A Christian Perspective to Nation Building

By: Deji Yesufu

Most Nigerian Christians had preferred that Muhammadu Buhari would not win the 2019 Presidential elections. Many felt that under him there were too many religiously induced violence in the land. The herdsmen attacks in various parts of the country had not helped Buhari’s course. In fact some notable Pastors openly identified with Buhari’s biggest rival in the elections, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, and called on all their followers to vote the President out. In a very slim manner, particularly in South Western Nigeria, the elections was almost becoming a contest between Muslims and Christians. In Oyo State, where I reside, the anti-Buhari sentiments were so high that it was not surprising to see the President loose the state. What was more surprising was to see the high numbers given to Buhari after the election. In this essay, I shall be attempting to suggest a Christian perspective to nation building, as I call my fellow Christians to look beyond petty partisan politics and utilize a more spiritual strategy to building our country.

The New Testament, the Christian manual, does not give too much attention to the matter of nationalism. In fact in Acts chapter One, the disciples of Christ had asked him if God would be redeeming Israel from the hands of the Romans at that time. Christ said those were not his concern: instead he pointed them to the crucial matters of evangelism. Thankfully, however, the book of Proverbs, which offers all round wisdom for godly living, tells us something about nation building. It says that “righteousness exalts a nation but sin brings it reproach” (Proverbs 14:34). If Christians would genuinely benefit Nigeria, we should continue to uphold righteousness in our midst. Christ calls this being the salt of the earth. Salt preserves and wherever it is found in meals the food would not rot. The mere presence of Christians in a nation, upholding righteous standards would preserve that country from going under. Not only this, we would also bring a blessing to the land where we are; such that even the wicked would benefit from the blessing God sends to the land where we live. Nations like the United States of America are still reaping the fruit of the godly standards that their Christian founders laid as foundation of that country. This is what Nigeria should be pursuing to do today: to lay foundation for nation building that is godly. This way our nation would know continual prosperity.

Christians would also benefit this nation when we lead in the matter of work and nation building. Unfortunately Nigeria is a country that thrives on public amenities run by its government. But the most prosperous countries are those that are run by private entities, while government only ensures that there are functional infrastructures for the public to use and that there is security. The Christian world view, where it is properly taught, is one that encourages work and productivity. Christians have very little time to use their minds for vices, thus the Holy Spirit directs them to industry and productivity. This leads ultimately to wealth coming to the country and increased resources to do more for society. Modern society are so intertwined today that there is nothing that is produced in one part of the world that cannot be sold in another; all that is needed is just to make the connection. Therefore wherever a nation is producing, that nation is coming into wealth; no matter how gradual. While Christians should champion political courses, we would do better to work, produce, and build a wealth machinery that would benefit society eventually.

Throughout the history of the world, Christians have always led in championing the course of the weak. Christian churches have sought to help the poor, the sick, the ignorant, the elderly and so on. Thus the Church brings a perspective to society that encourages helping the weak. And God is the God of the poor; wherever such a spirit prevails, God always brings a blessing. Nigeria has had a long history of corruption and the taking of advantage of the weak by public office holders. Christians should however be at the vanguard of either exposing these evils or helping to ensure that they do not continue. Christians would find themselves in public offices. When these principles are etched on our hearts, we would ensure that such evils do not continue to be perpetrated while we are in office. If public institutions then have these kind of principles running them for years, it becomes a tradition within them. Such that even when non Christians come to office, these tradition cannot be reversed. Corruption is perpetrated by a group of people. If the leader is corrupt but the people in the finance department choose to uphold righteousness, such a leader would have no other choice but to fall in line.

This leads to the inevitable point that Christians can influence the moral compass of society. Indeed if society is known to be evil, we should question the genuineness of the faith of the Christian majority that that society consists of. We cannot expect a standard of good and evil to be maintained by the world. In fact what the world would do is to continually change the standards of righteousness: making evil to be good and turning good to evil. It is Christians that insists on the standards of right and wrong to remain as they are. Today, the United States of America is being threatened by its increasingly liberal standards. But that country remains what she is because Christians have refused to lower the moral compass of that country. Whatever else may be said of Donald Trump, his administration has restored so many dwindling Christian standards to that country. Nigerian Christians can do the same for this country.

Lastly, Christians in this country would do this nation a great deal of good if we place our eyes on the eternal than on the temporal. The Bible tells us that our sojourn on earth is like that of a pilgrim. Our stay here is temporary. While we are here, we are expected to leave the world a better place. We are expected to leave godly standards that will influence generations to come. One of the biggest evils of our country Nigeria is for people to behave as if there are no other generations coming. We seem to eat up the future of our children. Nothing depicts this more than the way and manner the people of this country consumed the oil wealth that the 1970s brought to Nigeria. Even up till this moment, we still live as if oil will last in this country forever. Everything in this country is built around the black gold. Yet we are being warned daily that oil is going out and we ought to be diversifying. If no one is leading the campaign for diversification of this economy, Christians should. So our eternal perspective helps us to build on the temporary.

This is also the reason why Christians pray. We pray to God, our unseen Father, to show mercy on the land we live in. We know that if Nigeria prosper, we would prosper as a people. Christians are what they are because they have found mercy with God through Jesus Christ, who died to obtain eternal redemption for sinners. We take advantage of this mercy in the place of prayers and many times God shows mercy to the nation because of Christians. The Christian community in Nigeria may not have gotten their choice of a leader but if we continue to pray for Nigeria, God’s good pleasure for this country would come to pass. Amen.

Deji Yesufu is author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: http://mouthpiece.com.ng/a-christian-perspective-to-nation-building/

Happy Sunday

When a stingy person is accusing others of stinginess......

Sebi today is Sunday, and 90% of Nigeria leaders/politicians are either Christians or Muslims..

Why is their poverty in the land? Hypocrites them.

We all believe in God, but does God believe in Us?

OK

Story for the gods of Egypt

Happy Sunday to u all Jesus is Lord

Interesting.

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Nice piece!

Nice write-up. Christians have a responsibility to ensure in this nation. First,they need to start practicing what they believe in and stop behaving like unbelievers and the ungodly.

Nice write up.

Check latest local, business and foreign news
https://www.vixpal.com/

We d indigenous xtians of d north esp southern kaduna believe that d best way to go is to kill all d muslims in d north so as to have d majority to push our CAN agenda more strongly. Any person voting APC in southern kaduna could b killed according to SOKAPU

Summary pls

Commendable and worthy of deep thought analysis.

Nice Write Up Bro...Worthy Of Commendable!

Cool write up.

And who is this pastor who openly called on voters to vote against Buhari? Fake write up.

The church has always set the template for Nigeria. It is now left for the people to choose wisdom or foolishness. In the last election Nigerians showed foolishness.

Quality20:
We d indigenous xtians of d north esp southern kaduna believe that d best way to go is to kill all d muslims in d north so as to have d majority to push our CAN agenda more strongly. Any person voting APC in southern kaduna could b killed according to SOKAPU

You insane Muslim always look for trouble even when you can't handle it. why don't you carry your hatred go your Islamic cult section.

twosquare:
Nice write-up. Christians have a responsibility to ensure in this nation. First,they need to start practicing what they believe in and stop behaving like unbelievers and the ungodly.

2blessed01:
Nice Write Up Bro...Worthy Of Commendable!

kay29000:
Cool write up.

I concur with yall without demur. The OP's head is there

Op, the last election was not between Buhari and Atiku.

It was between Fundamental Fulani Islam plus "some useful idiots" as they proudly call them Versus Moderate Islam plus sensible Christians and lovers of United Nigeria.

The latter group didn't choose Atiku because of any other quality than for his nationwide acceptability, just to correct the 2015 error.

So Atiku didn't lose. Neither did Buhari win.

It was Nigeria that lost because, if Buhari continued his clanish, nepotistic and ethnic cleansing government for another four years and hand over to Osibanjo/Elrufai or whoever(a VP Elrufai will usurp an Osibanjo President) as it being permutated. Elrufai is a more intelligent, more tactical, more fundamentalist, clanish and nepotistic who also believes in ethnic cleansing, we won't likely have a Nigeria

And Op, stop expecting Christians to build Nigeria. Someone who is fighting for his life in a nation where the "most persecuted Christians in the world" live cannot think of building anything.

Someone you deliberately severed from sensitive positions in your nation can't build anything.

And when a Christian is considered for a position to percify or deceive the Christians they look for pliant, compromising, ineffective, voiceless Christians that can be a puppet.

American Christians built America because they were not treated as 2nd class citizens and not killed in their own land.

Just watch, what Buhari is doing is not sustainable, everything has limit.

And don't even mention corruption here until another government comes to open the books of this current government

helinues:
When a stingy person is accusing others of stinginess......

Sebi today is Sunday, and 90% of Nigeria leaders/politicians are either Christians or Muslims..
Why is their poverty in the land? Hypocrites them.
We all believe in God, but does God believe in Us?

Why do people refused to work?
The land is there in abondant to cultivate and eat from the product.

Even the hausa beggers have farm in thier homeland

Christian Public Conduct After 2019 General Election

https://www.nairaland.com/5056833/christians-public-conduct-after-2019

FreelanceRebel:


[/b]Why do people refused to work? [b]
The land is there in abondant to cultivate and eat from the product.

Even the hausa beggers have farm in thier homeland

Where is the work?

Deji yesufu!
Are you people sick or twisted?
The country is currently being torn apart by Islamists
The religion/elite ensures the people are content with a mat and a kettle, the govt is filled with Northerners that can't seem to feed or secure the lives of their own citizens yet they manage the country.
Keep poking at soft targets that live in relative peace.
The type of half baked Yoruba we are producing these days tho.

RedeemNigeria:
Op, the last election was not between Buhari and Atiku.

It was between Fundamental Fulani Islam plus "some useful idiots" as they proudly call them Versus Moderate Islam plus sensible Christians and lovers of United Nigeria.

The latter group didn't choose Atiku because of any other quality than for his nationwide acceptability, just to correct the 2015 error.

So Atiku didn't lose. Neither did Buhari win.

It was Nigeria that lost because, if Buhari continued his clanish, nepotistic and ethnic cleansing government for another four years and hand over to Osibanjo/Elrufai or whoever(a VP Elrufai will usurp an Osibanjo President) as it being permutated. Elrufai is a more intelligent, more tactical, more fundamentalist, clanish and nepotistic who also believes in ethnic cleansing, we won't likely have a Nigeria

And Op, stop expecting Christians to build Nigeria. Someone who is fighting for his life in a nation where the "most persecuted Christians in the world" live cannot think of building anything.

Someone you deliberately severed from sensitive positions in your nation can't build anything.

And when a Christian is considered for a position to percify or deceive the Christians they look for pliant, compromising, ineffective, voiceless Christians that can be a puppet.

American Christians built America because they were not treated as 2nd class citizens and not killed in their own land.

Just watch, what Buhari is doing is not sustainable, everything has limit.

And don't even mention corruption here until another government comes to open the books of this current government

Sarrki knows

Unfortunately, true Christianity has plunged into hypocrisy in Nigeria. The church in Nigeria has been overwhelmed by falsehood and personal gains by the "men of God".

True Christians defend the Gospel of Christ with the Truth anywhere they find themselves. You don't need to lay curses on your "enemies" to prove you're a Christian. True Christians speak against social injustice and corruption no matter whose ox is gored. True Christians don't go on supporting an evil against another evil.

Are you a christian?