₦airaland Forum

Thanks Prof, may the Lord grant us the wisdom and grace to comport ourselves aright. God bless you.

‘During the 2nd Century epidemic in Carthage, as idol worshippers were throwing those who had been affected by the plague into the streets, it was the Early Christians that ran out to embrace them on the streets to welcome and care for them in their own homes.’

Beloved, let me start by repeating the now familiar stark warnings: remember to wash your hands regularly. Maintain social distancing. Avoid touching eyes, mouth, and nose. Practice respiratory hygiene by covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. Seek medical help quickly if you have a fever, cough, and breathing difficulties. Do not take anything for granted. Be EXTREMELY careful with individuals you meet while working or transacting business, some might be infected already and may not be not showing symptoms. Coronavirus is aggressive and deadly. The pandemic has humbled the powerful, and great nations have been brought to their knees. No one is immune to it, and no country is safe from it.


These are indeed perilous times. As believers, we must use our hearts and our heads. Pray and plan; watch and pray. Have faith, but don’t leave things to fate. Remember that the Lord preserved Israel for 40 years in the wilderness, but then He also gave them dietary and hygiene laws to protect them from diseases and epidemics. The Nehemiah Strategy is an approach worth adopting in times of adversity such as these:


‘They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.’ Nehemiah 4:17-21.

Yes, the Lord shall fight for us, but then the Lord expects us to THINK with the amazing brain He blessed us with and to ACT wisely. God is not going to use your leg or your head for you, you are a free moral agent! The devil will challenge you to do reckless things. To disobey the rules that government has put in place for our collective good. To visit indiscriminately, and to ignore the advice on hand washing and social distancing. You must remember that ‘thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’


Health is wealth. You cannot be too careful. You must act proactively to support yourself, your family, your friends, and your community. Keep some essential items and foodstuffs, but remember to leave some in store for your neighbours to buy as well. Support the aged, the weak, and the vulnerable. And don’t forget to educate the ignorant and overzealous ones both within your religious circle and outside. Many are going to die due to ignorance, and because of reckless actions.


When we sent out a warning to African churches on the need to adopt small-group and online fellowship formats before the government ban on large church meetings, a Nigerian pastor called me an enemy of the church and declared that Christians are spirits, so cannot be affected by Coronavirus! People spread these sorts of misleading messages. We must shield the gullible from such ignorant individuals. Sadly, many are going to perish because of the activities of these men. Do your utmost to avoid becoming part of the unfortunate statistics.


Foolishness would be to ignore the important health advice coming from government and health authorities. The Bible is not opposed to medicine and healthcare as some of us are tempted to believe, what the Word opposes is putting our confidence in the medium ( healthcare delivery systems encompassing men and medicine) instead of in the One who uses that medium to help us. Physicians care while the Great Physician heals. Since ancient times, Christians have always played a role in delivering care and demonstrating the beauty of the Christian Faith through charitable acts of kindness. During the 2nd Century epidemic in Carthage, as idol worshippers were throwing those who had been affected by the plague into the streets, it was the Early Christians that ran out to embrace them on the streets to welcome and care for them in their own homes. It is a historical fact that the Christian Church played a major role in the evolution and development of hospitals. As early as the 2nd Century, Early Christian congregations had started organising institutions that catered for the infirm. Basil of Caesarea, a Christian who lived during the leprosy epidemic of the 4th Century founded a hospital to care for the sick, especially poor people. And many great Christian leaders have shown their appreciation for God’s natural gifts that we are today exploiting in both orthodox and traditional medicine.


The devil, evil spirits and men have all contributed to pollute this perfect world the Lord gave us. Our individual and collective actions and inactions continue to affect our world and impact on our mortal frame in many negative ways, paving way for diseases and disasters across the globe. We are all implicated. We live in a physical dimension governed by natural laws. When natural laws are broken, the unsavoury consequences are usually inevitable unless God steps in to effect a miracle. It is noteworthy that the devil tried unsuccessfully to instigate the Lord to go against natural laws (convert stones to bread, jump off a cliff). Today many of us are yielding to those same temptations. When you go against the logical advice to wash your hands during this pandemic, you are tempting God. While God gives us special protection, we can still fall ill from time to time. Take a moment to reflect on this:

Prophet Elisha died of a sickness.2Kg 13:14. Apostle Paul 'preached through the infirmity of the flesh' and had 'a thorn in the flesh'.2Cor 12:7-9, Gal 4:13. Epaphroditus, Paul’s companion was sick and near unto death. Phil 2:25-27. David Brainerd, the great missionary evangelist, died of TB at the age of 29. Praying Hyde, the mighty prayer warrior and missionary to India, died at 47 after his heart shifted from the left side of his chest to the right, due to intense praying. Augustus Montague Toplady, the remarkable songwriter who wrote that great Christian hymn ‘Rock of Ages’, died of TB, aged 38. Kathryn Kulman, the dynamic faith healer, died in her early 60s due to complications arising from open-heart surgery. John G Lake, the powerful faith healer, and missionary died of a stroke at 65. Aimee Semple McPherson, the charismatic founder of Foursquare Gospel Church, died of medicine overdose at 53. We could go on.


We can deduce from the above that it is not necessarily how we die, where we die, or when we die that matters, it is actually who we are when we die, and where we end up after we die, that is more important. God protects from sicknesses and diseases, and God heals. I have personally witnessed and interviewed hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals who got healed by the power of God. But we will all ultimately die from one thing or the other. While depending on the Lord for mercies and protection, the onus is on us to also use the wisdom He has richly endowed us with, to comport ourselves wisely to promote our health and wellbeing.


The present global crisis is an opportunity for the church to do two things. The first is to pray for revival and the manifestation of God’s mighty power, and the second is for the church to demonstrate Christian love by reaching out to help those around us.


God’s people can unite in faith to pray for revival and the manifestation of His healing power to turn the tide against this pandemic. He did it in the past and He can do it again. He has promised to heal the land if we turn to Him in humility, repentance, and prayer. The terrible atrocities in the world, and the spiritual abnormalities in our churches, testify against us to high heavens. We need to humbly repent of our personal and denominational pride, our idolisation of men, and our neglect of the poor. We must turn away from our carnal rivalries, ungodly competition, haughty looks, proud attitude, covetousness, greed, excessive attachment to material things and worship of the god of success. We must do away with lying words, deceptive actions, and evil thoughts. We must repent from the hatred for our fellow man, and envy of those we call friends and brethren. We need to repudiate the gossips and tale-bearing that have become normal in our homes, workplaces and Christian gatherings. We must expunge the sinful lusts lurking in the inner recesses of our hearts, and the immoral activities that we carry on in dark places. We need to bemoan our loss of Christian innocence, Bible-holiness, and child-like simplicity; and bewail the beauty of the Lord that has faded from our lives, and the glory that has departed our homes and congregations. I fall on my face to acknowledge my own iniquities and the impurities in my family and fellowship. May the Lord forgive me. What about you? How clean are your hands, and how pure is your household and church before the All-Seeing eyes of the Thrice-Holy God? May we not be too blind or too proud to acknowledge our sins in the presence of the One who crafted us from dust and before whom we must all ultimately bow to account for our deeds.

We can use this opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ as salt and light in the world through strategic humanitarian actions. Church buildings can temporarily provide refuge for homeless and vulnerable individuals. Churches can organise community-wide outreaches to support widows, orphans, old people, disabled individuals, and the destitute. Christians can donate food, finance, and facilities to alleviate the terrible conditions occasioned by this situation. We can mobilise to create awareness that will stem the spread of the virus and save many lives.


Undoubtedly, some of the super-spiritual ones among us will consider me a man of little faith for some of the remarks here, but nothing could be further from the truth. This season, while they will probably be hiding behind their computers to criticise and condemn, we will be on the streets of London supporting vulnerable homeless people through our Christian charity. Christians do not show faith by preaching alone, they demonstrate it by producing fruits. They are not moved by fear, they are motivated by love. Life is beautiful, and Jesus makes it meaningful and deeply enriching. But when the time comes for me to take a bow and leave this earthly stage, I do not want to remain here a second longer. Bible believers are not afraid to die, they are only afraid of dying before fulfilling their God-given assignment on this side of eternity.


For those living in fear of death due to the present crisis, this is the time to run to the Lord Jesus, the giver of life. For those struggling and groaning under the heavy burden of sin, this is the time to repent and embrace Christ, the Prince of Peace. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. For the Christian, you must hold on in faith and courage. You are covered by the blood of the Lamb. No weapon fashioned against you shall prosper, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. May the Lord keep you.

Charles Gimoh

https://www.housechurchinternational.com/post/coronavirus-versus-the-christian-what-we-must-do

critic007:
God bless you for this post. The earliest we are conscious of our hygiene, the better for us all.

Amen, thank you.
It is sad that many would rather pray than observe simple health and safety measures that are imperative for wellbeing. No wonder our life expectancy rate is so low in spite of all our binding and loosing! God is not going to do for us, what we can do for ourselves.

Coronavirus And African Churches: Faith, Common Sense, And The Need For Urgent Calculated Action!

News emanating from Rome is that the Catholic Church in Rome has ordered the closure of all their churches and the scrapping of compulsory Sunday Mass to combat the spread of Coronavirus. According to Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Rome's 900 churches will remain closed till April 3.

This is food for thought for churches and religious congregations in Africa. Desperate conditions such as these should necessitate drastic actions. Nations are closing their doors to foreigners and residents are being advised and constrained in some cases to stay at home to halt the spread of this rampaging pandemic. The nature of church gatherings in Africa would need to be reassessed and restructured to address the threat posed by the virus to congregants in the region. This is time for our churches to start working on strategies that would minimise the impact of the situation on members and the wider society they interact with. Churches should apply some common sense to reorganise fellowship meetings in ways that would not jeopardise the flock.

We do not all operate at the same level of faith and understanding. The weak should not be exposed to tempting conditions greater than their faith can endure. The African Church must be particularly cautious, our health systems are fragile, and ignorance is rife. Ecumenical organisations (like CAN and PFN in Nigeria) must be at the forefront of this crusade to guide the flock from the looming catastrophe.

This is both a matter of faith and a matter of knowledge. My people perish for lack of knowledge. While living by faith, we must learn from the Early Church and from the experiences of God’s people all through Church history. The Bible tells us that:


'To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.Ecclesiates 3:1,5.'


'And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt. Exodus 13:17.

'After several days had gone by, the Jewish leaders plotted to murder Saul, but their plot became known to him. They were even watching the gates day and night to murder him, but his disciples took him one night and let him down through the city wall by lowering him in a basket.' Acts 9:23-25.

As we can see from the passages above, this is a time to refrain from embracing. There were times when instead of manifesting foolish faith, the saints made use of their legs to flee from dangerous situations. We must not tempt the Lord our God. As we begin to see more coronavirus cases in Africa, instead of encouraging mass gatherings which is a common phenomenon in African countries, we must now start exploring possibilities of temporary protection measures like doing church in smaller units such as homes or utilising technology where possible, for online fellowship meetings.

Church fellowship strategies must reflect a healthy balance between faith and commonsense. For those of us who are too ‘spiritual’ to embrace such advice, it is pertinent to remember that the hour cometh and now is when true worshippers shall worship the Lord, not in a physical building, but in spirit and in truth. While we must not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, we must remember that where two or three are gathered together, He is there in the midst of them.

Pastors are generally acting with wisdom when they employ ushers, church security and bodyguards to protect them from physical harm during church meetings. The same principle must be applied in this trying period to protect their vulnerable sheep. As members of His Body, we can both act in faith and walk in wisdom.


It is almost inevitable that multitudes are going to die during this perilous period. Africa our beloved and resilient continent is still largely unscathed by this ravaging pandemic. But this is obviously a case of the calm before the storm. We must all start preparing now for the flood that is certain to follow. We must pray and we must prepare. Basic health and hygiene teaching must become a staple in our Sunday schools for adults and children in churches across the continent. Many of our people live in slums and rural areas with no access to technology and information, we must all be proactive in educating the faithful, our family, our friends, and even foes, in the spirit of love.


We must teach them to wash their hands. We must teach them how to do the washing. We must tell them to use sanitizers. We must remind them to use a tissue when coughing and sneezing or to use their sleeves if tissue is not available. We must remind them of the danger of touching their eyes, noses, and mouths with unwashed hands. They must also remember to avoid close contact with people who are unwell and to self-isolate and seek medical help if they are experiencing fever, persistent cough, and breathing difficulties.


May the Lord spread His protective Wings over our beloved continent, and indeed over all the earth. May multitudes be drawn to seek solace at the foot of the cross. May the Lord’s flock be shielded from this aggressive pestilence that is wasting away many. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Remember, a thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right side, but it shall NOT come near you. May the Lord protect and preserve you and your loved ones.


Shalom,

Charles Gimoh
https://www.housechurchinternational.com/post/coronavirus-and-african-churches-faith-foolishness-and-the-need-for-urgent-calculated-action

'And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.'Luke 12:15.
'For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.'ITimothy 6:10.

Churches are quick to denounce 419 and the Yahoo Yahoo gangs. However, there is a huge scam going on in plain sight in the Nigerian Church which was imported from America many years ago. It is the scam of the prosperity gospel.

God can and does prosper individuals, so this is not a message in support of poverty or any kind of mediocrity. It is not a message against bible-based offerings. True prosperity is great, and giving to a good scriptural cause is awesome. However, this is a denunciation of the 'prosperity gospel'. That charismatic, pentecostal, evangelical concoction which specialises in milking church members dry through the exploitative collection of 'seeds', while promising them that by sowing, thinking and talking positively, everyone can reap wealth, health and success. This manipulative, perverted brand of prosperity teaching is rampant in many Nigerian churches today.

While we believe prosperity is God's will for His people, the prosperity gospel that is being peddled in Nigeria is contrary to scriptural teaching. This grasping, grabbing doctrine that is promoting greed, avarice, manipulation, and covetousness in the Church is inconsistent with God's word. We vehemently denounce this teaching that is deliberately tilted to favour unscrupulous pastors.

Shepherds are driving around in flashy cars, living in luxurious homes, educating their kids in the best schools, and getting fat on good food, while the sheep is ragged, hungry, malnourished and getting thinner.

In spite of all the church meetings and the billions of Naira Christians are sowing into these churches weekly, is it not scandalous that Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the world with about half the country's population living in EXTREME POVERTY? According to Oxfam, 'The combined wealth of Nigeria’s five richest men - $29.9 billion - could end extreme poverty at a national level yet 5 million face hunger. More than 112 million people are living in poverty in Nigeria, yet the country’s richest man would have to spend $1 million a day for 42 years to exhaust his fortune'.

Church members would rather give away most of their earnings to questionable preachers in the name of seeds than pay taxes to the government to improve health care, education and social services. Monies going into the coffers of prosperity churches is enough to modernise many of our dilapidated schools and ill-equipped hospitals. Instead what we see is a carnal denominational rivalry between some of these as they struggle to outdo each other with humongous church buildings.

Gullible Christians are being hoodwinked into sowing everything sowable, and the only individuals largely profiting from this mass 'sowing' scam are the prosperity ministers and their close acquaintances. It is an open secret that some of the richest ministers of religion on the planet are Nigerians. Most of the largest church buildings in the world are in Nigeria. Some of the best schools in the developing world are owned by Nigerian churches. But then these beautiful churches and school buildings were erected with the sweat of poor church members who ironically mostly live in slums that are far-detached from those glamorous church buildings, and who sadly cannot afford to educate their children in the very expensive fee-paying church schools that were built with their money. When you question this injustice, they cry 'quality education is expensive'! How sad. How did we get here?

The missionaries who brought free religion to us also gave us free schools. Today all over Western Europe, most primary and secondary educational institutions are free, including many church schools like the one my kids go to. For next to nothing, you can get a university education in many Western European countries. In Nigeria, it is disturbing to know that some of the more serious churches are equally charging prohibitive school fees. What is wrong with the Nigerian Church?

We have been preaching this skewed version of prosperity teaching in
the country for decades. Prosperity pastors have been telling us things are going to get better. But look all around you, the opposite is what we are getting. A few are getting richer, a lot are getting poorer. While the favoured minority can jet out in their private jets for regular medical check-up and treatment when ill, the majority of their poor members generally have to depend on faith and fate. Faith is good, but faith without works is dead!

Multitudes grope about in the paralysing darkness of sickness, poverty, and ignorance. Nigerians are dying like flies and many are getting cut-off in their prime. The average global life expectancy is about 70 years. Today, Nigeria's life expectancy is only 55 years, one of the lowest in the world! Compare this to Post Christian Western societies where the majority are not sowing any prosperity seeds. Westerners are living longer, with people in many developed countries living within the 80 years bracket. In fact, old age is becoming a problem in some of these nations and governments are struggling to deal with the challenges of caring for ageing populations. Is this not an embarrassment to the Nigerian Church? What happened to all the prosperity seeds we have been sowing?

Appallingly, there appears to be a conspiracy of silence in the Church. We have prophets, but only a few are crying out against this atrocity in the Lord's house. Or are our prophets complicit in this monumental prosperity scam? We have teachers, but they are not teaching to correct this terrible error that is being perpetrated from a thousand and one pulpits. Are our teachers complicit in this heinous conspiracy against the Bride of the Lord?
Let us prophesy to the prophets! Hear the word of the Lord:

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them...Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them...And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle...And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.Ezekiel 34:2-31.


Consequently, we denounce this prosperity gospel in its entirety because:

It is not scriptural
There is no scriptural basis for it in New Testament writings.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also...No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.Matthew 6:19-24

Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. godliness with contentment is great gain.For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness...Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;1Timothy 6:5-11,17

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.Hebrews 13:5.

Jesus did not live it or preach it
Christ's gospel and messages never encouraged it. Rather he preached people should forsake ALL to follow Him.
And He said unto them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”Luke 12:15

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.Mark 10:21-25.

And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. Mt8:20.

The Apostles & Early Church Fathers did not Live it or Preach it
In fact, a close look at their writings would reveal a bias against the inordinate accumulation of material things.

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.Acts 3:16

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. James 2:5-8.

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

The Early Church did not Reflect that Materialistic Passion
Primitive Christians actually actively sought to distribute their wealth to the less privileged instead of accumulating material things inordinately.

And all that believed were together, and had all things common;And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.Acts 2:44-45.
Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.Acts 4:34-35.

If God has blessed us, we should earnestly seek for ways to use our wealth to advance the will of God and improve the lives of the poor, especially amongst God's people. Let us resist the spirit of materialism that is currently holding sway over many lives not just in the world, but painfully in the Church also.

Go ahead, get mad at the preacher for telling you the truth you are not ready to accept about your money-minded MOG. I am not seeking for your commendation. I don't care!

Pastor Charles Gimoh
House Church International
https://www.housechurchinternational.com/post/why-we-are-against-the-prosperity-gospel

gospel

Amen!

This is a very old drawing, one that was painted probably about 1600 years ago! Note that Christianity was relatively young then and the Christian artist may have been limited by his own personal artistic experience and the tools available to him to work with at that period. But he probably succeeds in giving us a realistically close image on a general level.
Compare these paintings with the oldest known painting of Jesus below,produced in 235AD where He is shown healing the paralytic.Also see that of Christ as the Good Shepherd found in a catacomb in Rome dating back to the 3rd Century BC.
Importantly, the significance of this discovery is not only about the physical depiction of Christ's face alone but about the BIBLE STATED SCENES INVOLVING HIM lending historical credibility to His earthly life and ministry. Some of the frescoes show His physical ascension from earth into the sky as well as fish falling from His hand.

Amazing New Archaeological Discovery Reveals Images Of Jesus And The Apostles That Have Never Been Seen Before !

https://www.nairaland.com/2902320/amazing-new-archaeological-discovery-reveals

An exciting discovery has been made in an archaeological site in Central Anatolia Turkey, shedding light on Jesus and the Apostles and reinforcing the authenticity of the bible account. The discovery is being hailed as a revolutionary one that could impact on Church history in a very significant way.

Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient church dating probably as far back as the 5th century which contains frescoes depicting previously unseen scenes involving Jesus and other significant bible figures. Some of the astounding images show fish falling from the hands of Jesus and Him ascending up into heaven.

http://www.housechurchinternational.com/church/amazing-new-archaeological-discovery-reveals-images-of-jesus-and-the-apostles-that-have-never-been-seen-before/

Front page material:


Popular Christian Musician Renounces His Faith & Rejects God
https://www.nairaland.com/2855338/popular-christian-musician-renounces-faith

When i read stories like the one you are about to read, one question that almost always pops up in my mind is ‘was this person TRULY born again?’ In other words, was the individual ever a true Christian? Did the apostate have a GENUINE RELATIONSHIP with the Lord Jesus Christ or was he just an active religious ‘Christian’ ? In these days of easy-believism, anyone can take on the label of a Christian while still frolicking with the devil, living in darkness and wallowing in iniquity.

A popular Christian musician in the UK, Jahaziel Elliot, has gone on Facebook to publicly renounce his personal Christian faith, while scathingly denouncing fundamental elements of Christianity.

Jahaziel who has a string of music awards to his name including a MOBO for Best Gospel Act has been described as one of the most important UK artists in the history of Christian hip-hop.

This is the statement he released on Facebook:

“I need not explain myself to anyone but I feel the need to make a quick statement. A short while ago I turned away from 20 years as a professing Christian. I had a good job with a church organization, a house provided by the church, a large social circle of likeminded people, a career in gospel music, a worldwide fan base, a respected reputation & status within Christian and non Christian circles… Etc
Having left Christianity I may have lost many/all of these things, but what I have is worth more than all of them combined. I have my integrity. When I first joined Christianity I was told ‘you must believe this book is God’s infallible word’… Before I’d even read the book!! How can one decide for themselves whether a book is accurate and true BEFORE they have even read & investigated the book thoroughly?! Anyway… Contrary to many opinions I have met some great people in church and learned some great principles from Christianity/the bible. These principles however are not exclusive to any religion. I have experienced christianity in literally 100’s of contexts so my perspective on Christianity is quite an informed one. I have met many sincere Christians, both church goers and church leaders, and although I have not seen every one of the 40,000 Christian denominations currently in existence I think I have seen enough to personally make a general conclusion regarding Christianity in the broadest sense. Now after 20 years of being vocal about the positives of Christian faith I would like to take some time to be equally vocal about the negatives I have found. i.e Christianity and its controlling dictatorship, its historic blood trail, its plagiarized bible stories characters and concepts, the many human errors of the bible and its contradictions, the brutal nature of its God, it’s involvement in the slave trade, the crusades, the inquisition, the witch hunts, it’s second class view of women, it’s masculinization of God, it’s emasculation of men, its financial corruption… You get the drift. So YES I will go on, and I will not be silent as some have asked – my integrity will not allow me to be so passive against mass corruption. In all love. J”

I would be the first person to admit am not yet a perfect Christian, but it would be absolutely ridiculous to blame God for my mistakes. If men choose to be dictatorial, callous , blood-thirsty , financially corrupt , racist , and generally wicked , they should be held accountable for their actions as free moral agents. It is patently absurd to pass the buck to God.

The glaring heresies in Jahaziel’s statement are so appalling that I wonder whether he was really fellowshipping with the right people and feeding from a healthy spiritual source. A balanced Christian with an average grasp of spiritual truths can easily answer all of the questions this young man is grappling with. I would be personally shocked if my 9 year old born again daughter is unable to effectively and convincingly respond to at least 50% of the questions raised. Among the many obvious errors in his submission, one part of his renunciation statement that gives an indication of the questionable nature of Jahaziel’s Christian claim is this, ”When I first joined Christianity…”

Sorry brother, we do not JOIN Christianity! You may join a Christian assembly and choose to identify yourself as a Christian; you may sing Christian songs ,fast and pray regularly; you may even become a pastor, a General Overseer or some kind of Christian minister. But none of these automatically qualifies you as a real Christian. There are multitudes of nice churchy – looking unregenerate believers, gospel singers, leaders , preachers, teachers,overseers, etcetera , gallivanting about in the name of Christ who have never really met the Christ they are talking about! It would do us well to ponder this serious warning by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself about this issue:

MANY will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:13-23.

Christianity is not an empty religious profession spiced up with churchy activities, it is a lifestyle. That lifestyle begins with a definite encounter with Christ. True repentance from sins and total submission to Christ by faith are the steps you must take to become a true Christian. However, that decision is only the beginning of the journey. You MUST continue living in obedience to God’s word to remain a Christian. The preeminent tragedy confronting the church of today is the preponderance of religious ‘church-goers’ who go by the name Christian but are still living practically sinful lives that are no different from those of average unbelievers.

Until those of us who go by that sacred title begin to read the bible for ourselves, until we start evaluating our lives in the light of God’s word, until we start living to reflect Christian holiness in every aspect of our lives, until we stop focussing more on our denominations, church traditions and the myriads of materialistic men of God who have hijacked Christian ministry in our time, we are going to continue to see many more confused ‘Christians’ like Jahaziel Elliot bringing dishonour to the body of Christ.

Charles Gimoh

House Church International

http://www.housechurchinternational.com/church/popular-gospel-musician-renounces-his-faith-rejects-god/