THE CREDIBILITY CRISIS OF THE CHURCH AND MEN OF GOD

“You are the SALT of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the LIGHT of the world—like a CITY on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

I have a question, but my question is not for everyone but for the Christian Disciple of Jesus Christ.    If you do not consider yourself as one please do not attempt to give an answer to my question.            Even then please do not be in a hurry to answer my question. In the light of the scripture above – very statements made by Jesus Christ himself and here is my question: Are Men or Women of God – Clergies who say they are Servants or Representatives of God supposed to be or claim to be politically neutral or neutral on any matter as it regards the well being of at least their constituency?

Yusuf Rufa’i answer to his question is an emphatic capital NO! You see the failure of the Clergy to understand many things including that neutrality is not a position is causing them problems.              They want to eat their cake and have it. It is impossible. In the spirit realm neutrality is not a position. You can only pretend about it and this may be to your own danger. Even God said you are either hot or cold but lukewarm is not allowed and if you continue to tow that line you will be spewed out (Rev. 3: 15 – 16). In the world of human beings since the fall of man orchestrated by the Dark kingdom there is a great divide which are parallel lines that cannot meet. There is Good or Bad, Right or Left, Light or Darkness, Truth or Deception, Win or Lose, Life or Death, Life & Good, Death & Evil, Blessings or Cursing, Heaven/Paradise or Hell/Outer Darkness, God or Satan, Children of God or Children of Satan etc. Because so called men or clergies of God have failed to understand these things or compromised their fidelity to God by not taking a stand on the words of God as is copiously written in the Bible or because of their hobnobbing and doing the the bidding of the powers that straddle the land they fail God and thus create confusion and credibility crisis for the Church.

Any so called Man of God that cannot show the light and point his constituency to the Light or tell them the words of God on any matter publicly and courageously has failed to be a light, a salt and a city on a hill. That Man of God has failed God grandiosely. There are only two ways to judge a matter or know the will of God concerning anything.                                                                 

One, either you receive a Rhema word from God concerning it:

“Destruction is certain for my rebellious children,” says the Lord. “YOU MAKE PLANS THAT ARE CONTRARY TO MY WILL. YOU WEAVE A WEB OF PLANS THAT ARE NOT FROM MY SPIRIT, thus piling up your sins. FOR WITHOUT CONSULTING ME, you have gone down to Egypt to find help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh for his protection” Isaiah 30: 1 – 2 (NLT). 

“Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; BUT THEY LOOK NOT UNTO THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, NEITHER SEEK THE LORD!” Isaiah 31: 1 (KJV)

Or two, you scrutinize it by the word of God:

“Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples... To the law and to the testimony:              IF THEY SPEAK NOT ACCORDING TO THIS WORD, IT IS BECAUSE THERE IS NO LIGHT IN THEM” Isaiah 8: 16, 20 (KJV).

“BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS WHO COME DISGUISED AS HARMLESS SHEEP, BUT ARE REALLY WOLVES THAT WILL TEAR YOU APART. YOU CAN DETECT THEM BY THE WAY THEY ACT, JUST AS YOU CAN IDENTIFY A TREE BY ITS FRUIT. You don’t pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles. A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. YES, THE WAY TO IDENTIFY A TREE OR A PERSON IS BY THE KIND OF FRUIT THAT IS PRODUCED” Mathew 7: 15 – 20 (NLT).

“ANYONE WHO ISN’T HELPING ME OPPOSES ME, AND ANYONE WHO ISN’T WORKING WITH ME IS ACTUALLY WORKING AGAINST ME... A TREE IS IDENTIFIED BY ITS FRUIT. Make a tree good, and its fruit will be good. Make a tree bad, and its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A GOOD PERSON PRODUCES GOOD WORDS FROM A GOOD HEART, AND AN EVIL PERSON PRODUCES EVIL WORDS FROM AN EVIL HEART” Mathew 12: 30, 30 – 33 (NLT).

“So Jesus told them, “I’m not teaching my own ideas, but those of God who sent me. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO THE WILL OF GOD WILL KNOW WHETHER MY TEACHING IS FROM GOD OR IS MERELY MY OWN. Those who present their own ideas are looking for praise for themselves, BUT THOSE WHO SEEK TO HONOUR THE ONE WHO SENT THEM ARE GOOD AND GENUINE. NONE OF YOU OBEYS THE LAW OF MOSES! In fact, you are trying to kill me” John 7: 16 – 19 (NLT).

It is the duty of Christians who are Disciples of Jesus Christ to judge or test such men or women of God by the methodology of the scriptures given above. The truth is that anything under the sun can be proved or put through these test to know the light and direction or will of God. It is tested and proved and scriptures cannot be broken. God is eternally reliable and faithful.

Any Man of God or Christian clergy that is unable to point the right direction to his constituency by hiding under the guise of: “As a man of God I am supposed to be neutral or I am a father of all” is a deceiver, a failure to himself, to his calling and to his God. My advice to such persons is: “Turn to Him from whom you have deeply revolted, O people of God, Isaiah 31: 6.”

You see it is very dangerous to be a Man of God because you run the risk of falling out of favour with God when you actually think you are standing firmly (1 Corinthians 10: 11 – 12). For you to avoid these risks consider the following:

1.       Never you be on the side of darkness, half truth, Satan etc no matter how beautifully packaged it is.

2.       Never you look at faces or positions such that you are unable to stand on truth, justice or righteousness.

3.       Never hobnob or romance with those who clearly do not please God by their lifestyles, actions or inactions.

4.       Never you deny God or lightly esteem God or His words for social, economic or political correctness or for whatever reasons.

5.       Never betray the trust, calling and confidence of God on you by trying to please the world and thus displeasing God.

If you are found wanting in any of these things mentioned above you are setting yourself against God and when the chips are down and you find yourself roped in, any attempt to extricate yourself only besmears you the more. Many so called esteemed, distinguished and eminent Men and Women of God have behaved in very insalubrious and disgraceful manner. We are abreast of their behaviours. My word to them is: “But God’s firm foundation stand, bearing, this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His’ and, ‘Let, everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity’” (2 Timothy 2: 19).

With all due respect, you so called leaders of the Church stop causing confusion in the House of God and credibility crisis for the Church and for the children of God by your inability to provide righteous, fearless and God centred leadership and by your failure to be true lights and cities set on a hill to the Church of God. In any case God said they will bear their sins.

Bro. Yusuf Rufa’i                                                                    

 www.ambassadoryusufrufai.blogspot.com

COUNT DOWN TO 2027: THUS SAYS THE LORD

FROM THE SPIRIT TO THE FLESH

“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain?              If it be yet in vain.  He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Gal. 3: 1 – 3.

God has a purpose, a blue print, for every life. There is a particular vocation, which at best is fitted for every person. Whatever God’s plan for a person’s life may be, whether it is to minister or to work in some field, it is important that he/she finds God’s will. This postulation by the great man of God Gordon Lindsay is same for every ministry or church which God calls and to say the least for those who call themselves or are set up for altruistic reasons, they should have a vision and vehemently stick to it till the end.                                                                                                                                                   

There is a danger when a Christian or church or ministry begins to develop worldly thinking patterns. This is subtle and insidious: the loss of one’s first love for Christ or the loss of one’s divine imperative, mandate or vision from the Lord and returning to the love of the world or adopting the ways and patterns of the world. If the Christian or ministry or church continues in this trend, that is, the loss of spiritual vision and the substitution of earthly values, the line between a consecrated life and a worldly one gradually becomes instinct. Imperceptibility, but surely, the Christian or ministry or church outlook in life and the Christian walk or work changes.                                                                                                                                                            

Gradually, there is a re-evaluation of spiritual values. Little by little, they explain away their Christian or divine experience verbally or by their actions or inactions. For example, what anathema was before is now allowed; truth now stands on its head; righteousness is perceived as extremism and discouraged; and justice is always a still born that must be quickly dumped in the refuse dump and many more ancient landmarks that are removed – often in the name of modernism and advancement.                                                                                                                                                              

When this is the case, the individual or organization is no longer the same. Satan has achieved his purpose. Unfortunately, this is the bane of Christendom – much start in the Spirit but end in the flesh – they progressively become carnal, defocused and worldly. The Christian or ministry or church gets out of the will of God, lose their privileged and prized place in the purposes of God and at the end God doesn’t reckon with them anymore because they have disappointedly incurred His wrath.                   

Arguably, on a closer look and for a keen observer, this is the story of many of the churches in the body of Christ.  An example is this church which has successfully put on the garb of elitist and prides itself in having many branches in many nations of the world was established in the nineteen fifties and originated from Nigeria. The saddest part is that often the individual or organisation is not aware of his or their deterioration or that his/her life or ministry or church has moved out of the mainstream of God’s will. Eventually, they will know it, but it may be too late. May God help us always to keep our first love, and never step down to a lower plane. May God grant that when this life is over, each of us will have made the right decisions. May we continue to be faithful and committed to God, the heavenly call and vision, in order that it will be consistent with a true Christian walk or profession, in Jesus’ name.  God bless His true children. Amen.                     Maran’atha.

Dear Mr. President, AN OPEN LETTER TO GEJ: WHY YOUR TRANSFORMATION AGENDA SHOULD RUB OFF FROM NOW ON PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY

Your Excellency,                                                                                                                        Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan                                                                                       President and Commander in Chief,                                                                                           

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Dear Mr. President,

AN OPEN LETTER TO GEJ: WHY YOUR TRANSFORMATION AGENDA SHOULD RUB OFF FROM NOW ON PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY

Good day Mr. President. As the rescheduling of the General Elections gives you ample opportunity to restrategize, attend to pressing country matters and at least rest from the task of crisscrossing this vast country I will like you to please use this opportunity to digest and ponder seriously on the contents of my second letter to you. The first was before your election into office in 2011.                                       I posted it on your FACEBOOK wall.

Mr. President you have made giant strides indeed and you have given a fresh breath of transformation in various sectors of our national life, some of which are being immediately felt and some of which will actually be felt in years to come. However Mr. President somehow a stratum of the Nigerian society has been left out. Persons with Disability have never really been attended to by any Nigerian government or leader frontally since this nation was birthed. Persons with Disability are in their millions in this country.

I have been an advocate of Persons with Disability not because I am a person with a physical challenge but because I believe it is the right thing to do to improve and better the lives of such huge numbers of Nigerians as a matter of right and conscience. They need to be taken out of the doldrums and made to have a sense of dignity and belonging.

When I worked in the Media Industry with Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Ray Power FM Radio as a News Editor, Researcher, Producer and Anchor from 1999 to 2006 I realized that God had given me the opportunity to have a platform to transform the lives of Nigerians with Disability.     I thank my God that I enjoyed the cooperation and confidence of my then Bosses Tosin Dokpesi, Pauline Ubudaga and most especially Chief Raymond Dokpesi.                                                 

I believe Mr. President God is giving you a wonderful once in a life time opportunity to touch the lives of Nigerians with Disability in a profound and lasting manner which posterity will recognize.

When in AIT I researched, produced and anchored SPECIAL PEOPLE on AIT and DIFFERENTLY ABLE on Ray Power FM. These programmes were first of their kind in the history of Nigerian TV or Radio. Through these programmes a platform was created for Persons with Disability where we carried out intense advocacy and engagement with relevant stake holders in our quest to draw attention to the plight of Persons with Disability and the need to better their lot in a proper, dignified and sustainable manner. Through these programmes we let the world know that Persons with Disability are actually able and determined people. Today we have Barrister Danlami Basharu as Nigeria’s representative at the United Nations, and at the botched 2005 National Conference and in the successful 2014 National Conference convened by your humble self Nigerians with Disability were delegates, these are all the gains of the silent and determined efforts we put through SPECIAL PEOPLE and DIFFERENTLY ABLE apart from the sustained media attention we marshalled on other media outlets.

I believe Mr. President that even before you graciously sign a comprehensive Bill into an Act to cover the interest of Persons with Disability in this country you can create a Ministry of Persons with Disabilities and Challenges and appoint a substantive Minister who is a Person with Disability to lead the affairs of the ministry. I also envisage that you will also appoint a Senior Special Assistant on Disability Affairs and finally when the Bill becomes and Act we will also have as a creation of that Act a National Disability Commission to be chaired by the Minister of Disability and Challenges.

The problems of disabilities in this country are enormous and quite challenging and need to be tackled frontally and holistically in the same manner actions were taken to solve the problems of Nigeria’s Niger Delta where we have a Commission, a Ministry and even Special Assistant on Amnesty implementation. Every day things happen that make able bodied people join the group of Persons with disability.  

Mr. President I am also advocating that persons with Disability should not be prohibited by commission or omission from being appointed to serve this country in whatever capacities, whether as Ministers, Ambassadors etc. We should run an inclusive government and society where equal opportunities policies are sacrosanct. Now we have a win-win situation with the appreciable inclusion of women at all levels of governance. This can be done for Persons with Disability too.                     In the United Kingdom, the powerful Home Office once had a blind man as Secretary in the person of David Blunket. You will recall also that America once had a physically challenged person as her President in the person of Delano Roosevelt and he is the only one in U.S.A history to serve 3 terms in office. People with Disability can do it if tokenism, apathy, discrimination are done away with and they are engaged on equal basis and given the level playing field to thrive and be empowered.

Thank you for your attention and I personally look forward to hearing from you as a concerned citizen and stake holder and I believe this time around you will be friendly to Nigerians with Disability and take definite and concrete transformative steps to better our lives from now and leading into your next administration beyond May 29^th, 2015. God bless you richly. Amen.

Yours Sincerely,

Rufa’i, Abduyusuf

www.ambassadoryusufrufai.blogspot.com

Tel: 08028782891