CHRIS OYAKHILOME’S REVELLING & ORGY (PART II)

“Be Not Deceived: God Is Not Mocked”

By Akin Ojumu

By the time Apostle John penned the first and the largest of his three epistles, he was the sole remaining apostolic survivor who had intimate, eyewitness association with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. As though sensing the end was near, the elder statesman of the Christian faith made an urgent plea to the recipients of his letter to not love the world.

1 John 2:15-19

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

Nearly forty years earlier, however, Apostle Paul had also sounded a similar note of warning about not loving the world. Writing to the Christian Church at Rome, he begged them, by the mercies of God, not to be conformed to this world.

Romans 12:1-2

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

When John and Paul cautioned the Church about not loving the world, what these great men of the faith – the real Generals unlike the clowns who call themselves, or are called, God’s Generals today – had in mind was the invisible spiritual system of evil dominated by Satan and all that it offers in opposition to God and His Word. This refers to the way that every human being lives by default i.e., the spiritual and moral dispositions of unregenerate souls.

For these two patriarchs of the faith to stridently call on us to steer clear of the ways of the world, they must know a thing or two about the world that we don’t. They understood that there’s no middle ground in this world and no one is non-aligned. It’s either a person is a genuine Christian marked by love and obedience to God, or he is a non-Christian in rebellion against God, i.e., in love with and enslaved by the satanically controlled world system. You either belong in God’s camp and submit yourself to God’s precepts or you are Satan’s camp.

Sadly, there are many Christians, today, who believe that there’s some middle ground between pleasing God and loving the world at the same time. These are those who instinctively spend every waking moment of their lives feeding the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life all in the name of pursuing meaning and happiness the world offers. They want to live their best life now and enjoy all the world has to offer without realizing that the worst life awaits any man in eternity who lives their best life now in this world.

Chris Oyakhilome’s exhibition of pomposity tells the story of a man who is out to live his best life now in this world. His inglorious parade of haughtiness is evidence of a man who loves the world and the things of the world. And even by worldly standards, Chris Oyakhilome’s sickening display is an orchestrated charade in orgiastic megalomania. It’s of a kind that is not tolerated even among unregenerate pagans.

The Bible is replete with examples of angels and mortals who faced the wrath of God for doing the exact same thing as Chris Oyakhilome did in his immoderate orgy. I’ll give you three examples to ponder on.

1. Lucifer and a Third of the Angels Were Thrown Out of Heaven Because they Wanted to Be Like God.

Isaiah 14:12-15

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God. I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.”

Ezekiel 28:11-19

“Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.”

2. King Herod Was Eaten Alive by Worms for Accepting the Worship of People as a God.

Acts 12:21-23

“On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.”

3. King Nebuchadnezzar Was Turned into a Wild Beast and Made to Eat Grass Like an Ox for Boasting About His Power, Prestige, and Influence.

Daniel 4:29-33

“At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.”

It is a sacrilege to attempt to steal God’s glory. Christ alone is deserving of glory and worship. Self-worship is idolatry. Encouraging and manipulating people to worship you is rebellion against God. And rebellion is a sin of witchcraft.

 

In words and deeds, the Christian must always point attention away from himself to Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. That was the pattern modeled for us by the Lord Jesus and His Apostles. 

Psalm 115:1

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness.”

Isaiah 42:8

“I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.”

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

1 Corinthians 4:6-8

“Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another. For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? Already you have all you want. Already you have become rich. Without us, you have become kings. How I wish you really were kings, so that we might be kings with you!”

2 Corinthians 4:7

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

Ungodly behaviors among fellow Christians and Christian leaders are not something you simply gloss over or ignore, especially not when the behavior occurred in the open public. You don’t nonchalantly shut your eyes or shrug shoulders when a pastor engages in unseemly behavior that brings reproach to the Name of Christ under the guise of “it does not hurt me directly or remotely.” Such a cavalier attitude achieves nothing but spiritual ruin. Having a mindset like that, as a believer, is a spiritually perilous place to be.

1 Corinthians 5:6

“Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?”

1 Corinthians 15:33

“Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Ephesians 5:11

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

1 Timothy 5:20

“As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.”

Galatians 6:1-2

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Romans 16:17

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.”

Galatians 2:11-14

“But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?””

The Word of God is holy and sacred. It is a sacrilege to co-opt Bible texts for the purpose of advancing an argument especially when the text is detached from its proper context. Equating the hubris of Chris Oyakhilome’s imperial procession with the humility of Jesus’ riding on a donkey belies a lack of appreciation of who the Lord Jesus really is. 

First off, Christ didn’t ride on a donkey because he wanted to flaunt His material wealth, display His temporal hierarchy, or wield His sphere of influence. Jesus’ donkey ride into Jerusalem occurred in order to fulfill what was spoken by the prophets in Scriptures about the Anointed One of God.

Zechariah 9:9

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Isaiah 62:11

“Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the ends of the earth, “Say to Daughter Zion: See, your Savior comes! Look, His reward is with Him, and His recompense goes before Him.”

And even at that, Christ Jesus is the King of kings. Chris Oyakhilome is an impostor pretending he is king.

Secondly, the Lord Jesus Christ is the LORD God, the Creator of the Universe. You cannot and should not lower Him to the level of an ordinary man. There were things Jesus said and did that if we, as mere mortals, attempted to say or do the same would be considered blasphemous and abominable.

You say, “it’s a form of witchcraft if I have to busy myself with other people’s affairs when it does not hurt me directly or remotely.” Again, you are failing to see the bigger picture. It’s the duty of every true Christian to rebuke any conduct that brings reproach to the Name of Christ regardless of whether the conduct directly or indirectly affects you. And just because there are those who criticize Chris Oyakhilome’s actions out of spite and envy does not negate the fact that his actions aren’t deserving of condemnation.

Moreover, the idea that it’s “witchcraft” to condemn a conduct unbecoming of a Christian, talk less of a “man of God,” flies in the face of Scriptural commands. What the Bible teaches is that anyone who sees evil and calls it good is damned.

Isaiah 5:20

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

A Christianity where it’s forbidden to question or condemn an over-the-top action of a fellow Christian is an apostate religion where unrestrained people do whatever is good in their own eyes. A Christian faith where pastors cannot be called to order or held accountable for their inappropriate conduct is a dead faith full of spiritual zombies.

You accused us of being overbearing with these things. What you seem to forget is that Christianity is not a social club. Getting saved is not like being a member of the Rotary Club or Lion Club. Acceptance into the Commonwealth of Israel is certainly not a Village Association where it’s all for fun with no eternal consequences. 

People actually paid the ultimate price for this Christian faith that you think its demand for righteous living is too overbearing. For endeavoring to live a life that’s pleasing to the LORD, many were beheaded, crucified upside down, hanged on the stake, boiled in hot cauldron, burnt alive, stoned to death, beating with thirty-nine metal-teeth lashes, and fed to hungry wild lions in Roman colosseums.

2 John 1:9-11

“Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”

In conclusion, my dear Ehis, the Bible is pretty clear on what’s considered acceptable Christian conduct. It’s either we take it or leave it. Those who take it are said to abide in the teachings of Christ and thus, have both the Father and the Son. Those who do not take it do not abide in the teachings of Christ, and thus, do not have God. We’ve been commanded to mark and avoid anyone who does not abide in the teachings of Christ.

If, after reading this lengthy treatise, you remain adamant that the criticisms of Chris Oyakhilome’s orgy are unwarranted and you still see nothing wrong in his wild party, all I can do is to recommend the Laodicean eye salve. It works like a miracle.