Easter is ultimate of God’s salvation to mankind -Cleric

What has been your church’s role this Lenten season? Lent is peculiar with the orthodox churches with regards to the experience Jesus went through before he was finally crucified. The Pentecostal fold I belong to, we don’t do the lent as it were but we have streams and series of periods we fast…But it is […]

What has been your church’s role this Lenten season?

Lent is peculiar with the orthodox churches with regards to the experience Jesus went through before he was finally crucified. The Pentecostal fold I belong to, we don’t do the lent as it were but we have streams and series of periods we fast…But it is very peculiar with Easter.

Most especially the last week is called in the Christian parlance Passion Week. The 33 years of Jesus ended this week. Within this week, Jesus prayed at Mount Gethsemane; within this week, Jesus was denied of by his apostle who later became the leader of the Pentecostal church—talking about Peter. Within this week, Pontius Pilate’s men flocked Jesus and the 39 stripes less one. And within this week, the prophesy of Isaiah that He will be a lamb that cannot talk came to pass.

This Passion Week is the ultimate of God’s salvation to man. It is not the lent and the fast till this week that matter. It is what Jesus did. What Jesus did was to die for the whole world. And when it got to Mount Gethsemane, it was within this week He asked God if it is possible to remove the cup—nevertheless not His will but God’s will should prevail. This is a week where self will die for Christ, where our own will be crucified for Christ.

For the past days that crystallise into this resurrection, it is very important to the Christian world. Like in our church, we had a crusade in one of the villages in the metropolis by Chida Hotel [Abuja]. It was not just to preach the things Jesus did in the two-day crusade, we took items for the people. Because Jesus did not only die, He came to give us life and life more abundant.

How much of Jesus’ life have Nigerians lived?

Nigeria is one of the black most religious nations on earth. It is good to be religious but we are talking about Christ life. I’ve seen pastors fight in the public. Jesus’ voice was not heard in street. I’ve heard, I’ve seen and I’ve read pastors exchanging words from the pulpit. Jesus did not live like that.

If we are to go by the ministers of God or the Christians in Nigeria, I can say we are still a far cry from the Jesus that lived in the humble city of Nazareth and the humble town of Bethlehem. If Jesus were to be around now, to run in the country’s elections, He would stretch the olive branch to the winning team or the losing team for a round table discussion.

I would like to use this opportunity to extend this to the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria not to cast off the losing parties. He can still form his cabinet with people of the parties that opposed him in the presidential poll.

What is the message for the average Christian this Easter?

The message is Jesus who resurrected is coming back. Let us straighten our lives. Let us look up to Him for He will come soon. But most importantly, the message of resurrection, the message of Easter, if Jesus came back after three days and three nights from the grave, whatever any Christian has lost, this is the season of resurrection and we will resurrect as a nation, we have resurrected for the first time in many years—we have a good election compared to June 12 and it is an indication that Nigeria has also resurrected.