Basketball star Manute Bol was buried in his family’s hometown in south Sudan on Sunday and hundreds of mourners paid tribute to the man whose talent took him from the grazing lands of Africa to NBA fame.

Sudan-born Bol, a phenomenon through 10 NBA seasons, thanks to his 7-foot, 7-inch (2.31-metre) frame and ability to block opponents’ shots, died in a U.S. hospital on June 19, aged 47.

Bol herded his family’s cattle in south Sudan as a boy and was spotted playing basketball in Khartoum by a visiting U.S. coach. After his NBA career, he continued to focus his time and wealth on humanitarian work in his underdeveloped homeland.

The charity he worked with building schools, said the cause of death was kidney failure and a painful skin disease, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which worsened after his last trip to Sudan during the country’s April elections.

Giving his all

A plane carrying Bol’s body arrived in south Sudan’s capital Juba on Saturday. On Sunday, members of his extended family and local politicians accompanied Bol’s remains on a two-hour plane ride and four-hour road trek to Turalei, his remote hometown in the region’s Warrap state.

“There are lots of family here, lots of people who loved him very much ... He gave his life for south Sudan,” Bol’s wife Ajok Deng told Reuters before the burial.

“We are here because he told me ‘I want to be buried next to my grandfather’. We’re here to go according to his will.” His wife said she was planning to stay in Sudan for a few days with their three sons and one daughter before returning to their U.S. home in Olathe, Kansas.

Hundreds of people from surrounding villages walked to Turalei for the burial and lined the road from outside the settlement right up to his family’s mud-walled hut.

Young men carried pictures of the sports star and a local basketball team accompanied the coffin that was lowered into the grave lined with cattle hides..

Locals would continue slaughtering bulls in his honour until Tuesday, as part of the funeral rites that mixed Christianity with Dinka tribal custom, said Bol’s brother Nicola, adding: “He will be remembered for all the charity work he did in Sudan.” Bol, who played for Washington, Golden State, Philadelphia and Miami, is tied for the record as the tallest person to play in the NBA. He also owns the career record for most blocked shots per 48 minutes of playing time.

South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir paid tribute to Bol’s work during a Catholic requiem mass in Juba on Saturday, saying he supported the region during its decades-long civil war with north Sudan.

The oil-producing territory is just over six months away from the scheduled start of a referendum on whether it should split away from Sudan as an independent country, a vote promised under the 2005 accord that ended the civil war.

Tragedy struck at the weekend at the parsonage of the Assemblies of God Church, Laguru, Umuosu Ubakala, near Umuahia, Abia State, when the resident pastor, Monday Jacob, was found unconscious in his living room with his wife and two sons dead. Photo:The ill fated Match that blew No African any good The family was suspected to be watching the Ghana versus Uruguay match in the ongoing World Cup last Friday when tragedy struck.

Mr. Jacob was said to have packed into the apartment on 30 June, and was suspected to be watching the Ghana versus Uruguay match in the ongoing World Cup last Friday when the tragedy struck, as they were found in sitting positions in front of their television.

Neighbours believed that the family must have died from the fumes from a generating set which powered the electrical appliances in the apartment, which was found at the staircase of the one-storey building with its switch button in the on position, though there was no fuel.

Investigations revealed that while Mr. Jacob was found in a sitting position unconscious when the door of the house was forced open, his first son, a final year Political Science student of Abia State University, Uturu, and his second son were also in the same position, while his wife was lying dead on a six-spring foam.

No Sunday school

It was gathered that members of the church became apprehensive when their pastor or any member of the family was not present at the Sunday School at 8am and could not pick calls put across to them. They went to the house to find out why, but were shocked when there was no response from inside.

It was also gathered that members who had called on them on Saturday had found the doors locked and concluded that they had traveled, without knowing that the family were in distress. They were said to have contacted the police at the Ubakala Police Division who accompanied them to force the door of the house open and discovered the shocking scenario.

The victims were rushed to a nearby hospital where the three were confirmed dead, while the doctors battled to resuscitate Mr. Jacob who was struggling to breathe.

It was further gathered that Mr. Jacob has been transferred to a hospital in Enugu, as the resident doctors’ strike at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, made it imperative that he be referred to a competent hospital.

Chidi Okoroafor, the Umuahia District head of the Assemblies of God, expressed shock at the incident and said it was too early to say the cause of the incident, but assured the police have started investigation to unravel the mystery.

Editorial:According to Wikipedia Mali is considered to be one of the poorest nations in the world and For Nigerian Ladies to call it their home and debase themselves in the infamous oldest Profession in the world things must be really bad for our Ladies here in naija .Prostitiution has become a thriving Export Service in our dear country.Young ladies are being sold into a mini slavery like existence not only in Europe but in neighbouring African States.SENATORS & LEGISLATORs may God have mercy on your daughters as your decisions have turned our young men into Yahoo Criminals & our Girls into women of easy virtue.noelene.

Main Article

Photo Reverend Raymond Map of Mali & Malian Ladies

Rev Raymond moved to Mali in 1996 because, accoding to him, he felt an urge to take the gospel there. Little did he know what was waiting for him there. ''Mali is a country with the majority of its population being Muslims. The people are very friendly, so it was not difficult to adapt,'' he said. Soon, Raymond noticed an ugly trend: Nigerian girls were being trafficked to Mali in droves for prostitution. ''It was not as bad as it is now," he said. "It has become a serious problem because of the unending poverty and unemployment. It is Nigerian men who bring the girls to Mali under the pretext that they are taking them to Europe. When they get to Mali, they are abandoned to Brothel owners who become their masters.''

Ironically, he noted, the brothel owners are mostly Nigerian women from Edo State. ''A brothel can contain as many as 1,000 Nigerian girls. In fact, I know of one woman who has three such brothels, each containing 1000 Nigerian girls. Each girl is made to pay as much as N2 million, to offset the cost of transporting her from Nigeria to Mali. The same brothel operators would later go back to Nigeria and build houses in their states and nobody would know the source of their wealth.''

The experience of Nigerian girls trafficked to Mali for prostitution is indeed harrowing because of peculiar circumstances. ''Prostitution is legal in Mali. Prostitutes pay stipulated amounts to the Malian government and police to maintain order in their brothels. This makes it quite difficult to rescue girls who were tricked into this job and have no desire to continue in it,'' Rev Raymond said. ''I took it upon myself to bring the girls home after I started coming in contact with them. Some who have paid up their debts are able to leave and seek refuge in churches. Since I work with all churches, I get to meet such girls.''

He acknowledges that many underage girls were still trapped in brothels in Mali. ''A few of these girls have escaped. The brothels are usually very secured. Any girl brought there is denied contact with the outside world. You are in bondage until you can pay off your debt. Some have taken ill, died and have been buried within the brothels' premises. I have tried to get the Nigerian embassy to intervene but they keep telling me there is nothing they can do, because they are on foreign soil. The Consular even said he had gone as far as calling on the governors of Edo and Delta states to get involved in bringing their girls back home. Some are very willing to come back and we need assistance to bring them home. The Nigerian government should get involved. It is now a matter of national honour because our image in Mali is tarnished. We are now known as a nation of prostitutes.''

While thousands of trapped girls await help from the government, the Nigerian Christian community in Mali is not folding its arms. There are lots of churches who have taken these girls in, pending when they would be taken back to Nigeria. ''You know I have been doing it on my own before. It was not until two months ago that I learnt about a government agency called NAPTIP, which is responsible for these sort of things. It was a border officer who saw me bringing back three girls to Nigeria that told me of NAPTIP and even gave me their number. I have been bringing girls to them ever since. But we need more involvement from government,''he said.

He recalled moments of frustration when he tried together with a catholic priest to get the cooperation of the Nigerian embassy in assisting with transportation. ''There is a priest in the catholic cathedral in Mali who has been involved too in assisting trafficked girls. He was overjoyed when he learnt of NAPTIP and went with me to the embassy. We wanted to discuss how these girls would be brought home. When we realised the embassy was not going to assist us with transportation we were so frustrated.

''If the Nigerian government decides to take action, a BRT bus would be filled with girls coming back home to Nigeria every month. It is not easy to do this alone. I am a married man with five children, but I cannot fold my arms and watch these girls suffer. At the same time, it is also a big sacrifice on the part of my family when I divert money meant for them to bring these girls back. We need the Nigerian government to be more proactive. This trafficking must stop. If they secure the assistance of the Malian government, it would be easier to break this network of criminals who are exploiting our girls.''

Statistics:

Amongst the activities of the "West African Project Against AIDS" in Mali, numerous interventions are being conducted in the brothels by the local NGOs. It rapidly appeared that it's necessary to dispose the mapp of prostitution profile to enhance the coverage and results of our interventions. OBJECTIVES: 1. to determine locations, types and number of brothels in our zone of intervention, 2. to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of the prostitutes working in the brothels and their clients, 3. to evaluate the feasability of preventive interventions towards prostitutes and their clients in these brothels 4. to make suggestions for improving the effectivness of interventions in those areas. METHODOLOGY: A crosswise survey has been realized during February-march 2001 in the brothels of the following cities: Bamako, Sikasso, Koutiala and Zegoua. NGO investigators working in the prostitution circles administered an individual questionnaire to consenting barmen, women prostitutes and their clients. Analysis was made with Epi-info 6.04. RESULTS: More than 212 establishments were taked census and divided up into three categories: 65 brothels, 85 bars whith guestrooms and 62 refreshment bars. During that we interviewed 139 prostitutes, 281 clients and 180 barmen. We've indenfieded many types of prostitutions; going from commercial sex- workers into the brothels seaters to roamers and casual to occasional prostitution. The prostitutes were mostly from Nigeria 47%, Mali 25,5%, Ghana 11,7% and from surrounding countries in the sub-region. The average age was 26,4 and ranged from 12 to 47 years old. The clients of brothels were from all categories of populationn CONCLUSION: These patterns of prostutution's profiles bring us to develop integrated and simultaneous strategies towards categories of prostitutes and theirs clients

Ukrainian illegal immigrants lived life of luxury after conning HMRC into paying out £4.5million in tax rebate scam

A gang of Ukrainian illegal immigrants enjoyed a lavish lifestyle of expensive cars and luxury apartments after swindling £4.5million from the tax office by using false identities to claim tax rebates.

A court was told the fraudsters found the streets of London were 'paved with gold' after successfully claiming back millions of pounds through false applications.

A judge criticised the ease at which the gang was able to dupe HM Revenue and Customs by using 'flawless' identity documents and setting up bogus bogus firms to appear as employers on the doctored self assessment forms.

Elaborate fraud: Members of a gang of Ukrainian conmen enjoy the spoils of their luxury lifestyle, which was funded through a £4.5million tax con

In each case, the gang made it appear as if the applicants had paid too much tax, and were owed a rebate.

The fraud was so convincing that Revenue officials were duped into paying out more than £4.5million, out of total applications for more than £8million.

Eleven members of the gang were sentenced to a total of 42 years and 10 months at Southwark Crown Court on Friday for conspiracy to cheat the Revenue.

By the time the con was uncovered last year the gang had spent a fortune on top-of-the-range cars, luxury apartments, weapons and lavish parties..

Judge Christopher Hardy, criticised the ease with which the defendants were able to obtain money.

He said: 'The prosecution has said the system was based on trust. Sadly, however, trust has become a very risky and unwise basis in this day and age to disperse millions of pounds of public money.

'It must have seemed to you as if truly the streets of London were paved with gold.'

Life of luxury: The illegal immigrants enjoyed lavish parties in London after using false identities to claim millions of pounds in tax rebates

He added that while the scam was not sophisticated 'you made up for it with the relentless determination and efficiency with which you went about relieving the British taxpayer of this money.'

The mastermind of the fraud, Ukrainian Volodymyr Panchak, 27, received a sentence of six years and one month.

His cousin Roman Panchak, 32, and Yuriy Brovarsky, 26, received five years each; Olegs Parkov, 35, was jailed for four-and-a-half years; Krzysztof Giers, 32, Olesya Kovbasa, 28, and Oleg Zdyshcuhuk, 23, four years apiece; Marek Pic, 25, three years and nine months; Marek Krinicki, 25, three years, and Andrey Klym, 26 and Andrey Babukh, 31, each received a year and nine months.

Another man, Vitalijuis Kostrominas, is on the run after he leapt from a fourth floor balcony and ran away when police tried to arrest him at a flat in Brentford.

Scam: HMRC officers found fake bank cards, guns, swords and cash when they swooped on the gang's properties in Brentford last year

Prosecutor Rosina Cottage told the court that Panchak and his henchmen took advantage of the system which allows self employed workers to claim money back if they have paid too much income tax.

Over a three year period between June 2006 and July last year, they created 1200 false identities and set up 600 bank accounts into which the rebates were paid.

Applications were made online through the HMRC website.

All of the defendants had either entered the country illegally, or had overstayed after their visas expired.

Panchak was arrested in March last year, and police followed up with raids on various West London addresses, seizing notebooks full of names and details of individuals, as well as £361,000 in cash.

Scores of false identity documents and driving license applications were also uncovered.

Miss Cottage said the gang members bought the identities of real people who resembled them physically, before applying for new photocards with 'up-to-date' photographs of themselves.

'They used the DVLA to create perfect, untraceable identity documents for themselves', she said.

The fraudsters used their ill-gotten gains to lead a lavish lifestyle, blowing thousands on brand new Range Rovers and BMWs, and enjoying days out skydiving together.

The court heard Panchak's ultimate aim was to run an ongoing fraud at arm's length from an operating base in the Ukraine.

How to be successful with a lady with whom you’re emotionally attracted to has posed a big problem to many men. This said successsimply requires certain set skills on the part of the man of which some menpossess some of such skills naturally and others can easily learn these skillsin basic simple analytic steps to be discussed in this write-up.

I know that many will be asking questions on how am I qualified to give advice on this issue but I will like to tell you that the skills that will be discussed here aremostly based on researches carried out over a couple of years, personalexperiences and the reports from surveys carried out through several means.Hence, I’ll go straight to my points.

Now to the business at hand, the first step is first impression. What impression did you leave in her memory at first sight?This includes the confidence in you, your body language and your physicalappearance. These can all be put under control by you. Remember that withconfidence, success is sure, be smart and show no sign of uneasiness/anxietyand dress nicely.

The second step is what I called a recognised potential compatibility in you and your prospective partner. Make room for herto see so many similarities in the two of you. This can be achieved when youwatch everything you do, every step you take and don’t be too forward. Let herbring suggestions that you will simply add compliments like: “That’s what I wasthinking”, “You took that from my mouth!” etc with these she’ll feel so safeand secured with you!

Thirdly, you must convince your partner. Let her be sure to be having a good deal. Do you think you have to be attractive to getwomen? Rippling biceps, six-pack stomach, chiselled jaw and all that? Perhapsthe revelations of the answers to you will surely surprise you! You don’treally need to have all the aforementioned to win a woman! Let her fell theseriousness in you even if you are lying. Be self sufficient; be sure you canfix all immediate little problems. Remember that all womenare the same!

Science has revealed to us that People fall in love with people in whose eyes theybehold the most ideal reflections of themselves. Make her feel as beautiful,strong, charmingand/or dynamic as she wants to be. Do whatever you can to make her feel goodand boost her personal ego.

Men and women think and communicate in a dramatically different ways. You must know this. All womenare half cured; those that cannot be cured are to be endured! It’ssimple. Most men believe that all women are exasperating while all womenbelieve that all men are insensitive. So the best solution is to understand thestatement in bold above, study your partner carefully and never pass your“elastic limit” with her.

The last point is to know her sexual point of convergence. That is you must know how to turn on the switchto her Sexual Electricity. Use your mind power and you may find out that herG-spot is in her brain! You need to fill her brain with things that will bringup her emotions. Have it at the back of your mind that women are controlled bytheir emotions. Hence, you now have the masterremote control to any woman of your choice!

On a final note, most men spoil the first sex experience with the prettiest lady with a common sexualdysfunction. This and many more could be found at: http://sulakishop.blogspot.com and http://sulakispot.blogspot.com . Youcan also laugh with me at http://sulakizone.blogspot.com.

See you there!

Cheers and Good luck to you!!!

A spellbinding display of brutal hitting and raw speed from Rafa Nadal secured the Spaniard his second Wimbledon title on Sunday with a 6-3 7-5 6-4 victory over 12th seed Tomas Berdych.

Nadal, who has not lost here since the 2007 final after victory in 2008 and injury prevented his defense last year, completely nullified the 1.95m Czech’s biggest weapons to storm to an eighth career grand slam and open up a cavernous lead at the top of the world rankings.

The win, which completed a second French Open-Wimbledon double in three years for Nadal, came after two hours and 13 minutes when his 20th forehand winner left Berdych stranded at the net on his first championship point.

He celebrated by slumping on to his back on the baseline, holding his face in his hands before embracing Berdych at the net and performing an impromptu roly poly and double fist pump toward his entourage.

“More than a dream for me, always a dream to play in this final,” Nadal said in an on-court interview.

“To have this trophy in my hands, amazing. You’re (Berdych) doing an amazing season, sorry for today but I wish you luck for the rest of the season.” From the moment Nadal bounced, weaved and stretched his way down the corridors of the All England Club to Center Court like a fired-up prize fighter, there was a sense nothing could derail the 24-year-old..

The Game

Both held their opening service games to love on a bright and breezy day, and neither was under early pressure, and even a male fan bellowing “I love you Rafa” could not throw the Spaniard’s focus.

Game seven turned the tone of the match though, as Nadal stepped up a gear and Berdych’s first serve deserted him.

Nadal’s forehand was starting to eat up the Berdych serve, and the Mallorcan brought the crowd to life with a searing forehand pass down the line to bring up three break points.

A cutting backhand return had the Czech stretching and Nadal clenched his fist with stern-faced determination when Berdych’s forehand skewed out.

The pre-match build-up had focused on the Berdych forehand, which had dismantled six-times champion Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the last two rounds, but Nadal reminded everyone that his is the most potent weapon in the game.

Serena Williams Wins at Wimbledon, Tops King With 13th Grand Slam Title

Summers used to be difficult for Serena Williams, whose dad made her and elder sister Venus practice twice daily on the public tennis courts of the Los Angeles suburb of Compton.

Williams raised 13 fingers yesterday to her father, Richard, on the Centre Court of Wimbledon after beating Russia’s Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 for her fourth trophy on the London grass courts. Her 13th Grand Slam singles title moved her one ahead of mentor Billie Jean King, who applauded the American from the Royal Box.

“I hated the summers, because I think we had two practices a day,” Williams said after the match in an interview with a small group of reporters.

“We would always go in the morning, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and then we would have lunch at the park and then right after lunch we’d go back to practice. It was tough. But when you’re that young, you don’t really think about it. At the time, my dad would go sometimes next door to the liquor store to buy us the latest sports drink. It’s all those memories and all that hard work that you just never forget. And, eventually, it pays off.”

At least one of the sisters has appeared in 10 of the last 11 Wimbledon finals.

Serena also won in 2002, 2003 and 2009. Venus won her fifth title in 2008, beating her younger sister. In the past decade, only Russia’s Maria Sharapova in 2004 and Amelie Mauresmo of France in 2006 have broken the Williams’s domination.

The Bible says "Watch and pray, so that you will not fall into temptation."

The Evil Genius has penetrated into the heart of the West and has recently abstracted the clan of late controversial strongman of Ibadan politics Alhaji Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu .With barely months to the 2011 decider our hearts and minds are focussed on the slow and steady invasion of the maradona of naija politics into territory deemed un approachable.As Governor Shinkafi of Zamfara State openly pledges his support and with Forays into Edo via the hapless Comrade Adams Oshiomole . Abia State and other standby eastern states might soon uphold the recent endorsement by the Ikemba of nnewi The Chickens have begun to leave home to roost elesewhere .

Article:

The opposition of the South West to the presidential ambition of former military leader, Ibrahim Babangida seemed to have softened in Ibadan at the weekend as his presidential campaign train formally berthed in the Oyo State capital.Photos: Ibb,Late Adedibu.Adams Oshiomole & Governor Shinkafi

The campaign team is however led by members of the kitchen cabinet of the deceased strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, which included his wife, Bose and Hazeem Gbolarunmi.Gbolarumi on the occasion declared that Yoruba people were ready to support the presidential bid of Babangida, who annulled the June 12, 1993 presidential election believed to have been won by Basorun M.K.O. Abiola.

The Adedibu aide pointed out that the time has come for the Yoruba race to reciprocate the support accorded Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who is a Yorubaman by the entire North throughout his eight year term as the nation's President by fully supporting a Northerner especially a known hand like Babangida.

In a veiled reference to the opposition against the Babangida presidential project, especially from some political groups in the South West, Gbolarumi who is the Campaign Coordinator for the state, described the critics of the presidential ambition of the erstwhile military strongman as enemies of Nigeria.

“Nigeria belongs to every one of us and democracy is about participation. Those who consider IBB not suitable as President should present themselves to Nigerians and allow the electorates to make their choice. Without mincing words, Nigeria at this particular period needs a leader like General Babangida for the nation to move forward, adding, “Nigerians at this time should look beyond the ordinary in the choice of our next President,'' he said.

Gbolarumi emphasised that the Yoruba people are presently seeing above the campaign of calumny against the person of Babangida by some of his detractors but are determined towards sustaining the nation's unity by pitching their tent with a credible candidate from the Northern part of the country particularly a tested and trusted hand like General Babangida.

The IBB Campaign coordinator said, “the project for which we all gathered here from al the nooks and crannies of the pacesetter state is the IBB 2011 project. We in the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Oyo State have seen the qualities embedded in the man and we wholly identified with him in his quest to become the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, come 2011.

In chat with newsmen later, Gbolarumi dismissed speculations that the state governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala would force a particular presidential candidate on the members of the ruling PDP in the state.

“Has Akala told you he is working for Goodluck Jonathan? I' m sure Akala will not force anyone to support a particular presidential aspirant, rather, he will allow everyone to choose who to support and at the end, as you know, we are one family, we will sit down to disagree and to agree''.

The former Deputy-Governor said, ''we here present believe in IBB and see his quest to be president in 2011 as

a collective aspiration. We are out to fulfill this goal through unalloyed and total commitment to the ideals of this ambition'', recalling that though, so much had been said about the man IBB and his leadership credentials, but noted that most of these are fallacies and a creation of a class of elite bent on denying Nigerians of quality leadership''.

We say to all of you readers out there

"Watch and pray, so that YOU will not fall into this temptation."

 Be Transformed (12:1-2)INTRODUCTION



1. In Ro 12:1-2, Paul makes the following plea regarding transforming

   our lives:



   "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that

   you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to

   God, [which is] your reasonable service. And do not be conformed

   to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,

   that you may prove what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect

   will of God.."



2. As we consider this text, several questions come to mind...

   a. What does it mean to be transformed?

   b. What is the goal of transformation?

   c. What should motivate us to undergo transformation?

   d. What does one do in order to experience transformation?



[Starting with the first question ("What does it mean to be

transformed?"), let's consider . . . ]



I. THE DEFINITION OF TRANSFORMATION



   A. THE WORD... 

      1. The Greek word is metamorphoo (met-am-or-fo'-o)

         a. Lit., "to change into another form" (Vine's)

         b. From which comes the word "metamorphosis"

         c. Used to describe a change of form (e.g., when a caterpillar

            becomes a butterfly)

      2. In the NT, this word is used to describe:

         a. What happened to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration - Mt

            17:1-2

         b. What is to happen to Christians in their service to God - Ro

            12:1-2



   B. THE CONCEPT...

      1. The idea being commanded by Paul is this:

         a. Christians are "to undergo a complete change, which under

            the power of God, will find expression in character and

            conduct"  (Vine's)

         b. I.e., we who are "caterpillars" are to become "butterflies"

      2. Note that Paul uses the passive voice

         a. Indicating that "transformation" is something we allow to be

            done to us

         b. Not something we do by our own power alone

         c. Rather, we submit to God's power and by His grace...

            1) We are "changed into another form"

            2) We become a "new creation" - cf. 2Co 5:17



[But this leads us to our second question ("What is the goal of

transformation?")...]



II. THE GOAL OF TRANSFORMATION



   A. TO BECOME LIKE CHRIST...

      1. As expressed by Paul - 2Co 3:18

      2. As predestined by God - Ro 8:29

      3. The purpose of being a disciple (to become like his teacher)

         - Lk 6:40

      4. The goal of Christian living - cf. Col 3:9-10



   B. TO LIVE LIKE CHRIST...

      1. To present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy, acceptable to

         God

         a. Is this not what Jesus did on earth? - cf. He 10:5

         b. So we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices - Ro 12:1

      2. To prove that God's will is good, acceptable, and perfect

         a. Was this not Jesus sought to do on earth? - cf. Jn 6:38

         b. So we are to demonstrate that God's will is right - Ro 12:2



[Such is the goal of being transformed; indeed, it is the goal of being

a Christian!  Yet why do many never experience the transformation God

offers?  Why do they remain "caterpillars"?  Perhaps they lack the

proper motivation...]



III. THE MOTIVATION FOR TRANSFORMATION



   A. THE MERCIES OF GOD...

      1. In our text, Paul appealed to transformation based on God's

         mercies - Ro 12:1

      2. What mercies of God had Paul discussed earlier in his epistle?

         a. Freedom from sin - Ro 6:16-18

         b. Gift of eternal life - Ro 6:23

         c. Peace with God - Ro 5:1

         d. Access to the grace of God - Ro 5:2

         e. Saved from the wrath of God - Ro 5:9

      -- Should not God's mercy move us to repent and seek

         transformation? - cf. Ro 2:4-5



   B. THE LOVE OF CHRIST...

      1. Elsewhere, Paul revealed the motivating power of the love of

         Christ - 2Co 5:14-15

      2. Such love compelled him to live for Jesus - cf. Ga 2:20

      -- Does not the love of Christ move us to live FOR Him and LIKE

         Him?



   C. THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE...

      1. The alternative to being transformed is being conformed to this

         world - Ro 12:1

         a. The word conformed (suschematizo, soos-khay-mat-id'-zo) as

            used here implies that which is "transitory, changeable,

            unstable" (Vine's)

         b. I.e., at the most we can only be an imitation, a cheap copy

      2. If not transformed, we will either be conformed to...

         a. The world

            1) Act like the world, be like those in the world

            2) In which we will bring shame to the name of Christ

         b. Other Christians

            1) Outwardly we may act like Christians, appear like them

            2) But it will be just a cheap "copy", which eventually

               reveals its true nature!

         -- Is that what we want? To bring shame to the name of Christ?

            To be "plastic" Christians, or to be the real thing?



[Why not let the mercies of God and the love of Christ motivate us to

seek transformation?  The process is not as difficult as one might

think...]



IV. THE PROCESS OF TRANSFORMATION



   A. IN THE BEGINNING...

      1. Remember, transformation is a passive process ("be

         transformed") - Ro 12:2

         a. We cannot change ourselves by our own strength or

            meritorious works

         b. As Paul vividly illustrated his dilemma prior to his

            conversion - Ro 7:14-24

         -- We must submit to God's working on us!

      2. It begins when we are baptized into Christ!

         a. For there we experience the working of God - Col 2:11-13

            1) Spiritually circumcised as our sins are removed

            2) Buried then raised with Christ

            3) Made alive with Christ, forgiven of all trespasses

         b. For there we experience the renewal of the Spirit - Tit 3:5

            1) Saved by the mercy of God

            2) Involving a washing of regeneration and renewal of the

               Holy Spirit

         c. For there we rise to walk in newness of life - Ro 6:3-8

            1) Having been buried with Christ by baptism into His death

            2) Having been crucified with Christ that we might be free

               from sin

            3) Having been raised to live with Christ

         -- When joined with faith and repentance, baptism becomes the

            starting point in which true transformation can take place!

            - cf. Mk 16:16; Ac 2:38



   B. RENEWING THE MIND...

      1. The process of transformation continues as we renew the mind

         a. As indicated in our text - Ro 12:2; cf. also Ep 4:20-24

         b. Unless there is a renewing of the mind, any change in our

            lives will be superficial

      2. Renewing the mind is made possible by where we set our minds

         a. Setting our minds on things above - Col 3:1-2

         b. Setting our minds on the things of the Spirit - Ro 8:5

         c. I.e., feeding our minds with the Word of God, prayer,

            fellowship, etc. - Ac 2:42

      3. With our minds "renewed" we can experience a true

         transformation!

         a. By putting off the old man and putting on the new man - cf.

            Col 3:2,5-10

         b. By living according to the Spirit - cf. Ro 8:5,13

      4. The process of transformation is really quite simple

         a. Set your minds on things above in order to renew your mind;

            for example...

            1) Meditate and contemplate on God and His Word

            2) Keep your mind in communication with God via prayer

            3) Involve your mind in spiritual worship via frequent

               assembling with others

            4) Center your mind on Jesus via the Lord's Supper

            ...and your mind will gradually be renewed!

         b. With renewed minds, it becomes possible to put off the old,

            and put on the new!

            1) To put off the old man with its sins

            2) To put on the new man patterned after the example of

               Christ

      5. Modern studies in self-improvement confirm this truth

         a. We become what we think

         b. We can change attitudes and behavior by filling our mind

            with positive mental images

      -- In our efforts, we are not alone; God is at work with us! - cf.

         Php 1:6; 2:12-13



   C. WHAT HINDERS MANY CHRISTIANS...

      1. If it is so easy, why do many Christians remain "caterpillars"?

         a. Were they not regenerated at their baptism? (yes)

         b. Don't they have the promise of God's help? (yes)

      2. The problem is likely a failure to renew the mind

         a. Can a mind be renewed on a starvation diet? (e.g., irregular

            Bible study)

         b. Can a mind be renewed on a junk-food diet? (e.g., trashy

            movies and novels)

      3. Why many Christians do not experience transformation...

         a. They become what they think, and much of what they think

            upon is not becoming!

         b. They spend more time watching things of the devil than

            reading things of the Spirit!

      -- Our attitudes and behavior is but a reflection of what goes

         into our minds!

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) does not have to wait on President Goodluck Jonathan before it decides to prosecute the speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties has said.

The group’s publicity secretary, Osita Okechukwu, yesterday in a statement queried the need for presidential intervention before a corruption case could be investigated and enforced. “CNPP had perused all the 41 Sections of the EFCC Act and the Acts establishing other agencies and could not trace any section which mandates any of them to report to the presidency,” he said. The group however stated that EFCC chairman, Farida Waziri, has no excuse to give Nigerians for her failure to prosecute not only Mr. Bankole and his cohorts; but others such as ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo’s involvement in the Halliburton scandal, and those who inflated the N63 billion Airport runways and other financial scandals..

Fighting corruption

The group, however, commended Mr Jonathan for stating clearly that the anti-graft agencies are independent agencies empowered by law to investigate and prosecute cases without recourse to him and indeed do not need to report to him. “We commend President Jonathan for this clarification, for Farida Waziri, chairperson of EFCC, had penultimate week averred that she had concluded the investigation of the N2.3 billion car scam in the House of Representatives, but had submitted the report to late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and was waiting for President Jonathan to settle before re-submission,” said Mr Okechukwu. “CNPP challenges Mrs Waziri to hit the road and prosecute ...Mr Bankole and indeed the entire leadership of the House for the monumental corruption, which had regrettably converted the House into a brawl riddled Trade Centre.” CNPP however warned that without a renewed war against corruption, Mr Jonathan’s pledge to actualize adequate power supply, free and fair elections in 2011 and Vision 20-20 will be undermined.