Why Christians must be agents of transformation, by Adesina

For Nigeria to experience a positive turnaround, genuine Christians in the country must become agents of transformation. These were the words of the Managing Director, The Sun Publishing Limited and President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Femi Adesina.

He gave the charge last weekend at a breakfast meeting of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Province 21, Victory Chapel, Magodo GRA, Lagos State.
It was an early morning family fellowship observed periodically by the church. As early as 7.20am, many participants, mainly young couples, were already seated in the 250-seater hall, waiting to hear the word of God.
Adesina mounted the pulpit and spoke passionately as a pastor and as an advocate. He preached righteousness to the congregation. But he was equally angry, expressing positive anger that Christians had all along distanced themselves from anything relating to politics. He warned that danger loomed if believers continued to exhibit such nonchalant attitude.
He was worried that Christians were of the habit of saying that their kingdom was not of this world. He quoted from the Holy Bible that “we live in this world though we are not of the world,” even as he countered Christians who claimed to be apolitical because of their faith.
According to Adesina, Nigeria was in a critical political stage, insisting that genuine Christians must make their input in reshaping the country. He quoted a sage, who said: “He that refuses to choose the wise to rule will suffer the rule of idiots, “ adding: “If Christians refuse to be part of those who choose who governs the country, idiots would lead them.”
While delivering his sermon entitled “Christians as agents of transformation,” the seasoned journalist and media executive said the air was at the moment filled with the message of change on one side and transformation on the other side. However, for the purpose of his lecture, he explained that the transformation or change he was to speak on was not politically affiliated.
Explaining the topic, Adesina said he searched for the synonyms of transformation, and discovered words like metamorphosis, mutation, reform, and remodelling, among others. He said the one that struck him the most was the word ‘change.’
Hear him: “When I saw that the word transformation means change, I asked myself, why would somebody say that ‘anybody that chants change, stone him?’ It means the agents of change are calling for transformation. Again, the other words for transformation are renewal, alteration, transfiguration, revolution and transmutation. “It therefore means that all the bile and bitterness we have seen in recent times are not necessary because change is transformation and vice versa. One leads to the other. They are embedded in each other.”
Still dwelling on the topic, he said for Christians to understand why they were agents of transformation, they must understand the meaning of the word ‘agent.’
Adesina, who is also a pastor with the Foursquare Gospel Church, cautioned that if Christians failed to act as agents of change, the society would become so distorted, polluted and decayed.
“If under the guise of saying that our kingdom is not of this world, you refuse to be involved in the political process, idiots will come to power and you will obey whatever they ask you to do,” he emphasized.
The newspaper boss said being an agent also meant that the Christian was the one to initiate the process of change. He said an agent could equally be referred to as a mover, warning that if Christians refused to join the move of transformation, the country might leave them behind. He explained that everyone must understand the times that Nigeria was in.
While quoting from Romans 12: 1and 2, Adesina said: “Having had our own lives transformed, then we become advocates, authors and movers of that transformation. If we don’t do that, we have not fulfilled our purpose as Christians. We must be catalysts that hasten the process of change, but at the end of that process, we still remain who we are as faithful believers.
“There are certain peculiarities that must be evident in us before we can become agents of transformation. If you belong to a church, you belong to the assembly of a people that have been called out from the world and separated to Jesus Christ. That is the meaning of the church. If you have not been transformed, how then can you talk about transformation? God told Moses in the Bible to instruct the people of Israel to sanctify themselves. It is usually said that you don’t give what you don’t have.”
Adesina maintained that the essence of Christianity was change. Citing the story of Peter and John as illustrated in Acts 4 verse 13, he said when the people saw the boldness of the two men, having perceived that the apostles were unlearned, they marvelled. He said the people understood that Peter and John had been with Jesus, which gave them wisdom and consequently paved the way for change in their lives.
“They listened to Peter and John, two rugged and illiterate fishermen, and were surprised by the words that were coming out from them. They noted that they had been with Jesus. Do people note same about you that you have been with Jesus? In your office, family and environment, can people testify about you that you have been with Jesus? If no, then you cannot transform others. Change must be evident in you as a Christian.
“Another peculiarity of transformation is what I call ‘living fragrance.’ We have fragrance as a perfume but the one I am talking about is the divine fragrance. You may forget to wear the perfume we purchase from the market but you can’t forget the divine fragrance. Wherever you go, you carry it along. I remember one of my pastors who went to the USA on holiday with his wife. He told us that they were in the train, moving from one city to the other, and there was a drunkard in that train, who looked at him and said ‘don’t stop preaching.’ Then the pastor said he did not carry a Bible or any other thing to show he was a Christian. But that drunkard knew that he was a preacher. How did he know? I am sure there was a divine fragrance oozing from him. As a Christian, nobody should ever mistake you for another thing.
“You will also become a living epistle. People in the world don’t have the time to read the Bible but they have the time to read you as a Christian. And don’t underrate them because they know what a Christian should not do. If per chance you do what you shouldn’t do, they quickly point at it. That makes you a living epistle. An epistle is like a letter that transmits a message. If it is said of you that you are a Christian, the question is, what kind of messages do you transmit? Is it messages of death, corruption or wickedness? And that is the new era we have on the political scene today. A lot of people are clamouring that they want a Christian to rule us. But what is the quality of that Christianity? Does the fact that you bear a Christian name or go to church make you a Christian? No, it does not.”
When asked how he coped with ownership influence and interest at The Sun Publishing Limited, publishers of The Sun titles and Soccer Star, an all-soccer daily, Adesina told the congregation that the publisher had always given the editors the liberty to operate in line with the ethics of the profession.
He said though the publisher holds a political view that is different from his, it has never affected the editorial policy and contents of the newspaper. The MD explained that the freedom being enjoyed by the staff of the company was a result of the liberality and non-domineering nature of the publisher.
The pastor in charge of the parish, Bisi Olowoyo, explained that the breakfast meetings offered families opportunities to discuss issues of mutual benefits to homes, the church and the society.
He said the church had been praying for transformation so that the country would be reformed. However, he stated that if Nigeria must get better, Christians must play their roles according to God’s instruction.
Olowoyo beseeched God for the advent of a new Nigeria. “May this be our time of regeneration,” the cleric prayed.