Bastard Children of God

The Bastard Children of God

(Why you must support PNUR Conference in African countries)

The influence of Nigerian churches on the African continent and the world over cannot be overestimated. In my travel around African countries I observed many families sitting glued to their TV sets on Sundays and every other week day watching Nigerian TV Evangelists. In fact, it makes ministering to them much easier as they see you as a brother to those they see on TV. Like in the case I met in Yaoundé when one of my partners whom I call simply OC took me to pray with a woman who was having problem walking. In a matter of seconds the woman walked out of her home when I asked her to step out in faith. I was uncomfortable when she did not return within ten minutes because I did not understand the miracle God has wrought on her. It was then her husband explained to me that it was a miracle she was able to walk down the staircase and did not collapse. Such was the many miracles I witnessed in my ministry not because of my faith but because my country men had built faith into the people I met through cable and TV programs. Some had begged me to lead them to Christ and yet others asked me to pray that they be filled with the Holy Spirit. And sure as it was, there was instant testimony because their hearts were made ready. There are those whose main life ambition is to pay pilgrimage to Nigeria. So that they too can be part of those large meetings and have people watch them on TV in a place of prayer.

Wonderful as these testimonies are, there are also some serious problems they create.

1. People give their life to Christ without proper follow-up and sound bible teaching. I know a woman whose relation got healed in her house while watching a TV program of a Nigerian preacher. The woman had been booked for operation only a day before then; she had made payment and moved her things to the hospital, only waiting for day break to move to the hospital. But the evening of the day before she discovered that the tumor for which she was to be operated had disappeared while she joined in prayer with a TV Evangelist. She shared the testimony with me. Many more like that receive miracles and give their life to Christ but there is no present worker to build them up in their new faith. A great number are not able to stand and they fall away. A secondary school young man I met did not know where to find the book of Revelation though he is a church worker. Churches spring up because somebody encountered the Holy Spirit and as a result manifest spiritual gifts. In such congregations you find people worshiping the God they do not know.

I am sorry to say this but many so-called missionaries I meet on my trips are wounded soldiers and many more others, wolves in sheepskins. They are more of obstacles to the gospel than help to the Kingdom agenda. When you talk about organizing programs that will strengthen the Body of Christ, not many of them understand what you imply.

It’s also shocking to note that an average Roman Catholic member knew more scripture and Christian character than most Pentecostal members I met in Cameroon. You are likely to observe that seven out of ten pastors, even those of established churches, are living with women they had not properly married.

In Bamenda, Cameroon, the retreat places Pentecostal pastors and their members use for prayers are generally owned by the Roman Catholic Church. In such places one should not be surprised to see the crucifix on every bed. My surprise though is that most of those Pentecostal ministers do not know the difference between the Roman Catholic crucifix and the evangelical cross.

This state of chaos means that many new converts soon get confused and stop following the Lord

We do all rise and do something about this

(To be continued)

Emma your brother @PNUR