The NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR
MARATHON PRAYERS
Monday 12th – 18th Jan. 2026
A MILITANT CHURCH IS A TRIUMPHANT CHURCH
And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob (Judges 11:5).
Barrister Emeka Nwankpa wrote a book in 1994 entitled REDEEMING THE LAND. In that book, he described the Church as an institution of spiritual violence established by God to destroy the gates of hell. He explained that the Church can do charitable works like showing mercy, visiting the sick, and visiting prisoners in prison. Those are good works, but they are not the primary purpose of the Church. Quoting Matt. 18:16, "upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," he postulated that the primary purpose of the Church was to assail the gates of hell and destroy them (Pg. 22). Wherever the Church is not assailing the gates of hell to destroy them, those gates will attack the Church and seek to destroy it. The Church must always be on the offensive against hell.
For the Church to survive anywhere, therefore, it must be militant. A militant Church is a triumphant Church. Wherever the Church ceases to be militant, it ceases to be triumphant. As for the Church, so for the individual Christian. Militancy in this context does not mean carrying guns and bombs but standing strong in Christ to resist evil; it refers to putting on the whole armour of God according to Eph. 6:10-18 to resist and overcome principalities and powers.
The Nigeria Church is not a militant Church, and therefore not a triumphant Church. Repeatedly, for sixteen years, the Church has been assailed and buffeted by the forces of darkness but has been unable to answer the enemy at the gate. For sixteen years, almost on daily basis, a Christian is murdered in Nigeria, and the Church has been unable to stop the attacks or overcome the enemy, spiritually or physically. Eventually, God has had to raise help from the United States of America. Instead of receiving that help with both hands, controversy broke out in the Church over the definition of "genocide." A significant portion of Church leaders treacherously affirmed that there was no genocide against Christians. That was done in deference to the political leadership in the country. Those Church leaders would rather please their political paymasters than defend the flock of Christ entrusted to their care.
The Nigeria Church is not a militant Church; it is a docile Church. It is a Church that has turned compromise into practice, greed into doctrine, and sycophancy into a culture. Due to its culture of sycophancy and pretence, the Church tolerates a brand of leadership that openly betrays Christians and elevates personal selfish interest above the corporate interest of all the Christians. Many Church leaders are self-seeking and self-serving, who use the platform of Christian leadership to enrich and promote themselves at the expense of Christian lives. Instead of rising in unison to condemn the betrayal in the household of God, Nigeria Christians grumble and mumble to one another, leaving the corrupt individuals as their representatives.
The question is, are there no better people who could have represented the Church in its time of distress? Ironically, the Church has an abundance of qualified and committed people who could have taken the battle to the gates of the enemy and put an end to the wickedness of the Islamists in Nigeria. The problem is sycophancy. The average Christian in Nigeria is a sycophant, accustomed to venerating their brethren as "Daddies” and “fathers in the Lord” contrary to the injunctions of Jesus in Matt.23:9: "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven." There is no “father in the Lord,” only “brothers and sisters in the Lord” (Matt. 23:8). Even the Lord Jesus identifies Himself as “Brother” (John 20:17) and points us to His Father and our Father in heaven. If the Master calls Himself “brother”, should His servants be called “daddy”?
The first step in transforming the Nigeria Church to a militant Church is to get rid of sycophancy and pretence amongst Christians, the twin evils that prevent leadership accountability. Many Church leaders openly display rascality and impunity in the Church and still mount the pulpit without being challenged. The Church in Nigeria fails to hold its leaders accountable even when those leaders violate ethical and spiritual principles of Christianity.
A recent example is the visit of Church officials to President Tinubu. The President used the opportunity to inform them that the Federal Government was going to invite Turkey to 'assist' in the fight against terror in the country. It is curious that such a policy was announced before Church leaders, who are neither security experts nor legislators. The Church leaders did not discern that sorcery was at work against them. The invitation to Turkey was beyond the natural. A prophecy went forth in 2013 that Nigeria should beware of Turkey. The consent of the Church seemed required to bring Turkey into the country. Alice Bailey, the Satanist, instructed her disciples that “whatever changes you implement on the ground, get the Church to endorse it; get the Church to officially cede ground.” The Church had to officially give consent so that a spiritual barrier against Turkey could be removed. If Turkey should enter the country, it would now been based on the spiritual authorization of the Church, the same Turkey alleged my many to have been supporting terrorism in the country by supplying arms to Boko Haram. That is to destroy the Church, not to help the country.
Those Christian leaders demonstrated the sycophantic culture of the Church when, after their meeting, they commended Tinubu for initiatives aimed at providing relief to the poor and for efforts to improve the living conditions of Nigerians! They also pretentiously thanked him for a peaceful Christmas during which no Church was attacked. The peaceful Christmas should be credited to President Donald Trump of USA. Their two statements were the exact opposite of the truth, amounting to fawning sycophancy.
If the Nigeria Church is going to become a triumphant Church, it must commence its militancy within the Church. If the Church cannot dislodge the compromising and self-seeking men who occupy its leadership positions, and replace them with competent and Christlike individuals, Christians in Nigeria will continue to suffer defeat. The Church cannot rise higher than its quality of leadership. The current state of the Church is an indictment on its leadership.
Nigeria Christians are not handling this crisis well. The Church is making God appear weak and unable to deliver His people, but God is not weak, neither is He unwilling to deliver His people. The sinful and compromising character of most of the Christians hinders divine intervention (Is. 59:1-2). If Nigeria is going to change, the Church must first change. And if the Church is going to change, its leadership structure must be re-organized. When a set of leaders keep demonstrating allegiance to corrupt politicians more than to the Lord, it is morally and spiritually reasonable to resist them (Jude 1:3-4). In fact, tolerating and cooperating with them makes anyone a partaker of their evil deeds. It says in 2 John 1:9-10: "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." Whoever tolerates a transgressor, has himself become a transgressor. This is the problem of the Nigeria Church. The indulgent attitude of the Christians, which permits transgressors in Christian leadership and on many pulpits, is witnessing before God against the Church.
Nigeria Christians should rise in righteous indignation against corrupt and compromising Christians leaders. That is where Christian militancy should start from. If Christians cannot resist evil in the Church, they cannot resist evil in the country.
In the Marathon Prayer call for last week, it was pointed out that two contrasting prophecies are hanging over Nigeria. The situation can tilt either way, depending on the response of Christians to God’s requirements. God requires holiness, righteousness and zeal for the truth. Nigeria Christians should discard fear of man and embrace the fear of God. They should stop 'respecting' men while they disrespect God. God will not share His glory.
The first recommendation: according to Judges 11, Nigeria Christians should seek out competent people who can lead them in this time of war. There is a war going on, and leadership is critical in this season. It should be considered an act of carelessness if men who are openly compromising and corrupt are permitted to lead the Church while it faces existential threat. Christians should seek out the Jephthahs in their midst to lead the Church. Maintaining status quo while Christians are murdered daily is an irresponsible approach to a serious problem. This may be the reason why, in 2013, God warned: “the Nigerian Church is an irresponsible Church”. That report card from heaven confirms the point being made in this prayer call.
The second recommendation is for the Church to establish a Christian Adjudication Panel, to be funded by the Christians, to examine cases of transgression, immoralities, and treachery against the Body of Christ. God commanded believers to judge one another. It is secular courts that God forbids them from. That was part of the Strategy Document which the National Christian Elders Forum gave CAN in 2015. It is time to revisit it. The lawlessness and impunity of some Church leaders and ministers of the gospel must be checked.
Liberals, atheists, Communists, and Islamists attack the Church, but they do not betray the Church. Those who betray the Church are in the Church. May God purge the Nigeria Church and cast out the traitors, in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS
1. 2 Chro. 7:14 Repent on behalf of the Nigeria Church for all the acts of irresponsibility and corruption taking place in the Church.
2. Jer. 23:9-11 Raise lamentation to heaven against Church leaders who are financially induced by corrupt politicians to betray the Church. Pray that God will judge all the traitors in His Church.
3. Mal. 3:2-4 Pray that the Lord will purge His Church in Nigeria.
4. Num. 25:6-9 Pray for zeal for righteousness to be poured upon Nigeria Christians.
5. Jer. 3:15 Pray that God shall raise a new generation of Church leaders for the Nigeria Church to promote righteousness and holiness in the Body of Christ.
6. Acts 6:1-3 Pray for grace for Nigeria Christians to establish credible structures to strengthen and protect the Church from attacks of the Islamists.
7. Is. 55:11-13 Pray that the word of God for the restoration of Nigeria beginning in 2026 shall come to pass.
AMEN
