No Cross, No Crown; Pain unto Gain
By Karo Ogbinaka
We just witnessed a humanly painful death. Deborah Yakubu was martyred by her colleagues, mates and fellow students at Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto. A type of happiness is often enjoyed by people who kill on behalf of the religions they may profess to hold. They are often wrong. This type of happiness was once expressed by Dr Isa Pantami who is currently the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.
The BCC website archival record of the Honourable Minister reads: “… also a renowned Muslim cleric, expressed views sympathetic to groups such as al-Qaeda and Boko Haram. Dr Isa Pantami, was a religious extremist.’ As the Chief Imam of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi mosque, “his preaching may have led to the brutal murder of a 400-level student, Sunday Achi, who was the leader of the ECWA Student Ministries (ESM) on the camps.” Mr Achi was said to have distributed Christian tracts which the then Sheik Isa Pantami adjudged to be blasphemous! Today, repentant Pantaminists are attributing their past misjudgements to immaturity and youthful short-sightedness. He has been appointed a Professor at a University, Federal University of Technology, Owerri; a city in the heart of Catholicism in Imo State. At the apogee of his Islamic clericalism, the honourable Minister was determined that the ‘spreading’ of Churches all over northern Nigeria must be checked at all cost.
Now, we can only pray for our honourable Minister and wish the Owerri community religious peace and harmony as they welcome him to the university town.
Here, we pray for the departed in the LORD. Deborah is enrolled on the list of Saints Triumphant. She is among those Revelation 6:9 writes, “I saw under the altar the souls of those who have been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?”
The killing of Christians because of their faith is not a strange thing. Believers are meant to be enamoured by this. It deepens the courage and faith of believers in Christ Jesus. One Saul (Paul) was among the zealots that killed the Church’s first martyr, Stephen. On his way to Damascus to carry out more persecution, Jesus Christ met him; for this was said of Saul by Ananias, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to the saints at Jerusalem…” (Acts 9:13). But the message of Jesus was that: “Go, for he [Saul/Paul] is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15-16).
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The pain that Christians undergo in this part of eternity is always a precursor to the eternal joy awaiting all believers. The Bible calls such believers overcomers. Precursor simply means “something that exists before something else, and is related to it or it influences its development.” The righteous man is likened to a “tree planted by the water” (Psalm 1:3). The precursor of such a tree is different from that of other wild trees without planters that grow accidentally. The planter must have selected a seed, chosen the place/land to sow the seed; he would have cared/nurtured the seed. On its own, the seed must be a good seed with the full potential to grow; when planted; it is bound to undergo the biological processes of growth/reproduction; it will die, germinate, etc., until it will begin to bear its own fruit. This process is itself quite challenging and could be painful for both the tree and the planter. But the Bible calls the end product blessed! (Psalm 1:1).
Underlying every form of Joy, be it graduation, housewarming, business successes, etc. is some form of toil as its basis, foundation or precursor. Nothing comes out of nothing. No cross! No Crown!! And our Lord Jesus Christ tells us, “A woman; when she is in labour, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world” (John 16:21). Here, we see that underlying the anguish of birth is joy.
The “pain” and “anguish” we are talking about is not the same as evil. Evil is outrightly bad; nothing good can be derived from evil. This pain refers to the labour, and the tireless efforts we put in order to get the things we desire; in order to bring our desires into being. Indeed, the joy we expect to follow are efforts is enough driving force to make us put more effort. There is therefore power in human afflictions. Of late, an institution like the Nigerian Prison was rebranded as a “correctional facility”. Be that as it may, prisons are not where people are kept to enjoy. They are places of isolation and punishment for crime with the hope that when freedom is restored the freed will live better and more fruitful lives.
Similarly, many people find the Christian life to be tortious and painful. A life of holiness is a life in which one would deny oneself some form of lifestyle. There are ways that are sinful and unrighteous. In 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, Paul tells the church that her ultimate goal is to save the spirit of man. “You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (verse 5). The joy of all believers is that one day is the ‘Day of the Lord Jesus.’ What joy is the church of God seeking today?
Ordinarily, the human earthly way is one of passion, and of the flesh. We want to pursue the money, wine and women of this world. Nobody enjoys an ascetic and hermetic lifestyle. We only need to walk down our streets in the early night – drinking joints. We only need to imagine what goes on in the various clubs, parties and social events. This is what some have called the Epicurean lifestyle.
But there is another way. It propels us to a more joyful relationship with Christ. There are two ways we can relate with Christ. One gives happiness. But this is worldly happiness. The other gives joy. This is eternal joy. Christ, Himself points this out to His disciples. [1] Earthly happiness with Jesus is the foundation of the eternal joy with Him. The disciples had this relationship while Christ was with them. As Christians, we are today enjoying it while in the church of God. It entails some pains and denials. It is the wilderness we must pass through to reach the promised land. In our relationship with Christ, we are called to love and holiness, and to partner with the Holy Spirit; as the precursor to eternal joy! (2) It is consequent upon our understanding of eternal joy that we may appreciate Jesus Christ’s instruction to His disciples concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit; who will stand in His stead when He would no longer be with His own physically. In the Holy Spirit, His promise that He will be with believers at all times is fulfilled. “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorry will be turned into joy” (John 16:20). Those who are not of Christ Jesus in this part of eternity may have their temporal moments of “rejoicing”, but in Christ, while we may suffer, weep and lament, there will ultimately be permanent joy.
God in Christ Jesus is not oblivious of our sorrows and pains. But He assures us that we will trade our sorrows for joy. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for If I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). May we find peace and joy among all who are truly the created, for there is only One Creator to Whom all lives belong. To Him be all power, praise, honour, glory and adoration.
Be blessed and Shalom!
The Rev’d Dr Karo Ogbinaka, an Anglican priest of the Diocese of Lagos West, lectures at the Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos. He is a member of the editorial board of The Trumpet
