Eradicating Poverty in the Church

ERADICATING POVERTY IN THE CHURCH
(Being a Presentation made by Joshua T. Abu, at the Course organized for Chairmen of Church Councils of Yola Diocese, held on 23-24/3/2017 at the LCCN Yola Diocese Secretariat, Yola)
Texts:
Leviticus 19: 9-10; Proverbs 10:4-5; II Thessalonians 3:6-10; I Timothy 5:8)

Introduction:
Let me begin by thanking the organizers for the invitation given to me to be one of the resource persons at this retreat organized for Church Elders in the Yola Diocese. It is our hope and prayer that we shall have fruitful interactions. We intend to make this presentation in the following format: Introduction; Defining Poverty; Causes of Poverty and Ways through which the Church Can Fight Poverty.

Basic Statistics:
More than one billion people (one in every six) live on less than $1 a day, with nearly half the world's population (2.8 billion) living on less than $2 a day
Every year more than 10 million children die of hunger and preventable diseases, i.e. one in every seven children
800 million people go to bed hungry every day
One third of deaths – some 18 million people a year, or 50,000 per day – are due to poverty-related causes

Challenging Questions:
How do we as Christians "proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ" to those who are living on less than $1 (N300) a day
How do we as Christians "seek and serve Christ in all persons" who die of hunger and preventable diseases?
How do we as Christians "strive for justice and peace" among the 800 million who go to bed hungry every day"
How do we "respect the dignity" of the 18 million people who die in loneliness, despair and poverty every year?

These are challenging questions - that should lead us into considering ways that we as Christians can, through prayer, education, social outreach, community organizing and public advocacy join the global movement to end poverty and hunger.

Definition of Terms:
What and who is the Church? - The church in the context of discussion is neither the building nor the equipment but the people. It is a community of human beings who profess the Faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is simply a community of believers in Jesus Christ who live in a given and specific neighbourhood space. I will leave it at that as it is a familiar territory for all of us.

What is Poverty? - Poverty could be described as a wide range of circumstances associated with need, hardship and lack of resources. It exists where some persons fall short of reasonably defined minimum levels of wellbeing - like access to certain consumption or income levels such as: housing; health and education facilities; certain recognized rights according to standards of human needs (socio-economic conditions of the society).

People can then be said to be in poverty, when they are deprived of income and other resources needed to obtain the minimum/basic conditions of life such as:
reasonable diets
material goods
amenities
standards and services - which enable them to play their roles in society, meet their obligations and participate in the relationships and customs of their society


The UN defines poverty as:
a denial of choices and opportunities
a violation of human dignity
lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society
not having enough to feed and clothe a family
not having a school or clinic to go to
not having the land on which to grow one’s food
not having a job to earn one’s living
not having access to credit
it means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities
it means susceptibility to violence
it often implies living on marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation (UN Statement, June 1998 – signed by the Heads of all UN Agencies - UN Definition of Poverty)

For the purpose of our discussion we shall adopt the 1995 World Poverty Copenhagen Declaration of 1995, that describes absolute poverty as “a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information." The World Bank identifies "extreme poverty" as being people who live on less than $1 a day, and "poverty" as less than $2 a day.

Causes of Poverty:

The Bible classifies the causes of poverty into four different categories:

The first cause of poverty is oppression and fraud (bad leadership). In the Old Testament (Prov. 14:31; 22:7; 28:15) we find that many people were poor because they were oppressed by individuals or governments. Many times, governments established unjust laws or debased the currency - measures that resulted in the exploitation of individuals.

The second cause of poverty is misfortune, persecution, or judgment. In the book of Job, we learn that God allowed Satan to test Job by bringing misfortune upon him. Elsewhere in the Old Testament (Ps.109:16; Isa. 47:9; Lam. 5:3) we read of misfortune or of God's judgment on a disobedient people. When Israel turned from God's laws, God allowed foreign nations to take them into ca­ptivity as a judgment for their disobedience.

The third cause of poverty is laziness (Proverbs 10:4), neglect, or gluttony. Proverbs teaches ­ that some people are poor because of improper habits and apathy (Proverbs 10:4-5; 19­:15; 20:13; 23:21; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10).

The fourth cause of poverty is the culture of poverty. Proverbs 10:15 says, "The ruin of the poor is their poverty." Poverty breeds poverty, and the cycle is not easily broken. People who grow up in an impoverished culture usually lack the nutrition and the education that would enable them to be successful in the future.

Others are:
History - colonialism and exploitation
War & political instability
National debt - from other nations or international agencies
Discrimination and social inequality - inequality can feed widespread poverty by barring groups with lower social status from accessing the tools and resources to support themselves- inequalities in income distribution and access to productive resources, basic social services, opportunities, markets, and information can cause and exacerbate poverty
Vulnerability to natural disasters - particularly in less wealthy regions that are prone to flood, earthquakes, and other natural disasters pose significant obstacles to poverty eradication.





Ways through which the Church Can Fight Poverty:

Fight spiritual poverty. One of the best places the church can start is by helping people who are spiritually broken. Spiritual poverty is the root cause of all other forms of poverty. Help people understand that they have hope and help them meet and grow in Jesus, and many times, the other pieces will begin to fall into place for them.

Empower the most Vulnerable: The church should target the most vulnerable and worst hit set – the women, children and young people and seek to empower them in all ramifications of education, health, employment, shelter etc. Help them to acquire relevant and marketable skills. Give them a chance to be the best they can and to attain the highest level of education or skills they can. Identify in particular, kids that are stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty and assist them get education and skills.

Be a voice for those that don’t have a voice. Be the voice they need. “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed” (Proverbs 31:8). The church should play advocacy roles to question the underpinning socio-economic and political structures that hinder food production, food security and capacity building of her people. The church must begin to hold governments and other corporate bodies and organizations accountable in the use and distribution of community and national resources and in responsible best practices in corporate governance. It must wage war against every form of oppression including the engagement of child labour for cheap profitability that denies the children the right to education and capacity building and development. In addition, the church should work assiduously against conflicts and wars that turn people to refuges in their own land and destroy lives and properties including the environment.

Let us meet needs, but teach personal responsibility. Instead of just giving away meals, teach on parenting, help someone find a job, ask questions that will help. In short the Church must go beyond turning people to objects of charity in its various intervention programmes in poverty and hunger. The church must evolve a sustainable and transformative livelihood intervention projects targeted at individuals and groups within their community through micro-credit schemes among many small but viable initiatives. As a famous Chinese proverb says: “Give a man a fish, he will hunger again but teach him how to fish, he will never go hungry again.”

Let us empower our congregations to believe in someone else. Often, people don’t believe in themselves enough to get out of a tough situation. Not only do they not believe in themselves – they also do not believe in anyone else. Encourage those you believe to believe in someone else. Let us start by believing in those we lead! Believe in them until they can believe in themselves. Tell them what you see in them. Encourage them and show them the love they may never have had. Then ask them to go and do the same with others in the community!

Partner with those already fighting poverty. There are quite a number of well-established organizations out there that are fighting poverty and doing it well, the church should explore tapping from such organizations.

Let us be aware, so that we could help our church members to be aware. Let us get out of our own little world and look around, then we can help those we lead to do the same. We shall be amazed to see what needs are out there! Let us get out of our houses and comfort zones to open our eyes to the realities in our society. We would become aware, too, then we can help our church become aware of what needs are out there.

Let us help our members discover their vision and passions. Let us not just tell those you lead to look for an organization where they can serve. Help them first discover their life vision and passions. This passion will fuel them in the long run as they serve the community. Identify what they value and help them through (Chad Missildine, © 2017 ChurchLeaders.com).

The church should emulate our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to fulfil the biblical injunction to be in solidarity with the poor, the needy and the hungry including the oppressed. Our faith must be relevant to all the facets of the human life and society as any faith in Christ that is not relevant to the holistic needs of the society is a disaster. Consequently, the church must promote the spirit of brotherhood that cares for each other. Could we for a minute pose and ask these pertinent questions: How many members see their fellow members who come to church without shoes and do something when they have so many pairs of shoes they may never wear in a year? What about giving out some of our many dresses that we may never wear for a long time to fellow members who come to church Sunday after Sunday with the same dress? The church must become a caring community of believers where members share with other members and other people in the community what they lack. The poor must be given access to food, clothing, shelter and job as well as given a voice in the church.
Conclusion:
Let me conclude this presentation by quoting the challenges posed by Bishop Dr. Chibuzo Rapheal Opoko, Secretary of Conference of Methodist Church of Nigeria in Liberia in 2014: “When the church keeps silent to the issues of hunger and poverty, they become partners in crime and demonstrate solidarity with the oppressors and oppressive system and structures. It is pertinent to state that when church members refuse to see the problems and pains of the poor, it then means they are blind; when the church and her members refuses to stand up against unjust structures and policies in whatever guise that exacerbate hunger and poverty, it means they are lame; when the church and her members refuse to speak out against issues of injustice, unjust economic policies and structures that perpetuate hunger and poverty, it means they are dumb. The church must never be silent again” (A Keynote Address Presented at the Opening Session of the 29th General Assembly of the Liberian Council of Churches (LCC), 13th March, 2014).
In closing I wish to leave you with the admonition of Mother Teresa of Calcutta – one of the great healers of modern times: "We try to pray through our work by doing it with Jesus, for Jesus, to Jesus. That helps us put our whole heart and soul into doing it. The dying, the crippled, the mentally ill, the unwanted, the unloved – they are Jesus in disguise."

Thank you all for listening!

A Gift for a Gift

A GIFT FOR A GIFT (STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE)
TEXT: Mark 10:17-27 & Timothy 6:17-19

Introduction: 
The Rich Young Man’s story is found in all three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, and Luke 18:18-23. Each of the writers tells the same story. The Rich Young Man wanted to be sure he would get eternal life so he asked what he could do. He said he had never broken any of the laws Jesus mentioned (Mark 10:19). Jesus lovingly however broke through the young man’s pride with a challenge that brought out his true motives. “Go sell everything you have and give to the poor.” The challenge exposed the barrier that could keep this young man out of the kingdom; his love for money. 

Money represented his pride of accomplishment and self-effort. Ironically, his attitude made him unable to keep the first commandment – to let nothing be more important than God (Exodus 20:3 –“You shall have no other gods before me.”). He could not meet the one requirement Jesus gave – to turn his whole heart and life over to God. The Rich Young Man came to Jesus wondering what he could do; but left seeing what he was unable to do. What barriers are keeping you from turning your life over to Christ?
Value of Money (v.21):    
What does your money mean to you? Money appears about 2, 000 times in the Bible indicating its criticality. Jesus wanted this young man to sell everything and give his money to the poor even though this does not mean that all believers should sell all their possessions. Most of his followers did not sell everything, although they used their possessions to save others. Instead, this story shows us that we must not let anything we have or desire to keep us from following Jesus. 

We must remove all barriers to serving Him fully. If Jesus asked, could you give up your house, car, level of income, position on the ladder promotion? Your reaction to these questions may show your attitude toward money – whether it is your Servant or Master.

Jesus also said that it was very difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. This is true because the rich, with most of their basic needs met, often become self-reliant. Wealth tends to make one falsely independent and gives one a sense of false security; and can lead one into hurtful desires and selfishness (1Timothy 6:9-10). When the rich feel empty, they can buy something new to dull the pain that was meant to drive them to God. Their abundance and self-sufficiency become their deficiency. We should appreciate the fact that the person who has everything on earth can still lack what is most important – eternal life. 
Disciples’ Reaction (v.26):
The disciples were amazed. Was wealth not a blessing (GIFT) from God - a reward for being good? This misconception is still common today. Let us note that it is not sinful to be rich, neither is it godly to be poor. No one can get into heaven by good honest efforts, neither by earning or paying for it. 

If you get there, it is because you TRUST God and HE GET YOU THERE. Although many believers enjoy material prosperity many others live in hardship, poverty and penury (AfriMagic of Monday, 1st July, 2013 on National Quiz Competition – nanny’s daughter and oga madam’s daughter). Wealth is not a sign of faith or of partiality on God’s part. 

Money and Wealth as Gift for Gift:
Money or Wealth is a GIFT from God to be used as a GIFT to others in need. Money and possessions or wealth are great and good things when obtained honestly and by earnest work. God has given wealthy Christians resources for ministry that other Christians do not possess. 

Money and wealth can be used to help God’s work and the kingdom – to send out missionaries, to support the church, to share relief, and help the poor as Jesus taught us to do. But money and wealth can also become a problem if we are selfish, and want to hoard it, and use it only for ourselves. In fact, Jesus said that money can keep us out of the kingdom. With these resources, come the temptations and opportunities to misuse them.

Today many love their money and their possessions. They store up riches and are selfishly inclined. Others give their tithes, share with the needy, make worthwhile contributions and donations, and honour God in their giving. If we do our giving now in this life, Jesus said we will have treasure in heaven.
1Timothy 6:17-19 (Stewardship of Treasure):
In our Epistle reading of 1Timothy 6:17-19 Paul focuses on the Stewardship of Treasure. Here Paul is teaching about the believer’s stewardship with regards to money. A steward is a manager, not an owner. He is one who manages the property of another. 

God is the owner and we are the managers of the various stewardships He has given. This includes the whole of life. We must recognize that all we have belongs to the Lord and has been given to us as trusts from God to invest for His purposes. We need to be willing to share our material possessions for the promotion of the Gospel and to help those in need. Good stewardship stems from recognizing our relationship to Jesus Chris and recognizing our partnership in Christ’s enterprise on earth. In any good partnership, the partners share equally in privileges and responsibilities, the assets and liabilities, and the blessings and as well burdens.

Ephesus was a wealthy city and Ephesian church had probably many wealthy members. Paul advised Timothy to deal with any potential problems by teaching that having riches carries great responsibilities. It also helps the Christians in Ephesus to put the subject of money and wealth in proper perspective. It is sin to love money more than God. However, it is not sin to possess it, rather having it, presents a great opportunity to help God’s people and further advance His kingdom in the world. However, we must not be arrogant or placed our confidence upon the uncertainty of riches but on God who richly supplies Christians with all things to enjoy.

Wealthy Christians should not feel guilty because they are wealthy, particularly if they have become wealthy legitimately, rather they should "enjoy" the benefits of their wealth. They should realise though that “to whom much is given much is demanded and expected.”

Those who have money must be generous, and should not be arrogant just because they have a lot to give. The rich should view their money as God's Gift to accomplish good deeds. Rather than enjoying a reputation for having much money therefore, they should cultivate a reputation for being rich in good deeds. They should also be open-handed, ready and willing to share with others generously what God had given them. By doing so, they would be ensuring that the Lord would reward them for their faithful stewardship when they stood before Him (cf. Matt. 6:19-21; Luke 12:33- 34; 18:22). Moreover in so doing they would experience the fullness of their eternal life (cf. v. 12).

The rich Christian should cultivate the joy that comes from laying up treasure in heaven by investing his or her life and wealth in what will endure forever. Furthermore since everything we have is a gift from God (1Timothy 6:17), we can enjoy everything. The rich should be "ready to share" (v. 18) as the Lord directed. It is possible that God will lead one person to do one thing with his or her money and another person something else (cf. John 21:22). 

Conclusion:
They must however be careful not to put their hope in money instead of in the living God for their security. We must note though that even if we do not have material wealth, we can be rich in good deeds. No matter how poor we think we are, we have something to share with someone, and something to use for the furtherance of God’s kingdom here on earth. 
Finally, bear in mind that material wealth can bind and restrain us to this earth unless we guard our hearts and set our treasure on God and his everlasting kingdom. Where is your treasure?
  

                 

LCCN CENTENARY CELEBRATION (1913-2013)

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS FOR LUTHEDRAN CHURCH OF CHRIST IN NIGERIA (LCCN) CENTENARY (1913-2013) CELEBRATION

THEME: A CENTURY OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS

DAY ONE, THURDAY, 3RD OCTOBER, 2013
Event: Press Conference - Most Rev. Nemuel A. Babba, Archbishop of LCCN
Time: 10.00 am
Venue: EC Hall, LCCN Headquarters, Numan, Adamawa State, Nigeria
Event: Charity Visitation - by LCCN Archbishop, Most Rev. Dr.) Nemuel A. Babba
Time: 12.00 – 2.00 pm
Venue: General Hospital, Numan, Remand Home, Jimeta-Yola, and Children’s Home, Karewa GRA, Jimeta-Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria
Event: Luncheon (by invitation)
Time: 2.00 pm
Venue: Lutheran Junior Seminary (LJS), Mbamba, Yola Town, Adamawa State, Nigeria

DAY TWO, FRIDAY, 4TH OCTOBER, 2013
Event: Cultural Dances the Dioceses & Taraba Mission Field
Time: 2.00 – 5.00 pm
Venue: LCCN Convention Ground, Demsa, Adamawa State, Nigeria

DAY THREE, SATURDAY, 5TH OCTOBER, 2013 
Event: Centenary Lecture/Book Launch/Awards - of 100 Years of LCCN
Time: 9.00 – 1.00 pm
Event: Praise Worship by various singing groups from the Dioceses and Taraba Mission Field namely: Choir, Zumuntan Mata/Maza, Mawakan Bishara and Lutheran Youth Fellowship Band; and Night Vigil
Time: 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
Venue for both Events: LCCN Convention Ground, Demsa, Adamawa State, Nigeria

DAY FOUR, SUNDAY, 6TH OCTOBER, 2013
   Event: Thanksgiving Service
   Time: 8.00 am
   Venue: LCCN Convention Ground, Demsa, Adamawa State, Nigeria
 
You are all invited please!

THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN THE COMTEMPORARY SOCIETY

By Mr Joshua T. Abu

“Just as it is in the world’s interest to acknowledge the Church as a historical reality, and to recognise her good influence, so the Church herself knows how richly she has profited by the history and development of humanity.”

- His Holiness, Pope Paul VI, December 7, 1965 -

(Pastoral Constitution: On the Church in Modern World, art. 44)                                   

Introduction:

The Church is the body of baptised people of God which is created by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel to proclaim and follow God’s crucified Messiah our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is the gathering of children, youth, women, and men who hear, believe and receive the living Christ in Word and Sacrament and who witnesses in word and deed to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The witness of the Church in society therefore, naturally, flows from its identity as a community that lives from and for the Gospel. Faith as we all know is active in love; with love calling for justice in relationships and structures of society. Through preaching, teaching, the Sacraments, and the Scriptures, the Church is gathered and shaped by the Holy Spirit to be a serving and liberating presence in the world. In praying for peace of the whole world and in interceding for those who suffer and for those in authority for example, the Church serves the world. As Christians we believe that we belong to the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic” Church (Church universal) irrespective of the denominations we belong to. The Church has a duty and responsibility therefore, to continuously give thanks to God for His blessings of creation and to pray for empowerment to do God’s will in society.

The Church within the Context of the Society:

The Gospel does not take the Church out of the world but rather it calls it to affirm and enter more deeply into the world. In doing so however, the Gospel does not allow the Church to accommodate to the ways of the world. Hence, even though the Church is “in” the world, it is not “from” or “of” the world. We must acknowledge that although in bondage to sin and death, the world is God’s good creation, for which and because of love, God in Jesus Christ became flesh and died for our sins and in that way guarantees us salvation. As a result, the Church and the world have a common destiny in the reign of God and in that way, Christians have double citizenship – that of the earthly kingdom (world) and that of the heavenly kingdom.

It is pertinent to point out here that the Church acts for the sake of the world in hope and prayer as we proclaim: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.” The presence and promise of God’s reign, here on earth makes the Church/Christians restless and discontented with the world’s brokenness and violence. In reality, acting for the sake of God’s world requires and implies resisting and struggling against the evils of the world. We must similarly appreciate the fact that although the Church is ideally “a new creation …from God” (2Cor. 5:17-18), it is still part of a fallen humanity (world), sharing fully its brokenness as well its evils and wickedness. This is the context and reality in which the Church and Christians operate and are expected to make a difference.

The Church’s Responsibility in the Contemporary Society:

As can be seen from the opening quotation, the Church has been constituted and structured as a society (organization)  in this world and has gained from the experiences of past and present ages in terms of progress in science and technology as well as in ideas. The development of printing press, television, radio and other information technology inventions have for example, generally enhanced the spread of the Gospel. In essence the Church has been enriched by the development of human social life. On the other hand, the Church has responsibilities to this world and has in its own way influenced the world in so many ways. In playing its role however, the Church must be guided by one fact which is that the kingdom of God may come, and that the salvation of the whole human race may come to pass i.e. for the fulfilment of the will of God on earth.

1. Evangelism:

Perhaps the best take off point for our discussion is to reflect on our Lord’s command when he instructed his disciples to go into the world and make disciples of all nations by baptising and teaching all that He commanded (Matt. 28: 19-20). Beginning with the story told in the book of Acts and continuing to the present day, the history of the Church is one of carrying out our Lord’s Great Commission. In spite of all efforts over the years unfortunately, the battle is not yet won as there are still billions of people who do not know Christ, meaning that they do not have a share in the life that He has won for them (and his kingdom).

This sad reality should naturally grieve and fill us (Christians) with the same compassion that our Lord Jesus Christ had as He looked out over the harassed and helpless crowd as sheep without shepherd (Matt. 9: 36). The people were distressed, troubled with many cares, doubts, fears, and sicknesses. They were like sheep without a shepherd. No one seemed to care for them. No one was helping them. The Jewish leaders were indifferent (so are many of us today). They were more concerned with keeping their rules and conducting proper religious services than with helping people in their needs. Jesus told his followers that a large crop was ready to harvest, but that there were few labourers available to work at the task. He asked his followers to pray that the Lord would find workers to send into his harvest field. Isn’t this the picture of the world today? Multitudes of people who don’t know the Lord are wandering around in the world. They are confused and lost in sin, searching for help in the wrong places and are like sheep without a shepherd. We need to pray for workers (and also make ourselves available) to enter this large harvest field before it is too late, before people around us die without Christ and salvation.

Our first task as a Church and as Christians is therefore to intensify our evangelical role in the society as commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly however, instead of evangelizing to the un-reached we tend to be moving in circles looking for converts from within the Christian folk into our various denominations instead of winning souls to Christ and His kingdom (just as Christians keep on moving from one denomination to another looking for the “right” denomination/Church). Many open churches today not because they are necessary and needed but simply because of minor disagreements with the leadership of their parent churches while some do so as if they are business empires and limited liability companies, which pass from one family member to another as if they are personal properties or companies.

Worse of all, many churches and congregations are multiplying their memberships by going light on (watering down) theology and offering their worshipers diet of sermons and support groups that emphasize personal fulfilment (or prosperity). In doing so they depict to their members what one could call “user friendly” God who smiles at their lifestyles as they continue to live as they like, while dutifully attending these churches and dolling out lots of resources to them in form of tithes and offerings. But of course we know that Christianity is not like that. It is about commitment, servant hood and sometimes even sacrifice. Unfortunately, instead of turning the world upside down with the power of the Gospel, the Church has allowed the world to turn it upside down and to squeeze it into its mould (see Romans 12:2).

Consequently but unfortunately though, in our desire to make our churches more “seeker-sensitive” and “user friendly”, we have watered down the messages delivered from the pulpits and in doing so we have taken the “teeth” out of the Gospel to use the words of Greg Laurie (in his book: The Great Compromise, 1994). As long as we continue in this way, so long will there be many un-reached, since instead of going to the un-reached we prefer to go to the reached and by so doing recycle the reached within our churches and congregations. We must therefore return to the original concept evangelism aimed at winning new converts to the Kingdom of God.

2. Interacting with Constituted Authorities:

In witnessing to Jesus Christ, the Church announces that the God who justifies expects all people to do justice. Consequently, God’s good and just demands addresses people in the obligations of their relationships and the challenges of the world. As we very much know, through divine activity of law, God preserves creation, orders society, and promotes justice in a broken world and works through the family, education, the economy, the state, and other structures necessary for life in the present age. That is why the Church has a critical role to play in all of these sectors. Similarly, God institutes governing authorities and other worldly structures and expects that His children should be active participants in them, while holding them accountable to God (Romans 13:1).

As a Church and Christians we must interact with and be part of such authorities and structures to make a difference. To be effective, we must be in government and politics, in business and commerce, in education and health, manufacturing, banking, etc. with the hope that while there we will serve as Christ’s ambassadors. It is obvious then, that as Christians if we fail to be good citizens, we would have also failed to be good Christians. This is because both the state (society) and man belong to God.

The Church must however participate in such social structures critically, knowing fully well that not only God but also the devil and sin are at work in the world. Consequently, the Church must unite realism and vision, wisdom and courage in its social responsibilities Otherwise, it shall be found wanting in its involvement in these social structures as quite a number of Christians often are. The Church must constantly discern when to support and when to confront society’s cultural patterns, values and powers so as not to be maligned (messed up) with the world.

3. Rendering Humanitarian Service:

Humanitarian work has been and continuous to be a major role of the Church and Christians for which they must be commended even though much still needs to be done. This it has done through rendering services to members and non-members alike especially to the needy and destitute, widows and orphans; by establishing hospitals and clinics; orphanages and old peoples homes; schools and skill acquisition centres as well as universities among others.

The services that such institutions rendered in the past and continue to render are enormous and as such they need to be encouraged. Our Lord Jesus Christ in fact taught us this culture as he ministered to the needs of His followers, either by feeding them when he realised they were hungry, or healing them when they were sick (Mathew 25: 31-46). In so doing he combined spiritual needs with physical needs of his followers.

As a reconciling and healing body therefore, the Church is called upon to minister to human needs with compassion and imagination. It must strive to pioneer new ways of addressing emerging social problems like crime, corruption, violence and political thuggery, the scourge of poverty, hunger and disease especially HIV/AIDS as well as environmental degradation among others. The Church has also a responsibility to mediate in conflicts whenever and wherever they occur and to advocate for just and peaceful resolution of such conflicts and divisions as well as provide succour for those who become victims of these conflicts. The Church is equally expected to support institutions and policies that serve the common good and work with and learn from others in caring for and changing the global society. But how much of humanitarian services do we render this days? We must equally revive our humanitarian spirit of rendering service to humanity with our substances so that as we minister to the spiritual needs of men we also minister to their physical needs.

4. Exposing Evil:

The Church has equally the obligation to denounce the idols before which people bow (whether power or money, principalities or secret cults); identify the power of sin present in social structures; and to advocate in hope with the poor and powerless; the oppressed and the discriminated. The Church must similarly condemn arbitrary use and abuse of power; oppression and discrimination, violation of human rights and denials of fundamental rights of the individual. In essence the Church has the social responsibility for fighting against injustice, arbitrary rule, oppression, exploitation and the like and should set the standard for the society to follow and not the other way round.

In all circumstances however, when faced with challenges to our faith as Christians, “We must obey God rather than men” (or human authority) as we are admonished to do in Acts 5: 29. This may be easier said than done but all the same it is a divine injunction. The point is that while we should try to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12: 18), conflict with the world and its authorities is sometimes inevitable for a Christian (John 15: 18) as there could be situations where one cannot obey both God and man.

In such situations we are enjoined to obey God and trust his Word. We are encouraged in doing so, by Jesus himself as stated in Luke 6: 22: “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” Martin Luther also opined that, the Church in contemporary world must understand that it has responsibility “to rebuke” those in authority “through God’s word spoken publicly, boldly and honestly” and that to so do is “not seditious” but “a praiseworthy, noble, and ….particularly great service to God” (Commentary on Ps. 82, Edited by Jaroslav Pelikan, Luther’s Works, Vol. 13: Selected Psalms II (St. Louis: Concordia, 1956).

5. Responsibilities as Individual Christians to the Society:

As individual Christians, we are expected to play our baptismal responsibilities in our daily lives as family members, friends, citizens, workers, and participants in public and private sectors as well as voluntary associations. This is because daily life is the primary setting in which we exercise our Christian calling. As we all know, the gift of God transforms the people of God for discipleship in daily life and in the body of Christ. The character, outlook, and moral convictions of Christians are however, shaped in distinctive ways. As a result, Jesus frees us to serve others and to walk with people, who are hungry, forgotten, oppressed, and despised. The example of Jesus Christ invites Christians to see people near and far away, people of all races/tribes, classes and cultures, friends and strangers, allies and enemies as their “neighbours.”

In these callings Christians experience both joy and brokenness and discover the sustaining power of faith. That power enables them to heal relationships, to challenge what dehumanises, to confront the structural obstacles to justice, and to seek more humane arrangements in their places of responsibility. We should recall the Beatitudes where we are reminded that: “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5: 13-16). The difference must always be clear!

The question however is whether as individuals and as a Church we are really the salt and light of the world. We wish the answer is in the affirmative, but sadly, the answer seems more likely to be in the negative going by daily reports of crimes, fraud, social violence, and other anti-social behaviours we hear every day involving Christians. The purpose of being light is clearly stated in the last portion of the above quoted passage (that men may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven). The fact of the matter is that if we live for Christ, we will glow like lights, showing others what Christ is like (exemplary Christians).

On the contrary if we hide our light as individuals and as a Church by: (a) being quite when we should speak, (b) going along with the crowd, (c) denying the light, (d) letting sin dim our light, (e) not explaining our light to others, or (f) ignoring the needs of others, then we shall not shine. The expectation is that we should be the beacons of truth – we shouldn’t shut our light off from the rest of the world. It therefore matters a lot, how we live and interact with the world around us because it is through such interactions that we truly witness Christ to the world.

6. Promoting Good Governance:

Christians can also exercise their calling by being wise and active citizens. This may include service in public office. Along with other citizens Christians have the responsibility to defend human rights and work for freedom, justice, peace, environmental well-being, public order, and good governance. Christians should equally be concerned and critical of all forms of discrimination and under-representation in the political process and discussions that affect their lives. An important way through which Christians can carry out their civic responsibilities is through participation in civil society organisations and movements, both religious and secular, and through membership of political parties.

We also need Christians in politics if politics has to be clean. As citizens in the world, we can not abandon our political and civic responsibilities of voting and being voted for as we can not talk of changing the system from without. Instead we need to be in it to make a difference. The excuse often given that those who have been in politics have failed the Christian folk is not enough. Those who are convinced that they can make a difference in politics should have the courage to go into it to make a difference and they should be given the necessary support and encouragement. This is one major way through which Christians could play their role in the society and deal with some of the challenges they face.

Conclusion:

One could go on and on as the list of responsibilities of the church and of individual Christians in the contemporary society is endless. The few highlighted above are meant to stimulate further discussions. What needs to be emphasized is that we are in this world to do the will of God. In doing so however, we must be conscious of the temporary nature of our stay in this world and as such we should make the best use of our short stay in it.

We should endeavour to make a difference to humanity and set standards for the rest of the world to follow and demonstrate our faith through words and deeds and be role models. Let the society see the serving and liberating power of Christ as well as His compassion in us through the way we touch their lives, defend their rights, heal their wounds and minister to their needs. This is the only way we can be relevant and be true ambassadors of Christ in a world for which He shed His blood to redeem from sin.

CHANGE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
By Joshua T. Abu
The focus of this presentation: “Change: Challenges and Opportunities with the youths being the main target. In the modern world, change is endemic (regularly recurring) and is constantly picking up break neck speed - but what should concern us most is its causes and how it comes about, the understanding of which will help us cope with it.
We believe there are three things that shape and propel it (change) on. The first is People – the population of the earth is now well over 5 billion while that of Nigeria is over 140 million (2006 Census figures). The aspirations, needs, and desires of people will themselves demand changes in the way we live, work and play as well as changes in infrastructural facilities and so on often over stretched by population explosion. With growth in population and infrastructural development, most facilities are no longer adequate and pose some challenges to the people and government. Expansion then becomes imperative and necessary  and opportunities abound for job creation, contractors and so forth. Population is therefore a prime mover of change and in the process brings about challenges and opportunities.
Secondly, is Technology – one could say that the last two decades has witnessed more technological advances than the sixties and seventies in this country and globally. If we look at the telecommunications industry in the country for example, this becomes more manifest. Before 2003, telephone was only for a very few elites and the lines were equally very few such that it was easy to compile a directory of telephone owners in the state. Today with the coming of mobile cell phone, the story is different. Even one network provider can today boast of having more than thirty (30) million subscribers.
The cell phone has revolutionarised communication and has made business and life generally easier, even though it has also increased expenditure for individuals and families especially for a talking people like we are in Nigeria. The telecommunications network providers are raking huge resources in Nigeria comparable only to petroleum products - the major revenue earner for this country. With night call facilities, our youth unfortunately spend more time at talking in the night and of course at the expense of their studies and health as valuable sleeping times are lost in the process, a challenge that needs to be moderated. Internet facilities are equally gradually becoming more accessible such that students and teachers alike have access to information. This also comes along with its own challenges and opportunities (especially that parents cannot restrict what their children view on the Internet).
Thirdly Knowledge – information – the quantum of information almost doubles every five years. Our access to information and data is equally made easier with technological advances as mentioned earlier. The more information we have the more change it provokes. As is often said, knowledge is power. It is a great agent of change with its attendant challenges and opportunities.
For many people however, change poses a threat. It is seen as undermining stability and security and therefore a natural re-action is to oppose it and treat it negatively. But as Alan Cohen rightly observed, “It is a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new” but was quick to state however that there is “…no real security in what is no longer meaningful” rather, “there is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.”
 In the fast changing world in which we live today therefore, having negative thinking about change has no place. As a matter of fact if we are to succeed, then we must be prepared to embrace change and see in it, its opportunities and challenges through which we as individuals can progress our own careers and fortunes. A statement alluded to the former President of the USA; John F. Kennedy is instructive here when he said: “Change is the law of life. And those who look only on the past or present are certain to miss the future”.
How many people for example, have found jobs and made fortunes out of the telecommunication advances in this town and country at large? What a contrast there is today compared with the times of our fathers and particularly grandfathers. In times past things virtually stood still for decades on end. To pass information you either wrote letters and send by post or courier, sent telegraph, radio message etc. Today through text messages using your cell phone, you could send instant messages to even very many people at the same time. News now flies like birds in the air. Sometimes things will happen here in Jimeta and people abroad might hear of it before those in Yola. Even villages are gradually being linked to the rest of the world through telecommunications advances.
As mentioned earlier, change is endemic and is constantly picking up speedy technological advances that is driving forward and virtually eliminating certain types of jobs. It is at the same time creating a highly competitive world where the individual has got to be prepared to change and to meet the challenges or he/she will be left behind. We must however acknowledge as rightly observed by Bernice Johnson Reagan that: “Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you”; but rather, “they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”
Computer literacy for example, is gradually becoming a necessity rather than a luxury and has pushed so many people out of job (or forced them to retrain) even as it has created jobs for others who are trained for it. No longer can you as young men and young women therefore, expect to find and settle in a job for life as some of us were lucky to have done. But there are many opportunities out there that you must grasp, even though some of might require re-training.
Getting admission into Nigerian universities has equally become challenging. In days past after finishing your examinations, you just waited at home and your admission letter would either reach you by post or you could see it on pages of newspapers, without any additional personal effort. Today the story is different, the competition is keener and tighter as there are far more candidates than the spaces available in our universities and other tertiary institutions due to the dearth of academic facilities in the existing universities. Out of the 1.5 million applications received by JAMB this year for example, only about 300, 000 (or 20%) may gain admission into the 96 universities across the country. This leaves 1.2 million applicants including thousands of qualified candidates without admission (Punch Newspaper, Monday, 6th July, 2009). This development therefore poses serious challenges to our youth, a challenge they must face with perseverance and determination.
But as Albert Einstein once said: “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity”. Arising from these developments for example, many state governments are now opening their own universities to absorb some of their qualified candidates. That was not necessary before now because some states could not even fill their quarto in existing federal universities. The Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and other open and distance learning programmes of some universities are similarly creating alternative and additional opportunities for university education. Furthermore, the falling standard of education in our public schools has equally created challenges and opportunities leading to the establishment of more private schools and colleges and even universities.
Similarly, mid-life career change would have been looked upon with horror a few years back, and even regarded as a foolish gamble, but now it is regarded as progressive, stimulating and ambitious. So many people are now changing their careers to other more challenging and profitable ones. It appears today as if it does not matter what subject one study in the university or any other level of education as you could easily switch to doing anything else at any opportune time. We have today for example, many very good actors and musicians, who neither studied theater arts nor music in school respectively; many who are bankers who never studied banking or finance and many more of such mid-life career changes.
One therefore has to be dynamic and sometimes as the situation demands, re-train to fit into new job opportunities and challenges. There is an old adage that says – some people “live to work” while others “work to live”, but the most important thing, is that you should enjoy your work, because if you resent what you are doing, and the same applies to your school work, you will never be a success.
You should therefore seek a career or course to which you can relate and which will give you both pleasure and satisfaction. You are going to spend the greater part of your life at work and to do so in a job that you dislike, can be demoralizing and depressing. Your choice of what you want to study or do must therefore be thoughtfully made because of its consequences for the rest of your life. In this case, the parents must be careful not to insist that their children must offer courses of their choice. Remember that it is the interest of the children that matters here and not that of parents as they are the ones to live with such choices for the rest of their life.
I must in rounding up this speech suggest that in everything you do, you should strive to do it well and accept every challenge that comes along. You should appreciate the fact that every challenge that you accept provides an opportunity – an opportunity to prove yourself. Never on the other hand, should you allow failure to divert you away from your focus and vision. If having set your objectives, you fail to achieve them as could often be the case, don’t despair, don’t give up, don’t quit. You should rather use the experience gained (because failure is itself a challenge and a great teacher), pick yourself up, dust yourself off, re-assess the situation and keep going. Remember that the real test of success is not in success itself but the ability to rise above your failures. The Americans have taught the world this principle – they have the ability to drive forward despite setbacks which many of us would otherwise consider to be disasters.
Arnold Palmer Golfer, who was a legend in his life time, had a framed plague on the wall of his office which is very inspiring and it reads:
 “If you think you are beaten, you are
 If you think you dare not, you don’t
 If you like to win, but think you can’t
 It’s almost certain that you won’t
 Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger woman or man,
 But sooner or later those who win are those who think they can”.
President Barack Obama also taught this to the world through his popular campaign slogan of “Yes you can!” and there he is today as the first black to be the President of USA in over 200 years of America’s independence.