Brothers in Christ, Draw your Swords

Have we not had enough? Are our eyes not fixed upon what truly matters? We face one enemy — the devil — and have but one ruler and friend, God, strong and mighty. The handwriting is already on the wall; a death sentence hovers over the people of God. Do we grasp the gravity of the times in which we live? Today, to declare the cross is to risk being nailed to it yourself. If we truly understand the urgency of this hour, how can we waste precious moments on trivialities? Now is the time to rise above distractions, to stand firm, and to act with purpose.

To the church in Nigeria — I speak not as a great man, but as a brother burdened by conviction. Bear with me as I express this righteous indignation: Have we not had enough? While we in the south lift holy hands, we also cast stones at each other. We argue over denominations — orthodox, charismatic, or those hiding in cults disguised as churches. We jab, boast in our own knowledge, and compete for social media engagement throughout the week, all while our brothers and sisters who share our faith have only hope -hope not in this world, but in eternity. Their churches are destroyed, their families separated, their children orphaned for believing as we do. Are we any better than they, or even as privileged as they are to suffer and die for proclaiming Jesus as Lord? They care nothing for followers, for eloquence, for the superficial distractions that occupy us. They have no jets or mansions; they are stripped of everything but their faith in the old rugged cross. And yet, we waste time on theological feuds. Pastor A boasts of his crowds; Pastor B claims a deeper truth. Their followers imitate their pride. I do not raise these issues mildly. Can we not offer more to the Body of Christ — our lives, intelligence, wealth? Can we not give more to our brothers and sisters in northern Nigeria? Are they not our family, one body with us in Christ? Or do we imagine there is another body, destined to suffer while we remain comfortably apart?

Once again, permit me to ask these hard questions, why is cult like following, not of the one who Died- Jesus, but of mere mortal who are falliable, who are nothing but vessels, why have these vessel considerd themselves better than the rest, now I must be careful to not generalize, but my point still remain, what is more important, Vessels in the house or the house itself. The vessels make the house beautiful, but the house is of more value than the vessels; Christ is the house.

Draw your swords — we are one team, different members of the same body. Yet part of our body is suffering deeply: Christians in northern Nigeria are bleeding, not only from the cruelty of the enemy, but from the deafening silence of friends, brothers, and sisters. Their cries are not just from wounds inflicted by outsiders, but from the aching absence of compassion from their own family in Christ. If we have riches, let us use them to lift the poor. If we are strong, let us defend the weak. If we are free to pray, let us pray fervently for those who cannot even whisper their faith aloud. Our calling is clear; let us act with courage and conviction.

Let us end these internal battles; they lead us nowhere. Pastors are human — they can make mistakes and must receive grace when they do. They can hold wrong opinions, they can unlearn, relearn, and grow. They tire and hunger like the rest of us. Though they should set examples, we — those not in the pulpit — must remember that the written Word is available to us all and it is immutable. Through Scripture, we imitate Christ and witness God’s wisdom. Let us correct each other in love, humbly aware that we too can stumble. If we stand, it is only because God holds us up.

Draw your swords of faith, the shield of holiness; we must be indefatigable. Yes, we should set our minds on the things that are above; we must hold on to the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come, as it is in heaven.” While we await the coming of the Christ, we must protect and defend what has been entrusted to us. We all have a role to play, preacher must preach, pastor should pastor, those who are rich should give , those who can pray long should pray and intercede, those who are wise should give advice, those who are strong should stand at the gate and be ready to stop the enemies at the gate, those who can nutures should nurture, but we all must understand this one thing, our enemy, this enemy hate us, not just us, he hates the one we serve, the one we call lord, he will stop at nothing to see us fall and fail. We can’t let this happen.

This is for the brothers — the ones with no podiums, no official titles, those who will never be called “ministers” or “men of God.” You are Nehemiah, builders of the wall, called to defend God’s people at all costs. If the moment demands that we draw our swords, then let us do so — not trusting in our own strength, but in the One who leads this army: the Lord strong and mighty, mighty in battle. Roll up your sleeves, fasten your boots — we have urgent work to do. Refuse to engage in fruitless arguments about who preaches better or what another brother has done wrong. We must be united, for there is only one Lord, one faith, one communion. This is a kingdom fight. The victory is assured — but only if we stand together.

Soldiers of Christ, let this burden weigh on your heart. Lose sleep for your suffering brethren, weep and pray for them, let righteous indignation move you to action. Become the answer to the prayers you so desperately pray.

To every Christian suffering hatred in this world: stay strong. You are not alone — neither in this world nor in the next. We may never fully understand your pain, but we share in the suffering of Christ, who died for us all. Your reward awaits in heaven, but we, your brothers and sisters, will rise as God enables us to ensure you find hope and comfort in this life, even as you look forward to the glory to come.

The lord be with you! Amen.