My wife and I arrived at our Scripture Union Camp in Ijede, Ikorodu, on January 25, 2019, for the expanded leaders retreat of the three Areas that makeup the Lagos Region: Lagos, Ikeja and Abeokuta. ‘Be ye holy’, was the theme and by God’s grace, I was the Speaker for the three days.
Ministering, I reminded my brethren about the divine investment made in Samson. God wanted to use him to fight the Philistines. To prepare him for the job, he must be holy. His mother-to-be would not take alcohol. From birth, he would be a Nazarite, which meant that he would not take alcohol, cut his hair and not touch any corpse – Numbers 6:1-7. In the same manner, Saul was anointed king by Samuel, when he did not deserve it, and was filled with God’s Spirit. He even prophesied. We have been saved by grace and filled with the Holy Ghost, for us to be doing exploits for Him.
Holiness is not speaking nasally, wearing a gloomy face, walking slowly, as if you walk like me, the ground will break. Holiness means holiness. This circular definition is all embracing. Looking for a cheap definition that will accommodate our desires, we do ako by telling our pastors to define it for us. As an unbeliever, I knew the meaning. In December 1970, I attended a ‘Bachelor’s Eve’ and was surprised to see an SU girl there. When the jungle matured, I went to her for ‘Excuse me dance’. She obliged me. As we were ‘Knocking on wood’ and I was smiling, she thought that I was admiring her dancing steps. No! It was rather, how a saint, an SU holy girl, was dancing with me, a sinner!
Holiness is transformation by the renewing of the mind – Rom. 12:2. When the Holy Spirit does this, the person can resist the pull to his old nature. Knowing that I was fond of girls before my salvation, seven days after, Satan sent his daughter to me in the Campus, to bring me back to his fold. Imagine a graduate, who had just bought a new car, visiting her junior, a mere second year undergraduate, for the first time, and lying on his bed instead of sitting down! Thank God that I resisted her. Satan exploits also our most pressing needs, such as marriage, getting a job, children, etc. The Lord Jesus had fasted for forty days and nights, and he did not tempt Him to break a bank or to carry a woman, but on food – to turn stones to bread. Jesus resisted him, quoting the Bible, that man should not live by bread alone but by God’s Word.
Holiness is to stand for the truth, upholding the integrity of God’s Word. The threat of death by Nebuchadnezzar did not scare the three Jewish men. Rejecting his god, they told him that they would serve the Living God, whether or not He delivered them from his hand. And He did! Micaiah stood alone, after 400 false prophets of Ahab had prophesied victory for him in battle – 1Kings 22:13-14. People gathered to take oath in one village, that the gods would kill them, if they committed adultery with a family member, steal, poison anybody, et cetera. One woman refused to take, my mother-in-law! Not taking by anybody meant that the person was evil. She did not bulge, being a child of God! Holiness!
Holiness is speaking the truth, even when it hurts. When you have issues with someone, during a reconciliation meeting, do you tell the story as it was? Can you say, if you did so, ‘I slapped her’? Holiness is living like Jesus, doing what He would do and refraining from doing what He would not do. Summarizing, King Solomon said, “Fear God and keep His commandments [Word]” – Ecl. 12:13: A holy man fears God not as if He is MOPOL. It is to reverence Him.
‘Be ye holy’ is a Message God gave to the right people, the Scripture Union [SU], a unique ministry, at the right time. In most Churches, their messages are on Breakthrough, Sowing and Reaping, Prosperity, et cetera. There is nothing wrong with these, but the Bible is more than all these. In the SU, a right or wrong thing is not determined by who did or said it, but by what was done. It may not be so elsewhere.
Sin hinders holiness. Uncle Samson at maturity – Judges 14:1-9 – wanted to marry a Philistine lady, against his parents’ objection. His contention was that she pleased him, and not the Lord. On his way to visit the lady one day, a lion stood on his way. God, perhaps, had wanted to stop his ungodly journey. We must be sensitive to our environment, never taking anything for granted. He was able to kill the lion because God’s gifts and calling are without repentance – Rom. 11:29. He did not tell his parents. Visiting the lady the next time, he branched off to see the carcass of the lion, and in it, he saw honey. Sweet things can come out of evil things. He took some, a Nazarite, touching a carcass! He licked some honey and brought some to his parents without disclosing the source. ‘Be ye holy as I am holy’, is the solution. It is by grace arising from God’s calling. It is a command based on the exemplary life of Jesus – ‘As I am holy’. We are baptized with the Holy Ghost as Jesus was.
God gave us this message, knowing that SU is a family and that we will not fail Him. One Pastor is always sad each time I say that SU is a family. We are to look, behave, think, reason, create things, et cetera, like Jesus. “As obedient children”, that is what He called us in 1Peter 1:14, may we maintain this great confidence He reposes on us. We must be obedient to Him, and to any constituted authority, so long as there is no compromise. Our obedience may anger, even our dear ones, but it does not matter. We must please God first.
During the election of the National Chairman in the Scripture Union Council, many years ago, one university Professor from the South-South, who was also the National Vice Chairman and the first Nigerian Travelling Secretary, a well-beloved brother from the West, tied. Unlike the Scripture Union, tribal sentiment consumed the floor of the Council. The brother from the West told us that God did not to tell him to be the National Chairman, but rather, that He told him that the Prof would be the Chairman. Holiness! When we were standing election for the office of Lagos Area Chairman, a brother standing the election with me, voted for me.
I won him with one vote – his vote! After my tenure, he stood election with another brother and voted for him. The brother won him with his vote. Some years later, I was a Guest Speaker at Abuja and lo, he was their Area Chairman! Allowing God to do His things in His time is also holiness.
For further comment, Please contact: Osondu Anyalechi: 0802 3002-471; [email protected]