If you believe that all 'Men of God' are faultless and every man (or woman) who picks up a Bible and ask people to give their lives to Christ is a saint and will automatically make heaven, this article (or whatever you choose to call it) is not for you. Slowly turn around and walk away. Come back next time when we have something that appeals to you. Thanks!
I reread (with an equal level of awe) the great Wole Soyinka's Jero Plays sometime ago; after I had watched an interview where he said and I roughly quote: 'Brother Jero now has a private jet with which he flies from country to country to continent. He's now an international figure and makes so much money.' Stuff along that line.
For those who have not read The Jero Plays, it is a couple of fantastically written plays about a crook prophet called Brother Jeroboam. The first one is titled Trials of Brother Jero, here, he ceaselessly comes up with ingenious ploys and schemes through which he gains undeserved appraisal and admiration from his members thereby easily defrauding them, too. He preys on the extreme and mostly blind religiousness of people who need God's intervention in a situation. The second is titled Jero's Metamorphosis, here is where Brother Jero probably lays the foundation for what Soyinka now calls 'an international figure.'
It is important at this point to add this caveat: there are real Men of God. There are people who are called by God to help spread His word. I know this for a fact and I know a few of them. The problem however is that there are more false, fake, evil, I-lack-words-to-describe-how-bad-they-are Men of God and prophets around. I heard, not very long ago, a story of a pastor in Nothern Nigeria who borrowed some money from a man and refused to payback. He began to hide and run away at the sight of the man that lent him money. This went on until one fine Sunday when this creditor decided that the best way to get back his money was to visit this pastor in his Church. Perhaps with his members, who hold him in high esteem around, he will behave himself and payback what he owes. The creditor was wrong. When he entered into the Church and the pastor saw him, the pastor(debtor) began to shout: Boko haram, Boko haram (Boko haram is a terrorist organization in Nigeria). The Church immediately swung into chaos, the creditor was now considered by everyone in the Church as a member of the sect boko haram, he was caught and brutally beaten to within an inch of his life. And then handed over to the police.
Listening to stories like that makes one wonder what the world is becoming. As a matter of fact, that story sounds exactly like something Brother Jero will do.
This brings me to what I consider to be the REAL problem: money. The Church of God has been liquefied and diluted by money. There is too much money being circulated. The pastors have become way too rich so that they can afford jets upon jets upon jets. Don't get me wrong, I have not said Pastors should be paupers and I am not inferring anything along that line. This is simple common sense, because pastors are so wealthy, the job has become highly appealing to ordinary people who are just looking for ways to get rich. These people are not called by God, they call God and they do not really care if He answers or not. All they need to do is pick up a Bible and wear a fancy silver suit and voila! Prophet Frankenstein — casts out demons for a living.
The fact that we as a people are now at the mercy of our pastors is another problem. Many people no longer pray to God, they pray to their pastors. I witnessed this disgust as a student. It was our departmental fellowship and we had invited one of our lecturers to speak (I have no idea why he was chosen of all the lecturers in the department, to be honest). When he came, he started praying in the name of his father in the Lord and not in the name of the Lord Himself. What insolence, I thought. We need to take hold of the authority that God has given us. We need to become responsible for ourselves and our religiousness. Even the Bible has given us authority, each and every one of us. We need to stop depending on pastors for every little thing. I have nothing else to say about this. It is.solely up to us.
Till next time,, Keep dreaming!!
NB — Pray for Gaza, be human. Little kids are being killed on a daily basis. People are being displaced. Rockets, missiles flying back and forth, yet Israel will not stop.
— It's been exactly One Hundred and One days since over 200 Chibok girls were kidnapped. They're still with their captors. Bombs are going off every day in the North and it's coming closer down south. Pray for Nigeria!
