BUHARI AND ROCHAS’ VICTORIES AND PRIESTS WHO PREACH AND PRAY AMISS
L-R: President Buhari and Gov. Rochas
By: Sam Onwuemeodo
Those who had followed the Sermons and Prayers of some Priests or Pastors in some Churches in the State prior to the Saturday, February 23, 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections would have known or seen or heard about the bias, or clannish or inciting or divisive prayers and preachings of some of those we look upto or see as our Spiritual fathers.
Openly, some of them preached and prayed against the Victory of President Muhammadu Buhari because to them, he hates Christians. Or, would Islamize the nation. Some preached and prayed against the Victory of Rochas Okorocha giving various reasons for their actions and utterances. But the good news is that, men, be they Pastors or Bishops, are not God. And cannot be God. If men, including priests, were God!!! But thanks be to God, that they are not.
I am Concentrating on those who preached and prayed in the State. I won’t be concerned with the ones at the National level including the President and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, respectively. They prayed that Buhari should fail the election while Atiku Abubakar should win. They didn’t hide it. Just like Ohaneze Ndi Igbo and Afenifere did. Political adoption. Adoption of preferred Candidates using religion or faith as tool. But thanks be to God, that his way is not the same with that of man or priests. His thoughts, not like ours. He is God and not human being.
So far, so good, Buhari has already won the 2019 Presidential election to the extent of defeating Atiku in his Polling unit. What does that entail? It means that God never answered the prayers of the Pastors in question. Why? They had prayed AMISS. The Scripture says, our unanswered prayers could be as a result of our praying AMISS. Praying AMISS means praying wrongly or not as it should be. The same Scripture says, the fervent prayers of the righteous availeth much. No indictment for men of God.
Ordained men of God would mount the pulpit and be preaching and praying for the failure of some Candidates and for the success of some others, all in the name of God, without caring to know the feelings of God on all those Concerned. Unconsciously or even deliberately they create Political divisions in the Church of Jesus Christ. They also encourage clannishness among believers or the Congregation. The one at CATOL from Mbaise was raw and never gave a damn. During the Sermon and the subsequent prayers nobody talked or raised his or her finger to say anything in the Contrary otherwise the person would have been guilty of Challenging God or Challenging the man of God. Who dare you? “Who Born you?” That is the Case. Sitting quietly and soaked in anger, my brethren left service that day with burden in their hearts in lieu of relief. You dare not Complain. They give the impression that the Church is an autocratic institution where once the priest has said anything, it is final. You do not “but them any but”. This is correct grammar. I didn’t manufacture it. Do not “but me any but”. I tell you.
In the early Church, when the Challenge came to them to choose between Justus and Matthias to be “ordained a witness of his resurrection” … They prayed and said, “thou, Lord, which knowest the heart of all men, shew whether of these two thou has chosen” (Acts 1:21, 23, 24). If it were to be today, the priests concerned would have said, let it be Justus because he is from Mbaise while Matthias is from Orlu. Also, the selection of the early deacons was occasioned by the “murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration” (Acts 6:1). The apostles never cursed them for murmuring. Rather they addressed the issues that led to the murmuring. Today, they would have been accused of murmuring against God or against men of God. And they would have been sanctioned. The apostles addressed the issue by appointing “Seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom” to handle the welfare aspect (Acts 6:3). They never appointed anyhow people.
And do you know one of the reasons evil has continued to snowball on daily basis in an era you have millions of Pastors and Bishops, and you see Churches after every twenty poles. I tell you why. These days, you hardly spot a clear-cut difference between what you see or heard outside and what you see or heard inside the Churches. When the Chairman of the PDP says do not vote for Buhari because he will Islamize the nation and a Pastor or Bishop who should paint a better picture says the same thing from the Pulpit, you will be forced to place the PDP Chairman where you place the Pastor. Leaders of the early Church were not deceitful. They were honest to themselves and to others. And always filled with Power because they were focused and not distracted. Some of the Pastors said people like us should not preach because we are not ordained. And you know what? There are certain comments you do not give attention to. Peter told the lame man at the Beautiful gate “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). And the man walked. The real men of God exercising the expected Power. It also shows that the Power is not in naira and kobo or Political bias but in the name of Jesus. That is what makes the difference and such exercises of Power in the name of Jesus made the early Church to grow without internet or television, etal. And they also had their respect and were feared. They earned respect for themselves and not through intimidation and divide and rule sermons and prayers. What is the main worry at this Stage? Some of these priests are enthroning Political and Clannish sentiments or bias in the Church of Jesus Christ.
Now that Buhari is at the verge of being sworn-in again for Second term as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, what will these Pastors who had prayed for his failure and for the success of Atiku do? Politicians on the Pulpit. You ask yourself, Atiku, is he not a Muslim with three wives and Corruption accusations. And you are praying against another Muslim with high level of uprightness and moral fibre. May these priests who prayed for Atiku not pray for me.
Their prayers have proved to be Counter-Productive. And all those who prayed for Owelle’s failure should also go with their prayers. I do not need prayers that God won’t answer because the people praying have prayed amiss. If these clergy were God!! Atiku picked a banker or businessman as the Vice-Presidential Candidate, while Buhari settled for a Senior Pastor in the Redeemed Church of Christ. You then ask, who among the duo could be said to love Christianity, if we are truly talking about Christianity or Jesus Christ. Pastor, do not pray amiss or “amissingly” or “amissery” for me. The Pastors’ lips and tongues should carry Power like that of Peter with which he made the lame man to walk, and Elijah with which he decreed that there would be no rain in Israel for years and it came to pass, and he said again, let the rains come, and it happened that way.
Wanted and urgently too: Men of God that carry Power and filled with the Holy Ghost, who can alter things for the benefit of the Kingdom. And not those who want to score Political goals for some Politicians and some of them ocultic, devilish and ungodly.
For those of them who prayed and preached against Rochas’ Victory, they should go and nod in regret. Being a Pastor or Bishop is not an exemption Certificate for hell fire or for the Judgement of God. “For God shall bring every work into Judgement, … whether it be good or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). And I crave your indulgence to add that, there won’t an exception. All and Sundry. Whether priest or Journalist. May God Continue to help us, while we Continue to Clap for Jesus.
