1. could we have the link to the story?

2. Sacrilege? NO. A pastor's daughter is NO MORE important than that of a street hawker or any one else. 

3. It seems to me the pastor has been living a publicly lavish lifestyle. While I don't condone the actions of the kidnappers, I think this pastor may have brought it on himself. They have seen his customized hummer, etc - Why wouldn't the perpertrators think he has millions to pay as ransom?

4. I pray the poor little innocent girl returns home safely.

@Poster can we get the meaning of the word "SACRILEGE" pls.
Kidnapping itself is bad,whoever is involved not withstanding.

UMMM SACRILEGE?

For what? Because she's a pastor's daughter? hisssssssss


It is wrong to kidnapp anyone, period.

I pray she returns home safely.

ubonboy,
  don't get me wrong, I totally condemn the act too. Children are precious in the sight of God and heaven help those who harm them.

ubonboy:

Please JeSoul don't condemn the poor Pastor now. He needs our prayers.

 yes he needs our prayers along with every other missing or kidnapped child in the area and in the country.

Is there anything wrong in reaping the fruits of one's labour? Have you heard of Pastor Damina's story of how he started the ministry, nurtured it to success? let it be on record that Pastor Abel did not buy those cars OK? THEY WERE GIFTS. come to Uyo and find that out for yourself.

 It is not a pastors calling to "enjoy the fruits of his labor"- his calling is to preach the gospel of Christ. I'm not saying pastors should live in poverty or not be wealthy BUT you have to understand that it was probably his flamboyant, lavish, flashy lifestyle that attracted those kidnappers to his family. Na you just talk say we reap what we sow. Whether or not they were gifts is irrelevant, he was still living it up. Besides to accept gift no be by force. He shoulda been more careful about it - in my humble opinion.

First of all this post should not be in thsi section, cos it has nothing to do with religion, this is the case of a daughther of a wealthy man being kidnapped. secondly :

ubonboy:

Please JeSoul don't condemn the poor Pastor now. He needs our prayers. Is there anything wrong in reaping the fruits of one's labour? Have you heard of Pastor Damina's story of how he started the ministry, nurtured it to success? let it be on record that Pastor Abel did not buy those cars OK? THEY WERE GIFTS. come to Uyo and find that out for yourself.

I totally condemn this act. I sympathize with him as well as every family that has suffered from this. who will be the next victim? we need to pray.

poor little girl indeed

Why shouldn't the pastor be condemed, should a true pastor of Christ be living flamboyantly?? A pastor is supposed to be christ like and that means meek and humble. Jesus was very humble and he encouraged humility not flamboyancy. The excuse that the cars were gifts does not hold water, i know of a popular pastor in Lagos that bought a Jeep with church funds and now got  a church member to donate the same Jeep to him publicly in church. Besides if the pastor truly as a calling he wold reject the Jeep and ask the giver to contribute the money towards God's work which includes giving to charities and the less priviledge. My church pastor once warned my whole church publicly that if anyone bought him a car gift or any expensive gift he would reject it, or at best sell the item and turn over the money to the church. A good pastor should encourage members to focus more on God thn on himself.

Why shouldn't the pastor be condemed, should a true pastor of Christ be living flamboyantly?? A pastor is supposed to be christ like and that means meek and humble. Jesus was very humble and he encouraged humility not flamboyancy

I like this statement.

Here's a joke. My Priest drives a 2003 Nissan Altima. One day he took me to Physical therapy. While driving I asked him, Father how is it that you drive a 2003 Nissan Altima and the Priest before you drove a 1998 Toyota Corrola. Hysterically he started laughing and said they offered me the Toyota Corola, so I got on my knees and begged and almost came to tears. I asked why he begged for it, he said look at my height. I bursted out laughing.
If you've ever been in a Toyota Corrola you'll get the joke.

I hope you guys find it funny, it's funny to me.

Well he has to keep that Altima for years, that was the condition. So for the next 10 to 15 years he gets nothing else.

i know of a popular pastor in Lagos that bought a Jeep with church funds and now got a church member to donate the same Jeep to him publicly in church.

WOW!!!

A good pastor should encourage members to focus more on God thn on himself.

This is true.


I pray the girl returns home safely

Some great news:The little girl was dropped off the parents church very early yesterday morning.Word going around is that no ransom was paid.(That nobody knows)

All the same we thank God.!!!

i think the poster is right to use the word sacriledge about kidnapping a pastor's daughter because that is the height of desperation,its in the bible where its said not to touch GODs annointed and not to do his prophets no harm,if kidnapping his daughter isnt harming him then i dont know what is.
as for people condemning the pastor for living a good life,show me where its in the bible that a pastor must live a wretched life,for pastors who want to be simple,good luck to them and theres nothing wrong with that,but for the ones who want to be comfortable pls dont vilify them, all denominations have their own faults which is in the public spheres,so lets not even go there as for rejecting a car,from my limited knowledge of the annointing and GOD s blessings,when its upon you theres nothing you or anyone can do about it, when pastor adeboye got the first gift of a luxury car,he rejected it outright,after that he started getting bombarded with all sorts of luxury cars by people he s touched their lives and he prayed about it and GOD told him to accept it,besides where does it say a man or woman of GOD must use the old cars,and not luxury cars

@lucabrasi
The fact that a man as chosen to be a pastor as a profession does not mean he is annointed, even 419 people are opening churches today as a business so please don't assume every pastor is annointed. As for pastors living a flamboyant life go back to your bible and read the book of deut 14 : 27-29. The levites amongst which the priests (pastors) were chosen from in those days were not allowed to own any property. they were meant to live simple lives. but your pastors won't tell you that aspect of it all they only tell you to pay them tithes which was the compensation God gave the Levites for not being allowed to own property.

lucabrasi:

i think the poster is right to use the word sacriledge about kidnapping a pastor's daughter because that is the height of desperation,its in the bible where its said not to touch GODs annointed and not to do his prophets no harm,if kidnapping his daughter isnt harming him then i don't know what is.

 My brotha God's annointed are NOT pastors of today. Every christian is equally precious to God and the bible says "God is no respecter of persons". A child of a slave, an orphan, that of a muslim is just as precious to God as that of a pastor. No life is more precious than another - and this is as taught by the bible.

as for people condemning the pastor for living a good life,show me where its in the bible that a pastor must live a wretched life,for pastors who want to be simple,good luck to them and theres nothing wrong with that,but for the ones who want to be comfortable please don't vilify them,

 It's not about condemning him. Pastors are called to good stewards and to follow the example of Christ who lived in humility- driving around in super luxury cars is not living in humility. No one is saying pastors should be poor and starving and wretched BUT they should NOT be living extravagant lifestyles. That is what Jesus taught.

 

all denominations have their own faults which is in the public spheres,so lets not even go there as for rejecting a car,from my limited knowledge of the annointing and GOD s blessings,when its upon you theres nothing you or anyone can do about it,

    I'm not even sure how to respond to that statement. Why do we think that the blessings of God translate to getting material gain? on the contrary when a true christian realizes this world is going to pass away, they become less and less intrested in the things of this world. To the point a luxury car will lose its appeal and become a hindrance, a big house will be storing up treasure for urself here on earth, and not in heaven.

God's definition of blessing is NOT the same as ours. God's ultimate blessing to us is Jesus and an intimate relationship with Him - that is TRUE blessing. We might see the cars and house and think God is blessing him but did you also know the devil can bless with these gifts as well? don't assume all these things are from God.

when pastor adeboye got the first gift of a luxury car,he rejected it outright,after that he started getting bombarded with all sorts of luxury cars by people he s touched their lives and he prayed about it and GOD told him to accept it,besides where does it say a man or woman of GOD must use the old cars,and not luxury cars

 He said God told him to accept it and so therefore we should take his word for it?

 Truth be told it is shameful that our pastors live in luxury, drive custom made hummers, own mansions, while the very members of their congregations are homeless, hungry, and struggling to survive - this is not the Jesus we see in the new testament. These men are NOT true followers of Jesus Christ if they don't follow His example of care and compassion for the poor. Again no one is saying pastors should be poor, but they should not be living extravagant lives - That is NOT what they've been called to do.

Raimond:

Some great news:The little girl was dropped off the parents church very early yesterday morning.Word going around is that no ransom was paid.(That nobody knows)

All the same we thank God.!!!

Yes oh thank God for the life of the child. Now let us make sure we pray with equal fervency for the return of every other missing or kidnapped child.

@jesoul
I agree with every point you have made. Thank God the poor child is now safe.
But i am sure a hefty ransom was paid

KunleOshob:

@lucabrasi
The fact that a man as chosen to be a pastor as a profession does not mean he is annointed, even 419 people are opening churches today as a business

ok then,i agree with that what about a pastor that is annointed,will the bible sayns on not touching GOD sannointed or anything that will harm him/her be right then?

KunleOshob:


As for pastors living a flamboyant life go back to your bible and read the book of deut 14 : 27-29. The levites amongst which the priests (pastors) were chosen from in those days were not allowed to own any property. they were meant to live simple lives. but your pastors won't tell you that aspect of it all they only tell you to pay them tithes which was the compensation God gave the Levites for not being allowed to own property.

i cant profess to be a genius on the bible tho m a christian,but correct me if im wrong living a flambouyant life is relative,even though pastor adeboye rides luxury cars and lives in a nice house,will you say he s living a simple life or flambouyant life?
pastor kumuyi ,will u say cause he has nice cars and lives in a nice house he s living a flam life?
and if GOD says that the 10% is compensation for the levites,then shouldnt the same rule apply to TRUE MEN OF GOD?
ill like to say briefly that i cannot speak for all men of GOD,as you rightly said some are 419 but the ones i believe are true men of GOD and annointed,i know that some of them are acomplished before going into full time church activities and also they write books with their brains and research and live off the proceeds which is substansial when u look at the number of congregation.
also,i though there was a place in the bible where jesus feet was washed with expensive perfume,and when the disciples tried to take it off the woman,jesus reproached them,

JeSoul:

My brotha God's annointed are NOT pastors of today. Every christian is equally precious to God and the bible says "God is no respecter of persons". A child of a slave, an orphan, that of a muslim is just as precious to God as that of a pastor. No life is more precious than another - and this is as taught by the bible.
It's not about condemning him. Pastors are called to good stewards and to follow the example of Christ who lived in humility- driving around in super luxury cars is not living in humility. No one is saying pastors should be poor and starving and wretched BUT they should NOT be living extravagant lifestyles. That is what Jesus taught.

in as much as i agree with you that,some so called pastors nowadays have made a lot of christians re think what being a pastor is by their actions,i disagree on a blanket generalisation that they r not all annointed,like i said in the other reply,i will not stand here and say all pastors are annointed and i have correct myself from my first reply,but there are a lot that are annointed.
its true that we are all precious in the eyes of GOD,but the bible also teaches that TRUE MEN OF GOD are are GODS annointed right?
well again i will say living an humble and simple life is relative,for instance a man of GOD might dress simple but drive good cars,can i ask you what if the funds for these cars were from the pastor's own pocket and not the church coffers will that make any diffrence?
and even though i agree with you again that some pastors live extravagant lifes which they can do without,i dont think living a good life i.e super cars,a good house e.t.c is akin to extravagance,remember the days of the bible is a lot diffrent to now, we travell wider and to far flung corners of the world as opposed to these days,you wont go to work on a canoe or donkey or trek like these days,

JeSoul:



I'm not even sure how to respond to that statement. Why do we think that the blessings of God translate to getting material gain? on the contrary when a true christian realizes this world is going to pass away, they become less and less intrested in the things of this world. To the point a luxury car will lose its appeal and become a hindrance, a big house will be storing up treasure for yourself here on earth, and not in heaven.

onli used that pastor adeboye example in passing to illustrate some of my points,of course blessing of GOD does not translate to material gain all im saying is that,it ll get to a stage when u cant stop the deluge of blessings coming your way,lets be honest is it every single pastor that even gets an offer of a luxury car?no because GOD uses some more than others and for the ones that GOD works through them ,they have a relationship with him and will not dare go against his words,hence my example that he consulted with GOD before receiving consequent car gifts,i understand if u r not responding to that because spiritual stuffs are something we cannot understand untill we get to that level,f course a good xtian will realise that but that isnt saying that they wont use a nice car or live in a nice house will it?however moderation is the key as a pastor going on convoy of luxury cars or living in 40 rooms mansion is over doing it,especially if its at the churchs expense

JeSoul:



He said God told him to accept it and so therefore we should take his word for it?

like i said before,its a matter of belief and perception,even though u dont believe in some of these pastors,its evident that you r a xtian so you must know that in most denominations irrespective of the ones you attend,there are men of GOD who see visions and can talk to GOD in prayers,you know that the with loyalty pastor adeboye inspires and has with his congregation and generally and what we can see,he doesnt even need to justify his accepting car gifts because a lot of people know that GOD is and continues t use him,but he only explained that cause of the kind of person he is and probably because of ocassions like this because the incident was like 10 years ago or more in nigeria.
so it all boils down to either you belief him or not, same as faith in GOD who we cannot see, perception and faith

JeSoul:






Truth be told it is shameful that our pastors live in luxury, drive custom made hummers, own mansions, while the very members of their congregations are homeless, hungry, and struggling to survive - this is not the Jesus we see in the new testament. These men are NOT true followers of Jesus Christ if they don't follow His example of care and compassion for the poor. Again no one is saying pastors should be poor, but they should not be living extravagant lives - That is NOT what they've been called to do.

i agree with this and that is why i will not stand up n say all pastors are doing the right thing,though i will neither cast aspersions or blame as well, but like i said not all of them and we should be careful about condemning a true man of GOD because some of them are and to reiterate my point again some of them actually spend their own personal money i can give u a few examples that i know
pastor fola alade s dad was a former minister,he was born with a silver spoon and same as his wife so he was already loaded before being called to the work of GOD and he s a medical doctor.
pastor adeboye s a professor of mathematics and a first class brain,if you read his account of how he got his professorship,he solved a mathematical equation that has not being solved before in this world,so if he was in a secular world im sure he wud be a lecturer in a university abroad and making good money,i can tell you a few more that i know have their own money and make money writing books,appearances e.t.c so its actually the fruit of their labour, if a member of the congregation like u and i are not spending maybe half or almost all we r worth on the less priviledged,why shpuld we expect a man of GOD to do so?its not that easy

Lucabrasi,
  thanks for explaining in details I understand where you're coming from better. . .

lucabrasi:

in as much as i agree with you that,some so called pastors nowadays have made a lot of christians re think what being a pastor is by their actions,i disagree on a blanket generalisation that they r not all annointed,like i said in the other reply,i will not stand here and say all pastors are annointed and i have correct myself from my first reply,but there are a lot that are annointed.
its true that we are all precious in the eyes of GOD,but the bible also teaches that TRUE MEN OF GOD are are GODS annointed right?

   Yes my brotha you're right, but the point I was trying to make is that pastors are no more anointed than the other christians! we're all "God's anointed". We all have different offices and gifts but the "level of anointing" is not greater for pastors than others. The bible does not teach that anywhere. Infact it teaches us in Rom that we're all diff parts of the body and "that each parts should have equal concern for each other". Also in
2Cor 1:21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ[b]. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit[/b], guaranteeing what is to come.

  I was trying to highlight that to say that while we should respect and love our pastors we should not "esteem" them to be in a higher position of favor before God or in a greater classification of anointing than the rest of us peasants .

well again i will say living an humble and simple life is relative,for instance a man of GOD might dress simple but drive good cars,can i ask you what if the funds for these cars were from the pastor's own pocket and not the church coffers will that make any diffrence?

  It really wouldn't make a difference because the bible warns us about "avoiding the appearance of sin". Just because I'm rich doesn't mean I should splash it for all to see, but live modestly and use my wealth to glorify God not satisfy my flesh. So even if he has the money, it is not hard to drive a nice car and be happy and still come off as humble, but when they start rocking customized hummers and jeeps it is just too excessive.

  This verse in 1Tim really sums up what I've been trying to say very well
"Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life."

  This my dear is God's will for any rich christian, not just pastors, any christian whom God has blessed with material wealth.

and even though i agree with you again that some pastors live extravagant lifes which they can do without,i don't think living a good life i.e super cars,a good house e.t.c is akin to extravagance,remember the days of the bible is a lot diffrent to now, we travell wider and to far flung corners of the world as opposed to these days,you wont go to work on a canoe or donkey or trek like these days,

  lol, certainly not    I hear your point though in that extravangance can be relative but I think there's a fine line between where a person is simply enjoying his wealth, and when one is indulging in excess - a customized hummer? now that's excess! 

   

onli used that pastor adeboye example in passing to illustrate some of my points,of course blessing of GOD does not translate to material gain all im saying is that,it ll get to a stage when u can't stop the deluge of blessings coming your way,lets be honest is it every single pastor that even gets an offer of a luxury car?no because GOD uses some more than others and for the ones that GOD works through them ,they have a relationship with him and will not dare go against his words,hence my example that he consulted with GOD before receiving consequent car gifts,i understand if you're not responding to that because spiritual stuffs are something we cannot understand untill we get to that level,f course a good xtian will realise that but that isnt saying that they wont use a nice car or live in a nice house will it?

   I know what you mean in that some of the congregation might want to bless their pastor because they love and appreciate him - the intent and heart is noble. But still think about it, there's so much good that could be done with the money that's in the fleet of cars sitting in a pastors garage. In that case the pastor should (if God allows) take what he needs and instruct his congregation to put their money to better use! that's how a selfless man of God will react to showers of gifts.
And if the congregation doesn't stop, then let the pastor in turn take those gifts and convert them like 1Timothy teaches to use to help the poor and be generous - especially if he has members of his flock struggling to survive.

 

however moderation is the key as a pastor going on convoy of luxury cars or living in 40 rooms mansion is over doing it,especially if its at the churchs expense

AMEN!!! 

 

like i said before,its a matter of belief and perception,even though u don't believe in some of these pastors,its evident that you r a xtian so you must know that in most denominations irrespective of the ones you attend,there are men of GOD who see visions and can talk to GOD in prayers,you know that the with loyalty pastor adeboye inspires and has with his congregation and generally and what we can see,he doesnt even need to justify his accepting car gifts because a lot of people know that GOD is and continues t use him,but he only explained that cause of the kind of person he is and probably because of ocassions like this because the incident was like 10 years ago or more in nigeria.

  hmm I still think pastors should not be accepting these lavish gifts because they can become a hindrance and put off a wrong image about him and the God he's serving (and in this case, attract kidnappers). if you say he's a true man of God, I hope he is. I've not been on the naija scene for a mighty long time so you would know better than I do. 

so it all boils down to either you belief him or not, same as faith in GOD who we cannot see, perception and faithi agree with this and that is why i will not stand up n say all pastors are doing the right thing,though i will neither cast aspersions or blame as well, but like i said not all of them and we should be careful about condemning a true man of GOD because some of them are and to reiterate my point again some of them actually spend their own personal money i can give u a few examples that i know
pastor fola alade s dad was a former minister,he was born with a silver spoon and same as his wife so he was already loaded before being called to the work of GOD and he s a medical doctor.
pastor adeboye s a professor of mathematics and a first class brain,if you read his account of how he got his professorship,he solved a mathematical equation that has not being solved before in this world,so if he was in a secular world im sure he would be a lecturer in a university abroad and making good money,i can tell you a few more that i know have their own money and make money writing books,appearances e.t.c

  I actually know a minister here who gave up a lucrative engineering career to become a college minister. I admire him more than anyone else. Cos he lives such a simple yet inspiring life. He doesn't run a church, but is supported by the campus ministry and donations from students present and past. And yet when you ask him, he doesn't feel like he gave up anything, but rather gained so much more by now serving the Lord.
  We should look at it that way. . . anyone who gives up things for God, is not losing, but actually gaining treasure in heaven!

 

so its actually the fruit of their labour, if a member of the congregation like u and i are not spending maybe half or almost all we r worth on the less priviledged,why shpuld we expect a man of GOD to do so?its not that easy

  That is a GREAT pointit is not easy, true, but if we understood that that is not really what matters it should be easy for all os us to give freely. that's why I said any christian who's been materially blessed should be using their wealth to glorify God, not satisfy their flesh.
Also another difference between us and the pastor (which puts more of the onus on him) is that he has been blessed through the church, his riches have come through the preaching of the word, he cannot in good conscience live a wealthy lifestlye while the very people he's preaching to are coming and leaving hungry and homeless. . . something about that is just not right.

   wow, sorry about the length of this 

KunleOshob:

@jesoul
I agree with every point you have made. Thank God the poor child is now safe.
But i am sure a hefty ransome was paid

no doubt brotha .
Hey you never finished answering my questions back on the "Church history" thread

JeSoul:

no doubt brotha .
Hey you never finished answering my questions back on the "Church history" thread

which question was that?? i would check it and revert

Abraham was blessed and rich, so was his son Isaac, Daniel was the Primeminister thats the OT, Jesus the apostles and the disciples were made up of industrialits and business people etc, etc, they were not poor.

Humility and meekness, compassion and sensitivity are not the preserve of the poor, i know many overinflated proudly arrogant poor people in the economic sense.

A pastor having a Hummer is not flamboyant its about perspective, at todays prices you can pick up a used one for $15,000 near 2 million naira. Its the lie of the devil that says if you worship God suffering and poverty are your inheritance in this life.

Mark 10:29"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.

Kidnapping his daughter is an act motivated by wickedness and evil greed, they may have got the ransome but they have another eternal reward if they do not repent.

The bible says, the earth and everything that is in it belongs to God. He choose whom to give what to according to the level of our commitment to him, another thing to note is that, every aquisition in life is for a purpose, personal style and taste. A well built and furnished bungalow may be prefered to a duplex, it all depend on taste and size of pocket, we must not lose sight that the so called luxury car for example has features that equals its cost, and if you can afford it, why not buy it. if i need a car that has automatic transmission, will i be driving one with manual transmission simply because i want to be modest. At a level in life, we become expose to harm, as in the pastors case in discuss, hence, he must be security conscious, aquisition must have some element of protection, which certainly will mean more expensive aquisition

@ komekn

Abeg, make una dey fear God when una dey quote una own version of bible.You mentioned Abraham and Isaac.WHERE THEY PASTORS?WHERE THEY PRIESTS?They were followers of God's way of life (like every true christian today).

You mentioned Jesus and his disciples.Let me remind you that ALL THE CHOSEN DISCIPLES has to forfeit what they had to follow Jesus e.g Peter had to leave his fishing business to fish for men.

Let the truth be told, 96% of all the so-called pastors in the world today are after their own well being.People don't have the balls to talk about this because they don't want to "offend" God.Well, i am a christian, i read my bible,pray regularly and have absolute faith in the lord.That doesn't mean i will turn a blind eye to all the scam-affiliated-pastors that are all over the place these days.Everybody is now opening churches.All over the world (and more importantly, Nigeria),church business is good business.

Nuff said.

One more thing

A "pastor" can live well and good without living flashy.I don't know who this "Man of God" is (everybody is a man of God these days) but for him to put out a customized H2 and some other SUV in short term speaks volumes.As much as followers of Christ are being brain washed by "prosperity pastors" today,one unique feature of every true christian in the bible is MODESTY.This guy no doubt is very flashy and when you flash your wealth (both legit and ill gotten) in front of everyone (all in the name of representing the fruits), you are inviting trouble.It is not magic.It is common sense.How many modest pastors got their kids kidnapped?How many modest millionaires and billionaires have gotten their family members kidnapped?Hmmm.

It's the ones that show the whole world "what the lord has done" that get bit in the ass.

Nuff said.

The poster has his facts wrong, and all you who have responded negatively, go ask for God's mercy.