LOVE THEM, PRAY FOR THEM, BUT PLS DON’T FOLLOW THEM!!!

In the Church in Nigeria, we need to be wary of a lot of our ‘men of God’. The list is NOT restricted to just the gentlemen in this picture. There are thousands and thousands more in the pulpits up and down the country, including virtually ALL those that we regard as our ‘top men of God’ in Nigeria.

 

Yes, we call them ‘men of God’, and we revere them as such. But, in reality, these men DO NOT PREACH THE GENUINE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST! They preach a watered-down version of Christianity that can attract and keep lots and lots of members in their churches. It is from these members that the churches derive their huge wealth. But this ‘prosperity’ is at the expense of the souls of millions and millions of men! For this watered-down version of Christianity will NOT lead men to the Kingdom of God. It does NOT bear the abounding fruits of Christianity, and ultimately, it will lead men to HELL FIRE – born again, or not.

 

Many people will argue vehemently against this post. But what they cannot argue against is the tangible, visible result of the fake ‘Gospel’ that these men have been preaching for the past 30 years or so.  If we look at the fruits of the Church in Nigeria today, we can decide for ourselves if these fruits reflect the Jesus Christ that we read in the Bible.

 

If we all agree that ungodliness is multiplying within the Christian faith in Nigeria, on what basis do we exonerate these ‘men of God’??? Collectively, they have led the Church in Nigeria in the past three to four decades, and their message has shaped where the church is today – in the valley of lukewarmness.

 

A key objective of the Gospel of Christ is that men should DIE TO SELF through the preaching of the cross of Christ. It is in the preaching of the cross that the power of God continually saves the believer (1 Corinthians 1:17-18). Through this message of the cross, we DIE TO SELF by CONSISTENTLY denying SELF to carry the cross DAILY in the three-step process of following Jesus Christ. (Pls take note of the word 'DAILY'.)

The three-step process is outlined in Luke 9:23. And Jesus made it abundantly clear that believers that do not lose their lives in this manner are NOT following Him, and will NEVER, EVER enter the Kingdom of God. “For WHOSOEVER will save his life SHALL LOSE IT: but whosoever will LOSE HIS LIFE for my sake, the same shall save it.” (Luke 9:24). It is as serious as that!

 

Out of all our top men of God, we can barely find a single one that is widely known for putting the message of the cross, the message of dying, at the heart of the discipleship message. Rather, we know them for either deliverance, or prosperity, or blessings, or leadership, etc.  This is the root of our lukewarmness; for we are called to preach Christ – not just the blessings we can claim in His name.

 

It is only FEAR and the IDOLISATION of these ‘men of God’ that will make us deceive ourselves that they are not responsible for preaching the FALSE GOSPEL that has given birth to FALSE FRUITS in Nigeria. As Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:17-18, a bad tree CANNOT bring forth good fruits. Just as a good tree CANNOT bring forth bad fruits. Where have all the bad fruits in the Church in Nigeria sprung from? From Jesus Christ? No. They are from the FALSE GOSPEL of these ‘men of God’.

 

Please note this: the core objective of this post is NOT to ridicule these men. For if most of us are in their shoes, perhaps we may have even done WORSE (including this writer)! This is a very humbling thought. So, the essence of this article is NOT to play the blame game.

 

Rather, it is A RED ALERT for believers that TRULY want to follow Christ in the narrow way. We must not IDOLISE these of ‘men of God’, but learn to look beyond their words, teaching, and ministries. Instead, let us turn to Christ Himself. Let us turn to the Bible. Let us look at the Bible with the fresh eyes of simplicity, and child-like faith in God. Let us lean 100% on the anointing that God placed in every believer to teach us God’s truth according to 1 John 2:27:

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."

 

It is this same verse that will absolve all these men from the guilt of the blood of the men they are  deceiving today. For on the day of judgment, God will remind EVERY MAN that He gave each of us the CAPACITY (the anointing) to discover the truth by ourselves. And that some believers IGNORED that capacity, and chose to trust ‘men of God’ instead! This is IDOLATRY.

 

The Bible did not tell us to trust ANY MAN OF GOD, and follow him sheepishly. Even Apostle Paul did NOT tell anybody to trust him and follow sheepishly. Rather, he said we should follow him even AS HE FOLLOWS Christ(1 Corinthians 11:1). These words firmly place the obligation on us to keep our FOCUS on Jesus Christ – and then follow leaders ONLY to the degree that they follow Christ. If they do not fully follow Christ, WE DARE NOT FOLLOW THEM.

 

The proof of the genuineness of a man of God is neither determined by the size of his crowd, nor the anointing on his life. A lot of anointed men will end up in hell fire – dragging many gullible believers with them, as we see in Matthew 7:22-23 in relation to Matthew 15:14. The real proof of the genuineness of a man of God lies in his faithfulness to the Gospel committed to his trust. Today, many have compromised that trust because of money, fame, and crowd.

 

Your soul is too precious to be mortgaged because of any sentimental attachment to ANY man of God. We are being deceived in these Last Days – just as Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:11. Please FLEE WHILE YOU CAN STILL RUN – for one day, it may be too late to run.

 

And as you run, RUN TO JESUS CHRIST. When you find Him and hold Him TRULY as the Head, He will eventually lead you to His Body where you’ll grow and flourish in your spiritual destiny.

 

But whatever you do, please KEEP THESE MEN IN YOUR PRAYERS. Please pray that the Lord will touch their hearts, and grant them repentance or salvation, as appropriate. If you genuinely love these men, you won’t be in denial over their spiritual condition. And as you pray for them, please also remember the few genuine men of God in our midst in your prayers too.

 

In Nigeria, the sacredness, integrity, and effectiveness of the Gospel of Christ are dependent on the genuine believers that are willing to stand up and CONTEND FOR THE FAITH that was one delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Please be counted in the number. Be A FAITHFUL WITNESS for Jesus Christ in Nigeria. And have compassion on His sheep that are being led astray.

 

Trusting that you’ll receive this message in the same good faith in which it is sent out in the love of Jesus Christ.

 

It is well with the Body of Christ in Nigeria. Amen.

 

Thanks for reading, God bless you.