by Feyisetan Tokunbo Adebayo
It is no longer news that one of the most thriving businesses in Nigeria is being a pastor and even though so many people see these pastors? excesses, the fear of not offending God won?t make them speak out their minds. We respect/worship these pastors far more than God, instead of people saying this is what God or bible says, we rather hear my pastor said this, my pastor said that not minding or caring about what God actually say about it.
I have always said how I feel about this but people around me including my late mum won?t just let me speak out my mind even when it was killing me inside. When I share my view with people, they find it very difficult to comprehend what our pastors do and how they live in affluence but everybody is scared of one thing which is that the bible says ?touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm?. Most people quote this bible passage without even knowing where it is written in the bible and what led to it been written. It is written in 1 Chronicles 16:22 and Psalm 105:15, if only we are not too lazy or too busy to read the whole of 1Chrinicles chapter 16 and the whole of Psalm 105, we will realize that the anointed and prophets here referred to the children of Israel, the chosen of God who can be likened to the true Christians these days not just the pastors.
There are things I see that make me wonder what Jesus would have looked like if he is to be alive now, do we really see Jesus look alike when we see our pastors? Are they not supposed to be like Jesus? Will Jesus own 3 or 4 jets while some people in the church can?t even afford a meal a day? Was it ever recorded in the bible that Jesus asked people to sow a seed before they qualify for a miracle? What do we have these days in our churches? Pastors asking you directly or indirectly for money before you can even see some of them not to talk of them praying for you, poor people are not been reckoned with and don?t get favours from the pastors. When Fela talked about what we now experience in one of his songs, we didn?t know he could see what present day church will look like. Jesus didn?t own a horse, he borrowed a colt he rode on but some of our pastors have over 30 exotic cars while so many members of their church and some pastors/workers in the church don?t have a bicycle, would Jesus have done that? Our pastors make mention of David and Solomon being wealthy, it is true but they were not pastors, they were kings but our pastors are far richer than our kings. When the rich man asked Jesus how he could be saved, Jesus told him to give out his things to the poor and follow him but the reverse is the case these days, our pastors rather keep collecting from the poor using different means. When I was an undergraduate, I attended a church with some friends where we were told to contribute money to buy the general overseer of the church a car on his birthday while some of the students that attend the church could hardly feed and pay their fees. This man I learnt had so many cars at the time, if a small school fellowship was to buy the head pastor a car, how many cars will he get from all the parishes for his birthday? When we watched the video clip of a crusade held during the time, we saw each pastor bringing cheque of at least 1million naira and they said the amount on air. This same pastor prayed for a supposed to be a blind man who has never seen before only for the man to recognize the colour of the pastor?s suit immediately after his healing, how did he know colours or could he feel/perceive colours while he was blind? This same pastor is said to wear a million naira suit each time, he said there is nothing wrong with masturbation and the latest he just said is that it is not a sin to abort a baby who happen to be a product of rape, what sin did the baby commit? Didn?t the bible say thou shall not kill? Would Jesus have said that?
These days, people just start a church mostly to get rich and these pastors can go any length to make it happen. It is even rumoured that a Nigerian pastor masterminded his kidnapping just to extort money from his na?ve members. You go to church these days and all you hear about is prosperity and miracles while you might not have to open the bible during some church services. It was recorded that Jesus fed the multitude at least twice in the bible, when last did our pastors help the poor or give back to the society? They claim to do business, where did the capital of their businesses come from if not the church? Five Nigerian pastors are among the 10 richest pastors in the world and Nigeria is not among the best economies in the world, is that not an irony? Jesus was not poor but he wasn?t wasteful, self centered and didn?t acquire what he didn?t need. What is a pastor doing with over 10 exotic cars? What example are these pastors giving we the youths? Do our so called corrupt politicians exhibit wealth like our pastors? How many of our politicians have private jet? How many of our politicians are enlisted on forbes rich people list? How will these pastors correct our corrupt leaders? corruption with what they do? What is the population of their congregation to what they own personally? If our pastors are our president, governors, senators etc with the country and states resources, won?t they be more corrupt than our present leaders? If our pastors are the richest pastors in the world, why can?t our politicians be the richest politicians in the world too?
While my pastor was preaching one Sunday morning last year, he made mention of a secondary school in Abuja that is owned by a Christian where the students pay about 600,000 naira per term and the teachers are just being paid 50,000naira a month. The proprietor of this school will give tithe and testify of God?s blessing, my question is this, is it really a blessing or case of extortion? When last did our pastors discourage such acts? Probably they can?t because most of them are guilty of such. Why are supposed to be missionary universities/schools so very expensive that an average member whose money was part of the capital for the school business can?t attend or send his child to the school? Is church and everything to do with it all about money making now? I read something on a blog some weeks back about a pastor telling the single ladies in his church to come to church the following Sunday with a wedding gown and a seed they will sow if they want to get married this year. What was that? I understand that God?s ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts? but seriously, can?t the pastor pray for these desperate ladies without the sowing of seed? Can all of them get married this year? Is the pastor saying God destined all the single ladies to get married this year? What if a lady God has not destined to get married this year come with a seed and the gown, will she really get married when God has not made it so? If she gets married against God?s wish, won?t she making a mistake and probably have problems? These pastors just say whatever they like just for money to come in. How will the ones that came with wedding gown and a seed look at the pastor at the end of the year if they don?t get married? Why will the pastor paint a picture of ?we can pay our way to receive favours from God?? How will a lady so ?spoilt? to the extent that she can?t boil water not to talk of preparing a good meal think of keeping a man, a relationship or getting married easily? There are so many things wrong with our generation that we need genuine pastors to rebuke so that things can be better for us, these things don?t really require sowing of seeds or miracles. Parents no longer train their children especially the ladies these days, our ladies are so plastic/synthetic and men can?t cope with such no matter how attractive they look. Some of these desperate ladies that want to get married this year spend the other days of the week jumping from one man?s bed to another and expect no repercussion forgetting that it?s a small world, why won?t the pastor address such issues instead? Unfortunately, many Nigerians are so na?ve that they just do whatever they are told to do without seeking God?s opinion about it, of course most people don?t or can?t speak to God because they don?t really know God and so look for a supposed to be an easy way to God through ?bribing? the pastor. The pastors on the other hand are so enjoying the bribe and attention that they hide the truth from these people that is if the so called pastors really know the truth themselves.
Lastly, is it the pastor or Bishop?s church just because God used him to establish it or the church of God? Didn?t the bible quote Jesus telling Peter in Matthew 16:18 ?That thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build MY church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (KJV)?? Why didn?t Peter hand over the church to his family member when his time was over? Which pastor or apostle in the bible especially after Jesus? departure that what we know as Christianity was birthed handed over the church to his wife or child when he was about to die? Were Christian leaders not chosen by prayers and God?s intervention? Why have our pastors make the churches God used them to establish their private property/business? Why have they turned it into a business empire they need to protect and hand over to their family when they die? Where is that practiced in the bible especially in the New Testament? If they talk of the Levites, that was a whole tribe that God set aside for His use in the Old Testament or are our pastors saying all their families are the Levite of today? The Levites didn?t do any business, how come our pastors/bishops do all sort of businesses if they claim to be Levites? Our men of God need to consider their ways before people lose interest in going to church due to their lifestyles just as the bible advice those who think they stand to take heed lest they fall (1 Corinthians 10:12, 1 Corinthians 8:9).
Initiative of Youth Empowerment for Agricultural Development (IYEAD) is a registered non-governmental organization of unemployed youths with over 10,000 members and every state well represented. Over 70% of our members are graduates of different fields but we all decided to go into agriculture instead of being involved in all sort of criminal activities. We have some farms in some states now but wish to have farms in every state so that we can accommodate more unemployed youths. We are also doing various researches to improve the agricultural sector and we hope to see our agricultural products flood every part of our country and beyond real soon. For more enquiries on the association and for as many that will like to join us, you can contact us through [email protected] and 08036974309.
Feyisetan Tokunbo Adebayo
National President, Initiative of Youth Empowerment for Agricultural Development (IYEAD)
