Tuesday 29 January 2013

JOHN BUNYAN

JOHN BUNYAN
He was the son of a Tinker
A mender and maker
Of pots,pans and kettles
With formal education so little.

The Bedford Tinker-John Bunyan
Was born into a lowly clan
In the hamlet of Harrowden
At Elstow,south of Bedford in Britain.

He would serve in the parliamentary army
Due to the civil war ravaging the country
Faced with danger,death and doom
Living a life where Christ had no room.

But one day he would turn to his Maker
Recognizing he was a wretched sinner
Choosing to live righteously and go to heaven
He surrendered to Christ Jesus-The Saviour given.

John Bunyan-The Bedford Tinker
Once a rebel and a wretched sinner
Now a christian,now a pilgrim
Rejoicing in the hope of the redeemed.

Preaching with great zeal and fervour
Telling everyone about his Lord and Saviour
Persecuted yet refusing to remain silent
Was faced with twelve years imprisonment.

Turning  pains to gains through worship
In prison wrote about a heavenly trip
The christian's journey to the celestial city
"The pilgrim's progress" was that legacy.

Bunyan's classic allegory"The Pilgrim's Progress"
Became a success and many it did bless 
Grounded in God's word though apparently uneducated
This genuis wrote creative pieces now globally celebrated.
 
Reaching fellow inmates with the gospel of salvation
Now his voice rings through many generations
On 31st August 1688, he died in London
Having fulfilled his earthly mission.

Copyright 2013 by Benjamin Anabaraonye
All rights reserved.
For further inquiries e-mail me at getbenjyu@yahoo.com

Wednesday 16 January 2013

A BRIEF LOOK AT THE LIFE OF JOHN BUNYAN(AUTHOR OF THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS)

   
TURNING PAINS TO GAINS THROUGH WORSHIP
(A BRIEF LOOK AT THE LIFE OF JOHN BUNYAN)-By Benjamin Anabaraonye

John Bunyan (1628-1688),the Bedford tinker, was born in the hamlet of Harrowden at Elstow approximately  1.5 miles south of Bedford in Britain. He was the son of a tinker-a maker and mender of pots and kettles. Although the family was poor, they owned a cottage in Harrowden. As a child, he travelled the district helping his father and learning the trade.

CRISIS AND CROSSROADS
In 1644,when John Bunyan was 16,his mother died and his father remarried within a year. That same year, Bunyan was conscripted into the parliamentary army because of the civil war that erupted at that time. He spent most of his military service in garrison duty at Newport Pagnell. He later spoke of narrowly escaping death in one of those encounters.
Returning to Elstow in 1647 Bunyan resumed his work as a tinker. Two years later he married his wife who bore him four children, the first called Mary was born blind. The arrival of Mary made Bunyan reflect seriously on his life for the first time.
In “Grace Abounding” published in 1666, Bunyan describes this period of spiritual crisis admitting, ”Even as a child I had few equals in cursing, swearing, lying and blaspheming the name of God”.

CONVERSION AND CONVICTIONS
The  civil war was over but it left indelible marks on John Bunyan. One Sunday, Bunyan heard a sermon on the evil of breaking the Sabbath, then he heard a voice within asking, ”Wilt thou leave thy sins and go to heaven? or have thy sins and go to hell?” This marked a turning point in his life. Following his conversion, he began to preach with great conviction and received a welcome hearing.

CONGREGATION AND CONFINEMENT
In the belief that national unity could only be achieved by religious uniformity, the state attempted to restrain the developing independent congregations by forbidding preaching. Bunyan was arrested in the hamlet of samsell  just after he had begun a meeting. He appeared before the local justices the next morning and was sentenced to three months in prison.
Since Bunyan refused to give an assurance not to preach, he remained in the prison for  12 years from 1661 to 1672.He was allowed several privileges as a prisoner, since he was not a common criminal.
During imprisonment, He made shoelaces to raise support for his family and preached to the inmates. His spiritual autobiography, ”Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners” was written at that time becoming one of Bunyan’s several classics. However, his magnum opus, The Pilgrim’s Progress was also written while a prisoner, and then following his release in 1672 was published in 1678.


GAINS FROM PAINS
John Bunyan is known as one of the most influential writers in human history. Consider the fact that after the undoubted supremacy in circulation of the English Bible. Bunyan’s classic allegory ”The Pilgrim’s Progress” has commonly ranked second.This has led it to be called “The second best book in the world”.
Even secular critics have agreed that this uneducated mender of pots and pans was a writer of uncommon genius. Some eleven  editions of the Pilgrim’s Progress were published during Bunyan’s lifetime, this popularity  being stimulated by  the enthusiastic readership of the common people. Having gained extra-ordinary universal acceptance, its style being both simple yet engaging in its ability to communicate vital biblical truth.
Many believers over the centuries have expressed deep gratitude for new found enlightenment concerning what biblical Christianity is all about. Many others (which I’m one of them) have had their faith and courage boosted by simply reading The Pilgrim’s Progress.

For Further Reading on John Bunyan:
i)Heroes of faith series
John Bunyan: Author of the Pilgrim's Progress by Sam Wellman
Barbour Publishing Inc,Ohio


Other classic books by John Bunyan include:
Grace abounding to the chief of sinners, The Holy War, Visions of heaven and hell, How to pray in the spirit, The life and death of Mr.Badman.  

Copyright 2013 by Benjamin Anabaraonye. All rights reserved.
For  further  inquiries e-mail : getbenjyu@yahoo.com

Wednesday 9 January 2013

 TEMPTATION
In the wilderness,Christ was tempted
Those forty days, He prayed and fasted;
Getting ready to start ministry,
He was ambushed by the enemy.

The Son of God yet Son of man

Faced the assaults of satan
Tempted by satan in many ways
Hear what the enemy said:

"You're hungry and need to be fed

So turn these stones to bread;
If you are the Son of God, then
Selfishly display your power to men."

"Acknowledge me and bow down,

And i'll give you earth's most beautiful towns,"
Tempting Christ to lust and pride
But victoriously Christ did stride.

Since God's Son was not exempted

We,as God's children,will also be tempted
By God's Word, Christ overcame
And we can do just the same.

Temptation can come any day

So we must watch and pray
And he can use man or woman
To carry out his deadly plan.

But when he comes as he would

We must stand strong as we should
Putting on the whole armor of God,
Put satan to flight by God's Word!

 © Benjamin Anabaraonye

Put on the whole armour of God,that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6 vs 11(KJV)