Buchi

I know the benefits of physical exercises but please stop making it look like I committed an offense in the womb and God punished me with a big body!
Just as He made some fair skinned and some dark, He made some small and some big. I was born big, my friend.
My gym instructor needs to be cautioned.
Happy life, my people!

THE VILLAGE PASTOR

This is a particularly difficult time to be a pastor.
Pastors live, mostly, off the goodwill of the people; and that, sadly, has been largely erroded by the nasty image bestowed on the church by current public opinion.
Today's pastor wears an ugly cloak and carries a heavy burden. Like Jesus on His way to Calvary, he carries the cross of the sins of other colleagues who have been found guilty, justly or unjustly, in the judgement of an unlearned jury.
In the ruling of the public, most pastors are thieves, swindlers and fake.
Look, and you will see that many are the afflictions of pastors today. Multiplied are the tongues that have risen against them in judgement.
In the midst of these flying arrows, the pastor stands; his only armor is the love of Jesus the Christ and the truth of His gospel.
He stands maligned and condemned by the same people for whom he travails in prayer.
However, the resilient congregation of true believers in the cities have stubbornly loved and upheld their pastors, giving and providing for their needs.
My pain and sorrow today is about the village pastor.
His flock are mostly those who receive sustenance from their children and relatives in the cities. Even these village congregations have dwindled because of the caustic criticism of the church and her clergy.

Social media, the new public teacher, ensures that everyone, wherever they are, hears stories of the "evil deeds" of so-called servants of God, and therefore is equipped and emboldened to crucify them.
The village pastor toils to keep your hometown safe and sane through the preaching of the Word, does house-to-house evangelism, visits the sick etcetera.
His salary from the headquarter-church is scandalous; something you can put in your back pocket and go for an evening out and not a dime of it returns with you.
He has children to feed and raise. Most times, he has no farmlands in the community where he has been posted to serve.
The already scanty village churches are thinning out by the day, also because the pastor can no longer keep his woes away from his sermons. He talks about money and the remaining congregants flee, clutching their pockets, lest the prophecies of their vile social media prophets come to pass.
PLEASE REMEMBER THE VILLAGE PASTOR TODAY!!!
As you receive your salaries this month end, send gifts to them, that the work may be strengthened.

NB:
When Jesus sent out His disciples into cities and villages, He did not allow them to carry any purse. No extra clothes, no money!
Much later, after they returned, He asked them: "when I sent you without a purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said Nothing."
(Luke 22:35. See also Matthew 10:9 and Mark 6:8)
Think about it.

Guess who we have here...
In the days of yore 😁
Or as they call it these days, THROW BACK!
Of a truth, it pays to serve Jesus!

Who told you that you're better than your neighbour?
If not for the grace of God, we're not different from the people we preach to. Many of the people we call unbelievers are more principled and better behaved than us, sadly.
Only by the grace of God have we received the knowledge and revelation of Christ the saviour who now dwells in us.
We have been chosen.
He didn't choose us because we are special; we are special because He chose us.
Now that He indwells us, we must consciously allow Him to rule over our senses and the desires of our flesh... through His Word.
No follow body o,
Body no get sense.

THE GREAT AKWA IBOM.

This is Nigeria. Uyo in Akwa Ibom state precisely. I have to tell you because you know that this is not the typical look of our airports. This is even more beautiful than most international airports in Africa, if you ask me.
Let me show you round a little.
Their airline, their road network and their hospitality infrastructure are top notch. Remarkably excellent.

Oh, you haven't seen their sports stadium. In fact, that has become the venue of most of Nigeria's international football games.

It is remarkable that this state has had four civilian governors since inception, who have not always been in agreement in all things. These successive governors have quarreled openly on several issues and at different times, yet, they did not discontinue with their predecessor's dream project.

Ibom Air is said to have been conceived by Gov.Victor Attah after whom the airport is named. The airport was built by Gov.Godswill Akpabio while the Airline and her fleet of Aeroplanes came in the time of Gov.Udom Emmanuel. This beautiful structure that is the international wing has just been commissioned by the current governor, Gov.Umoh Eno.
Continuity... for the love of the people!
Time fails me to talk about their annual Christmas convocation where the world gathers in Uyo for a most colorful pilgrimage, celebrating Christ. In all of my sojourn in Nigeria, no where have I witnessed a more open and lavish celebration of Christ.

Akwa Ibomites were not always so exalted and respected among their neighbors. Purposeful leadership brought them here.
I have often wondered. What did Victor Attah tell them from the beginning? What is this creed that they received and held unto, defying personal differences, the stumbling blocks and pitfalls where others failed?
I may not know enough, but I think it's about the love of the people.
Congratulations, my people!

THESE CATHOLIC PRIESTS!

It was a young Catholic priest, several years ago, who gathered a crowd of worshippers in Abuja in the middle of the rainy season, having invited me to minister in songs to them in an outdoor evangelical outreach.
When I expressed my concern about the weather, he smiled and declared authoritatively, "this rain will cooperate with us!"
The thunderstorm was fierce and relentless that day, but, guess what? The rain paused all evening until I dropped the microphone and the people dispersed. Then the torrential downpour resumed.

It was a young Catholic priest in Port Harcourt who made one of the most profound statements I've heard in my walk with God.
"My needs are few, if any. I have little or no need for the money I receive."
The peace of contentment was all over him as he spoke.
"Be content with such things as ye have..." ( Hebrews 13:5)
and the likes... are Bible verses we hardly hear these days.
You would think such scriptures have been deleted from the Bible.

And now again!
This Catholic priest just made us all proud as Christians, speaking the naked truth to Mr President, eyeball to eyeball. Whatever your political inclination, whatever you may think of the opinions he expressed, there aren't many Christian leaders who have spoken their minds so courageously, without guile.

Suddenly, the lines from George Duffield's 1858 hymn "STAND UP FOR JESUS" in my Methodist Hymn book came alive!

"Let courage rise with danger
And strength to strength oppose...'

"Where duty calls, or danger
Be never wanting there!"

Thank you, Cardinal John Onaiyekan. Thanks indeed.
The church of Jesus Christ is ONE BIG FAMILY!

Happy new month of August:
Our Month of bus preaching.
Every bus, a preacher!
"Onward Christian soldiers..."

SMALL CHURCH, BIG CHURCH.

My beloved friend, a firebrand, hardline, do-it-as-you-should preacher, eager to grow his church numerically, found an opportunity when confronted with a childless woman who desperately needed a miracle.
My pastor friend launched into fervent prayers, prolonged fasting and all manner of spiritual intervention he could muster.

By the way, his church was a one-room makeshift, where-two-or-three-are-gathered kind of church in a humble neighborhood of Agege, Lagos; not the kind of place you expected to meet a great man of God.
It reminded you of the early church in the Acts Of Apostles that met in the homes of members.
One day, as the Lord directed him, he announced to the couple that they were going to conceive in a certain month, and true to his declaration, the woman conceived!

Critics and naysayers doubted the development. Some said it was fibroids and not pregnancy. Others said he was fake and satanic. The decadence and corruption of modern societies is such that supernatural occurrences are ascribed primarily to magic and diabolical manipulations rather than to the wonder-working God. A descent into hell.
Verdict came after nine months when the woman brought forth a baby boy!
Jubilation followed.
Pastor Emmanuel’s thrill in all of this was that this major miracle would bring the attention of all to the wonder-working God in his church, so he waited earnestly for the day of Child Dedication. This was going to be something special.
It would certainly increase the membership of his church and perhaps, begin their journey out of the one-room-church status. Who knows?
To his greatest chagrin, however, the couple went to a "big" church with a beautiful cathedral and dedicated their miracle baby; and as an icing on the ugly cake, they stopped attending his church.
My pastor and friend was, to say the least, offended and disappointed at their treachery. Why would they do such a thing?
His disappointment was understandable, if you ask me. Having hoped that the celebration of this miracle would give him a lift in ministry, he was utterly disheartened.

After a few months, however, when the passage of time had simmered his displeasure, he turned his petition to God.
The answer he received from God was astonishing:

“Emmanuel, why are you troubled and angry? Was it you who gave them the baby?
Was it you who answered their prayer?
They have thanked you and they have thanked me. It doesn’t have to be in your congregation.
Let it go and let them be.”

Aah! God did not rebuke them? My pastor repented quickly and repositioned his mind on the subject of ownership of church members. God is the owner of the church.

He would later say to me that the people in his church were neither all born into his church nor did they all get saved in his church. Many of them came from somewhere. If they move on for a good reason, do not despise them. Encourage them still.

“And other sheep have I who are not of this fold ...” John 10:16

Remember: every one who is called into ministry and who works for the Lord, has one boss; Jesus!
ONE BIG FAMILY!