International Worship Center: Why Governor Emmanuel should stop work
By Ubong Nsekpong
Recently I made a post that puts me out as being against a project raised in honour of the governor’s god. Let me use this article which I pray it will be very short in explaining to you why we SHOULD NOT embark on that project as a state and at this moment.
The issue of adulteration of the Christian Faith
Recently in Anambra State, a prophetess was arrested for harbouring little children of ages 2 to 5 years old in a manner that suggests she uses them for rituals. Some of the children had mutilations all over their bodies and were kept without food. Some could not even walk again when they were rescued by the police. Other reports has it that skulls of small children were found around her church though investigation is ongoing and we await more reports on the issue.
This is one story out of a thousand others of what Christianity has turned out to be in recent times. We hear stories of occultist being owners of large Christian congregations. I once read in a book where it was clearly stated that the present day Pentecostal Churches were and are mostly funded by occultic orders in order to spite the body Christ. That is why they interpret the bible in order to make their followers gain relieve from sin and commit all sort of crimes without conscience and human sympathy.
Therefore, for one to build a church or alter in present day Nigeria where everything is done for the survival of a particular individual does not depict that individual as one with faith in God or even a Christian.
What is an Altar?
Altars are places where sacrifices are offered to God or a god. Altars are not limited to the Christian faith. Traditional worshipers raise altars. Occultic people raise altars. The woman in the story above has an altar and is even a ‘prophetess’. Altars are raised for vast forms of worship.
In the bible, there were various forms of alters raised at certain points in time. Abraham raised an alter to the Lord His God. Jacob did same after meeting God at bethel. Noah, Michizedek and so many others raised alters to God at various instances.
But then we also read of evil altars like the ones raised by King Solomon after he defiled himself with foreign women. King Ahab raised an altar for Baal. Jeroboam raised an altar and set up molded calves in order to stop the Israelites from going to Jerusalem while he struggled the kingdom with Rehoboam the son of Solomon. Gideon had to pull down several evil altars. These were all evil alters.
In present day Christianity where sacrifices are no longer offered with bulls and calves, an alter could be a table with the Word of God placed on it inside the Governor’s office, it could be a secret room with a marble altar raised somewhere within the hilltop mansion where some priests or some men of God gather around it to pray for the land – mostly in secret. An altar must not necessarily cost billions of naira in such an economy like ours.
The difference between an altar and a temple
Before the exodus, God revealed himself to various men who were righteous before him or who gained favour in his sight when they stand before their altars. These forms of manifestations needed these men to go to a particular place where their altars were raised to pray and or offer sacrifices before God’s manifestation.
But after the exodus, God manifested himself in His Word by giving Moses the Torah which was the commandment and his word. To secure this word, an ark was built and the word/commandment was placed in it. This was to go with the Israelites wherever they went. The presence of the Torah meant the present of God for the Israelites. In Leviticus God specified how the ark was to be built. The Cherubs, Seraphs and other designs.
The first man who conceived the idea of placing the Ark of the Covenant in a temple or building was King David. And note, as a king who was exceedingly rich, David never contemplated using state funds to build the temple. He did not plan to tax the Israelites to do so. It was strictly HIS RESOURCES that he planned to raise a temple for HIS GOD.
Note his words “I cannot sleep in a house built with cedars while the ark of God is kept in a tent”. It was a personal move. The question is, do we still have the ark of God to go before us today? Are our bodies not the TEMPLE of the Holy Spirit which marks the presence of the almighty?
To proof this to you, note the later construction of the temple by King Solomon. The richest King on earth he used His RESOURCES to build the temple supported by the likes of the King of Lebanon who supplied timber. Other friends supplied gold, silver, etc. It was never a state affairs – even when Israel prospered in those days unlike the Akwa Ibom of the present day Nigeria.
Maybe the ‘Men of God’ who advised His Excellency initially had informed him of this, that was why he initially said “funds will be raised from donors” to complete the alter. Unfortunately…
Why we don’t need a State Alter or Temple Now
Though David won several battles and Israel had abundance and was completely at peace, God asked him not to build a temple for him because his hands were full of blood and he was still fighting a lot of battles. However, God promised that his successor will experience complete peace and abundance, only then will his successor build him a house. That happened in the days of King Solomon when the Temple was built.
Today His Excellency is still fighting the age long war with poverty in Akwa Ibom State. His Excellency is fighting a war against unemployment in the State. Recent NBS report put Akwa Ibom as the unemployment capital of Nigeria. We are fighting a war against unpaid wages to the workers in the State – gratuity, leave grants, promotion arrears, etc. We are fighting a war against uncompleted projects at Ikot Oku Ikono, Ekpene Ukpa, Etinan – Eket Road, Etinan – Ndon Eyo, etc. The list is long. So if Prophet Nathan is to appear to governor Udom Emmanuel today he will say “DON’T BUILD” because you still have a lot of war to fight.
“A time is coming when true worshipers shall no longer come to this temple”. This is the word of the Lord. St. Paul would say, “Your bodies are the temple of the Lord”. Therefore, Christian living goes beyond large cathedrals. It is a way of life. I believe this process is a big sacrifice by the State but the bible also demands obedience to the Word of God more than sacrifice. What is this obedience?
Prophet Isaiah tells us “Is this not the ‘sacrifice’ that I have chosen: To loose the bounds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out”.
It is therefore against God’s word to build a worship center for God when the yoke of poor education system lies heavily upon us. It is not sane to build a worship center when startups are under the burden of no funding or grants to help boost their businesses. It is a sin to build a worship center when the bounds of wickedness has kept our teachers in primary schools from receiving leave grants and other entitlements over the years yet we build a worship center without losing this bounds. Our people pass through hospitals in the state to their early graves because the facilities are all dilapidated yet you build a worship center without breaking this yoke.
Finally, thousands of homes go to bed without bread, what have we done to help these families? How are we helping hundreds of young people who indicate interest in learning IT skills (at least I have them in my database) but have no finances for equipment needed to start? This is the sacrifice that God wants from us and not cathedrals that will house men with blood filled hands raised to the disgusting looks of the supreme God. Therefore like Prophet Nathan would say to King David, I am repeating the same words to Governor Udom Emmanuel today, “DON’T BUILD”.
