EFFECTS OF FALSEHOOD ON SOCIETY

Main Text: PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE (English); Dip (Computer Studies); ND/HD (Journalism); Dip, BA (Theology) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

EFFECTS OF FALSEHOOD ON SOCIETY

“Wherefore, putting away falsehood, everyone should speak the truth to his neighbors”, (Ephesians 4:25).

INTRODUCTION:    

     When one’s attitude is geared towards deceiving the unsuspecting individual, falsehood is in place. This could come in form of telling a lie in order to obtain something from someone or pretending that something is real when they are not so. Put differently, falsehood is the act of lying or maintaining untrue behaviour, as a way of deceiving members of the public. Falsehood has devastating effects on society, and this is what this gospel project seeks to address in three subtopics;

(1) FALSEHOOD AND CORRUPTION

Falsehood is that human disposition that breeds corruption. And corruption by way of definition is that dishonest and illegal behaviour which people engage in. It is true that corruption is often exhibited by those in position of authority or power, experience has also shown that there is no social class in the human race where this malady is not visible. Furthermore, falsehood leads to corrupt practices like; cheating, stealing, fraud, embezzlement and other forms of vices which are found in the character of human beings. This, in turn breeds mistrust, fear and instability, which threaten the human society. Pointedly, it is on the account of the foregoing that the Bible urges everyone to;

(i)           put off falsehood as a way of ensuring sanity in society, (Eph. 4:15)

(ii)          equally ensure that they speak truthfully to one another, (verse 24);

(iii)        also refrain from falsehood in order to be admitted into the kingdom of heaven, hereafter, (Rev. 22:15), etc.

(2) FALSEHOOD AND JUSTICE

Falsehood stampedes justice where judicial officers allow themselves to be taken over by corruption. Based on this, the judicial personnel are biblically advised not to pervert justice or show-partiality or take bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous, (Deu. 16:19). However, in Nigeria and the world-over, there are evidences of “false justice” on the basis of cash and carry. This is falsehood in action. It is common knowledge today that some politicians with “false mandate” now pay huge sums of money to also secure “false justice” to enable them continue in power. What a double falsity that result in colossal waste of the public funds! By this, therefore, the reader is informed that God is not happy when;

(i)           justice is perverted in society, (verse 19);

(ii)          judicial officers accept bribe(s) as a way of stampeding justice, (verse 19);

(iii)        justice and justice alone is not the order of the day in a judicial system (verse 20), etc.

FALSEHOOD AND DIVINE JUDGEMENT

          One of the things that can invoke divine judgment on someone is falsehood. The story of Ananias and Sapphira in (Acts of the Apostles chapter 5) is a case in point. Yet, to most people in today’s world, falsehood is a way of life. They seem not to be mindful of the grave consequences of this deadly vice. This informs the reason for the mindless “steal and over-up” attitude of most people in both the church and the wider society. However, that Ananias and Sapphira his wife died as a result of falsehood stands as a strong emphasis of God’s disapproval of such a kind of life style. From that incident, one learns that;

(i)           falsehood is a sin against the Holy Spirit and not just against man, (Acts 5:3);

(ii)          the vice attracts divine judgment that can send one to one’s untimely grave, (verse 5-6);

(iii)               those who collaborate with others in falsehood share the same judgment, (verse 7-10), etc.

In conclusion, it is important to state without mincing words that the endeavour of the writer in this discourse is to point out the negative effects of falsehood on society. To some, falsehood is a means to an end. But, when one achieves something through a means that would someday destroy one, such an achievement becomes altogether useless. Falsehood is Satan’s means of destroying the society. Today, most people hardly trust others as a result of the dishonesty of some individuals. In some families, relationship have been broken because if the same problem. Furthermore, a probe into the psyche of the people would project politicians as devil’s incarnate, just because of their lying tendencies. These and more buttress the fact that falsehood has devastating effects on society. BE OF GOOD BEHAVIOUR.

GOD AND YOUR SECRET

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE (English); Dip (Computer Studies); ND/HD (Journalism); Dip, BA (Theology) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

 

GOD AND YOUR SECRET

Main Text:

“Am I only a God nearby, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?”, (Jeremiah 23:23-24).

INTRODUCTION:

          For a start, be reminded that one’s “secret” is something that one does not want to tell people about. In fact, human brings carry the capability of doing certain things without anyone else knowing. But, this is only possible in human relations, as no one is capable of hiding anything from God, (Psalm 139:7-12). Here, lies the confusion of those who think otherwise. However, with the advent of the internet technology, coupled with the testimony of the Scripture, people are becoming aware that there exist an “Internet Super Prototype” in the realm of heaven, where every human record (secret or open) is kept, (Revelation 20:11-15), So, observe that;

GOD WILL UNCOVER EVERY SECRET

          The Bible echoes that, “nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret, but that it should come to light” (Mark 4:22). This shows that God keeps records of the activities of everyone. Please notice also that the heart is the strongest point of man’s secrecy. This is why the Word of God refers to it as deceitful above all things, and beyond cure, but, God searches the heart and examines the mind, to reward every man according to his conduct, and according to what his deeds deserve, (Jer. 17:9-10). This reveals that the secret activities in the heart determine one’s line of action(s). Out of the heart come evil motives or thoughts. Thus, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander, etc, are said to hatch in the heart before execution, (Matt. 15:19). The simple effort here is to bring to the notice of the reader that the inner secrets of the heart filter into divine records, and will, accordingly be uncovered at the appointed time. These include the;

(i)           Ulterior motive of the pastor in church fund raising, (I Tim 3:2-3);

(ii)          Lustful eye of any man on another man’s wife (Matt. 5:28);

(iii)        Secret thought of a politician to plot the assassination of an opponent, (Matt. 15:19), etc.

GOD WILL ALSO JUDGE EVERY SECRET

          Beyond the secret things of the heart, there are practical evil secret plans that go in the secret chambers of men, which God will also uncover, as well as judge. For instance, before any assassination, kidnap or armed robbery operations, there must have been secret meetings to perfect plans. These and more the Scripture remarks would be judged through Jesus Christ, as the gospel declares, (Romans 2:16).

          Surely, every secret killing, every secret poisoning, every secret abortion, and of course, every clandestine activity will be judged based on the morality of the gospel. There is no escape route for culprits, since it is not possible for one to hide oneself from the divine search-light, (Jer. 23:23-24). By this, therefore, the writer informs that it may be possible for a;     

(i)           Government official to steal public fund and dodge human judgment, but impossible to doge God’s judgment, (Rev. 20:12).

(ii)          Witch or wizard to kill and cover-up through diabolic means, but impossible to escape the White Throne judgment, (verse 12);

(iii)        Girl or woman to kill innocent kids through abortion with no trace of human judgment, but impossible to hide it on the Day of Judgment, (verse 12), etc.

GOD WILL EQUALLY REWARD OR PUNISH EVERY SECRET

          Every secret of good deeds will be rewarded, whereas, every secret of evil deeds will be punished. The aforestated brings to the fore that people do both good and bad in secret. For example, there are individuals who hold secret prayers for Nigeria and other nations of the world, such a secret devotion to the course of humanity will surely be rewarded by God. On the other hand, there are persons who would never go unpunished, because their secret works manifest the downfall of mankind. This notion preoccupied the consciousness of King Solomon, as he expressed that, “God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil”, (Eccl./ 12:14).

          Now, recognize that the obvious truth in the above Scripture is that there is a judgment in the offing, and that this judgment will probe into the details of every person’s works, good or bad and will offer rewards accordingly. So, bear in mind that one day all secret;

(i)           Agents of the devil who use demonic powers to cause mayhem in society will receive the reward of bitterness, as God’s servants will receive the crown of life, (Rev. 2:10;22:12);

(ii)          Killers who terminate lives for ransom will receive the sword of punishment, as the righteous individuals will receive the crown of righteousness, (Rev. 22:12, II Tim. 4:8);

(iii)        Harlots who live in immorality and abortion will receive the reward of damnation, whereas, those who overcome temptations will receive the crown of glory, (I Peter 5:4), etc.

In conclusion, let the attention of the reader be drawn to the fact of the deepening romance of certain individuals with the Kingdom of darkness. The obvious is that beyond the close-door secrecy, most professing Christians, pastors, businessmen, professionals and the like are today members of secret fraternities which they conceal from the ordinary people. Such persons of double standards are by this message called upon to repent before it is too late. EXAMINE YOURSELF.  

GOD AND GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE (English); Dip (Computer Studies); ND/HD (Journalism); Dip, BA (Theology) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

 

GOD AND GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE

Main Text:

“For the Kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over the nations; let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God”, (Psalm 22:28; Romans 13:1).

INTRODUCTION:

           According to Ben Onyeukwu (2009), in about .A.D. 57, the Apostle Paul in a revelative insight highlights on the sovereignty of God over every government of the world, (Romans 13:1)). This Christian treatise enforces the fact that it does not matter who occupies a given government or runs its affairs, nor does it matter the time and reign of such a government, one absolute truth is that God has been (past) and is (present), and will remain (future) the king of all nations and governments of the world, (Psalm 22:28). This implies that every legitimate human occupant of any government, regardless of place, time and type remains a delegate of the King of Heaven, and of course, will one day render an account of his/her stewardship to Him that never changes, (Romans 14:12). So, observe that;

GOVERNMENT IS GOD’S INSTRUMENT FOR SOCIAL STABILITY

            The word government simply refers to a group of people vested with power to manage the affairs of the people in a country. In a democratic arrangement as we have in Nigeria, three organs are in focus, viz; the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. By function, the Executive arm of government enforces the law, while the Legislature makes such laws. The judiciary interprets the law and recommends punishments to offenders. These functions make for the stability and smooth administration of a given state or country. However, the absence of justice in any government breeds instability. By way of definition, “Justice” means fairness to all.

            In this case, persons in government should as a matter of commitment shun nepotism, tribalism and despotism in order to pave way for good governance. To function optimally, those in the;

(i)                 Executive arm of government must not allow bribery, greed and avarice to have an edge over them, (Proverb 29:4);

(ii)               Legislature must ensure that unjust laws that deprive the poor of their rights are never put in place, (Isaiah 10:1);

(iii)             Judiciary on their own part must not pervert justice or show partiality in the dispensation of justice, (Deu. 16:19), etc.

GOD EXPECTS GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO BE CORRUPTION FREE

            One good example of a corruption-free government official in the Bible is Daniel. In fact, the testimony of the Holy Scripture about him is a strong point of challenge to any government official of today. Thus, it declares that when, “the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, they could find no charge or fault” … (Daniel 6:4). But, nowadays, in Nigeria and the world-over, hardly government officials are free from corruption charges or faults. This negative development falls short of holy standards for that managing the affairs of the people, and God is not happy about it. So, for a government official to please God in the discharge of his/her duty, such an official must;

(i)                 be free from corruption (Luke3vrese12-14);

(ii)               avoid extortion of money and materials from the public (verse 13);

(iii)             be contented with his/her wages;  (verse 14), etc.

GOD WANTS THOSE IN GOVERNMENT TO BE GUIDED BY HIS WORD

            The book of Deuteronomy chapter 17 verses 18-19 clearly shows God’s desire for those in government to be guided by His word. In the preceding verse, the Lord foresees Israel’s shift from theocracy to democracy, and accordingly gives certain specifications to guide the nation in its future democracy, (verses 14-17). Evidently, democracy runs into confusions where this spiritual foundation is neglected. No doubt, here lies the problem of democracy in Nigeria, and in the world at large. However, such problems are put to rest when leaders learn’;

(i)                 to be selfless in governance, (verse 16);

(ii)               to rule in the fear of the Lord, (verse 19),

(iii)             to observe His words as they are in the Bible, (verse 19), etc.

In conclusion, let the attention of the reader be drawn to the fact that government of the people is that established by God through the popular mandate of the people, and not by rigging, brigandage or falsehood. When a government transparently comes to power, every support and obedience should be accorded to it, (Romans 13:1). However, when reverse is the case, peace and civil decorum should be maintained, as prayers and lawful means are taken up to ensure that justice prevails. The comportment of Comrade Adams Oshimonole, (now the governor of Edo State of Nigeria) in the handling of his court case against Professor Osunbor, the erstwhile governor of the state till the people’s mandate was restored through the verdict of the Appeal Court on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 stands as a shining example. To those yet with stolen political mandate, be informed that God will judge every act of sin, including every political robbery. Don’t forget also that those legitimately appointed by God to govern the people are duty-bound to serve in the fear of the Lord, (II Samuel 23L: 3). SO, BE GUIDED BY THE PRINCIPLES OF GOD’S WORD.