One tailor insulted my mom because she was upset he didn't finish her cloth as at when agreed. Mom came home that day livid and almost breathing fire. She was so upset she didn't talk to anyone so we all knew whatever transpired between her and the tailor must have been really ugly. 'Essy!' (Pet form for Esther) ishi n'ogini mere?' (What did you say happened?) My dad called her into the 'other room' and the discussion of the event didn't last long. Next thing we knew dad was dressed up in trousers, shirt and a mighty frown of fury. Some tailor nearby was in for it. To cut the gist, my dad didn't engage the guy in a fight of words or fists, he just got the police to do the job for him. It wasn't long before the tailor started tendering unreserved apologies to my mom. Never insult a man's wife, you would be forcing him to display the rough side of his masculinity.
I want to believe it's a universal principle that if you insult a
man's wife you have insulted the man. Funny enough it was also a fact that no
one could annoy my Dad the way my mom could and neither could anyone love him
the way she did. That is marriage, it's inexplicable and its deep.....can you
love Christ and not love His bride. Can you disrespect His beloved and yet
claim a special place in His heart. I think not. People, she's not his
side chic, sidekick or trick. She is His wife and if He loved her enough to die
for her then we should not stumble like oafs where even angels fear to tread.
I'm not a prophetess or an authority on anything, but sometimes I
have these flashes that are divine. The Holy Spirit whispers things into my
heart and thoughts, sometimes I see them in ordinary everyday things, sometimes
He plays these tiny HD clips for me while I sleep. I don't usually know what to
do with them except wake my husband up, 'Sweetie I just had another
one'. Then we would check if it's scriptural and if there's a clear
message for me or anyone.
If only we know how much Jesus loves His
church. Oh She tends to stray, she tends to find other lovers but His love for
her is as steady as a rock, as constant as the rising of the sun and as undying
as the Son of God Himself. She tends to build idols in men and in systems
but He still loves her. He didn't die in vain. I believe that in Gethsamane He
for-saw that she wouldn't always be faithful and that in some ages she would
almost be completely lost and shrouded with darkness and He still went ahead to
pay the Bride price which was Him bleeding out on a roughly and hastily made
cross. Who is this babe worth dying for? She is THE CHURCH! not 'your
church', not 'my church'. She is the Ecclesia, THE BODY OF CHRIST, made up of
many parts of which 'your church' and 'my church' (no matter how large the
number in our congregation) might just qualify as a cell in this very large
organism.
So isn't it laughable that we are so
disunited, painting the picture of dismembered parts floating in space. The
truth is, if one part of the body is sick the rest stays in bed, suffers
referred pain, or is outrightly incapacitated. 'My man of God is mightier
than your man of God because he fixed back a decapitated head' until you soon
discover your man of God is also a man who also unreservedly depends on the
Holy Spirit and has not yet reached perfection. 'My man of God preaches
the undiluted truth', then years later that same man tells the entire
congregation he was preaching OP (out of point/off point) back then. 'My
church is more spiritual than your church' as if God gave your church sole
distributorship of His presence. We chuckle in delight at another scandal
from another ministry and think inwardly, 'Shebi I told her to start attending
my church and she refused, serves her right'. Shame on us!
I am guilty as everyone else, but God
is breaking moulds and recasting mind sets. If we seek Him, He will make
Himself known. You know back in the days if a Catholic calls a Pentecostal a
member of a mushroom church, feathers will indeed be ruffled. But sometimes
some of us that our churches have reached mega status are guilty of looking
down with disdain at smaller churches. Really! ...Can your church absorb THE
CHURCH! Can a tiny Guppy swallow a Whale, can a Shark swallow a Whale, and can
the Whale swallow the ocean? Oh yes I'm aware of the spirit of error in
some churches, but let's tell ourselves the truth, small/New churches are as
prone to error as much as mega churches. Each of us stubbornly holding unto our
doctrines, most times without questions or personal study.
If we catch a glimpse of God's thoughts toward us who make up His
church we would realise that we are weakest when we are at war with each other
and mightiest when we arise with singleness of heart and purpose like the giant
in Tommy Hick's vision. If we catch a glimpse of Jesus' passion for His
bride we would love each other, cover our nakedness and end our stupid and
ignorant gloating and competition. David exclaimed in sorrow that cuts to
the heart, 'Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest
the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the
uncircumcised triumph'.
Some years back living as a single woman in Owerri, a man of God I
loved and respected so much for His bold stand against evil was electrocuted.
The impact of it was so terrible that I heard his head exploded... Some young
ladies living in IMSU (Imo state university) hostels threw a party and their
jubilation could be heard from miles away. That didn't bother me...what
bothered me was that my fellow Christians where arguing about the methods used
by the evangelist to propagate the gospel. 'The guy was too harsh, he
could have tried to be more nice and diplomatic' I bowed my head in shame and
wept.
When last did you pray for another church going through a rough
patch or a minister other than yours? That is also why I think it's unwise
(putting it nicely) to thrash men of God on social media or air your church's
dirty laundry in public no matter how disappointed or aggrieved you are. This,
to me is a kind of treason. Why give your enemy ammunition in the heat of
battle? So he would take more of your brother’s hostage? Or you don't realise
there's a battle raging? And while you are busying yourself as self-appointed
jugde and jury of the church you've failed to notice that your own walls are
completely torn down and your angels have taken a sabbatical, leaving you
defenceless! LOOK TO YOURSELF!
Please leave Christ to judge and punish His bride...He still has
the rod and the staff. I can go on and on and it would still mean nothing
to a lot of people. But it's all good because I know each of us will come to
this understanding sooner or later...by His Grace. I am not a renegade...I only
speak the truth in love. The church is worth believing in, worth praying
for, worth going into battle for...last time I checked Jesus said He's still
coming back for her. Not in this present state, no, he is coming back for a
purified and glorified church.
I pray that God through His Spirit will tear
down the barriers that keep us from enjoying the divine dividends of
unity. God placed us in different families so we can receive specialized
care and not for the bigger picture to be obscured.
VICTORIA IJEOMA AGOMUO.
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