Organising the Church for sustainable development in

Nigeria, Africa and the world

Professor Benjamin Oyediran Oyelami, AFP, AGAA
Dean Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences
Plateau State University, Bokkos, Nigeria

1.

Preambles

Christianity is a way of life and occupies the pivotal point in the social mobilization, social
engineering and world order. The scripture in Matthew 5:13 say "You are the salt of the earth.
But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown
out and trampled underfoot as worthless (NLT). Matthew 5:14 says "You are the light of the
world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden (NLT) from these two scriptural
passages Christians must provide flavour for this tasteless world and add value to this chaotic
and catastrophic world. To show the light in any society we find ourselves should be our
mission.

1.1 Our Purpose as Christians

Our primary purpose on earth is to reconcile people back to God. We do not belong to world.
The Church is the representation of Gods kingdom on earth. Today, the Church has projected
our secondary purpose on earth to be the primary purpose. The prosperity preaching has
overshadowed the message of preparing people for heaven. Philippians 3:19-20 says they
are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and
they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord
Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour (NLT) and
also in Ephesians 2:19: Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens of the saints and members of God's household (NLT). So we are Christ's
ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead,
"Come back to God!" 2 Corinthians 5: 20.
I am not against prosperity teaching, since, in Deuteronomy 8:18, the Bible says: But
remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and
so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today (NTV). Haggai 2: 8
affirmed that: The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. These
scriptures simply mean that God wants us to prosper. Poverty was not part of Gods agenda
for man except one chooses to be poor.
There have been a variety of Christian views on Poverty and Wealth. American theologian
John B. Cobb has argued that economism that rules the West and through it much of the
East" is directly opposed to traditional Christian doctrine. He invokes the teaching of Jesus
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that "man cannot serve both God and Mammon (wealth)". He asserts that it is obvious that
"Western society is organized in the service of wealth" and thus wealth has triumphed over
God in the West.
Jack Mahoney, the Scottish theologian has characterized the saying of Jesus in Mark 10:23
27 as having "imprinted them so deeply on the Christian community through the centuries
that those who are well off, or even comfortably off, often feel uneasy and troubled in
conscience".
Thomas Aquinas wrote "Greed is a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as man
condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things." According to David Miller, Martin
Luther viewed Mammon (or the desire for wealth) as "the most common idol on earth".
Miller cites Jesus' encounter with the rich ruler Mark 10:1731 as an example of wealth being
an obstacle to faith.
Nigeria and Africa must make a paradigm shift from worshiping Wealth and idolising
celebrities to worshiping true God whose name is Jehovah Creating wealth using Gods
principles. Let me pulse for a moment and ask where are our modern days David, Daniel,
Joseph, Samuel, Solomon and Job? The Church must unfold the present day wise men that
will be stupendous rich and at the same time love God with great passion.

1.2 The Church must be proactive

The Church must be reinvigorated to champion value reorientation in Nigeria, Africa and the
World at large. Produce members that are transparent, hard- working and incorruptible,
sagacious and enterprising with stupendous problem solving skills. It is sad to note that the
occults are designing different kinds of products from their covens such as half naked
dressing, money rituals, homosexuals, sexual orgies, and planting heartless and ritualistic
leaders in the position of authority. Yet the Church and other faith organisation are doing little
or nothing to counteract the occultism agenda,
A philosopher once said Life itself demands that we be continually involved in the process of
wealth creation. The basic necessities for living are not provided like manna; the land has to
be cultivated, the sea has to be harvested, minerals have to be extracted, the city has to be
supplied with services. God created us with the capacity and the desire to do all these things.

Perrotta points out that poverty is not admired nor is it considered a positive value by the
writers of the Old Testament. The poor are protected because the weak should be protected
from exploitation.
There are a lot of areas in Nigeria that the Church as body and individual members in it need
to be actively engaged in for sustainable development. Nigeria is a blessed nation in the
planet earth. Blessed with natural and human resources that needed to be adequately unitised.
Let us briefly look at Nigeria and her human development indices:

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Nigeria as a nation
Nigeria is the largest black race in the world on the Gulf of Guinea, has many natural
landmarks and wildlife reserves, dense rainforest, savannah and rare primate habitats. The
Nigeria population has an annual growth rate of 2.63 %. Nigeria demographic statistic is as
follows:

The current population of Nigeria is 188,854,390 as of Saturday, November 26, 2016,

based on the latest United Nations population estimates.

Nigeria population is equivalent to 2.48% of the total world population.

Nigeria ranks number 7 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.

The population density in Nigeria is 205 per Km2 (532 people per mi2).

The total land area is 910,802 Km2 (351,662 sq. miles)

48.1 % of the population is urban (91,668,667 people in 2016)

The median age in Nigeria is 18 years.

Source: Worldometers
World Bank estimates:
Life expectancy 52.754(2014)
GDP 481.066(2015)
Arable land 37.726(2010)
Forest area 39991, 336.2 (Sq. Km) declining steadily.

An addendum to the above statistic is:

Total population (2015)
182,202,000
Gross national income per capita (PPP international $, 2013)

Life expectancy at birth m/f (years, 2015)

53/56

Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births, 0)

not available

Probability of dying between 15 and 60 years m/f (per 1 000 population, 2013)

357/325

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2014)

217

Total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2014)

3.7

Source: World Bank

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2. Forensic analysis of Nigeria Human Development

Indices (HDI)
Considering the population, Nigeria is African must populous nation. There are great markets
potential in telecommunication, agriculture, education, solid minerals, and real estate
development, tourism and health sectors. The Church should be involved directly or
encourage members to invest actively in these areas. The Church organisation could play
leading role in these sectors by organising skill acquisition and make enlightening
programmes for members. Make massive investments in these sectors. The Executives and
the parliament must work in harmony to create an enabling environment for sustainable
development of the nation.
From the Nigerian HDI, 51.9% of Nigerians are rural dwellers, therefore, there should be an
integrated rural development programme for rural people anchored by the Local governments
and private investors like the Church.
Agriculture, experts say, represents an opportunity sector whose huge economic potential
remains largely untapped. Nigeria earns over 80 per cent of her revenue from the petroleum
industry, according to several reports, but the sector actually accounts for less than 14 per
cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), whereas agriculture commands about 22 per cent
of GDP and generates two-thirds of employment nationwide.
The forest is fast declining that calls for production of furniture and roofing materials from
non-lumbering products. Investors and Researchers should seek alternative materials to wood
for production of furniture.
The expenditure on health per capita from the government is small; therefore, private
investors need to invest in the health sector. The Nigeria mortality rate is high; therefore, this
should be reduced by fighting diseases like HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, malaria, typhoid, cancer,
diabetics and cardiovascular diseases. Road accidents must be checked including
comprehensive plans to checkmate insurgence and natural mishaps like flooding. Create
peace and harmonious relationship among religious and ethnic groups.

3. Clarion call to Church to support sustainable

development goals
The Church must support the Champaign to improve health statues of people and to alleviate
poverty among people. It is the duty of the Church to encourage members in the position
authority to shun corruption, promote transparency and good governance. Encourage Church
members to be law abiding and be responsible citizen, shun laziness, deceitful and selfish
ambitions, and fraudulent activities.

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Source: World health organisation

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.AGRI.ZS
Set-up standard schools and hospitals that is affordable to majority of masses. Get involved
in Community Based Organisation (CBOs) and Non-governmental Organisation (NGOs)
activities and other activities that promote Peace and Conflict Resolutions. Moreover,
evangelism must be promoted. Set up industries to employ people to produce standard
products that can be exported oversee to earn foreign exchange for the entrepreneur and the
nation at large.

Wealth
creation

innovation
enterpreneurship

Good
governan
ce

transparent
incorruptible
promoting peace
value orientation

Welfare
program
me

Cost effective
programmes
Provide
affordable
Education and
health
programmes

NGOs,CB
O

Envangelis
m

Promotio
n of
Peace

Figure 1: The Church and Wealth creation

Every innovation approach introduced to Nigeria can be replicated for African since Nigeria
shared similar things in common with other African countries. Our culture is similar and
other African countries cultural diversities may not too far from that of Nigeria. The countries
of the world adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure
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prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. The Church must queue
into this new agenda for sustainable development.

Conclusion
The harbingers of antichrist have started to appear in form church of satan. One wonders
what does satan and the Church share in common. Church, certainly, is mutually exclusive
with satan, yet such satanic shrine, with no apology, is register in USA to be sending people
to hell. Very soon people would be forced to put up the mark of beast in their foreheads in
form of tattoo.
We are indeed in the end time, many countries have legalised same sex marriages in the name
of human rights. Churches are forced to join gays together in satanic wedlock. The world is
now talking about human rights, and what about Gods own right one may ask? It is an
undisputable fact that God invented all things in the universe; doesnt He have rights over His
creation? The Church must champion the campaign for God rights and His will to come to
pass in the life of people in all nations in the world for peaceful and sustainable development.
The Church all over the world must go back the first principle; teach people about Christ, His
love for mankind. The will of God over people, His plans for man and His statues for peace
and global sustainable development must be taught to people. In Genesis 1:28 God blessed
them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in
the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground." God gave us
supernatural power for creativity, dominion and power to make wealth. Why should man
stood low to surrender his power by worshipping the beast satan, and put satanic mark on
the body.
It is unspeakable to say we leave in a world where acclaimed Celebrities are not ashamed to
ware transparent cloths without brazier to public places to receive academic awards. Some
can even ware bikinis to social gathering! God created purse for all male animals where they
hid their male organs and the animals never expose their organ except doing coition. It is
interesting to note that female animals in the wild do cover their private parts with tails what
more of human beings created in Gods image.
In conclusion, I will like to note that: Our soul is expensive more than all the wealth in
the whole universe put together and we must not forfeit it to satan carelessly.
God bless you all in Jesus name.

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