Pressing Restart Button

Many times, some things just go around and many people start to talk about them. Like newly hatched birds, our mouths are always opened to swallow them without checking. Fads have come and gone in the church. If you’ve been around for a while among Pentecostal folks, you would’ve seen different “moves and waves”. They all come and go. They follow the same pattern all the time. Some influential personality would have an exaggerated zeal on a topic and everybody starts to say “that’s what the Lord is saying now”.

What have we not seen? We’ve seen different kinds of emphasis with their lopsidedness. Talk of sanctification, second work of grace, deliverance, rapture, breakthrough, anointing and anointing service, communion and communion service, success, wisdom, motivation, leadership, entrepreneurship, marriage, dating etc.

At a point, it appeared like every scripture was teaching a principle, so we started to see topics like “6 Principles of Supernatural Harvest”, “7 Principles that release miracles” and so on. We were selfish. We ignored the message of the scriptures- the person of Jesus, in pursuits of “principles and laws”. We Nigerian-ised Christianity and made ourselves the laughing stock of the rest of the world. We wrapped our faith and its meaning around our African problems.  God started to bear funny names in our services, “Jehovah sharp-sharp”, “Jehovah effizy”. Because of our desire “to praise him the african way”, we created interesting titles for him. The only thing God would have said to our newly manufactured names was “Me sef I no know say I dey bear that kain name”. Anyway, God is not mocked, he knew we were just entertaining ourselves, no matter how emotional we get about it.

In the coming days, we will begin to see growth of churches that emphasise only Christ and what he has done. It’s not another fad, it’s the message of the scriptures (the person of risen Christ). A re-focus where we have missed it.  A believer would do himself a lot of good not to be lazy about Bible Study. I’ve seen many who use the term “Holy Spirit” to cover up their ignorance and laziness. Instead of developing a proper Bible study culture, they result to “let’s just depend on the Holy Spirit my brother”. Some are even so bold, they say “the Holy Spirit interpreted it to me”. Really? They must be so special to see what is not written.

Many times, wrong Bible interpretation have been accompanied with “signs and wonders”. When that happens, our thinking faculties are forced to go on a recess. A further blow is dealt on proper Bible study when the new fad emphasizes morality and other virtues that are normally sanctioned by universal human conscience or tends to promote good living. Out of the window flies our desire for precise Bible interpretation. I know someone whose passion is morality and religious tradition but refers to his teachings as “wholesome truth”. I call it truth re-defined. Because the last time I checked, the truth is a person not a list of ideas that promote a sense of guilt.

What we believe defines us. So, we cannot overemphasise the role of scriptural scrutiny neither can we accede to “The Spirit told me….”

I don’t know about you, I am humble enough to press a restart button. I am ready to abandon the garbage of human wisdom that has been promoted for so long on many pulpits. I am ready to pray, ready to study the Bible all over, ready to preach and teach the same. We now know better than be hoodwinked by pulpit scammers who use their undue emphasis on results to promote “gain is godliness"

Pst. Kolawole Aderinwale