EXCEPT in the secular nations of the world every people who claim allegiance to God have a principal religion.

And it ought to be because when you examine it, whether we like it or not, the national culture is profoundly impacted by the religion practiced in any geographical region, because culture has the tendency to be interminable.

That is why even when a people go into apostasy the culture (tradition) still passes on from generation to generation at least in traces, if not fullblown!

And of course where the fire of faith Ais burning in any nation its impact on the culture is tremendous and conspicuous.

That is why when you go to various religious regions of the world you notice the various cultural differences.

What I’m saying here is that the religion we practice or profess ought to have impact on our individual lives. That is, the established (principal) religion of any nation has a huge role to play in the wellbeing of that nation for 2 reasons:

Religion does change life, generally for the better; Religious practitioners are part of the nation (community), so they have a right to belong in the nation; and have a right to contribute to the shaping of the destiny (identity) of the nation.

What I have said in my other writings is that running a nation is not solely the responsibility of the politicians; we all have a role to play both non-religionists and religionists.

I have hinted above that religion comes of its own when it is allowed to serve the purpose for which it was founded. All down the ages practitioners of religion are spiritual. This may be seen in good or bad light. And this state has always been achieved either through meditation processes or instantaneous conversion. The less and less spiritual we get the more and more secular we grow. That is why you will observe that every religion has been founded when the generation in which it was founded has become decadent. And equally outpouring of revival or reformation has happened when people have drifted away from their religion. They could have a form of it but reality is gone out of the window.

CHRISTIANITY
This specific religion was designed by God primarily to bring peace and spiritual healing to individuals. At Christmas (December 25) each year we celebrate the birth of a Baby Who would later establish this religion.

Some facts need to be born in mind though:

Nobody knows the exact date when Jesus Christ was born. Some time observers reason that He was born in October. Also the concept of Christmas did not happen until nearly half a millennium after the birth of Jesus Christ. The early Church did not observe it, nor did the Lord Himself command us to observe it.

Nevertheless, there is nothing wrong in agreeing a day to rejoice of the birth of the Saviour of mankind. So have a merry Christmas! But what good will you get out of it? And that is what we want to tell you in this article. But before we do that let’s draw a distinction:

COMMERCIAL CHRISTMAS
The Christmas as now celebrated which is a perversion of the original concept has destroyed the vision of those who put the idea together at the outset. It has not only been commercialised but has become so defamed that even true Christians are no longer allowed to celebrate it as it should be. Answer this question if you are a Christian:

what sort of card are you going to send out or receive this Christmas? Is it one with the message “Merry Christmas” or the one with “Seasons Greetings?” The commercial interest has hijacked the purpose of Christmas and the so-called Christians have no backbone to do that which they know is right.

Another question: How many people will go to Christmas programmes this month truly looking for spiritual fulfillment or upliftment? Those who do not go in that spirit of finding out who Jesus is, have totally missed the joy of celebrating Christmas. And that is what this package is out to redress. So keep reading on.

And final question: How much peace will you be left with when the celebration is over and done with? This is the crucial question God is asking you. Make sure you answer it to your own satisfaction during this festive period.

The title of this article is “The Role of Christianity – GIVE GOD A CHANCE.” It should not surprise you that Christianity as the principal religion of our nation has an undeniable role to play in every aspect of our society.

Accept it from me as a statement of authority that Christianity was designed by God to solve ALL human problems. Maybe you would spontaneously quip that why do Christians have problems and even some of the problems appear unresolved by God? The answer to that question is “Let God be God and let man be man”. And note that God does not exist to sweep clean all the problems in your life but He exists for you to worship Him regardless of your circumstances. And I hope you know that there is a distinction between worshipping and praising God.

Worshipping God means total surrender and submission of your will to Him. Whereas you could praise Him while your heart is not submitted to Him and subjected to His will and purpose. That is all I want to say about worship and praise in this writing.

There is no point disputing the fact that Christianity brought with it a form of civilisation. It also brought socialism.

Does the Lord Jesus Christ not teach that if you have two coats and there is a neighbour who is naked give them one, masters should be servants not overlords, be hospitable, be diligent in duty and not slothful, be passionate about the need of others etc? 

This Christian Socialism has led to the formation of various charitable organisations, not necessarily Christian in principle or practice. Also from the day of Emperor Constantine of Roman Empire in which territory the early Church began, Christians have ruled in town halls both locally and nationally so much so that people regard it a call of God to administer affairs of the people.

That may or may not be.

There is no disputing the fact also that those Christian rulers have brought light into areas of darkness in the community.

So whatever may be said for or against them they have advanced the cause of human progress. So from its inception Christianity was meant to solve ALL human problems. From what has been said above it has solved a lot of social problems. Its impact has been noticeable even by its virulent critics or opponents.

However, besides the social reform it has brought about, it has also ushered in transformation of people’s lives that society has become peaceful, non-violent and dutiful.

In the days gone by it has helped people to live abstemious lives. Citizens didn’t have to be told to drink in moderation, or not to use drug at all or smoke. Crime was never fashionable as it is today. All sorts of spurious reasons can be tabled as the cause of the lapsity in morality.

But as a humble minister of the Almighty God the cause can be traced to giving up on God. We think we are so clever, so all-knowing, and self-sufficient that we can do without religion.

Alas that experiment has failed abysmally. We now openly admit that smoking kills, alcohol too kills, drug kills, and crime is devastating.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying to you “I told you so.” I am only bringing you the Good News of Christmas.

Jesus Christ born at Christmas makes an undeniable difference when He is born into anyone’s life. Give Him a Chance. What can be more despicable a state we find ourselves in that a 16 year old boy would be so disregarding of his life that he would choose to throw it away behind the bars of a prison chamber and a criminal record?

Has Christianity got a contribution to make to prevent this happening? The answer is yes. I thank God for what various churches and ministries are doing to stamp out this evil trend. The last one I went to was that of The Glory of the Cross Church at Edmonton on Saturday 8 December 2007. It was fabulous. I am sure every youngster who attended the hall-packed programme must have been touched. I cannot imagine any of those youths there will go away and not think twice before they drive their knife through somebody or shoot them down. So Christianity has a crucial role to play in solving our social ills. So let’s give it a chance.

I now come to the crucial point and our ministry’s contribution to the solution of the problems. Talk of Smoking, Crime, Alcohol and Drug Addiction; they reflect the craving of the heart. So if the heart can be brought to the subjection of the rule of God deliverance will come.

You may say to me that you know Christians who have some or all of the problems in their lives. Yes there may be, but note the following: say for example, smoking, they might have been smoking in the past, but now they know smoking kills and the government is thus discouraging it.

Therefore it is proper for us to work with the government to achieve their goal. Also, do not judge, we are not judging here, we are just out to help solve the problems. The Christian you know who smokes may already be praying to God for deliverance.

Leave judgment to God and deal with your own condition. And the same thing can be said for the other social problems. If you are not on our mailing list please email your details to Mosesaowolabi@hotmail.com
Revd Moses Owolabi
Bible Christians Assembly
T:020 8801 0951
M:0780 1182 320