I have lately been immersed in preparations for the “third coming” of KINGDOMPeople, a publication we like to style as “the general interest magazine for all who name the name of the Lord in truth.” As those who have read this column for a while know, it is a publication which has the unity of the Church as one of its main raison d’être. That is to say, it will be unaffiliated to nay one church or denomination or group.
Yet, it took a call from Pastor Paul Adams to remind me that that particular aspect of the magazine’s reason for existence was not being directly addressed. We had three editions packaged with none directly discussing the issue. We had put them together with considerable sensitivity to inclusiveness, created a “Family Debate” section where we were hoping to encourage frank, but polite and humble discussions of issues of denominational differences on some hot button subjects with which the enemy had kept the church apart. But we had refrained from any direct mention of the subject.
Then Pastor Paul called. He had given my name and number to some brethren organising a seminar on church unity, he said. I should therefore expect their call. Now you may know that apart from being the super-star actor that he is, Bro Paul is an ordained pastor who also coordinates Sonship Unity Foundation, a unity ministry he founded. So it was natural that he would be contacted on such matters. Having had the privilege of serving on SUF’s team and organising a One Church Luncheon, way back in 2005, at which he anchored a very lively talkshow, you might understand why he thought I was an appropriate person to link with these brethren.
Anyway the call eventually came. It turned out that the caller, Cyprian Agazue, a chartered surveyor by profession, presides over a group known as International Foundation for Christian Unity (IFCU). The foundation, he told me, wants me to be one of the speakers at this year’s edition of their annual symposium already scheduled for October 5, 2010 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos. A letter of invitation was going to be sent to me, if I would provide an address, he said. I did.
But that is not the story. The story is that what Bro Agbazue sent to me was a parcel, not just a letter. For, accompanying the letter were two books authored by him, and published by the foundation. They are “His Seven Priorities” published in 2005 and “That They May Be One: A Divine Strategy for Christian Unity” published last year. I skimmed through the books and became intrigued by what God was already doing through this brother. So, I not only plan to be at the symposium, if the Lord tarries, I also hope to be able to collaborate with him and his foundation in whichever way the Lord would lead.
But let me tell you a bit about IFCU as I gleaned from the books and a visit to their website (ifcuonline.com). It was founded in 2005 at the formal presentation of “His Seven Priorities”, the book the Holy Spirit told him was orchestrated “to make God’s desires on a new strategy for Christian unity known to His people”. According to him, he used the opportunity of the event to present the vision to those present and seven persons responded to his invitation at a meeting two weeks later thus becoming founding members of the new organisation.
IFCU’s vision is to “increase the awareness among Christian of God’s urgent call for the physical unity of all Christians as a way of quickening the conversion of the world in view of the imminent return of Christ for judgment and “popularize the seven strategies established in the Old Testament by God himself perfected in the New Testament by the salvation of all men as the panacea for genuine Christian unity.”
It also envisions “to follow the example of the Lord who has shown himself at the forefront of this rapprochement by using men from different denominational backgrounds to bring back this focus in our generation”
Its strategies for actualising the vision include the use of mass communication tools such as the print and electronic media, billboards and more personalized materials such as fliers, handbills, tracts and posters targeted at Christians everywhere and, organize symposia, seminars and lectures in public places for this purpose.
Other methods are production of “radio and television programmes for the purpose of awakening and mobilizing global interest in Christian unity; cooperation with other organizations or church denominations already involved on dialogues at various levels and; organising of periodic public prayer sessions for Christian unity at chosen venues. Of course the foundation would also mobilize and manage resources for the pursuit of its goals as articulated.
For those who might be wondering, “why Christian unity?” IFCU says “The desire of Christ that His Church should remain in complete physical unity throughout the ages was unequivocally stated in the words of His last prayers just before His arrest and subsequent crucifixion. He said; ‘I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have love them even as you have loved me’ (John 17:20 -23).”
There’s more on IFCU on their website, but as I was saying, the incursion of the ministry into my consciousness at this particular juncture led the team to repentance for being derelict in not including some direct church unity content in KINGDOMPeople. And with it, a rethink. But it didn’t end with IFCU! At the global level something even more compelling was also happening. I’ll tell you about it next week.
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