Algernon Tennyson Spiritual Emphasis Week Chapel – February 20, 2024
By Diego Duarte
This February, Christian High had its first Spiritual Emphasis week since the Covid pandemic. During it, Algernon Tennyson (nicknamed “Big Al”), founder and president of Awaken International Ministries, spoke throughout the week at each chapel. The overarching theme of his chapel messages was taking the next steps in one’s walk with God.
For the first day, his message, “Love the Lord”, focused on making a commitment to God and God’s everlasting commitment to those of His flock. He emphasized the failings of the flesh and how no one in this world is able to give us everything we need and that in this world, our biggest enemy is oftentimes ourselves. But despite these failings to focus on Him, He remains faithful.
In speaking of this faithfulness God has for us, Big Al pointed back to Hosea who was commanded by God to marry a prostitute, Gomer (Hosea 1:2), representing at that time the relationship between Him and Israel who was like an unfaithful harlot that worshiped other gods. Then, even when Gomer abandoned Hosea, God had him buy her back (Hosea 3:1), representing His unrelenting faithfulness to His people.
But as people we often fail to commit to Him. We become prideful, thinking about ourselves. Instead we should be focusing on helping others who are struggling. God called His followers to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31 NKJV). This is what Christians should be reflecting on in their day to day lives if they are truly living out on this.
Big Al emphasizes the importance of the freedom Christ has given us and the heavenly kingdom God is establishing. When going through John 8:23-26, He focuses in on the misunderstandings that people have concerning Christ. Just as the disciples didn’t understand who Christ is, many people today misunderstand the Gospel message. Even those with many Bibles.
To truly understand, and further our knowledge of Him and His Word, we must then be in communion with other believers such as in Church. But going beyond this, we should be living lives glorifying Him within all our actions. However, there are a few obstacles that hold us back from doing so. We focus too much on the temporal things in our lives, such as sports and grades, that we allow to take hold of us and treat Church as if it is only a thing we ought to be doing if we have time. It becomes secondary to the things of this world. When in reality, it should be something that is most important as it pertains to what is eternal.
Christianity should come before everything else (i.e. nationality, ethnicity, reputation). For through us acting like Christ God will use us to spread His Truth. To further expand upon Big Al’s point, our loyalty to Christ even supersedes our loyalties to our family.
For Jesus says that He “did not come to bring peace but a sword” and to “‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household’“ (Matthew 10:34-36). What Jesus meant here is that submission to His will is of upmost importance, even if it means that division will occur in one’s own household by those who repudiate Christ.
The gift God has given us should be taken seriously. For just like the freedom we have in the United States, which for us is free, Christ’s gift for us came at an expensive price. Thus we should be living in a way that should be honoring to what God has done for us. We truly didn’t deserve it. For by grace we “have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). For before this we were “by nature children of wrath” who “conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Ephesians 2:3).
Since this is the case, we should also be praying for those who are going through a rough season. For we are also called to pray for everyone, even those who spitefully use us (Luke 6:28).
Day 3: “The Great Gift of Grace”
On the third day, Big Al examined Romans 5:1-18. In this passage Paul sought to make them understand they were responsible for their actions as they’ve been made free in Christ. For nothing they did led to their salvation. This type of responsibility would even lead Christians who were thrown in coliseums, to drop their weapons due to not desiring to hurt whom God may want to save. This is the type of peace in God we should have since as believers we have eternal security in Him.
But when we have no peace in God, we will desire what everyone else has. But when we do have peace, there are those without it, who will look down upon those that do. So we must not give into our fleshly desire. For the flesh returns evil with evil, but we are called to bless those that curse us (Luke 6:28). So if we rely on God, we can deal with this through being more patient and gracious to people.
Christ is the only answer to our problems. Though worldly wisdom would suggest otherwise and claim that time heals all wounds, this simply isn’t true. Time just allows roots to dig deeper into things they shouldn’t.
An example Big Al gives from his own life of the comfort Christ brings is in his marriage. Al came from a family of 6 children and his wife grew up in a Catholic family. For 9 years he tried having children with his wife, but in the end they adopted two children who were saved from a trafficking arena. One was an 8 year old, who is legally blind and born out of incest, and another who is 11.
God had worked in his life to do great things. For before Covid, he said he would go to the ends of the Earth for God. But when push comes to shove, he wouldn’t. In closing, he finished with providing examples of people he’s met who were faithful.
For no matter what situation you’re in, no matter what emotion you’re feeling, one must seek guidance from the Holy Spirit. God is the only thing that will be consistent within your life.
For his final message, Big Al explicated Galatians 6:1-10 in order to share about bearing other people’s burdens. He explained that only those who are bearers of good fruit can help restore others spiritually. If one sees any of their friends backslide, you should help restore them. But do so with urgency and gentleness.
Then he spoke on the power that friends can have over a person. That usually when people fall in sin, it is often with other friends. Paraphrasing 1 Corinthians 15:33, he brought up that “evil company corrupts good habits.”
Thus once someone is in the right crowd and in the right state of mind to help others, it is vital for them to understand that to help someone with their burdens will cost one’s pleasure, money, and time. This is what it takes to love on someone and help them spiritually mature. As a real friend of someone, we should be able to tell them things even if it’s hard for them to hear. Do it in the Spirit, not the flesh. For if we fall into being moody about it, God will be faithful when we’re unfaithful.
But if we’re silent about their sin, we’re guilty. Bearing someone’s burden is calling someone out on something even if it leads to them not talking to you for a season because they don’t want to see their life wrecked. A fake friend would not hold them accountable for anything. But as Christians we should abide by the law of Christ which is to love God and our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).
In closing, Big Al told students that though “Spiritual Emphasis” week is over we must be careful to not fall back in sowing in the flesh. People are the only way we can show our love for God. We are not loving them because they deserve it. Do not show anger towards them. Not even Jesus did when He was being mocked while on the cross.
There are many opportunities each day for us to do good. We shall do good to all. This action is unconditional. If someone is mocking you for anything, take it as an opportunity to pray for them.
