Nigeria: Post-Modern Gospel Outlook
Young people in Nigeria remain
open and responsive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the principles of New
Testament Christianity. Their
openness is based on the desire to be right with God as they cry out to Him in
the midst of ethnic conflicts, religious blood baths, disease, poverty and
corruption. All these are
compounded by the world’s direction towards a one-world government with its
attendant effect on the nation. Subsequently,
the world neglects the nation’s deep need.
This hunger for spiritual help
makes the young vulnerable to embrace anything whether good or bad, from the new
age emphasis, traditional religion, western Christian shades of belief, or
sects, to “oil-funded Islam which builds its mosques everywhere.”
Dr. Dean Gilliland, who once
served in Nigeria for 25 years as a missionary, recently wrote us commenting on
the sad spiritual state of the church in the country.
He was saddened by the current trend to make Christ a commodity for sale.
This trend began through the introduction of the prosperity gospel and
has resulted in the lack of Biblical truth or life, shallow Christianity and
downright syncretism.
Like the rest of Africa,
Nigeria has a large population less than twenty years of age, young and
responsive. If we take seriously Jesus’ command to make disciples of
all nations, said Mike Treneer, the international vice-president of the
Navigators, we will see the huge opportunity to be seized with vast spiritual
consequences either way.
Beneath this façade of
growing Christianity, mega-churches, and upwardly mobile adherents, there is a
genuine desire to follow Christ in simplicity of faith and to gather around His
person which allows for pure worship, true sharing and free ministry among the
redeemed. They long for an
atmosphere where fellowship is enjoyed and evangelism and discipleship is a
lifestyle.
In light of this there is need
to encourage this desire which is expressed towards house fellowships that
gather around the person of Christ in Nigeria.
We have noticed this and have begun to build an effective partnership
with some of those we know in search of the New Testament reality.
They are turning their back on the popular trends around and searching
the Scriptures.
To encourage them we are
presently supplying them with reading materials on loan such as:
1.
The Pilgrim Church by Broadbent
2. Worship by Gibbs
3. The Lord’s Supper
by Gibbs
4.
19 Gifts of the Spirit by
Leslie A. Flynn
If you have any material that would be helpful in directing them toward the simplicity that is in Christ, please pass it on to us. We will put it to good use.
In addition we try to model
for them the effectiveness of utilizing the Emmaus
Resting on His infinite love,
Joy and Cyprian