By Gbenga Osinaike
The chairman of the Lagos Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Olusola Ore has cautioned Nigerian Christians against whining over a supposed Islamic agenda for the country but instead should concentrate more on soul winning and evangelism.
He gave the warning at the unveiling of the Missions’ Month of the Lagos PFN; a development that is quite novel in the annals of the Pentecostal body.
Ore, who gave a key note address at the event, which held at the Agape Generation Bible Church, Mende, Maryland, on Tuesday said the church had been too distracted for so long. “We are not involved in the assignment that our master committed into our care. He asked us to go and preach the gospel not to build mansions and expand our coasts. We are busy building empires and souls are perishing. It is time we wake up from our slumber and reach out to lost souls. This idea of talking about an impending Islamic agenda should henceforth stop. We should be talking about the church agenda. That is what should occupy our attention”
He emphasized further that the church should continue do the work of soul winning. “the truth is that the growth we brag about in many of our churches are not growth in the real sense but transfer of members from one church to the other. People are not being won to Christ; we are only having people from existing churches. But that is not the growth we should desire or pray for. We should reach out to the un-reached.
While promising that the Lagos PFN will continue to support mission initiatives, he said “henceforth, the month of May is being declared as the month of missions.”
Earlier at the ceremony, the Director of Missions of the PFN, Pastor Richard Oghifo observed that many churches spend on things that don’t count for eternity.
He said the funds being wasted in many of our churches will go a long way to support mission work in Nigeria. “There are still many places that are un-reached with the gospel in Nigeria. It is shocking to realize that even in the cities of Nigeria there are places yet un-reached with the gospel”
He noted further that many church leaders and Christians in general are unwilling to spend on missions. “There are families that send their children abroad to school and pay heavily in pounds and dollars but when it comes to sparing some money for missions they find it difficult. They just develop cold feet. This attitude should change.” He pleaded.
The Guest Speaker at the event, Evangelist Mike Adegbile told the gathering of church leaders that the church in Africa had great potentials to reach the world for Christ.
He noted that the church in Nigeria is endowed with what it takes to bring the gospel to every nook and cranny of the world adding that the blessings in Nigeria are not just there for fun.
Adegbile who is the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association said it had become necessary for the church in Nigeria to mobilise resources for the vision 50/15 which he described at the agenda for the church.
The vision according to him is to raise 50,000 workers and train 15,000 of them for the purpose of mission.
While noting that Africa has an evangelical Christian population of 180 million people, he said, “the cry of the moment is that the church should release just one percent of the Christian population for mission.
The vision 50/15 will provide a focal point of our effort to reach the un-reached in the 10/40 window. Nigeria is at the centre of this great move. We can donate just a fragment of our church population to prayers, support and short term exposure to mission field.”
He noted that many countries of the world want to hear about Jesus. ‘Many of the countries that were hitherto closed to the gospel are now embracing Jesus. God wants the church in Nigeria to be part of a global agenda of evangelization. It is important that churches should get their members to create more interest in missions and evangelism.”
