By His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Abidoye
His Grace Most Rev. Samuel Abidoye
His Grace Most Rev. Samuel Abidoye
In 1 Peter 4:17, the Bible says, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel?”
Nigeria is a country where you have many worshippers of God. Where, indeed, one would expect to find many God-fearing people. On Sundays, the roads to churches are busy and full of people totting their Bibles. With Pastors and other men and women generally referred to as “men/women of God” going to churches to preach to their members.
On Fridays, the Mosques are always full to capacity, overflowing with adherents; when the time for worship comes. The same thing applies to churches on Sundays. The population of people worshipping “God” are so large in this country that one could say with all confidence that remove Muslims and Christians from the Nigerian population, and there would be nothing left.
Most of our Pastors preach “PROSPERITY” and forget about Salvation completely. When Pastors or prophets of God prophesy breakthrough, blessing and abundance into the lives of the congregation, the “Amen” of the members will almost shake the church to its foundation. Interestingly, many Christians prefer to worship at the so called “new generation” churches because they often preach what they want to hear. Indeed, government workers, members of House of Representative, Senators and many ‘big people’ in the country worship in these churches, where the size of your purse is considered the level of favour you are enjoying from God.
I have no problem with that; even though it would do Nigerians much more good, if they also preach about poverty, the plight of the poor, the fatherless and widows in the country. It is the duty of the church to condemn corruption, which is now the god of many people in our society, including some prominent preachers. But how could these ‘men of God’ condemn corruption in good conscience? Where else would they get big Offertories and large envelopes?
They are afraid of stepping on the toes of the so called ‘big men and women’ in the society! These preachers are so carried away with their seeming success that they boast about the size of their churches. They like to be praised by men, forgetting what the Bible says in James 4:4: “know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
Although they have never been to heaven, but because of their riches and fabulous wealth, they condemn other denominations, and declare that members of other churches cannot make heaven, as if the key to the Kingdom of God is in their hands. They forget that only Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross for our sins and resurrected on the third day in victory over death and sin, knows who are His own.
The size of a church does not determine who will make heaven. The cloth people wear has nothing to do with the salvation of their souls. Those who mock other churches and their members forget what the Bibles says in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Let me humbly refer these set of ‘holy’ men of God to what Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:12-13, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”
Where Salvation should be preached, where corruption should be condemned, and eradication of poverty should be mentioned, only prosperity and breakthrough are celebrated. These preachers say what they believe people want to hear, and condemn other churches to boost their ego and to increase the members of their church at the expenses of genuine men of God and churches that preach Jesus Christ crucified.
If these churches preach to the big men and women attending their churches about the evil of corruption and encourage them to consider the poor in our society, Nigeria will not be as it is presently. If these affluent people are told the truth about how their acts of collusion in looting the treasury is destroying our economy, enslaving our youths and their future, encouraging lawlessness and criminality stemming from hopelessness and desperation among the younger generation, maybe, just maybe, some of them will pause in their negative activities and desist from stealing our treasury blind.
Indeed, heaven will not fall if they preach about these things or chat with politicians about societal problems when they come to them for prayers to win elections. Our duty is to rescue people from the yoke of Satan, not to praise those who condemn them into his bondage.
* His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Abidoye is the Spiritual Father and Head of the Cherubim & Seraphim Movement Church Worldwide.