THINGS
FALL A PART
The young dynamic
pastor was in ecstasy. He was going to show his flock, the stuff he was made
of. Though pastor Ogunta did not have the anointing for ministry, he loved
being very visible.
He had only one
ambition in mind, to become as rich and famous as the wealthy Nigerian pastors.
Although he did not have the money to compete, he promised himself that at any
opportunity that presents itself, he will not fail to outshine them all.
THINGS
FALL A PART 2
In the recent past, a
strange doctrine had gradually taken root in Nigerian churches. The general
overseers (G O) had formed the habit of tasking their members to pray in the
name of the god of the respective G O.
Also, many of them go
as far as printing copies of their portraits, distribute and ask their members
to carry these as talisman, hang it in their houses, cars and business
premises, waive and use them when they are in need and the miracles will flow.
THINGS FALL
APART 3
To the ordinary eyes
these things promote distinction from others. However, these things are not
ordinary. Many of these G O’s get their anointing from the devil, their god.
Thus they plunge their faithful into idolatry.
These portraits make
them gods, images to be served. Had the commandments not said, (1) Thou shall
have no other gods before me?
(2) you shall not make
for yourselves images to idolize? Therefore the sins of these men are very
great in the eyes of the LORD.
THINGS
FALL APART 4
In order not to take
the shine away from our story, we will now proceed. Pastor Ogunta made a
portrait of himself eight feet high. With his dark glossy jerry curls hair
shiny brilliantly even in the portrait as a result of the amount of sheen
applied, he looked magnificent. Of a truth he was very handsome.
He hung this portrait
in his small church in such a manner that it was conspicuously conspicuous. He
had been saving for this for a very long time. Many members congratulated him.
Thus highly motivated, he mounted the podium.
THINGS
FALL APART 5
Clad in his only pair
of suit which was rather oversized, he began his sermon. Drawing inference from
the serpent in the wilderness, he summarized thus, “As Moses lifted the serpent
in the wilderness, so have I lifted this image before you. When you are in
need, look towards the direction of this portrait, and then call on the god of
pastor Ogunta.
Let this image be
formed in your minds eyes. It is the key to your deliverance. All your problems
will be solved at once. Thank you.” The clap was spontaneous. Some people stood
up and began to dig some steps in joy. Pastor Ogunta beamed with smiles.
THINGS
FALL APART 6
In the midst of all
these, one hand shot up.
“Yes Bro Stephens you
have my permission to speak.”
“We all know that God
instructed Moses to set up that serpent. As for this image of yours, we do not
know. I have watched in uttermost chagrin the doctrine of the multiplicity of
gods in the church. Today, any pastor that can string together a congregation
of five worshippers will admonish them to pray in the name of his god. If you
had money you would have as well print copies of your photo and ask us to carry
it about as talisman.
Today we have the god
of face book, god of Google, twitter, flow Iyke, Ogunta etc. All these are
gods, but which one is the right God? Tell us pastor, tell us.” He paused
impressively as if expecting a reply.
THINGS FALL APART 7
Since no reply was
issued, he continued, “We all know where most of these pastors get their powers
from. Why should we go about carrying their photos as talisman? Is this not
idolatry? Why don’t we all go back to worship the gods of our ancestors,
wouldn’t that be better?
At least those priests
divine for us and give us solutions, but here you and your likes preach money
and giving to the church and nothing more. AS if this is not enough, you now
have the effrontery and audacity to stand in our very before and emit such
nonsensical verbal dose from your buccal cavity, admonishing us to worship your
image. Kini gbogbo rubbish ti bobo en son nah? E wo ni gun pastor, ma begi fuen
o.” Which being interpreted, what kind of rubbish is this guy saying? Look here
pastor, I will cut off your head o.
THINGS
FALL APART 8
I will no longer sit
down here to condone such foolishness. I hereby dismiss myself from this
church.” So saying he took up his Bible and stormed out of the church in anger.
While he spoke a grave silence fell on the church. Many of the eighty member
church were the simple ones.
These lacked
imagination and do not have opinion of their own. They always find themselves
agreeing in total with whomsoever it was that was speaking at the moment. One
after the other, they picked up their Bibles, dusted their buttocks and trooped
out of the church en masse. Only two remained.
THINGS
FALL APART 9
Pastor Ogunta could
hardly believe his eyes. He had not expected such a twist or this sudden turn
in events. He watched in great disbelief as even his most staunch loyalists
joined the boycott. It was not as if he could not have remonstrated with them,
but the gesticulations from the few he tried showed they were ready for a
showdown.
He fell down in the
altar and wept sore. Right from the start, he knew he had neither the anointing
nor call to ministry. He only joined the fray when he saw the grandiose with
which the Nigerian wealthy pastors bestrode the landscape.
Now all he had worked
for in the past three years had suddenly evaporated to thin air. What will he
do now, where would he start from, he did not know.
THINGS
FALL APART 10
One thing he knew
however was---it was far better to be so tongue lashed and forsaken by his
members now, than for his simple soul to be cast into hell on the judgment day.
Rising up, he adjusted his suit, went to the offering box and counted the days
taken.
It was thirty-six
thousand, six hundred naira in all. Dividing it into two equal parts, he gave
each part to the two remaining faithful. Walking to the windows, he shut them
all. Painfully he walked to the door.
While he wept, he had made up his mind to go look for genuine employment and
earn an honest living, rather than present himself as an instrument through
which Satan would destroy innocent souls in hell.
The remaining property
of the church will be entrusted to the hands of faithful people who will sell
them and then distribute the money to the blind and disabled people in the
streets. He shut the door and walked away. He only looked back once, then
walked away never to return to this church again.
