Making God Look Bad

By Fred Igbeare

When Christians say “God is good,” they usually expect this response: “All the time”! It is troubling however to see politicians and priests who by their actions are making God look bad.  People unfortunately tend to impute their actions to God.  All that glitters is not gold.  Not all who say they are Christians are telling the truth: only God know what is in their hearts.  This criticism of ancient hypocrites still applies to us all today:

 “The Lord says:
       "These people come near to me with their mouth
       and honor me with their lips,
       but their hearts are far from me.
       Their worship of me
       is made up only of rules taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13).

For protection and introspection, we must learn to look deeper beyond the surface and comprehend this very shocking Biblical revelation:

      “The heart is deceitful above all things,
      And desperately wicked;
      Who can know it?
       I, the LORD, search the heart,
      I test the mind,
      Even to give every man according to his ways,
      According to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

Identified as Christians, Presidents George Bush and Olusegun Obasanjo are making God look bad.  Their image as bad leaders in the eyes of many is problematic for Christianity.  Their tainted records have become formidable obstacles in the paths of those seeking God.  We should not take them at face value but match their actions to the word of God.  Any credibility gap is theirs alone and not God’s fault.

For me, one of the biggest concerns about the Bush presidency is the questionable war in Iraq. This man sent many soldiers, other people’s children, into battle without adequate protective gears. A colleague told of how his friend’s mother had to go shopping for a bullet-proof vest for her Iraqi-bound son! Other contentious issues here I will leave for another day.

As for Obasanjo, he supervised widely rigged elections on April 14 and 21.  He didn’t even hold back his hounds when they went after the Nigerian Senate President.  Senator Ken Nnamani could not vote in the April 14 election and he is the number three man in the country’s hierarchy!  When he complained, he got tackled by Obasanjo’s character assassins. 

You may have your list of more complaints against Bush, Obasanjo and other politicians.  They may say they serve a God of love, but is love the first attribute you would assign to them?  Don’t, please, make the mistake of believing that all their intentions and actions are sanctioned by God. Here is an injunction from God in Isaiah 1 which is still valid to us all today:

“16 wash and make yourselves clean.
       Take your evil deeds
       out of my sight!
       Stop doing wrong,

 17 learn to do right!
       Seek justice,
       encourage the oppressed.
       Defend the cause of the fatherless,
       plead the case of the widow.”

Would you say Bush, Obasanjo and others have been doing all of the above?  Admittedly, they are not perfect and shouldn’t claim to be.  What kind of justice though have you found under their rule?  How many widows have their policies created?  How many children have become fatherless under their stewardship?  And what have you done about it?  Be careful of what you blame God for: you don’t want to be unfair to Him!

The politicians are not alone in giving God a bad name.  There are many ‘Christian’ leaders out there who would give them a run for their money.  In the news recently, a vicar, David Smith, was jailed about five years for abusing boys.  The Church of England is said to have apologized to the victims. 

In Nigeria, news reports were replete with the antics of Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, alias Dr. Reverend King.  He eventually was convicted on five counts of attempted murder and a sixth count of murder.

There are more similar stories.  People just need to be more discerning in telling apart the bearers of bad fruits from the good ones.  And it is not rocket science.  God has provided what you might call a check list. See Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...”  If you encounter Christian leaders who don’t display these qualities, run!  And as my brother, Pastor Vincent Igbeare would say: We all need to become fruit inspectors! 

We need to deal cautiously with people who “do not practice what they preach” (Mathew 23:2-4).  Not everyone that makes the claim is a true servant of God.  “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Mathew 7:15-17).

For those who think they can get away with deceiving people and God, hear the words of Jesus Christ: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” (Mathew 7:21-23)

What strikes me in this quote is that driving out demons and performing miracles don’t matter much in of themselves!  So, don’t be fooled.  And be careful where you put your trust: hopefully not in humans who are handicapped by a “desperately wicked” heart. They’re with few exceptions guaranteed to disappoint you.   Trust ultimately in God!

      “Stop trusting in man,
       who has but a breath in his nostrils.
       Of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2:22)

You surely can have a personal relationship with God.  Study the Bible yourself with God’s aid and get the answers that you seek about life.  Whatever concerns, complaints, or issues you have, please take it directly to God.  And as He did to ancient Israel, He calls out today:

      “Come now, let us reason together,"
       says the LORD.
       "Though your sins are like scarlet,
       they shall be as white as snow;
       though they are red as crimson,
       they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

To be clear, I am not exempt from the focus of this article.  It is my fault when I do anything that would make God look bad by ignoring His guidelines.  I am responsible for my choices and actions.  And so are you!

(fredlintaz@yahoo.com)

Robot  Villager

# 1 var sbtitle4746=encodeURIComponent(Making God ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 15.05.2007 13:28

TEchi  Villager

# 2 Mr. Igbeare Quite often we try to parade our good deeds before God and neglect how many myriads of times we sinned against God and man. We forget that God said our righteousness is like filthy smelling rags and our sins like the wind has blown us away. How very unfortunate that we do not see the image that is mirrored back to us. People forget that none of their puny righteous deeds will ever count before God or be a basis for salvation. Today’s polity especially Nigerian have failed their citizens. They have made a mockery of justice. But we know that God in his infinite mercy will eventually judge all mode of evil done under the sun. Thank you for your word of wisdom and encouragement. Posted by TEchi| 15.05.2007 17:13

QP Osun  JJC

# 3 TEchi and Fred Bravo, I agree with you 100% we are all responsible for our own actions. As in regards to Bush and Olusegun the bible says, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" James 4:17. I don't know what their professions are, but the questions are, are they truly converted, and if so at what stage. It was never the people outside of the church that crucified Jesus it was the people who claimed to serve the true and living God that crucified him, and we should as Christ did on the cross say, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". We as his children do not always know the hearts of people. I believe true conversion is a heart and mind set and can only be set by diligent searching of the scriptures and by true believers who are willing to walk patiently with those who are weaker. Galatians 6:2 says, " Bear ye one another's burden and so fulfill the law of Christ". If you are not being taught under a well grounded man of God who knows how to rightly divide the word then you cannot expect people who claim to be Christians to exemplify Christ. The bible says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6. Nobody can make God look bad, because He has a way of choosing the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 1 Corinthians 1:27. Right on to your Brother by all means be a fruit inspector, but under the power of the Holy Spirit. Alot of Christians have defamed and ridiculed unlearned babies and run them out of the church, because of their heroic discernment. Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. Lack of patience kills good men all the time. Patience with unlearned people. You don't know the story. Study man with God's eyes not yours, and you will never be disgusted. Matthew tells this story. Matthew 13: 24-30 24 The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. We know very well that every tree that bears no fruit is coming down. That we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling, and most importantly that we should love the Lord with all our hearts, minds and souls. This is the ground base for true salvation.God say's love, love,love,love,love! Satan is on his Job . He kills steals and destroys and he is the ultimate accuser of the brethren, anything to separate the body of Christ. Rally for the souls, Preach the word be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. Good Job Fred your the Best! Posted by QP Osun| 16.05.2007 09:30

Amy  Villager

# 4 Brilliantly put, Fred! Kudos! We sure need the reminders on a per second basis in today's world. Posted by Amy| 16.05.2007 09:35

Mikky jaga  Villager

# 5 It is a fact that you reflect the type of God you serve. If your God is good, you will be good; on the other hand if your God is evil you will definitely be evil. Obasanjo is serving an evil God that is why his actions have, even when well intentioned, been evil all along. He came from prison claiming to be born again and proceeded to unleash vengeance on those who were against him - Mustapha & Co are still in jail. He decided not to see anything good in Abiola in spite of evidence to the contrary. He lured his friend Bola Ige into his government only to have him murdered without any genuine attempt to find his killers. Rather he rewarded an accused in the man's killing with election to the Senate from detention. He justifies the evil elections of this April without any inhibitions. He attends church more than any regular church goer, and calls God in any discussion he makes. Yet his actions shows that the God he is serving can not be the same God of Jesus Christ. So when next your neighbour says he is serving God, look well at his actions and you will discover the type of God he is actually serving. That does not change the true God nor give him a bad name. Posted by Mikky jaga| 16.05.2007 13:45

SONZSHINE  JJC

# 6 Excellent article. It certainly chastened me to remember that everything that I do and say will either bring glory or shame to Christ's precious name. It is truly not about me, but about loving my "brother and sister". As we are admonished in the book of James, "...be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." It's ALL about the love.... Posted by SONZSHINE| 21.05.2007 01:35