How Long Before the Church Wakes Up? From the Editor, ECCLESIA magazine, Second Edition

One of the most comprehensive descriptions of God given to Moses is found in the Book of Deuteronomy: "Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;” (Deut 7:9 NKJV). It is easy to remember God through this description and forget that there is more: “and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face.”  (Deut 7:10 NKJV). Then there immediately follows a warning: “Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them” (Deut 7:11NKJV).

When God was later giving warning through Jeremiah and Ezekiel concerning an impending captivity of the Jews, their thinking must have been that the Lord loves them too much to allow that. So unbelievable did it sound that Jeremiah was beaten up at a time by Pashur, the priest as He gave the word (Jer. 20:2) Naturally, they recalled how God supernaturally delivered them from Pharaoh, opened the sea, gave foreign kings into their hands and gave the lands of these kings to them for a possession and finally gave them exceeding great promises that made them the people of God with an everlasting declaration. The problem was, they forgot the warning.

Christianity in our shores is in dire straits and only God can deliver us. Like the Jews, we are remembering His promises: after all, He has given us power and assured that the gates of Hell shall not prevail. However, the battle against Christianity in our land is no longer a fairy tale. We have been left entirely defenseless, physically speaking. The persecution is no longer hidden: the fangs have been bared. In several states of the country but more especially in Southern Kaduna and Plateau States, the dispossession is unimaginable. In Plateau State alone, more than 54 villages have been pillaged, ransacked and the owners denied their homes, farms and possessions. They are sometimes lucky to leave their things alive. This is the sad story of Nigeria today.

If our current experience is a dress rehearsal for something more sinister that is being planned against the Christian faith, how do we imagine that would be? Yet, we go about unconcerned, struggling to eke out a living or minding our own business while the bell is tolling for us all.

It is now clear that if there would be any deliverance, it will not come from the Church leaders. While many have been compromised in different ways, the others are not just fast asleep; they have gone a-slumbering. The last recourse is what has been described as laity leadership: the Church congregations rising up in their New Testament role as stakeholders in the Church to challenge errors and begin to bring sanity back in order to deflect God’s anger. Without that, the coming judgment will take full course and should that happen, a lot of unwary, innocent souls may go with the ensuing scourge.

This is why this edition is dedicated to an in-depth reevaluation of the quality of Christianity in our congregations and the roots of it.  Much more, when each of the missionary agencies came, they came to propagate denominational Christianity, not pure Christianity. This is why the result has been so heavy on denominationalism that lacks love in the body. That also explains why brethren also wait on leaders in their denominations. In this edition, there are actionable suggestions on the way forward. Let us hope, at least, that the remnant company will arise. Happy reading!!

Olurotimi Ajibowo