Rev. Solomon Nanah is the General oversea LIFE REFRESHMENT CHAPEL INTERNATIONAL and the Director of Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Federal Pay Office, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Uyo, AKS. In this interview with Divine Sam Rev Solomon speaks on the need for sanctimony in the Christian fold, Chuch founders should anchor on salvational messages and repentance. Again Christian leaders should come out with one order of worship and service as such will sanitize Christianity against Quackery preachers. These and many more.
Ques: who is Rev Solomon Nanah?
I am Rev Solomon Nanah the General oversea of LIFE REFRESHMENT CHAPEL INTERNATIONAL. I work with Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Federal Pay Office, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation as a director Akwa Ibom State. I am happily married with God raising children and I am a good mixer of the people.
Ques: In your area of preaching holiness and salvational messages to your congregation. If you want to be specific will you say that Christianity has reached its standard among other religions in Nigeria?
Ans:
What I have come to see in the world of religion, of all religions like Islamism, the traditional religion and the Christian religion, the most controversial is Christianity. Why am I saying controversial? It’s that the Catholics preach the same Bible but different beliefs, the Methodist preach the same Bible but different beliefs, Pentecostal preach and even in the same circle of the Pentecostal the pastor preaches but still they have different beliefs. Some uses olive oil, some criticize the use of olive oil, some give communion some do not give, some give in the morning, some give once in a month, some give the members look but don’t chop, each time I look at the Bible I wonder which one is the correct practice, and all the big bishops we have, no one is able to give us exactly what is in the Bible. We are still waiting for scholars who will come out with a pattern and makes all the Christians have one direction and one belief.
Christianity has equally become one religion that has created branches that hamper witches and witchcraft, cultism, mystical and some metaphysical practices and cultures. You go to some churches they use oil that you don’t even know how it smells like, some churches appear on uniforms, some don’t wear. Some other pastors are criticizing communion, some criticize olive oil, some criticize Christmas, some observed Easter, some fighting against Easter, my question is can’t the Christian body comes together and bring out an order of service like the Islamism. In Islam religion wherever you are in the world they worship is one, that is why they don’t build mosque and called name for themselves so l am of the opinion that church should be church and should be a general thing and the foundation should be Jesus Christ so that those who want to worship idol can easily concentrate in their idolatry instead of hiding behind the pulpit and still practicing traditional religion and other forms of ‘antichristic’ practices. A lot of us are confused not that we don’t know.
The pattern of Christianity that Jesus Christ brought which started at Antioch in Syria was to tell people to believe and give their lives to God as that is the only way they can obtain their blessings. Therefore the General pattern of Christians shouldn’t be at greedy and selfish reasons and desires, some pastors are now doing assignment taking fasting for people to have appointments, pass exams, marry, etc. Some pastors now had become house boys and house girls to politicians overnight. If you want to doubt me wake up one morning and go to where politicians are living, like estates, you will see the numbers of Pastors hanging and queuing at a politicians gates waiting to pray for them so as to make money, go to government house you will see some pastors rooming about to pray for politicians to win Elections, is that what it meant to be?
To me when I look at the Bible I discover that a man came to lay down his life for us and redeem us from the bondage of sin of darkness that we failed into because of the sins of the first parents, we were to be condemned, but when he came he brought redemption and salvation and now let us in to go and tell the world that I came to redeem them that I am the way the truth and the light and that if anyone believes in me shall have eternal life. The eternal life include everything a man is in need and when you are saved, you won’t finish higher institution and look for a prophet to work around doing all manners of assignments with your certificate. if you were distinct to work in Mobile because you ate save God has a way of getting you there so what we have lost is the salvation, the church no longer preach the Jesus Christ because is no always a sweet message because in the process of that you will tell somebody don’t commit fornication don’t sleep with someone’s wife, don’t take what does not belongs to you and people these days are not interested in all these kind of messages, all they want to hear is prosperity and wealth, open heaven and pastors will assure everybody of becoming a millionaire not minding whether they are sinners or not and for them to be part of the millionaire guest the new method?
They rushed down to the pulpit and drop huge amount of money, you see people running to collect oil so as to become rich with their sinful lifestyles collecting the oil with their sin and sin here is the limitation because the Bible says seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be added. What are these all other things? The wealth that you’re struggling for, there is no oil that gives a car, it is the power of God that gives anything good to a man.
Ques:
The generality of Christians in Nigeria has already been divided into various factional beliefs, because of the kind of messages they heard from their General overseas in their respective congregations. What do you think is the reason for this division in the body of Christ? And what do you suggest will be the remedy?
Ans:
I will say people’s greed and lust for material things. Let me tell you the truth if you want to serve God and you did that with sincerity of heart, definitely, your heart will surely come out from materials things. I am not against it, neither because those things will keep coming, but when you are not contented with what you have, there is a tendency for you to extend your hands beyond what God has blessed you with. Nowadays Pastors are in serious competition, competing with politicians and business people, pastors are buying private jets, building mansions and acquiring all the properties, because they feel they may not have same opportunity again in case the church close down, using the money of the poor congregants to enrich themselves. The only remedy is the salvation that will expose them to the true knowledge of Christ. Without salvation, there is no way Christianity will find a lasting solution.
Some years ago, there was total dignity in the Christendom and cleansing of unholy practice among members then all these roadside pastors didn’t have instant access to idol practices than they are today. To serve God, one need to connect with like-minded, or more importantly, not-so-like-minded people from across the world who understand the tenet of faith and not the prosperity. Churches no longer preach salvational messages because they are afraid to lose members. The problem is that some of our Christians leaders who are supposed to bridge the gap and come out with one order of worship like our Muslim brothers, in the world anywhere you go the Muslim mode of worship is one but in Christianity, it’s not, that is because some of our leaders are even partnering with Quackeries to fraud their congregations. But if the right thing is to be done our leaders in Christianity should come together to find a lasting solution to these ubiquitous qualities of worship in Nigeria.
The Christianity door is wide open and because of this a lot of people with their various diabolical beliefs venture into it and preach wrong gospel and consistently exposed to its followers who didn’t even have a given standard of teachings of CHRIST and because they listen to this unchristian kind of messages they cannot really be able to cultivate a Christ-like life. My brother this is very, very wrong, and this only happens in Christianity.
I believe the salvation has been a real gift to Christians.
To be continued.
Interview conducted By Divine Sam