As the economic situation in Nigeria continues to bite harder on people’s earnings and their disposable income, Christians have been urged to put more faith in God rather than look up to pastors who are mere human like them, for economic sustenance. Accordingly, Christian faithful were urged to look unto Jesus as the author and finisher of their faith.
“We seem to give so much and expect too much from pastors, we get it wrong; Hebrews chapter 12: 2 says looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith: I never looked at any pastor as my standard; Jesus is my standard. I have so many fathers in the Lord and I have served so many; some one-on-one, some from a distance. So, Jesus should be our perfect example and not pastors,” Olu Johnson, the senior pastor of Great Commission Bible Church, Lagos, said.
Johnson said this at the recent breakfast meeting with Christian Press Association of Nigeria (CPAN) tagged, ‘Pastors and the modern day challenge’, held in Lagos.
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According to Johnson, pastors are liable to make mistakes being humans, hence the need for Christians to consider the admonition of Apostle Paul to the early believers to be a follower of Christ, even as himself. “Many pastors have made their mistakes, but Jesus never made any mistake,” he said.
Speaking on the issue of pastors owing private jets; Johnson said that it was of necessity for some pastors to own such, as it was not to showoff but rather to propagate the gospel of the kingdom. “Sincerely, I do not blame pastors that have private jet in our time and season. Pastor Adeboye is busier than the president of Nigeria – the president of Nigeria oversees only this nation, I don’t know if we can know how many nations Pastor Adeboye is overseeing from Redemption Camp.
“The man is overseeing 197 nations: I have missed some of our very important meetings where I am the host for flight schedules; if I had the means, maybe I would have hired a flight and wouldn’t have missed those programmes. Some institutions and individuals in this nation have their private jets; if the work of a pastor has become enormous like the work of Pastor Adeboye or Oyedepo, I sincerely subscribe that if they can afford it or the church can afford it; it is necessary,” he said.
Bola Adewara, the president of CPAN, in a statement pledged the support of the group to work with willing churches towards the propagation of the gospel. According to him, aside from being professional journalists, CPAN members are committed Christian faithful who are more concerned about the upliftment of the church.
He however, urged the churches to strengthen their media departments by engaging professionals who will collaborate with other professionals in the propagation of the gospel of Christ in Nigeria, and beyond.
SEYI JOHN SALAU
