Church leaders shouldn’t preach hate-messages because of 2015 politics – Rev. Thompson

There’s confusion in the Christian fold over the 2015 elections. What exactly is happening?No Christian is confused. There’s an attempt to cloud the air here and there, but in the real sense of it, the Christian faith stands sure. The Bible talks about ‘looking unto Jesus’, not looking unto an Archbishop, Bishop. We know there […]

There’s confusion in the Christian fold over the 2015 elections. What exactly is happening?
No Christian is confused. There’s an attempt to cloud the air here and there, but in the real sense of it, the Christian faith stands sure. The Bible talks about ‘looking unto Jesus’, not looking unto an Archbishop, Bishop. We know there is no Christian that is confused. It’s all politics.Let’s look at what politics is. Religion affects politics. It’s an illusion to think otherwise. What religion does is that it encompasses practically every area of life.
There’s no greater political statement than that which was made in the Bible: “This is my beloved son in whom I’m well pleased. Listen to him.” Why is it a political statement? It is political because Jesus began to talk about the poor, he talked about the sick, oppressed, bound, grieving. Anybody who has concerns for all these, invariably, is talking about the welfare of 90 per cent of the society anywhere in the world. It’s those who don’t understand politics that think it’s outside the realm of religion.
Let’s look at recent events. Since 9/11, there is a voice in the world that spoke to Americans that they had something wrongly – separating state from religion. Now, there’s a great tussle between the two forces, with the tactical advantage that every aspect of life is touched by religion. It’s only in Africa that we acknowledge the scientific world, as the West does, and that it’s unwise to pretend as if there are no unseen spiritual forces which are involved in our daily lives. Africa has accepted the reality of spirituality while the Western world is in denial.

Why is the church under pressure over the 2015 elections? We hear of N7 billion bribery; we hear an allegation that a preacher has put a curse on opponents of a presidential candidate?
Let me explain this to you. As a result of the insurgency in the North-East, the Islamic faith is under pressure because those who don’t subscribe to extremism are being attacked. What that means is that Christian leaders have a lot of work to do because the church is not under much pressure as the Islamic religion.
This is the time for Christian leadership to arise to show the mettle of faith. The Bible does not say ‘for God so loved the church that He gave His son. It says, for God so love the world… The love of God is supposed to be expressed to people of all faiths. But there’s a subconscious interpretation now, whereby people think it’s God so loved the church… In spite of the insurgency, the church leaders need to use the multi-dimensional wisdom of God in reaching out to others. They need to use love, sacrifice, the cross. As long as the church leadership pushes these aside, we’re in trouble.
Right now, in an attempt to solve the Boko Haram problem, something terrible has happened in Nigeria. In 1948, there’s what was called the Northernization policy which attempted to protect the interests of the North. After 100 years this agenda began to fade because there was no retaliatory agenda from the South.
It’s seen as an unnecessary policy.  All of a sudden, as a result of the insurgency, by 2012, the political leadership of the country decided to create what has never been created before – southernization agenda. That’s the  demonization of Northern Nigeria. How? You kneel down before Bishops, weep, go to Jerusalem, go to churches everywhere so that the ego of church leaders is boosted because top leaders are lying at their feet, swearing heaven and earth to you. The politicians are smart and the church mistook a Southernization agenda for a Christianization agenda.Never in the history of Nigerian Christianity have we had the level of financial corruption of church leadership as it exists today.
 A bishop friend of mine called me on a phone, saying he had been invited to a major political meeting with the powers that be and they had been given interesting things. From what he told me I learnt that the political world was not only creating a southernization agenda, but they were also weakening themorality of the church by sending in stupendous sum of money to church leadership. The money is sent in such a respectable way that you can’t see through the deceit.

Does the Bible condemn the collection of such money if there is no string attached to it?
In the church there is a place to receive money from those who feel moved to give to pastors. But there’s the story of Prophet Elisha and Gehazi in 2 Kings chapter 5. The prophet had healed Naaman, a General in Syrian Army who had leprosy, and Gehazi went to collect material resources. Prophet Elisha challenged Gehazi thus, ‘is it the time to collect money?’ Any true church leader who knows God very well will tell you that once there’s a catch (the Bible tells us that a bribe perverts judgment) you have to leave the money.
If the Holy Spirit tells a church leader not to touch that money, it should be rejected immediately. When Gehazi  collected the resources and returned home, the prophet told him, ‘do you think my spirit was not with you when you went to government. I told them I would not take money from them, but you went and collected so much dollars, and received plots of land and oil wells.’  He asked him was it a time to receive dollars, plots of land, oil wells? Therefore, let leprosy stay in your family forever.  
What’s happening is that the Christian leaders, softened by the Southernization agenda, mistook it for Christianization agenda. They whip up sentiments on Boko Haram and the fears of Boko Haram. This is hate doctrine; it’s spiteful; there’s no room for negotiation; no room for love… Even if elections come and go, what has been introduced since 2012 is creating a growing hatred between Southerners and Northerners.
Religion is being used to demonise the north. Church leaders in the south are not bothered about the plight of Christians in the North. The general sentiment among some church leaders is that the northerners are killing themselves. That is totally wrong.
As we march towards the elections, many things will happen that will help everyone to accept that God’s hand is in everything that’s happening right now but you can write this down and keep it in the bank. God will not permit his chosen one to see (be overcome by) corruption and Professor Yemi Osinbajo will live to declare the victory shout when corruption in Nigeria is completely destroyed.

What are the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) doing about this?
At no time has mammon, money, penetrated the affairs of the church as it has today. Instead of the church to learn how to protect northern Christians, they have joined the game of hatred, supported with inducements. We’re headed for very dangerous places in the months ahead,unless wequickly educate Christians that ‘we know there is Boko Haram, but separate it from the Southernizaiton agenda. A hate doctrine is not the answer.
The Boko Haram masterminds are not mad; rather they are brilliant strategists that operate with precision knowledge. This is the reason why church leaders that whip up sentiments to create a you-versus-us divide along religious lines end up serving the Boko Haram agenda more than Jesus Christ. Church leaders need to know that the Boko Haram even kills Muslims in order to enforce that division and hate Muslims that embrace non-Muslim friends. Christians cannot use hatred to win the Boko Haram war, instead we must slow down the advance of hatred at all costs so that the BH will be frustrated.
Christians calling for reciprocal murder is as satanic as the crimes committed by the Boko Haram themselves and much wisdom, patience and revelation knowledge is needed in dealing with the Boko Haram
Those who think that a Christian must be the president of Nigeria don’t know the Bible. Theologically speaking it’s incorrect to assume that God must appoint Christians to all top positions at all times.
Many modern Christian leaders have never heard about Cyrus the Great because Bible study is no longer a major requirement for ministry. Cyrus was not a Jew, but he was the patron and deliverer of the Jews.
He was the King of Persia, and he is mentioned 23 times by name in the Bible. He was the one that brought an end to the Babyblonian captivity of the children of Israel. God can use anybody to the benefit of the church and Nigeria. It’s not compulsory for us to have a Christian president in order to deliver Nigeria.