rom time to time we see different people coming out to say that the Church has failed. Every Jamaican should know by now that this is heresy and a ploy by those in the political arena to score points with their ‘supporters’, discredit Christianity, and create further division among the denominations!
Let it be known that the Church can never fail! The Church is the Body, the entire, collective group of persons worldwide that share their faith in the Triune, Almighty God! The actions of one or a few within that Body do not mean that the entire Body has failed! Further to this, Christ, through the Cross, has given this collective
Body (the Church) ultimate and absolute victory; because the Cross defeated and still defeats the forces of darkness, and carries all the solutions for all problems, even the problems in Jamaica! Sadly, it is the few within the Church that have the devil in one hand while serving at the altar of the Lord, or those that have been given access to key areas affecting national issues and still hold on to their personal, hidden agendas that fail and cause those looking to the Church to believe there is failure throughout. Interestingly, the same negative actions of the few are also bringing profit to those who support the statement that ‘… the Church has failed!’
Realize that the majority of influential persons in Jamaica are not committed to the Church in its totality; many are not even of the Church! Here is what is really interesting:
If the Church has failed, then why is it that every time political and business personnel want to make a decision they go to the Church. If what they say then about the Church failing is true, what does that say about their decision-making? It would mean therefore, that we have the wrong persons in positions of authority making decisions that affect the nation!
If the Church has failed, then why is it that when elections are taking place they rally the Church for support and seek to put popular Church men in positions of authority, strategic positions – in order to gain the trust of the masses within the Church?
Before one can even begin to purport that the Church has failed, one has to be willing to fully implement the recommendations of the Church that are based on the collection principles of its belief – the Bible. Unfortunately it would still not be that the Church has failed, but that there was failure in execution of the Church’s recommendations!
We as the Church may disagree from time to time on a doctrinal level, but we are united in the fact that we serve the same King – One Church, One Faith, One God! What we should do as the church is adapt and implement the Acts Principle (from the Book of Acts) which teaches us true brotherhood, particularly on issues of affecting the nation. It’s a principle that lets us understand that we should be united and give each other preference. (Acts 2; Acts 4 See also Romans 12)
What the Church needs to do, however, is to become more radical, just as Jesus would, and demonstrate the power that was given to us. (Matthew 28). The Church needs to stop allowing secular, unholy, irreverent persons, regardless of their status and influence, to speak on the pulpit, because it is not another soapbox from which they can speak, it is a holy tool to be used by holy men and women of God to speak from God to the people. Further to this, the Church needs to boycott the social events that are displaying hypocrisy! The national level leaders are quicker to listen to the Private Sector and even the Secular Music Industry, but they are not listening to the Church – regardless of the fact that the Church is a majority shareholder within the nation! Christians purchase, Christians vote!
The Church needs also to stop praying for their favourite political party or politician and instead, pray for God’s Kingdom to come and be established in Jamaica; that means His will would be done instead of ours!
The Church needs to pray that the legislation and the nation’s constitution will change to protect the Church leaders and give them the power to speak as openly about the national issues and figures as the parliamentarians do in Parliament; and give immunity to those who would speak out about what they know. Many persons have been put in positions of power and authority and have even been honoured, but they are also the ones behind many of the criminal and corrupt activities taking place within the nation! Some of those persons are the most influential public figures in the land!
The Church also needs to pray and advocate change, so that the Police Force, the Military, the Minister of National Security (at any given time) and the Minister of Justice (at any given time) will not be mere rubber stamps of the Babylonian system, or be shackled and hindered from carrying out their functions – but instead be advocates to ensure that justice will be for all – including the poor!
