RE: OF PASTORS, DIVORCE AND SCANDALS

RE: OF PASTORS, DIVORCE AND SCANDALS

This article should not be taken as a strict rebuttal of the above titled article published through The Woman of Virtue Network. The reason being that that article was written as an admonition to Christian couples about safe guarding their marriages. I agree completely with that aspect of the write up because I am married. Any Christian couple must not gloat over a divorce case; we are also in the flesh and can face similar temptations. My trouble however with the article is it's use of a natural challenge that can befall couples, that is divorce, to seemingly offer a soft landing for Pastor Chris Oyakhilome. I shall be arguing in this piece that Christian Oyakhilome deserves what has befallen him because men must reap what they naturally have sown.

I begin my discuss by saying that scripture recognizes that a christian can sin and offers ample solution for this. In fact this is the reason our Lord and Savior died (1John 1:8-9). Scriptures, however, has no solution for a "Christian" that makes a practice of sin (1John 3:9). In fact this scripture says boldly that Christians do not sin or do not make a practice of sin. When we juxtapose the reason for divorce offered by Anita Oyakhilome, adultery, with the plethora of allegations that have been making the rounds on the internet and the the print media about Pastor Chris not living with his wife; his nocturnal activities with lady pastors in the ministry, married and unmarried; his being caught in compromising positions with women in his matrimonial home while his wife is away in the UK; one is left with no choice than to believe that Christian Oyakhilome is not a saint and has a cupboard full of skeletons. Every married man reading this text must agree that our wives will shield and protect us, no matter the situation. How many women have been beaten to their deaths and still will not utter a word to outsiders in a bid to protect their man. Women are designed by God this way and we men must thank God for this if not... hmm(?)

What will make a woman come out to the public and declare that her husband, who is supposed to be a leading Christian minister, is an adulterer, must be likened to the proverbial driving of a goat to the wall who then turns around to attack when left with no choice. Reports making the rounds on the internet, especially that of the group sponsoring a Facebook campaign asking "Where is Rev Anita Oyakhilome" reveals that this seemingly charming, quiet and committed mother of two of Chris' children had been pastoring the UK branch of the church since 1999 but was suddenly removed from her post sometimes towards the end of last year. No reason was given to her church people for this. Rather, when the cacophony of protest about her whereabout was reaching a peak, Christian Oyakhilome went to the church and read out the riot act to them. In front of everyone and their first daughter, he said unprintable things about his wife. And stated that the church is not a democracy and if anyone is unhappy about what he has done with removing his wife from office, they can get out of the ministry. A few weeks later, Anita served papers of divorce to him on the basis of adultery. The Facebook group had alleged in earlier posts that Chris was having too close a relation with women in the church and that his wife should not be punished for protesting. Anita's action were simply those of a woman who had had enough.

What I have written so far is basically what can be seen and deduced from the dilemma befallen Chris Oyakhilome. But this itself is not the real problem with him, his church or churches like his. The real problem is not what they are doing in these churches; the problem is what they BELIEVE in these churches. The problem is doctrinal not practice. The underlining doctrine of the Christ Embassy Church, like many other Pentecostal churches in Nigeria and around the world is doctrinal. These churches preach a Word of Faith gospel. The result is that the pastors and the people under them believe in prosperity, success, healing, breakthoughs, deliverances, and blessings. These doctrines are the overarching teachings in these churches and the result is what we are seeing around us: first with the Ese Walters and Biodun Fatoyinbo saga and now Christian Oyakhilome adulterous relationships. These churches are convinced that these are the teachings of scripture. We argue otherwise. We tell them that if the true doctrines of scriptures are taught in churches, the result will be righteousness, peace and joy in the Spirit amongst God's people. If however another gospel is taught in the church the result will be scandals, cases of adultery, lies, theft, cheating, divorce and all kinds of demonic activities. Our own Lord and Master Jesus Christ had told us that false prophets will abound in the end times and the way to know them is by observing their fruits: the outcomes of their lives.  

I am not advocating a holiness movement. That unfortunately is what people propose in place of a prosperity gospel. Both of them are on unhealthy extremes. I am advocating the true teaching of a gospel of grace in the body of Christ. Jesus Christ came to earth to die for all men's sins. We must preach this gospel and believe it. We must understand that in the gospel, God had given man not only power for salvation but also for right living. And the litmus test as to whether the gospel we have heard is a true one or a false one is to patiently observe the fruit it is bearing in the lives of it's advocate. I am debating here that the true gospel possesses in itself grace to empower men's lives for holy living (Hebrew 13:9). This holiness is not the result of following church prescribed rules or bodily discipline; rather it is the effect of God's Holy Spirit in the heart of each believer, instructing us on the path of righteousness and empowering us also. In this sort of holy living, no man can boast. We know we are what we are by the grace of God alone. We live our lives indebted to this grace.

What we find in churches like Christ Embassy is a perverted version of this gospel of grace. That's when we begin to hear of "another level of grace". When a man is beneficiary of true grace, he becomes a slave to the laws of God written on his heart. He doesn't use his liberty to sin. These churches pervert the gospel further by teaching that the cross has not only secured a heaven for us up there but has also secured one down here. The only trouble with this teaching is that Jesus and his apostles taught of a heaven up there, while reminding us that that here on earth we have no abiding home (Hebrew 11).

The gospel of prosperity is ruining the soul of Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. Today, churches make it compulsory that members give a tithe of their income; pay firstfruit - their January salary; and give without reservations. This is giving churches too much access to easy money. My investigations show that no other church is more culpable in this matter than Christ Embassy. The result is that the leaders of these churches are living in obscene wealth. And with the coming of money also comes it twin - the root of all evil. All sort of demonic activities begin to break loose in church organizations. In some extreme cases, people have had others murdered to cover up malpractices in the handle of church finances. If anyone where to question the way church finances are handled, they are labelled devils and thrown out. Of course the church leader that has little discipline and permits the money and power he has assumed to get to his head, will forget that he is co-equal with his wife and begin to despise her and treat her like thrash. He may also choose to ship her out to a foreign and comfortable country so that he can enjoy greater liberty. This is the making of Christian Oyakhilome's troubles. He is not to be pitied, we only need to learn from him.

Finally, we must be careful what we call church and who we call Christian. Righteousness and truth is the foundation of the church of Jesus Christ. Where these are lacking you have a den of thieves. We must also beware of who we call a Christian. Christians may err but predominantly they bear the fruit of the Spirit. It is Christians and the church, the true church, scripture enjoins us to pray for. As for charlatans and false prophets, the bible commands us to beware if them and not to pray for them.

Shalom.

My Rebuttal to the article: http://www.bayoadeyinka.com/bayoadeyinka/index.php/bloghome/entry/of-pastors-divorce-and-scandal