SAMUEL OKEOWO, he speaks on roles of Christians in Nigeria’s political developments.
You organised an event to celebrate Nigeria’s 58th Independence Day; what prompted you to honour Nigeria with such a programme?
When a nation is in trouble, it is not the map we are talking about but we the people. Christians have to be optimistic because God commanded us to seek the peace of our land and other things would be added. The programme is a national assignment and a kingdom assignment; national in the sense that it focused on addressing issues in Nigeria and kingdom in the sense of soul-winning and preparing people for heaven. The driving force is that God said we should be the salt of the world. It is a mandate to seek for the peace of our Jerusalem which is Nigera. We cannot give up on the country if truly we are the children of God. God wants us to be the light to the world. We must seek for the peace of our nation. The other reasons are personal. I love Nigeria and I’m proud to be a citizen of this wonderful nation.
What should be the role of the church in the country today?
The roles of church is just like its role the in other countries.The church should consist of Christians and according to the Bible, Christians should be the light of the nation and the salt of the earth. One of the roles of salt is that it preserves, so the church’s role is to preserve the nation. If I must tell you, when the church is sick, the nation is sick. It is easy to point accusing fingers but the truth of the matter is that, as far as Nigeria is concerned, the church cannot claim to be having good health.
So, is the church having the necessary impact?
When you talk about the church having maximum impact on the nation, presently, the answer is no. The positive impact is low; rather we have more of negative impact on the nation. There are few servants of God, through there are faithful Christians who still bear the burden of the nation, who still pray; those who still preach the right gospel. It is so sad to know that most people under church’s umbrella are only seeking for material gains; they are seeking for power and money. But, we thank God for the faithful, who have not bow their knees to mammon. We are trusting God there will be revival, such that the impact of the church will be enormous.
Why is it so difficult for the country to make progress these days despite the fact that high calibre politicians occupy the front row at Sunday services and other programmes?
There is no political leader that will not be answerable to one pastor or imam. These are the two major religions (Christianity and Islamic)in Nigeria, as you have pointed out, our political leaders who claim to be Christians, the church did not have serious influence on them, rather, they are the ones influencing the church. What is the reason for this? “Money”. How would you preach against someone who is the one financing the church. We should not be influenced by money and materials things, we should preach the word and say it the way it is.
Do you think Christians should be involved in politics which is regarded by some as a dirty game?
There are many Christians in politics and when I say Christians, I mean people that are labeled christians. But, when you talk about real Christians, they are very few in politics. I think our problem is lack of disciples; the church today has neglected discipleship, it is when people are well disciplined that we can send them into politics. We have many shallow Christians; those who are christians by religion only not those who understand faith and it is a serious problem.
How can Christians shape the political events in the country?
Very simple, the church must go back to discipleship; we should just go back to the basics. When we disciple people properly they will fit into any area of life. The Bible says don’t forsake the gathering of the saints. If we can disciple people, Christians will fit into finance, politics, media, medicine and any sector they find themselves. Christianity is not about turning everyone into a pastor or a preacher, some will not carry the black covered book called the Bible. If we are not well discipled, Christians will be overtaken by temptation. To reshape the nation, we should pray, teach and disciple people well.
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