The Counterfeit Christian Church 2

 

By Femi Aribisala

Most of today’s Christians do not have the kind of faith Jesus is looking for.

Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like putting yeast in a large portion of dough. (Matthew 13:33).  While pastors with limited understanding of kingdom dynamics see this yeast as beneficial on the grounds that it is designed to promote the rapid numerical growth of the church; those with better insight see it as spiritually counter-productive precisely because it leads to the exponential growth of the church.  This growth is contrary to God’s design.

Abnormal church

Yeast in the bible is a metaphor for a corrupting agent.  The yeast “infects” the dough and makes the bread puffed up and “proud.”  Therefore, yeast was required to be thrown away at the Passover. (Exodus 12:15).  No meal offering was acceptable with yeast. (Leviticus 6:17).  Jesus himself uses yeast to characterise the duplicitous doctrine of the religious leaders.  He warns: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” (Luke 12:1).

As the church grew from a tiny seed into a small mustard bush, it was as God designed it.  But over time, with the yeast of pastors, it mutated into a large tree, something God never intended.  It became a freak giant of a tree not in keeping with its genetic-code.  It therefore ceased to be God’s church when we perverted the doctrines of Jesus on the altar of church growth.  It became a counterfeit of the true church, even though it still claimed to be “Christian.”  It formed an unholy alliance with Rome and took on many facets of pagan mystery religions.

Jesus defined the acceptable parameters of his church.  It is small in size: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32).  Its workers are small in number: “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few.” (Luke 10:2).  Its membership is a small elect: “Many are called, but few chosen.” (Matthew 20:16).  Its pathway is found only by a small number of people: “Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:14).  Therefore, the crowd should not be confused with the church.  

Jesus says: “When the Son of Man comes, will he really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).  Since according to the reputable Pew Research Centre there are now over 2 billion Christians on earth, more than any other religion, the conclusion is inescapable.  Most of today’s Christians do not have the kind of faith Jesus is looking for.

Demonic church

In effect, Jesus’ parables portray the current deviant form of the kingdom of God.  His mustard tree not only experiences aberrant growth; the birds of the air nesting in its branches are demons.  They are messengers of Satan: “the wicked one,” with the objective to steal the word of God from men’s hearts. (Matthew 13:4/19; Mark 4:4/15; Luke 8:5/12).  Jesus’ portrait is therefore identifiable in its perverseness as the end-time “mystery Babylon” which represents today’s Christian church. (Revelation 17:5).  The church is “a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!” (Revelation 18:2).

Jesus says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat.” (Matthew 13:24-25).  Accordingly, the modern church is overrun by demons who plant weeds among God’s wheat.  These weeds now occupy strategic positions as pastors, bishops and general overseers.  They are revered as “father,” “papa” and “daddy,” in contravention of Jesus’ directive to call no one father but God. (Matthew 23:9).  God allows this to happen, just as he allowed Satan to tempt Job; just as Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil; and just as Jesus allowed Satan to sift Peter like wheat. (Luke 22:31).

Out of this adversity, God is nevertheless determined to bring forth his true children.  Jesus says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46).  This presents another remarkable kingdom dynamic.  The pearl is the only “jewel” that is not buried in the earth.  It comes from a living organism: the oyster.  The first thing of note about the oyster is that it is not kosher.  It is forbidden food in the Law of Moses. (Deuteronomy 14:10).  The second thing of note is that oysters only produce pearls in response to irritation.  When the oyster gets hot and bothered, it produces the pearl in self-defence.

Even so, those who seek the Lord even in the counterfeit church will become his pearls.  They will be rescued from their inconvenient places of growth and become God’s glorious adornment: “‘They shall be mine,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘on the day that I make them my jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.” (Malachi 3:17-18).

Counterfeit church

Therefore, what we see all around us today is the false church headed by false popes, pastors and bishops.  This counterfeit church is large, flamboyant and worldly.  But God’s true church is a “little flock” of “little ones” led by one Good Shepherd. (Luke 12:32; Matthew 18:14).  By presenting the kingdom of God as a mustard seed which grows to become a tree, Jesus was giving a prophecy about the coming perversion of church growth, which is already upon us.

Thus, Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed is designed to dispel all grandiose mythical and self-serving expectations of the kingdom of God.  But thanks to “Nicodemus pastors,” the myth has once again recaptured Jesus’ true portrait.  We are back again to planting cedars of Lebanon everywhere.

What we have now in the churches is the kingdom of pastors, which has little to do with the kingdom of God.  There, personal empires are built through the distortion of the scriptures for the sake of collecting as much tithes and offerings as possible.  Jesus says: “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” (Matthew 21:13).

Our so-called “men of God” now include jet-flying, designer-suited internationally-acclaimed superstars.  However, true “children of God” are despised and rejected by the people. (Isaiah 49:7).  The authentic ministry of Christ is not glamorous: it is humiliating and frustrating.  The Messiah himself laments: “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the LORD’s hand, and my reward is with my God.’” (Isaiah 49:4).  Therefore, today’s celebrated pastor is a contradiction in terms.

This is the Lord’s final verdict: “Many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Vanguard

The Counterfeit Christian Church I

 

By Femi Aribisala

The modern Christian church, with its mega-pastors and highfalutin cathedrals, is nothing but a counterfeit of the true church of Christ.

One day, the Lord asked me one of those questions that turn my faith upside down.  ”Femi,” he said, “does a mustard seed ever become a tree?”

The question was confusing.  Jesus himself says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32).  Nevertheless at your word Lord Jesus, I decided to investigate.  Does the mustard seed actually become a tree?

The answer was so unexpected, it made me angry.  The mustard seed never becomes a tree.  At best, it grows to become a shrub.  Mustard trees don’t exist; except of course in Christian circles where they are planted fictitiously by “Nicodemus” pastors and televangelists.

Double-edged parables

The disciples asked Jesus why he spoke to the people in parables.  Why not just speak plainly to them?  Jesus replied that since they don’t want to understand what he was saying, he was also going to make sure they don’t understand. (Matthew 13:10-15).

Jesus’ parables are often designed to conceal and not to reveal.  In the portrait of the kingdom of God, his parables turn everything upside down.  The despised Samaritan, and not the “godly” priest or Levite, turns out to be the righteous hero of the story of the Good Samaritan.  Jesus’ Good Shepherd is so reckless; he leaves ninety-nine sheep unattended while looking for just one lost sheep.  In another parable, the despised tax collector is justified, while the presumably “godly” Pharisee is condemned.  In the story of the Prodigal Son, a party is thrown for the sinful prodigal son, instead of for the older, more faithful son.  In yet another parable, a master commended an unrighteous servant for his unrighteousness, and proclaimed him to be wise.

That is kingdom dynamics.  The first become last and the last become first.  Jesus’ parables confound our preconceptions by telling us what we know the way we have never known it.  This is because the ways of the kingdom are not the ways of men.  Therefore, his parables expose many religious myths as false answers to life’s hard realities.  They shatter our comfortable social sensibilities by confounding accepted norms and values.  Unfortunately, we are no longer offended today because the myths have reclaimed the parables once again.

True to form, very few things about Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed conform to reality.  The mustard seed is not the smallest of all seeds.  That distinction actually belongs to the orchid seed.  The mustard is a herb, so it never grows into anything like a tree.  All the varieties of the mustard family have thin stems and branches.  At best, they grow to become shrubs.  Most birds would not be inclined to build their nest in a mustard plant because of the stinging aroma.

Of course, Jesus is aware of these anomalies.  But true to form, he is a rock of offence to the sensibilities of the Jewish farmer.  To expose the falsehood of a myth, a story must sometimes be outrageous and offensive.  The mustard is appropriately a biting, irritating and disturbing condiment.  It is therefore well-suited to the gospel, which irritates and disturbs those at ease in this world.

Cedars of Lebanon

The Jews believed the kingdom of God would bring about the restoration of Israel to its former power and glory.  The symbol of this expectation was the cedar of Lebanon.  With the advent of the kingdom, it was anticipated that Israel would be restored as a mighty cedar, head and shoulders above its neighbours. The cedar was magnificent by all accounts.  It grew straight up, sometimes for two to three hundred feet.

This expectation seemed to be confirmed by the vision given to Daniel: “I was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.  The tree grew and became strong; its height reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.  Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.” (Daniel 4:10-12).

However, no sooner had Daniel received this vision than the Lord asked that the tree be cut down. (Daniel 4:13-14).  Ezekiel notes that the counsel of the Lord is to bring down the high tree and exalt the low tree. (Ezekiel 17:24).  Isaiah also gives a similar message: “The day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up- and it shall be brought low.” (Isaiah 2:12-17).

So, when Jesus told the parable of the mustard seed, he actually wanted his listeners to know that the kingdom of God does not come as a tree, growing high up into the sky.  On the contrary, it grows like a weed.  It grows as under-bush.  It spreads out on the ground.  The kingdom of God is like a little mustard seed that is sown in us.  It is growing, but it is not going to turn us into cedars of Lebanon.  We would be doing excellently well if we were to become modest shrubs.

The modern Christian church, with its mega-pastors and highfalutin cathedrals, is nothing but a counterfeit of the true church of Christ.

Invisible church

Jesus wants Christians to think small and not big.  The tasks before us are not accomplished by filling huge stadiums and mausoleums or by making intercontinental television broadcasts.  God’s great works are not done on such vainglorious levels.  Jesus says: “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21).

It is Bethlehem Ephratah which, though little among the clans of Judah, is nevertheless singled out to bring forth great things. (Micah 5:2).  The kingdom is accomplished in us in the mundane details of everyday life, with its ups and downs.  It is fulfilled by small acts of love and kindness; encouraging the afflicted; supporting the weak.  Nothing about this will be carried in the news, proclaimed on billboards or extolled on television.

Those things that meet the approval of men are not God’s idea of success.  In his eyes, they constitute abject failures. (Luke 16:15).  The greatest works of the kingdom are accomplished in secret.  They are unseen and unsung.  They are reflected in our beatitudes.

Thus, God says to the counterfeit Christian church: “Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings- meetings, meetings, meetings- I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that.  I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening.” (Isaiah 1:13-14).  (Continued)
Vanguard

Corruption is Nigeria’s biggest problem Akinyemi

 

By Dayo Johnson,  Akure
A FORMER External Affairs Minister, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, yesterday, fingered corruption as Nigeria’s  biggest  problem.
According to him, “No one can be a billionaire in this present Nigeria without being corrupt.
”To be a millionaire is still alright but if you are a billionaire, you are corrupt and that means you are cutting corners”.
Akinyemi spoke in Akure at a lecture, to herald the inauguration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko for second term entitled, Leadership, Democracy and Development; A paradigm relationship of Governor Olusegun Mimiko second term in office.
He lamented that in Nigeria of today there are no more values to hold on to unlike in the 60s.
”Parents not only encourage their children to cheat to beat the system, they aid and abet the children in the nefarious activities,” the former minister said.
”Akinyemi continued: No one believes anymore in the concept of society. In my youth, to be accused of theft or any other criminal offence was tantamount to being banished from society. To be convicted was tantamount to suicide. But now no one asks for the source of the wealth.
”People in jail,accused of murder, run for and win elections. More than a score of members of the Nigerian Senate have EFCC court cases against them. Only in Nigeria do you steal billions and escape with less than a million naira fine.
”To move forward, the political elite must make a conscious effort to arrive at a consensus that will be the outcome of negotiation, give and take,compromises.
” The system to be put in place should not reflect temporary advantages secured through a temporary monopoly of power.
He asked Mimiko to maintain the tempo of developmental projects put up by his administration in the last four years.
The lecturer, who insisted that the governor  must score Grade A during his second term, congratulated him for his encouraging achievements in his first term in  office and charged him not to relent on his oars.
”At the same time, I commiserate and feel sorry for him because having set such high standards of achievements, he is going to be under considerable pressure to maintain that high level of achievements for second term.,”Akinyemi stated.
”Now that Governor Mimiko has scored a distinction in the first term, I am also expecting another Grade A performance during this term.
”I know what Ondo State looked like in the 50s at least as seen through the eyes of a young adult. I have seen what it looked like in the 1990s and what it looks like now. I am impressed by what I see.”

Vanguard

The President’s men’s hammer on NGF

By his age, he is old enough to be the father of President Goodluck Jonathan. He once declared himself as the president’s godfather and the President has described him as his father. Chief Edwin Clark, a former Minister of Information, is seen by many as one of those who speak the President’s mind. Not a few believe that once he speaks, his sentiment can be taken as the President’s.
There are other men, who share such slot with the elder statesman. One of them is Minister of Niger Delta Godsday Orubebe.
Of recent, both men have attacked the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and its leadership, Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
Clark, in a recent open letter to the NGF, described it as undemocratic and practically called for its ban.
He said: “The Governors’ Forum is now acting as an opposition party to the Federal Government. It deliberately breaches with impunity the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the constitution of the PDP, without any challenges. The Forum has now become a threat to the peace and stability of Nigeria. Most of the governors today are more dictatorial than the then military governors.
“The over-bearing influence of the Governors’ Forum in the polity has become a matter of serious concern. The activities of the PDP Governors Forum, in particular, have become very disturbing and call for urgent correction as they are fast eroding the authority and the supremacy of the party and posing a serious threat to our democracy. The forum has become a powerful tool in the hands of the governors who now use it to pursue and promote their individual and collective interests with little or no regard to the letter and spirit of the Party’s Constitution and supremacy.”
Orubebe, who was nominated by Clark into the cabinet, was more frontal in his attack. He went straight for Amaechi’s jugular.
He said: “Unfortunately, the man (Amaechi) has forgotten that it was by the grace of God that he became the governor of Rivers State. He has forgotten so soon. He has arrogated to himself, powers that he does not have. It is God that has powers.
“Today, he sees himself as the governor of governors and he begins to feel that he is even bigger than the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But I want to let him know that God is still God. He must have respect for the Presidency. He must have respect for the President of this country.
“It is sad. It is unfortunate that people from the South-South, even governors, particularly Governor Rotimi Amaechi, have no respect for the President of this country. I think this is the right time we should let him know and I have decided to speak because this is the time to speak.”
Amaechi, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, David Iyofor, said: “Contrary to his madcap vituperations, Governor Amaechi has tremendous respect for the office of the President of Nigeria and President Goodluck Jonathan. The office of the President of Nigeria is a big institution that deserves utmost respect and it would be grossly irresponsible for anyone to disrespect Mr. President, which unfortunately Minister Orubebe is doing by dragging the President’s name into his inability to deliver on the East –West road.
“Minister Orubebe seems to suffer from a severe form of selective amnesia as he conveniently forgets that the same Amaechi he (Orubebe) now contemptuously, disgracefully and insolently disparages and flippantly accuses of not respecting Mr. President led Rivers people to overwhelming vote for and gave President Jonathan the highest votes by any state in the country at the last presidential elections. Minister Orubebe should please tell us, what respect, regard and show of love is bigger than that?
“Minister Orubebe’s imprudent and reckless attacks on the person of Governor Amaechi are a dubious but obvious attempt by the minister to divert attention from his abysmal failure to deliver on the East- West road. This callous attempt to drag the President’s name into it is what is most disrespectful and irresponsible.
“I challenge Minister Orubebe to show the world projects he started and completed in the Niger-Delta as Minister of Niger-Delta Affairs. I challenge Minister Orubebe to show the world one project he started and completed in Rivers State with the huge resources allocated to his ministry. “Or is Rivers State not part of the Niger-Delta, Minister Orubebe?”
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. Jibril Aminu has also attacked the NGF, calling it an oppressive group. He said the governors were not practising democracy in their states.
He said: “It is very strange. I worked in many countries and have not seen anything like such a forum. The Governors’ Forum is what is used to oppress everybody, including the President.”
He said it was difficult to fathom that governors wanted to have their way in everything, “including nominating who becomes an ambassador or member of the National Assembly. I don’t know how the forum came about in this country. And if it is not checked, it will put the country in serious trouble, as the state chief executives unite to challenge the Federal Government.”
NaijaCenter

God Told Me To Go — Pope Benedict

In an emotional goodbye to 100,000 supporters, the Pope revealed on Sunday that he was stepping aside because God told him to do so.
In a voice raw with emotion, Benedict XVI told pilgrims in St Peter’s Square that he was resigning on February 28 because God had called on him to devote himself to prayer. He said God had told him ‘to climb the mountain’.
Mail Online reports that pilgrims filled the piazza to witness a historical moment and thank the Pope for his eight year Pontificate at the Angelus Prayer, his penultimate public appearance as the Pontiff.
Despite recently looking tired and frail, he spoke in a clear, strong voice, repeatedly thanking the faithful for their closeness and affection as they interrupted him, again and again, with applause and cheers. Police estimated some 100,000 people turned out.
Benedict insisted he was “not abandoning the church.” Instead, speaking in Italian, he said he would serve the church with the same dedication he had until now, but would do so “in a way more suitable to my age and my strength”.
He also said he would continue to serve through meditation and prayer after his historic abdication.
He completed the last Angelus of his tenure by saying he would always be close to the Church and its people.
A child in the crowd held up a sign on a yellow placard, written in Italian, ‘You are not alone, I’m with you’. Other admirers held signs simply saying ‘Thank you’.
Heavy rain had been forecast for Rome, and some drizzle dampened the square earlier in the morning, but when Benedict appeared, to the peal of church bells as the clock struck noon, blue sky crept through the clouds.
‘We thank God for the sun he has given us,’ the Pope said.
The 85-year-old will spend his last years in seclusion in a cloistered monastery within the confines of Vatican City.
The Pope officially steps down on Thursday. He resigned two weeks ago, saying he no longer had the mental or physical strength to lead the world’s 1.2bn Catholics. It is the first time a Pope has stepped down in 600 years.
Vatican-watchers have speculated that his declining health is a key factor.
It has subsequently emerged that the Pope had had a secret heart operation to replace a pace-maker three months ago.
Naij.com

Most Nigerian Billionaires Are Tainted By Corruption – Akinyemi

“Being a billionaire in Nigeria today without corruption is impossible.” These words were attributed to a former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, on Saturday.

The erudite professor of International Relations and Diplomacy stated this in Akure, the Ondo State capital while delivering the second term inauguration lecture of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

Akinyemi spoke on the topic, ‘Leadership, Democracy, and Development.’

The event which was chaired by a former Nigerian High Commissioner to United Kingdom, Dr. Christopher Kolade, had in attendance seasoned diplomats, senior citizens, politicians, former governors, traditional rulers and religious leaders from within and outside the country.

Akinyemi said, “No one can be a billionaire in Nigeria today without being corrupt. If you are a businessman, you would have evaded tax or other levies like import duties with the active connivance of those in charge.

“Your entire income as a political office holder, either elected or appointed, cannot make you a billionaire without indulging in corrupt practices. It is also not possible for you to work and retire as a civil servant in whatever capacity and become a billionaire without being corrupt.

“I know I am stepping on sensitive toes but I can handle that. Unless our leaders tackle the issue of corruption and offer selfless service to the people, our democracy may not produce the desired development we are all expecting.”

Akinyemi decried the situation where Nigerians sacrificed their value systems on the altar of greed, indiscipline, selfishness and insatiable craze for material wealth acquisition.

He said, “There are no more values to hold on to. Parents not only encourage their children to cheat in order to beat the system but also aid and abet them in their nefarious activities. No one believes anymore in the concept of society.

“Nigerians have created their own God in their own image. In my youth, to be accused of theft or any other criminal offence was tantamount to being banished from the society while to be convicted was tantamount to suicide.

“However, today, no one asks for the source of wealth. People in jail, accused of murder run for, and win elections.

“More than a score of members of the Senate have EFCC court cases hanging against them. Only in Nigeria do you steal billions and escape with less than a million naira fine.”

Akinyemi noted that the problem did not start today as it was created by the military following the coup that displaced the first civilian generation of Nigerian leaders.

“Only three years after independence, whatever system existed was shattered by the thoughtless overthrow of the western regional government and from then on, politics of development was replaced by politics of looting,” he stated.

TalkOfNaija

Amnesty International accuse Lagos State Govt. of human rights violation

By Wale Odunsi

Amnesty International has accused the Lagos State government of gross violation of human rights.
It said the government erred by demolishing houses of residents of Oke Ilu-Eri area, Ijora Badia, in the state.
A statement by the London based group appealed to the state to henceforth, stop such inconsiderate evictions, which it said commenced on Saturday 23 February 2013, at about 9am.
“According to the Nigerian NGO, Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC), which has been working with leaders of the community since Wednesday to try to prevent the demolition, at least 300 houses have been demolished so far with hundreds of people displaced” the statement read.
“SERAC said about 200 heavily armed police officers supervised the demolition and several residents who tried to resist the demolition were beaten up by the police.”
The statement lamented thus, “no adequate notice was given to the residents of the community before the demolition commenced” noting further that “on Wednesday 20 February, a notice of eviction was given to the Baale (the traditional district head) of the community – just three days before the demolition started.”

The human rights body also observed that “no compensation has been paid to residents; the evicted people have not been offered alternative housing and many people have been displaced.”
It affirmed that “The demolished houses included both wooden and concrete structures. Some of the displaced residents owned their homes, while many were poor tenants.”
“The eviction of people from their homes without the appropriate legal and procedural action, including prior and adequate consultation, adequate notice and the provision of adequate alternative housing constitute a forced eviction and is a gross violation of human rights, including the right to adequate housing” said Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Africa, Lucy Freeman.
DailyPost