₦airaland Forum

Image123:
The OP doesn't know what a ponzi scheme is.

Do you mind telling me what a ponzi scheme is.

When Church Financing Turns Ponzi Scheme

The reigning phrase among Nigerians this moment is “MMM”. I am told that the site is visited more in this country than Facebook. Now that is some traffic. The very optimistic believe it cannot “la'no” (literally means burn down in Yoruba); the less optimistic consider themselves entrepreneurs whose investment is a risk that can fail. The underlying principle for all such investment though is a promise of a big return on investments. And whatever you may wish to say about it, many of these MMM folks are smiling to the bank.

Lest my Christian friends are strutting around in a self righteous garb of not investing in MMM, I wish to show here how church financing can become a bigger, better and even more wicked Ponzi scheme than MMM.

Before I am misunderstood, I have not said giving to a church is Ponzi. Indeed Christian giving is a veritable proof of a lively faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. When the Spirit was poured out at first on the early church, a community was formed where everyone lived off each other – those with land and property selling them off to give to the church for all to share and have in common. They gave 100%. Indeed proof of the presence of the Spirit is love and giving. But there is a giving that is not Christian and in these days of Ponzi scheming, I see nothing better to compare it with.

Every time a person’s motive for giving is a means of getting money back – albeit from God, such a fellow is investing in a church Ponzi scheme. Have you ever heard of the term “Seed Faith”? Now that’s the foremost Ponzi in the churches. It teaches essentially that your money is your seed and the more you give, especially to a church or a Pastor, you are actually sowing seeds and in future you are going to reap a lot of money. And like modern day Ponzi chaps, the preacher tells you of how he needed a certain amount which he didn’t have. So he took the money he had and gave it to a church or another preacher and, suddenly, the amount he needed appears. "It works!"

The second leading Ponzi in churches is the one that has put me in a lot of trouble discussing it but I’m yet to stop. It is tithing. It is a Ponzi scheme a great deal of churches, orthodox or modern, are guilty of. Christians are taught that the biblical tithe is a tenth of their income. They are promised that God will shield them from all life ills, while he opens the heavens and pours out a blessing on them, if they will only tithe and tithe consistently. Other popular Ponzi like promises in churches include prophet’s offering, firstfruits (giving out a whole January salary to a pastor), and all manners of “dangerous” and sacrificial giving. It never ends.

The reason I am convinced that MMM is a lot better than Church Ponzi is this: MMM and other Ponzi schemes pays at least the early investors. Church Ponzi pays ONLY the Pastors, his associates, his family and those they wish to extend their largesse to. The people are continually reaped off. Those who work hard, earn a legitimate living, and then tithe, sometimes deceive themselves into thinking they are getting a blessing from God. Most others continue to finance the Church Ponzi and will live the rest of their lives in servitude to a religious mentality – one that robs them blind of their genuinely earned money.

I walked into a church once and before the offering was taken the pastor declared that anyone who was not born again, anyone with unconfessed sin in their lives or anyone with hurt against anybody should not drop money in the offering bag. I learnt he says this every Sunday. The implication of that statement is simple: that church’s finances will be lean but pleasing to God. In such a church "offering time" is "conviction time". There is no Christian Church that will wish to live by the true biblical standard today that will come off as a wealthy church.

What then is my point of writing this? First, Christians ought to weigh the motive for their giving. Are you giving because you love God and humanity, or you are giving to get? If it is the latter, you have wasted your money and don’t insult God by saying a certain windfall is a reward for your giving – it is not. Secondly, have you investigated the true meaning of the biblical tithe? How many people gave a tithe of salary in the Bible – despite the fact that people have been earning wages since Abraham? Of all the biblical injunctions to give in the New Testament, how many times was tithing mentioned? The answer to the last two questions is nil.

Ponzi scheming is an old game and many churches are guilty of it. Don’t let anyone deceive you. If you will rather play Ponzi, I suggest MMM where there will be a certainty of profit than giving to such churches.

And let the churches fear. Judgement will start from God’s house before going into the world. Let us all beware lest we have embarked on our own marketing gimmicks and are now calling it ministry. The last time the Lord Jesus entered a church and saw a similar scheme, he drew out a whip and drove the money changers out – declaring they have turned his Father’s house to a den of thieves.

I rest my case for now.

TheSixthSense:
Hardmirror's tale of his journey to atheism is a lie from the depths of hell. https://www.nairaland.com/3485930/exposing-hardmirror-tale-two-mirrors#51368738 He is a skilled liar - I have to reluctantly give him credit.

I saw something about his reporting a brither died of fasting in 2010 and no one in FUTA being able to corroborate the story. And in one fell sweep Hus whole story is false.

OK. I'm relaying a story, reeling out lots of info and in an unorganized way, I very well can miss some details or relay a few from inadequate memory. It doesn't make my story untrue.

You guyà will do a little more to prove he's a fraud that just little information slip. I really don't have the time to look up other lies. Pls paste the links here.

TheSixthSense:
The first 9 or so pages appeared as an unfair personal attack but it turned out to be the opposite. An investigation was carried out, even alumni of the fellowship were invited and his email correspondence posted. He fabricated everything. Hard to believe but it is clear for everyone to see.

Please get me the link

HardMirror:
If you want a sincere advice, DON'T BECOME AN ATHEIST.
Read your bible, pray and enjoy the friendship of christians (family and friends) but live your life to the fullest.

HardMirror do you intend to respond to my thread?

TheSixthSense:
Hardmirror is an undergraduate of FUTA who has being having pastoral fantasies to the extent that he fabricated his 'Pastor to Atheist' story. He is not worth the effort. He knows nothing about christianity other than the usual atheist roundabout arguments. He has been exposed. https://www.nairaland.com/3477844/christians-point-out-hardmirrors-lies/10#51350321

The link you guided me to said nothing about him lying.

The opener called Christians to prove him as a liar. It is one thing to accuse someone as a liar, it is another thing to prove it. I consider disgusting that rather than looking at the merit and possibility of this young man's story, we will rather wave it aside with an unfounded allegation of lying. That shows to me that it is his accusers that are lying. Giving a dog a bad name to hang it.

So, sir, provide me links on that thread that showed folks proving hm a liar. Thanks.

Thank you all for the comments.

Still awaiting HardMirror two days since my invitation. I do not believe that he was lying in his bestseller thread but would his avoiding genuine discussions like the one I'm proposing not lend a hand to his accusers?

I await your response HM.

Paper 3: Rising Atheism

More and more young people are ditching religion altogether and increasingly resorting to atheism. This reality was brought home to me some two years ago when atheists almost overran the religion section of Nairaland. They began to even ask for their own section – claiming a new type of religion. The anonymous nature of the forum afforded them the liberty to express their thoughts. Seun Osewa, the owner of the forum, himself had renounced Christianity and the thread were he told his story was a bestseller of some sort.

While many people vilify atheism in our nation, one must appreciate the fact that it takes a great deal to be one and those who profess atheism are about the soundest and most rational human beings. Man is by default religious. To throw away that default position requires a great deal of study and boldness. In the long run, atheism is another religion – a religion without a god. One of the greatest books in my library is “Loosing the Bonds” by Andrew Kirk. It is a book dedicated to studying different religions. He dedicates some chapters to atheism.

Kirk discusses three men that changed the face of modern sociology. They are Karl Marx, Frederich Nitchzhe and Sigmund Freud. Marx gave us Socialism and Communism. Nitchzhe suggested that “God is dead”. He invented the “Superman” and his thoughts brought about fascism. Freud developed modern psychiatry. All of them great men but all of them avowed atheists. Kirk argued in his book that there was a great deal Christians could learn from atheists’ criticism of religion and if Christians will do this, they will be the better for it.

It is my humble submission in view of all these that Pentecostalism is adding to rising atheism in the land. While it may not be the primary cause, it is a major contributing factor. Why? Pentecostalism is anti intellectual. It is highly subjective and very non rational. It thrives on a belief in miracles in a world of science and technology. Pentecostalism just does not fit the aggressive and progressive mind of Nigerian youths and thus it is increasingly thrown into the dustbin. This might have been my fate had I not possessed something in my knowledge of God beyond bland subjectivity.

This leads me to why true Christianity ought to appeal to an atheist. The true Christian religion is founded on sound knowledge. The Christian faith is possessed of true understanding of God before any subjective experience of God. With the coming of the 16th century Reformation, Christianity took on a new knowledge base. Even Roman Catholic scholasticism came to life. The Protestant religion brought light to Europe; it opened the search for knowledge in science and birth the industrial revolution of the 19th century that gave us modern science. Therefore the true Christian faith shares a great deal with atheists and if they will listen to the gospel, they will end up by far greater Christian scholars than many. Case in point: C. S. Lewis.

The man who gave us Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is a raving atheist. But all of us religious people use his invention to promote our views. In my first interview with Edmund Obilo, he confessed on live Radio that he cannot remember when last he was in church. There is no better broadcaster than him in Ibadan. I remember approaching some senior citizens to invite them to attend my fellowship. They told me that religion sets people back. It deters their thinking. It doesn’t promote intellectualism. I just sat there watching.

You cannot sell signs, wonders and miracles to 21st century thinkers – it is just simply out of date. And my findings shows that even the God of the Bible has outdated miracles. Instead he has blessed man with such resounding knowledge that if my generation will spend less time at Redeem Camp and other prayer camps, we will find the cure to AIDS, Cancer and other debilitating diseases of our time. While at the same time adding to the science revolution and increase our nation’s gross productivity. Thereby creating jobs and wealth for the people. This is the type of work the gospel encourages; work that produces better feeding! He that will not work cannot eat!! Let us wake up. The atheists are challenging us.

I am not promoting atheism here. I am simply saying that Pentecostalism and many other religion that thrive on the subjective are adding nothing to science and modern thinkers have no time for such nonsense. I am also saying that the true Christian faith is highly intellectual. It appeals to the mind as it convinces the sinner of a need for a Savior.

The born again person however does not then sell his brain to the church, rather he becomes a thinker. Whether he is a theologian, a scientist, a technologist, a broadcaster, a writer, or even a politician, he brings in a finesse of knowledge into his profession that adds to it. Christians are already disciplined individuals and thus can use their time for productive ventures. This is the reason why early scientists were mostly Christians.

There is increasing atheism in the land and I hereby present the gospel to these folks as a sound alternative to the mere religion they are raging against.

CC: TheSixthSense, HardMirror, lalasticlala

Paper 2: Possessing Living Faith

Sequel to the HardMirror story I published yesterday, the only possible explanation that one can offer to why this young man renounced his Christian faith is this: he never possessed one in the first place. This gentleman had only always been a nominal Christian.

But how do you describe the speaking in tongues, the words of knowledge his manifested, the feats of deliverances, the hundreds he led to Christ, the supposed miracles and the twenty years of committed Pentecostal ministry and experiences? It is extremely difficult to explain but in this post, I will give my explanation and I will back it up with my conversion experience to shed light on what might have happened to HardMirror.

Without recourse to what David Oyedepo has turned the term into, the fact remains that there is such a thing as a “living faith” in Christ Jesus. A faith I sincerely doubt Oyedepo possesses. But that not my contention today. The phrase “living faith” is not one that is found in the Bible but the meaning is stated everywhere in scriptures. When Peter wrote about being born again of an incorruptible seed, he was pointing at the living faith. When Paul spoke about the circumcision of the heart, he was pointing at this term. When Jesus said a man must be born of the Spirit and of water in John 3, he was referring this faith. And God promised Israel that a day will come when he will write his laws upon the hearts of his people and remove their stony hearts, while replacing it with a heart of flesh; he was talking about the living faith that he would establish in men through the new covenant, founded upon the death and resurrection of Christ on the cross.

The next question to ask is this: how then do men possess living faith in Christ? The answer to this question is the reason for the plethora of false conversion in the churches. I’ll begin with the negative. No man can willfully possess this faith. No man can “give his life to Christ” as many Pentecostal revivalist have turned it into. No one can come to God except he is drawn first, as Christ said in John 6. We do not get this living faith; rather we are GIVEN this living faith. The process of true conversion, from beginning to end, is the work of God’s grace on the hearts of sinners in bringing them to repentance and faith. That is why the worst thing that happened to the good initiative of revivalism is to enjoin “decisions” on people. The result had been a people swayed simply by emotions and coming to nominal faith in God. It is made worse in Pentecostal assemblies because religious experiences like tongues give the adherents a false sense of conversion. How then can men possess this faith?

No one can place living faith in the heart of any man. No one can “give his life to Christ”, except Christ gives his life to you. The only thing that the Christian church can do in this process of bringing men to living faith in God to pray and to preach. Jesus said we should pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers. He alone can send labourers and even in the process of our labour, he alone can bring forth a harvest. As we pray, we must preach. And that is where the mystery lies. God has ordained that men will be saved only by the instrumentation of preaching. As people listen to godly messages, their minds will be influenced and their thought processes will change and if God wishes, he grants them repentance and faith in Christ. There is no method to it. How individual men are saved will differ. The Spirit that brings conversion is like the wind, we do not see it but we only see its effect of his working on men’s heart. This is why the worst thing that can happen to the church is for us to have a false gospel in our midst; for then men will not be saved. For God would have withdrawn his “saving and sanctifying grace from the churches” – using the words of Conrad Mbewe. HardMirror story has finally brought an answer to my own conversion story.

In 1998, I was brought to faith through the preaching of a dear brother. In the room that day the brother gave me a “word of knowledge” which did come to pass with time. Without knowing a thing about me, he said I was having difficulties with my CGPA in school but that God will turn things around for me. That prophetic insight broke me up and I surrendered to Christ. Now I know that I possibly was not saved through that experience. My salvation will come later that same year. By the way, I finished engineering with the best improved result in the whole faculty. That young man’s words did came to pass.

In God’s good Providence, I came across a book written by Dr. R. T. Kendall titled “Worshipping God”. It was Kendall that introduced me to Reformed Theology. After enumerating various ways of worshipping God, he came to a chapter called “The Joy of Doing Nothing”. He said there that the greatest worship we can offer to God is just to sit and watch him do his thing: do nothing. He said that God is pleased to do certain things in our lives that will so put us in awe of him that even saying thank you will seem like balancing the favour. Then he explained the concept of “justification by faith” and said that understanding our being saved by grace alone and not by any work of righteousness, is one of such experiences of doing nothing but worshipping God in awe and wonder. He said that is what heaven will be like.

Those thoughts led me to study the Pauline theologies in depth. I looked closely at Romans and Galatians, and somewhere and sometimes while studying, I understood what it means to simply trust God in child like faith for my salvation. I was born again. I had come to possess living faith in Christ Jesus.

Jesus said that the way to heaven is narrow and few will find it. It is narrow not because it is difficult but because very few people are in possession of living faith in Christ. The vast majority of Christendom possess nominal faith in Christ. That is why we have such little assurance of salvation among God’s people. That is why we have such a love for a false gospel in our midst because genuine faith will create an aversion in you for what is not truth.

I spend time to speak about religion on my timeline because I desire that my readers will possess this living faith. The best I can do is to preach; God alone can give living faith. I sincerely pray this that as you read this you will come to understand your true state with God. If you are a sinner, that you find repentance and faith by his Spirit. If you a saint that you rejoice in the grace of God that had saved you.

O, God, grant living faith to my readers. Amen.

Paper 1: Pentecostalism and Rising Atheism

In my series #AnalyzingPentecostalism, I discussed about increasing atheism among Nigerian youths. I explained that our young people who are intelligent and forward looking are no longer deceived by the façade of religion that had held their parents captive. Yesterday, the story of a young man with the monicker “HardMirror” hit the front page of Nairaland. This is HardMirror's (HM) story in summary:

HM grew up in a middle class Nigerian family unit like many of us. Throughout his nursery, primary and secondary school days, he was exposed to Christian themes and subsequently claimed conversion to Christianity after watching a certain movie of Jesus. HM would eventually gain admission into the Federal University of Technology, Akure (He refuses to tell his course so that he doesn’t blow his anonymous cover). While there, he is part of an Anglican Student’s Fellowship. Soon enough, HM is seen among his pairs as a very charismatic fellow and is increasingly given preaching roles. In his preaching, HM is blessed with incredible Charismatic gifts of the Spirit. He is able to exercise word of knowledge and wisdom, and he claims to see miracles occur in his ministrations.

HM is being used mightily by God. He tells the story of how he converted an atheist on campus and that he led no less than a thousand people to saving knowledge in Christ. However the turning point came in HM ministry and they had to do with the very charismata he had exalted in his ministry and relations with God.

He and his fellow students carried out a crusade to a village. The people of that village are idol worshippers. The head of the village was blind. The crusade was very successful with hundreds coming to Christ and many claims to the miraculous. In the frenzy, many of the people cast out their idols and burnt them. The blind village head did the same. However, the students felt their mission was not complete until they saw the blind man healed. They prayed for hours, nothing happened. They questioned the man’s faith and HM claims he can still hear the man’s chilling and desperate cry for help in Yoruba “moni gbagbo…” (I have faith). The man was not healed and in frustration, they left him to his fate.

The second incidence was another crusade in another village. HM and a brother had gone around to invite people. They met a boy in a house who indicated to them that he was dumb. They decided to pray for him and lo and behold, the dumb spoke. They were excited. Later they saw the boy at the crusade healing line. They asked his parents why they were there since the boy was healed already. The father said that the “ba, ba, be, be…” sound they heard from that boy was the same he had being uttering since he was a child and he is now 12. HM faith was shaken.

On completing school and far away from the hysteria of fellowship and the false classification of “man of God” he had lived by, he examined his faith closely. He discovered that most claims to miracles were false; they were magic, with the best tricksters having the highest congregation. He also discovered inconsistencies in the Bible. He resorted to one Pastor Charles of the Dream Centre branch of Olusola Areogun's churches in Akure and had a long discussion with him. At the end, despite a lot of assurances from the Pastor, he concluded that Christianity was a fraud and renounced it. Today, HM is a raving atheist and his thread on Nairaland is pulling more of such folks to that faith.

My Point:

I am not making a case for atheism. I am simply reiterating the often made point in my article “Rising Atheism” that Pentecostalism thrives on a very faulty foundation and many of our youths are discovering it and are renouncing Christianity all together.

Christianity does not promise anyone health and wealth. Christianity is not signs and wonders. Christianity is not noise.

Christianity is a living faith in Jesus Christ. This faith takes two forms: the subjective and the objective. The objective position of the Christian faith is belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, following repentance of one’s sins. It requires an intellectual grasp of God’s truth and an increasing understanding of that truth. An intellectual grasp is then further exemplified by practical Christian living. This leads to the subjective.

The subjective part of the Christian faith is a heart witness that we are children of God. It is the blessing of the Holy Spirit on the heart that gives us assurance of our relations with God and a hope of a life to come. This witness of the Spirit grows as we grow in both our intellectual understanding of the faith and in practical acts of charity.

This is where Pentecostalism looses people. Pentecostalism is primarily anti intellectual. It thrives on the mystical and the subjective. The very moment an objective view crashes on Pentecostalism, its adherents will renounce the Christian faith.

I see increasing atheism among Nigerian youths and much of it is coming from these young people discovering the lie behind the charismatic movements. Our Lord has called us to lead people to knowing and understanding God. In the process they will find saving faith. If their faith is built on shaky subjective and mystical experiences alone, the moment they discover it, the bold ones will renounce Christianity and we will have a HardMirror in our hands.

There is the need for many in the charismatic and Pentecostal movement to examine their faith carefully to see whether they are indeed Christians. HM was a very charismatic person but had never met Jesus. This is why Christ sent those people away from him in Matthew 7 saying he didn't know them despite all the charismatic gifts they exercised.

Enough said.

Introduction

In this thread, I desire to pursue a discussion with HardMirror on the Christian gospel. I hope to shed light on Christianity from a perspective that was totally alien to HardMirror's experience that led to his renouncing his faith.

My objective is not to convert him to Christianity again. My objective is to pursue understanding and which God might wish to bless in the days to come. To furnish this discussion, I'll present three papers I have written directly or indirectly in reaction to HardMirror testimony. I desire you read them carefully and state your observation.

Wherever I might have gotten you wrong, please indicate and let's examine those facts together. Then I'm open to your questions as you have requested others ask questions. I hope I get to ask questions too. I also request for a veil of anonymous cover.

The first two papers, I wrote in direct response to your thread that made front page. The last paper I had written months ago when I first saw your story.

Others may comment on the thread but my priority for response is the person I have requested audience with. I hope HardMirror honors this invitation.

HardMirror:
Simple.
Don't ask for my Name cos I am not ready to reveal my identity. Yes I am afraid of people than I am afraid of an imaginary God. I know how Nigerians hate atheists, not ready to be lynched.

Any other questions are welcomed

1. Pls can I have a response to this post belowbelow and
2. What's your thoughts on the Christian theory of "Cessationism"?

#AnalysingPentecostalism 22 (see other series 1-21 on Facebook)

Rising Atheism

by Deji Yesufu

More and more young people are ditching religion altogether and increasingly resorting to atheism. This reality was brought home to me some two years ago when atheists almost overran the religion section of Nairaland. They began to even ask for their own section – claiming a new type of religion. The anonymous nature of the forum afforded them the liberty to express their thoughts. Seun Osewa, the owner of the forum, himself had renounced Christianity and the thread were he told his story was a bestseller of some sort.

While many people vilify atheism in our nation, one must appreciate the fact that it takes a great deal to be one and those who profess atheism are about the soundest and most rational human beings. Man is by default religious. To throw away that default position requires a great deal of study and boldness. In the long run, atheism is another religion – a religion without a god. One of the greatest books in my library is “Loosing the Bonds” by Andrew Kirk. It is a book dedicated to studying different religions. He dedicates some chapters to atheism.

Kirk discusses three men that changed the face of modern sociology. They are Karl Marx, Frederich Nitchzhe and Sigmund Freud. Marx gave us Socialism and Communism. Nitchzhe suggested that “God is dead”. He invented the “Superman” and his thoughts brought about fascism. Freud developed modern psychiatry. All of them great men but all of them avowed atheists. Kirk argued in his book that there was a great deal Christians could learn from atheists’ criticism of religion and if Christians will do this, they will be the better for it.

It is my humble submission in view of all these that Pentecostalism is adding to rising atheism in the land. While it may not be the primary cause, it is a major contributing factor. Why? Pentecostalism is anti intellectual. It is highly subjective and very non rational. It thrives on a belief in miracles in a world of science and technology. Pentecostalism just does not fit the aggressive and progressive mind of Nigerian youths and thus it is increasingly thrown into the dustbin. This might have been my fate had I not possessed something in my knowledge of God beyond bland subjectivity.

This leads me to why true Christianity ought to appeal to an atheist. The true Christian religion is founded on sound knowledge. The Christian faith is possessed of true understanding of God before any subjective experience of God. With the coming of the 16th century Reformation, Christianity took on a new knowledge base. Even Roman Catholic scholasticism came to life. The Protestant religion brought light to Europe; it opened the search for knowledge in science and birth the industrial revolution of the 19th century that gave us modern science. Therefore the true Christian faith shares a great deal with atheists and if they will listen to the gospel, they will end up by far greater Christian scholars than many. Case in point: C. S. Lewis.

The man who gave us Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is a raving atheist. But all of us religious people use his invention to promote our views. In my first interview with Edmund Obilo, he confessed on live Radio that he cannot remember when last he was in church. There is no better broadcaster than him in Ibadan. I remember approaching some senior citizens to invite them to attend my fellowship. They told me that religion sets people back. It deters their thinking. It doesn’t promote intellectualism. I just sat there watching.

You cannot sell signs, wonders and miracles to 21st century thinkers – it is just simply out of date. And my findings shows that even the God of the Bible has outdated miracles. Instead he has blessed man with such resounding knowledge that if my generation will spend less time at Redeem Camp and other prayer camps, we will find the cure to AIDS, Cancer and other debilitating diseases of our time. While at the same time adding to the science revolution and increase our nation’s gross productivity. Thereby creating jobs and wealth for the people. This is the type of work the gospel encourages; work that produces better feeding! He that will not work cannot eat!! Let us wake up. The atheists are challenging us.

I am not promoting atheism here. I am simply saying that Pentecostalism and many other religion that thrive on the subjective are adding nothing to science and modern thinkers have no time for such nonsense. I am also saying that the true Christian faith is highly intellectual. It appeals to the mind as it convinces the sinner of a need for a Savior.

The born again person however does not then sell his brain to the church, rather he becomes a thinker. Whether he is a theologian, a scientist, a technologist, a broadcaster, a writer, or even a politician, he brings in a finesse of knowledge into his profession that adds to it. Christians are already disciplined individuals and thus can use their time for productive ventures. This is the reason why early scientists were mostly Christians.

There is increasing atheism in the land and I hereby present the gospel to these folks as a sound alternative to the mere religion they are raging against.

CC: TheSixthSense, HardMirror,

Please do you mind answering my own earlier asked question in the post above?

Preserved

The Isawa of Zaria

A major development took place in the Zaria mission in 1913 – the coming of the representatives of the Isawa or Ansa(1). The Isawa (meaning followers of Jesus) were followers of the teachings of one Mallam Ibrahim who had been executed in Kano market by the emir for his “extreme” belief in Jesus Christ. Mallam Ibrahim lived in Kano in the latter part of the 19th century. While studying the Qur’an he took special notes of the references to Jesus (Isa). According to him, “I determined to make a careful study right through the Koran and collect all references to the Prophet Jesus. Who is this of whom our Prophet writes? Can this be a man like the others mentioned in our book? Is this not a greater than all, greater than even Mohammed himself?(2)

He visited Cairo where he acquired a copy of the New Testament in Arabic(3). He thereafter concluded that Jesus was supreme to all the prophets, including Mohammed; and he also fervently preached the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. When he presented his views to the emir, he was asked to recant them, but he refused. He was thereafter executed upon a stake in Kano market.(4).

Before his death he had gathered followers around him and warned them to flee to the boundaries of Kano, Zaria and Bauchi emirates. (5). He also prophesied that God will reveal the true faith to them later on. (6) They were persecuted after Ibrahim’s death, but again the man who succeeded him, Yahaya, prophesied that strangers from the West would bring knowledge of the truth about “Prophet Jesus”.(7). Interestingly, the Isawa remained Muslims, but regarded Jesus above all other prophets and sometimes prayed in his name.(.

In 1913 two Isawa heard some Christians from the Zaria Mission (founded by W. R. Miller) talking about Jesus Christ; they immediately followed them to the mission compound, where they stayed for a week, and where later joined by two others.(9). They told the Zaria Christians about other Isawas who were awaiting the teaching of Jesus as prophesied by Ibrahim and Yahaya.

The Zaria Christians followed this up by moving out to engage the Isawa in their territory with the gospel; fortunately they responded to the message.(10). It was thereafter decided that it would be good if all of them lived together in a Christian community. (11). Approval for a land was gotten from the Emir of Zaria with the help of Luggard and 115 people moved to Gimi near Zaria where they established a community. This community was greatly assisted by a CMS West Indian Pastor, W. A. Thompson, who also started a sugar crushing company. (12).

The school age children were later sent to the CMS School in Zaria. While they were away, sleeping sickness practically wiped out the Gimi adult population.(13). The Gimi children who had relocated to school in Zaria and other children from the Zaria station later became “a most respected group in the North” and occupied positions of great responsibility.(14).

Some of them were: R. A. B. Dikko – the first doctor in northern Nigeria; Ishaya Audu(15) – the first Nigerian Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Mallam E. O. Abdu- one of the first northern education officers; Mallam P. B. Ishaku – one time principal of the school of pharmacy in Zaria; Yakubu Gowon – Nigeria’s military head of state: 1966-75; and Miss Maude Miller – first northern lady to become a principal of a secondary school and later a state Commissioner. (16).

Note:
1. Ayandele, The Missionary Factor in Northern Nigeria, p. 518.
2. Crampton, Christianity in Northern Nigeria, p.129.
3. Sundkler, B. and Steed, C. A history of the church in Africa, p.254.
4. “A Remarkable Movement among Moslems in Nigeria “, The Evangelical Christian and Missionary Witness, August 1913, p.216.
5. Crampton, Christianity in Nigeria, p.130.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Daniel, A. “There Jesus is not a Son, “ Occupy 18, no. 2, p.15.
9. Crampton, Christianity in Northern Nigeria, p.130.
10. A remarkable movement among Moslems in Nigeria, p.216.
11. Stock, History of CMS, p.73.
12. Sundkler, A History of the Church in Africa, p.254.
13. Ayandele, the missionary factor, p.519.
14. Crampton, Christianity in Northern Nigeria, p.131.
1[b]5. Prof Ishaya Audu was someone I knew in my school days in Zaria. His wife led a Pentecostal church, Charity and Faith, in Samaru Zaria. He was retired when I knew him and old. But he had this Monday evening Bible study he led. I attended it two or three times. He adhered to the old evangelical style of teaching scriptures verse by verse. I doubt very strongly if ever was Pentecostal. I remember studying Romans with him. This historical record cannot but be true bc I personally knew at least this one person in the record. Ishaya Audu was a medical doctor too. He was personal physician to the Sardauna himself. I find it interesting that a Christian group could emerge from Islam simply by studying scriptures and I knew at least a scion of these people. God word is true (These are my personal input to the text not part of the book by Ayodeji).[/b]
16. Crampton, Christianity in Northern Nigeria.

Culled from HERITAGE OF FAITH by Ayodeji Abodunde

CC: lalasticlala, Seun, Mynd44

Hiswordxray:
I don't think you understand my point, let me post more.

I mean tithe in the New Covenant is expressing Christ toward the Father - expressing the virtues and the life of Christ in us.
Offerings in the Old Covenant are given very frequently. There are a lot of offerings, especially Burnt offerings. The essence of burnt offerings is so they would be a sweet-smelling aroma onto God. A continual ascendency of a sweet-smelling aroma of offerings is the intercourse and romance of the covenant. As God pours out His blessing upon the people and they continue to allow offerings ascend onto Him in sweet-smelling aroma. Remember these offerings are the representative of the land and it riches. Therefore God blesses the people with the land and it riches and they bless Him back with sweet-smelling aroma of the offerings. It is a romance, a viscous circle of reckless giving, a continuous intercourse that brings the covenant to it's glory. And the beauty of this intercourse lies in the principle of the tithe. As the people give a tenth of the little they have God blesses them so that there next try would be larger than there form tenth. A when they this larger tenth to God, God gives them even more blesses. And now they have a greater and larger tenth to give to God which cause God to bless them in a greater abundance. The circle continue until the people as so overwhelmed with God's blessing that it because embarrassing and the nations of the world could not help but notice it and the glory of the Lord shall be visible onto all. This is the destination of the covenant.
That we might understand this principle as the New Covenant people. That this intercourse and romance might be our life style. Let us continue to explore Christ until we are lost in him, let us carry out our priestly ministry and let our lives be a burnt offering, a sweet-smelling aroma onto God. Our lives becomes a sweet-smelling aroma ascending continuously onto God when we live a life the continuously expresses Christ.

Three themes may be exhumed from your post:

1. The tithes is like a burnt offering in the OT. A sweet smelling offering to God.
2. Continual tithing is intercourse with God, leading to increased blessing.
3. This whole act of tithing is our offering to God that leads to a depth of fellowship and relations with him.

I disagree.

You had earlier rightly pointed out that practices in the OT took up new meaning in the NT. Why did tithe not change.

Fact is this: Christ is become the sacrificial Lamb for God's Israel the Church. He's our burnt offering.

It is in response to what he did that we offer up lives of holy living as our own sacrifice, that is pleasing to him. Romans 12 that spoke about this NEVER mentioned tithes in all that chapter.

The Christian life is one of grace wherein the blessing we enjoy is GIVEN not EARNED by works of law or by tithing.

Tithing is an OT ordinance that vanished with the NT. It is today transformed to free will giving. All scriptures that spoke of giving in the NT not for once mentioned tithe.

I suspect you are a followers of Chris Oyakhilome. It is you guys that know how to read bogus meaning to simple texts of scriptures.

I wish you the best in your book writing but, friend, what you've written here is false doctrine.

Hiswordxray:
A transition also took place from the sacrifice from a carnal sacrifice of flesh and plant to a spiritual sacrifice of the substance of Christ. So also have tithe transited from the tithe of the land to the tithe of Christ.


We must explore the riches of Christ and offer it to God as tithe. You may ask, "how can we explore Christ and offer him to God?". Christ is the life, the life that God has given us. We must explore this life and offer it to God by expressing it. We must take the riches of the virtues in Christ and express it onto God, for this is tithing under the New Covenant.

I must commend this exegesis. But I remain unconvinced. Questions:

1. What is this tithe of Christ and is there any scriptural proof for it?

2. Is there anywhere the Bible likened the "riches of Christ" to money? Which will then require a tithe.

raphieMontella:
lie for jesus..its normal
intelligent design is not even accepted by the scientifc community as ''Science''....it is termed pseudoscience along with acupunture etc......
And where did you get the lie that intelligent design silenced evolution?

And what's your response except for random chaos. If that was the case, you're supposed to have woken up this morning with an arm left on the bed. Or not wake up at all.

Intelligent Design silences Evolution. Since it was suggested, not one atheists has given a sufficient response.

The only reason there is order in the Universe, in our earth and even our bodies is because there is a God that sustains our breadth. That God is revealed in the Bible.

TheSixthSense:
GeneralTee if you could share the rest of this wonderful work or is that your name on FB?

I appreciate that you find my writing interesting. I will find time today to post 1-20.

#AnalysingPentecostalism 22 (see other series 1-21 on Facebook)

Rising Atheism

by Deji Yesufu

More and more young people are ditching religion altogether and increasingly resorting to atheism. This reality was brought home to me some two years ago when atheists almost overran the religion section of Nairaland. They began to even ask for their own section – claiming a new type of religion. The anonymous nature of the forum afforded them the liberty to express their thoughts. Seun Osewa, the owner of the forum, himself had renounced Christianity and the thread were he told his story was a bestseller of some sort.

While many people vilify atheism in our nation, one must appreciate the fact that it takes a great deal to be one and those who profess atheism are about the soundest and most rational human beings. Man is by default religious. To throw away that default position requires a great deal of study and boldness. In the long run, atheism is another religion – a religion without a god. One of the greatest books in my library is “Loosing the Bonds” by Andrew Kirk. It is a book dedicated to studying different religions. He dedicates some chapters to atheism.

Kirk discusses three men that changed the face of modern sociology. They are Karl Marx, Frederich Nitchzhe and Sigmund Freud. Marx gave us Socialism and Communism. Nitchzhe suggested that “God is dead”. He invented the “Superman” and his thoughts brought about fascism. Freud developed modern psychiatry. All of them great men but all of them avowed atheists. Kirk argued in his book that there was a great deal Christians could learn from atheists’ criticism of religion and if Christians will do this, they will be the better for it.

It is my humble submission in view of all these that Pentecostalism is adding to rising atheism in the land. While it may not be the primary cause, it is a major contributing factor. Why? Pentecostalism is anti intellectual. It is highly subjective and very non rational. It thrives on a belief in miracles in a world of science and technology. Pentecostalism just does not fit the aggressive and progressive mind of Nigerian youths and thus it is increasingly thrown into the dustbin. This might have been my fate had I not possessed something in my knowledge of God beyond bland subjectivity.

This leads me to why true Christianity ought to appeal to an atheist. The true Christian religion is founded on sound knowledge. The Christian faith is possessed of true understanding of God before any subjective experience of God. With the coming of the 16th century Reformation, Christianity took on a new knowledge base. Even Roman Catholic scholasticism came to life. The Protestant religion brought light to Europe; it opened the search for knowledge in science and birth the industrial revolution of the 19th century that gave us modern science. Therefore the true Christian faith shares a great deal with atheists and if they will listen to the gospel, they will end up by far greater Christian scholars than many. Case in point: C. S. Lewis.

The man who gave us Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is a raving atheist. But all of us religious people use his invention to promote our views. In my first interview with Edmund Obilo, he confessed on live Radio that he cannot remember when last he was in church. There is no better broadcaster than him in Ibadan. I remember approaching some senior citizens to invite them to attend my fellowship. They told me that religion sets people back. It deters their thinking. It doesn’t promote intellectualism. I just sat there watching.

You cannot sell signs, wonders and miracles to 21st century thinkers – it is just simply out of date. And my findings shows that even the God of the Bible has outdated miracles. Instead he has blessed man with such resounding knowledge that if my generation will spend less time at Redeem Camp and other prayer camps, we will find the cure to AIDS, Cancer and other debilitating diseases of our time. While at the same time adding to the science revolution and increase our nation’s gross productivity. Thereby creating jobs and wealth for the people. This is the type of work the gospel encourages; work that produces better feeding! He that will not work cannot eat!! Let us wake up. The atheists are challenging us.

I am not promoting atheism here. I am simply saying that Pentecostalism and many other religion that thrive on the subjective are adding nothing to science and modern thinkers have no time for such nonsense. I am also saying that the true Christian faith is highly intellectual. It appeals to the mind as it convinces the sinner of a need for a Savior.

The born again person however does not then sell his brain to the church, rather he becomes a thinker. Whether he is a theologian, a scientist, a technologist, a broadcaster, a writer, or even a politician, he brings in a finesse of knowledge into his profession that adds to it. Christians are already disciplined individuals and thus can use their time for productive ventures. This is the reason why early scientists were mostly Christians.

There is increasing atheism in the land and I hereby present the gospel to these folks as a sound alternative to the mere religion they are raging against.

CC: TheSixthSense, HardMirror, lalasticlala

Is HardMirror planning to return to this thread?

I commend TheSixthSense for his very mature response.

I'm writing a series on Pentecostalism on Facebook. One of the post I plan to make is "Rising Atheism". There I'm hoping to show that the falsehood behind many Pentecostal ministries is producing many atheistic minds. I was going to give Nairaland as an example of a place where Nigerian atheists find freedom ri express themselves. Then I thought to visit after many months and here I find HardMirror.

If you wouldn't mind, I also will like to ask a few questions to aid my write up. Thanks.

RENOUNCING BUHARISM: MATTERS ARISING

by Deji Yesufu

The biggest criticism of Nigeria's type of politics is its lack of an ideological base. People generally choose to enter political associations not because they share some ideological bases but because of some common interest – mostly the pursuit of power.

It is untrue to say that Buharism is not a political ideology in Nigeria. Muhammadu Buhari may not have formally defined this ideology but his followers and lovers did. And usually an ideology is given a name by the devotees and not the person himself. I know this to be true of Awoism (the political ideology named after the sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo) and Calvinism (the Protestant ideology named after John Calvin).

The leading Buharist in Oyo State, Rev. Edward Koye-ladele, has left a definition of Buharism on my facebook timeline and I shall be quoting it here to reach my conclusion on why this ideology has failed on my part and how it can be salvaged. Rev. Koye said: ‘"Buharism” like “Awoism” remains a concept of leadership that redefines (the) character of leaders in a way that makes credible, unblemished and sincere people gain followership and support of the people”‘ In other words, truth or sincerity, is the bedrock of Buharism.

What drew me to Buhari was his doggedness, discipline, spartaness, thriftiness, sincerity, patriotism and commitment to the Nigerian question. That for me is Buharism and if I ever were to be a politician or I was to support one again, these shall be the minimum characteristics I will expect from him.

My commitment to the Buhari ideology began to wear off when the vital element of sincerity began to be found wanting in the President’s work. While one understand that Mr. President cannot fix every sector of the Nigerian life and that there are factors inhibiting his performance in office presently, one would at least expect the President to get the fight against corruption right. It seem to me that Mr. President will wage war on corruption except on members of his party – especially those from the core north.

The way the Presidency has handled the Dogara/Jibirin fiasco in the House of Representatives leaves much to be desired. And to be sincere, this singular action put paid to my commitment to an ideology that embodies his personality.

I consider the matter of the President’s inability to wage war against corrupt elements among his close associates and kinsmen, his greatest weakness and the possible undoing of his government. If the war against corruption will be total – leaving out no sacred cow, Buharism may still be an attractive ideology for persons like me. But until one sees such a commitment, one is forced to find better workable political ideologies elsewhere.

My prayer is that this government will succeed but if it will succeed, it will have to make some tough decisions regarding dealing with rouges within its own ranks and files.

Many have concluded that my renouncing the Buhari ideology is tantamount to a total disapproval of the Buhari government. So that Buhari's so called enemies are celebrating my decision and the President's friends are ruing it in secret. In the midst of it, I find myself sandwiched between two opinions. The fact of the matter is this: I may no longer be a Buharist at heart, I however remain a strong optimist in this government; trusting God that it will succeed against all odds.

By renouncing Buharism, I have not said I regret supporting, campaigning for and voting for Buhari. While Bayo Adeyinka had rightly expressed my dissatisfaction with this government in a latest post on his timeline, lumping me up with Feyi Fawhemin, who apologized on Twitter for influencing people to vote Buhari, was putting me in and wrong grouping. My effort at bringing Muhammadu Buhari to power is one of the single greatest achievement of my adult life. I led the #Ihavedecided campaign efforts for Prof. Yemi Osinbajo in Akinyele LGA of Oyo state. That local government gave Buhari the highest percentile win in Oyo State: about 70%. I will never regret getting people to vote Buhari into government.

Some other people also cannot understand how I will, in one breadth be renouncing Buharism, and in another breadth be hoping for the success of this government. My father-in-law will say in Yoruba: “when we cry, we ought to be seeing and not be blinded by our tears”. I cannot understand people calling themselves Nigerians and then hating Buhari to the point of hoping his government fails. If Buhari fails, we have all failed. So we had better work and pray that this government succeeds.

I have renounced the Buhari ideology in one hand to send out a protestation to the powers that be that its enthusiasts and followers are loosing confidence in it. This protestation has in its background a hope that the government will consider constructive criticism and pick up its efforts at revamping the nation. On the other hand, I have ceased to be a die-hard Buharist so I can return to the trenches and offer up insightful views on Social Media that can help the nation navigate these times, until we all see the Nigeria of our dreams. Unlike many who desire that this government fails, my efforts are aimed at ensuring that this government succeed at all cost.

The Buhari government has succeeded in two spheres that the Jonathan government failed woefully in. It has restored security to this country: routing the bloody Boko animals out of their hiding places in the North. They have also began to wage war on corruption – although my protestation is that they could do more.

My position therefore in the scheme of the Buhari debate is that I also “belong to everybody while at the same time I belong to nobody”. I simply belong to any course that will bring about a better Nigerian nation.

In September 2013, Dapo Egunjobi took me to see the renowned Ibadan Radio Presenter, Edmund Obilo, at the Splash FM office in Ibadan. We had gone to see him for some other issues but when I saw him, I felt I needed to tell him in a split second one solution that could solve all of Nigeria’s trouble. So I told him of a Christian revolution. The concept of a Christian revolution became engrained in my psyche after I listened to Pastor Tunde Bakare's December 2000 message on “The Fundamental Principles of a Christian Revolution”. A Christian Revolution states in one piece that if all individuals who espouse beliefs in the Christian Bible, will indeed be true to it in thoughts and practice, they will affect the nation and culture where they reside positively; and while everyone will not espouse Christianity at the end, the nation where these set of people reside will be blessed. This is what the Bible refers to as “righteousness exalting a nation”.

Europe and America remain the world super powers today. They practice democracy, a system of government, that allows for transparency, equality and the contribution of every human being in society to the running of that society. Democracy is only one system of government among many but it had proven to be the most workable. While Europe and America, in the core of their people’s hearts, are no longer Christian, the fundamental values running their society remain Christian. These values include but are not limited to love, sacrifice, hard work, loyalty, patriotism, patience, seeking knowledge through education, longsuffering, and delayed gratification. These are the values that run their countries and all of these values became entrenched in their national psyche through the beliefs and practices of their forefathers – many of whom where Evangelical Christians.

When a society is backward, when it has people who are self centered, greedy, dishonest, always in pursuit of self gratification, etc, we have every reason to call to question what their fundamental beliefs are. And it is the reason why some of us have renounced the prevailing Charismatic/Pentecostal beliefs of our time. Because a belief that calls people to endless praying, to pursue physical prosperity and greatness but does not translate to societal benefits or development in that country, is not a religion from God.

I am convinced there is nothing wrong with the Democratic system Nigeria practices. Our federal system of government could function better but there certainly is nothing wrong with federalism. This country is run by one of the best constitutions ever put together anywhere – restructuring in not the one time fix all solution with Nigeria. The Nigerian trouble is engrained in the mindset of its people. We are what we are not because our laws are faulty but because our people have faulty thinking. And such people will continue to breed leaders like themselves. Therefore we had Goodluck Jonathan and today we are grappling with Muhammadu Buhari.

The way forward for Nigeria are little vital steps we must take today that will translate to a country taking giants strides tomorrow. The first vital step we must take is to place premium on education. Our educational system needs to be revamped. The attitude of “reading only to pass” must stop. We must put an end to the idea of studying only to get a job. Our young people should be trained to be independent thinkers. We should encourage our science students to be inventive and productive. We must stop a culture of wealth at all cost and teach our children to be content with a little – while at the same time pricing hard work and wealth built through time.

As we build a solid educational base, Nigeria also needs to build strong institutions. A country will not make progress in its fight against corruption if its anti graft agencies cannot do their jobs until they have the nudge of the Presidency. We must build institutions that can run themselves regardless of individuals. This will be predicated on functional laws and institutions that will enforce those laws.

As Nigeria builds an educated people and institutions in which they will operate, we must continue to dialogue amongst ourselves. Elements within the Nigerian state that choose the path of militancy to press home their demands for a just nation must be served carrots and rods. We must talk to them and when they don’t listen, we must crush them through our military, until they are ready to talk.

While Jesus Christ and the salvation of sinners is the end product of a Christian revolution, the by product is a society run by proper values. A society where sacrifice is priced and love for one’s neighbour is encouraged. It is a society where good reigns and where evil is justly punished. The Buhari ideology failed for me because I have not seen justice sincerely practiced under this government. But Buhari cannot be blamed too much because Muhammadu Buhari is a product of a society that has warped values. The honest fact is that those who criticize the President the most today will do worse than him if they were in his shoes.

Our beautiful ones are yet to be born. The birth process is a total revamping of the Nigerian thinking process through proper education. We also hope that this country can inaugurate workable institutions. And as we “jaw-jaw” and not “war-war”, the Nigeria of our dreams will emerge. Muhammadu Buhari will not make right a system that has been corrupted by bad thinking and bad leaders over the years. The best he will do will be to lay a foundation on which future generations will build.

http://www.eobilo.com/#!RENOUNCING-BUHARISM-MATTERS-ARISING/jm212/57b7863b0cf2c624a7a97e31

Deji Yesufu is a Social Critic and Gospel Minister. He resides in Ibadan.

CC: lalasticlala, Seun, Mynd44

It seem to me the question is not correct but still studying it

Couple of Days is it for me

The meme summarises Buhari's success with the 2016 budget. Ensuring corrupt elements are absent from it.

CC: Seun, lalasticlala

This thread is dedicated to participants at the #OccupyNass #ReclaimNigeria campaign at the National Assembly today.

Post your pictures and tell your experiences here. Nigeria will be saved. Give us updates on the ground.

THE #OCCUPYNASS CAMPAIGN IS NOW A GLOBAL EVENT!

Fellow compatriots, after two weeks of due consultations with Nigerians in Diaspora, we hereby announce that our #OccupyNASS campaign is now escalated to a global event. We need to tell the whole world that we Nigerians have finally said enough is enough of the criminality, treachery, banditry and impunity that have bedeviled our National Assembly.

We need to pass a clear message to the whole world that Nigeria is a great nation, and that the International Community can do business with us. Furthermore, we need the world to know that the vast majority of the members of the National Assembly do not represent our bests interests. They are mostly there for their selfish interests - to make money for themselves and their families at our expense.

We are working closely with CUPS lawyers to develop a covenant master document, which will outline the atrocities committed against Nigerians by the criminal gangsters that have hijacked our National Assembly. The document will also mention our demands.

This covenant master document will be submitted as a Press Release to the Presidency, the National Assembly, states assembly, foreign embassies in Nigeria, and Nigerian embassies and consulates in major cities around the globe.

In view of this latest development, we call on all patriotic Nigerians at home who are not able to attend the Abuja protest not to despair. Please stay at your home states and organise local protests at your state assembly to coincide with the main even at NASS on 26th April - 29th April. We will furnish you with the Press Release document to submit to the speaker of your state house of assembly. We will also upload graphics designs for you to download and print for your placards and banners.

Fellow compatriots, have self belief that we can collectively reclaim Nigeria from the clutches of the tyrants that have hijacked our fatherland.

May God save Nigeria and Nigerians. Amen.

Dr. Idris Ahmed & Dr. Bunmi Awoyemi Divinewealth
@CUPS_Nigeria.
22/4/2016.

Seun Osewa support this movement. Place this #OccupyNass thread on front page and let's save Nigeria.

Lalasticlala

UPDATE ON SPECIAL APPEAL FOR #OCCUPYNASS FUNDING!

Fellow compatriots, another glorious day, another reason to look forward to the #OccuoyNASS and #ReclaimNigeria historic event. We write to update you with the amount of money raised so far.

An impressive sum of N244,000 was donated by patriotic Nigerians yesterday (20/4/2016). This brings the total amount of money raised so far to N675,000 in just three days!

The N244,000.00 was donated by just 16 patriotic Nigerians. Imagine how much we will raise if 100 people out of 180 million decided to donate! The highest donor yesterday donated N100,000. Others donated N50,000, N20,000, N10,000, N5,000, N3,000, N2,000 and N1,000. May the Almighty God reward you abundantly for your sacrifice to save our fatherland. Amen.

Fellow compatriots, there is no doubt that the mere threat of hosting this historic peaceful event is already yielding us dividends, the likes we have never seen in recent times.

Suddenly, the Senate leadership made dramatic u-turn yesterday by abandoning their treacherous attempt to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau Act (CCBA) and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).

Furthermore, they rescinded from their threat to suspend the anti-corruption arrowhead, Senator Kabir Marafa. Finally, they also abandoned their treacherous attempt to intimidate the CCT Chairman, Justice Umaru Danaladi, by summoning him to appear at the Senate on daily basis for the duration of Saraki's trial.

Our compatriots, you can clearly see that our collective resolve to #OccupyNASS and #ReclaimNigeria is working. However, we must not be complacent. We must press ahead with our peaceful patriotic agitation for REAL change until our fatherland is free of tyranny and impunity. We have the capacity to make Nigeria one of the greatest countries on the planet.

We have now decided to feed the peaceful demonstrators at NASS three times a day! This is an ambitious project. Your donations are therefore indispensable. Please make the 26th July to 29th July event a pleasant reality by donating whatever you can. No amount is too big or too small.

Every single Naira you donated is accounted for. A chartered accountant hired by CUPS will publish our accounts for the whole world to see. Please donate generously to the following CUPS corporate account:

Account Name: Citizens United for Peace and Stability.
Account Number: 1140085583.
Bank: Skye Bank.

God bless Nigeria and Nigerians. Amen.

Dr. Idris Ahmed & Dr. Bunmi Awoyemi Divinehealth.
@CUPS_Nigeria.
21/4/2016.

I consider this the selfie of all time. It is joy, joy, joy... As the soldiers take a selfie in a liberated community possibly in Borno and one of them even flaunts his wedding ring

Lalasticlala, Seun

#sackthesenate

#occupynass

Are trending on Twitter and Facebook. Join the campaign and gather with like-minded folks at the NASS Abuja from 26-29 April, 2016.

Let us rid this country of legislooters.

CC: Seun, lalasticlala, Mynd44