Author: Deji Okegbile

It may be hard to conceive that we ourselves might be Pharisees. There are ‘essence of Pharisaism alive today, even active within creeds that embrace the divinity of Jesus, the doctrines of grace, and Trinitarian orthodoxy.’ The parable of two men exposes our own inner Pharisee in need of a Tax collector’s humility and repentance. Our inner Pharisee include our failure to practice what we preach, such that our hearers had better follow what we say or sing but not what we do(Matt 23:3). Our inner Pharisee’s preaching is more concerned with preserving human tradition than proclaiming God’s Holy Word thereby approve unrighteous means for...

Beyond the adage “prayer doesn’t change things, it changes us,” ‘an easy escape to explain away mind-bending puzzles about prayer and reconcile traditional Christian practice with contemporary rationality,’ the petitionary and intercessory prayers bring about real change. The church of today like the church of Luke’s day is experiencing persecution, redefinition through the secularisation of Christian practices and theology hence, disciples are finding it increasingly difficult to remain faithful. The Gospel reading from Luke 18: 1-8 continues to address the issues of faith in difficult times, and reassures the disciples that God hears their prayers. The Gospel reading invites...