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For The Love Of God, Church And Nation By Pastor Sunday Adelaja. by eepa: 2:25pm On Nov 10, 2015 |
One of the most humbling experiences of the
Nigerian church in the past few months is the
story of Father Mbaka.
Rev. Fr. Ejike C. Mbaka is an outspoken Enugu
based Catholic Priest, who runs a ministry
called Adoration Ministry. He is renowned for
miracles, signs and wonders that regularly
accompany his ministry.
In the Months leading to the Presidential
Elections, one could hardly find a single word
positively spoken about Rev. Mbaka. Everyone
who had any form of access to the public
media, did all they could to castigate this
humble servant of the Lord.
During my inquiry I found a YouTube speech
that Rev. Mbaka gave at his Enugu Adoration
Center. During this speech he spoke his mind
quite candidly and uncompromisingly, about
the upcoming Presidential Elections as well as
the leading candidates.
I must admit he came across quite harsh and I
am not sure I would have expressed my
thoughts in quite the same way. However, if
one separates the chaff from the wheat, it
becomes clear that this is a man of truth,
sincerity and forthrightness.
I gathered the few Nigerians that I could find
around me, to assist with the inquiry. I was
particularly interested to interrogate leaders
from the eastern part of the country. To my
surprise I found that almost everyone tried to
distance himself or herself from him. Again, I
found myself alone in agreeing with what this
man had to say, especially when trying to
defend the core message of truth and boldness
that he gave to Nigerians.
I noted a very disturbing trend in the way our
society responded to Father Mbaka’s outburst.
It was disturbing because, irrespective of what
he said or how he said it, the fact remains that
he is still a citizen of the country and he has
the right to express his opinion, even when we
disagree. We must respect that fact. What I
found was great disrespect in how people
treated him. Our society must learn to tolerate
differing opinions, especially when we are not
quite in agreement.
Yet, a much more alarming fact that we have
to consider as a society is that THE ONLY
PEOPLE WHO ARE MAD AT YOU FOR SPEAKING
THE TRUTH ARE THOSE WHO ARE LIVING A LIE.
If an overwhelming majority of our society
repeals the truth, fights the truth and disdains
the speaker of the truth. That only means one
thing to me, that our society has fallen so low
that we are now more comfortable with lies,
deception and lip services than we are with the
truth.
Even more disturbing was the fact that it was
the so-called born-again and Pentecostal
Pastors, who were the ones that criticized the
Revered Father the most. I mean those who by
virtue of calling are supposed to be the light to
society, are now so much immersed in the
darkness of the land, that they now resist any
form of light and illumination.
Remember the only people who are mad at you
for speaking the truth, are those who are living
a lie.
In the words of George Orwell
“the further a society drifts from truth,
the more it would hate those that speak
it”
Once again it is impossible not to note that God
is trying to get the attention of the Nigerian
Church. He speaks to us in diverse ways and
manners. The question is “Is anyone listening?”
Hebrews 1:1 “God, who at sundry times
and in divers manners spoke in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets.”
It used to be that when I got saved in Nigeria in
the eighties, the so called born again Christians
will normally view the main stream churches
like the Catholic Church, Anglican and other
Protestant Churches as unspiritual to say the
least. But in the last few decades, things have
declined so much for the Nigerian church.
There has been so much decadence, vices,
corruption, dissipation, decay, excesses, in the
evangelical circles, that for God to speak to a
nation, he now has to go back to that part of
the church which we used to despise.
Even today, I often hear some brothers and
sisters refer to the Catholics as not born again
and unsaved. Some even say they are not
Christians at all. I don’t know about you, but if
what I am seeing in the Nigerian church is
anything to go by, it has now become an
indictment that there might be more upright
people in the so called main stream churches,
compared to our Pentecostal and evangelical
churches.
Some say they pray to Mary, but some of us
evangelicals now pray to mammon.
Some say they wear cassock, but we now wear
designer robes and dresses
Some say they light candles, but we sell
anointing oil
Some say they burn incense, but we pour
‘ribena’ on each other and call it blood of Jesus.
Some say they pray with chaplets, but we now
pray witchcraft prayers on our enemies to fall
and die.
For any vice that we the evangelical Christians
accuse the Catholic Church, the evangelical
church in my country has done equally as bad
or worse.
In the words of Jonathan Swift:
“We have just enough religion to make us
hate, but not enough to make us love one
another.”
The point I am trying to make is that if we are
going to be looking for reasons why we ought
not to respect other people, we would find
them aplenty. But the other side would also
find enough reasons and arguments to despise
us. So brothers and sisters since we are
building one nation and going to the same
heaven. It is pointless to concentrate on each
others vices and failures. Let’s rather focus on
our pluses, those things that unite us as
Christians and as compatriots.
Let us realize that no one has a monopoly to
God. We the evangelicals don’t own the keys to
heaven, neither do the main stream churches.
We are all servants who received grace and
mercy, we should rather be thankful not just
for our salvation, but that we have people like
us who believe in the same God, howbeit with
their uniqueness. Our God is a God of diversity,
tolerance and abundant grace.
We are all products of his grace and generosity.
It is not our prerogative to judge or condemn
others who are likewise saved by grace.
Do we really have the moral ground to
determine who is and is not a Christian? Are we
really given the authority to determine other
people’s salvation or otherwise? I thought we
are all supposed to work out our salvation with
fear and trembling? (Phil 2:12) “Wherefore, my
beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in
my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling”
“We must learn to live together as
brothers or perish together as fools” –
Martin Luther King Jr.
My question is, can the remnant church hear
the cry from heaven?
Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times
and in divers manners spoke in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets.
What God had permitted to happen through
Rev. Mbaka, is one of the diverse manners
through which God is trying to tell the Nigerian
church “wake up, you’re missing it, I couldn’t
find someone in your midst”. Can anyone of us
see the handwriting on the wall?
When God’s Prophet Balaam became so
engulfed in the affairs of this world that he
could no longer hear the voice of the Almighty,
God resolved to speak through his donkey.
(Numbers 22:28)
God can use anyone, even that which we
despise!!!
Like I had earlier said, in the Eighties, it was the
born again Christians that accused the Catholic
Church of moral decadence. Today however,
what a shame to realize that the Catholic
Church which is probably the biggest single
church in Nigeria, decided to suspend their
membership in the Christian Association of
Nigeria (CAN) because of the moral failure, of
the Pentecostal leadership of the organization.
In a letter, dated September 24, 2012 and
signed by Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
Nigeria (CBNC). We see the reason why the
Catholics suspended their membership. “CAN is
being dragged into partisan politics thereby
compromising the ability to play its true role as
conscience of the nation and the voice of the
voiceless.”
It used to be that in the Eighties and Nineties,
members of the mainland churches: Catholics,
Methodist, Anglicans, and Baptist left their
denominations in droves, in search for a deeper
spiritual experience. Today unfortunately, we
are in a reverse mode of that. A lot of my
friends and relatives are now moving back to
their main stream churches from the
Pentecostal assemblies. Hello everyone, does
that tell you anything?
In my opinion, the Nigerian church needs to
openly admit her failings and humble herself in
repentance and brokenness, for God to forgive
us and heal our land.
“If my people, which are called by my
name, shall humble themselves, and
pray, and seek my face, and turn from
their wicked ways; then will I hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will
heal their land.” 1chr. 7:14
I hope the Nigerian church is hearing the call of
the spirit, it is no more time for pride and
arrogance.
Now is the time for humbling ourselves in
repentance,
Now is the time to turn from our wicked ways,
Now is the time to seek God’s face,
Now is the time to pray,
Now is the time to ask for forgiveness,
Now is the time to ask God to heal our land,
Now is the time to begin to hear from heaven
again.
“A lie is a lie even if everyone believes it.
The truth is the truth even if nobody
believes it.” – David Stevens.
Thank you very much Rev. Fr. Ejike C. Mbaka.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CHURCH
AND NATION
By Pastor Sunday Adelaja. |
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