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Author: Matik Nicholls

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A Maccabean Tale

In the Catholic bible there are two books called 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. The books chronicle the history of the Jews during the period 175 BC to 134 BC. The introduction sets the scene… Alexander the Great had advanced his kingdom to the ends of the earth, plundering many nations. All nations were forcibly brought under his domain and paid him taxes. His world reign as emperor lasted 12 years and then he fell ill and realizing he was about to die, divided his empire among his generals. The story begins with Antiochus Epiphanes who was a descendant of one of Alexander’s generals. In 143 BC, he set his sights on the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. He slaughtered many of the people, desecrated their temple and took woman and children as prisoners. After a couple murderous campaigns he decided to unite the world by commanding all nations to abandon their own customs. Many Jews adopted the official pagan religion and abandoned their laws and customs under the penalty of death.

Then one day a Jew called Mattathias stood up to the enforcers of the king’s decree and refused to obey the decree in public. He also killed one of his fellowmen who was offering a pagan sacrifice and killed the enforcer. This was the start of a rebellion of all those faithful to the Law and that is the main subject of the Maccabean books. The faithful Jewish people rallied around Mattathias and when he died he appointed one of his sons Judas Maccabaeus as commander of what was now an army. Judas waged war on all who opposed Israel and the Law with great zeal. His exploits were great and the Israeli army grew to the thousands. They routinely defeated enemies who were better armed and in far greater numbers.

What is noticeably absent from these books is a relationship with God. Hitherto the hallmark of the Jewish nation was that God was with them. There are no prophets or words from God in Maccabees. God was silent. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why these books were omitted from the King James Bible? I don’t know but when I read these tales I couldn’t help but think of some Christians today who have similar characteristics; we live a bible-centred life but have little relationship with God.

As I read the heroic exploits of the Maccabees, defeating all in their way in their zeal for the Law, I could not help but superimpose bible-thumping, hell and damnation preaching believers cutting down sinful idol worshipping pagans with their words left and right. Like the Maccabees some of us are self-styled heroes. Lost without a personal relationship with God but yet carrying on desperately clinging to the bible while our soul lies dead inside. Without a relationship with God, the law, the bible, the church attendance… it all means nothing and it is all for nothing.

To me, this is the great tragedy of the Maccabean tale. A read through the majority of the Old Testament describes the Jewish people always in relationship with God. He spoke with some of them directly and addressed the nation through the prophets. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah, they all walked with God. It was Moses who said, “If Your Presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.” He refused to journey on through life without God. David said, “Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.” What had happened to the Israelites that caused them to go on without God? How is it that they went out against the enemy time after time without seeking God’s counsel forsaking hundreds of years of a heritage of, “Lord, shall we go up against them?” How was relationship so easily exchanged for religion?

When I look at my own life, I see how easily it can happen. It takes work to have a good relationship with anyone. God is no different. While it is easy to neglect our human relationships, it is even easier to neglect a God we can’t see. It takes a deliberate seeking. A deliberate pulling away from all distractions. A deliberate waiting to hear that small still voice.

Sometimes we say we are walking by faith but it is not faith in what God has told us, it is a resolute soldiering on (or even grasping at what we want and want now) in the absence of any communication from above. The Maccabean tale is a solemn reminder not to keep walking obliviously along the path when our divine travelling companion has paused. Wait. Wait on the Lord!

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
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Power Trip

Let me take you on a trip; a power trip. According to a study by social psychologists John R. P. French and Bertram H. Raven in 1959, there are 5 types of power used within organizations:

  1. Coercive Power: This type of power relies on threats or punishment to force compliance against a person’s will. Use of this type of power is destructive, leading to unhealthy and unproductive behaviours within the organization.
  2. Reward Power: This form of power is based on the idea that as a society we are more inclined to do things well when we are getting something in return. The problem with this form of power is that when the reward does not have enough perceived value to others, the power is weakened. One of the frustrations when using rewards is that they often need to be bigger than the last time if they are to have the same effect.
  3. Legitimate Power: This type of power is based on a person’s role or position. This is a weak form of power as it only lasts as long as the person has the title or when they are operating in an official capacity.
  4. Referent Power: The leader in this form of power is often seen as a role model. This power emanates from a person that is highly liked and people identify strongly with them in some way. Celebrities often wield this type of power.
  5. Expert Power: This form of power is based on in-depth information, knowledge or expertise. The rarer and greater the demand for the expertise, the more power the person wields.

The challenge leaders’ face is to organize people in a coordinated effort toward the achievement of some goal. This necessitates giving directions and delegating tasks. Leaders must use some combination of these types of power to achieve their objectives. What we have realized over the years is that some forms of power are more effective than others in creating sustainably successful results. Leaders who rely heavily on legitimate and coercive power breed compliance at best and undermining behaviours at worst. Successful leaders rely more on referent and expert power. While this has been well understood but woefully under-practiced in secular circles for years, I am continually surprised at the prevalence of unhealthy leadership paradigms and practices within the church world.

The Christian world seems hell bent (pun intended) on subscribing to legitimate power as THE paradigm for the church. Typical church structures are very hierarchical with the pastor/priest at the top and unquestioning submission to authority required right down the chain of command.  I would have expected the church to have the best leaders! I mean Jesus is the most influential and charismatic leader who ever walked the planet! So much so, that according to a Pew Research Center 2010 survey there are approximately 2.8 billion people on the planet who claim to still be following Him!

What I’ve come to realize, unfortunately, is that most people do not understand the culture of the kingdom when it comes to power. THE #1 principle of the kingdom when it comes to power is that God is not trying to force us to comply with His will but He is wooing us like a lover into an amazing partnership. The #2 principle is that God is determined to give His power away to the furthest possible person and the widest possible group. If we remembered these two principles, we would do church completely differently.

Jesus was the embodiment of this kingdom principle. Motivated by love, He left His all-powerful mantle in heaven and came to earth for the sole purpose of giving us power over sin, death and the devil. He allowed death to overpower Him for 3 days so that, when He ascended back to the highest position of power over all power, He could bring us all up there with Him! Consider that! Consider that the omnipotent God became a frail little human and subjected Himself to a humiliating death so that we lowly dust creatures could walk in His power! His heart is that not one should perish but that all should have abundant eternal life. Yet, the choice is ours; He will not put out His hand to coerce us to follow Him.

If you spent time with Jesus and took note of what He did what, would you see?

You would see Him training a group of 12 people who would finish the work He started and whom He would be excited to see do greater works than Him. Do we do that?

You would see Him teaching, healing, delivering and feeding thousands. Caring for the physical needs and internal hearts of others. Do we do that?

You would see Him passionately and consistently confronting the leaders who are controlling, dominating and abusing people from their religious positions. Do we do that?

You would see Him eating meals and washing the feet of a man who He knew would give Him up to be killed. Do we do that?

You would see Him interceding for forgiveness for a people that murdered Him unjustly. Do we do that?

How we use our power is the hallmark of our knowledge of Him. Do we know Him?

Joyfully,

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
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Holy Communion

In all Christian denominations, communion is celebrated in one form or another. In the Catholic faith it is celebrated at every mass. In others, it may be weekly or monthly. No matter the frequency, there is something sacred about this practice of drinking His blood and eating His body as Christ commanded. However, as sacred as it is, there is more. There is a mystery; a deeper communion to which we need to surrender daily… hourly.

However, it requires letting go of the lie of separateness. If His Spirit is in us, then we are never separate from God; always in communion with Him. Yet why are we are always seeking to get to some state where we are one with Him? Aren’t we the body of Christ? Yes! Somehow, spiritually, we are the very body of Christ! Somehow, we can partake of the life of Christ. In fact, we are called to share His entire life throughout time and space!

We share in His suffering:

Colossians 1:24

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

Romans 8:17a

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings

We share in His death:

Romans 6:4a

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death

Colossians 3:3

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

We share in His resurrection:

Romans 6:5

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.

Colossians 3:1

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

We share in His glorification:

Romans 8:17

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

We will share in His second coming:

Colossians 3:4

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

These are amazing truths! I do not want us to come away from these scriptures feeling that all that they mean is that we must be like Christ or that it is all symbolic. I believe that the life of the Christian is so united with Christ that we reach out across time and space and partake with Him in His suffering, death, resurrection, glorification and second coming. As we commune with the eternal Christ now, we inherit all He ever was and who He ever will be because He exists in eternity!

We are called to eternal communion with Christ! Right here, right now… He is here.

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.

Matthew 28:20b

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

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Living On The Margin

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What do I mean by living on the margin? I mean to walk the line of non-conformance. I mean to be unwilling to swear allegiance to any particular group. As kingdom believers, our allegiance is to the King alone, which means that on this earth we are always on the margin.

Jesus lived on the margin. He went to church every Sunday and he hung out with the sinners during the week. He didn’t belong anywhere on this earth. To the sinners he was saintly. To the supposed saints, he was sinful. They called Him a glutton and a drunkard. They exaggerated of course but the point is this; Jesus was not concerned about fitting in with society’s norms and neither should we.

The margin is my favourite place. Am I conservative or liberal? Both. Do I believe in capitalism or socialism? Neither. Am I Catholic or Pentecostal? Both and none. Am I a corporate executive or a surfer dude? Yes. When we refuse to join the in-crowd or conform to the social boxes, we live in a world where we are a bit of an enigma. Sometimes chastised and frequently misunderstood but always free to express the kingdom unfettered by public opinion.

And that is the issue; freedom. Those who pander to public opinion are slaves to that opinion and cannot truly execute their kingdom assignment on this earth. If we must belong to or support a particular political party, we are slaves. If we must be a member of the ‘right’ denomination, we are slaves. If we cannot associate with a particular person because in Christian circles he or she is known as a heretic or a backslider, we are slaves. If we cannot go here or there because it is a place of ill repute, we are slaves. Every box we put ourselves into, shuts off the kingdom from reaching those outside the walls through us. Who will reach the prostitutes? Who will reach the drug dealers? Who will reach those living alternative lifestyles? Who will bring balance to the group with a lop-sided theology? Who will lift up the preacher fallen in sin? Who will heal the heart broken divorcee? Who? Who? WHO?

The reason that Christians are described as lights and commanded not to hide their light under a bowl is because our assignment is to dispel darkness wherever that darkness exists. The mandate to enforce kingdom rule on this earth as it is in heaven must be so compelling that our need to be accepted or to be seen as right or righteous is overwritten by our zeal to reach the lost!

Dancing on the margin,

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
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Pure Bliss

I have often associated the state of bliss with a feeling of euphoria or deep contentment. A blissful moment is one where I would think, “I could just stay in this moment forever.”

Over the years, different things have triggered this feeling for me. It’s currently carnival time in my country and I can’t help but remember one such moment early in the morning chipping to an infectious rhythm behind a music truck for J’ouvert. The first orange streaks of sunrise washed over faces full of joy and bodies covered in paint moving in unison to the music. Time slowed. The celebrations in the street seemed a fitting compliment to the sunrise.  Both seemed to overflow with a joy of just being alive. Pure energy. Pure vibes.

Another time I remember was at the beach with my three kids. We were just frolicking in the waves. We were all children and the ocean was our playground. We ducked waves and dived into the surf. We splashed each other and pinched each other’s toes pretending to be a crab or a fish. When a particularly big wave came we all screamed in mock fear or pretended to be Hulk and smash the wave. We were jubilant. We were alive.

For me, moments like these make life worth living. They somehow remind me that I don’t just exist, I live. I have always been in pursuit of a blissful life.

One online dictionary defines bliss like this: Bliss is a state of complete happiness or joy. Marriage is often associated with this joyous feeling: people who are married and still in love are described as living in wedded bliss. Another common association is heaven or paradise, as in eternal bliss.

Bliss is a state of complete joy… That is exactly what I’m after; complete joy! Yes, I have had and continue to have the blissful moments described above but I’m not satisfied with moments of bliss. I want a state of bliss; perpetual bliss if you will.

It is this quest that has led me inexorably to Christ. In the presence of God I find pure bliss. Sometimes people ask me incredulously why I’m not going to any parties or not having sex. I’m guessing that they don’t understand what could be worth giving up those blissful moments. And I totally know where they are coming from because I’ve been there, and had I not experienced what I’ve experienced, I would still be there. But having tasted the goodness of God… Oh my! I can’t get enough!

That’s why I have no interest in religion. It’s just not attractive to me. It has nothing to offer me. I’m not interested in looking righteous or avoiding some future hell. Religion is dead. But Jesus Christ offers life and life more abundantly than we’ve ever known. It’s like when He rose from the dead, the life force that rushed into His body exploded in the earth, overflowing to every heart that would receive it.

Every time I think of Jesus and reach out my heart to His, He floods my soul with peace and love and joy. He makes even the bad days better and the times playing with my kids or dancing and singing in worship to Him are ten times sweeter. I have found that bliss comes with doing what you were born to do. I was born to dance, born to play, born to love and be loved but most of all I was born to worship God. I’m a Christian hedonist pursuing eternal heavenly bliss.

Join me,

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
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Where Has Your Zeal Gone?

When I was in my early twenties there was a group of us who were full of zeal for the Lord. We wanted to do great things for God. We talked about God and following His will for our lives and doing greater things than Jesus did endlessly! Every day was an adventure!

Today I look back at our group and I wonder what happened to us. I would say only a couple of us still have that fire burning. Why? It seems that life got in the way of our dreams. We got married. We had children. The mundane became the norm and soon it seems that the mundane was all that we expected. We relegated the stories of the bible to the domain of a few…not applicable to us; to normal people. The sad truth is we lost faith.

Church leaders will warn against backsliding from the pulpit. If you take part in carnival, you are a backslider. If you stop coming to church, you are a backslider. But I propose that there are hundreds of backsliders in church every Sunday. Christians who have absolutely nothing supernatural about their lives. Churchgoers who are just good people with no Living Water flowing into or from their lives. Jesus aches for these people to return to Him. If only we would believe again.

One of the phrases that I’ve come to view with extreme suspicion is, “With age comes wisdom.” Almost every time I’ve heard this in church its not been wise at all… it’s been a faith cop-out. A sad attempt at an excuse for playing it safe and ignoring the call of God to extreme risk for His cause. We were made to put it all on the line for the name and fame of Christ! Nothing less will do! We are called to forsake ALL and follow Christ!

There are people who will try to quench your faith and squash your dreams… Don’t let them! When they call you young and zealous say “YES I AM!”. Run with those who are laying it all down. Gravitate to the older heads who will stir your passion and give you real wisdom; the benefit of their experience to help you go further than they did.

Beloved, stir up your faith again like when you were young and full of zeal.

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
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Everybody Wants To Be A Hero

Everybody wants to be a hero. We want to be the hero for our children or in our company or maybe in our community. It’s a natural desire but pushed to the extreme it can do more harm than good.

When we have this hero complex, what often happens is that we do not allow others to shine. Much has been published about helicopter parenting and the negative effects of solving all your children’s problems for them. Our children can only actualize their full potential if we are willing to step down from the pedestal of needing to be idolized and allow them to rise to the challenges of life. Self-esteem comes from observing yourself achieve something that was not easy to accomplish. This growth in our children is what we sacrifice when we put on our cape and swoop in.

The same is true in other arenas. The old adage is true; “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Heroism shies away from giving away the secret of your success. Instead of focusing on empowering others we perpetuate a dependency on ourselves so that we are always the ones who get the accolades. This has been the strategy of successive governments in Trinidad and Tobago and it has been to the detriment of the country. The message on the political platform in some form or other has been, “Choose us. We will save you.” I eagerly await the day when some courageous leader will transform the dialogue from dependency to empowerment.

Another arena that is a passion of mine is the church. Many church leaders have also devotedly perpetuated this dependence syndrome in their congregations. Instead of teaching everyone how to hear from God and interpret scripture for themselves there has been a sick ultimate leader syndrome that discourages respectful disagreement or independent thought. Blind obedience is glorified and taking the initiative is discouraged as causing confusion or being overly-zealous. Of course, the need to covet glory for ourselves is part of the unsanctified human condition that has reared its head from since the early days of the church until now. Religious men have always set themselves up as THE middleman to God. Instead every pastor, elder and priest should be consistently and earnestly pointing everyone to Christ. “Do not depend on me, depend on God alone. Don’t look to me to solve your problems and give you guidance. Look to God.” This should be the message. There should be a constant redirection of worship and dependence and glory to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

In THE story; the unfolding epic saga of the whole universe for all time, in my humble estimation, there is only one hero who deserves all the glory and His name is Jesus Christ! He is the real hero!

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
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The Fire Series: What Proverbs Has To Say About Love & Sex

Some of the most interesting Proverbs for me are the ones that start with the statement, “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand:” or “Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up:” The lists of spectacles that come next have always intrigued me. As I came across these sayings again last week, two in particular stood out in a fresh way; “the way of a man with a virgin” and “an unloved woman when she gets a husband”.

I wondered what it was about these two things that the writer saw that was so wonderful and mysterious and earth-shaking? The wonderful mystery of sex I understood right away but I was not really getting the significance of the unloved woman getting a husband.

Then I reflected on my past romantic relationships and it hit me; women have a deep desire to feel treasured; to be loved above all other women. When this need is met a woman blossoms and it truly is beautiful. I am not by any means saying that I was a great love-er by the way. Far from it. Perhaps I should have had this revelation earlier in life because I believe if we men really understood this, we would be amazed at the difference it would make in our relationships. Maybe we would feel the earth tremble. Lol.

Similarly, when I went back to the verse about the man with a virgin I saw that it dealt with the deep need of men to know that they alone are the objects of their wife’s desire. Sex is as important to men as love is to women. I wonder if more women need to appreciate this truism?

So wives, I encourage you, make your man feel like a stallion. Tell him and show him how much he does it for you, regularly. It’s biblical! And husbands, I encourage you to tell your woman you love her every day. Take the time to find out her love language and make her feel treasured beyond compare.

OK coming back to my bible study… God had more to say. Because I thought about all those men and women who have not yet found a partner and asked, “What about the deep need of those women to feel loved and treasured God? What about those men with the unfulfilled need to be respected and admired?”

I believe His answer was this: “I am the ultimate fulfillment of all your needs. I am the love that is beyond compare and the pleasure above all ecstasies. My love for you is too wonderful for you and beyond your understanding. My love for you makes the earth tremble.” I believe there is complete wholeness in God. Maybe we will not fully experience it until the bride of Christ, the church, is united with Jesus Christ Himself… but even a taste of the love of God is beyond anything this world has to offer!

Joyfully,

Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.

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Best Laid Plans

The sun had just risen over the trees, bathing the dewy grass with its warmth as we disembarked the vehicle. My bff/coach began to outline the route for me. We had been progressing well towards our fitness goals and today she had set us an ambitious target. Over an hour later we had completed our best run in a while and we were pumped!

The problem is, this was also us same time last year January. But somehow it didn’t last. By the time December rolled around we were both feeling like BFDBs (Big Fat Dirty Bastards). It wasn’t for lack of planning or commitment. Because I must confess, my name is Matik and I’m a goal setting junkie. Every year I go through an intense goal setting process and it fuels my focus for the rest of the year. Still, my fitness was my biggest loss in 2018. And it sucks! So what happened? My Google Maps 2018 timeline says it all. I was hit by a crazy work travel schedule and I was hit hard! I’m a creature of habit and the constant disruption in my routine and eating habits completely threw me off.

So, it’s January again…. Time to make resolutions or if you are like me,set goals, and I’m thinking, “How can I avoid a repeat of 2018?”

So, I did a root cause analysis and I figured out what the problem was…When I was setting my goal, I did not take into account that I would have totravel so often. This phenomenon is the ultimate derailer of plans! We set goals assuming certain conditionsbut as the year progresses those conditions often change; conditions which wedid not plan for!

There are two things we can do to combat this (none of which I did in2018, which my scale can attest to):

  1. Brainstormpossible barriers for every goal we set and what we could do to surmount them.
  2. Even so, wewon’t think of everything, so we need to be able to re-assess and adjust ourgoals and plans when circumstances change. Stop and recalibrate.

Sometimes what we learn from our failures is more valuable than our victories. I hope this short lesson in goal-setting taken from my 2018 failure will help you to achieve all your wildest dreams in 2019 and beyond!

Joyfully,


Copyright 2019, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.