‎”Legal Battles: Is the Church Thriving or Dying?”

‎In a world of rising legal pressures, will today’s church stand firm or fade away? The answer determines its future.

‎#ChurchAndLaw #DefendTheFaith #ChurchFuture

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“Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights”.

<span;>‎Proverbs 18:15 MSG

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<span;>‎”The mind of the prudent is ever getting knowledge, and the ear of the wise is ever seeking (inquiring for and craving) knowledge”.

<span;>‎Proverbs 18:15  AMPC

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<span;>‎From the days of Daniel down to the season of F Christ’s ministry on earth, and then to Apostle Paul’s era, those who are called by God have always been faced with two basic ideologies that says:

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<span;>‎1. Embracing the law and governmental policies is letting Satan into the church.

<span;>‎2. Rejecting the law and governmental policies is a mission not to fully fulll our God-given mission on earth.

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<span;>‎Consider the bible scripture below:

<span;>‎”The next day, the Jewish rulers and other important Jews met together in Jerusalem. The teachers of God’s Law met together with them. They met with Annas who was the most important priest. Caiaphas, John and Alexander were also there. Other men from the family of the most important priest were with them too. The Jewish leaders made Peter and John stand in front of them. They began to ask them questions. They said, ‘How did you cause that man’s legs to become strong? Who gave you the power and the authority to do it?’ They told Peter and John to go out of the room where the leaders were meeting. Then they talked together to decide what they should do.  ‘What should we do with these men?’ they said. ‘Everyone who lives in Jerusalem knows about this miracle. They know that Peter and John did a great thing for that man. So we cannot say that they did not do it. But we do not want any more people to know what has happened.

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<span;>‎So we must say to these men, “YOU MUST STOP USING THE NAME OF JESUS. YOU MUST STOP TEACHING PEOPLE ABOUT HIM.” ‘Then the Jewish leaders told Peter and John to come back into the room. They said to them, ‘You must not use the authority of Jesus to teach people any more. You must not speak about him.’  Then Peter and John replied to the leaders, ‘What do you think God wants us to do? Should we obey you? Or should we obey God? You decide!  We know what is right. We must continue to speak about these things. We must tell people about the things that we have seen and heard.’  The Jewish leaders were angry. They told Peter and John that they must obey them. Then they let Peter and John go free. All the people there were praising God because of the miracle. So the leaders could not decide how to punish Peter and John”. Act 4:1-3, 5-7, 15-21 EASY.

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<span;>‎Considering the verses above, from time immemorial, the church and the government have never always seen eye to eye, and as usual, the church has had its reason for being protective. Either way seems to position God’s servant and the church at a disadvantage – where the strongest weapon a child of God can wield to prosper his mission and calling in life is at the same time the strongest weapon Satan is using to frustrate him or her. This has kept many pastors and ministers away from entering the paradise of their ministry.

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<span;>‎However, one of the things that distinguished churches that are currently prevailing and thriving in Nigeria from churches that are still struggling is that, the prevailing and thriving churches have been able to nd their way around this dilemma, whereas the struggling ones are still stuck in the rat-hole because of lack of knowledge or half baked information about the law.

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<span;>‎Among other matters, the benets associated with registering churches under the Corporate Affair Commission (CAC) and the dramas that may spring up on the registered churches, from certain provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) have left so many young and upcoming churches in indecisiveness and their fate lies in uncertainties. A church like this knows that they would not go as far as an organization unless they have a ‘recognizable’ name and function as a ‘legitimate’ entity, still, they remain indecisive about being incorporated.

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<span;>‎They know that they would not develop to their full bloom if their nancial and economic resources has no ‘liberal means’ of growing to meet up with the day-today running of the church, its evangelical commission and helping the needy in the church; and one key road to exit from this nancial setbacks is to incorporate the church, still, they remain indecisive as to whether to incorporate the church or not. They know that their church would not <span;>enjoy a national and global audience unless they have a registered name,<span;> but they can’t make up their mind to register.

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<span;>‎<span;>To<span;> incorporate means to:

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<span;>‎1. Make into a whole or make part of a whole.

<span;>‎2. Unite or merge with something already in existence.

<span;>‎3. Serve as a component.

<span;>‎4. Form a corporation.

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<span;>‎The question is, why do they remain indecisive about incorporating the church? Is it that they don’t want to operate as a legitimate body? Or is it that they hate recognition? Is it that they love struggling economically? Or that they prefer to remain on the low? I am sure, they don’t want any of the above, but FEAR. What fear? The fear that we would let a government led by an ungodly person or led by another religion, meddle into the affairs of the church, throw out the godly leader and impose those who would want us to dance to the tune of their irrational or unpredictable idea or desire. Is this fear unfounded? No!

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