Current affairs in Nigeria may threaten her unity but if her total disintegration will further the course of the gospel of Christ and hasten His return, let it be! If her unity will honor Jesus and give Him His due in this Country and other Nations, NO ONE and NOTHING can split us.
I read with delight, the beautiful piece- Another Perspective, written by Joseph Thompson, where he responded aptly to an earlier Call to Prayer for Nigeria against the “spirit of Sudan”, which has been making rounds on the internet.
I’m saddened by the call from some church leaders here to take up arms and defend ourselves and physically “push back” our enemies. I’m utterly appalled at our loss of focus, having failed to see what the real issue is.
I woke up this morning with three different dreams all about bombings in large Christian gatherings and very many people died. Multiple nightmares in one night… I may need to treat myself for malaria if this is not a message from heaven.
Interestingly, the bomber in these dreams was not a stranger. The face was someone I know. He’s not even a Muslim. He successfully executed his plots each time and disappeared into the crowd of wounded and weeping worshipers. I leave this to dream interpreters and prophets to decode.
The insecurity occasioned by Boko Haram and other national issues like the economy are mere distractions, tools of war fashioned specifically against the Nigerian Church aimed at forcing it to engage in fisticuffs that will surely derail its ultimate assignment; which cannot be done with a heart filled with hatred, anger or bitterness.
If we as followers of Jesus Christ ever take up arms against our neighbors today in the quest of our safety, we forfeit the right to bear the gospel to this generation and the next.
It’s unfortunate many Christians have lost their lives and limbs and precious possessions to the rampaging horde of our enemy disguised as Boko Haram and their likes; and many more horrors are coming.
However, their death will be a waste if we fail in our duty to take the gospel to those that slew them, with the sole aim of bringing some to saving knowledge of Jesus. There’s no greater and sweeter victory than this.
The how tos, when, where and who, is what our leaders MUST spend their time, resources, and energies discovering, discussing, and engaging. Leadership is about influence and vision. One without the other will birth frustration.
It’s time for the Nigerian Church to refuel and oil its missionary vision and reignite a dying passion for the lost in the North, the homeland of Boko Haram. This strategy is not and should not be to ambush them with the gospel, thereby forcing them to retreat and stop the bombings. No! But their souls are worth the cost of the cross of Christ.
This is the time to cry out to God to forgive our sins and selfishness and indifference to His will; time to plead for the souls of lost Muslims (young and old) in the North. Can’t the Lord give us souls in the Caliphate… is it too great a thing to ask? Can we have Emirs love and follow Jesus publicly?
It’s time to equip Christian youths and young ministers with a clear understanding of the mandate to the ends of the earth by taking them there and overseeing their transformation.
This is time to focus 80% of our efforts on the mandate to go and make disciples beyond our comfort zones. Oh that our thrust and drive will be northward, to the difficult places that have remained so because no one is praying or going.
This is time to re-launch Vision 5015 with renewed zest and push it to the next level.
If the Nigerian Church continues to maintain this passive attitude to missions, thinking, and teaching that God is committed to our comfort and safety, more than His eternal cause in Christ’s global reign (which will cost more lives), we’ll spend more time mourning our worthless treasures.
Jeremiah lamented of Jerusalem and its people, “The enemy has spread out his hand upon all her desirable things; for she has seen the nations enter her holy place, whom You commanded that they should not enter into Your congregation. All her people sigh; they seek bread. They have given their desirable things for food to relieve the soul. See, O Jehovah, and look on me, for I have become vile.” Lam 1:10-11 MKJV
The gates of Hell, even if they suddenly appeared and are mobile, CANNOT prevail against us as we labor for Christ’s name and fame in this world He loves.
May we not miss our chance and regret these days.
Kingdom Exploits With Uche 