Last week, Apostle Tolu Agboola talked about how, during the bandit attack, a prominent Muslim man in Ogbomosho ran to him and said:
"We know you have the means to flee this city, but you chose to stay, and that is why we are still here too."
He cried at IEC when he said this.
He said the world is looking to us for hope and answers, and prayed that it would not be said that we have a name and a boast we cannot substantiate.
This happened while everyone was running helter-skelter, trying to retrieve their children from schools.
A prominent Muslim man ran to a pastor in a time of crisis.
The people criticizing the Church are not always criticizing it in the way we think.
Sometimes, they have an inclination that is being misexpressed.
You say the God we serve is the only true God. He is the One who made all people in His image.
He is the One who wrote His moral law on the hearts of men.
So it is fitting that in times of darkness, crisis, trials, and tribulations, people seek their Maker.
And since not everyone has a relationship with Him, many turn to His ecclesia, His temple on earth.
This was what I was trying to say yesterday.
The Church means something.
This is the people among whom God dwells on the earth.
Do you know what that means?
We are the body of Christ.
You wonder why people “drag” the Church more than others? Perhaps it is because people instinctively expect something from the Church.
Jesus did say we are the light of the world. So in times of crisis, why are we surprised when people turn to the Church?
WE SHOULD HAVE ANSWERS.
We should, guys.
We are the ones who have access to God. God is King over all nations, and we can go boldly to His throne.
Why then is our land desolate while the enemy ravages the innocent?
Why are our prophets quiet, and why do we not see our signs?
Why?
Something deep within the hearts of people is crying out to God, albeit imperfectly.
Just like Mary blamed Jesus for not coming earlier to save her brother and said if He had come sooner, he would not have died.
It is similar to some of the agitations we are seeing now.
Mary’s motive was sincere, but her expression was imperfect.
In the same way, many Nigerians are expressing frustration, grief, and longing.
But Mary was right about one thing: only Jesus is life.
He alone could save her brother.
And He did.
Similarly, I believe the Church has answers in times of darkness, and people are looking to us. Sometimes, it seems we have not responded in proportion to the moment.
I am glad that some pastors have spoken up.
But the Church has more power than merely speaking up.
We are not merely activists.
We are spiritual people entrusted with carrying the witness of Christ into the world.
But have we?
Finally, during the carnage of Abacha’s era, Christians prayed fervently.
There is even a popular story that Abacha reportedly told Buhari, “As long as those Christians are praying their prayers, you can never be president.”
Whether every retelling is exact or not, the point remains:
People believed prayer mattered.
You think the Church is crowds on a Sunday with lights and music?
No.
The Church is more than gatherings and aesthetics.
There is something beyond human power that God does through His people.
That is what I have been talking about.
I pray God helps the Church.