NIGERIA AND COMING JUDGEMENT: The Need for Repentance

By Olurotimi Ajibowo

Around 2005, the Lord got me to start reading The Acts of the Apostles in the Bible. During the process, He began to show me patterns of the early Church and how the Church today has derailed from these established patterns and the intentions of Jesus.

Today, the Church in Nigeria is facing persecution of great magnitude, a persecution that wears the face of an Islamic Jihad. While the threat is real, it must be stated that the generality of Muslims in Nigeria are not at war with Christians; we have lived peacefully together for centuries. The emerging truth is that a small section of the Fulani tribe (not even including the Hausas), with the Fulani herdsmen as the visible arrowheads, are using the face of an Islamic Jihad to achieve a domination, land-grabbing agenda, as their tribe did in Northern Nigeria from the early 1800s, subduing the Hausa natives and imposing Islamic rule over them.

What happened in Benue and Plateau States in form of the terrible killings, was planned to continue sporadically and simultaneously to spread across Nigeria. As we speak, all the major cities in Nigeria have been surrounded and are still surrounded. The only reason we have experienced a lull is because God revealed the plan and people prayed that God will stay His anger to allow more time for more people to repent.

What is God's response?  God has continued to allow them to plunder the Church. Why? When God allowed the initial Boko Haram insurgency, it was His way of getting our attention to enable the Church correct herself but the Church ran to the government instead of God. It has been revealed that many of our leaders have fed fat in betraying the Church. The later wave of Herdsmen attacks has been allowed by God to again get our attention and turn back to Him because we, and especially our leaders, have departed from God's precepts and allowed worldliness to take over.

The second reason is that Nigeria is at the heart of the plan of God to birth revival across the entire world. Given our present state of corruption and degeneration, that sounds unbelievable but it is true. The crux of the matter is that God is ready but Nigeria cannot be used of God in this state. What then is the way forward? Repentance: meaningful repentance.

So what constitutes this meaningful repentance? It begins with us asking God to help us by opening our eyes to see ourselves as He sees us and thereafter pouring the spirit of repentance upon us individually and as a nation. Isaiah didn’t know how undone he was until he saw the glory of the Lord (Isaiah 6). Next, as the spirit of repentance comes, we need to move on to the prescription of Jesus and that is to first take the log from our eyes before we take the speck from those of others (Matt. 7:3-4).  Thus, true repentance begins with our individual selves, asking God for forgiveness and turning away from the issues that offend God. These include known simple lifestyle issues.

Paul wrote to the Galatians: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:19-21 NKJV).

To the Colosians, he wrote, “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds” Col 3:8-9 NKJV.

From here, we turn our focus on the Church where we also have guilt by complicity. I will explain. There are Biblical precepts through which the Church should be run. These have been discarded in favour of empire building and self-perpetuation. We didn't start it? But we have been active participants in them. And what do we still have? In spite of the persecutions and killings, many denominations are still going on, undisturbed, with their prosperity and success messages without a care for their brothers and unfortunately, also unaware of the evil that is already at their border! For those who can see, this is God's way of revealing who they truly are. Thus we see that the major problem is denominationalism and it is justified today with the explanation that the Church has evolved.

Paul the apostle wrote to the Corinthians, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11 NKJV).  To the Ephesians, he also wrote that Christians are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,” Eph 2:20 ESV. So committed were they to this foundation that while writing to the Galatians, he placed a curse on anything that would subvert their faith. What are the little bits we can glean from their foundation?

First, there is no pastor founder ministry in the New Testament. What looks like it can only be found in the Old Testament, but even in the Old Testament, kings were guided by prophets and priests ministered to God in their offices. Do we want proof? In Matt chapter 10, when Jesus sent out His twelve disciples, He sent them two by two. In Luke 10, when He sent out the seventy, He sent them two by two. How do we know the apostles learnt this lesson? At the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3), Peter and John were on their way to the temple before they encountered the lame man. After Philip's revival in Samaria, Peter and John were sent to review the work and report to the elders at Jerusalem. In Acts 13, at Antioch, Paul and Barnabas were the pair commissioned and sent out by the Holy Ghost. In Acts 15, we have a record of Paul and Barnabas having a strong disagreement. As they parted ways to different destinations, Paul did not rely on his experience on the mission field, he went with Silas while Barnabas took John Mark. Neither went alone.

Everywhere today, we have the pastor-founder syndrome who alone receives the Word of God for the people and discharges it every Sunday or as needed. As has been said, this is an Old Testament relic. The moment Jesus died, the veil of the temple in Jerusalem was rent in two from top to bottom signifying that everyone ought to be able to approach God. Based on this, God wants a direct relationship with each believer. And the New Testament proves this….

In the letter to the Hebrews, it is written, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things…” (Heb 1:1-2 NKJV). God speaks through Jesus today; He is the only Mediator between God and man.

Unlike what we do today, Church leadership in the early Church consisted of the five-fold ministry offices working together with the eldership. And there were no denominations but congregations because it is written, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:4-6 NKJV). It was the problem of individual interpretations that Peter was addressing when he wrote, “No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”( 2 Peter 1:20-21 NKJV).

Denominations are unscriptural and their strength lies in division and individual interpretations. We have tended to believe that things are okay because people have been preaching from the Bible. This is not so. The Church of God has only ONE TRUTH and ONE DOCTRINE on all things and Jesus is SUPREME and at the centre of the Scriptures, not the pastors. Everyone and everything must submit to Him.

Finally, the Church is for raising disciples, not Church goers and Church members. Jesus Himself said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master” (Matt 10:24-25 NKJV). The 'enough' requirement for Jesus is that we be like Him. But what have we done? The Church has substituted Church activities, attendance at Church programmes and departmental participation in place of discipleship. There's more but how are we guilty by association?

In the second letter of John, he wrote: “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 John 9-11 NKJV).

Associating with people who do not abide in the doctrine of Jesus Christ makes us equally guilty. This, we have been doing for years. Paul also says, “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple” (Rom 16:17-18 NKJV).

We have entered the time that Paul spoke about when he wrote to Timothy: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Tim 4:3-4 NKJV).

As the Lord calls for meaningful repentance, let us all to take a critical look at these issues. Repenting means apologizing to God and turning away from the things He hates or are contrary to His stipulations. We cannot continue in sin and hope that grace will abound (Rom. 6:1).

Some will say, “We have been doing these things for years and God has not rebuked anyone”. His rebuke is now coming through these persecutions. Once we take care of our personal sins, we can progress to the sins of the Church and thereafter go on to the sins of the nation. Are there sins at the national level? Plenty and everyone can see it. We need to pray prayers of repentance like Daniel prayed (Daniel 9). After the prayers are concluded, we need to specifically add that God will intervene in Nigeria “to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy” (Dan. 9:24 NKJV). His “most holy” in this case is the man He would anoint to turn the fortunes of this nation in His decided way to bring in prosperity.

Beyond the very obvious sins at the national level, there are a few fundamental issues that sit at the route of our travails as a nation. In the book, “God's Eternal Plan for Nigeria – Seven Eras of the Nation” by Isaac Ezeh, God prophetically revealed a number of critical issues:

1.       That Nigeria was a transaction at around 1900 when the yet to be formed nation was sold to the British government for £865,000 sterling. We need to buy-back the nation with the Blood of Jesus.

2.       The dedication of the nation through marine spirits to the British throne before independence. We need to atone for this.

3.       The idolatrous dedications of the nation through each of the founding fathers. Again, atonement and pleading the blood of Jesus against every token of these dedications.

4.       The different altars of idolatry, corruption, tribalism, ineptitude, injustices, and so on by different people that have ascended the rulership of this nation.

5.       The killings and bloodletting that have polluted the land with innocent blood crying for vengeance as well as kidnapping, adultery, fornication, idolatry, cannibalism, enchantments, sorcery, divinations, etc.

Apart from this, it is common knowledge that the seats of government in Nigeria, virtually all state governments and other major offices have been compromised. Then there are several altars raised in several towns in form of statues, etc. All these will need to be spiritually dealt with and new altars of righteousness raised unto God. If we ask around, we will find people who can show how these can be done.

God says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place” (2 Chron. 7:14-15 NKJV).

After we have personally repented, these are the days where we need to declare fastings, call solemn assemblies, gather in groups and neighbourhoods, in halls, via internet platforms and other places and cry unto the Lord, across towns and states in Nigeria. The main Churches may not do it; at such a time as this, God is relying on the remnant company who are tuned to God, to accomplish this purpose.

God wants to do more than heal our land; He wants to make Nigeria an epitome and delight among nations. Given our present situation and circumstances, that seems unbelievable. Yes, it's unbelievable but true.

In 1986, an apostle of God sent into Nigeria, who ministered in the country for over 50 years and is well-known to many of the leading ministers of God today, by the name of Pa S. G. Elton, prophesied: “Nigeria and Nigerians will be known for corruption worldwide. Your name 'Nigeria', will stink for corruption but after some time, the tide will turn and Nigeria will also be known for righteousness worldwide. Many shall take hold of him that is a Nigerian saying, 'We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you'” (- Pa S. G. Elton, 1986).

That Zenith of corruption appeared to have been reached when the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, described Nigerians to the world as “fantastically corrupt”. God is set to turn this around in a magnificent way, according to the prophecy and make Nigeria the new destination for righteousness. There are many other prophecies that confirm this position. However, these all begin with our repentance as a nation.

If we can appropriately repent, this is our destiny in our generation. If we fail, (God forbid!), another prophetic indication is that God would probably not change His mind about using Nigeria but He will bring so much devastation that wipes out this generation, as He did to the Israelites in the wilderness, until a new generation will be ready. Repentance absolves us when God comes to judge the wicked, which is likely to be pretty soon.

I urge us to go back to God in repentance. Thereafter, let us close ranks as Christians as we together seek God's counsel for our nation in politics and other areas. If we succeed in doing this, we can expect that very soon, God will directly take up the fight against the enemies of the country and birth a new nation in righteousness; a nation far better than the best of our dreams.  Until He does that, we must continue to fast, pray and seek Him.