Author: Schulter Etyang

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – the gospel hiding in plain sight

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unsplash-logoTiko Giorgadze © May 19, 2018 | Schulter Etyang The world waits with bated breath for the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry, a member of the British royal family and Meghan Markle, an American actress and humanitarian. The wedding ceremony is taking place this Saturday 19 May.  Prince Harry is the youngest son of Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Diana, his late mother was a global icon who tragically died 21 years ago in a road accident. The British royal family is the longest reigning monarchy in the world. The widely beloved Queen Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom since February 1952.  Prince Harry is royal blood. He is sixth in line to be king of the United Kingdom. His upcoming nuptials will be to a Commoner. Meghan Markle is a Commoner. A Commoner is an ordinary person who does not belong to the aristocracy or to royalty. Meghan is a mixed-race woman – half black and half white because her father is Caucasian and her …

The work​​ of another

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unsplash-logojesse orrico © May 15, 2018, | Schulter Etyang We Christians believe in this bonkers, absurd and irrational idea that when non-Christians hear of it, look at us with puzzled faces and some even mock us. It simply does not make sense. The idea is this – Christianity is resting, trusting, and relying on the work of Jesus on our behalf.  Sounds strange, right? It does for Christians, too. More than half of the time, we don’t really get this idea. It is something that we grapple with for the entirety of our lives. However, this is the cornerstone of what our faith is built on. No other faith lays claim to this truth except for the Christian faith.

Happy Mother’s Day

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© May 13, 2018 | Schulter Etyang On, this Mother’s Day, I would like to pay special homage to mothers who have played a significant role in my life. At different stages of my life, I have been nourished, disciplined, blessed and supported by mothers. After the death of my father, my mother, Catherine Njeri Etyang’a and my sister, Evelyn Etyang Obanda, picked up the baton and raised 4 boys. It was tough. Sacrifices had to be made. But they did it with grace. They prayed, guided, counselled, fed, educated, clothed, financed and fought with us and for us. Thank you for all you do, mummy and sis. 

How to be rich in every way

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© May 8, 2018 | Schulter Etyang  This is what financial gurus tell us we must do if we want to be financially rich; pay our bills – save – invest and repeat the cycle. From Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, George Bezos, Dave Ramsey, Vusi Thembekwayo to your local financial advisor, all say the same thing about financial enrichment – that if you want money to work for you, you must follow these instructions:- Pay your bills – suppliers, creditors, staff, taxman etc Save – retirement annuities, pension funds etc Invest or reinvest your profits – stock market, property, bonds, shares, start a business, go to school etc Then repeat this cycle over and over again That’s all. There is really nothing special or mystical about financial enrichment. It is really that simple. Financial gurus might use terminologies that may sound bombastic and out of touch with the common man, but what they really mean is so simple. These gurus repeat this cycle consistently until it becomes second nature to them. Repetition, they say, is …

When doing good doesn’t​ pay off

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© May 4, 2018 | Schulter Etyang This is the default mode of every human heart when bad things happen; I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty… I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too. (1 Kings 19:10, 14 NLT)  These are the words of Elijah as he fled from the murderous threats of Jezebel.  Why was Elijah on the run? Let’s check the context. Elijah had just finished doing some spectacular event for God. He had nudged Ahab king of Israel to some contest of sorts. “Ahab, prove that your god is the real deal.” Ahab took the bait and gathered 400 of his most prominent religious leaders to Mt. Carmel. Elijah was all alone. Each camp was to slaughter a bull, lay it on a Braai stand (South African term for a barbecue grill) and without fire, pray to their god that the meat would burn up. That was the deal. If the meat burns without a fire, then their god was real. So, the …

Too little?

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© May 2, 2018 | Schulter Etyang The Bible is all about Jesus. Genesis to Revelation tells the story of Jesus. Every character, event, plot line, genealogy and scandal is about Jesus. He is the thread in every narrative. A story? It had to be a story. Why a story? Science tells us that our brains are wired for stories. Evolutionists believe that with the invention of fire came the art or form of storytelling. But the Bible has known this all along. The Bible has been telling a story even before man was created. The story of one man – Jesus. Hidden within the different characters, events, plot lines, genealogies and scandals in the Bible is this one man – Jesus. He is in the shadows. A trained mind or eye is able to see him – able to shine a light on him and expose him. So let’s find Jesus in the story of Elijah and the widow. Shall we? 1 Kings 17:8-15 NKJV

When grace leaves​

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© April 25, 2018 | Schulter Etyang Short Bible history from 1 Kings 14:25-26 NKJV Rehoboam was Solomon’s son. He inherited the kingdom from Solomon his father. But because his father disregarded the grace of God (sacrifices to the true Yahweh), the kingdom was torn in two. This was an indictment against Solomon for disregarding the grace of God. Rehoboam also built high places on every hill and under every green tree for other gods and worshipped them. Like father, like son, Rehoboam disregarded the grace of God. The grace of God? Yes, the grace of God. Please note that Old Testament folks received God’s grace through the sacrifice of bulls, goats, lambs and pigeons – what theologians call types or shadows. We in the New Testament receive God’s grace through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us – what theologians call the substance. All the sacrifices in the Old Testament were a foreshadowing of what Jesus would do in the New Testament. So, this is what happened! An Egyptian king, Shishak, attacked Jerusalem and …

On dating non-Christians and non-gospel affirming Christians 

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© April 20, 2018 | Schulter Etyang This question keeps being posed, is it okay to date and eventually get married to a non-Christian? And the default response has always been, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” (2 Corinthians 6:14 NIV) And then one makes the case that they have seen couples where one wasn’t a Christian before they got married and now have a good marriage. Therefore, in their opinion, it is okay to date and marry a non-Christian. The answer to this line of reasoning is usually; “That is the exception and not the rule.” The blowback is always, “I want to be the exception.”

On dating and being a virgin

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© April 17, 2018 | Schulter Etyang Over the years, counsel given to Christian singles and those seeking to marry and even remarry has bemused me. Some of the counsel given through pre-marital counselling sessions, books on dating and courtship, or even from one Christian to another to Christian singles and those who have experienced the sad loss of a marriage through divorce or death has been strange, if not outright unbiblical. I listened to a preacher on Christian television read out a list of things you should ask your potential mate before saying, “I do.” The list was long and detailed. His message went viral. People lapped it up. Yet, if you listened closely to what he said, only a chosen few could meet his criteria. 

Living Hope By Phil Wickham and Brian Johnson. Live Performance by Bethel Music Worship

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Song Title – Living Hope written by Phil Wickham & Brian Johnson (Bethel). Release Date – March 30, 2018. All rights reserved. Cross Point Church have done a cover version of the song This is a live performance by Bethel Music Worship. I love this version because of the live audience. There’s just something incredible that happens when we sing together in unison, live. Again, I choose songs whose lyrics are rich with the gospel — the good news of what Jesus has done for us. My favorite song post Easter season. I think it’s a song for all seasons, really.    I hope you enjoy the song