FEATURE ARTICLE

Sam AwedaMonday, September 12, 2016
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Lagos, Nigeria

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THE AGONY OF APOSTLE PAUL & AGONY OF PASTOR SAM AWEDA

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he Success, which Paul achieved in his missionary work leaves no one in doubt that God really sent Him.

Without doubt He was really an evangelist sent by God to the Gentile world to preach the good news of God's plans of salvation to mankind; plan of salvation through faith in the atonement of sin provided by the blood of Jesus as opposed to any good work or any religious services any one can render.

Through him, many people from what are called the Gentile countries of the world accepted the plan of salvation paid for, with the blood of Jesus Christ, as opposed to the plans of salvation, which were earlier reeled out by Moses, 1450 years before Christ.

This was the good news that the Apostles of Jesus took around the whole world and God confirmed the truthfulness of their message with signs and wonders such that the shadow of Peter (Acts.5:15) and the handkerchiefs of Paul (Acts 19:12) healed the sick and cast demons out of the possessed.

But In spite of all these feats, Paul had a serious concern. He had a serious agony in his heart. When citizens of the world who had no Jewish blood understood and took the advantage of the suffering of Christ and were confessing Him as their Lord and Saviour and were being saved from going to hell, his own people, the immediate relation of Jesus Christ by blood, rejected Him and were going to hell. The pain in Paul was so much that he was ready to forgo his salvation, if it was going to help his own relations to see reasons.

So the topic of my sermon today is "The Agony of Apostle Paul and the agony of Pastor Sam Aweda.

Let us pray. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"The Agony of Apostle Paul and the agony of Pastor Sam Aweda.

I have just narrated the thorn in the soul of Apostle Paul.

He could not understand how someone would be going round with heavy loads on his head, sweating and has someone pleading with him to help him take away the loads, yet refused help.

Really, Jesus had the blood of all the races of the then world flow in Him. But His immediate earthly parents were Jews and when other citizens of the world were and still are taking the advantage of the suffering of Christ and were confessing Him as their Lord and Saviour and were being saved from going to hell, His own people, Jesus's closest relation by blood, reject Him and were going to hell.

The pain in Paul was so much that he was prepared to forgo his salvation if that would help his relations to see reasons.

Paul's agony was documented in several of his letters to the Churches he founded.

How and why can these people who saw the miracles, which Jesus did, who witnessed the great wisdom by which He spoke, who witnessed how with clarity and authority He spoke of incidences that occurred from creation, find it difficult to believe Him that He is really a part of God?

Jesus Himself explained it this way as recorded in St. Matt. 13:15: "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them"

Very unfortunate in deed!

I too share the agony of Paul heavily, because the largest members of my relations and friends are yet to accept Jesus as their Lord. This causes me no small agony of heart.

Those family members and friends cannot phantom any sense to believe that the Almighty God can transform Himself to human, come into this world, slept and ate like man and worse, subject Himself to such humiliation, cruel molestation and eventual death.

The point is this, if God can create man from the dust, what stops Him from transforming part of Himself to human if He wishes?

How I pray that the Lord will be merciful to my family members from my mother side, from my father side and all my friends and all His creations all over the world to come to the truth of the knowledge of Christ so that their souls can be saved from the destruction of hell.

I have another anguish in me, which is tormenting me. Anyone who listens to this broadcast regularly cannot miss this anguish. And this is that Nigeria has no business with poverty. God did not group Nigeria among the poor countries of the world, yet the largest members of Nigerians live sub-human.

God has blessed us so much. We have enough to make everyone happy. We have enough to make every citizen comfortable.

God's plan for any nation is that we should live comfortably. He laid the guidelines for our comfort in the Holy books.

His own part of the deal is to provide for all our needs. Our own part is to obey His guidelines.

God never fails to do His own part of the agreement. It is we Nigerians that refuse to do our own part and I am sored in my heart that rather than obey Him so that we can live a life of relative comfort, we decide to ignore Him.

God said as recorded by the Prophet Isaiah in 1:19 "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land"

But rather than being obedient, the devil has made us to be committed to religious services; religious services with no love for our fellow human beings.

The Devil has hardened our hearts, he has made it fat. He has plugged our ears and shut our eyes. That way, we are not able to see with our eyes, nor hear with our ears, nor understand with our hearts and turn to God so that we can have some level of comfort, which will enable us to live a life, which will please Him so that we can have a place of rest with Him at the close of the age rather than going to hell, a place, which God had reserved for Satan and its angels.

The Devil is making us to pay serious attention to religious services when God had said emphatically that He has no delight, He has no interest in our burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying His voice! Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1Samuel 15:22).

Nigerians are religious; highly religious even. We do not miss prayer times. We run to catch up at prayer times but that is where it ends. Love for fellow citizens as counseled in the Holy books, which will make us live comfortably are not reflected in our dealings with our fellow human beings.

James the apostle described that kind of religion as 'vain' in verse 20 of his book in chapter 2 (James 2:20)

He said further in verse 26 "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).

And what is the obedience required of us? The obedience is a summary of all the laws: Jesus said it as Recorded by Matthew 22:37-40

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.' 38-39 This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: 'Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.' 40 All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets stem from these two laws and are fulfilled if you obey them. Keep only these and you will find that you are obeying all the others."

We say that we love God and that is why we go to the prayer house. Who has ever seen God with his/her eyes? Is God yellow or black? How can we say that we love God when we show hatred and unkindness to His creation, our fellow human beings?

We do not miss prayers but we cheat our business partners, we dupe even those we pray with in the same prayer house, we dupe even the prayer house itself.

If we love God, how can we be comfortable when we alone sit on the commonwealth while we see His creation dying of hunger, while we see His creation not able to buy medication for their ailment?

How can we say that we love God when we see the majority of citizens living in sub-human condition while we in our own case are buying mansions all across the globe with the money, which ought to make others comfortable?

How can we say we love God when we leave our own country undeveloped, our own country is in filth, our roads are blood sucking, our educational system is in shambles, we cannot pay workers their legitimate dues, our country is in darkness nights after nights, yet we put the money of everyone in our private banks overseas?

How can we say we love God when all we are good at is to display wickedness to all people we deal with?

As if this is not the country, which our parents displayed whatever they wanted to sell by the road side without staying there and whoever wanted to buy, picked it and left the money there. And if the buyer had not the money on him at the particular time, he picked it all the same and put the money there when next he passed bye.

As if this is not the country, which few years ago, doors to homes are never shut until night time.

As if this is not country which not too long ago, the traditional rulers asked their citizens who murder or whose behavior is contrary to the norm to exit the town or the village.

As if this is not the country which citizens until recently will have nothing to do with anyone whose source of wealth was questionable.

As if this is not the country, which sometimes ago, the problem of anyone in the community is the problem of all, where everyone is his brother's keeper.

As if this is not the country, which in the time past artisans were honest and did not cheat their customers.

As if this is not the country where not too long ago, officers did the job for which they were paid for joyfully without asking for any reward.

As if this is not the country which once upon a time, government money was seen as sacred.

Our earlier fathers thought that if we let go the Colonial Masters, we would fare better. So they forced the Colonial Masters out. And really those fathers were faithfully doing good work of building the nation, except it was marred with who and who not should head the government.

So Soldiers took control.

We felt that Soldiers duty is defense and not running of the state affairs. We said the Soldiers were greedy and some people put their lives on the line and Soldiers were forced out.

For almost 20 years now, we say we are running a government of the people by the people for the people but in reality, what we have is a government, which serves and benefits themselves and their surrogates and some Civil Servants in privileged positions. We have become worse with Democracy.

We are praying that the government of President Buhari should be different but up to now, one can vouch for Buhari as the only one who is upright in the midst of corruption.

When these people are living large, living in opulence, the large majority of the people are living in sub-human conditions. The only saving grace for many others are their relations in Diaspora who remit dollars or pounds or euros to them regularly.

The fathers who took the reign of power from the Colonial Masters lived godly and that was why we were developing gradually, in spite there was no revenue from oil.

I am at a loss very seriously why we cannot retrace our steps and return to the footpaths of our fathers who walked godly before God and salaries were paid promptly on the 22nd of the month.

There were jobs for every category of certificates.

There was no discrimination or preferential treatment for whatever religion anyone holds before he/she had admission to the University.

There was no discrimination or preferential treatment for whatever religion anyone holds before he/she gets employment.

Why can we not retrace our steps to the path that has prospered us?

Hear what the LORD says in the book of Jeremiah 8:4-6

"'When people fall down, don't they get up again?

When they discover they're on the wrong road, don't they turn back?

5 Then why do these Nigerians stay on their self-destructive path?

The Lord says again in the same book of Jeremiah 6:16: :

"Stop at the crossroads and look around.

Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.

Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.

Not long after I started this campaign in order that the good old days of Nigeria return, that many people started to tell me that Rawling's method is our solution. I had said and still hold the view that Rawling's style is not our solution. It might have worked for Ghana but it will not work in Nigeria. It will only start Regional and Tribal rift which will have no end as one or more tribes will accuse whoever does it as targeting them.

Will Court processes solve our poverty?

I have always replied 'No' and I have been proved right or how many of those that have been accused of stealing our wealth being convicted? Till the next 100 years, no one will be convicted.

Only a change of mind set will solve our myriads of problems; poverty, epileptic power supply, unemployment, none payment of salary, poor road, falling standard of education, kidnapping etc. A return to the godly path of our fathers alone is the solution.

The Bible says it clearly in 2 Cor. 6:3 that there is no solution in reeling out punishments for law breaking but the solution is in allowing God to control our hearts. It says that the letter kills but the spirit gives life meaning that the laws have no power to conquer man's lust for sins, only the Holy Spirit of God can.

And this is very true. Though people know that it is death should they be caught with hard drugs travelling to China and some other countries, yet they do it.

Therefore, a heart given to God; a change of mind set, love and care for one another is our solution.

And this is why my friends in Islam and Christianity have been calling for Inter-Religious Solemn assembly where we shall for once put behind us whatever separates us and jointly call on God to help us chat a new course of life, give us a new heart; a heart of love and humility and service for the nation.

By the grace of God announcement for this Inter-Religious Solemn Assembly will start very soon.

Certainly I know that many people who are profiteering from the prevailing ungodly behaviour will try to foil this assembly but God will not give them success.

By the grace of God, this proposed assembly, will be the beginning of eradication of poverty and untimely death in our nation.

Let me warn us of another thing that will not work. And that is trying to cow everyone into one particular religion for the purpose of receiving favour. It will not work rather it will bring war of religion, which is the worst of any type of wars. May God rebuke Satan for us!

Our founding fathers did not lay the foundation of the prosperity of this nation on preference for any particular religion and that was why the nation was progressing during their time.

So if people of one religion plans that they alone have the right to be comfortable and be employed and make people of other religions to be second class citizens and be subservient, they should have a rethink because such a plan is not from God, it must be from the devil who does not want us to live at peace with ourselves.

Consider how God works, He allows rain to fall on the properties of everyone; the godly and the ungodly or does anyone think that God cannot do it to allow rain on the properties of the good people and disallow it on the property of bad people?

God, in the meantime allows all to thrive; godly and ungodly while He reserves big punishment for the ungodly till the day of judgement at the close of age.

God at no time gave permission to people of any religion to punish people of other religions. Therefore anyone who thinks that only people of his religion should be able to access the wealth of the nation to the detriment of people of other religions is not in tune with the righteous God.

Let us pray

Signing Out

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