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Amaba idolatry to Christianity
By
Prof. Chinyere Onwubiko

Introduction
Why consider this topic at this time, someone may ask? There are at least three
reasons for this information. First, some have realized the importance of putting together
historical information about Amabas history of religion that would otherwise be lost.
This information is needed because there are many Amaba children that are born outside
the village and even those who are born probably within do not have anyone to pass on
the history of Amaba as far as its religious heritage is concerned.

Second, this

information would help understand some of the conflicts that exist in Amaba with regards
to Christianity. Third, it would help to orient our people to their responsibility at the
present and for the future with respect to the town and to the individuals themselves. If
we understand the spiritual heritage we have as a people may be it will help us think
corporately as one people and also leave us with the desire to think about life hereafter.
History, in a general way, is the study of the human past. This would involve
examination of artifacts, works of arts, written records, and oral traditions, among others.
In an ideal situation these would be consulted in presenting any history that would be
subject to scientific methods of criticism of facts. However, we are limited in this
presentation of the history of Amabas religiosity because we do not have any of these
sources except for oral traditions.
Oral traditions have several drawbacks, two of which are reliability of human memory
and prejudice. As people age they do not remember accurately past events as vividly as
they did when the events first transpired. Prejudice arises because people have different

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agendas or hidden agendas they like to push and so they may have the tendency of
twisting their stories or facts in order to conform to their given agenda. Because of these
problems, we have followed a semi-scientific approach in this work to minimize these
problems.

Therefore we interviewed selected individuals posing to them the same

questions that we formulated for this project. The interview was taped to ensure that we
do not misrepresent an individual interviewed. As we examined each oral account from
those we interviewed we were able to decipher as best as we could what was more
authentic fact as against pure coloring of a story. The major criterion we used to ascertain
the information to include here is the degree of agreement in the narratives from the
various sources we interviewed. So the information we present from these sources we
believe to be fairly accurate rendering of events as they pertain to Amabas history both
as she was involved in idolatry and as she made the transition to Christianity, as the
term is often understood. We have used quotation mark on the word Christianity because
it is a word that is truly misunderstood. We will attempt to explain what true Christianity
is at the end of the historical information of this article.
Practice of Idolatry
The testimony of a famous missionary to Calabar, Mary Slessor, has much to do with
the history of idolatry in Amaba. Mary Slessor had testified as recorded in her biography
that as she moved from Calabar towards Ibo land she discovered there was worship of
idols among the Ibos that were different from the other groups. She had indicated that the
Ibos had an organized worship of idols that were different from what she had encountered
in Calabar and surrounding regions. Her observation was certainly applicable to Amaba
in the ancient time.

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The evidence for associating the observation of Mary Slessor with Amaba is because
there was some sort of organized worship of idols in Amaba that goes from a small
family unit to the people at large. There were so many deities worshipped with practically
common practices of sacrifices to them. It was not uncommon at that time to observe
animal sacrifices besides certain trees in honor of these various gods. It is our
understanding that there were so many little gods that were worshipped by different
family units but we will consider the most popular of these deities.
Ala-ezi
This was the most ubiquitous god worshipped in Amaba. Every compound had its own
god with this name. An elder in a given compound was in charge of the god. Sacrifices
were offered to it regularly. We could say that the site of each of this god was the center
of many social events of a given compound. Marriage ceremonies were often conducted
in front of this god. Newly married women had to perform special rituals at the site of
this god before they were allowed to cook in their husbands houses and before they
could give birth. Such rituals included a beauty ceremony called ikwa nma
(beautification rituals). The blessing of new born was carried out seven days after birth
in front of this god. While there was no specific morality attached to the worship of this
god but if an unmarried young lady becomes pregnant then the parents had to offer a
sacrifice before this god using a dog. The worship of this god continued even after the
first advent of Christianity in Amaba. However, Amiyim compound, after a while ceased
to worship it.

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Chukwu obioma
The site of this god is in ugwunelu and sacrifices were offered at that site. We do not
have any sufficient information from our sources about this god since it was worshipped
in earlier times.
Iyike
The site of this god is the well known spring water that goes by that name that is
located between Ndiohia and Amaokwe. Yearly sacrifices were offered at this site. The
author recollects in his youth seeing many broken potteries that he was told the ancient
people used in their sacrifices. But then it was a well-known practice that whenever a boy
was born in Amaba a clay pot was bought on his behalf and placed in this site. In
addition there were some other ceremonies associated with this god. One of these is the
uzo iyi that was carried out sometimes between September and October of each year.
All women in Amaba were required to participate in weeding and cleaning iyike and its
surrounding. There was singing and dancing ritual that started at this site and ended at
Amikonkwu. The dancing procession was led by Ohoro followed by Amaokwe and then
Ndiohia. The celebration last for several hours before it comes to an end.

Ajala
This god seems to be worshipped on a higher level than Ala-ezi because this was a
sectional god that was not particularly associated with each compound. For example, we
have this god associated with Umuize and Amiyim. The site of this god that is associated
with Umuize was near the market called Orie-ugwu. It is probably located here because
Amiyim was located between the present Amaokwe and Ohonja.

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Njoku
This is a god/goddess associated with productivity so that it is called the god(des) of
yam. Therefore before the new yam is eaten a sacrifice is made to this god(des). Its
shrine was located near Ore Ugwu in Amaokwe.
We have briefly discussed some of the more common deities worshipped in Amaba
before the advent of Christianity. But the advent of Christianity in Amaba did not really
end the worship of idols until in the 1940s as we will note later. Nevertheless,
Christianity made its way into Amaba leading to the establishment of the first Christian
church in Amaba, which is the Methodist Church

Brief history of the Methodist Church in Amaba

The establishment of the Methodist church in Amaba is traceable to certain sons of
Amaba such as Elijah Ukonna, Timothy Ukwu, Willie Imediegwu, Jeremiah Ikemba,
Ezekiel Okoronkwo, Harisson Ezeanya, and a few others who attended elementary school
and Methodist church in Nkwo Ovum up to 1910. Then about 1919 through the
leadership of Willie Imediegwu, Timothy Ukwu and Elijah Ukonna a Methodist church
was established at Amikonkwu (Agala-Egbe) where they worshipped until 1920. One
woman whose name seems to have been among the pioneers was Agbocha, the wife of
Ekuge. In any event, it was in 1920 that Elijah Ukonna offered his land to build a church
at the present site of the Methodist church. The major leaders of the church were Apollos
Ukwu and Elijah Ukonna.

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There was a teacher in the 1920s by name Onukwubiri from Bende who was sent to
Amaba. He preached the gospel and taught the 3Rs (Arithmetic, Writing, and Reading) in
Amaba and he also taught some to read the Ibo Bible and to sing from Ibo hymn. It was
during the 1930s that women and young girls started to attend Domestic Science Center
at Mission Hill where some of them were taught knitting and sowing and some other
crafts.
As we mentioned previously, the establishment of the Methodist church did not keep
people from the various ceremonies associated with idolatry such as the Odude
okonko.
In 1939 the members of the church started to collect material to build a more
permanent building. This was not completed immediately due to the appearance on the
scene of Bishop P.D. Ejiofor who after returning to Amaba from New York was the
founder of the Abosso Apostolic Church.

Brief history of Abosso Apostolic Church

It is fair to state that Abosso Apostolic church actually began in Methodist church.
Bishop Ejifor began preaching in the Methodist church around 1939. When Bishop
Ejiofor returned from USA he initially formed a choir group that included such
individuals as Isaac Okorafor, Reuben Akaeme and host of others. He taught the group at
Amiyim Ohia. His choir will occasionally sing at the Methodist church and soon he
obtained permission to preach in the church. It is reported that he began by telling the
people in the Methodist church of the difference between their worship and those in
America. He said that people in the Methodist church in Amaba prayed as if they were

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not talking to a person. But those in America prayed as if they had relationship with the
one they worshipped.
Following his preaching he requested the leaders of Methodist church to begin a
prayer meeting on Friday nights at 7 p.m. He said that the prayer meeting would last for
about seven weeks after which if nothing unusual happened then they would stop. In the
prayer meeting people were urged to shout hallelujah. This continued for about three
weeks and in the third week what is described as baptism with the Spirit occurred.
There is dispute as to the first person to speak in tongues; either it was Elijah Ukonna
or Akuji Ijeoma. In any case, following this event the people sang from Abu ochia 71
Jesus emeriwo. With this was the birth of the Abosso Apostolic church which was
officially organized October 24, 1941. Prayer houses were established in Ohoro, Ndioha,
and Amokwe.
Formation of Abosso Apostolic church created series of conflicts between Bishop
Ejifor and the members of the Methodist church that refused to join the new church. The
conflict led to the denial of admission to the Methodist primary school of the children of
Abosso members. As a result the Bishop built a school at Mbalano which functioned
briefly. In fact, some of the old structure was part of the current headquarters of
Isuikwuato local government. The practice at that time was that pupils who attended the
school built by the Bishop would after primary 3 went to St. Silas Anglican Church
School at Old Umuahia.
The most notable effect of the beginning of Abosso Apostolic church is the destruction
of all kinds of idols found in Amaba. Many people were charged with being involved in
some form of witchcraft that included possession of what was described as ite nsi

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(which literally means pots used for poisoning others). It was this practice that actually
led to some resistance to the new movement of Abosso Apostolic church. There was
particularly one man in Ndiohia who felt the wife was accused wrongly and therefore
resisted the movement. Actually, almost all members of the Methodist church became
members of the new church. The holdouts included people from Ndiajo, Amankwo,
Amaegbu and almost all the Imediegwus except Rogers Imediegwu. When nearly
everyone became member of the new church problem arose about the property and the
building that was set up by the original Methodist group. The holdouts initiated and won
law suit against the Bishop and his new church. He was therefore ordered to leave the
building. The legal case probably was the root of bitterness that developed between the
two groups for many years. In any event, by 1943 the break between Methodist church
and the Abosso church was complete.

Roman Catholic church

The information about this church is sparse that it is difficult to know how it actually
began in Amaba. But we know that there were at least two families that were involved
with it and they had a building in Aja-ayo. The prominent members were the Ukejes
family and the Onuohocha of Amiyim-Ohia and Ndukwe family of Ndiajo..

Assembly of God Church

This church began in 1972 in Amaba through the efforts of Elisha Ahamefula and the
author. The establishment of this church was motivated by disagreement between these
individuals and the teaching of the Abosso Apostolic Church. The mentioned individuals

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have become born again and were trying to preach the need for salvation by faith in
Christ in Abosso Apostolic Chruch.. They used the arm of the Scripture Union to do this.
Eventually, the leaders of the church namely Matthew Nnamba, Denis Owah, and
Ogbonna Chigbu among others entered into sharp disagreement with these two
individuals that eventually led to their leaving the church. In fact, the author himself was
brought before the ruling body of the church that included Jesse Ndukwe, Isaac
Onyemachi, among others, and tried at which point he was excommunicated from the
group.
Following his excommunication, he and Elisha with the help of C.C. Okemiri began
comparing doctrines of various churches to determine which they believed were closer to
the Bibles teaching in the area of salvation and other doctrines. They eventually settled
with the Assembly of God Church. With this conclusion both, along with some others,
such as Ndubisi Onyeabo, Annah Ujah, and Ezekiel Aghor ,began to attend Assembly of
God Church in Mgbelu Otampa and eventually by 1972 a church was established in
Amaba.
Because of the devotion of the young people from Amaba the Sectional leader of the
Assembly of God in Ovim, Rev. Ogbonna authorized the establishment of the church in
Amaba. The church began to meet at Nkwo Ogba. But eventually through the help of
C.C. Okemiri Ohoro men were approached for land to build a church and they granted
the church the piece of land at its present site. Through the effort of the AGM Isuikwuato
and the help of such women as Mercy Ejinwa and her sister Ukachi Umahi and Obioma
Obi the church building was set up. That was the beginning of a permanent site for the

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church. Christopher Ogbonna, from Eluama and a student at Central Bible Institute in
Old Umuahia, was appointed the pastor.
Authentic Christianity
In the introduction phase of this work we indicated that at the end of the historical
aspect we will address the issue of true Christianity. As we look around us and watch the
lifestyles of many who claim to be Christians we are compelled to ask the question; could
all these people who claim to be Christians be really Christians? It seems then that the
word Christian has become a buzzword thrown around quite easily. We are therefore
forced to make a distinction between authentic Christianity and fake Christianity. To do
focus, we will spend todays study examine the term Christianity and the people known
as Christians.
The point is that there is confusion today all over the world about Christianity. Some
think of it as one of the many religions of the world. In other words, some feel that
Christianity is no different from any other religion that teaches morality by which people
should live on this planet or by which they could gain Gods favor. The problem with this
thinking is that it fails to recognize that God is wholly righteous and wholly just.
Furthermore, such approach ignores the fact that man is sinful, alienated from God, and
so is spiritually dead. It is failure to recognize the truth that man is spiritually dead and
unable to do anything to change that sinful condition. that causes those who promote
morality as a way of gaining favor with God not to realize how impossible that is. A dead
body cannot do anything to help itself. Therefore the person who is spiritually dead
cannot do anything to help change his spiritual death.

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To others Christianity is something you are born into or you take up. In effect, some
say that they are Christians because their parents are Christians. So you hear people say
something like I have been a Christian all my life or I cannot remember when I was
not a Christian. Of course, when you hear this then realize that for all practical purposes
you are looking at a person that does not know what Christianity is. Some decide to
become Christians because it is the socially accepted thing to do. Worst yet, some
because their parents took them to local churches, have grown up to develop the habit of
going to local churches regularly and so think that they have grown to be Christians. But
are they?
Still others see Christianity as a way out of poverty and miserable conditions
associated with poverty. This is particularly true in the third world countries. Sometimes
ago, I read an article in the Magazine Christianity Today, April 2006 issue that drives
home this misconception with respect to Nigeria. The title of the article is: Three
leaders talk frankly about Pentecostalism: Grading the movement, the good, the bad, and
the unpredictable. Let me quote from page 41 of this article that deals with questions
and answers:
How big is the prosperity, Word-Faith part of the movement?
Grady: Its not like you can count them. Their influence seems to be
disproportionate because of their media. But you have other charismatics who
have written and spoken diametrically opposite message. If you go to southern
Nigeria, however, the majority of Christians are, I would say, in the prosperity
camp. Part of it is because there is a strong need for them to be empowered and to
move up in society.
The above comment implies that many people in the third world countries think of
Christianity as way out of poverty. Of course, in the West some think that the affluence
enjoyed by many is Gods endorsement of true Christianity in their nations. In any event,

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the implication of the cited comment is that some people take a look at some who claim
to be Christians and who do not have any perceivable skills go from poverty to riches
simply because they have joined a church or have claimed to be pastors. So they
immediately say to themselves then I have to be a Christian if I want to improve my
social condition. Therefore such a person joins a church and claims to be born again. But
this person who joins a church and calls himself a Christian steals, cheats, lies, fornicates,
rejects the authority of Scripture. In short, there is no form of spiritual transformation on
his/her part. He is no different from those who do not go to church. A person could
improve his physical condition and die and go to hell. A person could become rich and
die and go to hell, so what is needed is not wealth but spiritual transformation that is
associated with eternal life. Jesus knew that materialism can deceive people and that is
why he uttered that parable that leads to the statement recorded in Matt 16:26:
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul ? Or what
can a man give in exchange for his soul?
So I ask you, what do you think about Christianity? Do you think of it as a way to
improve your condition in this life? Do you think of it merely as a religious organization
that is important to belong? Do you think of it as something that has been passed down
through your parents to you? Do you think of it as something you were raised up to be?
Certainly, if you think of Christianity in these terms you do not know what true or
authentic Christianity is.
What does authentic Christianity look like? Are you involved in it? Let me begin by
saying that an authentic Christianity does not permit diversity of opinions about Gods
truth. You see people are confused about diversity because man has chosen to ignore
Gods truth. When people speak of diversity they often think of ethnicity or culture but

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Gods truth is independent of any of these. In other words, Gods truth does not depend
on a persons ethnicity or culture, so to think of Christianity in terms of diversity of
opinions about Gods truth is to be wrong. In any event, authentic Christianity is a
movement that is characterized by a unique message and a unique people of God. The
two, unique message and unique people of God, are inseparably united in defining
authentic Christianity. For, if there were no unique message then there would be no
unique people of God and if there were no unique people of God there would be no
Christianity as described in the Bible. To throw more light on authentic Christianity let us
explore briefly the two words or phrases that we have used in the definition of authentic
Christianity, which are: a movement, a unique message, and a unique people.
A movement
When the word movement is used the usual understanding is the effort and results of a
group of people who come together to bring about a thing. For example, a group of
people got together and worked behind the scene in order to improve working conditions
of the masses so we have the labor movement. So you get the sense that a movement has
a purpose and it involves some agents connected with achieving a stated purpose. It also
involves a progression towards that goal. Therefore when we speak of authentic
Christianity as a movement we mean that there is a goal that is involved, which is Gods
glory. Every thing that God has done from creation to redemption is for His glory. God
wants to be glorified by those He created. It is clear that man is created for Gods glory as
the prophet Isaiah declares in Isa 43:7:
everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory , whom I formed and
made

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It is easy for us to forget that our personal comfort and welfare are not really the issue in
creation, but Gods glory. When we fail to recognize this then we worship God not
because of who He is but because of what He can do for us; as a result, we do not take
our worship of Him seriously until we are in need of something.
As we have indicated, a movement involves some agents and progression. The
movement towards Gods glory is one that comes from God. The three persons of the
Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are involved in the progression towards
Gods glory. Sometime unknown to us, the Father began this plan whereby man would
bring glory to Him. The plan is discussed and agreed upon by all members of the
Godhead. We are not given any details in the Bible about this initial meeting, as that is
not necessary for us to know. You see in human movements for a change, it is not
necessary for those not involved in the original planning to know all the details that went
into that planning. Instead, what is important is for them to see the results of the planning
that led to the movement. In the same way, God did not see the need for us to know what
went on in eternity to bring about authentic Christianity. All that we need to see or to
know is result of this planning.
The result of this planning is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. There is a
progression in which the Father started the plan and the Son, Jesus Christ, implemented
this plan that would lead to Gods glory. So the progression of this movement is seen in
the fact that Jesus Christ stepped out of eternity, out of heaven into time and into this
earth. He did this through the virgin birth. It is certainly an indescribable progression that
the God of universe would step out of heaven and take on a human form to be born as a

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helpless babe in Bethlehem. As John puts it in his gospel the Word that was God became
flesh and made His dwelling among humans (John 1:1, 14):
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This miraculous entrance of God into time and into this world is from the human
perspective the beginning of a movement that creates authentic Christianity.
Jesus Christ while on this earth began teaching about the glory of God in terms of the
kingdom of God. He began to assemble those who would form a part of this authentic
Christianity. This He did by preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. He taught
that Gods promise of sending a Savior for mankind has been fulfilled in Him. As He
completed His teaching He left this planet by way of death on the cross, resurrection, and
ascension into heaven.
It would seem that because Jesus Christ had departed from this planet that the
movement He revealed would end. But that was not the case. Before Jesus left this planet
He promised His followers that He would send them a Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who
would direct the affairs of this new movement. Jesus was clear that the Holy Spirit, as the
third member of the Godhead would glorify Him as we read in John 16:13-14:
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not
speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to
come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to
you.
The third member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, continued the movement. The
Holy Spirit is still working towards the goal of Gods movement to bring glory to

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Himself. The Acts of the Apostles is a record of the work of the Holy Spirit in this
movement of God towards ensuring that man glorifies Him. The authorities and religious
leaders who lived right after Jesus Christ resurrected thought that Gods movement was
finished with the crucifixion of Jesus but they were wrong. Of course, we have the great
exception, Gamaliel, who delivered that warning to the authorities about the movement of
this authentic Christianity. I am referring to Acts 5:34-39:
34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the
people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little
while. 35 Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to
do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and
about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed,
and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the
census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were
scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let
them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from
God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against
God."
Gamaliel was right. Authentic Christianity is Gods movement. In effect, it is Gods plan
being implemented by God Himself. So authentic Christianity is a movement that God
started and will complete when God the Son, Jesus Christ, hands over the kingdom of
God to God the Father (1 Cor 15:24).
The point is that authentic Christianity as a movement involves a goal of glorifying
God. It involves God Himself as the agent of achieving this goal. The Father started the
plan, the Son executed the plan, the Holy Spirit continues to reveal this plan and to direct
its affairs and eventually this goal would be finally realized when God concludes human
history. So when you think of authentic Christianity you must think in terms of Gods
glory and God Himself working to ensure that He receives the glory due Him from man.

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When you think about Christianity you must think also about Jesus Christ and about the
Holy Spirit.
Unique message
What is this unique message you may ask? It is a message about the Son of God, Jesus
Christ, that if accepted would lead to an eternal relationship with God.

The first

declaration of this message by a human being empowered by God the Holy Spirit was on
the day of Pentecost and the apostle Peter delivered it. The goal of this message was
simply to show that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross for mans sins.
Peter did this by making five assertions about the central figure of authentic Christianity,
Jesus Christ. First, he asserted that Jesus is true in all He said and did and that He was the
one that was appointed by God for a specific task as God has shown to the people
through the various miracles that Jesus performed. Listen to what Peter said to those
gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, as we read in Acts 2:22:
"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by
miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves
know.
Second, Peter asserted that Jesus was put to death on the cross according to Gods
plan. This assertion is important because God the Holy Spirit knew that many years after
this message that there would be people who would deny that Jesus actually died on the
cross.
Third, Peter asserted that Jesus resurrected from the dead, as was prophesied by
David. It is this that Peter asserted in Acts 2:24, 31:
24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it
was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

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31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not
abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.
You see if there was no resurrection then the movement that God had set in motion would
have been dead or terminated. But resurrection is that which sets Jesus Christ apart from
any other person that preached about God. The prophets taught of God and His
requirements but none of them claimed to be the Son of God. Jesus claim of deity and
sonship would have been false if He did not resurrect. So while virgin birth is the
beginning miracle of this authentic Christianity, it is this element of resurrection that
clearly authenticated the movement that God had set in motion, so to say.
Fourth, Peter asserted that he along with other disciples witnessed this resurrection as
recorded in Acts 2:32:
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
What could be more powerful than eyewitnesses? Peter spoke of something he personal
witnessed. Jesus appeared to him after His resurrection. Therefore resurrection is a fact of
history.
Fifth, Peter asserted that Jesus had ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand
of God, the Father. It is this point that Peter makes in Acts 2:33:
Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy
Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
These five assertions were necessary for Peter to authenticate his thesis that Jesus is both
God and the promised Messiah as he states in Acts 2:36:
"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified,
both Lord and Christ."
Here is the point that we should emphasize that the Christian message is a message that
focuses on Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. This is the message that the apostles

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preached. The Christian message the apostles preached produced transformed individuals
because their message is life transforming since it is based on the resurrected Christ. So,
authentic Christian message must focus on the person of Jesus Christ. It must emphasize
that there is no other way of salvation than through Jesus Christ. Peter himself said this as
we read in Acts 4:12:
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men
by which we must be saved."
Now what?
Information is good to have but its ultimate purpose is application. Now, you have
been provided information about the idolatrous history of Amaba before Christianity
came. Furthermore, you have been given a short summary of what Christianity is.
Therefore the question you have to ask and answer is whether you are a Christian. The
Bible is clear that to be a Christian you need to be aware of your sinful state and
recognize that there is nothing you can do to impress God. You may be a nice and lovely
person in your own estimation. You may be nice to others but from Gods perspective
your goodness is unimpressive as the Scripture states in Isa 64:6:
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy
rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
If the best you can do are like filthy rags can you imagine what your sins are like
before God? The truth is that you are not alone. Like every other human being you do not
do good as far as God is concerned, as stated in Rom 3:12:
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does
good, not even one."
You cannot measure up to His standard as stated in Rom 3:23:

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for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Actually, the issue is not matter of doing good or being moral but of being alive or dead.
Everyone born of a woman and a man is spiritually dead before God since all are sinners
Rom 6:23:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This being the case what you need is a radical transplant of your life as the prophet
Ezekiel foretold in Ezek 36:26:
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart
of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
This promise can be fulfilled in you if you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the
very God who as a human died on the cross for your sins and resurrected the third day. If
put your full trust in Him for the forgiveness of your sins you will receive eternal life. Let
me also remind you that if you reject His offer of eternal life that you are now condemned
and ready to enter into eternal misery of the type that you could not imagine. For, if this
misery was bearable Jesus Christ would not have humbled Himself to come to this planet
and die for your sins. The point is that the alternative to rejecting the offer of eternal life
is eternal condemnation as state in the following passages of the Scripture:
John 3:18:
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands
condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life,
for God's wrath remains on him."

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