₦airaland Forum

*Contemplations*

Sometimes, I wonder whatever happened to the beautiful message of God's love and grace that people now so hate and fight it.

It started as a simple message of God's love that brought healing, joy and enhanced our relationship with the Father.

But now, it's seen as a church-divider, heretic, and most appalling, unbalanced.

The message has never changed, but people's reaction changed, and many factors played a role.

Particularly from my observation and experience serving as a pastor in Uniben, I believe these set of persons played a role.

1) *The Extremists*

These guys opened the tap that could have kept locked. They blew things out of truth, and started teaching things that weren't biblical, just to sound 'worded'.

I was once among a group of campus fellowship pastors, and one said, "I don't believe in sin. It doesn't exist". My mouth could not keep shut.

Now, folks heard these so many extreme stuffs that they didn't want to hear the truth anymore. Once they hear 'grace', they just kick you out immediately.

But majority of persons teaching of God's incredible love for us weren't extremist. They never taught extra-biblical stuffs!

2) *The Propagandists*

These are most common. They kept saying, " these grace guys are leading you to hell", "they say you can sin as much as you like, and it doesn't matter", and so many others.

Of a truth, many of them had never heard 'grace teachers' say such things, but to dissuade people from listening to them, they cooked up such propaganda.

Like I mentioned earlier, of course, some guys went extreme, but just a handful. The propagandists banked on that, and labelled the message of God's love licentious.

This was and is never true.

3) *The Balancers*

I believe these guys did more damage than the propagandists. They are the fence-sitting guys.

They tell you, 'what you are saying is not wrong o, but you need to balance it."

It took me some time to to understand that these guys were never convinced of the message. They just wanted to play along, and not be seen as obsolete or not 'worded'.

Their cause to balance itself, meant that the message of God's love, grace and forgiveness was faulty.

And and you cannot balance what does not need balance. Playing along, you'll find yourself adulterating the message, thereby preaching "another gospel".

These guys seemed to have the greatest followership. Because when people were at a fix, they join their camp, and say " Let's just keep it balanced ".

These guys always put a comma where a full stop is, and this spoilt things. Whenever you teach, instead of learning, people are looking for balance.

They appeared as peacemakers, but were the real trouble.

4) *The "Respect the Elders" Folks*

Respecting one's elders is a MUST, and every believer must seek to do that.

So these folks were not wrong in advocating for respect for the elders, but they branched off the course.

Whenever you say what does not agree with what an 'elder' has said, they call it disrespect.

Now, I know approach matters. But these guys went blind on that. They considered even the most polite of approach as disrespect.

As long as what you are saying was not what the Fathers have said, you were being disrespectful. They always advised you shut up.

And nobody wants to listen to those labelled as "rebels" and "disrespectful to elders". Nobody!

So some persons moved away from the message that so blessed them.

5) *The Campers*

The division that was becoming in the church was chiefly caused by these guys.

The "I am for Paul" and "I am for Apollos". It became a matter of the preachers or teachers, not the message.

They exalted the vessel more than the content. So if the person didn't catch their fancy, away in the trash. If the person looked proud, away with the message.

They quickly picked camp, and no matter whatever came from the grace camp, it was from the pit of hell.

Funny enough, there was never a grace camp.

6) *The Quick-to-forgets*

My pain most of the time when I pastored were these set of persons.

They had my inbox filled with testimonies and gratitude of how the incredible message of God's love and grace had transformed them, liberated them from addictions, and helped them in their relationship with God.

But after some time, these same persons started cussing the same message that had so transformed them and had been a blessing to them.

They fell prey to the trap of propaganda.

~

All in all, the message of God's love and grace TRIUMPHED.

Daily, people come to the knowledge of the truth and are transformed. The opposition is however greater, but the victory remains outstanding.

If believers can borrow a leaf from the people of Berea, get off propaganda, camping, and defense.

Then get in to real Bible Study, and learn!

I always hated Joseph Prince and called him heretic. Chris Oyakhilome so annoyed me. But I went to dig for myself. The Holy Spirit taught me.

That's why I am so convinced of this. It is just about the beautiful love story! Nothing less.

PS: This remains my post, brothers and sisters. Any inappropriate comment goes home.

Eirene!

*Sunday Erhunmwunse*

Hmmm, you just managed to talk about a very controversial issue without clarifying your own stand. Am sure you know that there are many versions of the "grace message", so please let us know your own.

Then about balancing, I believe it is very important because some people do take the grace message as a licence to sin. So it is very important to always condemn sin even while preaching the grace message.

Then please, its off topic but if it applies to you, please comment on my thread

https://www.nairaland.com/4003467/how-justify-women-going-church#59695483