This times are heated times and for the church, it is paramount for the ecclesia of Christ to recognize her role in the times. The church is the body of believers saddled with the responsibility to reach others with the gospel. In recent times, there have been questions about the extent to which the church should go in this last days. The seven spheres of influence are ways through which man can be influenced and some circles believe that the church has a role to play in determining the landscape of these spheres while some others believe that the church's role is simply to preach the gospel and disciple men.
One
sphere of influence that has been debated in several quarters is the
government. Many Christians believe that what we need is a change of the heart
of men and not a constitution that aligns with God. I say that we need both! Let
me say this that I will in no way talk against the preaching of the gospel
because that would make void my faith. I recognize the place of regeneration of
man and I am involved in one-on-one evangelism and the eventual discipleship,
but I believe that there is more.
This
is what I mean. Some years back, I read Robert Liardon's God's Generals- the
Martyrs Edition and I saw how the early church suffered persecution in the
hands of the Roman government. Was the church spreading despite the
persecution? Yes. Was that the best atmosphere for the church to grow? No!
Things changed when Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity for military
reasons and Christianity metamorphosed into the religion of the state. Now, you
should know that despite the apostasy that set in due to the comfort, the
church spread much more in this period than in the days of the hostile
emperors.
The
posture of the government of a territory can make the preaching of the gospel
easier or harder and that is why we cannot leave that sphere and simply face
'the word'. We have to pray and cause those in power to have the right
influence so that we can be able to do the counsel of our Lord easily. Consider
the Middle East where many Islamic nations have placed a ban on Christianity.
Preaching is heavily hindered because of the posture of the government.
Believers meet in secret. They cannot come into the open to preach the gospel;
their zeal for evangelism has been curtailed. You cannot even announce to your
family members that you are saved. It is so bad that all the people need to
know is that you have become and ‘infidel’ and they will stone you to death
publicly and that is legal!
In
countries like US and many European countries, it is illegal to mention Jesus
in the classroom. You would lose your job and could even be prosecuted. This
happened in US in 1964. What kind of generation did that education system
produce? All these are positions gained by the enemy and established by the
government. The situation is worse in a nation like China. The issue is not the
absence of zealous Christians to preach. The issue is the restriction by the
government. In many states in south west Nigeria, preaching is now prohibited
to secondary school students. I know many who accepted Jesus through the secondary
school ministry; personally, I have seen hundreds get saved through a ministry
I am involved with in the secondary schools.
If
you are aware of the state of Northern churches and Christians, you will
understand that we cannot turn a blind eye to what happens in the government
houses. Many states have Islam engrained in their constitutions. Constitution
shows the posture of the people's heart. If the constitution is changed and the
people's heart remains the same, will that make any difference? Absolutely!
This brings in new ways of thinking and gives believers an open field to preach
the gospel. Remember Haman and Mordecai battle? Haman went for the governmental
power to achieve his plot.
Take
Kano for example, the churches have been restricted to an area; it is illegal
to build a church in another part of town. I visited that place in 2016. All
denominations are there; fence to fence. If you are led to start a church in
Kano, the government already decided where your church will be! Imagine the
limitation of the body of Christ in reaching out to the entirety of Kano! How
easy would evangelism and discipleship be in Kano? This is the same in many
other states. At least, I know of Katsina and Yobe states too.
In
the Western nations, all sorts of legislation are being advocated for LGBT+ and
abortion, for example. Is it God that inspired these advocates? Black Lives
Matter is another thing. Go on their website and see what they publicly stand
for. You will not just drop your jaw, you will almost drop your phone in
dismay! They want to use the government to establish a culture that is against
God. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people, bible
says. If a country legalizes LGBT+, it sets an atmosphere for that sin-induced
lifestyle to thrive. I will use myself as an example.
I
started masturbating in JSS3 or SS1. That time, I thought I was the first
person to do it in the world. I felt I was doing a thing that the world has
never seen before. I didn't even know that it has a name. Towards the end of my
secondary school education, I began to gain access to the internet and read
about different things. It was that time that I discovered that I was not
inventing anything new; it has been for centuries. Now, the writings I was
exposed to about masturbation condemned it so I knew I was doing something
wrong.
Now
consider a young boy who finds himself having sexual interests in other boys
and begins to ponder on the morality of his emotions. He goes online and
everything he finds tells him that some people are not straight, but you can be
wired as a gay from birth. This would lead to a
stronghold in his mind and that is the case with many persons in the
West advocating for their 'right' not knowing that they are advocating for sin!
The writings I saw made me look for help instead of advocating for my right.
I
saw a video on YouTube that explained the remaining task of the great
commission by Joshua Project. The countries where the government is wide apart
from the scriptures has the lowest percentage of believers. The work is more
abundant there! This is why we have to be interested in who wins elections, we
have to pay keen attention to governance. It is not so hard for anyone who
really wants to see.
The
government is one of the seven ways that man can be influenced, so an aligned
government is not enough. We still need the family, media, education, economy,
entertainment to also align for the society to show forth righteousness. This
is the agenda during the millennial reign of Jesus when there will be no one to
preach to again, but we should not wait for that time. Jesus, in His pattern
for prayers said we should ask for the will of God to be established on the
earth as it is in heaven. I am not saying that all we need is to have a
government that aligns with Jesus, but a government that aligns makes it easier
for the gospel to spread.
Comments