US-based Nigerian pastor, Dolapo Lawal has decried the paucity of theological knowledge in many churches while also noting that many men who grew up in church were lost to the world because they were not properly taught Bible doctrine during their teenage age.
Lawal made the observation during a teaching session monitored online by Church Times which spanned over one hour.
According to him, many of the unbelief that shows up later in the life of people who once professed faith come because people misread the Bible. “The trouble with many Christians is that they keep believing God for what he did not promise them. You need to first get assurance from God that he has promised you certain things before you start claiming them.
The fact that it is written in the word of God is not enough for you to make a claim to it. Your faith for that thing you are trusting God for starts from the point of getting assurance from God that he would give you that thing.”
Making reference to Christians in Nigeria, he said, “the way Nigerians are praying, God will still owe them. They will later say God is not faithful for what he never promised them in the first place.”
He pointed out several verses of the Bible that are being read out of context thereby making people trust God for what he did not promise.
One of the scriptures he highlighted was Isaiah 45v11 which many people interpret to mean they could command God according to the works of His hands.
Looking at the Bible from the context of that scripture, Lawal pointed out that the verse was actually questioning people who wanted to command God.
“If you read Isaiah 45 from verse 9 you will see that the scripture is actually against those who dare to question or command God. The word command in the Hebrew was used in a rhetorical sense. Some other Bible translations apart from KJV has translated it well.”
He noted that many still want to command God and get frustrated along the way. “the thought of commanding God is heretic”
Lawal also noted that Gen 8v22 which is God’s promise that as long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest time will never cease, is a promise made by God to give assurance about times and season: that he will remain faithful. “Unfortunately, when people hear that Bible passage what comes to their mind is giving and receiving. Some even use it to raise funds.”
While warning against reading money into some scriptures he said, paying tithe is not an insurance. “you can be a tither and enter trouble”
He warned Christians against attributing their woes to their non-payment of tithe saying, “How can you be a Christian and you know that salvation is a gift of God and you now believe that because you did not pay tithe that is why your car broke down. Stop lying. The car that is old already. You say because you did not pay tithe that is why the police arrested you, but you were over speeding”
He urged Christians to rise above base theology. “Spiritual growth is only in the revelation of Jesus. If it is about wisdom, Solomon would have been our saviour. What distinguishes Jesus from the rest of the people in the Bible is soteriology (salvation). If you are not learning Christ you are not growing”
He frowned at attempts by people to want to earn God’s love while also urging people to spend time to study the Bible and stay under regular teaching of the word of God. “It is religious mindset to think you are doing something wrong that is why bad thing is happening to you. We forget that we can be tested by God. If God has been training you that he will not leave you nor forsake you, he will put you on the cross”
Lawal also noted another scripture wrongly applied by many Christians is Rev 3v20 where Jesus says if you open the door of your heart I will come in and sup with you. That scripture was actually addressed to a compromised church and it is not to preach salvation message. Jesus was talking to the Laodicea church if you start reading from verse 14 of that chapter 3.”
He said further that “it is not possible to force God to do what he does not want to do. If you intercede and he changes his mind, he wanted to change his mind.”
Quoting Paul’s letter to the Romans, he noted that many Christians have zeal but the zeal is not according to knowledge. “If they teach you 2 plus 2 is 3 and you study it diligently, it does not make it right. That is the state of the church in Africa ‘ he said..
