FINDING THE RIGHT CHURCH

"Understanding our lives together as a church". 1 Corinthians 12:25

What should you look for when trying to find a church?  The first is Christ-centered worship, the celebration of God for who He is, and what He has done for us.  A biblical sound church places a high priority on praising God.  Second is quality Bible instruction.  Does the church you are considering believe, honor, and teach God's Word in such a way that you understand the Bible and see how it applies to your life?  Remember, you cannot grow beyond what you know.  A third characteristic of a good church is fellowship - the sharing of the life of Christ among the members.  This goes far beyond Sunday morning attendance or coffee and donuts in the fellowship hall.  True fellowship occurs when we are involved in each other's lives - caring, encouraging, correcting, loving and engaging with one another.  The church should provide us with a meaningful sense of belonging.  Fourth is the church's ministry of outreach.  A church that wants to grow, cannot be ingrown.  There is nothing wrong with being a small church - as long as you are not a small-minded church.  The church you identify with should provide you with opportunities to use your gifts and talents to touch other lives, emphasizing the importance of demonstrating your faith in word and good deeds.  In other words, the church's impact should extend well beyond its walls.

When you find a church where these priorities and experiences are regularly offered in an environment that is saturated in grace and charged with faith, you have found the right church.  Join it!  And do not ask what your church can do for you - ask what you can do for your church!

KNOW YOUR ENEMY - HE KNOWS YOU!

"I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray." 2 Corinthians 11:3

Temptation begins in your mind.  Satan gave Eve the idea of eating the forbidden fruit.  Eve was not just standing there trying to figure out how to disobey God.  You must understand that the initial thought to do evil, is not from you.  The new nature you have from God would not come up with that.  The devil studies you the way a coach studies the game film of his opponents.  Satan knows your weak spots.  He knows which temptation has the best chance of success against you.  How often have you ended up "I promised God and myself that I did never do that again," yet you did it.  That is because Satan knows what works on you.

But before you feel defenseless and get discouraged, God gives us this assurance: "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man [we are all cut from the same bolt of cloth]; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." 1 Co 10:13.  God builds a back door into every temptation with a lighted "exit" sign over it.  The key word in this Scripture is "with".  The way of escape comes with the temptation.  So while you will never be exempt from temptation, you can be victorious over it.  And the Good News is, when Satan discovers that his strategies against you are not working, he goes looking elsewhere.

KIDNEY OR RENAL FAILURE

What are the Kidneys?

The kidneys are two bean shaped organs each about the size of a fist located in the lower back.  Each person is normally born with two kidneys.

What do the Kidneys do?

The kidneys have many functions but their major function is to clean the blood by removing waste products and regulating the body fluids. They produce urine through which unwanted waste products are eliminated from the body. They also regulate blood pressure, red blood cells and calcium through the production of some hormones.

What is Kidney Failure?

Kidney failure occurs when both kidneys are so damaged that they can no longer clean waste products from the blood. When only one kidney is lost the other one is usually strong enough to do the job. There are 2 types of kidney failure: Acute and Chronic.

A  Acute Kidney (Renal) failure is a sudden decrease in kidney function. It can happen for example with severe infections, severe vomiting and diarrhea with dehydration, intoxications or allergic reactions. With treatment in the hospital, there is almost always return to normal kidney function.

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   Chronic Kidney (Renal) Failure is the gradual loss of kidney function because of kidney damage. Sometimes Chronic Kidney disease may be hereditary. Other causes are repeated infections in the kidneys, inflammation of kidney blood vessels or heavy use of certain drugs and medications.

What are the factors that increase the risk of developing Chronic Kidney Failure?

The main risk factors are:

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         Family History: Diabetes and High blood pressure are hereditary conditions and they are the major causes of Chronic Kidney Disease.

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    Age: The kidneys begin to get smaller at about age 35. At age 80 most people have lost about 30% of their kidney mass.

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    Race: Chronic Kidney Failure is commoner in people of African and Native American descent.

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     Sex: Men have been found to have a higher risk of developing chronic kidney failure.

What happens when the kidneys fail?

Harmful waste products and excess fluid accumulate in the body. This will result in the affected person having a poor appetite, vomiting, inability to concentrate, getting tired easily, looking pale, bruising, ankle swelling and elevated blood pressure.

How is Kidney failure treated?

At first, the decrease in the ability of the kidney to regulate the body chemistry requires only medications and changes in the diet; Treatment helps to prolong the life of the kidneys. However when the kidney failure becomes severe (usually less than 10-15%of the normal kidney function, it is called end-stage renal disease and treatments that replace the work of healthy kidneys must be started.

What are the treatments for End–stage renal disease?

When the kidneys fail completely there are 2 options available to sustain life: Dialysis or Transplantation.

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          DIALYSIS is a process through which the blood is cleaned of waste products and excess fluid is removed. There are two types of Dialysis namely peritoneal dialysis and Hemodialysis. Hemodialysis is the form of dialysis widely practiced here in Nigeria. It involves running the patient’s blood through a dialysis machine which filters out the waste products and excess fluid before returning the blood back into the patient’s body.  It is best performed 3 days a week and usually lasts from 3-6 hours per session in a dialysis centre.

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   TRANSPLANTATION- Kidney transplantation refers to a surgical procedure whereby a healthy kidney is removed from one person (a donor) and placed into the patient with the kidney failure (the recipient). The donor may be a living person preferably a family member or a very recently deceased individual who has prior to his /her death given permission to have his/her organs donated. Because the kidney is foreign to the patient’s body he/she will be required to take a number of immunosuppressive medications daily to decrease the chances of transplant rejection. He or she will also need life-long medical check-ups.

      How long can a person live with chronic Kidney Failure

    Many people think that if their kidneys fail, they will die immediately. This used to be true 40-50 years ago when there were not enough dialysis machines to go around and medical knowledge about kidney disease was limited. Today however the life span of a patient with kidney failure varies depending on their age, other health problems and how involved they are in their care. Today we have better drugs, know better about how to slow down kidney failure and have technically advanced dialysis machines. The most important factor is the individual who has the disease because research shows that patients who take a more active role in their own care live longer , so patients should ask questions and explore with their doctor what is the best way to manage their disease.

     How good will my life be with Chronic Kidney Failure?

     This depends on the patient, in the early stages; the symptoms may be so subtle the patient often does not notice them. In later stages fatigue, loss of appetite, itching and the other symptoms mentioned above can reduce the patient’s quality of life if he/she does not act fast because all these symptoms can be treated. The patient should talk to his/her doctor about signs and symptoms to look out for. Taking medications on time can also slow down the progression of kidney disease.

     How do I prevent Chronic Kidney Failure

   Chronic kidney disease may sometimes be prevented by controlling the other diseases or factors that can contribute to kidney disease. Because chronic kidney disease is often caused by high blood pressure and diabetes, keeping your blood pressure and sugar levels near normal can help prevent damage to the kidneys. Others steps that may help reduce the chances of developing chronic kidney failure include eating a diet low in protein and fat, and also avoiding the long term use or dependence on medicines that can damage the kidneys such as some pain relievers and antibiotics.

     

    

     Dr. Olukayode Williams