24th December, 2019
OPEN LETTER TO NIGERIAN CHURCH LEADERS
Dear Sirs,
I chose to send this letter to you openly because of the rigors it might take to bring it personally to ALL of you. Please accept my apology for my inability to bring it personally
1 Peter 1:1-25 –
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
The books of 1 and 2 Peter have closely related themes, holiness and diligence, which this study will examine together.
The Scriptures say holiness is separation. Peter will use several words in his book to give us a fuller picture of holiness: sanctification, undefiled, purified, and a few more.
Every child of God faces temptation. It’s a given fact. As we look at the scriptures, we see that Esau gave up his birthright for stew, Ananias and Sapphira wrecked their lives over money, Samson lost his anointing because of a lady, Saul lost his Kingship because of cattle, and the Prophet Elisha’s servant Gehazi lost his calling because of silver and clothes!
It is faith without sight. When we can see, it is not faith, but reasoning. In crossing the Atlantic we observed this very principle of faith. We saw no path upon the sea, nor sign of the shore. And yet day by day we were marking our path upon the chart as exactly as if there had followed us a great chalk line upon the sea. And when we came within twenty miles of land, we knew where we were as exactly as if we had seen it all three thousand miles ahead
I am writing this treatise as a result of requests made by some Christians to me for enlightenment about what is happening to Christianity in Nigeria, and more importantly, what are we going to do? I acknowledge that “we know in part and we prophesy in part”, (1 Cor. 13: 9) therefore, I shall be sharing from the “part” that I know, fully conscious that other people may still possess superior revelations.
Herod the king, instigated by Satan against the early Church, killed Apostle James, one of those in the frontlines of the New Testament move. “And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also,” intending to kill that one too, after the Jewish feast of Passover (Acts 12:3); but the Church prayed without ceasing and Peter was miraculously released, by angelic intervention.
Appearance and actions reflect . We present ourselves to the world based on our self-perception and aspirations. To be modest is to consider what our clothing and behavior represent. Modesty isn’t vain or boastful. It takes more than selfish desire into consideration and accepts responsibility for the influence our choices have on the lives of others. “Modesty is needed in every century and in every culture,” writes
Ezekiel 38:1-2: The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal;
National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF)
National Christian Centre
Abuja, Nigeria.
Yesterday as I sat with the Lord, I heard Him say, "Sound the alarm! A spirit of intimidation is coming against many of My prophets right now. Tell them to continue to stand and not give ear to this spirit of intimidation, but to be encouraged and know that they are now moving into a new land of inheritance."
The Lord keeps speaking to me about how there is a battle over the prophets right now to "muzzle" them and "silence" in many different ways, but I hear the Spirit of the Lord saying "Now is the time to get up on your feet and speak!"
For this spirit of intimidation is coming to cause you to cower, to cause you to shrink back and to cause you to bow beneath its taunts and lies. But stand strong, prophets of God; hold the stones of the Word of God in your hand and continue to hurl them in faith.
This spirit of intimidation and fear is raising itself up like a Goliath because there is a crossing over taking place right now where you are moving into a new land of inheritance. I heard the Spirit of God whispering "So many things are about to change. So many things are about to change." and all around me, I could see the "landscape" changing.
(Part 3 of 3)
I do not know where you stand, but please, do not stone me. I have sometimes been stoned or smitten by someone who thought I did not prophesy right because I did not speak according to their words and their camp. I am not the first (1 Kings 22:24). My concern is with the said ‘Daniels’ that failed because the Church didn’t pray for them. Agreed, some Christians have gone into seats without fully appreciating the spiritual mysteries about those thrones they were approaching to sit on, and things were sometimes further spoilt for them by commercial Christians and Balaam-priests who sought to profit themselves (not the Kingdom) by the position of those messengers in the palace. Daniel survived Babylon not by prayers from Jerusalem which at the time had been ravished and its priests scattered; he survived primarily because, from the start, he made up his mind where he stood in and with Babylon: not to corrupt himself with the royal and lavish seductions of that new land; not to “defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank” (Daniel 1:8). Esther also made up her mind to stand with her people or perish trying to do so (Esther 4:16). The Nigeria ‘Daniels’ of which that prophet spoke have been of a different breed. Maybe the priests in Jerusalem should truly have prayed better. They got lost in Babylon, even if they were sent by God; even if…
(Part 2 of 3)
I will not argue whether or not God was in the second coming of Buhari, but to the little measure of my study of Cyrus, I am unable to ascribe his name to one who has not supported the rebuilding of Jerusalem or its Temple but, on the contrary, in speech and by body language, has been on the side of the destroyers of the temples and the people of God. That God said somebody was coming does not also mean that God was the One sending them; that He said somebody was coming does not also mean that He said He was the One sending them. Compare 1 Kings 19:15 and 2 Kings 13:3, 7; 8:2. For example, the word of God elaborately tells us about the coming of the Anti-Christ in the last days; are we to say therefore that the Anti-Christ is coming from God or is being sent by God because God had spoken about that coming? God told King Hezekiah that he would certainly die. Did that king understand that message from God to mean that he was to climb into his bed and await the death? No, he faced the wall and prayed, turning the case around to his benefit (2 Kings 20:1-6). Did that mean that Prophet Isaiah who had brought that message did not hear God properly? No.
Today, it is no more news but common fear in Nigeria, of an impending invasion, anytime. Of that, many prophecies and revelations have repeatedly warned; revelations from children as well as adults, from the clergy as well as the laity, from voices within and without the nation. Years ago, when we sounded the alarm about Nigeria’s present regime and a coming Armageddon, it offended some, as it occasionally happens. This evening, I hear the echoes again of the clouds of blood that for long have been hovering insistently over Nigeria, awaiting a provocation. I am forced once more to my table, to my scroll and ink, to write another epistle. I shall prophesy in the parable of the scripture by which the Lord had opened a window into the message.
(Part 1 of 3)
About three decades ago in parts of Nigeria, the United States and the Caribbean, there was a thriving doctrine that upset not a few Christian establishments. For lack of a better adjective, the simple Christian folk who did not have much time for grandiose religious terminologies, especially in Nigeria, simply described the adherents of that doctrine as the ‘Anti-Babylon’ brethren. The doctrine itself they summarised as, ‘Come out from among them.’ The theological outlook of the Anti-Babylon movement subscribed virtually everything under a ‘world system’ that went by the name of Babylon. The serious ‘remnant Christian’ was to be no part of such Babylon-systems, especially the Babylon-church system. That Christian needed to ‘come out from among them.’ It was one zeal stretched too far in certain respects.
Part 2 of 3
An alternative subtitle for this section might have been, “Beyond PVCs.” By strange intuition, some observers of the Nigeria political landscape have been unable to share in the ‘PVC’ hype; they have been unpersuaded with the common agitation to ensure registration and possession of a Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) in the opinion that the good outcome of the next elections would rest solely on that. In some societies, yes; in some other societies, unfortunately, No.
In Esther 1:13, we read of a kingdom whose wise men and advisers “knew the times.” In 1 Chronicles 12:32, however, the Bible tells of another kingdom whose wise men and advisers “had understanding of the times.” One set “knew the times,” the other understood “the times.” Any difference? One set comprised secular or natural advisers, the others were spiritual in their operation; one set worked with their learned heads, the other set had much more, working from their inspired spirit. Each of them was crucial to their kingdom in their own way. We need both now.
(Part 3 of 7)
17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:
18 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves (Ezekiel 14:17-18).
Next week, on May 14, we will celebrate the 70th year of Israel as an independent nation.
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PROTEST BY NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS AGAINST GENOCIDE PERPETRATED BY ISLAMIST BOKO HARAM AND FULANI HERDSMEN AND COMPLICITY OF PRESIDENT BUHARI’S ADMINISTRATION
NOTES:
Just a few nights ago, I had a powerful prophetic dream. I believe this is a word for the body of Christ. In the dream, I looked up and saw a beautiful blue sky with many clouds. Above me were two large doors. Then I heard the Lord say, "People are always praying for Me to open the doors. But what I want is for people to diligently seek and earnestly seek Me." Hebrews 11:6 says, "[God] is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." There are several translations that say He rewards those that earnestly seek.
On the 12-12-17, as I sat in council with Prophetic elders under the leadership of one of the apostolic fathers in the nation I was brought into the Visions of God (Ezk.1:1) and as I watched I saw the Lord give command to Twelve Angels and they were caused to descend on the nation one after the other over a period of twelve hours. I was commanded to sound the golden shofar to mark their descent. I will describe one of the Angels at the end.
“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Hosea 6: 1-2
All of us are on the journey of life. We can make the journey in one of two ways. We can make the journey on the basis of what our eyes can see—that’s walking by sight. Or we can make the journey on the basis of what we cannot see—that’s walking by faith
The Lord is saying to me that there's some of you who have pressed and pressed to see the doors open for you, but it just seems like they just won't get open.
"Except the church in Yoruba land returns back to its first love of Missions and Evangelism, the fate of Liberia and Sierra Leone will befall Yoruba land, beginning from Abeokuta".
A storm is coming. The torrential rains shall fall. The waters shall rise. The floods shall sweep away all wood, hay and stubble. The violent winds will blow away all that was built irresponsibly.
"Whoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded a rock. And every one who hears these sayings of Mine and does not do them will be likened to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. And it fell. And its fall was great " (Matt. 7:24-27).
"What sayings of Mine" is Jesus specifically referring to in these passages? Reading in context, Jesus began a lengthy teaching from Matthew 5-7 and the central theme of it seems to be the character of the heart of man—from the Beatitudes, to loving our enemies, to having the right motives in giving, praying and fasting. Then He goes on to teach them about the Father's care for them and not worrying but seeking first the kingdom of God. Finally, Jesus comes to the end of that teaching and speaks about hypocrisy and righteous judgment and reverting back to heart matters followed by a warning of false prophets and those who call Him Lord but don't do His will. This entire teaching is traditionally known as the Sermon on the Mount, and it ends with the parable of the wise and foolish builders.
This was one of Jesus' first and most foundational teachings. It set the tone for His public ministry. As ministers that is important for us to know. We must emphasize what Jesus emphasized. These sayings prepared the people and His disciples for what was to come. Herein we find the standard of Jesus' life and ministry for all He did and taught. The heart must be right or nothing else will be right. If the heart is not right people won't do what He says. We must build our lives on Jesus' words, especially these first words of the first lengthy sermon He preached.
Jesus was the Master Builder. When it comes to building people, He is our primary example and pattern. The apostle Paul refers to God's people as God's field and God's building (1 Cor. 3:9), and he calls all ministers his fellow laborers who plant and water the field, and who are to build on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
The image of the people as a building under construction is very interesting because it highlights the responsibility of ministers to be faithful in how they build. Ministers are like building contractors who are only permitted to build on the prescribed foundation (see 1 Cor. 3:12-15). There are both wise builders and foolish builders (Matt. 7:24-27). To build on the foundation a building of durable material (gold, silver and precious stones) means not only to teach sound doctrine but even more importantly, to be a godly example and live a sanctified life of fidelity to the truth, thus helping to mature the saints. Ministers and especially pastors/shepherds, because they live with the people, teach more by their life example perhaps than anything else.
On the other hand, to build with perishable material (wood, hay, and stubble) is to provide inadequate or unsound teaching or to compromise the truth by living a lifestyle that contradicts or falls short of modeling it. It is the quality of every builder's work and not the quantity, as seems to be much of the focus today, that shall be tested by fire, for which every builder shall give account to the Lord.
In Jesus' parable (Matt. 7:24-27) He uses a storm, signifying the pressures, hardships and trials of life, as well as the persecutions we will suffer for the gospel, as a measuring gauge for how solid our foundation is. And what is our foundation based upon? Jesus taught us that it is based upon doing His sayings. Obedience is the issue. ""Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). Obedience, not lip service, is what God requires.
Have you ever thought about what gives us the strength and fuel to obey God? Why are some people obedient and some are not? Why are some doers of the Word and some are not? Why do some people stay faithful to God and remain true while others do not? Why do some start this Christian race but never finish? What is it that causes us to endure to the end (Matt. 24:13)?
It is the fear of the Lord. Obedience to the Lord is not only proof of your love for Him (John 14:21), but also of your fear of Him. There's been an emphasis on love, although we've fallen short of the full counsel of God in that area, too, but there has not been nearly as much of an emphasis on the fear of the Lord. It takes both of them to produce a strong constitution in your Christian life. Notice in the following two different translations how the love of obedience in Jesus was rooted in the fear of the Lord. They are identical. Or a better way to say it would be that the manifestation of the fear of the Lord is obedience to His Word and His sayings/commandments.
"His delight is in the fear of the Lord" (Isa. 11:3a, NKJV).
"He will delight in obeying the Lord" (Isa. 11:3a, NLT).
I love this verse of Scripture. It feeds and fuels the fear of the Lord in me and the delight to obey Him. This is our sure foundation. Since our obedience is the manifestation of the fear of the Lord in our lives, and since that is the difference between building your house on the rock or on the sand, we then could say that the fear of the Lord is what builds a strong foundation for our houses, which represent our lives. The fear of the Lord produces durable materials in our lives that will strengthen us to stand even in the midst of the storms. Can you see that?
A house is built by wisdom, and the fear of the Lord is the beginning or the foundation of wisdom/knowledge. Once again, a house represents our lives, homes, families.
"Through [skillful and godly] wisdom a house [a life, a home, a family] is built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation]" (Prov. 24:3, AMP).
"Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord" (Prov. 1:7a, CEB).
"Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge" (Prov. 1:7a, NLT).
If we build our lives and homes on the true wisdom and knowledge of God that comes from the foundation of the fear of the Lord, we need not fear the storm, because we will stand.
One of the apostle Paul's greatest burdens was this very thing: that the people He ministered to would stand firm in their faith and remain obedient to God even in the midst of the troubles and persecutions of his day. Other New Testament writers shared the same burden.
Paul's great desire was that the people he taught would not falter under pressure, lest his work be useless or his labor be in vain. Notice his great concern for the Thessalonian saints (1 Thess. 3:1-9). He had warned them of the troubles that would soon come. In his farewell speech to the Ephesian elders, he warned them of the same troubles (Acts 20:25-31). To the Galatians and the Hebrews he did the same, warning them not to turn back to the Law. He was preparing them for the storm and the persecution they would receive from preaching the cross and paying the price to follow Jesus. Warnings are such a large part of the Scriptural admonition that Paul and the other New Testament writers gave to the churches. Today there is a glaring absence of these warnings in our preaching.
Here are just some I found in the New Testament: Matthew 7:15, 10:17, 24:4-5, 24:11-13, 24:24; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 12:1, 15; Acts 20:29-31; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10:12, 11:3; Galatians 6:7; Ephesians 5:6, Philippians 3:2, 18; Colossians 1:28, 2:8; 1 Timothy 4:16; Hebrews 2:1-3, 4:1; 2 Peter 1:10, 3:17.
Fellow minister and preacher, how well are you preparing yourself and your people for the storm? Are you teaching them the whole counsel of God or catering to itching ears? Are you including the warnings in your preaching? Are you preaching on only the goodness and mercy of God, or do you also preach on His severity, wrath and judgments? Are you only preaching on the love of God, or do you place emphasis on His holiness too? Do you ever preach on sin and repentance? Are your concepts of the love of God and the grace of God accurate and in accordance with Scripture?
If not, then you may be guilty of the blood of men: "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not keep from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. .... Therefore watch, remembering that for three years night and day I did not cease to warn everyone with tears" (Acts 20:26-27, 31).
Make sure you are preparing yourselves and those whom God has entrusted to you for the storm. Oh, how much stronger our churches would be if we included these things in our preaching and teaching and living them out before the people!
The House of Karis is a Christian publishing house focused on providing pure and truthful information that shall enable Christians live in righteousness and in the fear of God.
Email: bosun@houseofkaris.net
