The recent decamping of the renowned preacher Benny Hinn from the GAIN IS GODLINESS group should be a food for thought for any heavenly-minded Christian who is expecting the arrival of OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST anytime from now. A man of integrity who had preached the GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST for decades, he realized how he has unwittingly MISLED his congregation for years in believing that MINDING EARTHLY MATERIAL THINGS is central to being a disciple of JESUS. He therefore came PUBLICLY in front of his congregation and APOLOGIZED for this many years of MISLEADING them. This fact, needless to say, is known to many NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN LEADERS who had, in one way or the other, benefited from his ministry. What this writeup intends to do is to dwell on the UNFAVORABLE effect of the UNDUE EMPHASIS that is laid on MONEY and the acquisition of MATERIAL THINGS in ALL the existing DENOMINATIONS in this country. The main consideration in this attempt is to DRUM it into the ears of those who care to listen that the COMING OF OUR LORD IS IMMINENT and the RAPTURE is only for those who have lived to please OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR. In the first place, the OVEREMPHASIS in your congregation on the PAYMENT OF TITHE, the GIVING OF OFFERING, the SOWING OF SEEDS and the IMPOSITION OF SPECIAL LEVIES is making the burdens of serving the LORD unbearable to many. Consequently, your SERMONS are just regarded as mere precepts that are only to HEARD and not OBEYED. In fact, your own BODY LANGUAGE also suggests that the most important consideration is the meeting of these FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS and it does not matter how the members of your congregation live their lives. The effect of this is that you now have thousands of PSEUDO CHRISTIANS who are bereft of the fundamental requirements of our LORD AND SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST. And yet the LORD says HIS YOKE IS EASY AND HIS BURDEN IS LIGHT! In your attempt to buy and build campgrounds, cathedrals and university (or universities), you have unwittingly (or is it deliberately?) tell your congregation that the matters of COMMITMENT and CONSECRATION are secondary. Secondly, by this your CARNAL ORIENTATION, you are making EVANGELISM fruitless because the belief among the generality of the people NOWADAYS is that you are only inviting them to YOUR CHURCH and not to CHRIST! Are you not judging the EFFICIENCY of the Pastors under you by the amount of MONEY they are able to bring to the HEADQUARTER after service on Sundays? Why are they running away from the so-called BIBLE STUDY you organize during the week days? Thirdly, since the major consideration as far as you are concerned is THEIR MONEY and not THEIR SOULS, the youths in your congregation cannot see anything wrong in INTERNET FRAUD, KIDNAPPING (either for RANSOM or RITUAL), CERTIFICATE RACKETEERING, and all other CRIMINAL activities! The time to go back to the OLD LANDMARK is now! Shalom
