AKINGBOLA, IBRU AND COLLEAGUES

“Penultimate Friday, both banking icons were among chief executive officers and executive directors of five banks made to step down from office, on the orders of the Central Bank of Nigeria. My heart truly goes out to them, and I have joined many others in praying for them. As I perused the facts and figures that have been placed in the public domain, reactions from several quarters and the usual interplay of factors and interests in policy formulation and execution, a number of questions beg for answers. But I’ll come back to this later. It suffices to emphasise that these CEOs and their executive boards have, as I write this, not been accused of any criminal activities. The issues are those of risk management, which is basically one of judgement and its resultant effect on the strength of their operations; they are issues of corporate governance.”

Last year, the men’s ministry that I have the privilege of coordinating planned what we called a Mighty Man of Valour Dinner. It was intended to be the climax of a relatively active year in our outreach programme. We wanted someone to speak on the topic, “Navigating the Babylonian System with Kingdom Tools” which was what, in retrospect, had turned out to be our focus for that year. We wanted a man who was incontrovertibly Christian in the way he operated the business he is in. We found that man in Dr Erastus Akingbola, Group Managing Director, Intercontinental Bank Plc. We therefore prefixed the theme, “Banking on God.” Unfortunately, the event did not hold for various reasons, including unavailability of the guest speaker.

In a different capacity, we tried to reach out to Chief Mrs Cecilia Ibru, Managing Director/Chief Executive, Oceanic Bank Plc to speak at a Luncheon on “The Place of Christian Ethics in Corporate Governance”. Again, the event did not fly – for several reasons – also, not excluding the proposed speaker’s minders’ inability to even respond to our letter.

I have recalled these to demonstrate the very high esteem in which this writer holds these two bankers who exemplify, in their public activities, a commitment to the faith they profess. For me, they are people who made their name, fame and resources available for the propagation of the gospel and therefore role models who should have things to impart to others. Although, one was disappointed that their inability to accept those invitations contributed to the indefinite postponement of both events, the high esteem in which I held them did not and has not diminished.

Penultimate Friday, both banking icons were among chief executive officers and executive directors of five banks made to step down from office, on the orders of the Central Bank of Nigeria. My heart truly goes out to them, and I have joined many others in praying for them. As I perused the facts and figures that have been placed in the public domain, reactions from several quarters and the usual interplay of factors and interests in policy formulation and execution, a number of questions beg for answers. But I’ll come back to this later.

It is important to emphasise that these CEOs and their executive boards have, as I write this, not been accused of any criminal activities. The issues are those of risk management, which is basically one of judgement and its resultant effect on the strength of their operations; they are issues of corporate governance.

This should bring to memory the controversy that followed a report by a Paris, France-based journal, The Africa Report, published a few months ago. In that cover story headlined, “Nigerian Banks, Signs of Life” authored by Nicholas Norbrook and LeoNard Lawal, only four of Nigeria’s 24 banks were adjudged to be as “Strong” and “Thriving”. None of the five banks whose top management went under Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi’s hammer made that list. Nine others were rated as “Satisfactory”. These are banks the journal said were likely to “survive” in spite of “some margin lending issues”. Of the five only Afribank made this segment. The other four were named among those having “serious governance issues (that) need urgent attention” and grouped alongside three others as “Shaken.” A fourth group was labelled “Stressed” and described as “on the ropes, will either sink or be swallowed”

Interestingly, the magazine was vilified by some organs of government, the banks and a section of the media. It was even accused of doing a hatchet job for some foreign investors looking to invest in the Nigerian financial sector, on the cheap. Yet, a reading of the very brief report would have shown that no matter the motives, the facts were empirical and not in anyway different from those that have been published and commented upon by some of the more perceptive ones among Nigerian financial journalists. For instance, the report spoke about the Nigerian Stock Exchange’s loss of “over 65% of its value since March 2008” and how “an estimated N8trn ($54bn) has been wiped off bank stocks, which represent two-thirds of total market capitalisation.” It also reported that “the CBN believes that the sector could face up to N1trn of bad loans and has talked of setting up an asset management company onto which banks can offload their toxic assets.” It quoted a financial analyst, Latyr Diop of Afrinvest West Africa as saying that “Most of the banks have over-leveraged their balance sheets during the boom cycle and are stuck with trillions of naira worth of bad debts…” In situating the crisis, the report said: “…Lending was particularly strong to government and the oil and telecom sectors. Though telecoms seem to be holding up, the other two pose greater problems. The fall in the price of oil has put several energy related companies out of business, with repercussions for those banking them”. None of these ranks as revelations, save that key stakeholders were either living in denial, or were wary of rocking the financial system boat.

So vociferous were the attacks on the magazine that it had to respond. In a statement standing by their story, the management headed by a veteran, highly connected reporter on Africa and African issues, Patrick Smith wrote in part: “Our ranking of the banks was based on qualitative not quantitative factors. Nigerian banks are used to being graded on numerical performance indicators, a grading process that is in itself open to manipulation…Qur report was about transparency, corporate governance, accounting practice, lack of disclosure and up-to-date financial reporting, Banks & Other Financial Institutions Act infractions, auditor commentary and accessibility.”

What the journal said in May 2009, for which they were called names, was exactly what CBN’s Sanusi repeated both in his address to the media two Fridays ago and in his exclusive interview with ThisDay thereafter. Among other things, he was quoted as saying that he ordered a special examination of the five banks because he was alarmed: “at the quantum of exposure which some of the banks had…An exposure to a capital market that has lost over 70 percent of its value was a long term problem unless people believe that the capital market will pick up in the next few months and I do not think that stocks are going to go back to that very high level within a short time.”

From these, it is clear that what the CBN had to deal with was not crime, at least, not yet. What we have here is a case of poor judgement, which might have its roots in any number of other soils. As Sanusi told ThisDay Board of Editors: “…In every capitalist environment, if management loses a lot of money, it will go. It is not a crime. The MDs of all the banks behind the mortgage crisis in other parts of the world took the right action and resigned. They did not steal money. They did not commit a crime. But they ran an institution in a manner that cost it its franchise, or cost its shareholders money or placed their depositors at risk. They put their firms at risk and they took responsibility for it. So, it is in this light that the action that we have taken should be seen. “

Now, of the questions that have arisen from the on-going situation, I consider the most important as how did these banks get into the mess that the facts and figures suggest they are in? As I said earlier the risk management issues that have come to the fore would have their roots in a variety of soils. These might include inadequate expertise at risk evaluation, lack of depth in their management cadre; support for government policies or, greed for gain leading to the rush to the gravy trains that the capital market and oil and gas were up to 2007. Of course there are questions also of whether sacking of the executive boards of the banks was the only effective solution? Was appropriate care taken in determining the extent of bad loans? Could an organ of government like CBN have helped with recovery of policy-support loans where government is the ultimate debtor? Most germane of all, in relation to this column is the implication of these developments for the place of faith in decision making as corporate helmsmen – for those who profess their faith.
We’ll examine these questions in the concluding part next week. By the way, has anyone sent The Africa Report an apology, yet?

PIXES: EMBATTLED BANK CHIEFS...
Dr Erastus Akingbola, Intercontinental Bank PLC &
Dr Mrs Cecilia Ibru, Oceanic Bank PLC

WHEN MEN RISE...

...Whether it was the “Western Education is Evil” (Boko Haram) campaign, with its the mindless violence and summary justice inflicted on its leaders by agents of the State or; the cynical end-game being played across the land over the Niger Delta or, the theatre of the absurd that electoral reform and constitutional amendment have been reduced to by politicians, the same question that come to my mind is this: Where are the men, the real men? When will these self-centred, myopic, micro-thinking, devil-may-care boys grow to others-centred, far-sighted, macro-thinking, godly men?...

When men praise
Dreams are fulfilled
When men praise
Families restore
When men praise
The home is warm
When men praise
The enemy’s defeated…

Those are the words of one of the songs on the debut CD of Mighty Men of Praise, the all-men musical group of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria. Written by Daniel Nzekwue, one of the most prolific and versatile young men in ministry that I have had the privilege of calling my friend and co-labourer, it gets me thinking every time and all the time. In those few words he captured the power of praise and worship in the life and ministry of men, and sought to wean us away from the stiff starchiness that we tend to exhibit even in church. But, it has never ceased to get me thinking beyond the praise, such that I find myself substituting the word “praise” with such others like “pray”, “love”, “care” and etc. But recently, my favourite word has been “rise” – with very good reason.

Exactly one month ago, about two hundred men gathered at a church auditorium in the Surulere area of Lagos, Nigeria for the opening session of a four-day conference. Hosted by Christ Chapel International Churches (CCIC), the church founded by Rev Dr Tunde Joda over 25 years ago, Men’s International Summit 2009, was as it was titled held for five days. It is the theme of that event, “Rise, He Calleth Thee”, drawn from the Bible book of Mark 10:49, that’s the catalyst, the instigator of my latest version of Dan Nzekwue’s beautiful lyric.

Events before, during and since that conference have all confirmed what many of us drawn into men’s ministry have been agonising about - the need for men to rise to higher levels of manhood. Whether it was the “Western Education is Evil” (Boko Haram) campaign, with its the mindless violence and summary justice inflicted on its leaders by agents of the State or; the cynical end-game being played across the land over the Niger Delta or, the theatre of the absurd that electoral reform and constitutional amendment have been reduced to by politicians, the same question that come to my mind is this: Where are the men, the real men? When will these self-centred, myopic, micro-thinking, devil-may-care boys grow to others-centred, far-sighted, macro-thinking, godly men? But, these are matters for another day, hopefully.

For the moment, allow me share with you some of the highlights of the conference. So motivated were we in the Organising Team for the men’s summit, which I had the privilege of chairing that, in our search for a theme song, somebody wrote these lines: “Rise, He calleth thee/ Rise from blindness/ He calleth thee to sight/ Rise from lethargy/ He calleth thee to refire/ Rise, He calleth thee; “Rise, He calleth thee/ Rise from grabbing/ He calleth thee to giving/ Rise from compromise/ He calleth thee to constancy/ Rise from self/ He calleth thee to serve/ Rise, He calleth the /; Rise from fear/ He calleth thee to faith/ Rise from anxiety/ He calleth thee to peace/… Rise, man in the gap/ Rise you are His method; Rise, Christ calleth thee/ Rise, He calleth thee/; “Rise from the grind/ He calleth thee to His grace/Rise, He calleth thee; “Rise, He calleth thee/ Rise from Gloom/ He calleth thee to Glory/ Rise from the valley; He calleth thee to the hilltop/ etc” Pity, it never got put into music!

Delivering the opening ministration, Rev Clyde Oliver, senior pastor of Maranatha Christian Centre in Florida, USA, says Jesus is calling the men to rise to their duty as fathers. In a message titled The Difference a Father Makes, he drew extensively from the scriptures to illustrate the pivotal place God has placed fathers. He pointed out that God closed the old covenant with this significant statement in the very last verse of the Old Testament, Malachi 4:6 – “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” This, according to him, demonstrates that God places great premium on father-son relationships. And he proceeded to illustrate it.

Drawing the examples from God, the Father’s relationship with Jesus and subsequently with all of us who have became sons and daughters through faith in the Lord Jesus, he identified public affirmation as one of the major ways fathers can truly motivate and strengthen their children. He cited God’s proclamation of Jesus right after his baptism in the book of Luke: “And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased" (chapter 3:22). This was as public as it could get. But he also cited the example from the Mount of Transfiguration where the Bible records God’s affirmation of the Lord Jesus to a select audience of five, namely, Moses, Elijah, Peter, John and James, the last three who would subsequently play major roles in founding of the Church. To this elite group he not only affirmed him, he commanded them in these in “a voice out of the cloud” words: “…This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Luke 9:35).

Rev Oliver climaxed with this powerful assertion: “When our hearts are filled with security and love from an affirming father, we start living from the approval of our father; not for his approval.” How many of us are still living for the approval of our parents rather than from it and in their love and security? How many of us fathers are giving our children the kind of affirmation that they need to go out and make the difference? The absence of such godly affirmations may be responsible for the insecurity that many men exhibit today; an insecurity that leads many of us to grabbing and grabbing rather than giving and giving wherever we find ourselves – in corporate or public governance. It is an insecurity that reflects in the way we relate to the opposite sex at work, at play and even within marriages.

Talking about marriage brings me to some of the ministrations by Rev (Dr) Ronald Merthie, pastor of the New Life Word Center, Sanford, Orlando, described in one of our pre-event releases as a man with a testimony; one every man needs to meet. Although he ministered so powerfully on the subject of prosperity which he anchored on the principle of seed time and harvest, which he even demonstrated by giving away items of clothing, including a very expensive suit he was wearing, his frank talk on sex within marriage was particularly illuminating. So in your face was he about the subject in one of the earlier sessions, that women were barred from the Saturday afternoon “Men’s Roundable” In his opening ministration, for instance, he asked the question, how many men here like sex? The hall was quiet. He then wondered aloud: where did the population of 14 million in Lagos come from, if nobody likes sex!

Married for more than 30 years before his wife went to be with the Lord on May 15 this year, he said he could count on his fingers, the number of times his wife didn’t climax in sex. That is because he learnt to apply biblical principles in every aspect of their marriage, including in bed. No, I can’t tell you all that he taught in the session, but well, let’s mention one or two. To show how little men know about their wives’ body, he asked how much blood does a woman lose during menstruation. Nobody knew. How long does it take a woman to reach orgasm? No answer. Such ignorance, he says, is responsible for poor sex within marriage leading many to becoming explorers.

Dr Merthie addressed such issues as masturbation among men who think it’s probably preferable to getting into bed with another woman. He also spoke about the place of oral sex in general. The first, he showed from the Bible is a form of idolatry, while the other is an abuse of purpose bothering on poor stewardship of the body, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

As I reflected on the conference and the various issues deliberated upon, I became ever more persuaded that men need liberation, men need knowledge; men need to rise if our families, communities and the nation will develop, prosper and fulfil its divine mandate. And Men’ Ministry is a pivotal part of the mix. I plan to stay steadfast in the race. So, help me, God.

OPEN LETTER TO ALL KINGDOM PERSONS (4)

Nor is the business person is left out. He’s ever ready and willing to play ball with officials in both the public and private sectors. He’ll offer inducement to get contracts and acquiesce at over-invoicing. Many start out well, resisting the temptation to play the devil’s game but let the devil bare his fangs a little, and we cave in. One brother recently told his story. He had been in the marketing communication field for a while now just getting by with small accounts because he found he had to either pay “public relations” upfront or collaborate with relevant officials to inflate invoices. Now, he says he’s tired of playing the “saint” where everyone else is a “sinner” laughing joyfully to the bank. Why does he want to do that? He was getting married and would therefore soon have a family to provide for...

As we come to the home stretch, I wish to reiterate that those of us who have accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ have no business living our lives as anything but sons. The kingdom that the Lord Jesus helped to birth is a kingdom of sons, not of subjects. Adam was a son of God who worked in the family business. When he lost his son-ship through rebellion, God promised to restore him one day. He did through the Lord Jesus, also known as the second Adam. The restoration is total. The Bible says he who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. The import of that was that we were restored to that state of fellowship, which Adam had with God the Father in the Garden of Eden; that state where they enjoyed “Tales by Moonlight” together in the cool of the day. Righteousness means right-standing. It speaks of that state of being able to stand in the presence of the Father without any feeling of guilt, unworthiness or inferiority. That is an envious state to be in!

But what use is an enviable position that is not used for any good? What use is son-ship if, in practice, it’s just another name for servant-hood? Yet that unfortunately is the rule rather than the exception in Christendom, a whopping 2,009 years after Jesus finished the work of reconciliation, reinstatement and restoration at great personal cost to the entire Godhead. The Bible says God was in Christ reconciling us to himself. It says Jesus came to restore unto us eternal life, which is the very nature of God. It says that to those who believe, he has granted the power, the right to become sons of God.

I have been saying that in nowhere else is our servant mentality more glaring than in our attitude to work. If some sociologist had not conceptualised the rat race, the average Christian would have, because, he epitomises it! From cradle, he is primed for the race – the race to get an education so that he can get a certificate or certificates, so that he can get a job, so that he can make money to put food on the table, wear good clothes, live in a good part of town, ride the best cars, put his children in the best schools, so that they can join the rat race with a couple of advantages over others.

If somewhere along the line, he realises that things are not working exactly as he would have wanted, it dawns on him that he needs God. So, he inserts God and church somewhere in his schedule. From that point on, he never leaves home without praying which oftener than not is simply to tell God what’s going wrong and ask him to fix it “in the mighty names of Jesus.” And off he goes to work for his daily bread!

If, like many, he doesn’t get a job fast enough after acquiring his degrees, he, as the Americans used to say, “gets religion,” which is saying, he becomes active in church. He’s the first to arrive for every service. Whatever work there is to do, he’s available. He’s fervent in spirit, serving the Lord to borrow the words of Apostle Paul. Then his prayers are answered, he gets a job. Glory to God. Of course he is no longer available to serve the Lord – understandably. He has to wake up at five in the morning, in order to be at work before eight. He does not return home till 10pm, thanks to heavy commuter traffic. He’s in the rat race now to make money so that he can put food on the table, wear good clothes, live in a good part of town, ride the best cars, put his children in the best schools, so that they can join the rat race…

Of course, our now gainfully employed brother feeds his intellect fat in the course of his job - no choice about that. It is a requirement if he’s to keep his job and ever get ahead. In contrast, he has become a Sunday-only Christian who sits under the word only on the Sabbath. And if his church is one of those seeker-friendly ones; where the service, as one of my pastors (Rev B) would put it, is the microwave, fast-food type, that can mean hearing the word of God for no more than 30-40 minutes a week. In effect, his spirit is severely malnourished. He becomes heavily depended on the wisdom of man, not having fresh supply of the wisdom of God that’s available in God’s word.

This is the general trend. We are resigned to the demands of the Babylonian system. We even tell God to understand because, after all he gave us the job, and in any case that’s where our tithes and offerings come from.

Next, when issues arise threatening the job, we are ready to give it whatever it takes to retain it. The guys are willing to play tough and rough while the babes are willing to play soft and smooth. The former is euphemism for maiming and killing while the other can mean bed-hopping and unscheduled late nighters.

It doesn’t end there. In the civil service for instance, take-homes are routinely increased through doctored touring advance retirement featuring fake receipts and sundry documents. This obtains in the private sector too. Contract inflation is the order of the day while payment for jobs never done is the norm.

Nor is the business person is left out. He’s ever ready and willing to play ball with officials in both the public and private sectors. He’ll offer inducement to get contracts and acquiesce at over-invoicing. Many start out well, resisting the temptation to play the devil’s game but let the devil bare his fangs a little, and we cave in. One brother recently told his story. He had been in the marketing communication field for a while now just getting by with small accounts because he found he had to either pay “public relations” upfront or collaborate with relevant officials to inflate invoices. Now, he says he’s tired of playing the “saint” where everyone else is a “sinner” laughing joyfully to the bank. Why does he want to do that? He was getting married and would therefore soon have a family to provide for. Food on the table, again!

You already know about the politicians among us. To get nominated to contest at all, they have to play ball at the party level and other levels thereafter depending on how high on the ladder the office is. Some of them literally maim and kill to “win elections”. When they finally get to office, the primary assignment is to recoup expenses, including but not limited to, those to be paid with huge interest to “godfathers,” and the cost of financing mayhem. As many readers of KINGDOM Perspective might recall, we sounded an alarm at the fact that at one stage there were many more professing Christian ex-Governors being tried than adherents of other faiths.

Nothing new in all of these, I can hear you say, but what has it got to do with son-ship? Let me try to answer in the little space that I have left. First, a child of God has no business trusting in anything or anyone else to provide for him/her. When you understand that your job is not your source; that it is simply God’s place of kingdom assignment for you, you’ll do it differently. You’ll find it easy to go to God and ask for a change if the job is getting in the way of church, for instance. That’s because it can never be God’s perfect will for you to be in a job that forces you to “forsake the assembling of yourselves together” or which stifles your ability to grow your faith through hearing the word of God.

When you see your job as a kingdom assignment, you’ll appreciate the need to apply only kingdom principles in carrying out your duties. You will not seek to hold on to it at all costs; you’ll resist the urge to do the immoral, the illegal and the sinful. You will do it as unto the Lord. One of the most effective weapons of the enemy is the lie that faith and your work don’t mix; the lie that work is work and it has its own methodologies, and faith is faith and it has a different set of rules. The truth is that children of God have only one assignment – to grow the family business, which is the kingdom of God. You grow the business not to earn a living, but to serve your father in love. You have a heirloom to draw from as a heir of the Father and joint-heir with Christ. God will meet your needs, if you let him. If he chooses to do so through the department he has posted you to, that is his prerogative. But that job is not and can never be your source, He is. (CONCLUDED)

OPEN LETTER TO ALL KINGDOM PERSONS (3)

It can bear repetition here that the original plan of God was for his sons to tend the family estate, the Garden of Eden, as a loving contribution to the sustenance of the family heritage. Work as we know it today, that is the work-to-eat, work as a means of “putting food on the table” and “getting the good things of life” was not God’s original intention for his children. It came with the original curse and which was only further expounded in the curse of the law. Recall that it was after our forebears, Adam and Eve, had eaten of the forbidden fruit that God handed Adam the punishment of having to work for a living.

We have seen from the Bible that God’s kingdom on earth is one of sons, not servants or slaves. We have seen that God has not called upon his sons to serve him in order to “earn their keep.” This was clearly demonstrated by the story of the prodigal son, who did not lose his status as a son to become a servant, even when he had claimed and wasted his inheritance. We have read that God does not approve of the rat race to fend for ourselves, preferring instead that we “seek first the kingdom.”

Many of us might already be wondering: how working to provide for my family is the rat race? Am I supposed to seat idly by and watch my children go hungry? Not even ministers of God do that! This is a legitimate issue to raise, and it is possibly the best place to continue our discussion today.

First, let me explain what the rat race is. A basic dictionary meaning of the phrase is, “fiercely competitive struggle for position, power, etc.” Another meaning is “the endless and futile attempt to achieve something that is unachievable and the competition with others involved in that futile attempt.” A third meaning is “an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit”

It has its origins, according to an online source, in “the traditional image of rats being used in laboratory experiments such as placing them in mazes or on treadmills in order to test their learning ability or measure their energy under certain conditions, respectively. The poignancy of this lay in the fact that whatever series of activities laboratory rats might engage in, it gets them nowhere. Wikipedia puts it like this: “It conjures up the image of the futile efforts of a lab rat trying to escape whilst running around a maze or in a wheel. In an analogy to the modern city, many rats in a single maze expend a lot of effort running around, but ultimately achieve nothing (meaningful) either collectively or individually.”

Two things stand out here, among others – competition and futility. That these two are not of God is borne out of the truth that in a kingdom of sons, there is no room for competition, only cooperation. The futility is underlined by the word of God in Matthew chapter 6 which says in verse 27: “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?”

It can bear repetition here that the original plan of God was for his sons to tend the family estate, the Garden of Eden, as a loving contribution to the sustenance of the family heritage. Work as we know it today, that is the work-to-eat, work as a means of “putting food on the table” and “getting the good things of life” was not God’s original intention for his children. It came with the original curse and which was only further expounded in the curse of the law. Recall that it was after our forebears, Adam and Eve, had eaten of the forbidden fruit that God handed Adam the punishment of having to work for a living.

The relevant passage of the Bible reads: “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return ...Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken (Genesis 3:17-19,23). Some other translations of the Bible render the core verse(s) this starkly: “…you'll get your food the hard way, Planting and tilling and harvesting, sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk…” (The Message); “You will have to sweat to earn a living…” (CEV); “By the sweat of your brow, you will produce food to eat…” (GW); and “By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat…” (NLT).

It can also bear repetition that one of the “finished works” of the Lord Jesus is the reversal of the curse and return to status quo ante, the state we were before the curse. That is the reasonable, not to say, revelational import this declaration of Apostle Paul in chapter 3 of the book of Galatians: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree… (verse 13).

This derives from the Jewish law as recorded in Deuteronomy 21:22 & 23 as follows: “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”

It is not generally appreciated that God could have permitted some other ways for Jesus to die besides hanging on a tree, as crucifixion became known. But if he had, and his body never hung on a tree, Jesus’ death and resurrection might have met the conditions for other components of the salvation package, but the curse would have remained. It is this critical factor that was also responsible for God’s acquiesce, as it were, with Christ’s crucifixion outside the city gates! These were both requirements for cleansing the Jews from the repercussions of sin by anyone of its condemned citizens, and it was made applicable to taking away the curse.

These are all truths of Scripture that all of us need to acquaint ourselves with, meditate upon and appropriate. But it’s really up to us. We need, as individuals, to settle in our heart whether we still live under the curse or not. This is an important question because once answered, it would affect our attitude to what our hands have found to do. It would determine whether you are working for a living or serving your father. It would be a good indication of your understanding of your status in Christ - slave, servant or son.

I am certain that the question on many lips, at this point, is how do I take care of my needs if I am not supposed to work for living? And that precisely is the problem: we live under the illusion that we are responsible for providing for ourselves; whereas that is not true. You are no more able to meet your needs than a field of lilies is able to clothe itself! That is what your Father said in St Matthew’s gospel. He says it is his duty to provide for you and he’s not about to shirk his responsibilities to you. He says you should mind your own business, which is seeking the Kingdom and all its righteousness. He says once you do that, those things that you are preoccupying yourself with will pale into insignificance; you’ll discover that they are additions or “jara” as my Hausa brothers would have put it. They are the icing on the cake.

So, each time we go on our knees to pray and we start and end with those so-called needs with the fervency of a servant pleading for a raise, we call God a liar. Each time we inundate heaven with prayer for sustenance, we are wasting time and energy on the puny things and leaving the real things unattended to. The kingdom is our assignment. The focus of our prayer should be that he reveals to us the department of the Father’s conglomerate he has posted us and the equipping we need to serve productively in that duty post as his loving children. God is calling us to a higher level in every area of our walk with him; away from mundane Babylonian pursuits and methods. (CONCLUDES NEXT WEEK)

OPEN LETTER TO ALL KINGDOM PERSONS (2)

The younger son knew his place in the family. He knew he was a son who had rights and privileges. Granted, he didn’t manifest the same appreciation of his obligations, but he wasn’t going around working his hands to the bone trying to earn a baby goat, that he “might make merry” with his friends. On the other hand his elder brother sure knew a thing or two about service! He was serving the father diligently, but clearly with a servant’s mentality. He couldn’t muster enough courage to ask his father for even a kid to party with!

I was saying that the line between son-ship and servant-hood seems to have become blurred in the consciousness of many of us, kingdom persons. We say we believe what the Bible says; that we are sons of God, by adoption through the finished work of Jesus Christ, and in line with God’s original plan. But we live like servants or slaves.

Yet, the difference is clear. The Pocket Oxford Dictionary describes a slave as a “person who is owned by and has to serve another”; it defines a servant “person employed to do domestic duties” but says of a son, “male descendant or inheritor of a quality”. A slave is owned by his master and is not even accorded the dignity of a free-will. A servant has to earn his keep. A son is an inheritor.

The Bible illustrates the difference in a very popular story told by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. We call it the parable of the prodigal son. Its main theme was love, the unconditional love a father had for his son. And it is an illustration of the love that our heavenly father has for us. I am sure you know the story graphically told in chapter 15 of the book of Luke. Let’s explore it together.

I am very sure you remember him, the impatient young man, the younger of two sons who approached his father in these words: “…Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me (verse 12). The father obliged. The concluding part of verse 12 says “And he divided unto them his living”. This son, continues the story, soon thereafter “…gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want (verses 13-14). You know what followed; he sought work and got one feeding pigs, hungered so much that he would have gladly shared the pigs’ lunch, but they won’t let him. When he came to himself, as the Bible puts it, he said: “…How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”(17-19) He did as he had planned and the result must have astounded him. According to Dr Luke’s account his father saw him from afar off ran to welcome him with kisses and a warm embrace. Ignoring his plea to become a servant on account of having received his inheritance, “the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry (22-24).

This famous story has been told again and again to illustrate the unconditional love of God; and how we must emulate him. Correctly. The depravity of the wayward son has also been highlighted frequently to teach moral rectitude to all Christians, especially youths. Again, absolutely correctly. But let’s continue our exploration of the story.

As you well know, as the elder brother, of the runaway now returnee son, who had been at work for the father made his way home after a tiring day, he began to hear the sound of music and merriment wafting from his father’s house. Wondering if he had forgotten something, the Bible says he called one of the servants to inquire what the celebration was about. The servant replied: “...Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound” (27). He was livid with anger and, feeling unfairly treated, he refused to go in and join the merriment. Their father’s attempt to pacify him elicited this response: “…Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf” (29-30). To which, the father replied: “And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found” (31-32).

Indignation cannot be any more righteous than this. Indeed, that has been the focus of most teachings on this passage of scripture and it cannot be faulted. But a closer look reveals something more fundamental. The younger son knew his place in the family. He knew he was a son who had rights and privileges. Granted, he didn’t manifest the same appreciation of his obligations, but he wasn’t going around working his hands to the bone trying to earn a baby goat, that he “might make merry” with his friends. On the other hand his elder brother sure knew a thing or two about service! He was serving the father diligently, but clearly with a servant’s mentality. He couldn’t muster enough courage to ask his father for even a kid to party with! And that is in spite of the fact that his inheritance was readily available as evident from latter part of verse 12 which states that the father “divided unto them his living”.

The point being made here is while servants have to earn their keep, sons do not have any such obligations. No father provides for his son on the condition that he serves him. Fathers provide for their children out of love and as a duty. Masters pay their servants according the quality and quantity of their service. The Bible is very clear about this. Paul did not say my God shall supply all your needs according to how hard you’ve worked; it is according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:19). Does this imply that sons have no responsibilities; that they do no kind of work; or that they just sit idling by? Not at all. Sons serve in the Family Business; they work to grow the family enterprise; they serve in love not out of compulsion or in order to “put food on the table”. I shall come back to this presently.

An oft-quoted passage of scripture, the full import of which seems lost on many children of God is in the Book of Matthew, chapter six. It is a graphic depiction of the rat race which the servant mentality has pushed us into. And it goes on to give the father’s heart on the matter. The New Living Translation renders it this way: “… I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need (verses 25-33).

This passage had been widely seen and taught as an exhortation against anxiety - and it is. But it is much more than that. It is the Lord Jesus’ blueprint for true kingdom living. It is the prescribed lifestyle for kingdom persons who have successfully exorcised the servant mentality and have come into the fullness of son-ship. (CONTINUES NEXT WEEK)

OPEN LETTER TO ALL KINGDOM PERSONS

Now, many reading this already know and accept, as true, the biblical assertion that we are sons of God. Many might even be walking in this truth in some areas of their life. But many of us are slaves masquerading as servants; some others are servants parading as sons, while some of the very best are merely living on the fringes of sonship. And it shows glaringly in everything. It shows in the way we pray and what we pray for. It shows in the way we praise and worship God whom we say we have accepted as our father. It shows in our attitude to work; in how some of us have become slaves to work in the pursuit of what we call putting food on the table and providing for the family. It shows in how desperate we sometimes get in the pursuit of this all-important provision for the family such that compromise has become the norm even among Christians whether we are business persons, academics, politicians, civil servants or holders of high government posts.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, I am writing this letter to you from the very depth of my being. If you have been a reader of my weekly exertions, you probably know that there are a few basic assumptions about who you are; the most fundamental of which is that you know that there is a Kingdom of God on earth and that you either see yourself as belonging in that Kingdom already or would like to belong.

Now what is the Kingdom of God on earth? You most probably know that a kingdom is a territory ruled by a potentate by whatever name called. And wherever that territory may be, the will of that ruler prevails. The same applies to the Kingdom of God on earth. The simplest way to understand this is to refer to the prayer the Lord Jesus taught His disciples, famously called the Lord’s Prayer. Two lines of that prayer are relevant to the matter at hand and they read: Thy Kingdom come; thy will be done on earth; as it is in heaven (see Matthew 6:10). In other words, God already has a kingdom in heaven where his will is done and if the Lord Jesus is asking that we pray that his will be done, it is easy to see that he implies that God desires a Kingdom on earth where his will prevails. Now there are those who say that that kingdom is yet to be established; that it is to happen at a latter day. But of course there are those, like me, who believe that that kingdom is already in existence in the heart of millions of men and women who are living or are committed to living according to God’s will as expressed in his word, the Bible. The environment in which these kingdom persons operate and wield influence therefore represents and exemplifies the Kingdom of God on earth. The Church is the visible manifestation of that kingdom; it is the organism that works to keep the kingdom running and growing.

A major difference between this kingdom and other kingdoms is that whereas kingdoms of men normally consist of the king and his subjects. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of sons. That is to say that if you belong to the kingdom of God you are a son of God, not his subject or servant or slave. The Bible is clear about that. John 1:12 says: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”. Romans 8:14 corroborates: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

In order to understand the import of this, it might be necessary to tarry a while on this subject of God’s preference for a kingdom of sons. The Bible shows us that angels, who were the main population of heaven, were originally styled as sons of God. In the book of Job are passages that refer to angels, including the one who used to be known as Lucifer but had become satan, as “sons of God”. For example, Job 1:6 reads: “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.” Job 2:1 uses the phrase “among them” to further clarify who this sons of God were. It reads, “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord”.

When God decided to create his earthly kingdom, he began with a son, not a servant or slave. Proof of this is that God gave Adam dominion over all that he created, as in an inheritance. He did not ask him to keep and tend the garden as a condition for exercising dominion. Nor did he make his access to the things he had created commensurate to the quality or quantity of his garden-tending activities. Beyond that is the Bible’s express reference to Adam as the son of God in “Luke 3:38 –“Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God”. These should explain why Jesus’ work of redemption led inexorably to the restoration of man to sonship, not servanthood as indicated in the earlier quotes from the books of John and Romans. That should explain the designation of Jesus as “the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). and the rest of us as: “…children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ…”(Romans 8:17).

I have gone through all of these because what I am about to say in this letter will be meaningless unless we understand God’s concept of Kingdom, the kingdom he has called us into. That is why I am pausing at this juncture to pray, along with Apostle Paul that “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power" (Ephesians 1:17-19). For the avoidance of any doubts, this prayer is as much for you, my dear reader, as it is for me.

Now, many reading this already know and accept, as true, the biblical assertion that we are sons of God. Many might even be walking in this truth in some areas of their life. But many of us are slaves masquerading as servants; some others are servants parading as sons, while some of the very best are merely living on the fringes of sonship. And it shows glaringly in everything. It shows in the way we pray and what we pray for. It shows in the way we praise and worship God whom we say we have accepted as our father. It shows in our attitude to work; in how some of us have become slaves to work in the pursuit of what we call putting food on the table and providing for the family. It shows in how desperate we sometimes get in the pursuit of this all-important provision for the family such that compromise has become the norm even among Christians whether we are business persons, academics, politicians, civil servants or holders of high government posts.

Yes there is something of an Apollonian streak in even some of the very best of among us. Yes Apollo, remember him? The Bible describes him as eloquent and mighty in the scriptures. But he knew only the baptism of John. He had fervency and diligence, but as Apostle Paul would have put it, his zeal was “not according to knowledge.” The 18th book of Acts told his story like this: “And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly…(Acts 18:24-26).

The story continues in Acts 19 where it was recorded that Paul met those to whom Apollos had ministered yesterday’s truth of baptism unto repentance and asked them if they had received today’s higher truth of baptism in the Holy Spirit. They hadn’t, because their teacher hadn’t either! Verses 4-6 of that concludes the story thus: “Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”

Today’s situation in Christendom is uncannily similar. Many of us seem content to continue skirting the fringes of sonship. Yet I know, without a shadow of doubt that, God is calling all of us who know that we know who we truly are in Christ Jesus, to a higher appreciation of our privileges and obligations as his children. In fact, from deep within me, I hear believe that, if there’s anything God wants us to hear and internalise today, it is this: “My sons, it’s time to purge yourselves of the servant mentality; there’s work in the family business.” (CONTINUES NEXT WEEK)

TAXATION AND THE CHURCH

In the third part of the serial, we painted the following scenario and raised a poser: “A ministry sustains itself from the tithes, offerings and other donations from members of the public, including, but not limited to its members and congregants. From this tax-free income, it establishes a book store, video and audio tape shop and sometimes even a printing press. Whether the materials and services sold in these outlets are solely those of that ministry or not, profit is made from such operations. Should such profit be tax-free particularly as the products and services are hardly ever subsidized?

As I write this, I am fully aware that I am reacting to a speculation. I am not aware that the Lagos state government or any other government has plans to tax the churches. What I believe I have heard said by Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos is that wage earners in ministry would be expected to pay tax, like every other income earner in the state. But the question has been on the questionnaire of virtually every journalist who has had an interview with a church leader lately.

For example, Sunday Independent’s last edition carried an interview with Rev Dr Felix Nwosu, General Overseer of Christ Foundation Sabbath Mission, Lagos in which Ejikeme Omenazu dwelt extensively on the subject. He opened by asking the man of God if there were conditions under which churches could pay tax. To which the man of God replied “no” and went on to describe any such attempt as “asking God to pay tax”. That, to him “amounts to rebellion.”

In the same edition, Aramide Oikelome’s report of a press parley with the Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria also contained a reference to the subject. The relevant portion reported Archbishop Sunday Ola Makinde as cautioning “against government’s proposed imposition of taxes on the income and tithes of churches and other non-profit organisations…” Makinde, continues the report argued that “as charity and non-profit organisation, which bring hope to the hopeless by preaching the message of healing and salvation, exemption from tax payment is something that remains laudable and commendable.”

As if those were not enough, Pastor Wale Adefarasin, national secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria was also confronted with the same issue in another newspaper interview. Is it really biblical for the Church to be taxed, he was asked. His reply: “You know what Jesus Christ said considering collection of tax. He said render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar. There is a legal obligation for every Nigerian to report and complete an assessment form at the end of every tax year upon which the income is assessed, and tax is based.”

Mercifully, there is substantial agreement between (Lagos) government pronouncement, as I recall it, and the Christian leaders whose reactions I have read on this otherwise potentially contentious issue. As evident from Pastor Adefarasin’s statement above, it can be inferred that PFN is not averse to tax payment by church workers as distinct from the church. Rev Nwosu also drew a line between ministry and mission works on one hand and commercial activities of churches on the other. He told his interviewer: “If a church is involved in commercial activities for profit, it is right to ask it to pay tax. Books, CDs and VCDs, which bring in money, should attract taxes because they are forms of business. Schools, hospitals, transport ventures and factories run by churches should attract taxes…The government should strike a balance, clarify their policies and categorise the classes of men of God who should pay tax…” The report on the Methodist leader’s media meet also indicated a similar viewpoint: “The Prelate who showed a card certifying him as a tax payer said payment of property tax was understandable since churches derive profits from such ventures, but frowned at any attempt to tax offering, tithes and donations to churches.”

It would therefore seem that if the Lagos state government restricted taxation to salary-earning clerics and well defined commercial activities of churches, there would be no controversies. The problem, as Archbishop Makinde put it, would be if they “attempt to tax offering, tithes and donations.”

Does government want to do that? I think, indeed I hope, not. But as I said, when reporters begin to hammer on an issue, it would be unwise to dismiss it. That is why I wish to join my voice to that of others to call on the authorities in Lagos to step away from any such contemplation, as it will create unnecessary disharmony.

Having said that however, I wish to state without equivocation that the church, particularly the non-denominationals run largely as sole proprietorships, need to get their accounting acts together. This is an issue we had raised in this column before. In a serial titled “Integrity Check for the Church.”

In the third part of the serial, we painted the following scenario and raised a poser: “A ministry sustains itself from the tithes, offerings and other donations from members of the public, including, but not limited to its members and congregants. From this tax-free income, it establishes a book store, video and audio tape shop and sometimes even a printing press. Whether the materials and services sold in these outlets are solely those of that ministry or not, profit is made from such operations. Should such profit be tax-free particularly as the products and services are hardly ever subsidized? Incidentally, this situation is clearly exemplified by the fees being charged by secondary and tertiary educational institutions established by churches and ministries...”

We also raised issues about the fixing of remuneration for ministers: “How much should a general overseer or superintendent or presiding bishop earn? Who fixes such income and by what criteria? Of course this speaks directly also to the issue of whether not-for-profit organizations should be run as sole-proprietorships. In other words, is a ministry independent of its founder or are they one and the same legal persons? What obtains today, with very few exceptions, is that there is no difference.”

We wrote in 2007 against the background of an investigation just commenced on the finances of some well-known Pentecostal televangelists in the United States by Charles Grassley, an influential member of the Senate Committee on Finance. He had written letters to Kenneth and Gloria Copeland; David and Joyce Meyer; Randy and Paula White; Creflo and Taffi Dollar; Eddie Long; and Benny Hinn, asking “detailed questions about their expenses pattern and the tax exempt status of some specific expenses or associated projects or establishments”. In a press release explaining his action, Grassley had said: "I’m following up on complaints from the public and news coverage regarding certain practices at six ministries…The allegations involve governing boards that aren’t independent and allow generous salaries and housing allowances and amenities such as private jets and Rolls Royces. I don’t want to conclude that there’s a problem, but I have an obligation to donors and the taxpayers to find out more. People who donated should have their money spent as intended and in adherence with the tax code."

Of course Grassley was condemned in several circles as an instrument of the enemy with accusations of persecution and inquisition freely hauled at him. A number of the ministries eventually complied while some declined. We are yet to see the end of the matter.

But we did warn at the time that the same oversight rights being exercised by Senator Grassley is available to legislators in Nigeria and so, should the National Assembly, for instance, feel a need to do so in the public interest, it could conduct such an investigation. As we said then we know that “initiators of any such investigations in Nigeria will be subjected to emotional and religious blackmail, no matter who they are, their antecedents and intentions, but in the end, should they persevere, I would be surprised if they do not unearth cans and cans of worms…”

Thankfully, no such investigation has yet been initiated. But think what might happen if, for instance, government were to be unconvinced about a certain church’s differentiation of the strictly non-profit activities from its profit operations for accounting and therefore taxation purposes, and decide to find out! What would be our reaction? As in 2007, I commend to all church leaders 1Corinthians 11: 31 which in the Message reads: “If we get this straight now, we won't have to be straightened out later on.” Food for thought, don’t you think?

FROM MY IN-BOX
RE: NOT YET IN AKPOYIBO’S IMAGE
On your report on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police Mr Akpoyibo, it's important to ask if Christians, including you the editor, do pray constantly for his success in policing Lagos State. We can contribute to his success by sending information, albeit of known criminals and criminal activities around us to his office, even anonymously, should such fall into wrong hands.
A.Olajide, London, UK.
PIXES: Archbishop Sunday Ola Makinde (Right) &
Pastor Wale Adefarasin