OPEN LETTER TO ALL CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA. (Homily for May 6, 2016. Friday After the Ascension.)


Bible Study: Acts 18, 9 to 18 and John 16, 20 to 23.


Yesterday I came across a letter with the title, “Your Land or Your Blood” on social media. The letter is a direct threat to all Christians in this country and especially Christians in the south. The letter makes reference to the issue of the herdsmen and the proposed grazing bill. I consider this letter as an attempt to bolster fear and intimidation in the minds of Christians as well as fill their hearts with a demonic spirit of hate against a certain group of persons.

To live with hatred for one’s fellow humans is to live with bitterness. To hate is to put yourself in a prison whereby everyone else becomes your warder. To hate is to deny your faith in Christ Jesus and his power to save. Should we Christians, begin to hate others because of their threats, it means we have stopped being Christians and this would mean converting to a religion of hate even while we still address ourselves as Christians.

Our religion is not a religion of hate, we do not consider non-Christians or converts away from the faith as people condemned, we see them just as Jesus Christ saw the world as a whole when he came to die for us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” John 3, 16 to 17. We cannot hate sinners because God himself did not hate sinners, he reached out with love for their repentance. The parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin are pointers to this fact. The good shepherd, Jesus leaves the ninety nine and goes in search of the lost one and when he finds it, he carries gently on his back to the fold.

Many argue that if we do not take up arms to fight, our religion would soon be exterminated but make bold to say this is far from the truth. Go through the entire scriptures, there was never a war against God’s children that did not involve God himself either fighting on their behalf to give them victory or purposely allowing their enemies to defeat them so as to send a direct message to them about their unfaithfulness (that is, the worship of other gods). Whenever the children of Israel left the true God to serve the Baals, they were severely punished with a defeat and when they repented, they enjoyed peace and protection once again.

The greatest threat to Christianity today is not Fulani herdsmen or Boko haram or some religion from some part of the country. No! The greatest threat against Christianity today is Christians themselves. We have long left the worship of God for the worship of money. Money has become to us what Baals were to the people of Israel, our ancestors in the faith. We argue about the authenticity of the moral authority of the Bible and the Church. We have allowed immorality turn our heads upside down. Listen to songs produced by Christians who are supposed to the former Choir leaders in our churches. Even see how we dress, see what we teach our children.

Go to our Churches, we now have miracle centres where fake pastors display acrobatics to get our attention. Churches have become entertainment centres, disco halls and night clubs. Our pastors are so carried away with money that they no longer preach sin as sin. For them, the only sin is poverty. They have too much money, they fly private jets and drive on the latest cars in the world.

We are only Christians by name, but pagans in reality! If another religion takes over, it is not going to be an end of Christianity but an end of paganism because Christianity itself has long died in this country.

We are the authors of our own undoing! What is happening to us today is not God abandoning his children, it is rather the case of the children suffering what the Prodigal son suffered when he left home! We must return home, we must return to our morals, we must return to our senses, we must return to the truth and God knows how to protect and fight for us.

Yes, God alone knows how to fight for his own; those who are truly his own! There were battles that the children of Israel won even without raising a single finger to fight. There were times, God put confusion in the enemy camp and they started fighting themselves and destroyed themselves to death while his children just watched. Who says, God is no longer capable of doing that in this country today?

Just look at today’s first reading, see what God said to St. Paul: “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack you and harm you, for I have many people in this city.” Acts 18, 9. Guess what happened when Paul was arrested? See how the enemies fought each other like children. What a disgrace.

Dear friends, let us take the pains to be true to our faith and repent. God is the king of all the earth. He alone can protect us. If arms and ammunition can save, why are there still wars in the world? Isn’t it a shame that we no longer believe in the power of God but are canvassing for Christians to take up arms to fight? Doesn’t it show how much faith we have lost in God even when we call our churches miracle centres?

Have we forgotten the words of Jesus even in today’s Gospel passage “whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” John 16, 23. Do we think prayers are not as effective anymore even when our pastors charge huge sums of money just to pray or as consultation fees? Is it the case that we know what we are doing?

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help me to be true to you. Amen

God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.


Fr. Abu Evaristus.

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