RAISING OUR LAND (Episodes 1 & 2)

RAISING OUR LAND

“Thus says the LORD, In an acceptable time have I answered you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you; and I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage…”(emphasis mine)

Isiah 49 vs 8 (Hebrew Names Version of The Holy Bible)

EPISODE 1: INTRODUCTION

“Perhaps, the greatest challenge that the Church faces in this country today is this: Why is the nation seemingly going south with corruption and lack of development while at the same time there is a growing number of churches and Christian ministries in the land?

I personally believe that this thought is the strongest push back on the gospel today.

The question on the mind of most sincere gate keepers today is this: is National Reformation, that is, the development of our Nation, the healing of our environment; part of the redemptive work?”

Pastor ‘Poju Oyemade, Senior Pastor, Covenant Christian Centre and Convener, The Platform: Opening Statement at ‘The Platform: The Economic Value of Nigeria’; which held on the 1^st of October, 2016.

In my own sincere attempt to answer the questions raised by Pastor Poju Oyemade in his opening statement during ‘The Platform’ which is as quoted above, I believe strongly that it is important to look back and ask the question, WHY?

Truth be told, issues of national under-development have existed long before the birth of Nigeria. Other countries have experienced similar difficulties on their paths to development; however it would seem that Nigeria’s is the case of a fever that is refusing to break. Perhaps, in answering these questions, one must adopt a general world view. No country seems to be left out in the issue of dissatisfaction of the citizenry. Even the developed countries have their share of sorrow and pain. The case of developing countries versus developing or underdeveloped countries is that: ‘All fingers are not equal, but some are more equal than others’. Knowledge of certain significant truths seems to be their major difference.

Why is there so much pain in the world? Attempts by City Planners and other environmental experts, even when backed by the political might, cannot create the Utopia every citizen craves for. Why is this?

The Church, if it were a business, will have redemption as one of its wares. If what you are selling doesn’t seem to be meeting the needs advertised, then people will think you are fraudulent and of course they will not buy your wares again. Alas, the Church is not a business, neither is it another form of religion…It is life itself.

If at the very core of the Church is the redemptive work of Jesus, then it is very important that the Church steps up, and shows the world how the gospel preached can save the world from her troubles.

EPISODE 2: IN THE BEGINNING

Where there is a leaking water-carrying pipe, the whole floor is bound to get flooded with water. In an attempt to save both water and floor, one must not put effort on only mopping up the spilled water and ignore the leaking pipe; rather one must find the source of the burst pipe and then fix it, and then clean up the spilt water or if possible do both concurrently. The Nigeria situation and even the world at large seems to be one where most aren’t looking to identify the source of the problem, instead ‘mopping’ seems to be the order of the day. Even those countries who attempt to find the ‘leaking pipe’ do so in the wrong places. As someone rightly said, “we are treating the symptoms and not the disease”.

As a Christian, there is only one Book that shows what truly happened at the beginning of the world. That Book is the Bible – The Written Word of God. Upon careful study and meditation, one will find in it, the reason why the world is the way it is and the necessity for the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, our redeemer. The following paragraphs will reveal that which I discovered during study and meditation of the bible, seeking to understand: The problem with the World.

“And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: Cursed Is The Ground For Thy Sake;”Genesis 3: 17

Man was born with a silver - golden even – spoon in his mouth. This means in plain language that Man was born Rich! Imagine being born in a place so beautiful, that no ‘world wonder’ can compare – filled with all that you need and want. The first chapter of the book Genesis show how God created the earth and all that is in it. In verses 26 -28 of same chapter, we see God handing over all these wealth to Man; specifically, in verse 28, God BLESSED Man!

Even later when Adam desired a companion, God recognized this need (for it is not recorded in scripture that Adam prayed to receive a companion) and did what is impossible in the natural, he created the woman out of man. God truly is the giver of good gifts, when Adam set his eyes on Eve, he confessed: “This [creature] is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of a man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall become united and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Sometimes, I wonder how beautiful Eve must have been for Adam to have had such instant and wonderful revelation.

God, as a loving father also provided Adam with work to do, He did not leave him idle, instead when He created out of the earth, animals of various kind, He brought them to Adam to name, and whatever Adam named every creature, that was its name. “…and the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” Genesis 2: 15.

Knowing that Adam was blessed from the beginning of the world is very important, because this shows God’s intent for man. To be blessed is a state, a substance or energy that produces blessings. Dr. Bill Winston says that when you are blessed, the blessed state clings unto you; it can never be washed or removed (paraphrasing). – but if you do not know it even exists, nor believe in its works, then you may not see it manifest fully in your life. The power to succeed in all things, ...

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