It might take time. But it is certain that the lies upon which Nigeria’s, and, indeed, Africa’s Christianity are built will crumble. And, the avoidable death of the Christian gospel singer, Olayemi Bayonile BolajiT(oluwanisings), is a veritable proof.
Yes, doctors were on strike at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State. Yes, the other hospitals he was rushed to were scared of how the Nigeria Police Force often treats health workers when a patient dies. But, and it is a very big BUT (in the words of my former Pastor, Ade Okonrende), was there not a single Christian among the many doctors in the places he was taken to?
Son of man is not currently a Christian. But its teachings are firmly in me. To me, being a Christian goes beyond the bastardised “confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.” If Jesus Christ is the Word of God (John 1:1) and we have to follow Him to become Christians, it simply means to follow God’s Words and live our lives in accordance with the Word.
And in living according to His Word, a Christian MUST manifest what the Holy Bible described as the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in his or her life (Galatians 5:22–23). It is these Fruits of the Holy Spirit that will identify a follower of Jesus Christ as one, not ANY confession by persons living lives that are in complete negation of what the Bible teaches.
As a student in Cardiff, Wales, and attending the Woodville Baptist Church, where son of man got baptized as Daniel in late 1996, one cannot forget the regular tearful prayers for God to bring back a revival that saw crime disappear from the streets of Wales some hundred years before then. Welsh people became Christians leaving the Police, Judiciary and Prison Services without ANY job to do, because there was NO crime anywhere – the prison was empty, there was NOBODY for the Police to arrest for ANY crime. Beggars were off the streets. Everybody became their brothers’ keepers!
Contrast that with what happened to the guy in Ibadan. A well-known gospel singer, taken to eight different hospitals! And it was not as if they had no money to pay! The health workers were ONLY concerned about their personal welfare alone, nothing else matters. How many unknown people have died in that ancient town because many of those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour with their lips are more of practitioners of selfishness and opposed to taking care of those in need? Yet, the place is full of churches with their Pastors always ranting about hellfire for those who do not follow Christ.
Anyway, their judgment is nigh because Jesus Christ Himself warned that verbal profession of a belief in Him and His Name alone do not guarantee salvation (Matthew 7:21–23). Once they fail to bear the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, they will be cut down and thrown into eternal fire, “He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.” — John 15:2.
It is the same picture all over Nigeria with the same failures who call themselves Pastors, G.Os and ‘men of God’ blaming Government for societal rot! Those who mismanage our resources as Government officials always occupy the front rows in churches. Those making life difficult for the people attend churches where these ‘men of God’ sermonize about salvation or should say salve-pockets. And, many of them are being sustained by armed robbers, who call themselves Yahoo Boys.
Nigeria can change IF only we can have Bible-living Christians in all areas of our national life. Things will work. Corruption will become a thing of the past, because a Christian in the Biblical sense will NEVER agree to collude with a political office holder to loot the treasury. A Christian will NEVER take bribe or pervert the course of justice. And a man of God will follow the example of Elijah by calling out those destroying the commonwealth, not treating them as celebrities.
As for me, this path of Afenifere of old is enough for me. The greatest good for the greatest number of people. We will always have the back of the poor and needy. We’ll not take billions and titles with us when we leave this plane. Ire Owo. Ire Omo. Ire Alaafia! Oodua a gbe wa o!!!
NOTE: Views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Theliberationnews
