President, Maranatha Lord Cometh Ministries International, with headquarters in Ibadan, Oyo State, Bishop Samuel Alawode, tells Woman Editor, TEMITOPE DAVID-ADEGBOYE, what the Church must do to move Nigeria forward
You recently started a monthly programme in Lagos; what is the aim?
Bishop Samuel AlawodeThe vision of the summit is stated in the book of Romans 8:19, which states: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.” It is an apostolic and prophetic gathering for the unveiling of end-time masterpiece. I believe Christianity is not theoretical, but practical. The challenges we face today are so many, but only a few are really manifesting the Christian life in its totality.
The headquarters of your Church is in Ibadan, why did you bring the summit to Lagos?
I have a clear leading to have the summit in Lagos. We go wherever He sends us. Lagos is very strategic in the Nigerian Church. If the revival starts in Lagos, the whole nation will catch it quickly. If all believers in Lagos alone start living and manifesting true Christianity, then the body of Christ in Nigeria will start to play her strategic role in end time prophesy.
Who are your target audience?
The target audience is the entire populace, but with special emphasis on believers across diverse denominations. It is an inter-denominational meeting; a rallying point for believers to fellowship together.
The propagation of the gospel is under threat with the insecurity issues we are presently facing in Nigeria. As a prophet of God, did you see this coming?
The present insecurity in this nation has been revealed years back. I am not claiming sole pre-knowledge by prophesy, but if you check the prophecies God gave to us some 15 years ago, you will see God warning about impending terrorist influx in Nigeria. I am sure God must have spoken to many others likewise, for no one minister is the sole owner of God’s revelation. I blame the whole sad state on the neglect by the Church of our core duties. The Nigerian Church reached a point few years back in God’s agenda, when wealth flowed in. We relented in missions, especially to the rural areas and the Muslim world. The monies we should pump to these areas were used for empire-building. What we are seeing now is the repercussion.
Some people opine that God is angry with Nigeria; hence the country is witnessing all these calamities.
Nigeria has committed no worse sin than any other nation on earth; so God cannot pick us out to punish us for our sins. What is happening to us, simply, is because we have failed in our assignment. Yes, the Church in Nigeria has made giant strides in some areas, but we have failed in mission and discipleship. Thank God for those involved in this core values of our faith. Jesus said we should make disciples, not just church members. A disciple is a committed Christian ready to die for his or her faith, if need be. How many Christians out there, who go to church, can die for their faith? If few years ago, all the big churches in Nigeria picked a village in Northern Nigeria to invest resources, prayers, philanthropic gestures, time, and so on, the way the early missionaries did, into raising disciples, we won’t be where we are today. But it is not too late. We can still wake up.
What do you think is the best way out of the current Boko Haram insurgency?
Continuous prayers by the church for divine intervention. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) should regularly call the body of Christ to prayers and awareness. The federal government of Nigeria should also deal with this issue decisively. If the government wants to end the insurgency in one month, they can. But political play, lack of courage to face some so-called sacred cows, biased religious sentiments and so on are making Boko Haram bigger and more powerful than it really is.
How do you see the national conference going on in Abuja?
The confab is a welcome development. Many people had been advocating for it for so long. Looking at the delegates, I pray that decisions that will move Nigeria forward will emerge. I advise all Nigerians to pray daily for the confab till it is completed. My fear is: Supposing the confab agrees on some issues that the present government or ruling party feels strongly about, will they execute the agreed decisions? I just hope that the final communique will not end up on the shelf at an office like some other national dialogues.