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Biblical teaching and instruction, Nairobi (2026)

06/03/2026

THE "GOOD FRIDAY" MYTH? Why the Greek Text Tells a Different Story

Most people assume Jesus was crucified on a Friday and rose on a Sunday. But if you do the math—and look at the original Greek—the "Friday Tradition" hits some major snags.

Here is the Exegetical Case for a Mid-Week Crucifixion:

1. The "Sabbaths" (Plural) Mystery
In Matthew 28:1, the Greek word used isn’t "Sabbath" (singular). It’s σαββάτων (sabbaton)—which is PLURAL.
The Text: "After the Sabbaths..."
The Logic: If Jesus died on Friday and rose on Sunday, there’s only one Sabbath. But the Bible points to two: An "Annual High Sabbath" (Passover) AND the "Weekly Sabbath" (Saturday). The plural text proves more than one rest day passed!

2. The "Sign of Jonah" Challenge
Jesus gave only ONE sign of His authority: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish..." (Matt 12:40).
The Friday Math: Friday night (1) + Saturday night (2). That’s it. Where is the 3rd night?
The Mid-Week Math: A Wednesday/Thursday crucifixion gives you 3 full days AND 3 full nights. Exactly 72 hours.

3. The "Spice" Timeline Logic
The Gospels seem to contradict each other—unless there were two Sabbaths:
Mark 16:1: The women bought spices AFTER the Sabbath.
Luke 23:56: The women prepared spices BEFORE resting on the Sabbath.
The Resolution: They rested on the High Sabbath (Thursday), bought spices on the Workday (Friday), and rested again on the Weekly Sabbath (Saturday). The "Friday Crucifixion" makes this timeline impossible!

4. Prophetic Precision
Daniel 9:27 says the Messiah would be "cut off" in the middle of the week.
What is the middle of a 7-day week? Wednesday.
If He was "cut off" Wednesday afternoon and stayed in the tomb for 72 hours, He would rise at the end of the Saturday Sabbath—meaning the tomb was already empty by Sunday morning!

THE VERDICT:
The "Friday" tradition is eisegesis (reading tradition into the text). The Wednesday/Thursday view is exegesis (letting the literal Greek and the "Sign of Jonah" speak for themselves).

19/01/2026

Signs That the Soul Is Going Through an Inner Transition - A Christian Reflection

Introduction
Scripture reminds us that “God has set eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). At certain seasons, the believer experiences an inner turning—not away from life, but toward God. This is not an ending, but spiritual surrender and maturity.

1) Release from material attachment
Earthly things lose their grip. Simplicity and generosity grow.
Matthew 6:19–21

2) Desire for silence
Stillness and prayer become essential, not lonely.
Psalm 46:10

3) Forgiveness and completion
The heart seeks peace through reconciliation.
Colossians 3:13

4) Longing for true home
A quiet awareness that our citizenship is with God.
Philippians 3:20

5) Peaceful rest
Sleep and rest are entrusted to the Lord.
Psalm 4:8

6) Fear gives way to trust
Life is placed fully in God’s hands.
John 14:1

7) Love deepens
Presence becomes ministry; love speaks louder than words.
1 Corinthians 16:14
Closing
These signs do not diminish life—they deepen faith.
“Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
(Romans 14:8)

27/12/2025

The Superiority of the Melchizedekian Priesthood in Hebrews 7

1. Introduction
Hebrews 7 presents a sustained and internally coherent argument for the superiority of Christ’s priesthood over the Levitical priesthood. Rather than rejecting the Mosaic system outright, the author employs Jewish covenantal logic, drawing upon Genesis 14 and Psalm 110 to demonstrate that the Levitical priesthood is neither ultimate nor final. The argument proceeds by establishing the precedence, superiority, and permanence of the Melchizedekian priesthood, culminating in the necessity of a change in priesthood and, correspondingly, a change in law.

2. The Superiority of Melchizedek to Abraham
Premise 1: In Jewish covenantal thought, the act of paying tithes signifies acknowledgment of superiority or authority on the part of the recipient (cf. Num 18).
Premise 2: Scripture records that Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek (Gen 14:20).
Conclusion 1: Abraham acknowledged Melchizedek as his superior.
Premise 3: In biblical tradition, blessings are conferred by the greater upon the lesser.
Premise 4: Melchizedek blessed Abraham (Gen 14:19).
Conclusion 2: Melchizedek is greater than Abraham.
The cumulative force of these premises establishes Melchizedek’s superiority to Abraham, the patriarch and covenantal head of Israel.

3. The Subordination of the Levitical Priesthood
Premise 5: Abraham functions as the federal representative of his descendants within covenantal reasoning.
Premise 6: Levi, the ancestor of the Levitical priesthood, was genealogically “in the loins” of Abraham at the time of Abraham’s encounter with Melchizedek (Heb 7:9–10).
Conclusion 3: The Levitical priesthood, in Abraham, acknowledged Melchizedek’s superiority.
Conclusion 4: Therefore, the Levitical priesthood is subordinate to the Melchizedekian priesthood.
This reasoning reflects accepted Jewish corporate identity logic and does not depend on speculative metaphysics.

4. The Inferiority and Limitations of the Levitical Priesthood
Premise 7: The Levitical priesthood derives its legitimacy from genealogical descent and operates within the constraints of mortality (Heb 7:23).
Premise 8: Scripture records no genealogy, birth, or death for Melchizedek (Heb 7:3).
Conclusion 5: Melchizedek’s priesthood, as presented in Scripture, is not dependent upon lineage or succession.
Premise 9: A priesthood characterized by succession and mortality cannot provide permanent mediation.
Conclusion 6: The Levitical priesthood is inherently limited and incapable of achieving perfection (Heb 7:11).

5. The Necessity of a New Priesthood
Premise 10: If perfection were attainable through the Levitical priesthood, there would be no need for another priesthood.
Premise 11: Psalm 110:4 declares the rise of a priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” spoken by divine oath.
Conclusion 7: Scripture itself anticipates the inadequacy of the Levitical priesthood and announces a superior priesthood.
Conclusion 8: The emergence of a new priesthood necessitates a corresponding change in law (Heb 7:12).

6. Christ as the Fulfillment of the Melchizedekian Priesthood
Premise 12: Jesus does not qualify for priesthood under the Mosaic Law due to tribal lineage (Heb 7:14).
Premise 13: Jesus is appointed priest by divine oath and possesses an indestructible life (Heb 7:16–17).
Conclusion 9: Jesus’ priesthood is legitimate, superior, and permanent.
Premise 14: A permanent priesthood guarantees continuous intercession.
Conclusion 10: Christ is able to save completely those who approach God through Him (Heb 7:25).

7. Conclusion
Hebrews 7 constructs a cumulative argument demonstrating that the Levitical priesthood is subordinate, temporary, and ultimately insufficient. By contrast, the Melchizedekian priesthood—fulfilled in Christ—is prior, superior, divinely sworn, and eternal. The transition from the Levitical to the Melchizedekian priesthood does not represent discontinuity with Scripture but its divinely intended consummation. Consequently, Christ’s priesthood provides definitive and complete mediation between God and humanity.

15/11/2025

THE POWER OF DISCIPLINE

1 Corinthians 9:24–27

Discipline is the bridge between desire and achievement. Just as athletes train with purpose to win a crown, believers are called to live intentionally so they may fulfill God’s purpose and walk in true success.

Key Areas of Discipline

1. Time Management

Use time wisely. Plan your days, prioritize what matters, and avoid procrastination. Time is a gift that must be stewarded with care.

2. Emotional Control

Master emotions instead of reacting impulsively.
Proverbs 13:3 reminds us that guarding our words preserves life.
James 1:26 teaches that controlled speech reflects mature faith.

3. Financial Discipline

Spend purposefully, save diligently, and invest wisely.
Proverbs 21:20 shows that the wise store valuable resources while the foolish waste them.

4. Health and Wellness

Honor God by caring for the body. Cultivate habits that support strength, rest, and overall well-being.

Principles for Success

1. Focus on What Must Be Done

Do not let moods or feelings dictate action. Commit to doing what is necessary.

2. Choose Your Responses

Not every offense requires a reaction. Practice self-control in speech and attitude.

3. Be Patient and Wise

Character is more valuable than power or influence.
Proverbs 16:32 praises patience as a greater victory than conquering cities.

4. Seek Help When Needed

Identify areas where discipline is lacking and seek support. To address these issues, Growth begins with humility.

Empowered by God

Proper discipline is not achieved solely through human strength. God empowers believers to live ordered, fruitful lives. His grace enables growth, consistency, and lasting transformation.

Reflection

Which area of discipline needs attention?

What steps can be taken to apply these principles and grow in character and effectiveness?

05/10/2025

Overcoming Hopelessness: Causes and Effects

Key Verse

> “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him.” — Psalm 42:11

1. Understanding Hopelessness

Hopelessness is a loss of confidence or expectation that things can change for the better. It blinds the heart to God’s promises and paralyzes initiative.

> “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when desire comes, it is a tree of life.” — Proverbs 13:12
2. Causes of Hopelessness

1. Natural Calamities – Life’s storms and losses can leave people feeling powerless.

> Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

2. Limited Perception – Focusing only on present problems hides future possibilities.

> 2 Corinthians 5:7 — “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

3. Unbelief – Doubt in God’s faithfulness kills inner confidence.

> Mark 5:36 — “Do not be afraid; only believe.”

4. Poor Planning – Lack of preparation and direction leads to frustration.

> Proverbs 21:5 — “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance.”

5. Lack of Vision – Without a clear sense of purpose, people lose direction.

> Proverbs 29:18 — “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

6. Dependence Syndrome – Overreliance on others creates passivity and resentment.

> Galatians 6:5 — “Each one should carry their own load.”

3. Effects of Hopelessness

1. Spiritual Blindness – Unable to see opportunities or God’s intervention.

> Mark 8:18 — “Having eyes, do you not see?”

2. Loss of Initiative – Fear and inaction replace faith and effort.

> James 2:26 — “Faith without works is dead.”

3. Apathy and Carelessness – Indifference to life’s responsibilities sets in.

> Ecclesiastes 9:10 — “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”

4. Erosion of Mental Focus – Anxiety and despair distort sound judgment.

> Romans 12:2 — “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

5. Over-dependence and Resistance to Counsel – Hopeless people reject help, deepening isolation.

> Proverbs 15:22 — “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

4. Restoring Hope — A Simple Counseling Model (The H.O.P.E. Model)

A practical, faith-based approach to guiding someone through hopelessness:

H — Hear and Hold Space

Listen without judgment. Let the person express their pain and fears freely.

> James 1:19 — “Be quick to listen, slow to speak.”

O — Offer Perspective

Gently remind them that God still has a plan and purpose beyond their current situation.

> Romans 8:28 — “All things work together for good to those who love God.”

P — Pray and Partner

Pray together, declare God’s promises, and walk with them through accountability and encouragement.

> Matthew 18:19–20 — “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything… it will be done for them.”

E — Empower and Equip

Help them set small goals, reconnect with the community, and rebuild confidence in God’s Word and their own capacity.

> Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

5. Conclusion

Hope is not optimism — it is faith anchored in God’s promise.

> Jeremiah 29:11 — “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you a future and a hope.”

No matter how dark life feels, hope in God is the light that never goes out.
When we choose to believe again, plan again, and pray again — hopelessness loses its grip.

24/03/2025

What is the gift spoken in Acts 2: 38?

Acts 2:38-39

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Exposition
Peter is in the midst of answering his deeply concerned hearers by pointing out five things that must happen (Acts 2:38). He tells them both what they are to do, and what God will freely give — so that they might enter into new life in Christ. Which is why this verse can be called ‘the gospel call to salvation’.

Having been ‘cut to the heart’ (convicted of sin v37) they are to ‘repent’ (turn around and face the other direction and forsake) of their sinful condition of heart before God, together with the comprehensive range of their actual sins.
They are to be ‘baptized’ — ie they are to receive the ‘external’ sign and seal of entrance into new life in Christ. Waster baptism ‘outwardly’ symbolizes the washing of regeneration — the ‘inward’ renewal wrought by the Holy Spirit.
This must be ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ’. The baptism is the seal of what Christ has already done for them in making them right with God.
It is ‘for the forgiveness of your sins’. Assurance that their sins were forgiven was bound up with the reality of their repentance and faith. Baptism ‘outwardly’ sealed the promise of forgiveness to ‘inward’ repentance. An unbaptized Christian is therefore a contradiction in terms. Hence the close connection of repentance, baptism and forgiveness here.
As a result they will ‘receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We need to notice that it is the ‘gift’ and not the ‘gifts’ ; and the ‘gift’ of the Spirit is the Holy Spirit himself bestowed by the Father through the Messiah. The ‘gifts’ of the Spirit are those spiritual faculties which the Spirit imparts “giving to everyone just as he will” (1 Corinthians 12:11). All believers receive the Holy Spirit when they believe. No later, so-called ‘second-blessing’ experience is required in order for Christians to receive him.

God promises to save all who repent and call upon the name of the Lord, both in the line of generations (‘you and your children’) and from all the nations of the world ( ‘ those who are afar off’ are the gentiles and their children, Isaiah 57:19). This promise extends to “all whom the Lord our God will call” through the preaching of the gospel.

16/01/2025

A South African man surprised nine men robbing his home. Seven of the robbers ran away, but the homeowner managed to shove two into his backyard pool. After realizing that one of the robbers couldn’t swim, the homeowner jumped in to save him. The Cape Times reports that once out of the pool, the wet thief called to his friends to come back. Then he pulled a knife and threatened the man who had just rescued him. The homeowner said, “We were still standing near the pool, and when I saw the knife I just threw him back in. But he was gasping for air and was drowning. So I rescued him again.”

In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul wrote of another rescue: God the Father had saved them from the domain of darkness. This rescue occurred at the death of Christ, but also at the Colossians’ conversion. The imagery Paul used (1:12-13) suggests that believers have been rescued from the dark reign of Satan by being transferred as free people into the peaceable rule of Christ. By Jesus’ death, believers become free citizens in the kingdom of light. The appropriate response to such amazing grace is to show joyous gratitude by offering God acceptable service with reverence and awe (Heb. 12:28).

Through the cross, Jesus rescued and redeemed the rebellious.

30/11/2024

What is incarnation and why does it matter

Christmas is about the incarnation of Jesus. Strip away the season’s hustle and bustle, the trees, the cookies, the extra pounds, and what remains is a humble birth story and a simultaneously stunning reality — the incarnation of the eternal Son of God.

This incarnation, God himself becoming human, is a glorious fact that is too often neglected, or forgotten, amidst all the gifts, get-togethers, pageants, and presents. Therefore, we would do well to think deeply about the incarnation, especially on this day.

Here are five biblical truths of the incarnation.

1. The Incarnation Was Not the Divine Son’s Beginning
The virgin conception and birth in Bethlehem does not mark the beginning of the Son of God. Rather, it marks the eternal Son entering physically into our world and becoming one of us. John Murray writes, “The doctrine of the incarnation is vitiated if it is conceived of as the beginning to be of the person of Christ. The incarnation means that he who never began to be in his specific identity as Son of God, began to be what he eternally was not” (quoted in John Frame, Systematic Theology, 883).

2. The Incarnation Shows Jesus’s Humility
Jesus is no typical king. Jesus didn’t come to be served. Instead, Jesus came to serve (Mark 10:45). His humility was on full display from the beginning to the end, from Bethlehem to Golgotha. Paul glories in the humility of Christ when he writes that, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6–8).

3. The Incarnation Fulfills Prophecy
The incarnation wasn’t random or accidental. It was predicted in the Old Testament and in accordance with God’s eternal plan. Perhaps the clearest text predicting the Messiah would be both human and God is Isaiah 9:6: “To us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

In this verse, Isaiah sees a son that is to be born, and yet he is no ordinary son. His extraordinary names — Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace — point to his deity. And taken together — the son being born and his names — point to him being the God-man, Jesus Christ.

4. The Incarnation Is Mysterious
The Scriptures do not give us answers to all of our questions. Some things remain mysterious. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God,” Moses wrote, “but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Answering how it could be that one person could be both fully God and fully man is not a question that the Scriptures focus on. The early church fathers preserved this mystery at the Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.) when they wrote that Jesus is “recognized in two natures [God and man], without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ.”

5. The Incarnation Is Necessary for Salvation
The incarnation of Jesus does not save by itself, but it is an essential link in God’s plan of redemption.

And the author to the Hebrews likewise writes that Jesus “had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).

The incarnation displays the greatness of God. Our God is the eternal God who was born in a stable, not a distant, withdrawn God; our God is a humble, giving God, not a selfish, grabbing God; our God is a purposeful, planning God, not a random, reactionary God; our God is a God who is far above us and whose ways are not our ways, not a God we can put in a box and control; and our God is a God who redeems us by his blood, not a God who leaves us in our sin. Our God is great indeed!

08/07/2024

Reading the Bible on a Chariot

There was once an Ethiopian who was reading a book in a chariot. His story is told in Acts 8.

He was an important man in his home country: “A eu**ch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians” (8:27). We know from Greco-Roman literature that “Candace” was not so much a name as a dynastic title of the queen of Ethiopia. Since this man was “in charge of all her treasure,” he was a significant figure, evidenced also by his chariot, which only the well-to-do would employ as transportation.

What was he doing so far from home? Luke tells us that he “had come to Jerusalem to worship” (8:27). Somehow, the message of the Hebrew Scriptures had reached even Ethiopia! He was presumably one of many first-century Gentile worshippers of the God of Israel.

Since ancient times almost all reading was done aloud, even when reading to oneself, Philip overheard the Ethiopian reading from Isaiah 53. He asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I unless someone guides me?” (8:30-31). So, invited into the chariot, Philip climbed aboard and “beginning with this Scripture [Isaiah 53] he told him the good news about Jesus” (8:35). Shortly afterwards, they made a pitstop near a source of water, Philip baptized the eu**ch, and this new Christian “went on his way rejoicing” (8:39).

Though the history of Christianity in Ethiopia is usually dated to the 4th century, I wonder (don’t you?), if it all began much earlier, when a man in a chariot got home from Jerusalem with a scroll of Isaiah in his hand, a smile on his lips, and a story of the best news imaginable.

19/06/2024

The Spread of Jewish People over the Roman Empire

When Paul began his missionary journeys, Jews were living all over the place. In Acts, Paul visited their synagogues in Athens, Thessalonica, and Corinth. He met with Jewish leaders in Rome. Visiting Jerusalem for Pentecost in Acts 2 were Jews from present-day Iran (Parthia), Turkey (Cappadocia), North Africa (Egypt, Libya, Cyrene), Rome, and elsewhere.

How did that happen? When did Jews cease living almost exclusively in the land of Israel and spread over vast regions? It had been happening a long time, centuries before Jesus was born.

Case in point: Jews in Egypt. In the 6th century, Jeremiah records how some Jews fled to Egypt after Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, taking him along with them (43:ff). We know from ancient sources that there was a military colony of Jews living in Elephantine, Egypt, in the 5th or 6th c. They even built a temple there. The Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us that another Jewish temple was built in Heliopolis, Egypt, in the 2nd c. The famous first-century Jewish philosopher, Philo, a contemporary of Jesus, also lived in Egypt.

Alexandria, Egypt, had a large Jewish population. It was there, according to tradition, in the middle of the 3rd century BC, that seventy Jewish scholars translated the Torah into Greek. This first ever Bible translation came to be called the Septuagint, meaning “70,” commonly abbreviated LXX. Eventually, all the books of the Hebrew Bible were translated. This Greek version was used by Jews all over the Roman world, including the authors of the New Testament.

Do you see what God was doing? He was using the spread of his people because of exile, slavery, military service, and economic opportunity to establish houses of worship in Egypt and throughout the Roman empire. In these places, the Word was studied, translated, read, and preached. Gentiles too were attracted to the faith of the patriarchs and came to be called God-Fearers.

And eventually, the word of the Gospel, of Jesus the Messiah, spread into and from these same Jewish groups, all over the world.

Once more, God was shepherding history toward his own saving goals in Jesus.

22/03/2024

The closing verse of Job is this: “And Job died, an old man, and full of days.” But if had God given Job what he wanted, that never would have happened.

Job had wanted to die. To die soon. To die immediately. He wondered, “Why did I not die at birth?” (3:11). He would have chosen “strangling and death” over the misery in which he found himself (7:15).

But what Job did not know, but God did, is that this dark night of the soul would eventually end with the rays of hope peeking over the horizon.

I have wanted to die many times in my life. To end shame. To end grief. When you are submerged in the dark waters of despair, the oxygen of hope is hard to find.

But as God did for Job, as he did for me, as he has done for so many of us, he did not give us what we wanted; he gave us what he wanted for us.

What our Father wants for us is to believe that no matter how black the current darkness, “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18). Or as Teresa of Avila is credited with saying, “From heaven even the most miserable life will look like one bad night at an inconvenient hotel.”

For most of us, too, already in this life, after a season of turmoil and loss, our longing for death lessens and finally dissipates. Maybe we don’t laugh as much as we used to, but we learn that tears and smiles can coexist.

A heart full of fractures need not lead to a life choked with despair.

We learn that God is good. No matter what. We who are, as Job says, but “dust and ashes” (42:6; 30:19), are nonetheless his beloved children.

Biblical teaching and instruction

06/03/2026

19/01/2026

27/12/2025

15/11/2025

05/10/2025

24/03/2025

16/01/2025

30/11/2024

08/07/2024

19/06/2024

22/03/2024

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