Isaac Boluwatise

This Misguided Pursuit of Wealth

July 1st, 2024

This morning, I read the passage about the meek inheriting the earth and paused to reflect on its meaning (Matt 5:5).

Why do we, as the church, sometimes sit in the pews and accept teachings without question just because they come from a respected leader, whether a pastor, apostle, or bishop? It seems that when these leaders declare something, we follow without further scrutiny.

One troubling trend is the prophecy that before Jesus returns, the richest people on earth will be from the church. This is a dangerous misconception aimed at those who don’t study the Scriptures for themselves. It appeals to those with itching ears, who prefer to hear what is pleasing rather than the truth (2 Tim 4:3-4). These teachings prioritize material wealth over seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first, with the promise that everything else will follow (Matt 6:33).

This idea that Christians will possess the earth’s wealth before Christ’s return distracts us from the imminent second coming of Christ. It ignores the fact that the richest people on earth before Jesus’ first coming were not from Israel, and His disciples during His ministry were not among the wealthiest (Matt 8:20). Moreover, the wealthiest people at His second coming won’t necessarily be from the church.

The collective wealth of many churches is nothing compared to the fortune of a single unbelieving billionaire. This highlights a misunderstanding of what it means to follow Christ.

I believe that God does provide for those who follow His guidance, directs those who heed His voice, and leads them in paths of prosperity. However, it’s disheartening to see some believers more eager to listen to visiting speakers who promise quick wealth than to seek the enduring truths of the Gospel.

Our redemption is priceless, offering eternal life rather than worldly riches. As Psalm 49:6-9 (NIV) says:
“Those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—so that they should live on forever and not see decay.”

The promise of inheriting the earth is a future hope, not a present reality. Let’s focus on the true riches found in Christ, valuing eternal treasures over temporary ones (Matt 6:19-21).
Nigerian Electoral Predictions and the Need for Caution

February 23rd, 2023

As Nigeria prepares for the next presidential election scheduled for February 25th, 2023, there has been an assortment of predictive prophecies surrounding the election’s outcome. While it is normal for people to make predictions about such results, it is essential to approach these predictions cautiously, especially when they are specific and can potentially influence the electoral process.

In random order, the three leading contestants for the Nigerian presidential election are Peter Obi, Bola Tinubu, and Atiku Abubakar. There are varieties of predictions about who will win the election. Some prophecies suggest that Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State, will win the election. In contrast, others predict that Bola Tinubu, the former governor of Lagos State, will be the next president. There have also been predictions that Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, will emerge as the presidential election winner.

One of the significant variations in these predictive prophecies is the level of specificity provided. Some predictions have been specific, stating the exact margin and geo-distribution of victory for a particular candidate. Some others have been more general, saying that a specific candidate will win without providing further details about how they will win or what events will transpire during the election. Some predictions have wavered significantly in a very confusing manner in the last two years, with the same prophet throwing up different shades almost weekly.

Another variation is the credibility of the sources of these prophecies. Some prophecies come from well-known religious leaders or respected political analysts, while others come from unknown individuals or groups with no established track record of accurate predictions.

Regardless of the variants in these predictive prophecies, it would be wise to approach them with restraint. Predictive prophecies can sway public opinion and produce a self-fulfilling prophecy, especially when influential religious leaders make them. People may act on these prophecies, believing based on the words of a particular pundit that a specific candidate will win, leading to a sense of certainty that can affect the election’s outcome.

Predictive prophecies can also create a false sense of assurance or anguish, depending on the prediction’s outcome. Prophecies that predict a particular candidate’s victory can lead supporters to become complacent, believing their candidate will win regardless of what they do. However, if a prophecy predicts a candidate’s defeat, their supporters may lose hope and hesitate to vote, believing their candidate will not win. Some of these prophecies can even prepare the ground for chaos with the supposition that the process rigged out a predicted winner.

While it is understandable that every preacher with a prominent platform has gone prophetic, particularly about the direction of the upcoming presidential election, it is essential to approach these predictions cautiously. Predictive prophecies can be influential and create a false sense of inevitability or hopelessness, negatively affecting the electoral process. Instead of looking around for pundits to suggest who you should vote for or expect to win prophetically, it is better to participate actively in the electoral process by knowing as much as possible about the candidates and making informed, unbiased decisions based on apparent issues or personal conviction or leading. Such an approach can ensure that the coming election is transparent and truly democratic and that the people elect the best candidate as Nigeria’s next president.
The Christian Faith is not Political

April 4th, 2022

The Christian faith is not political. Not at all.

Christians can participate in politics. The faith however has no business with politics. It will be smearing on our mission when we make that mistake.

Would you organize a bloc against those you are assigned to win?

The lane or the course of the Faith is to make disciples of all nations, anything beyond this can be injurious to the great commission when we think it will help

The best we can do is to represent Christ well if we have opportunity there. We can’t make politics His business. His kingdom is not of this world.

This extra curricular takeover stuff is only part of the human horizon. It is man flexing himself. The Lord did not feature politics in the agenda we call the great commision.

It is spiritual to train believers to hear God and make the right decision; it is human and manipulative to artificially force a Christian political bloc. To do that is to put the cart before the horse of our mission.

Making disciples
Teaching them to observe Christ’s commands.
This is the major reality in Christian horizon.

Efforts to help the mission with politics is only humans attempting to help God.

Selah!
To Curses or To God and The Word of His Grace?

March 12th, 2022
“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

Acts 20:32 (NIV)

The Old Covenant came with blessings and curses; the New comes only with blessings.

As ministers of the New Covenant, the calling is to lead God’s people with God’s word [in response to the assignment, “Feed my sheep”] and not with curses. It is either the Word or nothing. The rebuking aspect of the ministry has no business with curses.

The word of God teaches, rebukes, and corrects. We set for the people the boundary of God’s will with these.

When we still set boundary for people with curses alongside the ministry of the word, we should be sincere that something apparently is still wrong or missing.
- Human nature is either still prevailing, and/or
- We cannot totally and confidently commit the people we have taught to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build them up and give then an inheritance among those who are sanctified [by the word].
- Our estate of leadership is more important to us than the people.
The ministry of the New Covenant is 100% spiritual. Wherever the word prevails, it transforms.

When the priority of the people is charted to respect boundaries set with courses, the word has not prevailed over them and neither can curses transform them or take them into their high calling in Christ.
‘Christian’ Is Now a Generic Label’ – George Barna

September 13th, 2021

Stephanie Martin’s recent article, as published on churchleaders.com, titled with a quote from George Barna – ‘Christian’ Is Now a Generic Label’ – raises serious concern for contemporary Christianity.

She wrote…

Courtesy: church leaders.com

According to a new report from Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center (CRC), just 9% of self-identified American Christian adults hold a biblical worldview. Even fewer (6%) hold a biblical worldview and consistently apply biblical principles to their lives.

The CRC says findings from its latest American Worldview Inventory show the need to nurture what the center calls “integrated disciples” of Jesus. “‘Christian’ has become somewhat of a generic term rather than a name that reflects a deep commitment to passionately pursuing and being like Jesus Christ,” says CRC research director George Barna. “Too often, it seems, people who are simply religious, or regular churchgoers, or perhaps people who want a certain reputation or image embrace the label ‘Christian,’ regardless of their spiritual life and intentions.”

Self-Identifying as Christian Isn’t Very Telling

Of the 2,000 U.S. adults surveyed, 69% self-identified as Christian. Yet of that group, 72% say people are basically good, 64% say all religious faiths have equal value, 58% say people can get to heaven by performing good works, and 57% believe in karma. The broader group of self-identified Christians also tends to reject several biblical teachings; for example, only 46% say God’s plan for marriage involves one man and one woman, and only 32% say premarital sex is morally unacceptable.

About one-third of survey respondents identify more specifically as either born-again or evangelical Christians. “Despite using different terminology to identify themselves,” Barna says, “self-identified born-again and self-identified evangelical Christians possess nearly identical views on most of the beliefs evaluated.” Yet even among those believers, 62% say the Holy Spirit is symbolic, not real; 61% say all faiths are equally valuable; and 60% say people can get to heaven by performing good works.

Only the 6% of “integrated disciples” can be described as having a biblical worldview, says Barna. These believers “assimilate their beliefs into their lifestyles” and most closely reflect “biblical principles into their opinions, beliefs, behaviors, and preferences.”

Almost all (99%) of integrated disciples “believe that the Bible is the accurate and reliable words of God, believe that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful, and just Creator of the universe who still rules,” and “say they have a unique, God-given calling.”

Takeaways of These Findings

Inventory results show that U.S. adults tend to “dilute and distort the cultural understanding of what constitutes Christianity,” Barna says. Labeling people broadly as Christians becomes problematic for politics, for example. “Political polling, in particular, may mislead people regarding the views and preferences of genuine Christ-followers simply based on how those surveys measure the Christian population,” he says. Integrated disciples who truly possess a biblical worldview tend to be more conservative than the broader group of self-identified Christians.

Len Munsil, president of Arizona Christian University, says survey results emphasize the urgency of training young Christians in integrated discipleship. And outreach opportunities abound, he adds. “Fragments of biblical truth are still embraced by the overwhelming majority of American adults, which means that each of the estimated 176 million self-identified Christians has a starting point of belief that can be built upon and refined into a mature, consistent biblical worldview.”

This Misguided Pursuit of Wealth

Nigerian Electoral Predictions and the Need for Caution

The Christian Faith is not Political

To Curses or To God and The Word of His Grace?

‘Christian’ Is Now a Generic Label’ – George Barna

Self-Identifying as Christian Isn’t Very Telling

Takeaways of These Findings