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