Text: Isaiah 58:1
1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
Introduction
I strongly feel in my Spirit that the church of Christ in Nigeria needs to repent. Yes! I feel the church of Christ in Nigeria needs to repent. You may ask me why! But before I say a few reasons why I think the Nigerian Church should repent, I will like you to know that repentance is the heart of God and I am a part of the Nigerian church.
God delights in Repentance, not in judgment. He always gives opportunity for individuals, churches, kingdoms, and nations to embrace repentance and escape judgment. If the anger of God surges towards any person or nation like an ocean, through repentance, the raging of the anger will be calmed down.
I am not saying that judgment is coming upon the Nigerian church and likewise I did not say that it is not coming. However, what I am saying is that if you critically and spiritually evaluate the situation of the Nigerian church you will agree with me that there is an urgent and serious need for repentance.
After this brief introduction, I will mention a few reasons why the Nigerian church should repent. I will also seize the opportunity to call on members of the Nigerian church and Nigerian believers to repent on her behalf since it seems nobody is willing to take up the responsibility, even though it is necessary.
In view of this I will be engaging in fasting, prayers, and repentance for the church of Christ in Nigeria in line with 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says
14 If my people, which are called by my name (CHRISTians), shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways (repent); then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Any one that wishes to join me in this repentance for the church of Christ in Nigeria can send an email to jesuscoming@yahoo.com or raptureglorious@gmail.com. I will send prayers to pray and actions to be taken to them. They can also check back at this platform in few days to come when I will have posted the prayers and the actions.
Few Reasons Why The Church of Christ In Nigeria Should Repent
-1. Judgment shall begin at the house of God
1 Peter 4:17 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
The scripture above makes us to know that obey the gospel (Christians) shall be judged, first, before those that do not obey it, and the judgment shall begin at the house of God, the churches.
No one has immunity to the judgment of God because he is called by God’s name (Christian) or because he resides in the house of God (church) or because he works at the alter of God (ministers). Only those who repent of their evils have coverings from God’s anger. The following few cases can be derived from the bible.
-1. God judged the children of Aaron – Abihu and Nadab, at the alter of God because of sins.
Leviticus 10:1-2 1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
The children of Aaron were consumed by God’s fire for the evil they did at God’s alter.
-2. God judged Israel, a nation called by His name, because of sins
Jeremiah 25:29 29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.
Israel and Judah did so much evil before the face of God and Prophet Jeremiah called them to repentance to no avail and God sent them to captivity for their sins.
-3. God shut down Shiloh, his house, because of sins.
Jeremiah 7: 11-12 11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.
12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
In the scripture above, God was complaining that His house, Shiloh, had been converted to den of robbers by His people, Israel. This was the same complain that the Lord, Jesus Christ, made in Mathew 21:12-13 when He said His Father’s house had been turned into the den of thieves.
For the wickedness that the people of God, Israel, did in the house of God, Shiloh, God shut it down. Read the scripture below.
Psalm 78:57-60 56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:
57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
-2. The Lord, Jesus Christ, called the early Seven Churches To Repentance
Revelation 2:3,16 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Revelation 2:3,
3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
The early Seven churches that the Lord Jesus Christ mentioned in the book of revelation, chapters 2 and 3, were founded by the direct disciples of Jesus Christ or at the least those who had contacts with those direct Disciples. In fact, the book of revelation inside which the seven churches were called to repentance was written by John the Beloved – one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He was still alive at the time of these churches.
If the seven early churches that were founded by those who followed Jesus, who listened to the gospel from his mouth, who saw him being crucified, who saw him resurrected, and who saw him ascended, were called to repentance by the same Jesus Christ for the sins they committed, as early as at the time of their establishment, how much more shall the end-time-church that were never founded by the direct disciples of Jesus Christ and upon whom there are prophecies that it shall fall away, and iniquities and false prophets shall abound in its time, be called to repentance (2 Thessalonians 2:3,7 Luke 18:8), including the church of Christ in Nigeria? Surely they shall be called to repentance.
-3. Much is expected from the church of Christ in Nigeria.
Luke 12:48 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
God has committed a lot of heavenly resources to the church of Christ in Nigeria. The following statements below will support the assertion.
-1. Nigeria has the largest number of Christians in Africa.
-2. Nigeria has the second largest number of Pentecostal Christians in the world, after the United States.
By virtue of these, much is expected globally from the Nigerian Church. If the church failed in this expectation, then we need to repent.
-4. Highest Numbers of Churches And Highest level of Corruptions/Wickedness
Online search has ranked Nigeria as the country that has the highest number of churches in the world, yet Nigeria has been consistently ranked by Transparency International as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. This is rather absurd. How can the country that parades the most number of churches in the world be among the most corrupt in the world as well? Something, definitely, is wrong somewhere!
The church of God in Nigeria was commissioned by God to be the light of Nigeria by rebuking sins, calling people to repentance, destroying the works of the devil. How come, now, that darkness has covered the nation? Perhaps the church of Christ in Nigeria has not shined enough light to chase away the darkness or has put her light under the bushel.
Youths are going into internet frauds are crime. Girls are going into prostitutions. There are ritual killings and kidnappings. Abortions, cultism and violence are at all time highest levels. Sports betting and gambling are selling fast. So many other sins are spreading across the nation. Most of these people attend one church or the other. Sinners are now comfortable in many churches because they are not hearing genuine words of repentance. We really need to repent.
These are few of the reasons why I strongly believe that the church of Christ in Nigeria should repent.
Basic Difference Between Intercession And Repentance
The defining principle of Repentance can be seen in Jeremiah 18:7-8.
Jeremiah 18:7-8 7 At what instant I (God) shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
The following three steps can be derived.
-1. God proclaims judgment.
Because of sins and wickedness, God proclaims judgment on an individual, or a family, or a nation, or a church.
-2. The people turned away from their sins and wickedness.
In order to escape the judgment pronounced by God, the individual, or the family, or the nation, or the church upon which God had pronounced judgment, turn away from their sins and wickedness.
-3. God cancels the judgment.
Because the people have turned away from their sins which warranted the judgment in the first instance, God also cancels the judgment. The people may have prayed, fasted or do a combination of both but what is important to God is that the people turn away from their sins. This was exactly what took place at Nineveh in Jonah, chapter 3: 8-10.
The defining principle of Intercession can be found in Ezekiel 22:30-31.
Ezekiel 22:30-31 30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.
The following three steps can be derived.
-1. God proclaims judgment.
Because of sins and wickedness, God proclaims judgment on an individual, or a family, or a nation, or a church.
-2. The people did not turn away or are not ready to turn away from their sins and wickedness.
Because the people did not turn away from their sins, then the judgment which God has pronounced upon them becomes imminent.
-3. God raises intercessor(s) (a third party) to pray for them to delay the judgment temporarily till they repent.
However, God is merciful and does not want a sinner to perish according to Ezekiel 18: 23. Then He raises an intercessor to pray on behalf of the sinner and ask God for mercy on behalf of the sinner. By this, God will delay the judgment a bit while He waits for the sinner to turn away from his sins and then the judgment can be cancelled permanently. If however, the sinner did not repent eventually, the judgment of God will fall upon him. Intercession will not work anymore.
Ezekiel 18:23, 31-32, Ezekiel 33:11, 23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
From the above scripture, it can be seen that God does not take pleasure in the judgment He has pronounced on a sinner. The ultimate goal of God for a sinner/wicked is to turn away (repent) from his sins/wickedness and live. But where this is not immediately achievable, God raises intercessor for the sinner who will pray for mercy (James 2:13) for him so that the judgment can be suspended temporarily until the sinner turns away (repents) from his sins. But if he finally failed to turn away (repent) from his sins/wickedness, then the judgment of God will consume him.
In one word, repentance, turning away from sins, is done by the person(s) involved. Repentance cancels judgment. Intercession, on the other hand, is a prayer offered on behalf of a sinner(s) until the person(s) is ready to repent. Intercession suspends the judgment temporarily.
Importance of Intercession and Repentance
-1. Call to repentance is a standing instruction from God.
Isaiah 58:1 1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2. God is constantly looking for intercessors.
Ezekiel 22:30, 1 Timothy 2:1-3 30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none
-3. Through intercession of Moses, God did not destroy Israelites in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy 9:18, 25 Deuteronomy 10:10
Deuteronomy 9:18, 25 18 And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
25 Thus I fell down before the LORD forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first; because the LORD had said he would destroy you.
Deuteronomy 10:10 10 And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also, and the LORD would not destroy thee
The Israelites committed sins of idolatry and rebelliousness against God in the wilderness. They made and worshipped a golden calf. They also disbelieved God’s word that He would give them the land He had sworn to their fathers. Thus they provoked God to anger and He said that He would destroy them in the wilderness. Then, Moses interceded for them by fasting forty days and forty nights and the Lord hearkened to the intercession of Moses and did not destroy them.
-4. Through repentance, God spared Nineveh from destruction.
Jonah 3: 8-10 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
God proclaimed judgment on Nineveh because of their sins. Nineveh turned away (repented) from their sins and God also cancelled the judgment He had proclaimed on them. That is repentance.
-5. Repentance can bring healing to a nation.
2 Chronicles 7:14 14 If my people, which are called by my name (Christians), shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways (repent); then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Join Me In Interceding and Repenting For The Church of Christ in Nigeria I am going to be interceding and repenting for the church of Christ in Nigeria because I am part of her. If you are a Nigerian believer, whether you are in Nigeria or in Diaspora, or you are a non-Nigerian believer, I enjoin you to join me in this intercession and repentance. A lot is at stake concerning the Church of Christ in Nigeria
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Kindly take the following steps.
-1. Send an email to jesuscoming@yahoo.com or raptureglorious@gmail.com to receive prayers of repentance and intercessions to pray for the church of Christ in Nigeria or check back on this platform later, when the prayers will have been posted.
-2. Pray the prayers faithfully.
-3. Share this message and the prayers with Nigerian believers including ministers/pastors.
-4. Make all efforts to turn away from any activity you repent of.
-5. Call others to repentance.
