The role of Christians as salt and light in nation building – Part 3

Nation Building
When God created us, His expectation was and is still for us to live righteously for His glory. Even when the first parents sinned, He still wanted us to come back to Him, and get fulfilled. Therefore, when our sole language was distinctly and creatively confused, for spiritual invention of more languages, man was still expected to use these for the development of the various nations. God did this to eliminate the element of collision of mind to perpetuate evil, and for respective development and growth of God’s children and their nations.

Nation building, therefore, is the process whereby a society of people with diverse origins, histories, languages, cultures and religions come together within the boundaries of a sovereign state, with a unified constitutional and legal dispensation, a national public education system, an integrated national economy, shared symbols and values, as equals, to work towards eradicating the divisions and injustices of the past to foster unity (www.dac.gov.za.).

Therefore, there cannot be effective nation building, where evil strives, where human lives are valueless, where corruption is embedded, where leaders are not ruling righteously and the subjects/citizens are disobedient to the authorities. As I said earlier, no nation can grow, in every perspective, when people do not live with the fear of The Lord. This was the primary reason God chose the nation of Israel among the ancient nations, as His own chosen state.

There were nations such as Syria, Babylon (Iraq), Palestine, Persia (Iran), Rome (Italy), Lebanon, Egypt, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Malta, Asia Minor (Turkey), Arabia and the rest at the ancient period, as documented in the Bible, but God decided to choose the nation of Israel. He did because the fathers of the Jews took God as their personal Lord and rejected every form of idolatry and unrighteous lifestyle. Therefore, the nation called Israel began to excel above surrounding nations that rejected God. Generations of Egyptians will never forget what befell their forefathers, who enslaved God’s children (Exodus 1-15).

Even in the contemporary world, many of these nations are in ruins, whereas Israel is thriving and beautiful to see. It is a rocky land, yet they have one of the best agricultural products in the world; a small land, but they have some of the best scientists and industrialists. Likewise their knowledge in construction is unbelievable. Why all these? He who makes God his cornerstone will always thrive in the midst of lack. It is instructive to assert that whatever the Hebrew touch turn to gold, in as much as they remain with God. Hence, no nation can grow and develop beyond its level of thinking, if God is not involved.

Experience of Biblical Israel
When God chooses people, He expects them to remain forever with Him, and never for once have any doubt, as to His ability to stand for them. This, the Jews benefitted so much from, until when ‘little’ doubting of God made them to become enslaved, majorly in Egypt and Babylon and under the nations God had brought low before them. The truth of the matter is that, failure by any nation to acknowledge God is an invitation to backwardness, economic depression/downturn, mismanagement of resources, and retardation in developmental programmes.

The Northern and Southern Kingdom
Whilst God still maintained His promise to King David, the idolatry acts of King Solomon in the latter days of his life made God to split the Kingdom, to the Southern (Judah) and the Northern (Israel). Despite the fact that they were one nation, the successive kings of Israel brought woes upon their nations, while majority of the Kings of Judah, like their fathers, endeared themselves to God. Just like Proverbs 11:28 says – He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch. In his own submission, Warren (2002) said the moment that we were born into the world, God was there as an unseen witness, smiling at our birth. He then said that we exist for God’s benefit, for His glory, for His purpose and for His delight.
Being Paper Delivered By BABA ALADURA, ELDER (DR.) ISRAEL AKINADEWO (Omoeri) Prelate and Supreme Head, Motailatu Church C & S Worldwide & Secretary, Christian Association of Nigeria, Lagos State at The Ministers’ Conference Of Christian Association Of Nigeria, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Chapter, Lagos State On Thursday, May 31, 2018 at Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie Hall, Holy Family Catholic Church, 22, Road, Festac Town, Lagos.
TO BE CONTINUED