Keyireugabe Hegui
The Church is not the centre to pacify lukewarm, dormant and inactive Christians; it is not a place for Sunday Christians; occasion Christians (Good Friday, Christmas etc.) or a place for the once-in-a-while Church goers who come to church to assert and show others that they too are Christians and that they too are as holy as the other Christians. Many so called Christians today put on their holier than thou attitude and attire on Sundays and other church activities but when they cross or leave the sanctified compound of the Church, they leave their holy attitude and attire on the gate of the Church and forget that they are also Christians, the children of the Most High God. But we all must know that the Church is not a theatre or a stage for those kind of people to perform or act holy and religious. The Church is not a pacifier, it is not a centre to pacify those spoon-feeded Christians who only live for themselves and do not live for others; it is not a centre for those who think only of themselves; of their own problems, illnesses and sufferings and have no time for others. The Church is not a centre of pacification, but, woefully, most of the Churches in Nagaland have become a centre for pacifications. More than one hundred thirty some years have passed since the coming of Christianity to Nagaland; 90(Ninety) percent of the population are Christians but we are not better off than the people of Bihar or Orissa. We have more killings, corruptions, social evils, immortalities and HIV/AIDS cases than those states. Even dirty politics are played in our Churches today. And there are lots of’ isms, conflicts, divisions and even corruptions prevalent in our churches and its organisations today. Why? Many Nagas have been Christians for many years; many are Reverends, pastors, deacons or church workers or theologians for so many years but they make no impact and influence on their congregations far less on the society.
Why? Because they are dormant and inactive Christians without the fire and guidance of the Holy Spirit. In fact many of them even deny or against the works of the Holy Spirit.
They have many years of Christianity and its experiences to their credit but their spirituality, faith and the real mission of Christianity i.e. the spread and preaching of the Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ to the lost, the un-reached and the unheard is absent and missing from them. Instead, most of the Churches have become mission fields rather than being mission centres which send missionaries and spread the Gospel. Most of the churches are more concern of the physical and materialistic needs of the Church rather than the spiritual needs and the true mission of the Church. As long as a Church is a centre of pacification, it will always be a dead Church and its members will always remain dormant and in-active Christians.
The Church should be and must be a Recruiting Centre for the Army of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church is not a spiritually old age home or spiritual pensioners’ home or a place for spiritually old people who have retired from work and have nothing more to do in life, but it is a recruiting centre for spiritually young vibrant people who are full of life and fire spiritually and are willing to join the Army of Christ and are ready to give up everything and even give their lives for the Sake and Cause of the Lord and the Spread of His Gospel. The Church leaders should not live like old age pensioners but behave and live like Generals of the Lord’s Army who are ready to lead and train the young recruits and turn them into abled and worthy soldiers of the Cross. The Church should be a centre where abled and worthy soldiers are recruited and trained by seasoned, worthy and faithful Generals of the Lord, so that together they can go to any war and any territory of the enemies to rescue the perishing and the lost; save the slaves of satan; free the prisoners of sins and liberate the people who are oppressed and enslaved by sins and worldly desires, pleasures, problems, diseases, turmoils and difficulties.
Thus, the role and duty of the church should be and must be a centre for recruiting the Army of our Lord Jesus Christ which will in turn spread the Gospel and the Good News of liberty, peace and most of all, the Gospel of Salvation through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the lost and the perishing and not that of the role of a pacifier; pacifying the dormant and inactive Christians.
Then and only a church can truly be called the Church of God, the Almighty.
“May God be all the Glory”
AMEN.
