The above caption is a sampling of “Ours to Plough, Not to Plunder” by the Nigerian poet Niyi Osundare… just to put it out there.
Amid the diatribe being hurled in the body of Christ, no less the threatened dispatch of angels of death to deal with mockers and the release of the curse that causes extinction, there is a refreshing word from the Senior Pastor of the House on the Rock Church, Paul Adefarasin, that should be proclaimed from the roofs.
In a sermon delivered last Sunday, the cleric cautioned his elite congregation against being so attached to their position, wealth, influence, or privilege that they forget the purpose for which God made them a people of means. In his words, “What you possess is a trust, not merely an achievement. Don’t prefer what you have over why you have it. Your position is the conduit for your purpose. God does not elevate you merely for your comfort but also for the fulfilment of His divine assignment.
“Your position is the channel; your purpose is the mission. Never worship the channel and neglect the mission,” he preached. This is heartwarming coming from Pastor Adefarasin, given that he was addressing the right audience. Worshippers at The Rock Cathedral, Lekki, Lagos, are most upwardly mobile and high net worth individuals – the class of people many would readily call destiny helpers.
Recall that in 2022, the pastor and his wife attended the wedding ceremony of President Donald Trump’s daughter, Tiffany and Michael Boulos. According to a post on his Instagram page, Pastor Adefarasin prayed blessings upon the couple at a pre-wedding event organised by Tiffany and Boulos, who was raised in Lagos, Nigeria.
The House on the Rock Pastor’s message thoroughly resonates. Persons in privileged positions are selfish with God’s graciousness in their lives. They prefer to be a reservoir rather than a river. Before we continue, here’s a quick brain teaser: Who is the most blessed Biblical character you can think of? Abraham, of course! Yet, the blessings weren’t his to hoard but to scatter abroad.
This was what God meant when He told Abraham in Genesis 12:3 that “I will bless you… and you will be a blessing.” Today, we sing “Abraham’s blessings are mine…” in fulfilment of his conduit mandate as intended by the Lord. It is the same way that God wants several others to be blessed through those He has favoured. Those who criticise God for allowing so much poverty in the world fail to realise that privation is purely man’s making.
God created the universe to be self-sustaining. Part of what made Him conclude that everything He had made was very good (Genesis 1:31) and take a rest is due to the system He instituted, where “for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48). It is in recognition of the provisions which the good Lord made for the poor that the legendary Mahatma Gandhi could say, “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.”
Apart from crass avarice, pervasive poverty is fuelled by the failure of well-to-do persons in their major responsibility. Society is worse off when a channel chooses not to be a conduit. If enlightened self-interest could make an insouciant and unjust jurist (Luke 18:2-5) capitulate to a widow’s persistent plea for help, then those in privileged positions today will be well advised not to continue disregarding the downtrodden who need their assistance.
Lagos residents can attest to how blocked drainage causes traffic congestion whenever it rains. The ensuing holdup on the roads affects even the rich more because, for them, time is money. If you are not conversant with this inconvenience of Nigeria’s commercial capital, you should be able to relate to how dysfunctional gutters cause flooding and other social malaise. Conversely, a free-flowing culvert ensures the comfort and safety of everyone. This is the utility of givers.
God has made some people wealthy so that they can lift those around them out of poverty. Fidelity to this responsibility attracts more resources to their bank accounts so that they can keep up the good work. Luke 6:38, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom,” is often quoted for Church offerings, but that verse is more relevant here. If you doubt this, consider Proverbs 28:27, which explicitly says, “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack.”
Unfortunately, the me-myself-and-I mentality won’t allow “money miss road” folks to live up to their noble calling. This can be very costly, as was with the rich fool about whom Luke 11:19 reads, “And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ Pastor Adefarasin is therefore spot on with his admonition. One’s privileged position is only a trust that must be discharged with an utmost sense of purpose.
For the believer, the same way we are saved to save others is how we are blessed to bless others. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if each one of the rich can reach the poor, then each one can enrich one. At least, the multiplier effect principle guarantees this.
The wise, who see themselves as channels, show acts of kindness from the standpoint that duty deserves no gratitude. They understand that charitable deeds are in service of their raison d’être. There are the entitled others who expect even their siblings to lose themselves while being beholden to them for benefitting their benevolence. These are people who don’t grasp the subtext of Esther 4:14, “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
The point is that if positioned to help someone, never think that without your intervention they won’t become what they’re meant to be. If Jesus could be ready to make stones replace men in purpose (Luke 19:40), then the Lord can raise destiny helpers from unexpected quarters. This column calls on privileged persons to render assistance to the needy as a bounden duty without being supercilious or pompous about it. After all, “No one can receive anything except what has been given to him from heaven” (John 3:27).
All said, Pastor Adefarasin’s admonition is welcome now-word considering that society has become so pauperising and oppressive that the conversation is no longer about helping the poor but letting the poor breathe. Like your father Abraham, be a blessing with your blessings!
VIS Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi is a sage, branding specialist and media trainer who welcomes feedback sent to nmiringwu@gmail.com
