Wale Gates, Others, Criticizing RCCG, Adeboye

By Nneka Okumazie

It is possible to not want to be a Christian. It is possible to disagree with the way of life of genuine Christians, but it is skewed to think that misjudgment of the Christian faith, for whatever reason invalidates the faith, for all.

Christianity is a choice. Everything about the genuine Christian faith is acceptance – first, with completion in spirit and in truth.

Many use physical experience and logic to judge the Lord. But God is a spirit.

There are lots of atheists, agnostics and irreligious people who ask questions about the scriptures they believe have no answers.

But there are answers and where it seems like answers aren’t clear, there is faith to carry.

Many act like everything else in life has all the answers, except the scriptures.

The ultimate goal of genuine salvation is redemption to God, not to prove the story of Noah, or to understand how the Red Sea was parted.

Yes, curiosity is good. It is good to have questions and ask questions, but it is strange to cancel out the Christian faith because of what many feel are unsatisfactory answers or unanswered questions.

Christianity is not science. The Faith is not an experiment. Many want the same experiment designs that work in the lab, to work with Christ, or prayers.

Genuine prayers and true answers are a process that no one can trick. There are tons of processes – in life – that people try to bypass, find shortcuts, or abandon if they can’t force or get what they want.

Still, many are patient with some processes. There are lots of unsatisfactory answers in medicine. Psychiatry has so much it can’t do for mental illness. Neuroscience is bewilderingly intricate.

Artificial intelligence has machine learning algorithms that work, but impossible to explain how, leading to exploration of AI interpretability.

There are lots of unknowns on the happenstance of autoimmune diseases and their flare-ups. There are unanswered questions in astrophysics. There are so many medications with terrible side effects and some that won’t just work for some people who need them.

No one invalidates science and technology for their known unknowns and unknown unknowns. Everyone accepts science and technology because they are physical, they follow what is accepted by the senses and they make the world more habitable. But, both science and technology don’t have all the answers and are far from perfect.

All the might of science, technology and knowledge haven’t made the entire world developed. The world is full of problems caused by bitterness, wickedness, evil, envy, deception, pride, violent anger, strife, hate, unknown intentions, unforgiveness, greed, lust, etc.

There are new frontiers in science and technology, but many have emptiness, unexplainable sadness, some are miserable, some have the call of the void, some have addictions they know would destroy them but they just can’t stop, some are crippled by worries, etc.

In true Christianity, there is salvation, healing and deliverance. There is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is also hope. Hope in this world and hope for the world to come.

Socially, people do whatever works for them or whatever they like. Same way it goes for the choice of the Christian faith. Why the attacks?

If unacceptable by one individual, does it mean it won’t work for others? Some people are not music people, some are not movies people, some are not comedy people, some are not fish or meat people, some are not fitness people, some are not therapist people, that is their choice.

Why does it seem that the church of God is now a problem, and whatever they do is a magnet for ridicule?

Nigeria, undeveloped, has tens of direct and indirect reasons unconnected to the church of God. The situation of some countries in Western Europe with harsh unemployment, in the last decade, is also unconnected to church. Sub-Saharan Africa, undeveloped, is unconnected to church.

Church does not hinder development. If there’s a role infrastructure plays, if there’s a role education plays, if there’s a role science plays, if there’s a role economics play, then there’s a role the Christian faith and hope in God plays, regardless of what anyone says.

Lots of people forget that no matter the action of any Christian, Christ is the author and the finisher of the Christian faith. So the focus is on Jesus, no one else. Christ is the head of the church.

Some people were hurt by someone and made them hate whatever that person represents.

Some go further to become critics of what they hate, discrediting it for all. But no matter the experience, opposing the true Christian faith because of the action of someone, at some point, is rash.

Everyone needs hope, no matter how small. Hope can make the difference, in actions, situations, mind and behaviour. People face rejection every day. People face disappointment every day. People fail every day. True hope can be the reason to move on, try again, to refocus, and to see beyond that situation.

Addiction is not hope. Some people with their addiction sometimes have process emptiness. It gets to the point where it is no longer a getaway, but a compulsive doing, feeling bad for self and no relief.

Salvation is hope. Coming to Jesus is beneficial to life regardless of location, status, etc.

[Romans 1:17, For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The Just shall live by faith].