What Is Anagkazo?
by Pastor Dag Heward-MIlls
…Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [anagkazo] them to come in, that my house may be filled. Luke 14:23
I grew up in a Christian home and was made to attend church every Sunday. I must be honest, I found church very boring. I hated the long boring hymns and I couldn’t understand the sermons. The priests looked unreal and detached from everyday life.
I remember sitting through many boring and lifeless services at church. My main pre-occupation was to predict the closure of the service. I would count the number of hymns on the board and estimate the closing time of the service.
They Drank $1000 Worth of Beer in One Night
You see, the priests and the majority of the congregation were not born again. They were what you might call traditional Christians. They had inherited a family religion. One day, the unbeliever priest announced from the pulpit how much beer the whole church had drunk the night before at a party.It all came up to about $1000 worth of beer! The priest went on to say that one of the members owed him a carton of beer. Surely, many of these people were justpracticinga lifeless religion. I can understand why many young people do not go to church anymore. It is just one meaningless, lifeless and boring ritual. If the pastor is not a born-again Christian, you cannot expect many members of the church to be born again.
When I first attended secondary school, at the age of twelve, I was an unbeliever. That is when I first came into contact with “real” born-again Christians. They were all members of the Scripture Union (SU).
Though they seemed to be true believers, nothing about them attracted me. I remember one evening in particular, when the SU leader announced at the boarding house that there was going to be a meeting of the SU.
I thought to myself, “Who would ever attend such a boring meeting?” These Christians were not attractive. They made weak and lifeless announcements inviting us, the unsaved, to join them. As a result, it never occurred to me to join this uninteresting group.
I still cannot remember how I eventually joined the SU. I believe that the Spirit of God worked on me and drew me there without me even knowing it!
Many Christians are genuine and have a real message to impart. But for a message to have any impact, it must be compelling. It must drive the listener to change! The message of the Lord Jesus Christ must persuade the unsaved to make a decision for Christ. That is why I am writing this book on what I call “Anagkazo”.
Anagkazosimply means“to compel”. It also means tonecessitate, todrive, and toconstrainby all means such asforce, threats, persuasionandentreaties.
Sometimes we need to go back to the Greek in order to understand the original meanings of some Bible words. You see, the New Testament was translated from the Greek language and the Old Testament from the Hebrew language.Anagkazois the Greek word that is translated “to compel”.
Although this is a book onanagkazo, I also want to share on another closely related Greek word, “Biazo”. This is because the revelation ofanagkazois very much linked to the revelation in the wordbiazo.
What Is Biazo?
Biazois a Greek word found in Matthew 11 that means “to use force” or “to force one’s way into a thing”.This is a quality I find lacking in Christian circles. We are forceful about everything else, except God’s work. We are forceful about our jobs, our girlfriends, our marriages and our future. But when it comes to God’s work we become like timid mice!
When I observe the commercials on television, I realize that there are groups of people who are very confident about what they have to offer. They are so confident that they boldly sing catchy songs about how good their product is.
Alcohol advertisers are some of the best in the business. We all know that beer and liquor are some of the commonest killers of young people. Alcohol has broken up more homes, destroyed more marriages, caused more car accidents, started more wars and fights than anything else in the world. Yet, they forcibly advertise it.
Is Alcohol the Power?
Beer is the cause of many accidents, leading to the deaths of a countless number of people. And yet there are smiling people on television, telling us that it is the “power” we need. These commercials are being forced down our throats.We are being forced to believe things that are not true.Beer is the devil in solution!Yet we are being compelled to believe otherwise. This unhealthy product is paraded as a good thing.
When I think of the forcefulness of people who want to make money at all costs, I realize that Christians have a better reason to be forceful. Why then is it that Christians behave like lame ducks, toothless dogs and helpless sparrows?
I believe that this teaching on the important subject,biazocan change that.Biazomeans to force one’s way into a thing. If Christianity is going to spread we are going to have to be a lot more forceful than we are.
Are Muslims More Forceful than Christians?
It is amazing to see fanatic Muslims who are prepared to die for their faith. I wonder how many Christians have half the drive that Muslims seem to have. Should we be surprised if statistics indicate that Islam is spreading faster than Christianity?
Whether it is making money, spreading a false religion or selling deadly products, the whole world has become very forceful. That is why I am teaching Christians about being biblically forceful.
Another related Greek word I want us to learn about is the word “Anaideia”.
What Is Anaideia?
Anaideiais a Greek word that is used only once in the Bible. It means “to be shameless”. It also speaks of importunity. In the eleventh chapter of Luke, we learn of a man who exhibited shamelessness in his relationship with God.
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity [anaideia]he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. Luke 11:8
In 1982, I was admitted to the University of Ghana, the premier university in my country, Ghana. I cautiously entered this new environment wondering what lay ahead. One of the first things that struck me was the shamelessness of unbelievers as they went about their lives.
The Kissing Students
I remember one of the first times I walked into Volta Hall, the hall of residence for the ladies in the University of Ghana. When we got to the staircase that led up to the first and second floors, there was a young man and woman engaged in a prolonged embrace and kiss. I know that in some cultures this might not look strange. However in our culture it is unusual and out of place. This couple continued in their long embrace and intimate kissing as we passed by them. They could not care less about who was watching them! They were not moved! They were shameless! Perhaps they felt they were in love.
When we got upstairs, I told my friends, “It seems people around here are not ashamed of what they’re doing.” Then I asked, “Why are we ashamed of what we believe in? Why are we ashamed of the gospel? Why do we go around like timid mice who don’t have anything to offer?”
The Spirit of the Lord arose within me and I said, “If they are not ashamed of their immoral lives, I’m not going to be ashamed of the gospel.”
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ… Romans 1:16
It is amazing to see homosexuals boldly speak of their abnormal lifestyles. They come on television and speak confidently about the perversion of anal intercourse. These people forcefully demonstrate and fight for their rights. How come Christians are so quiet when it comes to speaking God’s Word?
Many Christians sit in their offices and allow their unbeliever colleagues to shamelessly speak of their evil deeds. The sinners around us dominate the discussions with unwholesome words. That is why I believe many Christians need what the Bible calls “anaideia”.Anaideiasimply means shamelessness.
The Apostle Paul practisedanaideia.Remember, it was Paul who said, “We are not ashamed of the gospel.”
In the following chapters I will share with you the in-depth meanings of these three Greek words –Anagkazo, Anaideia,and Biazo. You will learn how to put these three revelations into daily use.
by Dag Heward-Mills
A best selling African Author
…Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [anagkazo] them to come in, that my house may be filled. Luke 14:23
I grew up in a Christian home and was made to attend church every Sunday. I must be honest, I found church very boring. I hated the long boring hymns and I couldn’t understand the sermons. The priests looked unreal and detached from everyday life.
I remember sitting through many boring and lifeless services at church. My main pre-occupation was to predict the closure of the service. I would count the number of hymns on the board and estimate the closing time of the service.
They Drank $1000 Worth of Beer in One Night
You see, the priests and the majority of the congregation were not born again. They were what you might call traditional Christians. They had inherited a family religion. One day, the unbeliever priest announced from the pulpit how much beer the whole church had drunk the night before at a party.It all came up to about $1000 worth of beer! The priest went on to say that one of the members owed him a carton of beer. Surely, many of these people were justpracticinga lifeless religion. I can understand why many young people do not go to church anymore. It is just one meaningless, lifeless and boring ritual. If the pastor is not a born-again Christian, you cannot expect many members of the church to be born again.
When I first attended secondary school, at the age of twelve, I was an unbeliever. That is when I first came into contact with “real” born-again Christians. They were all members of the Scripture Union (SU).
Though they seemed to be true believers, nothing about them attracted me. I remember one evening in particular, when the SU leader announced at the boarding house that there was going to be a meeting of the SU.
I thought to myself, “Who would ever attend such a boring meeting?” These Christians were not attractive. They made weak and lifeless announcements inviting us, the unsaved, to join them. As a result, it never occurred to me to join this uninteresting group.
I still cannot remember how I eventually joined the SU. I believe that the Spirit of God worked on me and drew me there without me even knowing it!
Many Christians are genuine and have a real message to impart. But for a message to have any impact, it must be compelling. It must drive the listener to change! The message of the Lord Jesus Christ must persuade the unsaved to make a decision for Christ. That is why I am writing this book on what I call “Anagkazo”.
Anagkazosimply means“to compel”. It also means tonecessitate, todrive, and toconstrainby all means such asforce, threats, persuasionandentreaties.
Sometimes we need to go back to the Greek in order to understand the original meanings of some Bible words. You see, the New Testament was translated from the Greek language and the Old Testament from the Hebrew language.Anagkazois the Greek word that is translated “to compel”.
Although this is a book onanagkazo, I also want to share on another closely related Greek word, “Biazo”. This is because the revelation ofanagkazois very much linked to the revelation in the wordbiazo.
What Is Biazo?
Biazois a Greek word found in Matthew 11 that means “to use force” or “to force one’s way into a thing”.This is a quality I find lacking in Christian circles. We are forceful about everything else, except God’s work. We are forceful about our jobs, our girlfriends, our marriages and our future. But when it comes to God’s work we become like timid mice!
When I observe the commercials on television, I realize that there are groups of people who are very confident about what they have to offer. They are so confident that they boldly sing catchy songs about how good their product is.
Alcohol advertisers are some of the best in the business. We all know that beer and liquor are some of the commonest killers of young people. Alcohol has broken up more homes, destroyed more marriages, caused more car accidents, started more wars and fights than anything else in the world. Yet, they forcibly advertise it.
Is Alcohol the Power?
Beer is the cause of many accidents, leading to the deaths of a countless number of people. And yet there are smiling people on television, telling us that it is the “power” we need. These commercials are being forced down our throats.We are being forced to believe things that are not true.Beer is the devil in solution!Yet we are being compelled to believe otherwise. This unhealthy product is paraded as a good thing.
When I think of the forcefulness of people who want to make money at all costs, I realize that Christians have a better reason to be forceful. Why then is it that Christians behave like lame ducks, toothless dogs and helpless sparrows?
I believe that this teaching on the important subject,biazocan change that.Biazomeans to force one’s way into a thing. If Christianity is going to spread we are going to have to be a lot more forceful than we are.
Are Muslims More Forceful than Christians?
It is amazing to see fanatic Muslims who are prepared to die for their faith. I wonder how many Christians have half the drive that Muslims seem to have. Should we be surprised if statistics indicate that Islam is spreading faster than Christianity?
Whether it is making money, spreading a false religion or selling deadly products, the whole world has become very forceful. That is why I am teaching Christians about being biblically forceful.
Another related Greek word I want us to learn about is the word “Anaideia”.
What Is Anaideia?
Anaideiais a Greek word that is used only once in the Bible. It means “to be shameless”. It also speaks of importunity. In the eleventh chapter of Luke, we learn of a man who exhibited shamelessness in his relationship with God.
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity [anaideia]he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. Luke 11:8
In 1982, I was admitted to the University of Ghana, the premier university in my country, Ghana. I cautiously entered this new environment wondering what lay ahead. One of the first things that struck me was the shamelessness of unbelievers as they went about their lives.
The Kissing Students
I remember one of the first times I walked into Volta Hall, the hall of residence for the ladies in the University of Ghana. When we got to the staircase that led up to the first and second floors, there was a young man and woman engaged in a prolonged embrace and kiss. I know that in some cultures this might not look strange. However in our culture it is unusual and out of place. This couple continued in their long embrace and intimate kissing as we passed by them. They could not care less about who was watching them! They were not moved! They were shameless! Perhaps they felt they were in love.
When we got upstairs, I told my friends, “It seems people around here are not ashamed of what they’re doing.” Then I asked, “Why are we ashamed of what we believe in? Why are we ashamed of the gospel? Why do we go around like timid mice who don’t have anything to offer?”
The Spirit of the Lord arose within me and I said, “If they are not ashamed of their immoral lives, I’m not going to be ashamed of the gospel.”
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ… Romans 1:16
It is amazing to see homosexuals boldly speak of their abnormal lifestyles. They come on television and speak confidently about the perversion of anal intercourse. These people forcefully demonstrate and fight for their rights. How come Christians are so quiet when it comes to speaking God’s Word?
Many Christians sit in their offices and allow their unbeliever colleagues to shamelessly speak of their evil deeds. The sinners around us dominate the discussions with unwholesome words. That is why I believe many Christians need what the Bible calls “anaideia”.Anaideiasimply means shamelessness.
The Apostle Paul practisedanaideia.Remember, it was Paul who said, “We are not ashamed of the gospel.”
In the following chapters I will share with you the in-depth meanings of these three Greek words –Anagkazo, Anaideia,and Biazo. You will learn how to put these three revelations into daily use.
by Dag Heward-Mills
A best selling African Author
