IS THE CHURCH REPROBATE?
I would continue to ask this question over and over again as we watch the Church, and the so called men and children of God continue to descend into the unimaginable and the un-Biblical. Yesterday, i was shocked to hear from a Winner Chapel member, a neighbor that the suffering in Nigeria was a payment for Christians to have voted against a non-christian in the 2015 elections.
Dissatisfied with that, i went to a pastor friend and rold him what my neighbor said. He confirmed that some churches he knows are even praying for the president to die.
A CHOOSEN MEMBER CELEBRATING THE SICKNESS OF THE PRESIDENT
I was shocked. Could that actually happen in the Church? It was difficult to believe.
To crown this abnormality was a Lord's Chosen member who openly clapped and rejoiced when she was told that President Buhari was sick.
For a Chritian to rejoice that her president is sick is very abnormal to me. It can never be said that a Christian would want the death of a fellow human being to the extent that some even pray to God for another person to die. it is quite disheartning and unbelievable. where did we get it wrong? How did e get here? Didn't the Bible ask us to pray for our leaders, even our enemies? How did tribalism and politics of biterness sneaked into the Church?
In my next blogs, i would outline more of the abnormalities in today's Churches. We would see the origin of the Church's woes; and also consider the way out of these aberations
Please follow me so we can consider this together.
Monday, 6 June 2016
Saturday, 4 June 2016
An illucidating narrative that would remind you of the exciting village experience( a fiction). Get the book on createspace.com
THE VILLAGE SCHOOL
BOY by Ohimai Daniel
Holidays period was a period of rest and
enjoyment for our counterparts in the city, ours was full of hard labour in the
farm and at home. I truly had not noticed how hard my father worked until now.
Papa, everyday, woke up before all of us. He did not have any alarm to wake him
up, yet he woke up almost at the same time every morning. He woke up before 5am
every day.
When he woke up, he checked around the house, possibly to see that
everything and everybody was intact. When he came to our rooms, he pointed his
touch light on our faces. He moved the brimming ray of the touch light from one
face to the other like a doctor examining his patients. After Papa had examined
his ‘patients’, and was sure they were in good condition, went back to his
room. He would later go to the kitchen chimney to get his bitter leave dried
root which he used as chewing stick. Papa would bring out this cane-like
chewing stick, dip one end into his mouth, chewed this end for about five
minutes like young grass cutters battling with cashew stem with their tiny
incisors. Once Papa had successfully ground one end of his chewing stick into
usable sponge-like form, he started to brush them rigorously against his
cola-nut-stained teeth. At various intervals, Papa hit the chewing stick against
his seat and blew out particles of the stick. He first stuck out his tongue
like when my primary school teacher wanted to pronounce theater sound.
Papa always did his
teeth brushing outside with his big wrapper over his neck down like the Muslim
woman I saw the day I followed Mama to Sabo. Once Papa finished brushing, he
gulped in a hand-full of water, rinse his mouth, and pour it out; took in
another, poured it out; hit the chewing stick against anything available-
stool, wall ,etc. papa went in after to put on his farm wears which included a
shirt, pair of jean trousers, and a pair of boot. Papa said he preferred jean
trousers because it lasted longer than the material trouser. Boot allowed Papa
for easy movement in the thorny and stumpy farm. Papa went with a hoe hung on
his shoulder, a cutlass on his left hand, and a keg of water balanced on his
head; and a burning coal in his armpit, while a bag dangled on his right
shoulder.
‘Ejere, Ejere!’, Mama
called my elder brother who was still asleep at this time.
‘I don’t know why my
husband would always leave to farm without this boy.’, Mama quarreled.
Papa did not bother
us when he went to farm. He allowed us to sleep until we were tired. Was it not
Mama, we would not know, possibly, the road to the farm. Although, Papa pointed
out that his first son, Ejere must learn the act of farming, ‘but it must be at
his pace’, Papa explained. Mama never liked seeing us sleeping while Papa was
in the farm. Even if we did not followed Papa to the farm, we should be awake
doing house chores. Mama was sweeping the house surroundings with a long broom
made from several canes. She usually did this every morning, and I have had to
wonder if Mama would sweep all her life.
‘Is your brother
awake?’, Mama asked.
‘No ma’, I replied.
OTHER FOR THIS STORY ON createspace.com
what kind of politics do we play in Nigeria?
THE USE OF THREAT IN NIGERIAN POLITICS
Though the 2015 elections has come and gone, yet some of the
issues, particularly moral issues, raised by the election have not been
critically examined by political commentators and analysts. Before the2015 elections,
in a brief with some defunct CPC members who paid him a courtesy call in
Kaduna, General Buhari was reported to have said that if what happened in 2011
happened again in 2015 that the Baboons and dogs would be soaked in blood. After
that inglorious statement ( yes it was inglorious because the people he
actually referred to as baboons and dogs were not the politicians but rather
the poor and hapless people in the streets) several other threats were issued
by both the PDPs and non-PDPs, warning the presidents not to contest else
violence was going to be on the sprawl. The effect of those threats was
underestimated until the ex- militants from the Niger Delta began to issue like
threats that the nation would know no peace if their kinsman was chicken out of
Aso Rock. Throughout the presidential campaign period, political opponents
where in flagrant and indiscriminate use of threats and counter threats. The
reports of threat SMS messages in some part of the North either threatening
voters to stay away from the election or to vote for a particular candidate or
party at which violation such people would be severely dealt with, are still
fresh in our memories. Being abreast of the post election violence of 2011,
several eligible voters moved away in droves from their places of residents to
their villages and cities. Those who managed to stay behind completely stayed
away from the polling boots. It worked. Mallam el-Rufai corroborated this when
he alleged after casting his vote during the April 11th governorship
election that the threat of the PDP was responsible for the voter’s apathy
experienced in Kaduna that day. If threat was working during the governorship
election as El-Rufai alleged, then it worked during the presidency.
This could be what the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu
wanted to leverage on when he reportedly told Ibo elders to risk being drown in
the Lagoon by voting against his anointed candidate, Mr. Ambode of the APC. And
on 13th April 2015, Mr. Ambode was declared winner of the April 11th
governorship election in Lagos state. The rest is history.
Also, before the rescheduled governorship election in Abia
State, the national dailies inundated us with the shameful display of coffin in
the streets of Abia where voters were told to vote against Okezie Ikpeazu of
the PDP and die. And I don’t know how many people actually risked the death
threat.
Based on the Nigerian political topography, ideological and
superstitious believes we cannot wish away the effects these crude actions
would have on the outcome of elections in Nigeria. For instance, the average
Nigerian sees the politicians as demonic blood suckers who would ride on their
blood at any giving time for political gains; the average Nigerian believe in
the divinity of the Obas in spites of how much the royal thrones have been desecrated
by the politicians; the average Nigerian is politically apartheid, and more so
when their lives is said to be at risk while performing this ritual that have
not in any way better their lives. It is needful to make appropriate
legislations banning the use of threat or hate-speech for political gains.
OHIMAI DANIEL, LAGOS
should women hold Church leadership? Learn what a christian author says
WOMAN AND
CHURCH LEADERSHIP.
According to
1CORRITHIANS 14:34, the Bible says, ‘’let
your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them for
to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is
shame for women to speak in the church. What came the world of God only from
you? Or came it unto you only.
There
is an underlying truth behind this biblical injunction from Paul. The church of
Corinth was heavily blessed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Like the bible
tells us in JAMES 1:17, God does not have preference in His dispatch of good
gift. So the Corinth women folk were heavily blessed with diverse gift. This excessive
gifting lead to insubordination from them. In most of the church’s services,
they indulged in unnecessary arguments, and claims of spiritual information. In
spite of the pastor’s effort to put them right, they refused and always claimed
that they heard the information from God. But from Paul’s spiritual judgment (1
CORRINTHIANS 2:15), their claims were simply heretic. Now, let’s examine the
above claim from our text. THE SIGN OF INSUBORDINATION: ‘’but they are commanded
to be under obedience’’ verse 34c; PRETENCE TO LEARN: ‘and if they will learn
anything, let them ask their husbands at home’’ verse 35a; CLAIMS THAT GOD
SPOKE TO THEM: ‘’what? Came the word of God out from you? Or came it unto you
only?’’
From the above, it could be said that Paul was
not against the Women hearing from God, but they should not claim sole
possession of this gift. Consequently, Paul was clearly admonishing women to
learn. They must not feel that possession of the Holy Ghost or some Spiritual
gift is an alternative to knowledge. It is an admonition to all Christians that
knowledge supersedes even spiritual gifts. It is the ultimate.But if a woman had taken time to learn under an experience tutor, then what stops her from teaching. Note that Paul was not trying to introduce man’s supremacy into Christian worship. He was only admonishing all to learn. In 1 TIMOTHY 2:11, he shows how they must learn. It reads, ‘’let the women LEARN in silence with all subjection.’’ The learning period must be a time of obedience and silence. And why should she learn if she is forbidden or not allowed to teach what she had been taught. Every woman who has taken time to learn can become a teacher herself.
GET MORE FROM MY BOOK ''IS THE CHURCH REPROBATE'' ON createspace.com
Monday, 30 May 2016
The Church of Christ can speak with one voice again! Get this inspiration laden christian book. You will enjoy it
TITLE: IS THE CHURCH
REPROBATE?
INTRODUCTION: THE UNITY
OF FAITH, A PRE-RAPTURE NECESSITY
While Jesus was leaving
this world and his disciples, only one prayer he made for them. In John 17:21 Jesus prayed to the father that
‘’they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also
may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.’’ What it
means to be one was exemplified in the matter of The Tower of Babel. Genesis
11:6: ‘’And the Lord said, Behold the people is ONE, and they have ALL ONE
LANGUAGE; and this they begin to do, and now nothing will be retrained from
them, which they have imagine to do.’
The church must learn
to speak one language now, and must stop casting aspersion on each other, but
rather learn from and appreciate each other.
The truth contained in
this little book is not the opinion of the writer. They are purely the words of
the Spirit to the churches, if any man thinks otherwise, the Lord shall receive
even this to him, PHILLIPIANS 3:15. The truth contains here is purely revelation
information. It is neither a doctrinal issue, but an attempt by the HOLY SPIRIT
to unite the Church in this close of time before the rapture. If you are in
doubt of any truth revealed here kindly ask THE HOLYGHOST. Before you start to
read this book, read EPHESSIAN4:13
SUNDRY CONFUSED ISSUES
IN CHURCHES
1)THE WILL
OF GOD OR DESTINY
One of the
most confusing messages in the Christian circle today is the subject of
Destiny. Pastors, I guess, simply do not realize how confused they leave their
congregation whenever they teach on the subject. I once and I am still a victim
of this teaching, hence the need to talk about it.
While in my
Secondary school days, the subject of University never crossed my mind because
none of my siblings went, so it was never a discussion in our house. But after
I became born again in 1996, the idea of University began to occur in my brain.
But I had been taught of the need to seek to know the course I needed to read
in school. Or better still, we had been told to always seek to know God’s perfect
will for us. With this mindset, I went into many days of praying for God to
specifically tell me the course to read in the University. After praying for
years without an answer, I quietly told God to use my pastor then to guild me.
‘’Sir, please, I want to put in for JAMB, what course should I register for?’’
‘’Are you a science student?’’, my pastor asked. I told him I was an Arts
student. He simply looked for a selling course in Arts, and recommended Law.
I registered
for Law, although with some internal conflict, because those who know me
closely felt I was too taciturn to succeed in Law. I bought their reasoning,
and fell in love with Accounting. But my pastor disallowed me because he was
strongly convinced that Law would sell more than Accountancy.
I finally
wrote the Law recommended subjects with an aggregate score of 233.
Unfortunately for me, that year Uniben needed to combine two sections, so the
competition was keen and 233 was not admitted for Law in 2002. My brother in-law,
who also has his own concept of the Will of God, did a change of course for me,
and I was admitted in English and Literature. I wanted to rewrite JAMB so I
could put in for Accountancy, because at that time, accountancy was only the
course that appealed to me. My Aunty and the husband advised me against that.
And I finally enrolled for English and Literature. But all through my
undergraduate days, I was simply an unhappy man.
Now, the instigator of my four years of sorrow I
had in school was because I did not fully understand what I was actually
taught, or I was mislead by my teacher. My pastor who asked me to put in for
Law probably has a better understanding of the subject, but did not teach me.
The scripture that is often used by our pastors to talk about the Will of God
or Destiny is found in Jeremiah 29:11. It reads ‘’for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.’’ (King James Version).
The first thing revealed in this scripture is that God has a plan for His
children, a plan which He (God) knows. Another thing is that God’s plan for his
children makes for peace and not evil. To appreciate this we must understand
that every good thing come from God, JAMES 1:17, PROVERB 10:22. So any
legitimate thing we are presently doing that brings us and others good is from
God. The injunction of God is ‘’whatever (legitimate) your hand finds to do, do
it with all your might, ECCLESIASTES 9:10. This does not however exclude the
fact that God could have a specific thing for some people. Yes, he does. But
when he does, He would tell the person, and not the other way round JEREMIAH
1:4-10. ‘’ then the word of the Lord came
unto me saying, before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou
camest forth out..... GET MY BOOK ON create space.com Ebook
Sunday, 29 May 2016
our government wants us dead!
Do our governments want us dead?
I have had
reasons to think what the reason is really why our government does not care much
about us, why do they not give a damn about our well being. This is not because
of the recent fuel pump price increase. No, not at all. I happened to read
George Orwell’s ‘’1984’’ recently, and was appalled by one of his accusations
against government. He claims that the government uses war and death to cut
down the population of its citizens. In other words, Orwell tries to say that
the governments are actually happier when its citizens die in numbers. This
piece is not meant to confirm the truity of Orwell’s claim but to examined the claim vis- a- vis
the following the scenario.
A MAN COOKING ALONG THE ROAD
Does the government
care about what we eat? Sir, in every parts of Lagos’ highways, dusty and
stinking sometime, are people who prepare what people would buy and eat. I see
people frying buns, yams, meat with oil, and even coking soup on the dusty roads.
But interestingly nobody care about how safe such foods are. In fact,
government agents are sometimes seen giving ticket or collecting bill from
them. Though I am not a science student, but my little kitchen experience tells
me that oil traps dust. Is the foods cooked in those conditions safe for
consumption? Who cares!
PHONE USERS
When cell phones
came into Nigeria few years ago while we were still in the village, people were
so cautious about its handling. I remember phones users were advised then to
use protective plastic to shield the ray from the phones getting into their exposed
skin directly. But today who cares. I see everybody going about with enlarged
phones, cell phones as wide as the 1980s television screens. When these phone
users slap their cheek with these phones while making or receiving call,
doesn’t anything interact with their skin? Like I said earlier, sir, I am not a
scientist, just a concern Nigerian
. 
A HIGH POWERLINE
Lastly, sometimes this
week I was at Ikotun-Igando junction/ roundabout buying something for my family,
suddenly there was a spark from the nearby transformer. People screamed as
sparkles of light went up. I was scared. I tried to run, but I looked up to see
where the light came from, and where to run if there was need to do so. What I discovered
sir, was that high tension wires were directly on top of our heads. If a pole
falls, or one of the high tension wires cave in, hundreds of people would be
dead and more injured. My questions are do our governments travel the same roads
with us? Do they actually know what we face? Do they eat what we eat? If yes,
then they actually want us dead.
OHIMAI DANIEL, LAGOS.
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