Bishop Lanre Obembe, Senior Pastor, El Shaddai Church, Lagos was the
chairman, Lagos State branch of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria.
Presiding over a meeting of pastors drawn from all over the state in
preparation for the visit by Pastor Benny Hinn to Nigeria in 2005,
Bishop Lanre looked out of one of the windows of his church and pointed
to the array of Jeeps and posh cars parked outside. “We pastors are
doing well,” he declared, to the approval of all.
The bishop had the privilege of introducing a select number of
pastors who were of higher “timber and calibre” than others. Having gone
throu-gh the ranks of the “front-row” pastors, whom he in-troduced
grandiloquently like heavyweight boxing champions, someone drew the
bishop’s attention to the fact that he had overlooked a person of great
distinction; a lady pastor also sitting in the front-row.
The bishop quickly apologised for this oversight and asked the woman
to stand up. Then looking intently at her, he obser-ved to the gathering
of pastors: “This woman is f-i-n-e!” As the rest of us burst out
laughing in agreement, Bishop Lanre pressed on. “Are you married?” he
asked the lady. More laughter from the “Men of God” present, with some
quickly pointing out that the said lady was a married woman. But Bishop
Lanre would not be denied: “I return your dowry,” he declared, as we all
suitably collaps-ed in laughter.
“Men of God”
How can we listen to the teachings of Jesus and continue to entertain
the pre-eminence of pastors in churches? How can we listen to him, and
contin-ue to accept such vaunt-ed titles of pastors, bishops, cardinals
and popes? How can we look unto Jesus and not see he completely
disdained the ho-nour and glory that comes from men? (John 5:41).
Jesus is particularly sca-thing about the craze for public
recognition and ostentatious titles among so-called “Men of God.” He
says: “Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer
shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the
head table at church dinners, basking in the prominent positions,
preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees,
and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend’. Don’t let people do that to
you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher,
and you are all classmates.” (Mt 23:5-8).
Nevertheless, in today’s Christian church, “Men of God” come by the
trailer-load. You see us regularly on television. We are fixtures in
newspapers and magazines. We always have something sanctimonious to say
on the radio. We sit on the “high table” at every social gathering. We
are the counsellors and prayer-gurus of Presidents, Governors and other
high-ranking public officials. There is only one problem with “Men of
God:” we are not likely to inherit the kingdom of God.
“Men of God” don’t go to heaven for one simple reason; the kingdom of
God is not for “men:” the kingdom of God is for “children.” As a matter
of fact, it is for “little children.” Jesus cautions: “Whoever does not
receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter
it.” (Mk 10:15). Thus, he said to the chief priests and religious elders
in his day: “I assure you, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will
get into the Kingdom of God before you do.” (Mt 21:31).
Birthday parties
Even so, in the churches of today, we lavish honour and glory on
pastors. Most churches celebrate two birthdays as a matter of
compulsion: the birthday of Jesus and the bir-thday of the pastor. They
call the birthday of Jesus “Christmas.” I call the bir-thday of the
pastor “Pastor-mas.”
On the latter occasion, congregants are usually required to pay a
birthday-tax as a “blessing” for their pastor. This is either given to
him in cash, or used to buy him something “fantabulous.” A study-bible
used to be adequate. But as the stature of pastors grew inexorably, so
did their gifts. One famous Nigerian pastor was even given a Rolls-Royce
car which he did not deem it prudent to reject. Let everybody shout
hallelujah!
Why should a pastor’s birthday be celebrated in church? What is so
special about him? Why is the pastor honoured and not the orphan or the
widow who are so much dearer to God? Jesus says: “Inasmuch as you did
not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” (Mt
25:45).
Should a believer even celebrate his birthday? Not according to the
scriptures. Birthday parties are carnal and worldly; therefore believers
are never seen having them in the bible. Citizens of God’s kingdom
should not cele-brate their lives in Baby-lon.
The prophets hated their lives in this world. Like Jesus, they were
“men of sorrows, acq-uainted with grief.” (Isa 53:3). Jesus warns: “He
who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world
will keep it for eternal life.” (Jn 12:25). However, the bir-thday
party is a celebration of life.
As a rule, Jews did not cel-ebrate birthdays. The Encyclopaedia
Judaica is blunt and to the point. It says: “The celebration of
birthdays is unknown in traditional Jewish ritual.” While the dates of
the deaths of distinguished fi-gures in Jewish history are recorded and
comme-morated, the dates of their births are mostly unknown.
Solomon says: “The day you die is better than the day you are born.
It is better to spend your time at funerals than at festivals. For you
are going to die, and you should think about it while there is still
time. Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining
influence on us. Yes, a wise man thinks much of death, while the fool
thinks only of having a good time now.” (Eccl. 7:1-4).
The faithful psalmist exclaims longingly: “As the deer pants for the
water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps.
42:1-2). But the birthday celebrant rejoices that he has spent another
year on earth away from God.
Every reported birthday celebration in the bible was ungodly; and it
resulted in either mischief or disaster. As one of the special features
of his birthday, Pharaoh had one of his servants, the chief baker,
hanged. (Gen 40:20-22). In similar fashion, one of the highlights of
Herod’s birthday party was the beheading of John the Baptist. (Mt
14:6-12).
The experience of Job should give further food for thought. Job was
afraid the birthday parties of his children were prone to ungodliness.
(Job 1:4-5). True enough, God allowed all his children to be wiped out
in one disaster while they were celebrating the birthday of his oldest
son. (Job 1:13-19). Thereafter, now fully cognizant of the futility of
life, Job cursed his birthday. He said: “Let the day of my birth be
cursed, and the night when I was conceived. Let that day be forever
forgotten.” (Job 3:2-4).
Worship of pastors
In a big-time church in Lagos, a particular Sunday in the year is
reserved for the pastor’s birthday celebrations. That Sunday is not
about worshiping God but about giving glory to the pastor. Different
people come forward to give testimonies about how wonderful the pastor
is and how blessed they are to be in his church. Video messages are
received from parishes at home and abroad, extolling the virtues of the
pastor. These are then relayed on a big screen to the en-tire church.
Let me describe here an incident that occurred during one of these
“Pastor-mas” celebrations, as recalled to me by a form-er member of the
church. As the recorded video messages were being broadcast, with great
hilarity by all, the pastor suddenly shouted: “Stop that film!”
A dark cloud immediately came over the entire proceedings. With great
consternation, someone quickly went over and stopped the video. The
church became deathly silent as all eyes turned to the almighty pastor
in a bid to determine exactly what could have been to his displeasure.
The pastor got up and grabbed hold of the cordless microphone. “That
man,” he said, pointing to the now blank screen, “was wearing an Arsenal
Football Club t-shirt. I want you to know I am a Chelsea man.”
By Femi Aribisala
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
THE MAKINGS OF A FALSE PROPHET
It is silly season again in Nigeria when make-believe prophets put on
their most expensive sheep’s clothing to make state-of-the-nation
proclamations. Every January, cacophonies of timber-and-calibre pastors
broadcast their prophecies for the coming year. We look into our
cry-stal balls and declare to lesser mere mortals God’s mind.
This January has been no exception. Many MOG (Men of God) have step-ped up to the pew to pontificate
and to “oraculate.” We have
declared, procl-aimed and exclaimed. But the question remains: to what
extent do these highfalutin prophecies have anything to do with God?
Re-branding the prophet
Jesus says: “You want to see a prophet? Take a look at John the Baptist; he is more than a prophet.” (Mt 11:9). What do we see when we look at John? He is a lone voice crying in the wilderness. He do-es not conform to popular culture. He is not afraid to tell the truth to Herod, and it results in his head being chopped off. Now that is a prophet indeed.
God gave the prophetic mandate to Isaiah, saying: “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” (Isa 58:1).
But when Isaiah told the people the truth, legend has it Manasseh had him sawn into two. When Jeremiah delivered the truth of God to Israel, they thr-ew him in a dungeon. When Stephen declared the counsel of God to the Sanhedrin, they stoned him to death. When Jesus spoke the word of God to Israel, they crucified him.
But today’s prophets in Nigeria are a completely different kettle of fish. Today’s prophets are lo-ved by the people. They are welcome in Aso Rock. They are not inclined to jeremiads. On the contrary, they are prosperity preachers whose proph-ecies are eagerly-awaited and readily received by the multitude. God is contemptuous of this. He says: “If a liar and decei-ver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people!” (Mic 2:11).
In the Israel of old, the prophets were “despised and rejected by men.” (Isa 53:3). But in the Nigeria of today, Pastor Adeboye of the Redeem-ed Christian Church of God is highly esteemed by the people. As a matter of fact, he is probably the most-liked Nigerian. He was the friend of Pre-sident Obasanjo, and he is the friend of President Jonathan.
In January 2011, Adebo-ye gave his annual pro-phecy for Nigeria and declared: “There is no need for panic, all will be well.” However, all was not well in 2011. Jos remained a “killing field” all year long. The April elections ended with riots leading to the slaughter of over a million people and the burning of hundreds of churches. The country also moved closer to the precipice of civil war; with Boko Ha-ram upgrading its terrorist activities from blowing up police stations to bom-bing government offices and churches.
But rather than admit he got it terribly wrong in 2011, Adeboye has gone one step further this year. He now says: “Before this year ends, it will be said of Nigeria ‘all is well that ends well.’” Why should anyone believe this lame apology for last year’s boo-boo?
On the contrary, God counsels through Jerem-iah: “Don’t listen to these false prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for me! They keep saying to these re-bels who despise me, ‘Don’t worry! All is well.”’ (Jer. 23:16-17). Value of false prophecies
God told Pastor Chris Okotie of Household of God that he would be the next President of Nigeria in 2003. Or so he said. If indeed it was God who told him this, he need not have told anybody about it. By declaring this so-called prophecy beforehand, Okotie afforded Nigerians the means to determine the genuineness of his ministry. Oko-tie was not elected President in 2003. Undaunted, he ran for the office again in 2007 and then again in 2011; and he failed woefully every time. But it is remarkable that Okotie’s false prophecy has had no appreciably negative effect on his ministry.
This is because a false prophecy is actually good for today’s church-business. A false prophecy gets the MOG valuable publicity. As a matter of fact, the more outrageous the prophecy: the greater the publicity. Thus, Waz-iri Adio observed that: “Pastor Chris’ prophecy served its purpose. It got him air-time on talk-shows and earned him so-me newspaper interviews. But it also served another purpose: it show-ed that Chris Okotie is a false prophet.”
However, it did not matter that Okotie was shown to be a false prophet beca-use, paradoxically, people love false prophets. Jeremiah marvels that: “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by the-ir own power; and my people love to have it so.” (Jer 5:30-31). When a pro-phecy fails, we can always blame it on the lack of faith of our church-members.
Or we can say it was averted because of effectual prayers. Should anyone be so bold as to challenge us pointedly, we can cow him into silence by reference to Jesus’ admonition: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For wi-th what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Mt 7:1-2).
This conveniently ignores the fact that the same Jesus statement contains the harshest injunction in the Bible about exposing false prophets and exercising personal spiritual discernment. Jesus says: “Bewa-re of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Mt 7:15-17).
Alternatively, we can defend our failed pro-phecy by drawing the critic’s attention to the psalm which says: “Do not touch my anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm.” (Ps 105: 15). Never mind that our very anointing has become suspect as a result of the false prophecy itself. Never mind that God does not say “do my false prophets no harm.” We make our opponents believe if they dare expose our duplicity and shenanigans, something terrible will happen to them.
Latter-day Jonah
Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly is often the John the Baptist of Nigeria, calling public officials to repentance. But in 1999, Baka-re gave a prophecy that confounded his track-record. He declared to Nigerians: “Obasanjo is not your Messiah, he is King Agag and the prophetic axe will come upon his head before May 29, 1999.”
However, Obasanjo was not killed as Bakare predicted. Instead, he went on to rule Nigeria as President for eight years. He even tried, though unsuccessfully, to secure an illegal third term. Obasanjo is still alive to-day. Only one small facet of Bakare’s prophecy had any semblance of truth. By all accounts, Obasanjo was not our Messiah.
What went wrong? Jon-ah was not a false pro-phet. Nevertheless, he gave a failed prophecy. He went to Nineveh and proclaimed that God would destroy the city within 40 days. But that was not Jonah’s brief. God asked Jonah to call the people to repentance. But Jonah did not want them to repent because he was a Jew and the Ninevites were enemies of the Jews. Jonah want-ed the Ninevites destro-yed.
Therefore, he prea-ched a biased message of impending destruction. Unfortunately for him, the Ninevites repe-nted and God did not destroy them. Could this have been what happened to Bakare? Clear-ly, there was no love lost between him and Obas-anjo? Did Bakare’s animosity towards Obasanjo cloud his vision?
You be the judge
“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals among ruins. You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD. Their visions are false and their divinati-ons a lie. They say, ‘The LORD declares,’ when the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled.” (Eze 13:3-6).
By Femi Aribasala
This January has been no exception. Many MOG (Men of God) have step-ped up to the pew to pontificate
and to “oraculate.” We have
declared, procl-aimed and exclaimed. But the question remains: to what
extent do these highfalutin prophecies have anything to do with God?Re-branding the prophet
Jesus says: “You want to see a prophet? Take a look at John the Baptist; he is more than a prophet.” (Mt 11:9). What do we see when we look at John? He is a lone voice crying in the wilderness. He do-es not conform to popular culture. He is not afraid to tell the truth to Herod, and it results in his head being chopped off. Now that is a prophet indeed.
God gave the prophetic mandate to Isaiah, saying: “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” (Isa 58:1).
But when Isaiah told the people the truth, legend has it Manasseh had him sawn into two. When Jeremiah delivered the truth of God to Israel, they thr-ew him in a dungeon. When Stephen declared the counsel of God to the Sanhedrin, they stoned him to death. When Jesus spoke the word of God to Israel, they crucified him.
But today’s prophets in Nigeria are a completely different kettle of fish. Today’s prophets are lo-ved by the people. They are welcome in Aso Rock. They are not inclined to jeremiads. On the contrary, they are prosperity preachers whose proph-ecies are eagerly-awaited and readily received by the multitude. God is contemptuous of this. He says: “If a liar and decei-ver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people!” (Mic 2:11).
In the Israel of old, the prophets were “despised and rejected by men.” (Isa 53:3). But in the Nigeria of today, Pastor Adeboye of the Redeem-ed Christian Church of God is highly esteemed by the people. As a matter of fact, he is probably the most-liked Nigerian. He was the friend of Pre-sident Obasanjo, and he is the friend of President Jonathan.
In January 2011, Adebo-ye gave his annual pro-phecy for Nigeria and declared: “There is no need for panic, all will be well.” However, all was not well in 2011. Jos remained a “killing field” all year long. The April elections ended with riots leading to the slaughter of over a million people and the burning of hundreds of churches. The country also moved closer to the precipice of civil war; with Boko Ha-ram upgrading its terrorist activities from blowing up police stations to bom-bing government offices and churches.
But rather than admit he got it terribly wrong in 2011, Adeboye has gone one step further this year. He now says: “Before this year ends, it will be said of Nigeria ‘all is well that ends well.’” Why should anyone believe this lame apology for last year’s boo-boo?
On the contrary, God counsels through Jerem-iah: “Don’t listen to these false prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for me! They keep saying to these re-bels who despise me, ‘Don’t worry! All is well.”’ (Jer. 23:16-17). Value of false prophecies
God told Pastor Chris Okotie of Household of God that he would be the next President of Nigeria in 2003. Or so he said. If indeed it was God who told him this, he need not have told anybody about it. By declaring this so-called prophecy beforehand, Okotie afforded Nigerians the means to determine the genuineness of his ministry. Oko-tie was not elected President in 2003. Undaunted, he ran for the office again in 2007 and then again in 2011; and he failed woefully every time. But it is remarkable that Okotie’s false prophecy has had no appreciably negative effect on his ministry.
This is because a false prophecy is actually good for today’s church-business. A false prophecy gets the MOG valuable publicity. As a matter of fact, the more outrageous the prophecy: the greater the publicity. Thus, Waz-iri Adio observed that: “Pastor Chris’ prophecy served its purpose. It got him air-time on talk-shows and earned him so-me newspaper interviews. But it also served another purpose: it show-ed that Chris Okotie is a false prophet.”
However, it did not matter that Okotie was shown to be a false prophet beca-use, paradoxically, people love false prophets. Jeremiah marvels that: “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by the-ir own power; and my people love to have it so.” (Jer 5:30-31). When a pro-phecy fails, we can always blame it on the lack of faith of our church-members.
Or we can say it was averted because of effectual prayers. Should anyone be so bold as to challenge us pointedly, we can cow him into silence by reference to Jesus’ admonition: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For wi-th what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Mt 7:1-2).
This conveniently ignores the fact that the same Jesus statement contains the harshest injunction in the Bible about exposing false prophets and exercising personal spiritual discernment. Jesus says: “Bewa-re of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Mt 7:15-17).
Alternatively, we can defend our failed pro-phecy by drawing the critic’s attention to the psalm which says: “Do not touch my anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm.” (Ps 105: 15). Never mind that our very anointing has become suspect as a result of the false prophecy itself. Never mind that God does not say “do my false prophets no harm.” We make our opponents believe if they dare expose our duplicity and shenanigans, something terrible will happen to them.
Latter-day Jonah
Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly is often the John the Baptist of Nigeria, calling public officials to repentance. But in 1999, Baka-re gave a prophecy that confounded his track-record. He declared to Nigerians: “Obasanjo is not your Messiah, he is King Agag and the prophetic axe will come upon his head before May 29, 1999.”
However, Obasanjo was not killed as Bakare predicted. Instead, he went on to rule Nigeria as President for eight years. He even tried, though unsuccessfully, to secure an illegal third term. Obasanjo is still alive to-day. Only one small facet of Bakare’s prophecy had any semblance of truth. By all accounts, Obasanjo was not our Messiah.
What went wrong? Jon-ah was not a false pro-phet. Nevertheless, he gave a failed prophecy. He went to Nineveh and proclaimed that God would destroy the city within 40 days. But that was not Jonah’s brief. God asked Jonah to call the people to repentance. But Jonah did not want them to repent because he was a Jew and the Ninevites were enemies of the Jews. Jonah want-ed the Ninevites destro-yed.
Therefore, he prea-ched a biased message of impending destruction. Unfortunately for him, the Ninevites repe-nted and God did not destroy them. Could this have been what happened to Bakare? Clear-ly, there was no love lost between him and Obas-anjo? Did Bakare’s animosity towards Obasanjo cloud his vision?
You be the judge
“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals among ruins. You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD. Their visions are false and their divinati-ons a lie. They say, ‘The LORD declares,’ when the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled.” (Eze 13:3-6).
By Femi Aribasala
Monday, July 2, 2012
THE GOD-WHO-FORGIVES
The Lord sent me on an errand. I said: “I go, Sir,” but did not go.
He asked me to go out of town to talk to an old man about Christ. I can
never say “no” to the Lord, but I dragged and dragged my feet about it. I
debated indefinitely what to tell him. I had known the man all my life
and felt it would be presumptuous of me to talk to him. I dilly-dallied
until I was shocked to hear he was seriously ill and in hospital. Then I
became afraid. What if he died?Cost of disobedience
The Lord said to Ezekiel: “When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.” (Ezekiel 3:18).
To be frank, I did not remember this scripture at the time. But I rationalised that God must have known about my reticence beforehand and would have sent a more receptive person to the old man as a backup. I kept on this debate until the man died without my talking to him about the kingdom of God. When he died, I knew I was in trouble. Even now, I am con-vinced he never repent-ed. I became so over-whelmed that such enormous responsibility was laid on my weak shoulders.
I then realised I could not fathom the depth of the love of Christ. The good shepherd comes down from heaven in search of one lost sheep. He searches night and day over the hills and the valleys and does not stop until he is found. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Why was it so difficult for me to be like him?
Covenant with death
The more the details emerged about the death of the old man, the more grievous my disobe-dience became. I was informed he had a covenant with death. There was apparently a ring on his finger that was a “death-repellent.”
As a result, he apparent-ly spent months alive but in a coma. Finally, his son came to see him and he removed the ring from his finger. When he did, the man reportedly died immediately with a snarl on his face.
I cannot vouch for the veracity of this account, but I know for a fact that people actually make covenants with death. As a matter of fact, God talks reprovingly of this in the scriptures. (Isaiah 28: 15-18). But why would anyone make a covenant with death? It only shows complete lack of wisdom because death can never guarantee life.
There is a popular folktale of the scorpion and the tortoise. The scorpion begs the tor-toise to carry him on his back across the river. “Are you nuts?” exclaim-ed the tortoise. “If I do that you will sting me while I’m swimming across and I will drown.” “My dear tortoise,” exclaimed the scorpion. “Why would I do such a stupid thing? If I sting you and you drown, I will drown with you. Now what would be the point of that?”
The tortoise saw reason with the scorpion and agreed to carry him on his back. However, halfway across the river, the scorpion gave the tortoise a big sting. As they both started to sink to the bottom of the river, the tortoise asked the scorpion in bewilderm-ent: “But why did you do that? Now both of us are going to drown.” “I couldn’t help it,” the scorpion replied sadly. “It’s in my nature.”
It is in the nature of death to kill. Indeed, death is the only thing death can guarantee. Therefore, those who make a covenant with death are foolish. The only person that can guarantee life is Jesus. Jesus says: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).
God says from his throne of mercy: “Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand.” (Isa 28:18). Therefore, he sent me to raise the old man back to life. But, as a latter-day Jonah, instead of going to Nineveh, I took a boat and headed for Tarshish.
Fruits of repentance
I carried the burden of the old man’s death on a business trip to New York. I went to Kings Plaza in Flatbush, one of the major shopping centres, and sat down for a burger in one of the fast-food shops. It was time to have a serious heart-to-heart with God. I apologised for my disobedience and for my insensitivity. I pleaded that I was just too afraid to talk to the old man, but my fears could not justify my diso-bedience.
It was one long mono-logue. The Lord said nothing in reply. As I got up to leave, I remember-ed that I always have difficulty getting a taxi back to Canarsie every time I came to King’s Plaza. So I asked the Lord: “Could you please help me get a taxi?”
As I came out of the fast food and turned right, the Lord finally spoke. He said: “Femi, turn left.” I turned left to discover the swing glass doors lead-ing outside were actually there. Immediately I pushed it and walked outside, I was surprised to find a man sitting in a car, some ten metres away, beckoning to me. I looked behind me, to make sure he was not calling someone else.
But he pointed to me, indicating I was the one he was calling. When I got to him, I leaned through the window, wondering what he wanted. “Where do you want to go?” the man asked. It was only then I realised he was the driver of a mini-cab. “I am going to Canarsie,” I replied. “Hop in,” said the man.
Forgiven
I could not believe it. I asked the Lord for a taxi and I did not even have to hail one. The driver was the one who called me. I smiled in astonishment all the way to Carnasie. The Lord has forgiven me! No wonder, one of his names in the Old Test-ament is “the God-who-forgives.” (Psalm 99:8).
The next day, I took another taxi, headed for a completely different destination. Suddenly, I closed my eyes and started praising God. I said to him: “Daddy, you are such a wonderful person. I disobeyed you, and yet you readily forgave me. I asked you for a taxi and you made the mini-cab driver beckon to me. You are just too much.”
Suddenly, the Lord said to me: “Femi, open your eyes and look up.” When I did, I could not believe what I saw. I was in the taxi at the exact same spot at which the mini-cab driver had beckoned to me the day before. There was a traffic-jam and we were at a stand-still. To my right were the swing glass-doors of the Kings Plaza where I had exited the previous day. Don’t ask me how we got there because I have absolutely no idea.
“O LORD my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me. O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remem-brance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:2-5).
By Femi Aribisala
Sunday, July 1, 2012
THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT
Paul’s fruit of the Spirit is precisely the sheep’s clothing Jesus warned us wolves would wear.
Ask Joe Christian for the fruits of the Spirit, and he will answer you with Paul’s “voice of a stranger.” (John 10:5). Paul says: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23). However, Jesus warns believers: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-16). Paul’s fruit of the Spirit is precisely the sheep’s clothing Jesus warns us wolves would wear.
Bogus fruit
As usual, Paul’s fruit comes with many anomalies. All Christians claim to have Paul’s fruit of the Spirit because all it takes to receive Paul’s Holy Spirit is to say “Jesus is Lord.” (1 Corinthians 12:3). This makes Paul’s definition practically useless. It ensures bad trees are deceptively confused with good trees in Christendom. Moreover, Paul’s tree has more than one fruit, which is practically impossible. James says figs don’t grow on a grapevine. (James 3:12). But they do on Paul’s tree of the Spirit. His tree has nine different fruits which he nevertheless refers to confusingly as one fruit. This is yet another example of Paul’s illogical Christianity.
Jesus identifies the Holy Spirit as: “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.” (John 14:17). This means unbelievers do not have the Holy Spirit. However, many unbelievers have Paul’s “fruit of the Spirit.” They are loving; peaceful; long-suffering; and faithful. So how come they have the fruit of the Spirit without having the Holy Spirit? Moreover, many Christians, including those who claim to be born again, are wicked, quarrelsome and cantankerous. So how come they have the Holy Spirit without the fruit of the Spirit? As usual, Paul’s lofty dogma falls apart in real life.
Genuine fruits
Enough with Paul’s strange doctrine! According to Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith,” fruits come from a man’s spirit and they are the words of his mouth. Jesus says: “A good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:43-45).
With Jesus’ more practical and precise definition, we can easily identify a false prophet. We don’t have to wait for him to give a prophecy and then see if it comes to pass. We can even identify him within minutes of hearing him speak. Is he speaking the words of Jesus, or is he speaking his own words? Is he speaking the words of the good shepherd or is he speaking the words of strangers? Once we are schooled in Jesus’ doctrine, it is easy to identify a false prophet. His words are anathema to Christ. Therefore, Jesus says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27). “They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:5).
It makes no difference whether the speaker is the pope, the General Overseer of the Church of God, or the most venerable reverend. If he does not speak the words of Jesus, he is a false prophet. Once Peter contradicted the word of God, Jesus immediately identified a contrary spirit in him: “He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Matthew 16:23).
Jesus knew by Peter’s words when Satan was speaking through him. He also knew by Peter’s words when the Father was speaking through him. (Matthew 16:17). So the next time you hear your pastor or Adeboye, Oyedepo, Oyakhilome and other vaunted so-called “men of God” speak, identify them by the fruit of their lips. You will be amazed what you will discover.
Identification marks
How can we tell if a man is mad? We often mistakenly determine his insanity by his appearance. If his hair is unkempt and his clothing disheveled, we conclude he is mad. But that might just indicate he is poor or untidy. The precision of Jesus’ definition is clear. Just listen to him and you will soon know by his words.
How do we receive the Holy Spirit? We do by receiving the words of Jesus Christ. Jesus says: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). When the word of Jesus comes into us, it brings the life and power of God with it.
In the Old Testament, when the Holy Spirit fell upon men, it was manifest in their speech; they started to prophesy. (1 Samuel 10:9-12). In the New Testament, when a man is baptized in the Holy Spirit, he often receives the gift of speaking in unknown tongues. (Acts 2:1-4). But let me tell you an even more radical method for determining the fruits of a man’s spirit. Step on his toes then listen to what comes out of his lips. Out of the abundance of his heart, his mouth will speak.
Paul’s bogus fruit of the Spirit ensures we cannot identify Paul himself as a false prophet. Indeed, Paul arrogates to himself disingenuously the status of Christ. He says: “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 14:37). In short, according to Paul, a false prophet is anyone who contradicts whatever Paul says. Not true; a false prophet is anyone who contradicts Jesus.
When the high priest told someone to slap Paul, his sheep’s clothing came right off. What came out of Paul’s mouth was a curse. He said: “God shall slap you, you whitewashed pigpen.” (Acts 23:3). When told that some Jewish Christians were insisting Gentile believers should be circumcised, Paul responded with malice and hatred: “I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!” (Galatians 5:12). When told about a man’s adultery, Paul issued a devious directive: “Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 5:5). These are not the words of Christ. They are not the fruits of his Spirit by any stretch of the imagination.
Solomon counsels: “A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth.” (Proverbs 13:2). He warns furthermore: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:20-21). These wise sayings are validated by Jesus. He says in agreement: “Every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37).
By Femi Aribisala
Ask Joe Christian for the fruits of the Spirit, and he will answer you with Paul’s “voice of a stranger.” (John 10:5). Paul says: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23). However, Jesus warns believers: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-16). Paul’s fruit of the Spirit is precisely the sheep’s clothing Jesus warns us wolves would wear.
Bogus fruit
As usual, Paul’s fruit comes with many anomalies. All Christians claim to have Paul’s fruit of the Spirit because all it takes to receive Paul’s Holy Spirit is to say “Jesus is Lord.” (1 Corinthians 12:3). This makes Paul’s definition practically useless. It ensures bad trees are deceptively confused with good trees in Christendom. Moreover, Paul’s tree has more than one fruit, which is practically impossible. James says figs don’t grow on a grapevine. (James 3:12). But they do on Paul’s tree of the Spirit. His tree has nine different fruits which he nevertheless refers to confusingly as one fruit. This is yet another example of Paul’s illogical Christianity.
Jesus identifies the Holy Spirit as: “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.” (John 14:17). This means unbelievers do not have the Holy Spirit. However, many unbelievers have Paul’s “fruit of the Spirit.” They are loving; peaceful; long-suffering; and faithful. So how come they have the fruit of the Spirit without having the Holy Spirit? Moreover, many Christians, including those who claim to be born again, are wicked, quarrelsome and cantankerous. So how come they have the Holy Spirit without the fruit of the Spirit? As usual, Paul’s lofty dogma falls apart in real life.
Genuine fruits
Enough with Paul’s strange doctrine! According to Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith,” fruits come from a man’s spirit and they are the words of his mouth. Jesus says: “A good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:43-45).
With Jesus’ more practical and precise definition, we can easily identify a false prophet. We don’t have to wait for him to give a prophecy and then see if it comes to pass. We can even identify him within minutes of hearing him speak. Is he speaking the words of Jesus, or is he speaking his own words? Is he speaking the words of the good shepherd or is he speaking the words of strangers? Once we are schooled in Jesus’ doctrine, it is easy to identify a false prophet. His words are anathema to Christ. Therefore, Jesus says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27). “They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:5).
It makes no difference whether the speaker is the pope, the General Overseer of the Church of God, or the most venerable reverend. If he does not speak the words of Jesus, he is a false prophet. Once Peter contradicted the word of God, Jesus immediately identified a contrary spirit in him: “He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Matthew 16:23).
Jesus knew by Peter’s words when Satan was speaking through him. He also knew by Peter’s words when the Father was speaking through him. (Matthew 16:17). So the next time you hear your pastor or Adeboye, Oyedepo, Oyakhilome and other vaunted so-called “men of God” speak, identify them by the fruit of their lips. You will be amazed what you will discover.
Identification marks
How can we tell if a man is mad? We often mistakenly determine his insanity by his appearance. If his hair is unkempt and his clothing disheveled, we conclude he is mad. But that might just indicate he is poor or untidy. The precision of Jesus’ definition is clear. Just listen to him and you will soon know by his words.
How do we receive the Holy Spirit? We do by receiving the words of Jesus Christ. Jesus says: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). When the word of Jesus comes into us, it brings the life and power of God with it.
In the Old Testament, when the Holy Spirit fell upon men, it was manifest in their speech; they started to prophesy. (1 Samuel 10:9-12). In the New Testament, when a man is baptized in the Holy Spirit, he often receives the gift of speaking in unknown tongues. (Acts 2:1-4). But let me tell you an even more radical method for determining the fruits of a man’s spirit. Step on his toes then listen to what comes out of his lips. Out of the abundance of his heart, his mouth will speak.
Paul’s bogus fruit of the Spirit ensures we cannot identify Paul himself as a false prophet. Indeed, Paul arrogates to himself disingenuously the status of Christ. He says: “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 14:37). In short, according to Paul, a false prophet is anyone who contradicts whatever Paul says. Not true; a false prophet is anyone who contradicts Jesus.
When the high priest told someone to slap Paul, his sheep’s clothing came right off. What came out of Paul’s mouth was a curse. He said: “God shall slap you, you whitewashed pigpen.” (Acts 23:3). When told that some Jewish Christians were insisting Gentile believers should be circumcised, Paul responded with malice and hatred: “I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!” (Galatians 5:12). When told about a man’s adultery, Paul issued a devious directive: “Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 5:5). These are not the words of Christ. They are not the fruits of his Spirit by any stretch of the imagination.
Solomon counsels: “A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth.” (Proverbs 13:2). He warns furthermore: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:20-21). These wise sayings are validated by Jesus. He says in agreement: “Every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37).
By Femi Aribisala
Sunday, June 24, 2012
DOING GREATER WORKS THAN JESUS
Some Christians have done far greater works than Jesus.
Jesus says: “He who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father.” (John 14:12). This statement has confounded many Christians. Very few are bold enough even to imagine doing greater works than Jesus. And yet, Jesus’ words cannot be broken. Some believers have done far greater works than Jesus. But we do not even realize it because we do not know what it means to do the works of God.
Signs and wonders
It is generally assumed doing the works of God entails the working of miracles. But this is not true. Demons also perform miracles. In Revelation, John saw evil spirits coming out of the mouth of the false prophet among others. He observes that: “They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world.” (Revelation 16:14).
Pharaoh’s magicians duplicated some of Moses’ miracles. When Moses and Aaron caused frogs to appear out of nowhere: “The magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 8:7). Indeed, Jesus warns: “False christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24). Therefore, miracles should not be misconstrued as essentially or exclusively the works of God.
However, only God and his sons can do God’s definitive works. Indeed, God’s children are identifiable by our ability to do the works of God. Thus, Jesus said to the Jews: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.” (John 8:39).
When the disciples received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, passers-by marveled at how Galileans could suddenly speak foreign-languages. They said: “We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” (Acts 2:11). This provides the clue we need. By divine inspiration, the disciples spoke the works of God. The wonderful works of God are God’s spoken words. At Pentecost, the works of God were manifest in the speech of the disciples who spoke works that only God speaks; the words of eternal life.
The psalmist says: “I believed, therefore I spoke.” (Psalm 116:10). In order to do the works of God, we have to believe in Jesus and speak his works. Indeed, it is the works we speak that identify us as sons of God and disciples of Christ. Jesus says: “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-17). “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:44-45).
Good works
In God’s dictionary, good works are not merely synonymous with good deeds. Good deeds can be done by unbelievers. Good deeds are sheep’s clothing sometimes worn by wolves. “Good works” actually imply “good words.” Accordingly, Jesus uses both expressions interchangeably. He says: “The WORDS that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does the WORKS.” (John 14:10). This shows the works are indivisible from the speaking of the words. Jesus speaks God’s words and the Father does the works.
The works of God are his words. God works by his words. He speaks his works. God created all things by his word. But the greatest work of God is in speaking the living-dead back to life. Jesus says: “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25).
Bread of life
John says: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.” (John 1:14). Similarly, the word of Jesus must become flesh in us. Jesus says: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (John 6:56). This means Jesus’ words must be broken down and digested so it enters into our spirit-man and becomes part of us. When this happens, we automatically speak Jesus’ works in atonement with him. We become “at one” with Christ; even as he is “at one” with the Father. (John 17:20-23).
The will of God is that his works should be revealed in his sons. (John 9:3). Jesus says to us: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16). Our light is the word of Jesus. Jesus’ word is “a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.” (Psalm 119:105). In God’s light, we see light. (Psalm 36:9). Even so should our words provide illumination to this world of gross darkness. Our good works are our edifying words. Our words are “good works” when they glorify the Father.
Greater works
Jesus says we shall do greater works than him BECAUSE he goes to his Father in heaven. (John 14:12). This is because Jesus spoke God’s words for only thirty-three years. However, some of us will live much longer than Jesus. Therefore, we shall have the opportunity to speak more life-affirming words to others for much longer through various media. Indeed, God has used the mouth of some Christians to raise more dead people back to life than he did through Jesus.
The Holy Spirit enables us to do God’s works by reminding us of the words of Jesus. In sending him to us, Jesus says: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:26). The word of God comes to us in our daily walk with God. It not only empowers us, it keeps us from sin. David says to the Lord: “By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.” (Psalm 17:4).
Our words are our works. However, Paul says we are justified by grace: “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24). Then he says we are justified by faith: “A man is justified by faith apart from works of law.” (Romans 3:28). And then again he says we are justified by the blood of Jesus: “Having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” (Romans 5:9). This is classic Pauline mumbo-jumbo. Are we justified by grace; or by faith; or by the blood?
Such Pauline confusion is avoided when we listen to Jesus; “the faithful and true witness.” (Revelation 3:14). As usual, Jesus is precise, specific and to the point. He says: “Every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37).
By Femi Aribisala
Jesus says: “He who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father.” (John 14:12). This statement has confounded many Christians. Very few are bold enough even to imagine doing greater works than Jesus. And yet, Jesus’ words cannot be broken. Some believers have done far greater works than Jesus. But we do not even realize it because we do not know what it means to do the works of God.
Signs and wonders
It is generally assumed doing the works of God entails the working of miracles. But this is not true. Demons also perform miracles. In Revelation, John saw evil spirits coming out of the mouth of the false prophet among others. He observes that: “They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world.” (Revelation 16:14).
Pharaoh’s magicians duplicated some of Moses’ miracles. When Moses and Aaron caused frogs to appear out of nowhere: “The magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 8:7). Indeed, Jesus warns: “False christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24). Therefore, miracles should not be misconstrued as essentially or exclusively the works of God.
However, only God and his sons can do God’s definitive works. Indeed, God’s children are identifiable by our ability to do the works of God. Thus, Jesus said to the Jews: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.” (John 8:39).
When the disciples received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, passers-by marveled at how Galileans could suddenly speak foreign-languages. They said: “We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” (Acts 2:11). This provides the clue we need. By divine inspiration, the disciples spoke the works of God. The wonderful works of God are God’s spoken words. At Pentecost, the works of God were manifest in the speech of the disciples who spoke works that only God speaks; the words of eternal life.
The psalmist says: “I believed, therefore I spoke.” (Psalm 116:10). In order to do the works of God, we have to believe in Jesus and speak his works. Indeed, it is the works we speak that identify us as sons of God and disciples of Christ. Jesus says: “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-17). “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:44-45).
Good works
In God’s dictionary, good works are not merely synonymous with good deeds. Good deeds can be done by unbelievers. Good deeds are sheep’s clothing sometimes worn by wolves. “Good works” actually imply “good words.” Accordingly, Jesus uses both expressions interchangeably. He says: “The WORDS that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does the WORKS.” (John 14:10). This shows the works are indivisible from the speaking of the words. Jesus speaks God’s words and the Father does the works.
The works of God are his words. God works by his words. He speaks his works. God created all things by his word. But the greatest work of God is in speaking the living-dead back to life. Jesus says: “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25).
Bread of life
John says: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.” (John 1:14). Similarly, the word of Jesus must become flesh in us. Jesus says: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (John 6:56). This means Jesus’ words must be broken down and digested so it enters into our spirit-man and becomes part of us. When this happens, we automatically speak Jesus’ works in atonement with him. We become “at one” with Christ; even as he is “at one” with the Father. (John 17:20-23).
The will of God is that his works should be revealed in his sons. (John 9:3). Jesus says to us: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16). Our light is the word of Jesus. Jesus’ word is “a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.” (Psalm 119:105). In God’s light, we see light. (Psalm 36:9). Even so should our words provide illumination to this world of gross darkness. Our good works are our edifying words. Our words are “good works” when they glorify the Father.
Greater works
Jesus says we shall do greater works than him BECAUSE he goes to his Father in heaven. (John 14:12). This is because Jesus spoke God’s words for only thirty-three years. However, some of us will live much longer than Jesus. Therefore, we shall have the opportunity to speak more life-affirming words to others for much longer through various media. Indeed, God has used the mouth of some Christians to raise more dead people back to life than he did through Jesus.
The Holy Spirit enables us to do God’s works by reminding us of the words of Jesus. In sending him to us, Jesus says: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:26). The word of God comes to us in our daily walk with God. It not only empowers us, it keeps us from sin. David says to the Lord: “By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.” (Psalm 17:4).
Our words are our works. However, Paul says we are justified by grace: “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24). Then he says we are justified by faith: “A man is justified by faith apart from works of law.” (Romans 3:28). And then again he says we are justified by the blood of Jesus: “Having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” (Romans 5:9). This is classic Pauline mumbo-jumbo. Are we justified by grace; or by faith; or by the blood?
Such Pauline confusion is avoided when we listen to Jesus; “the faithful and true witness.” (Revelation 3:14). As usual, Jesus is precise, specific and to the point. He says: “Every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37).
By Femi Aribisala
MEN OF GOD AND THE WILL OF GOD IN NIGERIA
The foremost African American leader of the 20th Century, Martin
Luther King Jr., having been arrested for leading a protest against
racial segregation, wrote from his prison cell in Birmingham, Alabama.
It was a letter he addressed to a group of clergymen that accused him of
extremism. In that letter, he tacitly admitted being an extremist. And
he argued that on that day at Calvary, three persons were crucified for
the same offense; they were all extremists. To the left and to the right
were two extremists. They were extremists in crime – theft and murder.
In the middle, also, was an extremist. He was an extremist in his love
for humanity and in doing the will of God.
Of course, Jesus Christ was an extremist. It must have
taken an extremist in mercy and love to pray for the forgiveness of
those who were crucifying him. The word Christian translates to
Christ-like. Therefore, a true Christian, especially, a man of God,
cannot escape being an extremist in the mode of Jesus Christ, that is,
in love, selflessness and upholding the will of God.
The pulpit is sanctimonious and sacrosanct. The word of
God is the most potent force within man’s grasp. And a true man of God
cannot help being a Spirit-filled, fearless and daring warrior. I have
always dreamt of when an invigorating mix of these powerful tools of God
(fearless pastor, the pulpit and the divine Word) will give rise to the
will of God in Nigeria.
In his last speech, Martin Luther King Jr. talked about,
“I am not worried about anything. I am not fearing any man. I just want
to do the will of God”. Evidently, he was acutely conscious that the
will of God in America was not limited to guiding man towards eternal
life in the hereafter, but included making America a racially just
society where both Whites and Blacks can partake in all America promises
all her citizens. He knew that the racial degradation of Blacks in
America, and essentially, the degradation of any human being anywhere
are against the will of God. So, in his extremism, he labored for an
America all God’s children are judged by the content of their character,
not the color of their skin.
And today, the fruit of the work he did in concert with
other Black American men of God is inconceivably evident. To elect a
Black man, Barak Obama, to the presidency of a predominantly White
country, he must have been judged by the content of his character and
not the color of his skin.
What is the will of God in Nigeria? The will of God in
Nigeria must include that a Nigerian citizen be comfortable, proud and
self-confident in his own country, knowing that he is the subject of the
concerns and actions of elected and other public officials and all the
institutions of government. That he feels protected and at peace in his
country because his rights are protected and his immunity from abuse and
harassment, from governing officials, government agents,
landlords/landladies and all kinds of “big men” and madams, is
guaranteed by the laws of the land. And that he feels secured in the
knowledge that his right to partake in the wealth of his country is
inviolable.
It is not the will of God that the generality of Nigerians
live in insufferable social and economic conditions because a
disproportionate percentage of the nation’s wealth is stolen by a
privileged few. It is a perversion of the will of God that the Nigerian
political class remains contemptuously indifferent to the continually
increasing economic plight of the Nigerian masses. It is against the
will of God that government agents, especially, the police, ride
roughshod over Nigerians and extort money from them and arrest the
innocent, consign them to dirty, bug-ridden and dingy cells; and demand
“bail” money for their release. And so on and so forth.
In the United States of America, African American men of
God driven by the Christian attributes of courage and self-sacrifice
rose up against societal evils, especially, racial injustice, that
militated against the will of God in America. In South Africa, men of
God, motivated by Christ-like qualities of courage and commitment to
social justice fought against the distortion of the will of God in South
Africa as embodied in that iniquitous racial policy, Apartheid.
Armed with the power of the word of God and the sanctity
of the pulpit, the Nigerian men of God are not confronting the societal
vices militating against the will of God in Nigeria. Why are they not
speaking out against the forces of greed and wickedness that are
subverting the will of God in Nigeria? Why are they not asking our
conscienceless rulers to change their evil ways, and stop looting the
national wealth? Why are they not urging them to obey the laws of the
country and uphold their political and moral responsibilities to the
Nigerian people?
This must be because they lack the Christ-like attributes
of courage and selflessness, and are invariably, cowardly, selfish and
materialistic, and consequently, desperately seeking the friendship and
validation of the same power elite that is subverting the will of God in
Nigeria.
Is it possible for men of God to be cowardly, selfish and
wealth-conscious, and as a result, shamelessly fawning over morally
bankrupt power elite? Yes, it is possible, if they are disobedient to
the Gospel of Jesus Christ which teaches the equality of all men, and
have therefore, taken to worshiping the rich and despising the poor; if
they have forsaken the weightier things of the gospel for the vanities
of this world; and if they have convoluted the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
and instead of preaching righteousness, love, kindness, contentment,
they preach prosperity, materialism and greed.
In addition, it is possible, if, instead of demonstrating
the Christ like qualities of selflessness, modest lifestyle, kindness
and concern for the well-being of others (especially, for the poor, weak
and needy), they exemplify greed, self-indulgence, ostentation, selfish
ambition, profligacy, and contempt for the poor and needy.
Tochukwu Ezukanma writes from Lagos, Nigeria. maciln18@yahoo.com
Sunday, June 17, 2012
THE BLESSINGS OF BOKO-HARAM
Jesus says we can identify his disciples by their fruits. (Matthew
7:20). He then says the fruits of a man are his words. (Luke 6:43-45).
So here is a sure-fire way of determining the true disciple. Step on his
toes and see what he has to say. Give him a slap and listen to what
comes out of his mouth. That is the value of Boko Haram attacks for
Nigerian Christians.
How we respond separates the wheat from the chaff. Those calling for retaliation are enemies of the cross of Christ. They are the tares the enemy planted at night among the wheat. Those calling for restraints are the true sons of God.
The challenge
God calls Nebuchadnezzar his servant. (Jeremiah 25:9). Similarly, the Boko Haram must be seen as “servants” of God. God is using them to determine those who will enter into the blessings of his kingdom. God’s blessings are not only extraordinary; his means of deter-mining the recipients are peculiar.
Jesus says: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” (Matthew 5:10-12).
Jesus foresaw the Boko Haram attacks and warned Christians about them. He said: “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you be-cause they have not known the Father nor Me.
But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.” (John 16:1-4). Therefore, the challenge of Boko Haram is in determining whether Nigerian Christians will be made to stumble, or whether we will remember the words of Jesus and be guided accordingly. (Matthew 13:18-23).
CAN response
We have to decide whether to follow Jesus or follow Christian leaders like Dr. Sunday Mbang, former Prelate of the Methodist Church in Nigeria, and former President of CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria), who said: “If they kill Christians in their own part of the country and we kill them in our side of the country, nobody should blame anybody.” “Buy the truth and sell it not.” (Proverbs 23:23).
The Lord will blame us all. Reverend Philip Mwel-bish, Head of CAN in Plateau State, also said: “We have a proverb in Nigeria: if you push a goat to the wall, he will bite you. They’ve pushed us to the wall.” Someone needs to tell the Right Reverend he is wrong. Christ’s disciples are not “goats;” they are “sheep.” (Matthew 25:31-46).
We have to decide whether to follow Jesus or follow the leadership of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, National President of CAN, who called on Nigerian Christians to defend themselves against Boko Haram attacks. That is wrong. Jesus says: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But who-ever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:38-39).
The kingdom of God is not of this world; therefore Christians must not fight back. The life Jesus gives is spiritual and not temporal. That means it does not need armed protection for it cannot be lost by physical death. Boko Haram bombs and bullets cannot kill. The only thing that kills is sin.
War, even when fought in self-defense, represents the triumph of sin over righteousness in believers. Win or lose, spiritual death is the result. Jesus warns: “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” (Luke 9:24). He says further-more: “All who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26: 52). Therefore, CAN or no CAN, no true disciple of Jesus should heed any bogus call to arms.
Blind leaders
Nigerian Christians have to decide whether to follow Jesus or follow Pastor Enoch Adeboye of Redeemed Church who, instead of praying for the Boko Haram, declared spiritual warfare on them. Adeboye even prayed that, “before the end of this month, all the problems of Nigeria would be over.” However, we know from Jesus, the Good Pastor, that some problems are tonic for the soul.
Public prayers in street-corners are not going to eradicate Nigeria’s problems overnight, if at all. To live for Christ is to expect and embrace affliction. Jesus says: “In the world you will have tribulation.” (John 16: 33). James adds: “Blessed is the man who per-severes under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12).
Nigerian Christians also have to decide whether to follow Jesus or follow Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel who encourages his congregation to curse their enemies. He said: “I decree mysterious death in the camp of the Boko Haram sect in Jesus’ name.” However, it is life, and not death, that is decreed in Jesus’ name.
On the cross, Jesus even prayed for the forgiveness of his murderers. He enjoins us to follow his example: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-45).
Kingdom dynamics
In times like these, Christians need to remember that God creates goodness out of evil. He brings life out of death. Therefore, the architects of Boko Haram are going to be con-founded. In the same way the killing of Jesus resulted in his glorious resurrection, so also will Boko Haram attacks on Christians result in blessings for Nigeria.
Indeed, the attacks are already fostering solidarity between Christians and Moslems in the North like never be-fore. Responding to the crisis, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, said: “What is going on is a conflict between evil people and good peo-ple. The good people are more than the evil ones. So the good people must come together to defeat the evil ones and that is the message.”
Boko Haram is not just the enemy of Christians; it is the enemy of every peace-loving Nigerian. For this reason, the attacks on Christians have provoked Moslems in the North to even greater righteousness. For example, the former FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, appealed on Twitter to Moslem youths to: “form rings of protection around all churches in the 19 northern states and FCT, Abuja during Sunday service.”
In Minna, Niger State, Moslem youths formed groups to guard churches during Sun-day services. Their leader, Gimba Kakanda, said: “We are protecting our fellow Christian brothers and sisters to show the world that our leaders cannot use religion to divide us.”
In Kano, Moslems, under the leadership of Salihu Tanko, formed a group called “Concerned Citizens of Kano” to reach out in support of aggrieved Christians. They visit churches, giving speeches of friendship and solidarity. Clearly, this outpouring of love and compassion is not what the Boko Haram intended.
Joseph said to his bro-thers who sold him as a slave to Egypt only to discover he became the country’s Prime Minist-er: “You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20).
By Femi Aribisala
How we respond separates the wheat from the chaff. Those calling for retaliation are enemies of the cross of Christ. They are the tares the enemy planted at night among the wheat. Those calling for restraints are the true sons of God.
The challenge
God calls Nebuchadnezzar his servant. (Jeremiah 25:9). Similarly, the Boko Haram must be seen as “servants” of God. God is using them to determine those who will enter into the blessings of his kingdom. God’s blessings are not only extraordinary; his means of deter-mining the recipients are peculiar.
Jesus says: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” (Matthew 5:10-12).
Jesus foresaw the Boko Haram attacks and warned Christians about them. He said: “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you be-cause they have not known the Father nor Me.
But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.” (John 16:1-4). Therefore, the challenge of Boko Haram is in determining whether Nigerian Christians will be made to stumble, or whether we will remember the words of Jesus and be guided accordingly. (Matthew 13:18-23).
CAN response
We have to decide whether to follow Jesus or follow Christian leaders like Dr. Sunday Mbang, former Prelate of the Methodist Church in Nigeria, and former President of CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria), who said: “If they kill Christians in their own part of the country and we kill them in our side of the country, nobody should blame anybody.” “Buy the truth and sell it not.” (Proverbs 23:23).
The Lord will blame us all. Reverend Philip Mwel-bish, Head of CAN in Plateau State, also said: “We have a proverb in Nigeria: if you push a goat to the wall, he will bite you. They’ve pushed us to the wall.” Someone needs to tell the Right Reverend he is wrong. Christ’s disciples are not “goats;” they are “sheep.” (Matthew 25:31-46).
We have to decide whether to follow Jesus or follow the leadership of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, National President of CAN, who called on Nigerian Christians to defend themselves against Boko Haram attacks. That is wrong. Jesus says: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But who-ever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:38-39).
The kingdom of God is not of this world; therefore Christians must not fight back. The life Jesus gives is spiritual and not temporal. That means it does not need armed protection for it cannot be lost by physical death. Boko Haram bombs and bullets cannot kill. The only thing that kills is sin.
War, even when fought in self-defense, represents the triumph of sin over righteousness in believers. Win or lose, spiritual death is the result. Jesus warns: “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” (Luke 9:24). He says further-more: “All who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26: 52). Therefore, CAN or no CAN, no true disciple of Jesus should heed any bogus call to arms.
Blind leaders
Nigerian Christians have to decide whether to follow Jesus or follow Pastor Enoch Adeboye of Redeemed Church who, instead of praying for the Boko Haram, declared spiritual warfare on them. Adeboye even prayed that, “before the end of this month, all the problems of Nigeria would be over.” However, we know from Jesus, the Good Pastor, that some problems are tonic for the soul.
Public prayers in street-corners are not going to eradicate Nigeria’s problems overnight, if at all. To live for Christ is to expect and embrace affliction. Jesus says: “In the world you will have tribulation.” (John 16: 33). James adds: “Blessed is the man who per-severes under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12).
Nigerian Christians also have to decide whether to follow Jesus or follow Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel who encourages his congregation to curse their enemies. He said: “I decree mysterious death in the camp of the Boko Haram sect in Jesus’ name.” However, it is life, and not death, that is decreed in Jesus’ name.
On the cross, Jesus even prayed for the forgiveness of his murderers. He enjoins us to follow his example: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-45).
Kingdom dynamics
In times like these, Christians need to remember that God creates goodness out of evil. He brings life out of death. Therefore, the architects of Boko Haram are going to be con-founded. In the same way the killing of Jesus resulted in his glorious resurrection, so also will Boko Haram attacks on Christians result in blessings for Nigeria.
Indeed, the attacks are already fostering solidarity between Christians and Moslems in the North like never be-fore. Responding to the crisis, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, said: “What is going on is a conflict between evil people and good peo-ple. The good people are more than the evil ones. So the good people must come together to defeat the evil ones and that is the message.”
Boko Haram is not just the enemy of Christians; it is the enemy of every peace-loving Nigerian. For this reason, the attacks on Christians have provoked Moslems in the North to even greater righteousness. For example, the former FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, appealed on Twitter to Moslem youths to: “form rings of protection around all churches in the 19 northern states and FCT, Abuja during Sunday service.”
In Minna, Niger State, Moslem youths formed groups to guard churches during Sun-day services. Their leader, Gimba Kakanda, said: “We are protecting our fellow Christian brothers and sisters to show the world that our leaders cannot use religion to divide us.”
In Kano, Moslems, under the leadership of Salihu Tanko, formed a group called “Concerned Citizens of Kano” to reach out in support of aggrieved Christians. They visit churches, giving speeches of friendship and solidarity. Clearly, this outpouring of love and compassion is not what the Boko Haram intended.
Joseph said to his bro-thers who sold him as a slave to Egypt only to discover he became the country’s Prime Minist-er: “You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20).
By Femi Aribisala
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