In the course of my Apostolic ministry in the past few decades, I have made contact with many, who look up to me, more for my charisma than for my character. The conflict of character and charisma in the life of a man in service of God I will write to you in another epistle.
Abbey, the one to whom the epistle is addressed, pastors the vibrant, Throne of Mercy Parish of the Love of Christ Chapel International, with Prophet Professor Peter Adeniyi Olowoporoku as the General Overseer. The is located in Oregun Lagos. His full name is Abiodun Fatoba, he sent me a video clip of Dr Abel Damina and his wife, where they endorsed polygamy.
I watched the video which was followed with a note; ” good morning sir, I know you can do JUSTICE to this,”, (emphasis on justice mine).
I responded; Thanks, I will before the weekend.
To which Abbey replied; “thank you sir, I ALWAYS TRUST YOUR TEACHING AND PERSPECTIVE Sir, may the Lord continue to bless you with wisdom from above”. (Emphasis in capital letters mine)
The weekend I promised has passed, the delay is more with the burden I felt from the words emphasised in his communication, he wrote to me in hope of JUSTICE on the subject. This expectation of JUSTICE is from someone who may likely swallow my teaching hook, line and sinker, as he always trusts my teaching and perspective. To Abbey and all out there who always trust in my teaching, let me say here that trust on Doctrine, another word for Teaching must be earned, not for who we are, but for what we teach.
Gal 1:8 KJV But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
“But though we”, a collective term, that places me, Abel Damina and all preachers under the scrutiny of Believers to establish our allegiance to Christ whose gospel they have received.
He went further, to include the revelational gospel that angels may deliver; “or an angel from heaven”. Men and Angels are under divine mandate to preach and operate within the ambit of the gospel of Christ, “preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed”.
The “we” and “we” in that verse I would like to call the attention of Dr Abel Damina to,
The first “we”, But though WE… The second “we”.
…which WE have preached unto you….
Places us under self examination of what we once preached and what we are now preaching. Demanding a culture of consistency that should not make us joke with errors we championed in the course of the scripture, such as the error of prosperity gospel.
Back to the subject for which Abbey hopes to see justice done.
Dr Abel Damina in the video was attempting to answer a question from a man who had married two wives after he became a Christian, who would like to know if this will affect his relationship with God.
The truth is there is no relationship with God outside of Christ. *Whatever we do outside of what Christ has done, doesn’t moves God.* One wife or ten wives does not. We are accepted into the beloved by the sacrifice of Christ. The life we live and sacrifice we make is only an appreciation of what Christ has done, it doesn’t better our account with God, but it does establish integrity and trust for us in the estate of men.
Let me concern myself with the Bible story told in the video clip, though the reference was not mentioned. It is an error to choose that story to support their families endorsement of polygamy.
The story can be found in:
Matthew 22: 23-33.
Mark 12:18-27
Luke 20:27-40.
Take away from the story:
*The story was told by the Sadducees in an emotional adventure to win Jesus to their side of the argument. The Sadducees; were a Jewish religious sect who did not believe in an afterlife.
*A woman who loses her husband marries his brother within the permission of the ordinances of the Jews established by Moses.
*The brother dies so she marries his brother.
*This circle of deaths and marriages went on till she married all seven brothers and witnessed their burial.
*The Sadducees asked Jesus, “whose wife will she be in the resurrection?”
Jesus’ Response:
Jesus tells the Sadducees that their question is flawed because there is no MARRIAGE in the RESURRECTION.
The Daminas erred to use the resurrection as a standard for a concept (marriage) which is limited to time. The mindset is like that of the Sadducees.
In context, Jesus was speaking to the Sadducees against the background of their error of not believing in resurrection and not in any way endorsing polygamy. Let’s be clear on this by the word of Jesus to the Sadducees
Mat 22:31&32 KJV
31) But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
32) I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
You are in error because you don’t know the scripture and the power of God. Two things demonstrated in the question of the Sadducees; ignorance of the knowledge of the scripture and of the power of God. In both, lies the balance lacking in our generation. There are those flaunting the knowledge of the scripture without the power of God and the others boasting in the power of God without the knowledge of the scripture. May the remnant living in knowledge of the scripture and in a humble demonstration of the power of God be exalted.
The Sadducees told an emotional story but Jesus in contrast references the scripture to show that the Lord is the God of the living. Are you telling stories to raise questions and doubt on the integrity of the scripture or referencing the Scripture to answer them?
Jesus final submission:
People who rise from the dead will be like angels in heaven and will not marry. Since there is no need for marriage in heaven, heaven can’t be used to answer questions on marriage on earth.
Let’s do a little reflection on the subject of marriage.
Marriage no doubt, as a divine concept is proving difficult for humanity to manage. We have witnessed several marital failures, of the wealthy and mighty, the poor and lowly, the anointed and not anointed. The prerogative for failure is drawn from our humanity, for which achievement and lack of it makes no difference.
The attacks on the concept of marriage seem to spare no one. If the poor are failing for poverty, what excuse does the wealthy have? The bull’s eye however is the person and the union that marriage represents; Christ the Groom and the Church his Bride.
On social media recently, was a communication listing patriarchs who were polygamous, suggesting that God has no issues with a man having more than one wife. The idea, also of men being polygamous by design has been forced on this generation by social media preachers. An average youth is made to see himself more like “male ewu” with the liberty of sex expression that can only be permitted in the animal kingdom. The call for sex by ladies without decency on the social media are all geared towards the Satanic goal to destroy two divine institutions committed to man, marriage and family.
These two, the ability to marry and keep its vows and capacity to maintain a family separates man from animals. The God, in man is seen through both, more than the ability for signs and wonders.
This social onslaught against marriage and the failure of many a hero of this vow demand that we put God’s idea for the covenant in perspective. The first Marriage that ever took place was in the garden called Eden, it was presided over by the then, yet to appear on the stage of time invincible Priest eternal, without beginning, without end, Melchizedek!
Marriage as we often say, is for love, companionship and procreation. Beneath this as a foundational pattern was a covenant, a type of what God will do in Christ.
In Christ and from Christ alone will answer our questions on marriage.
Contention, confusion and contradiction on the concept of marriage is not new to our age.
In Matthew 18, Jesus has made a troubling submission on the need for forgiveness.
In chapter 19, the Pharisees came to him to defend the submission of Moses on granting a wife the bill of divorce to put her away for every and any reason.
The Master clearly stated, “have you not READ, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said…
Who said, and what did he say?
God said, “for this cause shall a man (the male) leave his father (male) and mother (female), and shall cleave unto his wife, (female): and they shall be one flesh. (Emphasis mine). That verse aborted the ambiguity that the mischievous are trying to foster on the scripture to support same gender marriage.
The ground of PERMISSION for divorce was weakly granted for adultery. It was so bitter a pill to swallow that his disciples concluded, if the case of a MAN be so, with his wife, it is not good to marry.
To which the cross and covenant that marriage is intended to be was revealed by Christ; in verse 11; “all men cannot receive this saying, save they, to whom it is given”!
What then is marriage or the marriage covenant?
The privileged visitor to the 3rd heaven and student in the wilderness of Arabia would bring us words from the mouth of the one for which marriage was patterned as a shadow.
The Apostle Paul shared with us and I believe it is one of the many lessons he received directly from Christ.
The husband is the head of the wife, not as Adam is the head of Eve, but, “even as Christ is the head of the church”: and he is the saviour of the body. The type in Adam and Eve of what marriage will be in Christ is the reason God couldn’t have supported Adam from divorcing Eve in the first place. Even though, her error was strong enough a ground. Moreover, the failure of Eve was the failure of the head who failed in its duties as Saviour of the body.
Marriage is a “musterion”, beyond all of human comprehension, reason Adam couldn’t serve as an example of marriage. Not even Abraham, Issac and Jacob with whom God proved his commitment to raise the dead could serve as our divine example in marriage. Only Christ will suffice!
If we are in doubt of the “musterion” that marriage is, not after reading the 25th verse, of Ephesians 5; husbands love your wife, EVEN AS CHRIST ALSO LOVE THE CHURCH, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT?
Whao! What a huddle only grace can lift us over!
In verse 31, Paul quoted God, (Genesis 2:24) and Christ (Matthew 19: 5). “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh”!
Monogamy is clearly the recommendation of God for marriage from God, Christ and Paul.
Remember the conclusion of Christ on marriage; all men cannot receive this saying, SAVE THEY TO WHOM IT IS GIVEN!
Are you giving the concept of marriage as founded in Christ and have you matured in spiritual Priesthood to fulfill the duties it will demand of you? Have you come to a point where you can forgive an adulterous spouse. Can you face a bullet for your wife if need be?
What am I reading? You seem to be saying! Hosea was another shadow, a type of what God intended marriage to serve in Christ.
Hos 1:2 ISV When a message from the LORD came to Hosea, the LORD told him, “Go marry a prostitute and have children with her, because the land is prostituting itself by departing from the LORD.”
Hos 1:3 ISV So he went out and married Diblaim’s daughter Gomer. She conceived with him and gave birth to a son.
Our calling in marriage is not to be ourselves, but to be Christ’s!
This however the Apostle concluded is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.
Marriage is beyond a social engagement, it is a deep rooted spiritual calling unto Christ.
A great “musterion”, a mega mystery! The word mega means something beyond the capture of the eyes and the mind. It is not a subject for theological flipping of sides. May I submit that Marriage can never be understood for what it is meant to be without coming into Christ.
Marriage is a fraternal conjugation, a cultic realm where two are made one in One (Christ) for One (Christ)!
Come then up thither! Give Christ his nucleus value in your life and see your marriage work.
Am I therefore concluding that there is no hope for the polygamous in Christ? No way! Ephesus was a wayward city before it encountered Christ and the Gospel. The church founded in the city had both monogamous and polygamous families, the reason for which Paul in his Epistle to Timothy emphasised that those who desire the office of a Bishop or Deacon must be husband of one wife. If there were no polygamous families in the Ephesus Church, the Emphasis would have been needless.
There are therefore rooms and roles in Christ’s Church for traditional Chiefs and Obas with many wives and children, the room in Christ’s Church is yet large enough to accommodate that Alhaji with his four wives and many children. The harvest is ripe, but the Church, Christ labourers are choosing who to harvest and who not to.
“I” he said, not us, will build his church. The gospel should be preached to all. As many as believed, we must disciple, setting standards for leadership while leaving to him the building of his church.
Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi, is absolutely a commendable brand in Apostolic and Nation Building efforts towards a changed nation and a renewed and revived church, within the Nigeria Church and political ecosystem.
The Bold, Inspiring and Dynamic Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is a man worthy of all encouragement to see him do more for the salvation of humanity and liberation of Africa and the black race.
The pen of this exceptional Scribe should not lack ink.
To give your resources at advancing his writings and publications. Use the following details; whichever is applicable to you.
Currency: Dollar
Account Name: Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Account Number: 3115704668
Bank: Polaris Bank.
Currency: Euro
Account Name: Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Account Number: 0782489670
Bank: GTB
Currency: Naira
Account Name: Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Account Number: 0126491569
Bank: GTB
Currency: Naira
Account Name: Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Account Number: 1762034604
Bank: Polaris Bank
Thank you.