Posted by By HENRY UMAHI on
Chief Francis Ene, a renowned philanthropist and chieftain of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) in Aba, Abia State has charged churches to be relevant within their environment by establishing farms instead of building castles and buying posh cars even as many of their members are jobless and hungry.
Chief Francis Ene, a renowned philanthropist and chieftain of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) in Aba, Abia State has charged churches to be relevant within their environment by establishing farms instead of building castles and buying posh cars even as many of their members are jobless and hungry.
Saying that the ' money being wasted on ostentatious lifestyle by clerics should be channeled into humanitarian services" he maintained: 'Any pastor wearing designer clothes, living in a castle and riding posh cars while his church members lack the basics necessities of life has put a question mark on his calling.
Recently, Iron T, as he is popularly known, spoke with Daily Sun on this and other issues.
Concept of God
My concept of God is that He is the owner of the universe. He made the heavens and earth and everything therein by his own understanding. And He created mankind in His image and likeness. God is awesome. There is no limit to His greatness and power. Indeed, He is in total control of the affairs of man who He created for the purpose of worship and fellowship. Every new day manifests the beauty of His holiness and loving kindness.
Relationship with God
I have a wonderful relationship with God because He is my Father. I seek His face in everything I do and He is always there for me. No matter what comes my way, I always praise him because I know that He loves me and that He will see me through in every situation.
Heaven and hell
I believe there is heaven as well as hell. While heaven is a place of enjoyment galore, hell is a place of eternal pain. They are reserved for different types of people: good people and evildoers respectively. For me, to make heaven, one must be righteous in the sight of God not in the consideration of man. The ticket to heaven is kindness, generosity and love for one's neighbours. Hell is for the wicked. For instance, if you covet what belongs to your neighbour, you have bought your ticket to hell. If you do not love your neighbour who you see, you cannot love God who you do not see, and that's a certificate to hell.
Prevalence of crimes
It is true that there are more churches now than ever before, but most of these new breed Churches are materially inclined. All they talk about is prosperity. And the activities of charlatans masquerading as men of God have negative effects on the followership. Years ago, there were many native doctors but because of the global change they lost patronage. So, many of them cleverly studied the situation and repackaged themselves in form of clerics. Again, these days, someone would just wake up one morning, rent a warehouse and turn it into church. This is why there is church signpostss everywhere with little or no spiritual impact on society.
Taxing churches
Asking churches to pay taxes is akin to telling someone to pay VAT on a recharge card when the GSM operators had already done so. A church is a congregation of people most of who pay taxes individually. So, taxing their contribution to the church, which is not a business venture, would amount to double taxation on income. It is unfair and unacceptable.
Tithe
It is stated in the Bible that one should pay tithe and offering. But I believe that you can do it in so many ways. You either pay it to the church or to the less privileged in society in form of alms. There are those who do not go to church and they render help to the needy. That is tithing. Alms giving is tithing.
Meeting God
I will be overwhelmed with joy if I meet God. In fact, if I see God, I will hold Him, I will never let him go. I will never want to come back to this wicked world.
Miracles
I believe in miracle. Miracles can happen at anytime and anywhere not only in church. Indeed, miracles happen in many ways. For instance, when the unexpected good fortune drops on your laps, that's miracle. When a set back turns to an opportunity that's miracle. While there are genuine miracles, there are also fake miracles. God is the author of genuine miracles and fake miracles are the brainchild of Satan. Many preachers claim to perform miracles, which cannot be verified. Some of them are stage-managed.
How churches can be relevant
The church can be relevant in these parts if they invest in agriculture instead of building edifices and buying sleek cars while their members are starving. Churches should establish farms for their congregation most of who are jobless and hungry. The moneys being wasted on ostentatious lifestyle should be channeled into humanitarian services. Any pastor wearing designer clothes and riding posh cars while his Church members are lacking the basic necessities of life has put a question mark on his calling.