There is a video of a little boy mimicking a pastor with his little sister in a deliverance section that has gone viral in the last few days. Reactions from the vocal few who hate Christianity with passion was loaded with lots of negative criticism and that got me thinking. Is preaching the world of God an evil calling? The most disturbing aspect is that the people who are vilifying this little boy are Christians who profess Christ as their lord and personal savior. Over the time, the world has produced talents in different fields of human endeavor and preaching is definitely one of them. World changers don't just happen, they grow through a process and it's instructive to identify a child with a special talent and encourage it. That's how great societies are made. Below are my personal perception of the matter.
Thomas Edison who invented the light bulb was a boy, his teachers told him he was too stupid to learn anything. Isaac Newton known today for his works on gravity did poorly in grade school and no one gave him a chance. Ryan Duffey Strode is a former street preacher who as a 10 year old child but he started preaching at that age. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome started ministry at about age 9. Reinhard Bonnke,Bill Wilson and many other preachers started when they were little children. How did all these people became supper successful? They were simply gifted children.
There are thousands of talented kids in every endeavor scatted all over Nigeria and indeed Africa who are never given the chance to excel in life. We shout them down, vilify them as many are doing to this little boy on a viral video. There are world class scientists, singers,business leaders, engineers, teachers and preachers who have changed the world for good. You can influence the world positively through your calling. Every special talent is to add value to the world. Preaching the world of God is a noble calling. I don't care what you believe, but the truth is that it's only the Church of the living God that will last forever. Your ministry of condemning everything about Christianity can never stop the church. Jesus is still building his church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Matthew 16:18). I have heard many Christians complain how that Turkey use to be a christian nation and their fear is that it may happen some day and hence the constant cry of islamization. I am sorry to disappoint you, but you are the reason why it will happen so quickly as ever imagined. You are so critical of the church which you are part of. You oppose every christian doctrine and teaching siting some fake pastors as your only reason for the rebellion. Do you think that God Himself is not aware that such people will show up in such a times as this. Do you think you can stop them when God did not? Stop acting God and allow God do the clean up. We fight each other, become enemies and hereby giving way for an easy take over. You may need to read about the Little Imam Child and a 5-year-old Tanzanian boy who converts thousands of people to Islam. They were celebrated by the Islamic world. But here we vilify our own because we are convinced we are speaking the truth. You are simply speaking in ignorance. "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 16:25). We want to embrace a society devoid of morals where the likes of Bobrisky and Linda Ikeji will become our role models. You social media handles can never testify that you are a christian because you are ashamed to share thoughts like this that is in defense of the gospel. They only know you as a christian because you answer Esther or Ezekiel, two names found in the Bible.You can't even click "like", but you share those stories that they think will box us to the corner. But they are late. As long as Christ died, you can't sideline us. We can't die. We are like seeds, even when we die, we still germinate to be useful and influential.
Children have surely long imitated parents, their teachers, preachers, singers and many children converts have surely long felt an urge to exhort and preach. I see that in my son a lot and some times a form of comic relief. Children learn a lot by observation and the little boy on the video haven observed the pastor in his church decided to practice. Not every child in the same church reacts that way. It could be a sign of his calling. Sometimes what you have great passion for may be your calling. Many are condemning the parents and I also ask why? Are parents of Prophet TB Joshua, Billy Graham,Oral Roberts, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome,Joel Austin, Benny Hinn and Pastor Sam Adeyemi not proud of them? Are those talking trash of the church better than these men and indeed all of us who dearly believe that the correct teaching of the word of God as contained in the bible is the only solution for the world. The bible said in Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it" Preaching is also part of that "way".
If your child want to be a preacher, encourage him. If they want to be a medical Doctor, Footballer, gospel singer, engineer, teacher etc, encourage them. They will one day make you and their generation proud.When American preachers were born, great and powerful singers and scientist were born as well. In Nigeria, we have TB Joshua, we also have Sony Ade. We have Philip Emeagwali and Bartholomew Nnaji, we also have Professor Chukwuma Soludo. We have very good medical Doctors as well as very good footballers and athletes. They all exist and function together for the good of society. Find the area of calling and fulfill it. Leave us alone with our foolishness. In 1 Corinthians 1:26, Paul tells us that God brought about salvation to the world in a way that seemed foolish to the world in order to shame those who claim to be wise. If we think according to the wisdom of the world, the Gospel really does seem so foolish. That foolishness is our gain and we have no apologies whatsoever.
What a man doesn't understand, he criticizes, what he understand, he destroys. Let that little boy be. He has not committed any crime. I pray that he grows up to be a tool in the hand of God to influence the society in a positive way.
Shalom.
Nnaemeka Ikerionwu
Email: meganaija12@gmail.com
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Afterthought; When people say that the church is the problem of Africa, I also ask how? The church is the solution rather than the problem. Nearly everywhere we look at in the world today, the world seems to be spinning out of control. Why do we see so many problems? Can we find a solution? Does the scriptures have any alternative and hope for the decaying world? The answer is yes. The solutions are found in the Scriptures. With global terrorism on the increase, flood on every continent, new diseases, devastating earthquakes, food shortage, nations pursuit of nuclear weapon, worldwide economic slowdown, the world is really in for a serious showdown. Our world is going haywire and science inspite of major and outstanding breakthroughs have not been able to provide solutions. As the rejection of the gospel increases, resentment toward sincere believers in the Bible will increase dramatically. When the US took a decision to suspend christian activities and the teaching of moral instructions in their public school, America have never been the same. This is a nation founded on the principles of the scriptures. A nation that their motto was once "In God we Trust" as was adopted in 1956 in the U.S. state of Florida now exports ungodly practices around the world. One guy who defends and fights for God so desperately once told me that Nigeria will be a better place any day the stop teaching religion in our schools and I was really surprised at his crass ignorance. Many of us would have been used for human sacrifice had the church not intervened in Africa. Some would have ended in a pot of pepper soup because according to history, human meat is sweet. That was how barbaric we were until Christian missionaries arrived. And not to talk of the wickedness in the killing of twins. But today, we despise the same church that helped us in the past. The devil’s fifth-column movement has really dealt a big blow on the church. They are everywhere on social media recruiting people in a subtle manner. The use half truth to get people and turn their minds away from God. An atheist in his own wisdom once said, I truly believe Africa needs God. I agree with him too.
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