To say the truth, we have grossly abused the church planting practice and turned it into a major tool for building personal empires and the systematic transfer of wealth. However, there are also many genuine church planting projects that have God at their centre. Many of these great church branches are across the globe and are truly ministering to the spiritual needs of believers.
This is another major opportunity for redeeming the church’s image and lost glory, if our leaders are truly interested in stopping the current apostasy in the church. There is nothing wrong in expanding the presence of a church to locations that can serve the spiritual growth of other believers. Truly, we have the mandate to take the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, and the uttermost part of the world. But we cannot plant churches with pastors that are not called by God to shepherd people. The pastoral office is an extremely sensitive one with very unique responsibilities. The church needs to confront the menace of appointing pastors indiscriminately to oversee branches and parishes. It is also a statement of fact that a lot of church leaders actually expand their church networks solely for financial gains. It is purely a business model to generate wealth for these leaders.
To say the truth, we have grossly abused the church planting practice and turned it into a major tool for building personal empires and the systematic transfer of wealth. However, there are also many genuine church planting projects that have God at their centre. Many of these great church branches are across the globe and are truly ministering to the spiritual needs of believers. But to deepen the impact of the church in producing sound believers and genuine disciples of Christ, church leaders who know that they have missed it in this area should reorganise their church planting practices, centring it around quality. If quality will be compromised by opening up five hundred branches of a large church, why not open just fifty branches that can be monitored, organised, supervised, and run with sound Biblical standards.
This is aside the numerous cases of branch-for-sale vices that are still happening in the church. To build a great future of truth for the next generation, we must close these gaps and come back to true church planting practices that are spirit inspired, well structured, mammon-proof, and Christ-centred. I love what Dr Erwin Lutzer said about church planting, and I quote him, “It is not only the church gathered that will win the world, but also the church scattered.”
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A Call for National Repentance
The list of potential sources of remedies for the looming apostasy in the church is endless. From the silence of many church leaders in the time of evil and errors in the church, to the endorsement of false teachers by some leaders, and the fraternising of church leaders with corrupt politicians, the fight against apostasy will be a long and tough one. Interestingly, all the aforementioned root causes stem from one overarching root cause – the love of money. There can’t be any solution to the apostasy that’s now sweeping through the rank and file of the church until we go back to the Biblical definition of ministry success. For as long as church leaders and fathers continue to promote and pursue excessive financial prosperity as life’s goals, widespread apostasy will continue unabated. In a society where hunger, lack and poverty have now become a weapon in the hands of evil politicians, the church that should be the real light of the world should not abandon her light for the pursuit of darkness. Above all, Nigeria is overdue for a solemn meeting for national repentance, which actually needs to be initiated by fathers and church leaders. If they refuse to acknowledge this fact and consciously unite to repent, there is no remedy to this looming apostasy.
There is still hope. God has never left Himself without remnants. There are still remnants of faithful believers and godly leaders in our nation. We all need to rise up, speak up, and intensify prayers, first for the church, and second for ourselves. You may be popular or unpopular, however what matters here is your validation before God. God does not need to win numerically to win spiritually.
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Years ago, many evangelicals in America came together to sign a document to respond to a government overreach. Read the excerpt of this letter with me:
“We will not bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from the proclaiming truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will be render to Caesar what is God’s.
There is still hope. God has never left Himself without remnants. There are still remnants of faithful believers and godly leaders in our nation. We all need to rise up, speak up, and intensify prayers, first for the church, and second for ourselves. You may be popular or unpopular, however what matters here is your validation before God. God does not need to win numerically to win spiritually. One standing saint can win with God a battle that one million fallen saints can’t win. In the spirit of love for the church, and for the future of the gospel, we have left the era of “face your calling” or “face your ministry.”
…”If we refuse to pray against iron gates, we may end up praying behind iron gates.” Start speaking out the truth in and to your family. Start speaking it out to your church. Defend the Bible in word and in action and do this in love. Ours seems to be a generation of deaf ears.
Leornard Ravenhill has once said, “If we refuse to pray against iron gates, we may end up praying behind iron gates.” Start speaking out the truth in and to your family. Start speaking it out to your church. Defend the Bible in word and in action and do this in love. Ours seems to be a generation of deaf ears. Dr Erwin Lutzer in the book, The Church in Babylon said,
“Jeremiah lived in a day of deaf ears. He was the weeping prophet, but the people around him remained dry eyed.” In Jeremiah 20:7, he said, “Oh Lord, you have deceived me” because he expected the people to believe the words God gave him for them. Same as the position God has put me. Only a tiny remnant will read, learn, and change. But for those who have ears, let them hear what the Lord is saying to His church — its time to repent and come back to me.
“He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelations 3:22).
Ayo Akerele is the senior pastor of Rhema Assembly and the founder of the Voice of the Watchmen Ministries in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached through ayoakerele2012@gmail.com
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