continue the searchlight into my constituency, the Church, how a nation, which is so highly religious can be in the type of moral decadence, which we are presently in.
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The very day, last week, when the first in the series of this discussion was published, my family Pastor in Antioch TN, Dr. Gideon Olaleye wrote me and asked that I replace the part of the title, "Probable Causes" with "Lamentation" I consider it more appropriate and henceforth the rest of the series changes from "Probable Causes" to "Lamentation"
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Because the opportunities are good and large for anyone to succeed, use the word prosper if you like, without making himself a liability to the government compels the preaching of prosperity on the pulpits of prosperous countries like United States and United Kingdom for example. But then, some preachers have blown it out of proportion, beyond the limits of the scripture.
There is one more underlying factor, which I presume should promote the preaching of prosperity in the U. S, which people must know.
The system looks down on or strongly put, has written off some certain individuals as if they are created differently such that their brains cannot comprehend challenging vocations and it is as if those people have been reconciled or banished to doing only menial and other jobs, which do not require high skill or intelligence.
Such un-Scriptural ideas that high intelligent vocations are the exclusive right of certain groups of people need to be corrected, disabused and removed from the minds of those who are being systematically conspired and diplomatically discouraged from pursuing challenging vocations and be replaced with the Scriptural truth that God is not opposed to any one from working hard and prosper in life with His help. Such hearts need to be strengthened that God did not create any one to be a failure in such an environment full of opportunities, neither has God condemned any one to a life of servitude. They need to be encouraged to prayerfully make themselves achievers rather than 'food stamp' collectors or government liabilities. The rooms are large in those countries for anyone to succeed or prosper. So the preaching of prosperity is relevant in this circumstance.
Parallel Situation In Nigeria Once Upon A time
Let me relate something similar to the above. There was a gross misunderstanding of Christianity at a time in the past in Nigeria. It was perceived during those days that once a person declares that he is born again, he/she is excluded from taking part in social activities. The society then and other Christians themselves saw a person who claimed to be born again, yet appeared sociable as backsliding. It was the believe that those who claimed the 'born again' experience should dress poorly and in fact many, especially among the women, did dress poorly and really till date, there are certain sects who prescribe dressing codes for their women. Such people often appear shabby as if ugly and mournful appearances are the trademark and identity cards of Christians. This we know has nothing to do with Christianity. The Bible only recommends moderation and modesty.
Also it was the belief that only students from poor families and those who are academically deficient join the Christian associations in the schools and University campuses. The belief was as if it was out of place for Christians to be found aspiring to high positions. I have a relation who used to taunt me by asking what difference there was between him and I who profess to be a Christian. He was a University graduate; I also aspired to be a graduate and even pursuing a challenging course of study. These and many errors were things, which my generation of Christians had to correct and put in proper perspective.
I remember that our fellowship in Ilorin in the very early 70's encouraged many members who had already reconciled themselves to their junior level grades to improve themselves. Those who were primary school leavers, working as office messengers, cleaners or ward attendants in the hospitals, and others, doing menial jobs, with time became University graduates. The leader of the fellowship, reflecting back, deserves a lot of commendation for that feat. He was young but full of the Holy Ghost. In fact he threatened to disallow those who were not prepared to improve themselves from attending the fellowship meetings.
One Sunday afternoon after I had re-located to Lagos, one of our brothers (from Ilorin) pleasantly surfaced in my house. He had just matriculated at the Unilag to pursue law. Today, he is a justice of the high court addressed as "My Lord" Someone asks, what is peculiar in that? He had attended a technical school and in under 3 years after that, he had passed both the Ordinary (O') and Advanced (A') level General Certificate of Education (G.C.E) to qualify him to read for a law degree in Lagos.
The leader of the fellowship, himself a technical fellow, whose duties among others was to organize public address system at government functions, with time found himself in England enrolled in an engineering course and few years later, he returned home with a PhD and now a professor.
I did encourage members of our mission in Lagos in the mid 70's to prayerfully consider setting up their own private businesses especially those who have learnt trades.
So, really becoming a Christian affords one to be rightly focused. Becoming a Christian equips one to be what God intends one to be. His plans for any of His creation are good (Jer.29:11). We did discuss fully at Christian gatherings in those days that there is nothing in the Scripture that prevents or suggests that Christians must not live well. There is nothing in the Scripture that says that Christians must not attain high status. There is no Biblical law that says that Christians must be only a 'yes sir' person. No rule in the Bible says that Christians must not be an employer of market. In fact there is no rule preventing Christians from being wealthy, though the Lord was very concerned about the difficulties of a wealthy person entering the Kingdom of God and really had nothing good to say about wealth because in efforts to acquire wealth, a Christian may be distracted from the focus to heaven. But in all ages, we have found Christians who were really wealthy and did not lose focus. Job was wealthy. Abraham was. So were Isaac and Jacob. King David and his son king Solomon were. In the New Testament, Nicodemus was. Joseph the Aramathean was. It is however un-Scriptural to teach that all Christians must be wealthy and that, one's Christianity is under query if he/she is poor.
Being a Christian does not infer that we cannot aspire to a great position or positions of affluence except that we must pursue our ambitions in a Godly fashion (righteous manner) with His guidance and in accordance to His will for us. We cannot mortgage nor compromise our Christian beliefs in the pursuit of worldly prosperity or wealth because already, a person who is in Christ has already achieved prosperity and that is the real, true prosperity going by all the understanding of the Scripture.
Ground Situation Today.
Conclusion & Way Out To Meaningful Prosperity
The different situations, which I have described above, are a lot different from what operates in Nigeria as of today (2008). The little infrastructures, which the government had built in the past, when the government was dedicated to the State, which sustained the private enterprises had collapsed because the monies, which were budgeted to maintain those infrastructures were diverted to private pockets and stashed in private banks abroad. So, many, who struggled to build their private businesses, witnessed those businesses collapsed due to the collapse of the infrastructures that sustained them as a result of unprecedented high corruption of government officials. Electricity supply collapsed. Fuel becomes gold and has to be imported in spite of the fact that God gave us wells of oil. Roads become death traps. The railway system becomes history. Potable water is inexistence in most cities, towns and villages and where it exists, the taps have gone dry long ago. The cities, which used to be industrial, are no more. Those who now live comfortably are those who have access to the treasuries, their surrogates and boot lickers.
The concern of many these days in order to survive is how to get introduced to the 'cult' called Nigerian government. Those who do not have such opportunities make use of anything available to them wherever they work. So policemen and road safety corps will extort motorists. Men of the custom and other revenue officers will dupe anyone that comes their ways. Public officers convert all allocations budgeted to run their offices and programmes into their private use. University students either purchase their lecturers' handouts or are failed. Journalists themselves are fast to follow and publish stories of events and people who offer them largesse or what they themselves call 'brown envelopes'. It has become a jungle way of life. In fact beasts in the jungle behave with better decorum. Students themselves organize to purchase car tires and batteries, refrigerators etc for their teachers. Those who cannot compromise their faith or conscience are left to die with their children when they are attacked with any little disease. Those who were educated in the Western countries have fled to wherever they could be employed on the globe. Millions, graduate yearly from Colleges (Universities) into a country dearth of employment. Some thereby out of frustration have become armed robbers.
In the light of all these, I submit that the salvation of no Nigerian lies in the prosperity preaching that are been canvassed on our pulpits today because one rich man among six others are all wretch. We need to return to the plans of God for any nation, which is "Collective/National Prosperity". We were on this path in the past, when there was the dedication to the State and a Nigerian University graduate was regarded as an averagely a rich person. At that time, the job was waiting for any University graduate even before he completed his final examinations and he could comfortably live on his enumerations without any stealing from the treasury.
And because there were opportunities for private enterprises to thrive, there was meaningful individual prosperity. But we have derailed and there is no short cut to meaningful individual's prosperity until opportunities to the nation's wealth is returned to a level playing ground to all and sundry.
Meanwhile the wealth is in the hands of some wicked cults and people who are able to enter the cult. Because the top lacks moral, jungle practices have taken over every sphere of our endeavour and unfortunately instead of Christians standing up for righteousness, we have compromised and the preaching of prosperity for Christians have worsened the matter, with attending devaluation of the Christian ethics. An enabling environment where private enterprises can thrive is what we should canvass for. Christians should champion this cause. It is our responsibility as "salt" and "light" of the world.
May God give this revelation to the owners of the pulpits who have large gatherings and may God give them the will to obey by teaching it. I am persuaded and convinced that if those big pulpits will concentrate and pay required attention to the preaching of National Prosperity rather than individual prosperity, the end to the poverty, which has plagued us in the recent decades, is in sight. It is a big sacrifice but it is worth it if we must bequeath a lasting and meaningful prosperity for this generation and the generations after us.
Next week, we shall be defining the real and true prosperity in the light of the Bible.
