"Man Of God Or god Of Men" ? Viral Photos Of Grown Men Kneeling To Welcome Their Pastor To Church in Abuja

Grown men pictured kneeling to welcome their pastor who is the founder of Firehouse Assembly in Abuja.

This photo has sparked outrage on social media with people saying that the members are giving the respect God deserves to his messengers Africans take religion very seriously but some people have raised concerns that some believers tend to mistake extremism for worship. 
The Abuja based church sparked outrage after male members were reportedly spotted kneeling down in front of their pastor as he arrived in a Mercedes Benz G-wagon. Many have speculated that the members were on their knees to welcome the man of God. In the photo that recently went viral, Controversial Bishop Emmanuel Esezobor, the general overseer of Fire House Church International was seen arriving with police escort and some members knelt down in front of him as he got down from the car. 
Many church leaders have committed all manner of atrocities and abuse as a consequence of the deep reverence that we give to them but God is not mocked. He sees their hearts and knows their deeds. Remember what happened to the sons of Eli? Whatever they reap, they shall surely sow. I wager that if our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ were to secretly appear in Nigeria today as an ordinary man and if he went to one of our numerous churches on a sunday morning he may not even be allowed to sit anywhere near the front row simply because he would have arrived on foot, without a long convoy of flashy cars and without an escort of black-suited armed bodyguards. The ushers would have regarded Him as being ”nothing” because He would not have worn fine clothes, the most expensive shoes and the most extravagant watch. That is how misguided and degenerate some within the leadership of the Nigerian church have now become today.

We must not rely on a man or a woman for anything, even if that man is a ”man of God”. We must rely on God and on His Holy Spirit alone. 
The Church in Nigeria today is like the Laodicean Church as described by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Himself in the Book of Revelations, ”they are rich, they are wealthy but they have nothing” and ”they blow neither hot nor cold”. They are weak and they are afflicted with a love for money and material things. 

The bible tells us that when God’s judgement falls upon a nation it falls on the church leadership of that country before anyone else. The leadership of the Church in Nigeria is in danger of facing God’s judgement and wrath because they have failed the followership and membership woefully. There are a few noble and identifiable exceptions but most of these leaders are self-seeking, self-serving, judgmental and timid. They remind me of the Pharisees and Sadducees of the old testament- always judging others and never resisting evil but rather espousing and encouraging it. They are also mainly worshippers of mammon and not of God.

Yet let me make this clear- it is not every man of God that behaves in this way. As a matter of fact the likelihood is that very few have degenerated to that level. But the point is that it happens and that even worse has happened. It is also important to note that I do not seek to in any way bring the church or it’s leaders into disrepute by sharing my views here or by bringing some of these matters to the public realm. As a matter of fact the contrary is the case- my intention is to strengthen the church by exposing the charlatans within her ranks that breach the trust given to them by genuine and committed church members, that seek to take advantage of the ignorance, frustrations and naivety of others and that thrive and flourish from the misery and misfortunes of members of their congregation.

If necessary I would lay my very life down in defence of the gospel of Jesus, for the Church of God and for the Bride Christ but I would also resist and fight, with every fibre of my being, the abuse of power, the shameless corruption and the breach of trust that some pastors regularly indulge in. I am a christian fundamentalist and for the last twenty three years of my life I have lived for Christ and by His grace and power alone. I love God deeply and I owe Him everything that I am today.

Yet the truth must be spoken- within the ranks of the leadership of the Nigerian Church before and after independence, there have been great and courageous men and women of God with a genuine calling and a heart for God. However,I have nothing but contempt for those that call themselves Church leaders but who use the gospel to line their own pockets and who manipulate the elect by indulging in charismatic witchcraft, deceit, hypocrisy and profiteering. The truth is that God is love and His grace abounds and extends to all. No man or woman is free of sin and the sooner we appreciate the fact that we christians are no better than anyone else when it comes to misbehaving.

As individuals the most important thing that we can do is to maintain a personal relationship with God Himself through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and to read the scriptures morning, day and night ourselves.