PROF.
BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons)
MA, PhD.
Call:
+2348037346939
E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com
PENTECOSTAL BISHOPS AND UNNECESSARY
SELF-IMPORTANCE
Main
Text:
… “For
I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to
think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly as
God has dealt to each one a measure of faith”, (Romans 12:3)
Writer’s
Quote:
Without the poor, the needy and the
less-privileged, the office of a pastor is useless.
Introduction:
When in the year
2002, the writer raised an alarm on the activities of a secessionist leader,
who pulled out of the Imo State Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of
Nigeria (PFN) with about eighty percent (80%) of its membership to form what is
known as the Imo State Council of the Pentecostal Bishops and City Elders,
little did many see the dangerous seed of un-holy style of ecclesiastical
leadership which was sown within the leadership circle of the Pentecostal brand
of the Christian faith. For, the allegation then was that this divisive leader
was gradually becoming a despot, who also was in the habit of un-necessary
self-importance, a leadership style which contradicts the principles of church
leadership which Jesus taught and practiced, (Mark 10:42-45).
In fact, in an effort
to save the Imo State Chapter of the PFN from the apparent devastation of that
time, and to halt the inordinate ambition of the duo, since it was obvious that
God was not the author of that divisive movement, the writer conducted a little
investigation which proved that the cited leader of the secessionist
association was not approachable, and his home not accessible to the people he
wanted to lead. It was also discovered that both his home and office were
always besieged by personal police, and so, it became impossible for the people
to take advantage of the welfare packages the leader and his friends were
promoting. Thus, the writer was left with no other option than to draw the
attention of the people to the unfortunate situation with the following lines,
“reflecting on the hierarchical order of this organization (Imo State Council
of the Pentecostal Bishops and City Elders) which stipulates a tripartite
ministerial blocs or categories, viz;
1. Ministers of 20 years and above in the ministry,
registering with N5,000.00k (Holy of Holies),
2. Ministers of 10 years and above in the
ministry, registering with N2,500.00k (Inner court), and
3. Ministers of less than ten years in the
ministry, registering with N1,000.00k (outer court), I noticed that the
facilitators of this body have carefully put in place an order that would put
them in their “Holy of Holies”. This, to me is an official establishment of the
un-necessary self-importance already exhibited by most of the leaders of this
body”.
Rhetorically,
the writer went on to say, “how can that bishop or superintendent who lives in
the “holy of holies”, whose office is un-approachable, whose home is
un-visitable, and whose office is besieged by personal police truly run a
welfare progamme for ministers who do not have access to him? This element of
un-necessary self-importance is another factor that marks the porosity of the
programme”. Sincerely speaking, with the aforestated remarks and other weapons
of words in the cited article, the association under review is today feared
dead or permanently made inactive, as the gospel ministers who were deceived
into it had since rejoined the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), but the
evil seed of arrogance which results in unholy self-importance that was sown by
the said defeated leader of the Imo State Council of Pentecostal Bishops and
City Elders still persists in the Pentecostal leadership circle of the
Christian Church, since the office and home of the present leader of the Imo
State Chapter of the PFN, who allegedly had copied from him is nowadays
besieged by personal police, and allegedly too hard to access. From the
grapevine also, is the hint that an apex independent pastor-evangelist in the
category of bishops, and a curse-breaking specialist in Imo State is at moment
in the same leadership mess, as rumour from the church arena pictures as well,
one of the foremost Charismatic Pastors, who hails from the Orlu Senatorial
Zone of Imo State as one of those who are presently in the leagues of the
self-styled Pentecostal, cum Charismatic Church leaders who now move about with
security personnel, probably as a status symbol, yet with obvious implication
of backsliding and lack of faith in the word of God, who promises to protect
His people and all those who serve Him, (Luke 10:19); Having stressed the
above, please observe that;
THE
OFFICE OF A BISHOP IS A PLACE OF COMFORT AND PRAYER
If the church must remain the church of Jesus Christ, then, the rediscovery of
the biblical principles of church leadership remains indispensable. For,
throughout the Ministry of Jesus, the Bible shows His ever-flowing comfort and
care for His disciples and the generality of the flock of God. Indeed, He was a
man of God and a man of the people, who laid down His life for His brothers,
sisters and friends, (John 15:13). With the foregoing in mind, one wonders why
the present day church has became the opposite of what was put in place by
Jesus Christ, which accordingly was followed up by His apostles. And, why is today’s
leadership of the church not able to keep the balance? Here, the writer
strongly affirms that something is really wrong with the present day leadership
of the church, and not just the bishops, Pentecostal or orthodox.
However,
this work seeks to x-ray the unbecoming, as well as unbiblical attitude of some
Pentecostal church leaders, especially those in the Episcopal type of church
government, namely, the bishops, as this section of the piece takes a look at
the unscriptural way(s) most of them run their offices. In fact, it is
disheartening to state here that while Jesus and His apostles were easily
accessed by the people, the offices of most Pentecostal bishops are today
fortified with heart-breaking inhibitions that make it impossible to get through.
For instance, the many attempts by the writers to have seen the present leader
of the Imo State Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) for
certain ministerial talks have always been fruitless, as many have also alleged
that the inhibitions around the office of the cited bishop have often robbed
them of his spiritual comfort and prayer. The story is allegedly the same with
some Assemblies of God district superintendents, who serve in the Imo State
division of the church, and are believed to be statutorily in the category of
bishops. But, the writer’s personal experience with the late Archbishop
Benjamin Nwankiti of the Anglican (orthodox) Church showed that his office was
free and easily accessed, and if one may ark, are his successors serving the
same way?
The
office of a bishop, as indicated in this sub-unit of the write-up is supposed
to be a place of comfort and prayer for the people of God, with no traces of
inhibition. or discrimination. However, one may say, “these bishops have already
mapped out days for counseling and prayer for the people”, why then is the
writer accusing them of non-challant behaviour? The simple biblical principle
is that the consecration of one as a bishop should bring one closer to the
people, no matter the class they belong. But, the unfortunate thing today is
that most Pentecostal bishops are “class-driven”, and have in their minds
certain categories of people they want to visit their offices. A personal
experience of the writer reveals that this “selective tendency” was
demonstrated by the leader of the Imo State Council of the Pentecostal Bishops
and City Elders in 2002, as the writer attempted to access his office for
counseling and prayer for a given pastoral problem. In fact, the drama played
out the fact that the bishop in his scale of preference decided to see the
barristers first, the medical doctors second, the political class third, and
the business tycoons fourth. To be candid, all those who were considered
less-privileged and undesirable, including the writer, were never given a
chance. In other words, the people that really needed the bishop’s counseling,
comfort and prayer were not allowed to see him, and without any fear of
contradiction, the writer strongly and biblically condemns such an unchristian
style of church leadership, which has since taken hold of most Pentecostal
bishops.
THE
HOME OF A BISHOP IS A PLACE
OF REFUGE FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD
The
writer was surprised and shocked to the marrow in recent past, as he
experienced an unforgettable humiliating-treatment from a pastor-friend, who is
now a district superintendent of the Assemblies of God in the Imo State
division of the church, who lives in one of the adjunct streets along MCC
Uratta Road, Owerri, during a visit to his home. At the gate, it became very
clear that the writer was dealing with a fortified premises in which the angels
of God are no longer keeping guard, but human security agents with a “selective
mandate” of a “deviant Clergyman” as to who comes into his compound or not. The
summary of the story is that the writer was not allowed into his supposedly
friend’s home, despite a prolonged explanation of self and purpose for the
visit through a telephone conversation, and usually this insulting behaviour is
offen based on “class or ministerial distinction”, but always hinged on
“security reasons”, as it may be informative to state that the cited experience
is rampant at the premises of most Pentecostal bishops.
But,
the house of a bishop is a place of refuge, since he is a spiritual father to
all those he pastors, as well as those outside his congregation that may come
up with spiritual or physical needs at any point in time, and it is certain
that any person, rich or poor could be in either spiritual or material need at
any time that may require that attention of a bishop. This is why the house of
a bishop should serve as God’s place of refuge for the people, and by way of
definition, a refuge, according to the Oxford Advanced Dictionary of Current
English, is a building that provides temporary home for people in need of
shelter or protection”…. This idea, therefore, forecloses the concept of making
the homes of a bishop not accessible to the people in whatever guise, as it may
interest the reader to note that the home of the late Archbishop Benjamin
Nwankiti the former prelate of the Owerri Archdiocese of the Anglican Church of
Nigeria was really a model of what the home of a bishop should be, hence it was
a real place that administered comfort and help, without discrimination to the
people, as long as it existed.
Yet,
despite the worthy pastoral legacy of Archbishop Nwankiti of the blessed memory
and some of the living like minds, many bishops, especially those of the
Pentecostal extraction have taken to the broad way of arrogance and
self-exaltation, instead of the narrow path of humility and love in the
administration of the pastonage of the bishop, which they have allegedly copied
from the aforecited secessionist leader of the Imo State Council of Bishops and
City Elders, and those who share the same disposition with him. For instance,
the allegation that rents the air today is that the bishop in charge of the Imo
State Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has made the gates
of his home impassable, except for the category of people he considers worthy,
by virtue of class or social status. The same remark is allegedly on the
foremost curse-breaking preacher in Imo State, whose place of worship is close
to Imo Concorde Hotel, Owerri, and from the rumour mill is also the gossip that
the former assistance general superintendent of the Watchman Catholic
Charismatic Movement of Nigeria, who now champions the campaign of an exclusive
chosen generation in Nigeria and elsewhere is presently the topmost in the
“class-distinction syndrome”, which hitherto denies the less-privileged entry
into his home, all in the usual guise of “security reasons” Be it as it may,
the reader should as well notice that:
THE
IDEA OF PERSONAL POLICE AT THE HOME AND OFFICE OF A BISHOP IS NOT IN LINE WITH
THE PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN PASTORATE
Every
keen observer of the unfolding events in the church circle of today would
readily attest to the fact that, it is gradually becoming a “status symbol”
among the Pentecostal bishops in Nigeria as to who in their mist
possesses what it takes to hire and maintain personnel police as security
guards in their homes and offices. This pitiable state of mind and behaviour of
some of these hallowed men of God that seems to stir-up in them an un-warranted
sense of pride calls for concern as to what has really come over them, or the
reason why they have suddenly forgotten that the presence of God is that only
assurance of security (Psalm 127:1). If the cited scripture and statement are
anything to go by, why then, are these acclaimed men of God, who once trusted
God for protection today rely on the arm of the flesh for safety? Or is history
repeating itself, as it was in the case Elijah who often called down fire from
Heaven, but later became terrified by the threats of Jezebel (1King 19). What is really happening?
But,
who can really protect one where the presence of God is lacking? If the bishops
in question are now having a sense of self-importance, and feel they need
protection, is it not the best to believe God for the desired security? Is it
not a departure from the truth for one who once preached that God possesses the
supreme power for safety, to now turn to human apparatus for help?
For
instance, Pastor Lazarus Muoka of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Movement is one
preacher who has convinced millions of the adherents of the Christian faith
into the belief that his consecrated “yellowish apron” carries the power of God
to protect from all sorts of evil, which hitherto has resulted in an
unprecedented purchase and wearing of the material by members of his
congregation and others, as well as hoisting same at their doorposts and other
places of interest, for protection, and so, if the rumour that he now parades
police security guards, at home, office and elsewhere becomes evident, how
then, can one really believe in the efficacy of the said apron? Or, why has he
not used it (the apron) to protect himself, his own compound, cars and other
valuables from what he is now afraid of? And, if Evangelist (Dr) O. Emmanuel of
the Prayer and Solution Ground, Owerri, is really sure of the power he claims
to frequently demonstrate in his curse-breaking programmes, then, the alleged
parading of security personnel for protection shouldn’t have been considered.
For, the power that can break-curses, if it is of God, can equally protect one
from every other danger, unless one is no longer trusting God for safety, or
that one is over-estimating one’s socio-spiritual value before God and man, and
by this, translates oneself into the pride of un-necessary self-importance.
Therefore, from a biblical stand point, the office and home of a bishop do not
require the services of civil police force, since Jesus, His Apostles and the
Apostolic Fathers did not make use of them in their camp(s) and pastornage(s),
but relied on God for protection or security, as well as opened-up same for the
services of God to mankind. And, Bishop Maxwell Korie, the present helmsman of
the Imo State Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) should
equally take note, as well as effect a change if the rumour that he is now
among the bishops who today parade police guards for security is no longer a
mere allegation.
In
conclusion, let it be stated that, it is very rare for people, even criminals to
go against bishops or men of God, unless where they are found not real to what
they preach or where there is a noticeable breach of trust. And, if not on the
basis of the foregoing, God is always faithful in vindicating His servants
where they are framed-up. So, the Pentecostal bishops and others who think
their security lies in the hands of police guards should have nothing to fear,
if they have not defrauded anyone of their possessions or committed any crime
against God and humanity. And, where reverse is the case, the writer thinks the
best thing to do, is to repent and restitute, as this is the only way to bounce
back to freedom. But, if the reason why the bishops under review use police
guards in their homes and offices, as well as the restriction of certain people
from getting into such places is informed by “class distinction” or
“self-importance” they should, once again, heed the instruction of the Apostle
Paul, “for I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who among you, not
to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly,
as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith”, (Roman 12:3). Enough is
enough, Pentecostal bishops in Nigeria
and elsewhere should stop sending wrong ministerial signals to the younger generation.
A WARNING FROM ABOVE!
Rev. Prof. Ben Onyeukwu
+2348037346939
ABUSE
OF THE OFFICE OF BISHOP (PART 4)
PENTECOSTAL BISHOPS AND UN-NECESSARY
SELF-IMPORTANCE
Main
Text:
… “For
I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to
think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly as
God has dealt to each one a measure of faith”, (Romans 12:3)
Writer’s
Quote:
Without the poor, the needy and the
less-privileged, the office of a pastor is useless.
Introduction:
When in the year
2002, the writer raised an alarm on the activities of a secessionist leader,
who pulled out of the Imo State Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of
Nigeria (PFN) with about eighty percent (80%) of its membership to form what is
known as the Imo State Council of the Pentecostal Bishops and City Elders,
little did many see the dangerous seed of un-holy style of ecclesiastical
leadership which was sown within the leadership circle of the Pentecostal brand
of the Christian faith. For, the allegation then was that this divisive leader
was gradually becoming a despot, who also was in the habit of un-necessary
self-importance, a leadership style which contradicts the principles of church
leadership which Jesus taught and practiced, (Mark 10:42-45).
In fact, in an effort
to save the Imo State Chapter of the PFN from the apparent devastation of that
time, and to halt the inordinate ambition of the duo, since it was obvious that
God was not the author of that divisive movement, the writer conducted a little
investigation which proved that the cited leader of the secessionist
association was not approachable, and his home not accessible to the people he
wanted to lead. It was also discovered that both his home and office were
always besieged by personal police, and so, it became impossible for the people
to take advantage of the welfare packages the leader and his friends were
promoting. Thus, the writer was left with no other option than to draw the
attention of the people to the unfortunate situation with the following lines,
“reflecting on the hierarchical order of this organization (Imo State Council
of the Pentecostal Bishops and City Elders) which stipulates a tripartite
ministerial blocs or categories, viz;
1. Ministers of 20 years and above in the
ministry, registering with N5,000.00k (Holy of Holies),
2. Ministers of 10 years and above in the
ministry, registering with N2,500.00k (Inner court), and
3. Ministers of less than ten years in the
ministry, registering with N1,000.00k (outer court), I noticed that the
facilitators of this body have carefully put in place an order that would put
them in their “Holy of Holies”. This, to me is an official establishment of the
un-necessary self-importance already exhibited by most of the leaders of this
body”.
Rhetorically,
the writer went on to say, “how can that bishop or superintendent who lives in
the “holy of holies”, whose office is un-approachable, whose home is
un-visitable, and whose office is besieged by personal police truly run a
welfare progamme for ministers who do not have access to him? This element of
un-necessary self-importance is another factor that marks the porosity of the
programme”. Sincerely speaking, with the aforestated remarks and other weapons
of words in the cited article, the association under review is today feared
dead or permanently made inactive, as the gospel ministers who were deceived
into it had since rejoined the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), but the
evil seed of arrogance which results in unholy self-importance that was sown by
the said defeated leader of the Imo State Council of Pentecostal Bishops and
City Elders still persists in the Pentecostal leadership circle of the
Christian Church, since the office and home of the present leader of the Imo
State Chapter of the PFN, who allegedly had copied from him is nowadays
besieged by personal police, and allegedly too hard to access. From the
grapevine also, is the hint that an apex independent pastor-evangelist in the
category of bishops, and a curse-breaking specialist in Imo State is at moment
in the same leadership mess, as rumour from the church arena pictures as well,
one of the foremost Charismatic Pastors, who hails from the Orlu Senatorial
Zone of Imo State as one of those who are presently in the leagues of the
self-styled Pentecostal, cum Charismatic Church leaders who now move about with
security personnel, probably as a status symbol, yet with obvious implication
of backsliding and lack of faith in the word of God, who promises to protect
His people and all those who serve Him, (Luke 10:19); Having stressed the
above, please observe that;
THE
OFFICE OF A BISHOP IS A PLACE
OF COMFORT AND PRAYER
If the church must remain the church of Jesus Christ, then, the rediscovery of
the biblical principles of church leadership remains indispensable. For,
throughout the Ministry of Jesus, the Bible shows His ever-flowing comfort and
care for His disciples and the generality of the flock of God. Indeed, He was a
man of God and a man of the people, who laid down His life for His brothers,
sisters and friends, (John 15:13). With the foregoing in mind, one wonders why
the present day church has became the opposite of what was put in place by
Jesus Christ, which accordingly was followed up by His apostles. And, why is
today’s leadership of the church not able to keep the balance? Here, the writer
strongly affirms that something is really wrong with the present day leadership
of the church, and not just the bishops, Pentecostal or orthodox.
However,
this work seeks to x-ray the unbecoming, as well as unbiblical attitude of some
Pentecostal church leaders, especially those in the Episcopal type of church
government, namely, the bishops, as this section of the piece takes a look at
the unscriptural way(s) most of them run their offices. In fact, it is
disheartening to state here that while Jesus and His apostles were easily
accessed by the people, the offices of most Pentecostal bishops are today
fortified with heart-breaking inhibitions that make it impossible to get
through. For instance, the many attempts by the writers to have seen the
present leader of the Imo State Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of
Nigeria (PFN) for certain ministerial talks have always been fruitless, as many
have also alleged that the inhibitions around the office of the cited bishop
have often robbed them of his spiritual comfort and prayer. The story is
allegedly the same with some Assemblies of God district superintendents, who
serve in the Imo State division of the church, and are
believed to be statutorily in the category of bishops. But, the writer’s
personal experience with the late Archbishop Benjamin Nwankiti of the Anglican
(orthodox) Church showed that his office was free and easily accessed, and if
one may ark, are his successors serving the same way?
The
office of a bishop, as indicated in this sub-unit of the write-up is supposed
to be a place of comfort and prayer for the people of God, with no traces of
inhibition. or discrimination. However, one may say, “these bishops have
already mapped out days for counseling and prayer for the people”, why then is
the writer accusing them of non-challant behaviour? The simple biblical
principle is that the consecration of one as a bishop should bring one closer
to the people, no matter the class they belong. But, the unfortunate thing
today is that most Pentecostal bishops are “class-driven”, and have in their
minds certain categories of people they want to visit their offices. A personal
experience of the writer reveals that this “selective tendency” was
demonstrated by the leader of the Imo State Council of the Pentecostal Bishops
and City Elders in 2002, as the writer attempted to access his office for
counseling and prayer for a given pastoral problem. In fact, the drama played
out the fact that the bishop in his scale of preference decided to see the
barristers first, the medical doctors second, the political class third, and
the business tycoons fourth. To be candid, all those who were considered
less-privileged and undesirable, including the writer, were never given a
chance. In other words, the people that really needed the bishop’s counseling,
comfort and prayer were not allowed to see him, and without any fear of contradiction,
the writer strongly and biblically condemns such an unchristian style of church
leadership, which has since taken hold of most Pentecostal bishops.
THE
HOME OF A BISHOP IS A PLACE
OF REFUGE FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD
The
writer was surprised and shocked to the marrow in recent past, as he
experienced an unforgettable humiliating-treatment from a pastor-friend, who is
now a district superintendent of the Assemblies of God in the Imo State
division of the church, who lives in one of the adjunct streets along MCC
Uratta Road, Owerri, during a visit to his home. At the gate, it became very
clear that the writer was dealing with a fortified premises in which the angels
of God are no longer keeping guard, but human security agents with a “selective
mandate” of a “deviant Clergyman” as to who comes into his compound or not. The
summary of the story is that the writer was not allowed into his supposedly
friend’s home, despite a prolonged explanation of self and purpose for the
visit through a telephone conversation, and usually this insulting behaviour is
offen based on “class or ministerial distinction”, but always hinged on
“security reasons”, as it may be informative to state that the cited experience
is rampant at the premises of most Pentecostal bishops.
But,
the house of a bishop is a place of refuge, since he is a spiritual father to
all those he pastors, as well as those outside his congregation that may come
up with spiritual or physical needs at any point in time, and it is certain
that any person, rich or poor could be in either spiritual or material need at
any time that may require that attention of a bishop. This is why the house of
a bishop should serve as God’s place of refuge for the people, and by way of
definition, a refuge, according to the Oxford Advanced Dictionary of Current
English, is a building that provides temporary home for people in need of
shelter or protection”…. This idea, therefore, forecloses the concept of making
the homes of a bishop not accessible to the people in whatever guise, as it may
interest the reader to note that the home of the late Archbishop Benjamin
Nwankiti the former prelate of the Owerri Archdiocese of the Anglican Church of
Nigeria was really a model of what the home of a bishop should be, hence it was
a real place that administered comfort and help, without discrimination to the
people, as long as it existed.
Yet,
despite the worthy pastoral legacy of Archbishop Nwankiti of the blessed memory
and some of the living like minds, many bishops, especially those of the
Pentecostal extraction have taken to the broad way of arrogance and
self-exaltation, instead of the narrow path of humility and love in the
administration of the pastonage of the bishop, which they have allegedly copied
from the aforecited secessionist leader of the Imo State Council of Bishops and
City Elders, and those who share the same disposition with him. For instance,
the allegation that rents the air today is that the bishop in charge of the Imo
State Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has made the gates
of his home impassable, except for the category of people he considers worthy,
by virtue of class or social status. The same remark is allegedly on the
foremost curse-breaking preacher in Imo State, whose place of worship is close
to Imo Concorde Hotel, Owerri, and from the rumour mill is also the gossip that
the former assistance general superintendent of the Watchman Catholic
Charismatic Movement of Nigeria, who now champions the campaign of an exclusive
chosen generation in Nigeria and elsewhere is presently the topmost in the
“class-distinction syndrome”, which hitherto denies the less-privileged entry
into his home, all in the usual guise of “security reasons” Be it as it may,
the reader should as well notice that:
THE IDEA
OF PERSONAL POLICE AT THE HOME AND OFFICE OF A BISHOP IS NOT IN LINE WITH THE
PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN PASTORATE
Every
keen observer of the unfolding events in the church circle of today would
readily attest to the fact that, it is gradually becoming a “status symbol”
among the Pentecostal bishops in Nigeria as to who in their mist
possesses what it takes to hire and maintain personnel police as security
guards in their homes and offices. This pitiable state of mind and behaviour of
some of these hallowed men of God that seems to stir-up in them an un-warranted
sense of pride calls for concern as to what has really come over them, or the
reason why they have suddenly forgotten that the presence of God is that only
assurance of security (Psalm 127:1). If the cited scripture and statement are
anything to go by, why then, are these acclaimed men of God, who once trusted
God for protection today rely on the arm of the flesh for safety? Or is history
repeating itself, as it was in the case Elijah who often called down fire from
Heaven, but later became terrified by the threats of Jezebel (1King 19). What is really happening?
But,
who can really protect one where the presence of God is lacking? If the bishops
in question are now having a sense of self-importance, and feel they need
protection, is it not the best to believe God for the desired security? Is it
not a departure from the truth for one who once preached that God possesses the
supreme power for safety, to now turn to human apparatus for help?
For
instance, Pastor Lazarus Muoka of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Movement is one
preacher who has convinced millions of the adherents of the Christian faith
into the belief that his consecrated “yellowish apron” carries the power of God
to protect from all sorts of evil, which hitherto has resulted in an
unprecedented purchase and wearing of the material by members of his
congregation and others, as well as hoisting same at their doorposts and other
places of interest, for protection, and so, if the rumour that he now parades
police security guards, at home, office and elsewhere becomes evident, how
then, can one really believe in the efficacy of the said apron? Or, why has he
not used it (the apron) to protect himself, his own compound, cars and other
valuables from what he is now afraid of? And, if Evangelist (Dr) O. Emmanuel of
the Prayer and Solution Ground, Owerri, is really sure of the power he claims
to frequently demonstrate in his curse-breaking programmes, then, the alleged
parading of security personnel for protection shouldn’t have been considered.
For, the power that can break-curses, if it is of God, can equally protect one
from every other danger, unless one is no longer trusting God for safety, or
that one is over-estimating one’s socio-spiritual value before God and man, and
by this, translates oneself into the pride of un-necessary self-importance.
Therefore, from a biblical stand point, the office and home of a bishop do not
require the services of civil police force, since Jesus, His Apostles and the
Apostolic Fathers did not make use of them in their camp(s) and pastornage(s),
but relied on God for protection or security, as well as opened-up same for the
services of God to mankind. And, Bishop Maxwell Korie, the present helmsman of the
Imo State Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) should equally
take note, as well as effect a change if the rumour that he is now among the
bishops who today parade police guards for security is no longer a mere
allegation.
In
conclusion, let it be stated that, it is very rare for people, even criminals
to go against bishops or men of God, unless where they are found not real to
what they preach or where there is a noticeable breach of trust. And, if not on
the basis of the foregoing, God is always faithful in vindicating His servants
where they are framed-up. So, the Pentecostal bishops and others who think
their security lies in the hands of police guards should have nothing to fear,
if they have not defrauded anyone of their possessions or committed any crime
against God and humanity. And, where reverse is the case, the writer thinks the
best thing to do, is to repent and restitute, as this is the only way to bounce
back to freedom. But, if the reason why the bishops under review use police
guards in their homes and offices, as well as the restriction of certain people
from getting into such places is informed by “class distinction” or
“self-importance” they should, once again, heed the instruction of the Apostle
Paul, “for I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who among you, not
to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly,
as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith”, (Roman 12:3). Enough is
enough, Pentecostal bishops in Nigeria
and elsewhere should stop sending wrong ministerial signals to the younger
generation. A WARNING FROM ABOVE!
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