• Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact
Premium Times Opinion
Friday, August 19, 2022
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
No Result
View All Result
Premium Times Opinion
Home Opinion

The Tragedy of the Church, By Bisi Daniels

by Premium Times
April 30, 2017
Reading Time: 5 mins read
0

The Church

In the Bible, God instructs us to be holy. And according to Bible scholars and preachers, it is a command repeated throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Hebrew word translated “holy” – ‘qadash’ and its derivatives – carries the meaning of “set apart” — sanctified, consecrated, hallowed.


Some churches and many Christians are busy changing the terms of the relationship with God. Dr. Okey Onuzo, a pastor from who I have taken this title, is blunt about it in his description: the tragedy of the church! But I must say upfront that I do not claim perfection.

Dr. Onuzo’s ministration on the urgency of a revival for people to worship or serve God on His terms, and not theirs, reminded me of this piece I had been planning to write.

Last month, a pastor friend of mine was invited as a guest preacher for two days in a church in a Lagos suburb. On the first day, his theme was holiness: the need for people to be holy to make heaven.

In the Bible, God instructs us to be holy. And according to Bible scholars and preachers, it is a command repeated throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Hebrew word translated “holy” – ‘qadash’ and its derivatives – carries the meaning of “set apart” — sanctified, consecrated, hallowed.

And the Greek word translated “holy” – ‘hagios’ and its derivatives – implies an absence of fault or impurity. To be holy, therefore, means to be cleansed of faults and set apart by God, who is Himself faultless and pure.

It therefore follows that any true and rewarding relationship with God must be based on holiness. No half measures! My pastor friend harped on this throughout his sermon on the first day.

The Shocker

The following morning, my friend said he was shocked to the marrow when the pastor of the church visited him in the room he had been provided to advise him against dwelling on holiness.

Reason? The pastor said people do not want to hear about holiness these days, so some pastors avoid the subject in order not to drive church members away or stop new comers.

So what did my friend do on the second day? He said he ignored the advice and was handsomely rewarded when the fire fell during the second sermon, with many people falling and confessing during an anointing session to betray evil powers that inhabited them. When the news spread, the whole neighbourhood, and beyond, poured into the venue.

Dr. Okey Onuzo

The growing tendency to relegate holiness to show that unrighteousness pays is the point Dr. Onuzo was making. Despite the increasing number of Christians, with millions of people attending church every Sunday, many people relate to God on their own terms. Holiness has taken the backstage.

Dr. Okey is not a jeun jeun pastor (a hungry or greedy pastor looking for money). A consultant nephrologist and the pioneer physician at the first private dialysis centre in Nigeria, for the treatment of patients with kidney failure and related conditions, he could live comfortably on his medical practice. Life Support Medical Centre was opened as far back as October 4, 1986.

Dr. Onuzo received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour in 1970 at an invitational service; and in 1973 at an anointing service at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, he received an apostolic calling with emphasis on the teaching and the prophetic ministries. Over the years, the Holy Spirit has exposed and expanded these callings to touch several lives in different parts of the world.

Dr. Onuzo is an acknowledged conference and seminar speaker in different parts of the world. He continues to be available for the work of the ministry despite his busy clinical work. For several years, he has circulated a monthly meditation to various parts of the world.

Praying for the Holy Spirit to intervene, Dr. Onuzo warned against “romanticising Christianity,” saying emphatically “There is no excuse for unholiness.”

Pastor E.A. Adeboye

Even the critics of Pastor E. A. Adeboye acknowledge his position on holiness, which he always underscores in the Redeemed Christ Christian Church of God (RCCG) and anywhere he preaches or speaks.

In fact, the first mission/vision of the church is to make heaven, and it goes on to say, “To accomplish No. 1 above, holiness will become our lifestyle.”

He has never deviated from that, not even when, years ago, the church was struggling for membership.

In the book, Stories of Pastor E. A. Adeboye, he recounts how a fellow pastor tried to discourage him from preaching holiness: “Years back, a friend came to me and alleged that instead of the church growing we were just going round in circles. He advised that I change the theme of my preaching. He said, “Everybody is talking about prosperity and other sweet things, but you keep hammering on about holiness. Change and go the way the world is going.”

“But I said, “No, no, no, I’m sure I got to where I am because I’m committed to a God who is a holy God. You wait and see, sooner or later, the balloon will burst and those who want to go to Heaven will come because they will look and say this fellow has remained steadfast. This is what he was preaching at the beginning, this is what he is still preaching now. He must know something that others don’t know.”

“If you do your business the way it has to be done, the Divine Partner will play His own part. Things might be slow to start with but it will pick up. There were times when my wife and I couldn’t go to Lagos from the Camp because we didn’t have just one naira to pay the toll gate fee. There was no money. Today, by the Grace of God we can afford to go to Lagos from the Camp by helicopter when we are in a hurry. I have enough children now who would say, “Just tell us what you want.”

“Glory be to God. When you are in active partnership with the Almighty God, you will begin to have unusual victories.”

In the United States, Joel Scandrett, observes that, “We act as if holiness were either outdated or something that characterises only a small (if important) part of our lives.”

According to him, “This is partly due to our quest for cultural relevance, which is defended in the name of winning others to Christ. If we talk about holiness with unbelievers, won’t that present just another hurdle for them to overcome on their way to Christ? For this and other reasons, we are rapidly forsaking our historic commitment to holiness. Recent polls show that many self-described evangelicals march in moral lockstep with mainstream American culture in practices of divorce, spousal abuse, extramarital sex, pornography consumption, materialism, and racism, just to name a few.”

He says, like the others above, holiness stands at the beginning and centre of God’s call on all of our lives.

The conclusion: God says in the Bible “Be holy, because I am holy!”

Bisi Daniels is the author of Stories of Pastor Adeboye.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Pocket
  • Share on Tumblr

Related

Previous Post

The Divinity In Our Humanity, By Femi Aribisala

Next Post

The SSS Employment Scandal and Disadvantages of Ethnic Chauvinism, By ‘Tope Oriola

Related Posts

Zamfara Gold As Commonwealth, By Zailani Bappa
Opinion

Sheikh Gumi, Governor Matawalle and the Sands of Time, By Zailani Bappa

February 2, 2021
June 12 As Democracy Day Needs To Be Reconsidered, By Bashir Tofa
Opinion

The Need To Act Now To Stop the Ethnic Conflagration!, By Bashir Othman Tofa

February 2, 2021
Kofi Annan: In Service of the World, By Ejeviome Eloho Otobo & Oseloka H. Obaze
Opinion

Biden’s Likely Policy Orientation Toward Africa, By Ejeviome E. Otobo and Oseloka H. Obaze

February 2, 2021
Agenda for ‘Born Again’ JAMB and TETFUND, By Tunde Musibau Akanni
Opinion

Oyeweso, A Celebrated Historian, Ascends the Sixth Floor, By Tunde Akanni

February 2, 2021
Before Nigeria Burns, By Akin Fadeyi
Opinion

Is President Buhari Presiding Over the Last United Nigeria?, By Akin Fadeyi

February 2, 2021
On A Soyinka Prize In ‘Illiteracy’, By Biko Agozino
Opinion

Obasanjo: Only Those Who Did Not Do Well Went Into the Military, By Biko Agozino

February 1, 2021
Next Post
Emir Sanusi and the ‘Fight for the Soul of Nigeria’, By ‘Tope Oriola

The SSS Employment Scandal and Disadvantages of Ethnic Chauvinism, By ‘Tope Oriola

Dewdrops of Memory: Isanlu and the Islam that I knew, By Pius Adesanmi

What’s On Your President’s Plate In Nigeria?, By Pius Adesanmi

Editorial

  • EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

    EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

  • EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

    EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

  • EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

    EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

  • EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

    EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

  • EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

    EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

Subscribe to our Opinion articles via email

Enter your email address to get notifications of new opinion articles as they are published.

Join 526,543 other subscribers

Most Popular

  • The Bad Consequences and Dangers of Adultery and Fornication (Zina) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Bad Consequences and Dangers of Adultery and Fornication (Zina) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • Wasting Nigeria's Scarce Electricity, By Gimba Kakanda
    Wasting Nigeria's Scarce Electricity, By Gimba Kakanda
  • World Teachers Day and The Position of Teachers In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    World Teachers Day and The Position of Teachers In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
    Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
  • The Women Prohibited For Men To Marry In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Women Prohibited For Men To Marry In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • Showing Gratitude To Allah For His Bounties, Blessings and Favours, By Murtadha Gusau
    Showing Gratitude To Allah For His Bounties, Blessings and Favours, By Murtadha Gusau
  • You Will Be Held Responsible On What Happened To Your Children!, By Murtadha Gusau
    You Will Be Held Responsible On What Happened To Your Children!, By Murtadha Gusau

Like us on Facebook

Like us on Facebook

Podcasts

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

  • Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
 

Loading Comments...