THE CHURCH IN A CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY (21)

 

Crucify Him

Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!” (Matthew 27:22-23)

The definition and explanation of crucifixion is as follows: "Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution in which a person is nailed or tied to a large wooden cross and left to hang until death. This form of punishment was used by various civilizations, most notably the Romans, and was intended to be a public display of punishment and humiliation. In a historical context, crucifixion was often reserved for the most serious crimes, including rebellion and treason. The process was not only excruciatingly painful but also designed to serve as a deterrent to others."

Crucifixion was not just a death; it was a slow form of death in which the victim endured excruciating pain that could last for hours or even days. Most importantly, the victim became a subject of ridicule by the public who passed by to mock and scorn him. Such was what Jesus Christ was subjected to.

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was not the final strategy or plot of the devil against the church and the plan of God. The devil, in his crafty manner, unleashes a gradual crucifixion of anything godly and pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

As one who encountered Christ in the early '90s, I have seen with dismay how some of the long-held, cherished, and godly practices that sustained the church's existence have been excruciatingly crucified in my presence. What a sad story I have to tell!

After I was brought to grace in Jesus Christ, I joined a Christian fellowship and desired to become a worker in the church after several days of being a member. I was surprised that even to join a Prayer Band, I was asked to undergo three days of marathon fasting and prayer to be sure God wanted me to join. For the first time in my life, I faced a struggle between death and life through three days of fasting and prayer, after which I returned to be prayed for and was permitted to join. Brethren, is there any such demand today? Even to become a pastor today, you only need a Bible and the ability to speak in tongues. Do any choir groups, ushering units, or prayer bands insist or encourage anyone to pray and fast anymore? That experience has been crucified and long forgotten.

I used to know, even as a Muslim, that Christians attended morning and evening services on Sundays, in addition to other weekly services such as Bible studies, prayer meetings, and night vigils. Gladly, we would stay in the church for several hours hearing the word of God and praying. Please, is there any church today that holds Sunday evening service? The Orthodox churches that once had this laudable program have crucified it for the demands of the end-time Christians. Even some Sunday morning services today last no more than thirty minutes to one hour. Instead of glorying in raising mature and fortified Christians, we take pleasure in announcing to the public that we run five services per Sunday. Thus, we have created a fast-food generation of Christians who want programs quickly but lack the stamina to stand firm in evil days. They have no time to ruminate and pray over the word they have heard. They hurriedly return home to continue their normal lives. The serious Bible study programs of those days, which could last for hours, have been replaced by Bible schools that members attend at their leisure.

Anytime you meet a brother or sister, the first question they would ask you is: “WHERE DID YOU READ TODAY?” You can't give any excuse because we have been trained to know that Bible reading is indispensable for Christian growth. Today, we have several Bible applications on our phones but not in our hearts. We are full of Bible knowledge, yet we lack the spirit of the Scriptures.

I used my pocket money to buy several audio and video tapes, including Christian literature with diverse Bible translations. Our leaders would quote various Christian authors and refer us to them. Rather than giving you these tapes as gifts, they would ask you to invest your pocket money in them. So, I bought thousands of books and tapes. Eventually, I had a library good enough to start a library station, and I read practically all those books and listened to the tapes. Even today, when books and videos are freely available online, we have raised Christians who are only interested in socializing. They are busy taking pictures in church. They have followers on social media but no spiritual followers.

You don't dare ask to serve on Sundays if you do not attend a workers' meeting. Today, the meeting has been simplified to online formats, yet our brothers have no time. I met a sister some time ago who was attending an online prayer meeting but was also cooking in the kitchen. How are we deceiving ourselves?

Sincerely, until recently, no Christian leaders or members talked about divorce. It was a definite no-go area for any heaven-minded Christian. Today, the power has changed hands. Our leaders now advocate for divorce in the face of perceived domestic abuse.

We inform our leaders of our itineraries and personal encounters. We are promptly punished for any observed deviations from biblical injunctions. Try it today, and your church would undergo surgical desertion and stigma. You would be perceived as the Devil's Advocate. The erring member would be celebrated in a neighboring church and quickly promoted to the highest rank of that church. Before you know it, they will be serving at the executive level of a Christian association, even though they ran away from corrections and punishment.

Who is talking about the dress code today? Our brothers and Christian workers with perceived new revelations now mount the sacred altar with dreadlocks, earrings, and large chains around their necks like Rastafarians. Sisters appear in revealing outfits that could be likened to those of prostitutes in a hotel. Our leaders have lost the courage to challenge them to moral decency. We have almost lost it all.

Can you see the degree of crucifixion that has taken place and is still occurring in the church?

I am becoming restless and losing courage too. This is because those of us who still have a little light in us are being daily persecuted and termed rigid and too spiritual. If Christ does not come soon, the courage we now possess will soon fade away.

Hmmm... Let those who fear God speak to one another.

Evangelism and outreach were integral parts of our Christian life and experiences in those days. Do you know what it is like today? Evangelism and outreach are meant for missionaries and possibly pastors in full-time ministry. Other Christians are only asked to make financial contributions toward evangelism but are not engaged.

I know what I am talking about, brethren. We are gradually losing our cherished heritage. The church is supposedly increasing daily, but the essentials of our faith are dying.

If you're reading this and have experienced this life in the past and have been made out of this plausible lifestyle, it is high time we rose to pray for a fresh outpouring of divine grace upon us.

This is the admonition:

"Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief." (Revelation 3:2-3)

Rise up, O men of God.

Peter Abdul-Razaq OLAYINKA

A serving missionary with Living Grace Christian Missions, Ilara.  

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