3rd Epistle to Pastor E.A Adeboye and Nigerian Christians.

3rd Epistle to Pastor E.A Adeboye and Nigerian Christians.

By Bolaji O. Akinyemi

The church, “ekklesia” birthed by the fulfillment of Christ’s words in the upper room of a Jerusalem’s house on the day of Pentecost through men and women called out of nations into the first Assembly of the saints, will along the line be eroded into apostasy through undue HUMAN INFLUENCE. In the days of the reign of Rome as the “spiritual” headquarters of our faith and the unilateral rule of one man as the authority over the church that God in Christ purchased for Himself by the blood of his only begotten son. This error of subsuming our creeds to human influence has been the most fatal of all errors through church ages.

A break in this monopoly will come to the church through a German monk, Martin Luther who stumbled on a phrase in the scripture while in the monastery; “the just shall live by faith” his reason and demand for explanations on why Papal seals has to be purchased as a proof of faith when faith comes by hearing began the reformation movement. The significant event of Henry VIII requests for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon to be able to marry Anne Boleyn whom he believed could produce the Heir to his throne became a lifeline to the reformation movement. Pope Clement VII refusal of the King of England requests led to the passing of the law abolishing Papal Authority in England by the Reformation Parliament (1529-1536). The law rested final authority in the doctrinal dispute with the monarch. King Henry thereby became the first head of the Church of England.

“Anglican ecclesia libera sit” a phrase from Magna Carta dated 15th June 1215, means, the English Church shall be free. Thus became popular during the reformation movement.

Names of Churches and Ministries, as good as they may sound have never been the proof to faith or of access to God and godly expression. The church of Jesus Christ of the latter Day Saints is nothing more than a name. The check of faith can only be in our allegiances to the scripture.

The Church of England, would by the law transform to an Anglican Communion. The king, having the final authority of the church should suggest to you as Africans the role the church played in the colonisation of our nations. This freedom from the control of Rome over Episcopal Churches of the Commonwealth was extended to all the 46 independent churches under England of which the US Episcopal church was one!

Reformation is always a catalyst to revolution. True revival has never left nations the way they met them. The corruption in Nigeria is a proof of the culpability of the church in the rot prevalent in the nation.

The ripples of the reformation that birthed Protestantism will channel into 5 major branches; Lutheranism of the Lutheran Church, Anglicanism of the Anglican Church, Presbyterian (Calvinist), the Baptist Church and the Methodism or Methodist church.

By the mid 17th century, the Methodist church had become the fever sweeping through England and beyond. The Holiness movement pioneered by John Wesley was the movement of faith to be part of and membership of the Methodist church a pride in the Christian community. At the tail end of his ministry John Wesley laid dying, surrounded by the elders of Methodism on his bed and asked him to give them a word before passage. That word wasn’t of vision or prophecy but the reality of the day in which Wesley will bow out of time into eternity. He opened his eyes and declared: “Tell all Methodists God is with us”. If the fire of revival kindled by John Wesley had been sustained by subsequent generations no one would have doubted that statement as a prophecy, but “the just shall live by faith in all generations”! Methodist today is a reflection of the faith left with her!!

That was in 1791. Is God with the Methodists today? I leave the consciences of all Methodists to answer the question.

In reaction to my Epistles to Daddy Adeboye, knowledge the Bible stated puffs up, someone said to me. Another said its like some persons study the Bible to find the faults of others. Unfortunately, I don’t belong to the class of the knowledgeable by education, neither would I be able to stand in the class of knowledge with Daddy Adeboye, Daddy Kumuyi nor Daddy Olukoya, but unfortunately earthly certification has no place in scriptural interpretation. As one without Theological education, I am far from being in the class of the studious by training. I had a simple education that would enable me to ply my trade as a farmer and put food on the table. I am like you and every other Believer duty bound to search the scripture to establish our faith on the written instructions there in. This is the duty herein exercised!

Paul told us the veracity of our faith must stand on the scripture.

1Co 15:3 KJV For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

That Jesus died and the story was told is not enough. The authority of his death and its power to deliver is premised upon the approval by the simple fact that the Bible bears the record of his death and resurrection. Take the Bible away and there won’t be anything for us to Believe again!

Conscious of this enormous responsibility, and the frailty of our human intelligence to uphold spiritual truth, the Father subsumed the authority of his names to the Scripture. The mystery of the faith is hidden in the record the Bible bears on it. When we are reading the Bible, individual writers must be lost to our consciousness, who they are is not as important, rather, the importance of their words are founded on its cannonizaition in the scripture.

A pastor recently has been struggling to lift what Jesus said over what Paul said and confused himself and his hearers over needless ignorance. To believe that Peter ever suggested that Paul’s letter were confusing is a lie from the pit of hell.

2Pe 1:21 KJV For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Here Peter affirmed that Paul’s letters were not written out of self-will but he bore records of the grace of God through the Holy Spirit by given verbal or written expression to words given him by the Spirit of God.

Paul himself was in perfect agreement with Peter in:

2Ti 3:16 & 17 KJV
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

True Men of God are not only known by the many signs and wonders they perform but by the submission to the position of the Scripture on Doctrines, to take reproofs and corrections from it and to admonish those they lead to do the same.

God the Father became our example to save us from this confusion

Psa 138:2 KJV I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

David said, he will worship toward God’s holy temple and he will praise his name for his lovingkindness. AND FOR HIS TRUTH. WHY? for thou hast MAGNIFIED THY WORD above all thy name.

Please, take note that God magnified his word above all his name. Names don’t count when the scripture is the consideration. The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, Peter, James John or Luke all lost their identity to the scripture and same is rediscovered through the affirmation of the authority of the scripture. God is who he is because his word say so!

At the first Apostolic Round Table, in Acts 15, the doctrine in dispute was circumcision and it wasn’t resolved in favour of Peter’s seniority in the Ministry nor in the gospel nor the verbal words of Jesus as Johnson Suleiman will want us to! Nor was it to the eloquence of Paul. The scripture was searched to confirm the experiences of the Gentile Nations and the instructions were taken based on the position of the scripture.

The early life of the church confirms the tilt all Nigerian Churches and Christians must take at this time when Dr Abel Damina has self imposed on the Nigerian Christians and arrogated final authority in Biblical Interpretation to himself. To him we must all defer in matters relating to the Bible. whatever he says we must swallow hook line and sinker without questioning. Today, he is pointing out the errors of Angels, without sparing the patriarch of our faith, Noah was in error because God never asked him to build an ARK, but as it was in the days of Noah, Christ said while giving us the formula for gospel presentation.

If Methodist was the church to belong to of its era, there has been churches of Africa revival movement who held the ground in their own time one of these the RCCG streamed from.

It’s a common phrase to hear, Olorun 1930! The God of the 1930s, in yearning of hearts for the move of God like it was witnessed in the Oke Oye revival of the 30s. But is God confined to the past? Is the future limited to what God has done in the past. Where is our faith when our calls are to the God who said I will do a new things!

Before the 30s there had been the revival of the 1920’s led by Moses Orimolade who prophesied that the C&S would outlive and outlast all other churches, this is the stream from which Pa Akindayomi drank, it birthed the Redeem Christian of God. Those who are students of Nigeria church history are bound to hold no grudge against Pastor Adeboye. RCCG is the packaged version of C&S and are therefore free to prophesy but as they do they must remember 1Cor 14:29 KJV
Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.

Much as they have the duty to speak we also have the duty to judge!

Prophecies are of course for edification, exhortation and comfort. Prophecy must clearly communicate the testimony of Christ as the spirit of prophecy. Superiority of denominations is Anti-Christ in concept. A denomination bowing down to another is against the testimony of the finished work of Christ on the cross?

Same God of the Methodist in the 16th century, who held the hands of Moses Orimolade in the 20’s showed up in the 30’s at Oke Oye revival in Ilesa, Osun State South West Nigeria, that revival spiralled till 1950’s for which Joseph Babalola said that the Christ Apostolic Church is the last vehicle of salvation in the Park of God and that no church will again emerge that will again outshine CAC. Today, CAC is trailing RCCG because God is a God of new things and the just shall live by their faith.

In the description of the attitudes of two new testament churches by the same leader is communicated what must be our stand in the faith as Nigerian Christians.

One of the churches was privileged to have two letters written to her by the Apostle Paul; 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. That church was so lazy it harbours those who would want to eat without any attempt to work. Her laziness was extended to even the faith duty of searching the scripture. The Berean Church was however not like that.

Act 17:10 & 11 KJV

10. And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Nigerian Christians must shun the laziness that characterised the life of the Thessalonian Church. It is on us to keep the men that God has sent to us in God’s word. If the profile of Paul didn’t stop the Berean from searching the scripture to authenticate him. No profile should intimidate us from doing the due diligence of confirming what anyone is saying in the scripture. To the revival of nobility of the Berean Church this epistle is calling all Christians. We must in honour, continue to receive men that God has sent to us, but no one deserves to be followed except he is an echo of the writs and a stone in God’s emerging temple perfectly in alignment with Christ the cornerstone.
I call you blessed!

Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table.

email:bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com

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