Exactly a year ago, I wrote an article titled, ‘Rethinking Missions for Development: The Church, the Pulpit, and the Pew’. The article was written, following a sermon said by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Christian Onyeka Onyia, the Bishop of Diocese of Nike (Anglican Communion). In the referenced sermon, the Bishop espoused the doctrine of the pulpit and the pews. Evidently, the pulpit as the most sacred and exalted place in the Church is higher than the pews. Anyone who occupies this position stands as the representative of Christ; hence, is expected to denounce sin, courageously challenge the devil and speak the truths of God, which cut like a two-edged sword, and brings both conviction and contrition to the worshiper/pew. The Bishop reinforced this message in his recent sermon on the evidence of our love to Christ. The most pronounced and prominent message in the recent sermon is the need for Christians to absolutely submit in obedience to the commands of God. You may be asking what the commands of God are! I know you have the answers already.
As Christians and a church, are we truly obedient to God’s commands? In Matthew 28:19-20, God commanded thus, ‘Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen’. This is the Great Commission. As we see in the above passage, the command is to “teach all nations” to observe all things whatsoever that God has commanded. In other words, God expects us to change society; through our teaching, in words, and in action (lifestyle). That is evangelism through social action. God calls us to go to our locations, fellow workers, friends, foes, government, among others to bear witness to the glory of His Gospel. “Go ye” means something more than geography. The church is a religious and social organisation, driven by spiritual, moral, and social principles, as contained in the fundamental teachings and doctrine of Christian faith, and is expected to play an important role in the social change and the improvement of society’s value system.
Over the years, many people have argued over the mission and responsibility of the Church and of individual Christians in regard to political, social, and economic involvement. How does the outreach mission of the Church and Christians seek to serve the needy in an area beyond the saving message of God? Give your life to Jesus Christ! Thankfully, we know that our Lord Jesus Christ is the hope of nations and that we, his people, are called upon to seek God’s help to heal our land. Helping the poor and needy in our communities does not mean we take over government responsibilities and costs, but it does give us Gospel opportunities to serve in ways that are increasingly relevant to many of our neighbours.
I believe that the Church and Christians are aware of their responsibilities to social action through evangelism; but, have failed to obey this great command as a result of many factors. Obviously, the exit of members from Churches and the waning interest in Christian activities cannot be divorced from this failure. He who pays the piper dictates the tune is a popular axiom. In recent times, I have seen so many people who have been hurt, ignored, and abused by churches, to the point they leave from strife and with hurt. The church; the very institution that was designed to save, love, and help the people of God and the people around them, no longer do the same but hurt and abuse people. The church was meant to be a training ground; to train its people and release them into the world with the power of the Spirit to proclaim the kingdom of Christ, yet the kingdom of selfishness and misdirected priorities have taken over.
The Church is called to be the haven of rest, a place of growth, a place of encouragement, a place of learning, a place of comfort, and most importantly, a place of worship. Unfortunately, there are so many hurting and wounded people out there who are fed- up at the Church. Somebody may ask me why the Church is failing in this core responsibility. Honestly, I do not have a complete answer. Meanwhile, permit me to share part of my discussion with my mother this morning. My mother is not just a Christian, but she loves God with her all. As I entered her room this morning, she admonished me from the passage she read during her quiet time, in the early hours of today. Only those in the Scripture Union (SU) would understand the meaning of ‘quiet time with God’. She read from the book of Isaiah 42: 18 -20, “Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! Who is blind, but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one in covenant with me, blind like the servant of the Lord? You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen.”
It is clear from the above bible text, that the Church – the servants and messengers of God have gone blind and deaf, and have also refused to see things and pay attention to what God is showing them. What could be more pathetic? Many Churches see the problem from the doctrinal, liturgical, and worship methodological approaches, instead of the ‘prism’ – lack of focus and misplaced priorities. The problem is that the church has lost its way and has fallen off the path that Christ has for the Church. Pastors and leaders have neglected their spiritual growth and replaced it with church growth.
In the same vein, worship has fallen from the gratitude and praise of God, where we are to surrender to His Lordship and replaced it with entertainment. The sermon has gone from the proclamation of God’s Holy Word to the telling of jokes and stories and shows with no word from our Lord and application to our lives. There is no problem in using stories to convey and complement the message as long as it does not compromise the message. For many, the entertainment accompanying the message has replaced the pronouncement of His Holy Word. The Church leadership is made up of more strong-willed, self-directed, and self-powered people that are too far into themselves and their self-seeking money-grabbing desires. The burden is more about positions, influence, and titles. Blind shepherds will always have many blind sheep; and together, they may fall into their own destruction and ruin.
…Uba, the founder, chairman of the board of Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation (ACUF), writes from Abuja
