By Tochukwu Ezukanma
The Highlife maestro, Oliver de Coque, once sang, “Wherever I am, God gives me good music; when I am asleep, God gives me good music; when I am awake, God gives me good music”. In response to a question about composing songs, Michael Jackson replied, “I don’t understand this thing about writing songs. I think it is spiritual. I think it is heavenly”. The two men talked about their musical inspirations coming from divine, spiritual realm, from God.
God’s first instructions to man are, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over (it)”. In the rigor and drudgery of upholding these divine commands, we are, sometimes, jubilant, frustrated, and flustered, and, we also, sometimes, fall in love, fall out of love, and even, get heartbroken. Irrespective of the moods and circumstances engendered by our determined labor to carry out these instructions of God, music comes handy: soothing, encouraging, inspiring, bracing, etc.
On my first job as a mortgage banker, I worked for a 35 year old millionaire. She made about two million dollars every year. Once, in a discussion with her, I talked about, “What people sow is what they reap”. She seemed a little puzzled, and asked me, “Do you think so”? I replied yes, because the Bible says so. She asked me, “For real, the Bible says so”? Evidently, this young, successful lady did not frequent the church, and barely read the Bible. The pastors and their preaching and demands for offerings, tithe, first fruit and sowing of seed had very little or no influence on her life.
But, it would have been impossible for her to manage a mortgage bank, employing, training and supervising mortgage bankers to fulfill their professional responsibilities to the public, advancing the public good, which is the Will of God, without an education. Therefore, teachers played more pivotal and beneficial roles in her life than pastors. In doing their work as educators; educating and enlightening humanity, exorcising the beast in man, and making the world a more discipline and livable place, teachers are doing the Will of God.
Just like musicians and teachers, everyone is called, inspired and anointed by God to play a given role towards the divine mission to be fruitful, and dominate the earth. We are individually special to God; He thought about each of us in a special way. Not surprisingly, he created us with individualized identities, talents and destinies; and assigned us unique roles, as writers, medical doctors, architects, pastors/prophets, etc. Therefore, we are all men of God.
The calling of the pastor/prophet is not superior to that of the other professionals. In orthodox churches, pastors, educated and trained, have a better understanding of the word of God. As such, they respect other professionals and restrict themselves to their duties, which are generally ecclesiastical. They do not own their individual churches, and are therefore subject to church authority, and regulated by Christian ethics and church cannons. Consequently, they play by the rules.
The advent of new age Pentecostalism significantly altered the roles of pastors and the tenor of church doctrine in Nigeria. With their perversion of the word of God, they acquired an exploitative, manipulative and intrusive influence on the lives of Christians. Many of the new age Pentecostal pastors lack education and training, and the calling of God to be pastors. Many of them rose from the ranks of the uneducated, unemployed, and unemployable, and some, from among the hungry and homeless that sought shelter in the church. Their presence in the church made them readily available to the pastors, who assigned them roles within the church, and with time, made them assistants, which provided them the launching pad for takeoff on their own as pastors and church owners.
A once never-do-well that is now a pastor has an inferiority complex and a chip on the shoulder. In addition, because they own and control their individual churches, they are not subject to any supervisory and/or disciplinary authority. If not strictly regulated, a pastor, with an inferiority complex and a chip on the shoulder; without education and training, and consequently, devoid of the discipline and sense of responsibility the job a pastor demands; and not subject to any corrective authority because he is the sole owner and controller of his church; can be dangerous to the society.
Many of them are misleading, manipulating and exploiting their congregants. They acquire prophetic powers, sometimes, in dalliance with satanic forces; cultivate a personality cult; and terrify their church members into total submission to their personal will. They claim exclusive access to God, and declare that the offering of sacrifices (tithes, first fruit, seeds, etc) forces God to answer prayers and grant blessings. They apotheosize themselves, and become the object of worship to their members. Therefore, it is not uncommon for members to be kneeling down before their pastors, and literally, worshipping them, which is idolatry.
In all, they establish, and continually reinforce their menacing and mesmeric grip on the minds of their church members. Thus, with easy, they dispossess them of their money, in the name of offerings, tithe, seeds, first fruits, etc; seduce unsuspecting women, including married women and under-age girls; break up marriages; and indulge their weird, ghoulish, and even, demonic fantasies.
It behooves every Christian to study the Bible. The knowledge of the word of God is a sturdy bulwark against the wiles of deceitful pastors. With the knowledge of the Word, it will crystallize to you that we are all men of God, with access to God; money does not buy God blessings and answers to payers; and no man but God is deserving of your worship. Jesus Christ came to raise believers, not pastors, and all the promises of God are for believers and those that do the will of God, not exclusively for pastors.
Tochukwu Ezukanma writes from Lagos, Nigeria (maciln18@yahoo.com) 0803 529 2908
