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You see my friend, until some 4 years ago, I was a clergy in one of Nigeria's foremost Pentecostal church.
In this church, I had dedicated my life, service and time in the service of my God and Lord Jesus Christ for an onward of almost two decades.
From choir leadership in several states to leading the youth ministry to campus ministry to Corpers' fellowship to foreign missions, I was at it all.
I was one available steward you can deploy to any region at short notice for missions work, local assembly creation, prayer meetings, choir and music training etc.
In some of the gospel missions I undertook on the church's behalf, I and my team suffered vehicular mishaps, terrorist attacks, loss of personal effect, health issues etc.
One of my team members still uses crutches to date from spinal injuries sustained in an outreach mission on the Jebba-Bida highway.
Flashes of running by foot through the forest from a community in Baruten LGA, Kwara State to a boarder community in Cotonou to escape assailants who had swooped on us in the dead of the night is still fresh on my mind.
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Tamilnadu, India is yet another place that holds tales of hazardous vovage for the Gospel.
Then came 2018 and for some reasons affecting choice of who to marry, I was on suspension.
You wouldn't believe that for the 13months, 3 weeks and 4days the suspension lasted, nobody called to check on me, no visitor from the church knocked at my door.
No member, church leader, fellow pastors, co-minister cared to check on me, even though I reside almost opposite the Church's HQ.
The leadership of the church instead got to my place of work and made false allegations of immoral conduct in service.
They didn't fail to get to my mentors in the academics with similar tale. While at an academic conference in UNILAG, a member of the church leadership who was also attending the conference walked up to the Director of the institute to relate same tale of immoral conduct.
Before I would say jack, I had a suspension letter from the place of work. My career almost came crashing down by false tales instigated by the church.
By God's special grace, I was found innocent by the investigation panel set up at my faculty and my position and privileges restored.
At the expiration of the suspension term, my pastor called me to his office one morning of November 2019 and asked me to return to my office of leading the Corpers' Fellowship in the state.
I couldn't hold back my tears of angst and anger.
I promptly told him I was no longer interested in leading anybody in the church, I will elect to sit down and lead myself.
I didn't fail to tell him he was the biggest hypocrite in modern history. After giving him a piece of my mind, I took my Bible and got out of that cult.
Church in Nigeria with a few exception is everything except being a church. The most wicked, callous and cheats are found in the church.
They are set to tear your life in parts at the slightest opportunity they get. I learnt this late and almost lose my sanity in the knowing.
So, my friend, when you see me write about church, don't be fast to call names and say all manner of trash that jumps into your mind.
This is because, you don't know the depth from whence I find the presence of heart to voice the ills that have plagued my Father's house.
I sound the trumpet of beware from depth and the wealth of information available to me as concerns church business in Nigeria.
I am not saying you should not go to the Nigerian church. I am only saying, do it with your head. Heavenly race is one per head, not some communal journey.
Above all, take care of you and your kin for they and the Lord Jesus are the only beings that love you unconditionally.
Your local church is only a user. You are only useful when you have juice, once the juice is filtered out of you, they spew you out fast.
Manaratha.
~ Pastor Moses Udoisoh Confessed While Running Away From Church.
