CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA AND PENTECOSTAL FELLOWSHIP OF NIGERIA- What is Our Strategy for Evangelism?
I have chosen to publish this on a Christian forum only. I decided not to publish this on Facebook because it will amount to washing our dirty linen in the public.
I see and hear a lot of hatred and bitterness in our speeches and write ups. The present day Christians appear to hate so much. If these were the kind of Christians that Jesus handed over to after he left, Christianity would have died in the same century He left. Would we have been able to say like Jesus Christ, Father forgive them for they know not what they do, or like Stephen when he said Lord, do not hold this sin against them? I hear many of us preaching the message of weapons. Hmmm, I say again like I have said in some of my write ups; if we go with the weapons of men, we MIGHT win the physical battle but we WILL lose the spiritual battle. (Capital letter is intentional). When you begin to publish lies that you have never proven yourself in order to score a political point, are you not a liar? (What did the Bible say will happen to all liars?). We often write what never really took place in order to score a point. What is the difference between you and the non-believer? A Christian as defined by Christ should be an epitome of truth and justice. Our attitude tells me the root of our problem in Nigeria.
I have often let everyone know the beginning of the Christian mess we have today in the church. The foundation of the problem of the church is greed which gave room to competition and hatred. It is because of this hatred that Christianity stopped spreading and therefore gave room for the fear of Isamization of Nigeria as we all put it today. Let me remind you that it was the Christians that brought light to the Koma people and the Koma people were not Christians. This was done by the Christian Corpers. When we were slowly destroying the organs that God Himself set up in order to gratify due to our selfish desires, we never realized that in no time it will come to bite us in the butt. Brethren, the journey to Ichabod is slow and gradual. When we started to form the branches of our churches on the various college campuses, we did not know that were destroying the military/evangelical branch of the church. When we decided to form the various branches of our churches in the NYSC camps, we never knew that we were destroying the army that the Lord set up to evangelize Nigeria. When we therefore set up NYSC of RCCG, NYSC of Winners, NYSC of Deeper life, we never realized that we were on a journey to Ichabod. We therefore successfully balkanized our military or the evangelistic wing of the Church. All these we did for selfish reasons.
As Youth Corpers, we could penetrate areas in the North where Eagles dared to land, we had access to authorities. Do not question my authority here because I was the National President of the National Christian Corpers Fellowship (1986/87). What are the various branches of the churches’ Corpers fellowship doing today? They are attending breakthrough seminars in the cities. In my time our competition as Corpers, was how many village evangelism we went for.
Now let me say very clearly that I do not believe that all the Muslims are demons as we often put them. There was a time in the RCCG when the GO decided he was going to do away with the Christian workers in camp and hire Muslims because he found them to be more trust worthy. I have done a business worth Millions of Naira with a Muslim and no dime was lost. I still deal with him today with all confidence. He is like a brother to me. I have visited his parents in the North and they fed me. Do not get me wrong, some Muslims are also very crooked nd believe in this message of hate and kill but must we be like them? Also, I will not trust anything today to any one because the person is a Christian because experience has shown me that among many of today’s so called Christians in Nigeria, I find it hard to trust 85% of us. Too sad you may say but that is left to me. I will not do any business with anyone because he or she says he or she is a Christian. I would have done so in the 70s.
Now to politics, do not deceive yourself, it is not possible for only Christians to rule Nigeria. Secondly, politics is so personal that I wish we get a little bit careful as we present candidates. That explains why we do not talk politics in our office otherwise you will lose your job. Do I like Buhari? Not quite. I have been upset at the way he has handled the slaughter by the Fulani, herdsmen and also his bias towards the people he puts in offices. Economically, I score him very well. Personally, when we had a chance between Buhari and Jonathan, I would have chosen Buhari then. Unfortunately to make some people sad, if the only choice I have again today is Buhari and Jonathan, I will chose Buhari again.
The reason for my choice is not the reason for this write up so please do not drag me into that and besides I have said that politics is a matter of choice. In my city where I live, the man who is our Mayor is a Muslim; in fact he is the only Muslim Mayor in North America. He is very adverse to Christians and we see it openly but he is very good economically. I did not vote for him but he has won three times and I continue to pray for him and refuse to hate him. The same goes for the Prime minister of Canada. He has forced Churches to adopt the gay agenda or lose any funding. I still refuse to hate him. That does not mean I will vote for him. I know that it is God that puts men in authority and it is God that removes them. I have often said that God brought Donald Trump for a reason and when He is done, He will remove him. Enough for politics but brethren PLEASE I beg you all, let us stop this hatred.
I have heard some say that Nigeria should divide. People who say such do not mean well for the church. They might have some selfish reasons. Now let me tell you again, if Nigeria should divide, the Christians stand to lose more that the Muslims. You ask me how? First, that will automatically block evangelism into the Northern part of Nigeria. If you doubt it, please try organizing a crusade to Omar, Saudi or UAE etc. So division of Nigeria spells doom for evangelism to the Northern part of Nigeria.
Now economically, there is not proof that we will do better than the North. Right now, the only state doing well in Nigeria is Lagos state. The only resource that makes the south feel they are on top is oil and oil is dying. Do you want to say to me that Saudi is poor? Is Oman poor, why do we now hold our parties in Dubai or own houses there. The same could happen to our Northern Nigeria. They just have refused to see the resources they have. They have refused to see their resources because again the love for oil has blinded their eyes. Some of the best economy in the world does not have oil. A Caucasian friend once said to me that oil is a curse. Let me stop here.
BRO NOSA IDAHOSA
