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Our Calling and Its Object
| Bro F E Enyiogu (Ikwueke, Nigeria)
W
e have been called to follow Christ, for
it is written, “No man can come to me
except the Father which sent me, draw
him”. It must have been a great privilege to
have heard the audible voice of the Master in
days, calling them to be his disciples. We
know he called first one, and then another, to
leave their various associations and follow
him, and many were obedient to the call.
Some, however, were of a different mind,
and allowed the gracious invitation to pass
unaccepted. We have an example of such in
Luke 18: a young ruler received the call to
follow Christ and when he enquired the terms
of discipleship, he received what to him was
a staggering reply, “Sell all thou hast, and
distribute to the poor and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven, and come, follow me”.
But when the man heard that saying, he went
away sorrowful, for he had “great posses-
sions.” To him the world was an easy place;
he possessed the golden key that opens all
doors. But remember the parable of the
sower: “The cares of this world, and the
deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of
other things entering, choke the word, and it
becomes unfruitful.”
Bro Friday Enyiogu
Is Christ Divided?
| Bro F E Enyiogu (Ikwueke, Nigeria)
I
f the question, “Is Christ Divided?” were put
to one who is not a Christian, it would
probably be answered in the affirmative. In
view of the efforts which are being made by
the various ‘orthodox Christian’ bodies to
effect a “reunion” it could hardly be other-
wise. There are numbers of churches and
denominations all mutually recognizing one
another as Christians, whilst at the same time
they are not prepared to “have fellowship
with one another”.
When the name “Christian” was first applied
to the brethren of Christ at Antioch, Paul
could say to those in Corinth, “We, being
many, are one bread and one body, for we are
all partakers of that one bread” (1
Corinthians 10: 17). But in course of time,
divisions occurred and various communities
came into existence which, whilst each
church claims to be a member of the “one
body” itself, were separated from the
successors of the true gospel.
This is the condition of orthodox Christianity
today, a condition we rightly term “a scene of
confusion”. But are we always united
together as one?