GOD DOES NOT RULE THROUGH THE BALLOT BOX!!!
This article was originally scheduled for publication
AFTER the forthcoming election in Nigeria. I did not want
to be accused of influencing voters in a particular way.
But upon further reflection, it became clear to me that I
was actually trying to dodge the persecution that trails
the path of anybody that dares to speak the truth. And
at our present crossroads, the Church in Nigeria needs to
hear the truth, however unpalatable. For the Church is in
the danger of being used as a political tool by Christian
leaders with ulterior motives. For reasons of objectivity
and transparency, it is necessary for me to make the
following disclosure.
(DISCLOSURE: I am a passive observer of the political
process in Nigeria. I have absolutely no interest in ANY
political party whatsoever. And I will NOT vote at the
election because I live outside Nigeria at the moment.)
As a Christian, I believe that it is both sacrilegious and
highly immoral for ANY MAN to use the name of the
Lord, or God’s platform, to influence people to vote in a
particular way that God Himself has not expressly
commanded or revealed. All those involved in such
things will give account for abuse of office when they
stand in judgment.
Sadly, the leadership of the Church in Nigeria has shown
open partisanship in the current election. And this
partisanship is based on a tissue of lies and distortion of
the Bible. On the basis of this falsehood, a large section
of our Christian community is being led to vote for
incumbent President Jonathan – simply because he is a
Christian, and the other candidate, a Muslim. In the
name of the Lord, voters are being urged NOT to give
due consideration to merit or performance, but to vote
PURELY on the basis of religion!
The foundation of this plot was laid about ten months
ago by one Pastor Bosun Emmanuel (PBE) in a widely
circulated audio message alerting the Church about a
credible plan to Islamise Nigeria by registering the nation
in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). In the
passionate message, he also raised a lot of crucial
issues pertaining to the current state of the Church in
the nation – how we have stopped raising disciples for
Christ, how we have become focussed on the so-called
‘prosperity Gospel’, how we are neglecting the poor in
our midst (particularly our persecuted brethren in the
northern part of the country), how the nation is decaying
because the Church is neglecting her responsibility, etc.
The message was a stirring call to repentance, and it
spread widely among the Christian community.
Personally, I reproduced and distributed over 100 copies
of the audio CDs both in Nigeria and outside the country.
Beyond this noble aspect of the message, PBE also
planted some insidious seeds of politics. He told us that
President Jonathan was planted by God in Aso Rock for
a divine purpose. He told us that APC is a party that has
an Islamic agenda, and urged us to vote in Christians as
our political leaders. He pointed to Turkey and similar
nations that had become Islamised because the
Christians in those nations were not watchful as Islam
spread its tentacles across Europe and Africa. He
concluded by warning us that Christianity will be wiped
off in Nigeria if the Church did not urgently rise up to
begin to check the rise of the Islamists and their agenda
in our political development as a nation. It was a
sobering message. And a lot of us believed him.
But with the benefit of hindsight, it is now clear that
beyond the matters of faith he raised, PBE’s message
was ALSO designed to turn the Church of Christ in
Nigeria into a political association that can be centrally
controlled. Controlled by the Christian Association of
Nigeria (CAN), and its leader, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor,
whose virtue as an exemplary Christian leader he
extolled very highly.
Building on the foundation of that crafty message, the
Church is now being told that any Christian that votes for
APC is ‘using his thumb to dig the grave of the Church in
Nigeria’!!! And, like puppets, untold numbers of Christians
have bought into this huge deception without thinking it
through! They have been taught to shut their minds to
the failings and corruption of the present administration,
and vote them in again in a bid to preserve the Church in
Nigeria! What a lie! What a grand scheme of deception!
NOBODY CAN DIG THE GRAVE OF THE CHURCH BY
VOTING FOR A MUSLIM. The Church of God is first and
foremost a spiritual entity, and thus it is indestructible by
human agents. God DOES NOT need a Christian to be in
political authority before His will can be advanced in any
society. God does not rule through the ballot box! In His
sovereignty, He can use ANYBODY (Christian, Muslim,
Hindu, Atheist, etc) to accomplish His will at any time,
and at any place. God is indeed sovereign in the affairs
of mankind.
Unwittingly, PBE also confirmed this in his message. He
asked his audience, “Who is the best Head of State that
Nigeria has ever had?” Many people mentioned Christian
ex-Heads of State, but PBE disagreed. He said the best
leader we have ever had is General Sani Abacha – a
Muslim. He went on to tell us how God used Abacha to
break a national curse over the leadership seat of the
nation, and said that was the MOST significant event in
the political destiny of Nigeria.
If that is true, let us ask ourselves some questions: Who
engineered that event? Obviously, GOD. Who did He use
as a tool of fulfilment? Abacha – a Muslim! Does this
same God still not reign? Has He stopped using
ANYBODY as He wills? PBE even pointed to his audience
that General Gowon, a Christian, did great harm to the
cause of Christ in Nigeria because He converted the
Christian schools in Nigeria to secular, state schools.
So, brothers and sisters, furthering the cause of Christ in
any society is not about the person in power – IT IS ALL
ABOUT THE PERSON ON THE THRONE IN ETERNITY!
And all He seeks are men and women that will obey Him
on earth. God does not seek/need our political power or
authority to achieve His purpose!
The reason that Christianity fell in Turkey (and similar
places) was not because Islamic fundamentalists rose
up in influence or power – it was because Christ DID
NOT HAVE FAITHFUL DISCIPLES ON THE GROUND.
Where faithful disciples exist, Islam CAN NEVER quench
the eternal flame of the Gospel. Never, never ever!
The Gospel can ONLY be extinguished in any society by
the One that lit the flame – Jesus Christ Himself. And
please note this: Jesus can put off the flame of the
Gospel in ANY society when His followers refuse to turn
to Him with all their hearts. We see this most clearly in
Revelation 2:5, “… repent …if not, I will come to you and
remove your lampstand from its place, unless you
repent.” Those were the exact words of Jesus to the
Church of Ephesus – I WILL REMOVE YOUR
LAMPSTAND! It is only AFTER Christ has extinguished
the flame of the Gospel in any environment that
Islamists (or any agent that satan wants to use) can
move in and completely take over. In such situations,
ignorant people will think it is the political power (or
brute force) of Islam (or whichever enemy) that gives
them victory over the Church. This is blindness! It is
actually God, though Christ Jesus, that is in FULL
CONTROL.
Evidence of this abounds in the Scriptures. Jesus gave
an evaluation of the seven Churches of Asia in the
letters we read in Revelation 2 & 3. Of these seven, only
two were without blemish. And one of these two, the
Church in Pergamos, was actually located where ‘satan’s
throne’ was! (Revelation 2:13). The Church of Christ
flourished and triumphed right in satan’s headquarters!
So, it is not about the location. And it is not about the
spiritual/political authority in the land. It is about this:
“Does Christ have true and faithful disciples on ground?”
The testimony of the early Church also confirms this
truth. They operated under some of the most repressive,
tyrannical and pagan rulers – yet they triumphed
brilliantly. They took the Gospel all over the then known
world (Acts 17:6). Persecution did not kill them, it re-
fired them. Affliction did not douse their passion for
Christ, it re-fuelled it. The power was within them – not
in the political dispensation around them. And the
Apostles did not train their converts to capture political
power to ‘help’ the cause of Christ in their land. They
were trained to focus on Jesus. And through them,
Jesus shone in the darkness around them.
For Jesus Himself made it clear that His Kingdom was
not of this world (John 18:36). The coming of His
Kingdom will NEVER be predicated on tricking people to
vote for corrupt leaders – in His name! That is the
deception of Christian leaders that are feasting
sumptuously at the tables of corrupt politicians. That is
why many are not surprised at the allegation that some
pastors have been given a bribe of N6 billion/N7 billion
to influence Christians to vote for the incumbent
administration. The truth of this allegation may or may
never see the light of day.
Friends, DO NOT BE DECEIVED. The man that is digging
the grave of the Church in Nigeria is NOT the man that
is, in all good conscience, exercising his civic right to
vote for a candidate of his choice. Rather, the man that
is digging the grave of the Church is the one that is not
yielding Himself to love and serve Christ with all His
might - spirit, soul, and body. The grave-digger is the
man that is not making disciples of those around him.
The man that is silent in the face of the corruption that
seems to be swallowing the Church. Men like these are
a million times more dangerous to the Christian faith
than the brutal forces of Islamic fundamentalism.
I do not for a moment underrate the horrible danger
posed by Islamic fundamentalism, but I reiterate that
there is a more potent factor involved - we are walking
in, and working for The Greater One that has absolute
authority in the spiritual realm. Christians do not wrestle
against flesh and blood. Our wrestling (and guaranteed
victory) is over ALL POWERS in the heavenly realm –
principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this
world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians
6:12). When we stand on our assured victory in Christ in
that realm, the events on earth will unfold ONLY
according to God’s will. This is how Christians reign on
earth.
But where are the overcomers that want to genuinely
yield themselves totally to the Lord to be used by Him?
This is the true dilemma of the Church in Nigeria. We
have lost focus of the Owner of TRUE POWER, that is
why we are chasing the shadow of political power.
Do not allow yourself to be used as a political tool by
ANYBODY. Vote according to your conscience and
conviction. Love the Jonathan administration? Please go
ahead and vote for him. Want to try Buhari? Please go
ahead and vote for him. Your primary allegiance is NOT
to ANY MAN, or to ANY MAN OF GOD – it is to the
Spirit of the Living God. Listen to Him. And vote ONLY
according to your conscience. This is your liberty in
Christ Jesus. Please use it wisely.
Thanks for reading, God bless.