HUNGER FOR HOLINESS

HUNGER FOR HOLINESS

Hebrews 12: 14: (Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:)

Holiness is a life set apart for God; it is not a suggestion, it is a command from God (I Peter 1:15,16).

However, our churches are no longer a haven for spiritual transformation; rather, they are centre for human knowledge, entrepreneurship, human philosophy, canal comparison, show-off, motivation. The Church was bought and redeemed by Christ so it can be the only gateway for eternal life, but our churches are rather a fashion parade centre, competing for Forbes’ list. All manner of business programmes are now being run, neglecting the core of bridging the gap between men and God. Spiritual needs that the entire world couldn’t meet that is left for the church has equally been abandoned for luxury and materialism. Our churches don’t longer place Christ at the centre of its message- philosophers, business and social experts are now the reference point. That is why we are fast defeated, empty, dry, lethargy and spiritually poor. Our churches parade large congregation, nice edifice, brilliant academicians and Pastors who are business inclined and highly sophisticated in human knowledge, yet not able to defeat sin-lies, pride, arrogance, worldliness, materialism, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, lust, etc conquer our men on the podium, daily. Our preachers are powerless, prayerless and holi-less

 Great sermons and nice speeches that are lacking in power of holy ghost permeate our pulpits; the messages lack the grace and the power to transform a life; they rather entertain, motivate, and make sinners comfortable with sin- they merely derive pleasure from the worship. Our preachers have knowledge but no power; they can speak in tongues but have no authority, they can motivate but can’t move sinners to their knees, they can dress nicely but smelling of sin and compromise, they appear handsome but extremely filthy before the Lord, they have the stage method but lacks the transformed model. They have lost the power of a bended kneels to series of activities and human strategies that cannot defeat the Devil. Our churches are filled with self-sufficient populat pulpit master, and desire no more to be like Christ. Inspite of several geometric increases in churches and programmes, corruption, fraud, lawlessness, divorce, social vices, immorality continue at same velocity. Sin is now fashioned, professionalized and well packaged. Its toxic has been lost to socialism, pluralism and conformity.

No, nothing but the blood of Jesus can ransom and transform the Church-psychology, emotional intelligence, leadership skills, and other human theories and concepts acquired outside Christ, may be good, atleast to help man lives upto man’s standard but cant but only righteousness obtained through Christ can make a man pure, purged and guiltless before the Lord. Christ is looking for a generation that will be patterned after HIM, not after a Mentor, a Coach or a teacher, made after the likeness of men. Christ is looking for a one that He will completely replicate Himself in him. Christ needs a one whom he will thoroughly worked upon, purged, healed, and eliminate all human ideologies deposit in him. Self and flesh cannot be dealt with by theological or seminarian study or amount of books read, only those who will tarry at their kneels can be completely made whole by Christ himself.

When we are hungry for righteousness, divorce will be gone, corruption will be emptied, fraud will be forgotten, social vices and immorality will be eliminated, society will be godly, not just peaceful, and most importantly, our churches will be preparing men and women to meet Christ in Rapture and for an endless eternity with God.

God bless.

Dotun Jegede, PhD

District Pastor, Deeper Life Bible Church, Ode-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria