To the body of Christ on the death of our beloved Sister Osinachi  By Pastor Olaniyan Johnson

BE CAREFUL!

Pastor Olaniyan Johnson

The death of Osinachi, one of the popular gospel artistes has brought several reactions on the social media and the world at large.

I have been very careful to comment on her death, for several reasons, but for this one warning I have received from the Lord sometimes ago and will like to share with as many who care to listen.

Early last year, February 2021, I lost one of my dearest Pastor and brother. He was a senior Pastor who had fought the fight of faith from different angle and finally submitted to the will of God.  I was pained to the marrow. While preparing the message to preach at his burial, I heard. “PRAY THAT THE DEATH OF THIS SERVANT WILL NOT MAKE MANY GUILTY”. I couldn’t really understand how a man’s death will make others guilty, so I asked the Lord, what could this mean? The Holy Spirit shed more light on my heart and these are what I heard.

1. That many will be guilty, because of their comments. They will say what they don’t understand and cause many to stumble.
2. Many will be guilty, because of their reactions. They will react on what they think they know of which they knew nothing.
3. Many will be guilty because of their reasoning and the thoughts of their heart. Several thoughts will pervade people’s hearts among which many may not be true, yet they will believe it and live by such wrong thought and ideas from the pit of hell.
4. Many will be guilty for unwarranted questions.  Some may ask. “Why would God allow this to happen, if truly God saves etc.
5. Many will be guilty of offence, because they will take offence either on God or personalities involved. They will be fighting a matter that does not concern them.
6. Many will be guilty because they fail to learn a lesson they ought to learn in that situation. Whatever happens, there is a lesson God wants us to learn, most importantly by looking inward, amend our lives as we also prepare for eternity.
7. Some will be guilty, because, they are deceived by the situation and allowed themselves to be deceived by people’s comments. Most of them will deviate from the truth and believe lies, because they love their lives and want to do their own will.

These are the words the Lord reminded me this morning as I woke up still disturbed and sad about the death of this wonderful vessel of God and the after effect of it on the church of God.

I am writing this only for God’s children, who care to listen and watch over their lives so that the enemy will not take advantage of this situation to destroy what God wants to do in and through them.

Be very careful to utter a word, you may be found guilty, of blasphemy, heresy, deviation from the truth, or of ignorance and this may mislead many. Why?

1. Because there are many things we don’t know, neither do we know why they happened.
2. Most of us don’t know the foundation of their marriage, so we can’t judge a book by its cover.
3. Though she confided in some people about the abuse and she kept telling them she did not want to leave the marriage, no one knows what she saw, or heard from God for her to have made such decision. I know she was a child of God, and a true child of God of her calibre would be hearing from God. This we do not know, so we can’t conclude on a matter we knew nothing about.
4. Most of us are not privy to their closet. Many things happen in the closet between husband and wife which is not open to anyone. If you judge a matter based on what you heard from one of the couples, you may be wrong.
5. God introduced marriage for a purpose and I used to say, that every marriage is raised with her own challenges to fulfill a purpose known to God alone, and this happens  if your life has been offered to GOD a living sacrifice. Because we don’t know God’s will for this marriage, and we may not be able to pass judgement until the Lord himself speaks. That’s how it should be in the body of Christ. This incident could even be a sacrifice poured out for the salvation of that man-  who knows? God’s ways are not our ways.
6. Sometimes, one might have opened his door to the enemy secretly unknown to the outsiders and the devil will capitalize on that one mistake to finish his assignment. We are all vulnerable to that, but for His grace, but many people don’t have second chance, just as it happened to Moses the servant of GOD.
7. This race of carrying the cross is not an easy road as some of us think. Motivational speakers have made us believe it is an easy road, and that whatever will not make it easy, we opt out immediately even when we have not seek for God’s direction. They made us believe life is all about our enjoyment and pleasure and as much as I’m not disputing it, I found out that there is more to life than enjoyment in this race. The race involves daily carrying of our cross, which goes with shame, pain, endurance, perseverance, patience and hope.

“For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.” 1Pet. 2:21. Nlt.

8. We also don’t know the price attached to her calling. To every calling, there is a price.Phill.3:7-14.
9. We need also be careful of generalizing all matters. Situations could be similar but not same, so also the solution.

With all these in mind, we may need being careful, so we will not be guilty, mislead others, or be misled, because of our emotion.

I hate domestic violence to the marrow, and I have said it times without number that anyone who engages in domestic violence has departed from the Lord. But I am careful to judge marital challenges and how they are handled by the couples. Why.

1. Many people entered into marriage ignorantly, rebelliously and selfishly. They failed to follow guardian and process that could be of help. Most of them think they know more than their parents and Pastors, hence, they build their marriages on wobble foundations, somehow, the end result could be marital abuse.
2. Some don’t even know what Christian marriage entails, so they learn marriage from ideas packaged by unbelievers and cultural beliefs. Don’t misunderstand me, we can learn from anyone, but biblical marriage is built on godly principles, because it has to do with life in the kingdom. so if a man or a woman does not follow godly principles, the end result could be disastrous.
3. The fact that you even follow godly counsel does not mean you will not have challenges, but God will always be there for you and as you are sensitive to the Holy Spirit,  he will teach you the steps to take at every point in time. 1Cor. 10:13.
4. There is no marriage without challenges, and there is no problem without a way out, but GOD should have the final say in a Christian marriage not man.
5. We should also know that the devil never wants any marriage to work, it is a warfare, and many saints have fought and won while some died in the battle, quite unfortunate. The writer of the book of the heroes of faith recorded: “Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mocking and scourging, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:” Heb.11:35-39. I wouldn’t know why some refused deliverance, but the Bible says that they wanted a better resurrection.

6. We need to be patient to learn the lesson embedded in the situation at hand, because for every situation, God is passing a message cross to someone.

My advice.

1. I advised the youths to be sure of who they are in Christ and who the person they want to marry is. Do not be unequally yoked… 2Cor.6:14-18. Don’t rush into a relationship, just because you want to marry. Look before you leap, and leap on the leading of God and not just your own pleasure. Seek counsel, and follow the laid down rules that can be of help to you, don’t be wise in your own consent.
2. To the married; study your home carefully and maintain what gives you peace and joy in your relationship. Don’t copy or compare marriages, everyone has his own challenges. Seek counsel from qualified Christian marriage counselors who can guide you in the way of the Lord. I counseled a couple this January whose marriage was just about three months on the verge of collapse. By the time we finished our discussions, both of them looked at each other and smiled. Then the wife told her husband, “This was the reason I have been telling you to let us see a marriage counselor together.”  Don’t go alone telling people about your problem without engaging your spouse, you might not be seeing what you need to see for a better relationship.

3. Seek direction from God, before yielding to any counsel. God does not hate you, He loves you and love those children who will not let him rest until the heaven attend to their request.
4. Where the situation is unbearable and you do not have direction yet, step aside for a while to seek God’s face for direction, but be careful not to give God conditions.
5. Death is inevitable, which way ever it comes, we will all die one day, but the most important lesson is to be sure of our destination after death. Let each of us ask ourselves, ‘if i die now, where will I spend eternity?’
6. The church should concentrate more on making disciples and not gathering just the crowd. Most of us preachers have diluted the truth of the gospel to suit our desires, and such are the members we are raising. Many people are just church goers; they know nothing about the life in Christ. The church should not be the gathering of Tom, Dick and Harry, it is the coming together of those who are saved and are ready to live for God.

Osinachi had finished her own race. We are the ones left behind; would you allow her case to bring you into condemnation? Be cautious and consider your own very life, and pray more for our generation and for the church of God.

May the Lord console her immediate family, her church and the body of Christ in general, amen.

PASTOR OLANIYAN JOHNSON.

General Overseer,

Grace Baptist (Pentecostal) Church, Oke Afa, Isolo, Lagos