(BY VEN. FOLUSO TAIWO)

“The incarnation of Jesus Christ who came from heaven in human form has made Him the first missionary just like the early missionaries who left the United Kingdom, U.S.A. and Europe and came to Africa, to Nigeria; they left all the comforts of developed countries and lived with people in the developing countries, their mode of transport was the boat just as Ajayi Crowther did, many died on the high seas, unmarried they left the glory of their place to display the principle of incarnation. They left the glory of their place to suffer for the gospel.”

The Primate of All Nigeria, the Most Revd. Nicholas D. Okoh made these observations, at the Singspiration Christmas Concert, a yearly Christmas Cantata held at the Basilica of Grace Church Apo, Abuja.

Primate Okoh said it is disheartening to hear that some people are rejecting their posting to rural areas 100 years after the missionaries have given their lives and died for the gospel taking cognizance that there is no village in Nigeria today that is bad and inaccessible.

According to the Primate, if people cannot marry what they claim to be “Born again believers in Christ, to the urgent assignment of spreading and preaching the gospel, then they are fake Christians and pretenders.”

He said, the Church must not be static, it should be a moving stream; hence every man, every woman must move, go forward, not being stagnant in one place. He added that the ministry of preaching the gospel is a risky business, a ministry of service, but people have deemphasized service because of so many attachments and have become vain in many ways. He said despite the heavy dancing and music enjoyment and celebration in the Church, evil is still growing, because the mind of the people has not been captured. He said it is not surprising therefore that when people leave the church, they commit atrocities with impunity, adding that the dancing has taken away the reality of the faith.

He warned Christians that they cannot double cross God, by stealing church money, telling lies and doing funny things with Church projects and they say that they are rich.

He warned that people should not come to Church to collect curses, because according to him, after stealing Church money God will come down and visit the people severely.

The Church, he said is a rescue mission, hence people must rescue people. He called on people to deflate themselves for God to be inflated. Primate Okoh said the humility of the incarnation of God should be the vision and mission of the Church, because it is a centre of service, a point where servants of God gather to rescue the perishing.

He concluded that music is not Christianity, but music can serve a purpose in the service of God, and it must be limited to that service it renders; but emphasis must be placed on humility, service and rescue mission.