….Lessons from Jeremiah 36 for the Church and Nigeria.
By John Abipla
“It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.” — Jeremiah 36:3.
There are moments when God warns a people before judgment. He does not warn because He desires their destruction. He warns because He desires their repentance.
Jeremiah 36 is one of the most sobering examples in Scripture.
God commanded Jeremiah to take a scroll and write the words He had spoken concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Jeremiah was to send Baruch to read the words publicly.
Why?
“That they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
The warning was therefore an act of mercy.
God was giving His people another opportunity to turn from their sins before judgment came.
IS GOD WARNING NIGERIA?
Nigeria is facing terrorism, killings, kidnapping, banditry, corruption, injustice, ritual killings, idolatry, religious violence, political corruption and the destruction of lives and communities.
But the Church must not look only outward. We must look inward. What has happened to the fear of God among us?
What has happened to our first love? Why have money, materialism, corruption, political influence, tribalism, sexual immorality, idolatry, occult practices and compromise found their way into parts of the Church?
Why has prayer become weak while the pursuit of money, position and influence has become strong?
Why are some who should be standing before God in intercession becoming silent?
Why are we asking God to heal Nigeria while refusing to allow Him to cleanse His Church?
These questions are not accusations against others.
They are questions we must first ask ourselves.
THE MESSAGE WAS WRITTEN
There is something significant about Jeremiah 36.
God did not tell Jeremiah merely to keep the burden in his heart.
He told him:
“Write thou all the words that I have spoken unto thee.”
The message was written.
It was read.
It was heard.
The people were given an opportunity to respond.
In our generation, God has also given His Church His written Word. He continues to raise voices, watchmen, intercessors and messengers to remind His people of what He has already spoken.
The purpose is not to create fear.
The purpose is repentance.
This is the burden behind the present call:
ONE DAY • ONE FAST • ONE PRAYER • ONE NATION • ONE GOD
A call for the Church in Nigeria and Nigerians in the diaspora to humble ourselves before God, begin with personal repentance, identify with the sins of the Church and nation, and cry for mercy.
BUT WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE MESSAGE REACHED THE KING?
The scroll was eventually read before King Jehoiakim.
As portions were read, the king took a knife, cut the scroll and threw it into the fire.
“Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments…” — Jeremiah 36:24
This is frightening.
They heard the word.
They heard the warning.
But they did not repent.
The king rejected the message.
The Word of God was treated as something that could simply be cut up and thrown into the fire.
But the king could not destroy the Word of God.
THE WORD MUST NOT BE BURNED IN OUR GENERATION
Jeremiah’s scroll was burned.
But God’s Word came again.
This is one of the most powerful lessons from Jeremiah 36 for the Nigerian Church today.
For decades, we have watched aspects of the true Gospel of the Kingdom progressively lose their place in parts of the Church—not because God’s Word has changed, but because some of its demands have been pushed aside.
Holiness, repentance, discipleship, sacrificial service, self-denial, carrying the cross, paying the price for Christ, separation from the world, preparation for eternity and the fear of God have increasingly been crowded out in some places by materialism, prosperity-driven Christianity, commercialized religion, motivational and success-centered messages, entertainment, excessive emphasis on money and worldly success, hyper-grace and other forms of compromise.
Even prayer and prophecy can be distorted when they become instruments of hatred, revenge or pronouncements of death upon perceived enemies.
But the answer is not to abandon the Church.
The answer is to return to the Word.
The answer is repentance.
The answer is restoration.
The answer is revival.
We must allow the Holy Spirit to bring the Church back to the whole counsel of God—not only the promises we love, but also the commands we must obey.
Jesus did not call us merely to seek blessings.
He called us to follow Him. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” — Matthew 16:24
The Word must not be burned in our generation.
The Bible must not be reduced to motivational quotations.
The Gospel must not become a commercial product.
Prayer must not become a weapon for hatred.
Prophecy must not replace Scripture.
Prosperity must not replace holiness.
Miracles must not replace discipleship.
Leadership must not replace servanthood.
Entertainment must not replace worship.
And the pursuit of money must never replace the pursuit of God.
The Word that was written must be heard again.
The Gospel that was once preached must be preached again.
The call to repentance must be sounded again.
The Church must return to her first love.
THE WORD CAME AGAIN
God then told Jeremiah:
“Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king hath burned.” — Jeremiah 36:28
What a powerful lesson!
They burned the scroll, but they could not burn the Word.
The message came again.
Jeremiah wrote again.
The messenger continued.
The warning continued.
This is the nature of genuine prophetic and intercessory ministry.
When a message is rejected, the intercessor does not abandon prayer. When people refuse to listen, the watchman continues to watch. When the first appeal is ignored, the burden remains before God. Rejection does not cancel the assignment.
WILL SOME REJECT THE CALL TO REPENTANCE IN NIGERIA?
We should be prepared for different responses.
Some will hear and repent.
Some will hear and ignore.
Some will agree but do nothing.
Some may become uncomfortable because the message touches areas they would rather keep hidden.
Some may even oppose the messenger.
But our responsibility is not to force people to respond.
Our responsibility is to faithfully proclaim the call and continue to intercede.
The prophet cannot make people repent.
The watchman cannot force the nation to turn.
But the watchman must sound the alarm.
JUDGMENT OR MERCY?
This is where Jeremiah 36 should bring us to our knees.
God said the message was being sent:
“That they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive…”
Therefore, God’s warning is not merely a declaration of judgment.
It is an invitation to mercy.
The Church must not say, “Nigeria is doomed.”
We must say: “Nigeria needs mercy.”
We must not say, “There is no hope.”
We must say: “There is still an opportunity to repent.”
We must not spend all our energy predicting what will happen to Nigeria. We must spend ourselves praying for what God desires to happen in Nigeria.
WHAT IF THE CHURCH RESPONDS?
What if pastors humble themselves?
What if General Overseers and church leaders lead their people into repentance?
What if Christians confess personal sins instead of only identifying the sins of politicians?
What if churches return to prayer?
What if Christians abandon idolatry, occult practices, corruption, sexual immorality, hatred, tribalism, greed and compromise?
What if millions of believers across Nigeria and the diaspora begin to pray in homes, churches, streets, marketplaces, schools, offices, communities and cities?
What if we genuinely cry:
“O Lord, have mercy upon Nigeria!”
Could God not revive His Church?
Could He not save multitudes?
Could He not raise missionaries and evangelists?
Could He not turn the hearts of those involved in violence toward Christ?
Could He not save terrorists, kidnappers, bandits, cultists, ritualists, corrupt officials, criminal elements, sponsors of violence, persecutors and hardened sinners?
Could He not save even religious leaders who presently oppose Christ?
Could God not turn some of today’s Sauls into Pauls?
The same Jesus who transformed Saul of Tarsus can transform the hardest sinner when he encounters Him.
Saul was a persecutor of the Church. Yet Christ met him on the road to Damascus, and the persecutor became a preacher.
“And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.” — Acts 9:20
Paul later testified:
“I obtained mercy…” — 1 Timothy 1:13
What if God raises Sauls who become Pauls in Nigeria?
What if someone presently involved in violence encounters Jesus Christ?
What if a sponsor of terrorism becomes a preacher of the Gospel? What if a hardened criminal becomes an evangelist?
What if those who presently persecute Christians become their brothers and sisters in Christ? We should never underestimate the transforming power of Jesus Christ.
This does not mean that we excuse terrorism, murder, persecution or injustice. Evil must be confronted, victims must be protected, and justice must be pursued.
But the Church has a higher assignment: to pray for the salvation of sinners—even those who hate us.
Jesus said: “Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” — Matthew 5:44
Therefore, our intercession must not only ask God to stop evil; we must ask Him to save those who are doing evil and turn them into instruments of righteousness.
BABYLON AND THE WARNING OF JUDGMENT
Jeremiah’s generation eventually experienced Babylon because Judah persisted in rebellion, idolatry, injustice and rejection of God’s warnings. This should sober Nigeria.
A nation must never presume upon God’s patience.
When a people continually reject correction, sin produces consequences.
But we must also be careful.
Jeremiah 36 does not give us permission to declare that a particular modern political or religious outcome is inevitable for Nigeria. We cannot say that because Nigeria is facing Islamic extremism or other threats, God has already determined a particular future for the nation.
Only God knows the future.
But we can say this: A nation that turns away from God must not presume upon God’s protection while continuing in sin.
And a Church that wants God to heal the nation must first be willing to allow God to heal and cleanse the Church.
THE REMNANT MUST HEAR
Even in dark times, God has always preserved a remnant.
Therefore, I am not discouraged by the possibility that some may reject this call.
I am praying for those who will hear.
I am praying for pastors who will respond.
I am praying for intercessors who will stand in the gap.
I am praying for Christians who will say:
“As for me, I will return to God.”
Perhaps the greatest question is not:
“Will everybody respond?”
The question is:
“Will I respond?”
Will you repent?
Will I repent?
Will the Church repent?
Will Nigeria return to God?
ONE DAY • ONE FAST • ONE PRAYER
This is why the call for a national day of fasting, repentance and prayer is not merely another Christian programme.
It is an opportunity.
An opportunity for personal repentance.
An opportunity for the Church to examine herself.
An opportunity for Christians across denominations and regions to stand together before God.
An opportunity to cry for mercy over Nigeria.
Whether September 24 or October 1, 2026—or both dates are observed—the burden remains one:
ONE DAY.
ONE FAST.
ONE PRAYER.
ONE NATION.
ONE GOD.
Let the Church return to God.
Let Nigeria cry for mercy.
Let us pray for the salvation of those who persecute the Church and those involved in terrorism and violence.
Let us pray for our leaders.
Let us pray for the persecuted.
Let us pray for peace.
Let us pray for the healing of the land.
Let us pray for revival.
“Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” — Psalm 85:6.
THE WORD MUST NOT BE BURNED IN OUR GENERATION
Jeremiah’s scroll was burned.
But God’s Word came again.
May Nigeria not become like Judah in Jeremiah 36—hearing God’s warning but refusing to repent.
May our leaders not harden their hearts.
May pastors not ignore the call.
May Christians not merely forward messages without examining themselves.
May this generation hear the Word, humble itself and turn back to God.
Lord, give Nigeria another opportunity.
Give Your Church another opportunity.
Give us hearts that can hear.
Give us hearts that can repent.
Give us hearts that can pray.
Give us hearts that can obey.
And where judgment has been deserved, remember mercy.
“O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not…” — Daniel 9:19.
Nigeria does not only need our complaints.
Nigeria needs our repentance.
Nigeria needs our prayers.
Nigeria needs revival.
Jesus Christ must have the final word.
ONE DAY • ONE FAST • ONE PRAYER • ONE NATION • ONE GOD
To gain a deeper understanding of the forthcoming National Day of Repentance — ONE DAY, ONE FAST, ONE PRAYER —
CAN INSECURITY, BLOODSHED AND TERORISM END IN NIGERIA?
please click this link:https://churchtimesnigeria.net/one-day-one-fast-one-prayer-can-bloodshed-insecurity-and-terrorism-end-in-nigeria/amp/
Revive Us Again Series 148.
REVIVE US AGAIN — A GLOBAL PRAYER MOVEMENT FOR WORLDWIDE REVIVAL
Revive Us Again is a call for the Church to return to God, recover the altar of prayer, repent of sin, receive spiritual awakening, and become a praying and witnessing people through whom revival can reach the nations.
By Prophet John Abiola
Intercessor | Revival Voice
Nigeria Global Intercessors (NGI)
globalintercessors7@gmail.com
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