NIGERIA HOUSES OF HORROR (PART II)

“Sam Adeyemi’s Gospel Profits Nothing”

By Akin Ojumu

What makes a Church a Church, in the eyes of many people, is that it calls itself a Church. A popular misconception among the hoi polloi is to accept as a true Church any group of people gathered together under the guise of a Church.

This mendacious mental image, cynically and maliciously implanted in our subconscious mind, must be expunged forthwith. It’s high time to expel the fallacious notion deep-seated in our collective psyche that any building that has the name “Church” stamped on its walls is indeed a true Church.

A Church is not a Church simply because it names itself Church. Calling itself a Church does not make it a Church no more than standing in a garage makes anyone a car. It’s not what an assembly of people calls itself that makes them a Church. What defines a Church is its fidelity to Scripture, fealty to the Lord Jesus, and loyalty to God Almighty.

As the late R.C. Sproul put it:

“Just because a Church is a Church does not mean it’s a Church. It can be a church outwardly, but if it doesn’t obey the Lord of the Church, it’s not really a Church. And we can’t put our trust in the building or even in the institution, as important as those things may be. What God is most interested in is our relationship to Him, our faith in Him, and our obedience to Him. And if we are disobedient to God, we cannot take refuge in our church membership or in our church affiliation.”

Pseudo-Churches are a dime a dozen in Nigeria. You can’t walk a block along a street in Nigeria and not find a place of worship. In no other country would you find where Churches hold services every single day of the week. It’s common to find Nigerians beating their chests as they revel in the fact of being described as one of the most religious nations in the world.

Despite the frequency, ferocity, and intensity of religious activities that go on in Nigeria, though, none of that has translated into the renaissance of meaningful moral fortitude in the society. On the contrary, what you find is, the more Churches that spring up in Nigeria, the more lawless and degenerate the society becomes.

In Nigeria, faith is a farce, Church is a sham, and the name of God is a potent weapon charlatans use in their scam. The fact that religious fervor has not translated into moral ardor in Nigeria is no surprise. You can’t turn the House of God into a den of demons and expect anything good to flow out from it.

In Part 1 of this commentary, we examined the broad categories of Churches in Nigeria. First, you have the motivational centers. These are marked by their emphasis on human philosophies, use of intelligent sounding catchphrases, and pseudo-profound rhetorical flourishes. Next are Churches whose singular preoccupation is the development of business acumen and entrepreneurial skills. The last category of quasi-Churches are those given to esotericism, majoring in mysticism, & specializing in mesmerism.

As we pointed out last time, foremost among Nigeria’s motivational pastors is Sam Adeyemi who, in his own profile, describes his global leadership organization in flowery words meant to scratch itching ears.

“Sam Adeyemi GLC is a global leadership consultancy with specialist insight on developing economies. Our drive is to raise high impact leaders who will shape their corporations and nations.”

Here’s a supposed minister of the Gospel – a message of salvation of human souls – who believes his most important mission in this world is to inflame in the soul of the people he serves, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

In His valedictory instructions to His disciples, the Lord Jesus spoke the following words:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20).

There’s one and only mission the Lord Jesus gave His Church and those who would shepherd them. He commanded them to make disciples, teach the disciples they make, accurately and correctly, all that He commanded them. The LORD’s charge to all of us, as Believers in Christ, is that we preach the very same Word Jesus’ disciples heard Him preached and that has been handed down to us in the Bible. PERIOD.

Sam Adeyemi, however, is on a totally different mission. Instead of making disciples of nations by teaching them the Word of God, he is busy shaping corporations and nations by twisting the Word of God and mixing it with the philosophies of men. The Parabler of Dollars is raising carnally minded masses of people who are devoted to gaining the whole world to the forfeiture of their precious souls.

What’s dangerous about Sam Adeyemi’s gospel is that it tickles the ear and excites the mind but leaves the soul totally unchanged. His motivational speeches lack the power to transform the hearts of sinful men.

The ineffectualness of Sam Adeyemi’s false gospel is evident in the fact that despite the millions of hapless Nigerians who consume the motivational garbage he spews, the Nigerian society is steaming with filth, sizzling in chaos, and sweltering in the heat of evil and wickedness.

Any Church that makes motivational speeches the central theme of its message is not preaching the true Gospel. A Church that’s about strategic leadership, financial prosperity, and exponential success is no Church at all. Such places must be marked and avoided like a deadly plague.

To be continued.