jesus is the source of living water, and He gives it freely to all who receive Him. The living water is, in fact, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit brings:
- joy to the downcast
- hope to the hopeless
- salvation to the lost
- power to the weak
- comfort to the mourning
- healing to the sick
Whatever our need, Jesus is the one who fulfils the need thorough the Holy Spirit.
When you are in a dry and barren place, the only thing you can think of is the need for water. That is the priority, because without water you will soon die.
Many people are in spiritually dry places, but they don’t see their need for Jesus. There is a deception there that blocks their understanding. When they see a person who is full of the abundant life, the living water of the Holy Spirit, then the blindness can be removed.
The Holy Spirit is a gift that multiplies as it is given away. If we let the river of life flow through us to impact other people, they can be transformed too.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, Living Water, flow through me and fill me with your life, and flow on to others that they can also receive your life. Amen.
Reflection on John 7:25-36
Scripture
Then Jesus told them, “I will be with you only a little while longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me. You cannot go where I am going.”
Observation
People are starting to discuss whether Jesus is the Messiah. Some people say that he can’t be the Messiah because they know where He was born, and the Messiah is supposed to just appear. Others say that Jesus must be the Messiah because of the number and types of miracles He has performed.
The Pharisees try to have Jesus arrested, but this cannot be done because it is not yet the right time. Jesus tells them He will be with them a little longer, and they cannot go where He is going.
Application
Jesus is warning the Jewish people that He will soon be leaving, and if they do not believe in Him they will not be able to follow Him.
He tells them straight out that He will return to the Father. They will not be able to follow Him there because they do not believe in Him.
It is puzzling that they take away from this the meaning that Jesus is going to a foreign land. They could not hear the message that Jesus would be going back to the one who sent Him.
There is a kind of blindness that comes from unbelief which twists the gospel around and skips over God’s grace. The words “You must be saved” get applied to other people. The statement that “All have sinned” must relate to that person over there, not to me.
We need Jesus to be the light that comes into our eyes so that we can understand and see the whole gospel.
Unbelief is dangerous because it not only prevents us from believing but also closes our eyes to the fact that we are not believing.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, be the light that opens my eyes to see your glory. Where I have fallen into unbelief, show me and give me faith to follow you. Amen.
Reflection on John 7:1-24
Scripture
“Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgement.”
Observation
Jesus stays away from Judea because He is aware that the Jewish leaders are plotting to kill Him, and the time for Him to die has not yet come. His brothers, at this stage unbelievers, persuade Him to go to the Feast of Tabernacles.
Jesus goes to the Feast secretly, but half way through He starts preaching. He addresses the hostility He receives for healing on the Sabbath, pointing out that children are circumcised on the Sabbath to keep the Law. Therefore healing on the Sabbath is justified.
Application
It has always been an issue for human beings that we can be easily deceived by appearances. This goes right back to Eve who saw that the fruit was pleasing to the eye and desirable for gaining wisdom. The prophet Samuel warned that “Man judges by the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.”
This false and deceptive form of judgement is particularly true in the visual and feelings generation. If it feels good, it must be right. If somebody speaks passionately they are judged to be correct.
Jesus tells us to stop judging by mere appearances, and instead make right judgements.
The world tells us to go with our heart, but the Bible tells us the heart is deceitful above all things.
We must not judge anything or anybody by how they appear, but only against the Word of God. This is true wisdom.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for your Word which is the true measuring rod for all things. Help me to not judge by feelings but only by what you say. Amen.
