Is Jesus Christ For Sale In Nigeria ? Part 2
The Naira note is now the ‘God’ that is firmly emplaced in our various temples. The way our modern preachers worship money is very amazing. “Me I no go suffer, I no go beg for bread” summarizes the way we approach God. In business a Nigerian can cheat you while saying the afternoon angelus in the market. A prophet can defraud you while speaking in tongues too.
In Nigeria, gospel messages are preached in busses and funds and offerings are raised too in order to support “the work of God”. After all, GSM handsets have been stolen at crusade arenas, pockets have been picked in Churches too, etc. I have heard a pastor said that under good arrangement Satan can go to heaven, meaning perchance God can be bribed to change His mind. I’m not saying that all Nigerians are crooks, no, there are some good pastors but the bad ones have overwhelmed the good ones.
The question that has continued to keep me awake at night is: why is it that the picture that is painted of God in Nigeria today is that of an economic goldmine, a huge investment or material gains only? The use of private Jet is the watch word of many men of God as Jesus has promised us paradise of goodies, promotions, banishment of suffering etc, as we accept him into our lives. What an error!
The Bible says, “for it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” Heb. 2:10. Remember that one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (as is evident in Galatians 5:22) is longsuffering, so from where do we get the message that “If E no be me, Na who God go bless” if not from ignorance and falsehood?
It is my honest opinion that Nigeria will be better than it is presently, when Christians start to seriously question themselves on how far they are approximating the degree of excellence inherent in the tenets of the faith they profess.
I have no apologies to render to anybody consequent upon what I have said so far. I’m bamboozled at the way things are going in this nation. How many Roman Catholic, Arch Bishop, Bishops and Rev. Fathers have private Jet in Nigeria? What about other clergies in some other orthodox churches? In these orthodox churches, things are done with profound understanding and wisdom. In the Pentecostal churches where the Holy Spirit is assumed to be supreme things are not done wisely. Oh what a fulfillment of Christ prophesy/sayings that “…the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light” Luke 16:8
Money is good but we must be very careful how we associate Christ with it. Yes, He (Christ) made use of money during his first advent, no doubt about it but the same Christ warned, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and loose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul”. Mark 8:36-37. The modern day preachers have reduced God to only tithe and offering. The God of material acquisition only!
Those preaching the message of salvation to people are now enslaving the same people. A situation where young girls descend so low hawking their sacred bodies at the corner of some churches is amazing. It was in Port Harcourt that I was told that a young girl who had no job (but specializes in prostitution) pays a better tithe and supports the work of God with ill-gotten money. What an abomination!
When the Pastor got to know about it, he consequently implored the sister to continue in the business (prostitution) until she gets a better work. Christ forewarned, “When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whoso reads let him understand” Matt 24:15. It should be noted here that the above Bible quotation has a profound eschatological meaning in relation to the end time. On the other hand, the pastor’s advice to the young girl is an abomination in the science of the true worship of God.
Today we see people who dress well with their Bibles begging for food in the name of God. In fact na poverty cause am. I remembered two years ago, I gave my sister her University school fees and she went to the church and sowed it as a seed of faith telling me that the man of God told her that she will buy a car before the end of August 2018. Up till now she has not bought a bicycle tube not to talk of buying a car.
I’m not doubting God at all neither am I against sowing of seed faith, but like the great sage, “Wisdom is principal thing, therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding” Prov. 4:7. Some church people end up getting wisdom without understanding while few have understanding without wisdom. The two (wisdom and understanding) are the highest seed of faith a Christian needs to have in order to be productive.
Child of God, consider the true life and examples of Christ and relate same to the life of the so called great men of God of today. I am not the judge, neither am I here to judge any but simple logic should tell us that if you have enough money to the extent of getting a Jet for yourself and you have some unemployed people in your congregation, it is not very religious and loving to assist the unemployed in one type of business or the other? Is this not the best form of serving God?
Christ met with a young ruler who shared the same view with some modern preaches during his time. The rich young ruler was so nice and abided by the rules of the kingdom when Jesus instructed him to “…go and sell what you have and give to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven….he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” Matt. 19:21-22. How many of our present day preachers can sell 40% of what they now have to create employment for our jobless youths in their various (private business centers) Churches in keeping to divine injunctions? Have the present day men of God forgotten that serving God means serving man?
Today God can be sold for much money in some churches. To consult a prophet is like consulting a medical doctor; you must pay consultation fees, pay prayer seed, Bible reading seed, prophesy seed, marriage seed, building seed, examination success seed, seed for fruit of the womb, accident free seed, to mention a few. Where are we getting all these from, if not from the modern devil- money?
The gospel of salvation which Christ brought has become a means of perpetual enslavement to some naïve preachers who see nothing but money in everything. The preachers of today should remember that a saint is one who makes goodness attractive and like St. Augustine, “Christ came when all things were growing old. He made them new.” As those who believe in Christ, we should take up the challenge to bring reformation that is in tandem with the last days prophesies. As a Christian, I know that faith makes a Christian, life proves a Christian, trial confirm a Christian while death crowns a Christian.