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Little Gods Of Pentecostal Churches 

By Amara
03 April 2015   |   11:58 pm
We no longer advertise Christ, we now advertise daddy and mummy. We no longer preach to sinners through crusades, we now preach to convert people from one Pentecostal church to the other. We no longer publicize the gospel of that old rugged cross; we now publicize the activities of daddy and mummy. What a shame! Even CEOs don’t advertise themselves the way this generation of pastors do.
LAGOS-CHURCH

a church in Lagos

IN the time of my dad, you see church billboards with the logo and maybe the “assumed image of Christ”. I call the image ‘assumed’ because so many are yet to accept that as the true image of Jesus Christ.

I see Pentecostals criticize the Roman Catholics for using the images of Christ and Mary, but what I see today among them is worse than what they accused Catholics of.

What do we have now? Beautiful and over-edited pictures of general overseer and his wife on church billboard with their teeth brightened enough to get customers.

We no longer advertise Christ, we now advertise daddy and mummy. We no longer preach to sinners through crusades, we now preach to convert people from one Pentecostal church to the other. We no longer publicize the gospel of that old rugged cross; we now publicize the activities of daddy and mummy. What a shame! Even CEOs don’t advertise themselves the way this generation of pastors do.

Don’t get me wrong; I am not talking about fliers for your church events showing speakers, I am talking about your billboard. Who is glorified on it? Who is glorified on the stickers your followers (no longer followers of Jesus) carry around even when you don’t think the same sticker should be on your posh ride? Who is glorified in your ministry adverts and magazines? All I see are business men and women selling their individual services. The church of Christ truly needs a revival.

Did I just say we need a revival? Yes, we need that rushing of the mighty wind like it was on Azusa Street. But with what is obtainable among preachers, will it ever be? It’s tough to believe we will have it, but I believe no one can stop God. If these Pentecostal preachers are not ready to die to self and allow the spirit of God to genuinely move among His people, God will always find a way to make a name for Himself. His glory is for Him alone and no man will ever share it with Him.

God bless Pastor Femi Paul of Grace Assembly, Lagos. I am not a member of his ministry, but he’s among the few that still do it right. All Grace Assembly billboards speak about Christ, I have never seen his picture on any. His church workers? You should go into that church and see how well his workers are paid. During one of his conferences with pastors, he told them to stop turning members to church rats, he told them to stop using people and graduates like they have no life.

When he finally asked his workers to come out, we saw young men and women who are well paid for their time and services. What about our very popular Daddy Adeboye? A very humble man who knows what being a preacher is. Have you ever seen his pictures on RCCG billboards? He knows that Christ is the one being preached to the world and this is what many pastors have failed to realize.

Have you been to some of these churches? Even worship services are sometimes halted for the entrance of their small god. You see them blow trumpet and shout because their Jesus is entering to preach. These preachers no longer take part in praise and worship because they are the ones we worship. Sometimes, I only wonder what heaven is saying about us. Jesus came as a baby and a lamb, He will come again as a king and He shall destroy whatever and whoever tries to take His glory.

And you blind follower, your mummy has suddenly turned you to a handbag carrier even when her child who is your age mate is in Oxford; you don’t carry bag for your biological mother who can’t stand straight but you carry it for your “mummy”; God is not happy with you.

You have never asked your father if he eats, but you cook for your daddy with the last in your pocket. You are suddenly a driver with your B.Sc certificate, not even a paid one like Dangote does, your future is lost and your parents are grieving over the loss of a son who is still alive.

You don’t care if your husband eats Indomie for breakfast and dinner, but you must prepare good Onugbu (Bitter leaf) soup for your daaaddyy and send to his office on daily basis. You are simply a hypocrite with no fear of God. You are yet to know what it means to be born again.

Don’t get it twisted; your greatest and number one ministry is your home (so God told Dr. Kenneth Haggin). The fear of God, service to God, is far from that nonsense they make you believe. If you have to resume and close in his house; if you have to become a driver to his children; if you have to become a maid to his wife, let him pay for your service.

This has nothing to do with serving in the choir or ushering; I don’t believe you should be paid for serving in the church on service days, but any extra service during work hours should be paid for. If you see anyone hanging bag for the wife of T.D. Jakes on daily basis, he or she is well paid and they don’t have accommodation problem, they have good rides and live well.

Yes, you can help carry their things as they come out to speak, but never become useless all in the name of religion. What are you going to tell your grandchildren and children? Are you going to tell them that you became wasted in life because you spent your youth carrying bag for your mummy and becoming a driver with no pay?

I hear some of these greedy preachers tell their junior pastors to carry their own cross because they carried theirs. These junior pastors, often cannot afford to pay school fees for their children or provide shelter and yet I see religious folks ignoring them to give surplus to their greedy father.

You are just a man pleaser and God is displeased by your actions. And you daddy, if the life of that junior pastor remains unchanged white you fly your first class and private jets; if your church members keep going to bed hungry and sleeping under the bridge while you give vacation to your wife and children round the world, you don’t know Christ and I put it to you that you are just a businessman stealing in God’s name, your belly is your god.

People, stop being deceived by all that “you are working and building your mansion in heaven”…like they don’t want their own children to own mansions in heaven.

Serve God, not man
Did someone just say “touch not my anointed”? It’s obvious Nigerians don’t know the meaning of that word. I shall do a teaching on that someday with biblical references. In the meantime, I pray your blind eyes get opened to know that being religious is different from being a Christian and being a man pleaser is different from being a God-pleaser.

Amara Van-Lare
Website: www.amaravanlare.com

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