Nigeria is a timid society. Nigerians are timid people. To openly rebuke our elders is a generational taboo in our culture. Open rebuke of pastors in any church is a taboo. Even, it is a taboo for a subordinate to openly rebuke his or her superior. In politics, in business or in an office setting we shy away from any direct confrontation with our bosses. Why are we so afraid of openly chastising those who are openly wrong? Is it for fear of losing something of value? Like losing a job when a boss is openly rebuked?
Let us go into the scripture for a bit of illumination. The Bible in Proverbs 27: 5 states categorically: “Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed.” God’s law is openly revealed in this scripture. The question is, how many Christians are ready to live and obey God’s law and damn the consequences? Are we ready to please man and offend God by wilfully sinning against his precepts? Is God not more than able to make all things abound for the truth teller who is ready to rebuke the high and mighty? Should a Christian internalize truth in order not to offend?
Let us weigh some weighty scenarios? If a General Overseer is proven to be a sexual predator and a defiler of women in a church, what is the role of the congregation in a trying situation like this? Should we keep mum and leave God to judge or rebuke him openly? What do we uphold in a situation like this: God’s law or unholy silence? Would you rebuke the GO openly or keep quiet and carry on? If your friend’s wife has fallen to satanic bewitchment and is in a secret tryst with a rich man and you know about it, would you rebuke her openly or conceal the truth?
If your boss at work is embezzling company’s money through fraudulent practices and you know, would you rebuke openly or conceal the matter to save your job? This is a particularly volatile issue especially in Nigeria where majority of Christians work with bosses who steal company resources for personal gain. When we are quiet, are we insulating ourselves from harm or willfully sinning by concealing the stealing? The scripture says in 1 Timothy 5:20: “Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all that the rest also may fear.”
To a Christian, stealing is a sin. Sexual perversion is a sin. Even concealing what is shameful is equally a sin. God’s law states that whenever a brethren is sinning, we should rebuke openly to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to fall into the same sinful way. This is the rule of engagement for all Christians. God’s law should guide our actions and not the fear of consequences. Some years ago, a television station openly revealed the sexual perversion of a synagogue pastor in Ikotun. I later amplified and exposed this man further in a newspaper article. I was righteously outraged by his perverted exploitation of innocent women who came to his synagogue for miracle and quick fixes to their spiritual problems.
The woman victim is white. The husband sued me for exposing his wife to wider readership. He accused me of bringing his wife to disrepute. Yes, the wife was a casualty of truth. But the pastor was my target. Realising that I had material fact of the case, the husband dropped the case and he melted into thin air. If God’s law requires me to openly rebuke those who are sinning, who am I to conceal any sin?
“After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, each of you is exacting usury from his brother. So I called a great assembly against them.” This Nehemian orthodoxy should be the gold standard for all Christians. Nehemiah, the Jerusalem wall builder, spoke truth to power. He did not fear the rulers and elders but rebuked them as opposers to his assignment. Because he kept the law of God, he enjoyed his support and strength and God guided him to the completion of his earthly assignment.
The Bible also likens anyone who embraces rebuke to a wise person. “The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise.” Here God is asking his children to rebuke appropriately because the blessing of wisdom abides with those who rebuke. The reason we have so much scandals in our churches in Nigeria is because we are circumventing so much of God’s law on rebuking by concealing the sins being committed in secret by our men of God.
On the topic of open rebuke, this is my favourite scripture. Proverbs 24:25 states that, “But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them”. In my sermons and writings, I have not shy away from rebuking clear wrongs and misdemeanour. It has guided my public writing and I have been blessed by keeping this God’s law close to my heart.
Brethren, open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Erring GOs, politicians, church elders, fathers, mothers, bosses and friends must be rebuked openly if their activities constitute gross sin against God, decency and humanity. Apart from the fact that this act of courage will dissuade others from committing the same sin, it is a Christian requirement to expose the deed of darkness openly. We have to rebuke the wicked, the immoral and the perverted from our churches and our nation. There is always a reward of blessing if we keep to this rule. Happy Sunday.
. Deacon Oladeji writes from ridet@hotmail.co.uk.
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