ROGUES IN PRIESTLY GARMENTS!

Yesterday, I was at my clothier’s office to fix some things for 2009. Upon entering, I met some kind of discuss on religion. Once the guys noticed my presence, the discuss got heated, I guess this was because some of the folks in my clothier's office had come to appreciate my stand on issues of religion, and by inference, my faith. Guess what? The whole debate was on modern-day ‘Pastors’ and their 'antics!'

Several issues were raised. Heard from the folks how a certain ‘pastor’ was arrested and he allegedly confessed to being the leader of a gang of notorious armed robbers. Another was said to be the backbone of a cartel specialized in car snatching!

The folks also talked about certain ‘pastors’ who they say practically extort money from their congregation.

As I made to sit, one of the folks turned towards me and said: “Imagine! When a pastor knows that the monthly income of his follower is not more than One Hundred Thousand Naira, he still doesn’t raise any eye-brow when such a person brings a ‘seed’ of Five Million naira to him...”

They went on and on. As I made to leave, one of the men, who obviously had come from a nearby shop, made a remark that struck me: “If not that some of us have personal revelation and relationship of and with God, we would have long doubted if God truly exists, taking into cognizance all the fraud perpetuated by these self-styled ‘clergy men’...”

Folks, nothing these guys said was new to me. My only embarrassment was that they also know what was happening within the 'house'.

I am a 'church boy' and also a proud worker in the body of Christ. Thus, if I am really truthful, I should own up to knowing what’s happening within the ‘house’ and shouldn’t be plastic about it.

I have always spoken about certain current practices in the body of Christ and how it was negatively affecting society and several innocent believers of Christ alike. Like I told a friend, it seems to me that those who have failed in various vocations and professions have finally resorted to being ‘pastors’. God’s work is now handled with the approach of a ‘vocation’.

The general notion is that the days are long gone when ‘God’ called people into ministry. Now, you can call yourself into. It is now a game, and the man with the best tongue and manipulation is mostly likely to get into prominence. It is now sheer fraud and deception!

Today’s ‘pastors’ don’t and can’t speak the truth anymore. It is no longer God’s word; it is now our ‘word’. We no longer have ‘Men of God’ but ‘Men of the People’. Why will they even speak the truth when they have no moral standing to do so! It is now all about the money and the fame, as against being examples and a standard for others to live by.
For this present generation of ‘pastors’, God can stay in Heaven for all they care and whatever will be on judgement day, let it be! Instead of being worried about the effect of failing in ministry, they are worried about the effects of failing in life!

We know of a lot of churches happily patronized by fraudsters, not because they are sure of being transformed or gaining salvation, but the ‘pastor’ of this local assembly has a reputation of ‘blessing’ the “works of their hands”. There are certain churches fraudsters won’t attend. This is because they know the pastor will always hit them below the belt. But, these new wave self-styled ‘pastors’ don’t see anything wrong in their choice of vocation. A ‘pastor’ was quoted to have told his congregation: “I have seen and tasted poverty, I know what it means to be miserably poor... DO EVERYTHING you can to make money, provided you don’t kill anybody...”
Hear a ‘pastor’s’ counsel to his flocks: “DO ANYTHING TO GET MONEY!” Little wonder, an ample number of his congregation are purportedly internet fraudsters! According to one of them: “his prayer works like magic... once he prays for me and I get on the internet to chat, it works like an enchantment! But, I make sure after ‘pastor’ touches my hand, I don’t have any handshake with anybody until after using the internet...”

Where on earth has the fear of God exiled to? Where do these superficial ‘pastors’ get their guts from? We know He is rich in Mercy, but can’t God do anything about this particular issue? I mean, His name is being ridiculed here!

I am scared and worried! This is for the reason that every priest has followers, irrespective of whether he is genuine or not. My worry is what the 'false prophets' are doing to their innocent ‘flocks’ and what they are becoming due to their self-seeking and warped view of the real God.

To my mind, what has turned ‘church’ into what it is today is as a result of the craving and demand from the people for certain forms of magic.

Everybody likes a ‘miracle’ pastor. Everybody likes a ‘prophetic’ pastor. Everybody likes a ‘prosperity’ preacher. While there is nothing wrong in this, the approach is wrong. If you are neither of these, you may not go far in this present age. It seems to me like these are the demands of the ‘profession’.

The cravings of the people are; the desire to get rich, the ability to be healed of any physical or spiritual ailment, the desire to be rich and also the power to “kill your enemies”.

Quite naturally, any man who can promise them any of these will capture their hearts and their physical presence, including their pockets. This is one reason ‘pastors’ seek ‘powers’ by all means possible. While some run to God, others return to their master, the devil. Certainly, what the fool teaches them are tricks and deception.

I ask: “why can’t those in the latter group just come out plain and allow themselves gain easy identification as ‘native doctors’? Why use the devil's deception and camouflage with God’s garments?”

So much evil is being done using the name of the Lord as cover, and lots of people are being misdirected. In my own little thoughts, I ask: “why would God wait till ‘judgement day’?”

Certain ‘pastors’ are capitalizing on the vulnerability of people to exploit them. Is there another definition for define deceit? Not too long, there was this issue of how some children in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria, were being branded as “witch children” by some of these self-professing ‘pastors’.

Unsurprisingly, there were some ‘pastors’ who claimed they could ‘cure’ them. Guess what? The 'cure' wasn’t coming FREE! Some of these pastors charged between One Hundred Thousand Naira and Four Hundred Thousand Naira. I like to call these ‘pastors’: the bigger witches!

In the event that the parents of these ‘witch-children’ cannot pay for the deliverance, the ‘cured’ children are kept back with these ‘witch-curing pastors’ to act as slaves to them, until the hapless parents’ can gather the money for their final freedom.

I wonder! I wonder!! How did we get here? What sort of mess is this? Is this what the younger generation will take after? Obviously, it is going to get out of proportion if they do! How do we get out of these muddle we have dragged the Christian faith into? What is the function of the various Christian bodies? Are the leaders ‘pure’ themselves?

More than ever, we need divine intervention. We must get rid of every rogue in priestly garment!

BAD ROLE MODELS

Earlier in the week, we woke up to the news of how the Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Sam Edem, paid a lump sum of money to a sorcerer to perform some divinations that would help gain certain favours from 2 prominent high placed individuals in authority...

Isn't it laughable that a one-time Ambassador can still indulge in such primitive practise in this get age? Voodoo in 2008? Some of our leaders can be so desperate and avaricious for power that they could do and even believe in the most insane things!

In a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Agbrebi Akpoebi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), the police said Edem was arrested following an allegation that he paid the sum of N150 million out of an agreed sum of N800 million to one Dr. (?) Perekambowei Oga, a sorcerer.

This was to spiritually influence the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, to award him (Edem) juicy contracts and influence the Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, to give him protection in the event of any problem.

The police also said that the contract involved the killing of the Managing-Director of the NDDC, Timi Alaibe.

According the statement, Edem and his alleged contractor had a disagreement over non-performance and failure to pay the contract sum in full, adding that the case was under investigation.

I am worried, though not surprised. In Nigeria, always be ready for daily [unpleasant] national surprises.

Every tom, dick and harry seems to be castigating this man and calling him all sorts of names. Something in me tells me this guy is not the only person in leadership involve in this form of insanity. I believe somebody introduced this jazzman to him. The sorcerer must have performed one or two ‘operations’ for somebody in government before now, and was thus proven to be authentic for others to ‘use’.
For a man to spend close to 1billion naira on magicians, then he's been in it for long... A gambler doesn't start gambling with millions....
The silent question is, isn't this the medium through which he got the position he is trying desperately to retain?

By the way, why is everybody castigating and reproving him? Could he be the only one involved in this kind of act? No doubt, he must have a bunch of partners in high position of authority.

Where are the high-profile customers of Okija shrine? Where are the powerful politicians who run to India for powers? Where are those who pay ‘prophets’ to pray for them? Where are those that consult all kinds of spiritualists to ‘see’ for them?

This has been the bane of national development: WRONG ROLE MODELS – BAD EXAMPLES!
Questionable characters in high places, ever claiming to love Nigeria more than all of us, yet their acts and hearts speak contradictorily.

What are some of the downsides? The youths in society are tempted to look up to these funny elements as Role Models simply because of the influence and affluence they command; these young ones try to replicate whatever it is they learn from these sadists, and before you know it, everything in the country starts crumbling!

This guy [Sam Edem] is Chairman of a body saddled with the responsibility of developing the long marginalized oil region of Nigeria.... The same Niger Delta whose people is impoverished and is dying daily of hunger and starvation...
Amazingly, their son who everyone thought would bring them hope and manage their resources for them had the audacity to channel such a large sum of their money for voodoo works.... This is a SHAME!

We are told he has been arrested by the police and his sole offense was that he spent a huge amount of money that does not correlate with his income. Isn't voodoo an offense?
To my mind, this is worse than financial corruption.

It is not surprising that most of these greedy politicians have resorted to voodoo, instead of the now popular means of eliminating people - assassination. I think their belief is hinged on the fact that with this latest mode, police investigations will fail.
This is the height of greediness and wickedness! Imagine having men like these as leaders; they will also fake ‘patriotism’ and love for NIGERIA!
Folks, men like these should be treated as National threats. They should be marked as 'bad role models’. They should be treated like outcasts. They should never be given any form of respect since they blew their opportunities to write their names in history books.

I am particularly worried of what may become of this man few months from now. The case of Tafa Balogun, Sunday Ehindero, Iyabo Obasanjo, Ebitimi Banigo and their likes are still fresh in our minds. These guys soiled their hands in various criminal offenses, they were castigated for a while, given little or no punishments and before anyone could say JACK: they were re-absorbed into the highest echelon of leadership in the country.......
I am just hoping this man's case will not be like the rest.

Should his case turn out like the rest, let it be on record that my generation is watching: WE WILL SURELY MAKE A RUBBISH OF GUYS LIKE THESE WHO HEARTLESSLY RUIN THIS NATION AND INCREASINGLY PUSH US BEHIND DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH, THEY WILL PAY FOR ALL THEIR ACTS OF WICKEDNESS - they won't be spared, even at old age!

A new generation is springing forth. A generation that will not spare even their fathers for their various contributions to national decay. A generation with sincere compassion and passion for Nigeria’s growth. A generation who will refuse to imbibe the questionable values forcefully handled them by their leaders. A generation that will build the four walls of Nigeria....

This country belongs to all of us!