THE GOSPEL IN REVERSE

Its early this morning and am in this vehicle heading to Victoria Island, a man who had joined the bus as we pulled out from the bus stop started with hymns and praises to God, he sang well and had a good number of songs so I flow along and mentally shake my head to the melody of the tune, anticipating to hear a good message to end the singing session. oh boy was i wrong.

Although wasn’t so bad though but I think on a fine day if he were selling a product I needed badly, I wouldn’t feel the need to buy from him. I believe in God and I like being attentive to everyone that preaches. Because God is so big I could learn something new and see something of Him from an entirely perspective, so I listen (which is good, most of you don’t). I also have unreserved respect for those who commit time to preach while commuting, it shows just how passionate they are about evangelism and it is one of the many opportunities to reach out to new people every day.

 

"God loves you and sent His son Jesus to die for you" was how he started his sermon which is perfect and true. But permit my summation of the rest of his excruciatingly long sermon in the best few words possible. "We are all sinners". Honestly if I wasn’t confident of my own salvation I would think i used sin ointment as a lotion this morning. He stretched on about all manner of sin and skipped the promise of God's grace and mercies, that when we choose Christ irrespective of where we have been He (Christ) becomes our righteousness. Last i checked (being this morning) God loves everyone on earth so much that He doesn’t hold our sins against us first, instead in His eyes He sees a man or woman who has everything he or she will ever need for a great life but hasn’t fully come to the knowledge of it. 1Timothy 2: 4 -6. 2 Corinthians 5: 19.

 The preacher had points that he assumed would buttress his position of “sin hassle” (in my own words) but I considered them as strikes against us in the vehicle (purely my own opinion).

 

Strike 1: “Those of you policemen collecting bribe” an indirect reference to the only fully dressed policeman seated by my side was what I thought to be strike one. He could have done better than irk the man, who I noticed just shook his head. (He should be arrested right. Yeah, I said the same. haha)

 Strike 2: “All you ladies wearing trousers it is a terrible sin, you wear earrings and fix scatter hair (whatever that means) and rub different make up”. “God created you naturally beautiful (this i agree, I am beautiful) but all the things you put on your body will take you to hell’’. We were about 5 ladies in the bus and even if I knew this wasn’t true I didn’t feel good it came out that way. I also thought if the ladies had engaged him somehow he would have been hit badly. (The last part is a joke that looked good in my head. No violence people)

 Strike 3: He continues “All you people doing "boyfriend and girlfriend it is wrong, if u see a girl or boy that you love instead of doing boyfriend and girlfriend, go and tell the parents you want to marry, then pay the dowry". I would like to ask here, at the time you are going through the motions of seeing the parents or you date the person to know them better, what do you call the relationship? Husband and wife in the making? Just a question though.

 Strike 4: Now you may not all agree on strike four but it’s quite sensitive. "you ladies doing abortion it is a terrible sin". We know not all causes of abortion come out from prostitution, some might be honest mistake of under-aged children forced to go through some unfathomable experiences and may be traumatized if left with unwanted pregnancies, in other cases these fetuses might be better off than bringing babies that would be neglected, both of which is prevalent in today’s world. Abortion has and will always been a controversial topic but before you rub that on someone as a sin consider the emotions (anger, pain, inferiority, regret e.t.c) that it might raise. I almost presented the preacher with a possible case scenario if he was one day at home with his family then armed men forces their way into his house, shots his son and the shooter rapes his daughter who afterwards gets pregnant. What would he do as a father for his daughter, keep the pregnancy or abort it? It would have been a thought provoking question but one that is not unheard of.

I would also like to chip in that sometimes past I would not have supported the cause for abortion, I still don’t. But truth is if you haven’t gone through it you will never understand what making that decision is really like. I don’t dwell on it now.

 

He mentioned other sins we ( and I am in full support of ) should be far from like pride, backbiting (biting people’s backs), wickedness, stealing, fornication and adultery, killing, lying, envy, hate and so many more. God doesn’t want us involved with such because they are quick ways to destruction for one without Christ and they hamper blessings and exploits for the man who has Christ, although he receives forgiveness and is cleaned from this unrighteousness when he ask but I rather you stay off those things that you know is bad (and yet do). Better safe than sorry.

 When the preacher finished I did not hear anyone repent or reply to his prayers because as i observed the people in the vehicle, i could see they blocked him out before he even concluded and were not responsive of his message. What is my take on this? A great minister of God once said "you do not preach over people's head" which means what you preach must have relevance to them and must provide them with a solution.

 

The Gospel of Christ is the good news of grace to the unsaved, good news of health to the one who is afflicted, prosperity to one who lacks and life to the spirit of every man who lets his emotions open up his heart to receive the word of God. The Gospel is reconciliation of man to God (2 Cort 5:18- 19). A sinner already knows that he is and does not need to be reminded, he wants to hear and believe something he does not yet have that can propel him to exchange what he has for salvation. When you harden a man’s heart with accusations and innuendos you cannot get through to him. Romans 10: 11 “with the heart man believes and is justified.." The message of Christ is not just appealing but it is the truth, if you preach it then it should appeal to the hearer and not judge him/her.

 

Let me hear your opinion on this, has there been a time where you completely shut your ears to something, why?