– December,
2021
WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO TALK ABOUT?
One of the Churches in Nigeria recently held her international Convention in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, with the theme “The Wonders of the Cross”. Some of the attendees complained that the theme was only about the Cross and questioned why the denomination did not make provision for other topics to be discussed as well.
This kind of thinking is quite common in the country. People generally think along this line across the land. There is even the story of a Pastor who told his congregation that preaching about Jesus Christ all the time is like feeding someone with only one type of food every day. To him, doing so would result in spiritual malnourishment or the spiritual equivalent of the disease known as Kwashiorkor.
But is there really anything that we can talk about without Jesus Christ? Not really. Let’s take deliverance from evil forces as an example. This subject is one of the most popular ones in Nigeria. If anyone calls an assembly on it, he can count on full attendance and patronage. But can anyone attain true deliverance from the powers of darkness without Jesus Christ? The answer is clearly NO. For Satan cannot drive out Satan (cf. Matt. 12:26). Only Jesus Christ has the authority to crush him and his agents along with all their activities and schemes (Gen. 3:15; Col. 2:15; Matt. 28:18). And He exercised this authority when He first came (see Matt. 17:14-18). He continues to exercise it today, directly or through His chosen instruments, especially in the context of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20; Lk. 9:1-6; Acts 2:45; 5:12-16; 19:11-12). There can be no genuine deliverance from the forces of darkness except through Him. Therefore, no one can talk about or conduct genuine deliverance from evil forces outside of Him. Any claim of deliverance from evil powers that is not in the name and authority of Jesus Christ is either false or of the devil.
Jesus was not telling a nice joke when He said that apart from Him we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5). He meant exactly what He said. His words are sacrosanct. It is a fatal error for anyone to think that he can accomplish anything without Jesus. It is just as the Psalmist has stated, that unless the Lord builds a house or watches over a city, those who labour to do so labour in vain (Ps. 127:1-2).
This life as well as the one to come are like a treasure vault. No one can have access to the vault unless he has its key. Jesus Christ alone is the key to life (see Jn. 14:6; 6:55; Acts 4:12). No one can bear physical or spiritual fruit without Him (Jn. 15:4).
Of course we can talk about other things any time. But the truth is that everything derives its meaning from Jesus Christ alone. Without Him every subject is meaningless and dead. To try to talk about anything without Christ is like trying to open a treasure vault without its own key.
The abundant riches of God are hidden in Jesus Christ(cf. Col. 2:2-3) and are readily accessible to anyone who believes and receives Him as his Saviour and Lord (see Jn. 1:12-13) and obeys Him fully (Jn. 14: 15, 23-24). The earlier we come to this realization the better.
| 
