The church today is facing unprecedented persecution (in modern times). Every where you turn, the church is being blacklisted. Online, Pastors are being trolled. What is even more worrying is the implosion that is raging within the church. Many Christians have become anti-church. Yes! Anti-church not anti-Christ. They stop going to church and claim to maintain their love for Jesus Christ our saviour but insist the church has been taken over by MAN and not MEN of GOD. But can you love Christ without loving the Church? This is a discussion for another day.
This accusation, however isn’t new. Apostle Paul wrote many letters to the churches in Ephesus, Corinth, Philippi, Colosse etc., attempting to right their wrong. The difference is that people didn’t act self-righteously back then by leaving the church under the guise that the presence or fear of God had left the church or the leadership of the church. They were Christians, people who had sold out to “the Christ.” People whose primary assignment is to work for the kingdom of God. People who believe they had the mandate to do greater works than Christ. So not even the misgivings of the leadership of the church could sway them. They knew leaders were but men and needed their help. At least in prayers and other proactive ways.
Reading the bible this morning, I had an encounter with the passage, 1Corinthians 11 vs 30 “for this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep (have died).” In this chapter, Apostle Paul had written a letter to the church in Corinth denouncing their unChrist-like character, which demonstrated the absence of the fear of God. He had early spoken about submission of the wife to a husband, covering of hair, submissiveness and by verse 17, he started writing about communion and the obvious display of the absence of fear of God in the church.
As a teenage Christian, I remember during communion, some elders or older Christians in Church from time to time would refuse to participate. In fact, there were days some of these older ones, probably in their 20s or 30s (not Pastors but mere Christians) would refuse to participate in any activity that would take them close to the altar; choir, bible reading etc.
As a teenager, we assumed they were not in a good mood. But that would turn out not to be the case. At times you would hear the elders, scold these older brothers and sisters. Without knowing the full details, we always wondered why they would neglect the church duties and later be scolded. What for!? Fast forward many years, I now understand.
These people were humans who had their down times and fell to the demands of the flesh. Some of them might have had a drink, lied or even been involved in a brawl earlier in the day or a few days before then. Of course, as you by now expected, some of them might have had unlawful, unspiritual carnal knowledge. Others even avoid to participate in any activity because they got angry, not that they fought, they “merely” got angry and argued intensely with someone else and probably cursed.
Now, you might not understand, but this is one of the reasons the church was a refuge and feared by everyone, religious or not. Christians feared God and did not impugn their intentions or desires in carrying out God’s ordinance. Christians back then loved God. They were conscious of their actions and inactions. Yes, they fell from time to time, but like David, after dishonoring God with his Bathsheba affair, they rose again. Like Ahab in 1Kings 21 vs 29NKJV, they repented and God waived every statutory punishment of their sin. They repented, turned back to God and they were forgiven. Afterall, the bible says, if we confess our sins, He is faithful enough to forgive us our sins 1 John 1 vs 9NIV.
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land 2Chronicles 7 vs 14.
There was deep reverence of God. Christians didn’t attempt to justify their sins simply because they are leaders, church financiers, son of the Pastor, church workers or any other role that could have merited an abuse, as we dim it fit in the present days. Governments respected the church and Christians.
The church was respected because we respected Christ and did not cover up for any sin. I remember as a young adult hearing stories of Pastors who had walked to the congregation to confess their sin of fornication or adultery ignoring the ridicule that could come out of it. This is God’s standard and we did our best to maintain it.
In such an event, the church would join the Pastor to fast and pray and become watchmen when the Pastor eventually returns to the pulpit. There was a standard reaction to sin, which does not discriminate between the pulpit and the pew. But nowadays we do not seem to care about what is written we are too “emotionally unspiritual”.
Back then, we were more interested in knowing how God feels about our actions, thoughts and plans than what the world expected from us.
I am not a judge, I am not even a Christian leader, I am just a Christian, who preaches in buses, leads prayer in my unit (and I must say I belong to a couple of units) and daily confronts the challenges and temptations of the world.
But remember, the bible never said Pastors alone will possess the spirit of God –let’s save this discussion for another day–, it says young men and women, Joel 2 vs 28. So as a Christian you have a responsibility and right to manifest God’s power in your life.
In 1Corinthians 11, Apostle Paul writes to the church condemning their ungodly attitude. Like I said, I am not a judge but recently social media was awash with the footages of a Pastor in USA that pulled out from its mother church in Nigeria. Of course, once again, the story was sensationalized. When the Pastor spoke about not gaining anything many alluded it to money. But it could be about position, he might have felt that after 30 years of serving the church he deserved better recognition. But that is not the topic of the day.
My concern is on what Apostle Paul said in 1Corinthians 11 vs 18, “for I hear there are cliques (divisions and factions) among you…” After the Pastor announced his separation from the mother church, the reaction of the congregation was shocking! They all cheered in excitement. One would wonder, was this congregation not proud to call themselves members of the mother church up until that morning when the announcement was made? Are they pretending to support the Pastor’s breakaway or have they been pretending all along to support the mother church?
Breaking away from a church is no news. God could ask you to move on to a new church according to His plans for your life, or you could feel the urge and ask God for permission. But if God asks a Pastor to move from one sect to the other, as a Christian, have you asked God if you should follow the Pastor or stay in the Church where you presently worship? Afterall, it is the responsibility of God to give you a Pastor under whom you will worship and not yours to choose.
Jeremiah 3 vs 5, “and I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Without being prejudice against the pastor (simply using this as a case study), how much of maligning, slandering, argument, backbiting etc. had taken place between Pastors or members before the separation and how much of it will take place after the separation? Will the members of these two churches (mother church and breakaway church) continue to relate as members of the church of God, body of Christ or members under different church leadership?
Many Christians do not understand what Christ stands for and what it means to be a Disciple. To them, worshipping God is a means to an end and not the end of means.
Watch out for part II.
PASTOR FATALLY SHOOTS NEIGHBOUR AND HER FRIEND FOR BATHING NUDE
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