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Nigerian Churches In The Wild - Religion - Nairaland

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Nigerian Churches In The Wild by Docii001(m): 7:54am On Dec 27, 2012
There are so many definitions for the word 'wild',some of them are;
1)Living in a state of nature;not tamed or domesticated
2)Undisciplined,unlawful,lawless
3)Disregarding of moral restraints as to pleasurable indulgence
What is a Church?
A church is the body of christ,consisting of those who have been saved. An in depth study of the book of Acts shows us that the Church was bought by the blood of Jesus(therefore no man can lay claim to the Church of God). As we know that Jesus owns the Church,he set the template by which the church should be run,with his lifestyle,actions and teachings. This could be seen in everything he did;simplicity,love,generosity,sacrifice,humility,equality,compassion,etc.
In fact,Jesus Christ was so much in unity with his disciples, he couldn't be differentiated from them(they all looked alike). This was evident at the time of his capture as Judas Iscariot had to kiss him before he could be discovered.

The disciples who started the first church were called 'christians',meaning Christ-like. The early church epitomized all of the qualities of Jesus(Acts4:32-37). From the passage,it is clear that the christians had everything in common,to the extent that they shared all their properties in church;no one was poor and nobody lacked.
Every human being is born of the world and driven by the flesh. Jesus knew this and that is why he sent the Holyspirit(the tamer of the flesh) to his disciples.
As christians,we are still human with the innate desire to lose control(go wild) but Jesus,through the holyspirit regulates our excesses and orders our path. This also applies to the church,as the holyspirit helps govern the affairs of the church,and the teachings of Jesus serves as manuscript.
Many Nigerian churches today are still in the wild and are blinded by the
riches of this world to the ailing needs of their neighbors. The wild portrays a 'survival of the fittest' scenario but the church should be-'everyone must survive'. Today though we find the church immersed in the confusion of the wild.
In malachi 3:10,we see that the church should be a haven of abundance where no member should lack.
In Nigeria,General Overseers of churches spend billions acquiring private jets,properties,gadgets,etc. While many of their members are impoverished. This is done all in the name of spreading the gospel.
Jesus fed a multitude of 5000 with 5loaves and 2fishes,because he recognized a crucial need. He didn't in that same manner command a ship out of the sea for his private use in propagating the gospel(rather he traveled with fishermen). This is because he understood that the best way to spread the gospel was through our lifestyle,actions and simple acts of kindness,rather than 'transportation'.
People came to seek Jesus from far and near, when they heard about the signs and wonders and the same happened with the disciples(Acts 5:16).

Most General Overseers of Nigerian churches are more enthused by the status of owning Jets and universities(which do little to help members) than the intricate needs of their poor members. Evidently this puts them shoulder to shoulder with the corrupt politicians who place their insatiable lust for material things over the needs of the mass populace.

The teachings of Jesus Christ show us that the primary assignment of a shepherd is his flock. The well being of each member is paramount and so,when one goes missing he leaves everything and goes in search of the lost one. Under this teaching,there is no place for jets when one of your members suffers hunger!
It is now common for christians to be caught stealing,involved in fraud,corruption,etc....but this is because they have been left in the 'wild' by their pastors who themselves are confused in the 'wild'. Jesus taught simplicity,Love,sacrifice,humility,and therefore set the standard for churches and General overseers. It is safe to say these 'men' of God have missed it(mistakes characterize our humanity) and hero-worship will not help them realize this fact.
Finally,do not question God,or the Holyspirit but question the actions of man!

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Re: Nigerian Churches In The Wild by AtheistD(m): 7:56am On Dec 27, 2012
This is really good. All churches across denominations have major issues but the prosperity pastors in Nigeria are really causing some serious problems.

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