A grave warning!

A GRAVE WARNING TO THE CHURCH! David Oludairo In the last two days of 2014, I saw the obituary of three young women on Facebook. All these three ladies, in their 30s, died unexpectedly in the last few days of the year in different locations in Nigeria. They were unrelated, and unknown to me in person. From posts/comments on their Facebook walls, I deduced that the trios were Christians.

For inexplicable reasons, I felt drawn again and again to their walls, and read the eulogy of the friends and loved ones that knew them intimately. One wrote something along these lines, “I am still in deep shock. You and I just had lunch in church two days ago. We were preparing for your wedding in a few days, and you had chosen purple as your bridal colour. And now this… Rest in peace, my dear friend.”

Touched by the grief, I dug deeper into the walls to read more about the last posts of the deceased trio. Their posts were full of life, and anticipation of seeing 2015. I saw wall posts with bright smiles, and pretty faces. But the most poignant post for me was the one written by one of them to lament another lady that had just died unexpectedly a few days before then. She expressed her profound sadness, and expressed the wish that the deceased would rest in peace. A couple of days later, she herself was deceased. Again, unexpectedly.

Then something hit me like a thunderbolt! These three ladies are now awaiting judgment in eternity! Heaven or hell awaits. Reward or loss awaits. And IT IS FINAL! Did they know or expect that judgment was around the corner? Were they prepared for a sudden arrival at the silent shores of eternity? Most importantly for me, because of my calling, I asked myself this pertinent question: “Did they really know the BITTER TRUTH that, generally speaking, over 90% of the churches in Nigeria (particularly the Pentecostals) are NOT preparing Christians for eternity?

Did anybody warn them CLEARLY about this silent danger?

I do not have big issues with people dying (as sad and painful as such deaths may be) if they died in Christ. They have simply gone to rest. I also have no direct liability for those who die after CHOOSING not to avail themselves of the grace of salvation that God has mercifully made

available in Christ Jesus. That was a personal choice for them. But where God holds me liable, and those with a similar calling, is when people die in deception without being warned. When they were deceived into a false sense of hope that they are following Christ, when they have actually NEVER had a genuine encounter with Him in salvation. When they were deceived into thinking they were serving Christ, when they were actually serving men and denominations.

Every man or woman that dies in this prevalent deception, for many will die in it, has suffered a HUGE LOSS in life, and in eternity. And this is a reality of our day.

This is why the Lord is sending out thousands of ‘warners’ into the Church in these last days.

And that is why I consider it appropriate that my first reflection this year should spell out some things in crystal clear perspective. A perspective that is devoid of fear, intimidation, and political correctness. And my motive is clear – that every man may THINK DEEPLY and freely CHOOSE what to do in view of the coming Day of Judgment/Accountability.

Jesus Christ saves mankind through the truth expressed in the Gospel. It is ONLY the declaration, understanding, and practice of this truth that set men free for eternal purposes and reward. Where the truth is tampered with, in any way and for any reason, salvation becomes affected to varying degrees, and with varying consequences.

The churches of today are tampering with the truth to boost attendance and income for their growth and survival. And this may be at the expense of YOUR SOUL! Blindness has crept into the Church. Lukewarmness has crept into the Church. Deceit, on a mammoth scale, has crept into the Church. The Bible warns of all these trends in the last days, but YOU do not have to be a victim!

HERE IS MY PROOF: Acts 20: 26 “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am INNOCENT OF THE BLOOD OF ALL, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure FIERCE WOLVES will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things,

to DRAW AWAY THE DISCIPLES AFTER THEM. 31 Therefore BE ALERT, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to ADMONISH every one WITH TEARS.” The reason Apostle Paul warned with tears is because he knew that this was a very, very, very, very serious and sensitive matter. If the Gospel is not handled properly, souls may be lost to the fierce wolves that will enter the Church (verse 29). Also, please note the following (1) It takes the declaration of the WHOLE COUNSEL of God (verse 27) to save men. Most of our churches are not preaching the WHOLE COUNSEL. They usually focus on some convenient parts that will delight your fancy and keep you coming to church, and bringing your money.

(2) Apart from the external invasion of verse 29, please note that a lot of havoc will arise WITHIN the Church (verse 30). And what is the goal? To draw away the disciples after themselves! Most general overseers are today drawing men after themselves and their denominations, NOT after Jesus Christ. That is the reality of Church life today. (3) In verse 31, Apostle Paul used the words BE ALERT (WATCH) and ADMONISH (WARN). So ‘watch’ and ‘warn’. You don’t use these two words unless there is danger. Are our general overseers and pastors watching and warning today with tears? Are some of them not even bringing comedians to God’s altar to help us laugh and relax in our lukewarmness? When was the last time you got a thorough examination and rebuke of the Holy Spirit through your pastor, to help you conform to the immaculate image of Christ? Think about this.

Please, friend, meditate day after day on the passage above, and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you directly. Noting that the only reason Paul stated that his hands are innocent of the blood of all (verse 26) is because the hands of some pastors will be guilty of blood. ‘Innocent’ blood.

Please make sure it is not your own blood!

It may interest you to know this scary fact. A few decades after Paul’s emotional admonition to the Ephesian elders in the above passage, that Church went ASTRAY! It had a lot of activities and good works, but it had no Jesus Christ. They were working and labouring in the name of Christ, but He Himself had been COMPLETELY sidelined! They had left the First Love. Jesus was no longer at the centre of affairs. Thus, the Church had fallen! Please read this account in the words of Jesus Himself in Revelation 2:1-7. That is how easy it is for even a good Church to

miss Jesus Christ – not to talk of the merchandising churches of today! Jesus is NOT in most of our churches. We are chasing shadows. We are being sold a lie.

HERE IS MY COUNSEL: Seek God by yourself! DO NOT rely on what ANYBODY, including general overseers or prophets, or writers like me, are telling you about Christ.

Seek Jesus with all your heart. Primarily, God has placed the responsibility for knowing Him on YOU. And He has specially ANOINTED you for this purpose. That is precisely what 1 John 2:20, 27 tell us: “But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge…. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and YOU HAVE NO NEED THAT ANYONE SHOULD TEACH YOU. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie - just as it has taught you, abide in him.”

This passage will be opened to you on the last day, so that NOBODY will have ANY EXCUSE that s/he was deceived by any general overseer or prophet or pastor. It is your duty to seek Christ with all your heart.

If you seek Christ, you will find Him. The Holy Spirit has been nudging you, hoping to talk to you about Christ, and to open your eyes to the deceit around you. But you may have been shunning Him, and running off to Church! Through carelessness, ROT has been allowed to creep into the Church, and it is flourishing abundantly today. Please, DO NOT be a victim of this rot.

God’s rewards are NOT for victims. Rewards are for overcomers.

Become desperate in seeking God, and finding Him. We must NOT abandon going to Church, but going to Church is NOT the primary thing. Church is not God!!! If your church is not helping you to grow rapidly, abandon that church, and find a better one! Looking for a good church? If you keep crying to God for a good Church, He will DEFINITELY lead you to one in due course.

Stay at home FOR A SHORT WHILE, if you have to. It is a desperate route that many are taking today to re-discover God, and to re-ignite their salvation. But, please note that, as a believer, you MUST belong to a Church.

Brothers and sisters, please do not joke with your soul and your eternal destiny. The end may come when we least expect it – either through the imminent second coming of Jesus, or through the Owner of your soul recalling it. This is why you cannot afford to be indecisive

about your salvation. Jesus already made it clear that the road to life is narrow, and FEW will be found in it (Matthew 7:14). YOU can be one of the few. God’s grace is freely available to support you all the way. Christ is FULLY there for you – waiting for you to come to Him. Take that step today!

And please accept my apologies if you feel offended by the stern tone of this piece. That was not my intention. My aim is to get all of us THINKING about these issues before God. So, please my brother, THINK deeply. My sister, THINK deeply. I did not have a chance to reach and warn those three sisters that died. But I am glad that I could reach you. Duty discharged, the ball is now firmly in your court. Grace is available. Please use it in this critical year 2017.

Thanks for reading, God bless.

David Oludairo is a Christian minister who is based in London, United Kingdom. He is labouring with God for revival in the body of Christ.