Defying The Matrix

A lady went to meet her 70-year-old father in the middle of the night

She was thirty-five years old at the time

She had waited and waited to get a suitor to no avail

It was supposed to come naturally, but it didn't

Her father was a pastor, a senior pastor who had worked in a ministry for over thirty years.

He has also been of help to many members of the ministry by virtue of the profession he retired from

He retired as a banker, and he got many qualified church members into the commercial bank, where he worked while he was in active service

He had serious connections and goodwill

Her persistent knock on her father's door was for two reasons

The first was because she was aware her father had a persistent heart problem which would most likely kill him soon

She wanted her father to witness her wedding

She knows if he were alive and active during her wedding, the number of people that would come and the gifts she would get as the daughter of a prominent man would be awesome.

Should he be dead, only a few people would turn up for her wedding, and even then, most of them wouldn't give her impressive gifts.

The second reason was the fact that she had no suitor and had never had one.

She felt if she troubled her father, he would find a husband for her

Her marriage was his responsibility

Her father got out of bed and opened the door for her

His heart broke at the sight of his beloved daughter's tears

The girl had always been a tad behind her mates at getting things done

He noticed it from her childhood

Her issues had always taken extra effort as a norm

She didn't stop sucking her thumb and watching cartoon network till she was fifteen

She had to go through pre-degree school to gain admission into the University

Her CGPA were relatively low and she graduated with a third class

Boys didn't take her seriously because she behaved generally like a child for several years

She was not a retard, she was only slow academically

Her mother didn't allow her slowness to affect her training in terms of cooking, washing plates, washing clothes and home-keeping generally

Even though they had maids at home, their mother insisted her children, both male and female, must be efficient homekeepers.

There was little or nothing he could do about her struggle academically and socially but pray.

He never expected that she would place the responsibility for her marital destiny in his hands at his age

He knew she desperately needed help

He assured her he would help her

The next morning, he went for his prayer meeting with his fellow pastors

He tabled the issue before them, and they all prayed earnestly that God would settle her in her own home and bring her a suitor that would be the perfect match for her

After this, he contacted the head of the pastor's seed fellowship of their church and told him to please be on the lookout for any potential man who is looking to get married

When he was done with the call, he called all the pastors who had worked with him when he was still in active service and impressed upon them the need to pray and help out however they desired to get his daughter a husband.

Two weeks later, the church had its annual convention

Pastors flew in from all over the world with their families for the event

His daughter caught the eye of a young man whose parents were Nigerians but were living in South Africa and pastoring in South Africa

The family had only two children

Their son was forty years old; he had a university degree from South Africa but had not been able to get a good job.

He was teaching and doing home coaching for students in South Africa to make ends meet, but he had not been able to earn enough to become independent financially.

Marriage was still a pipe dream for him

He travelled down to the country with his parents for the convention

He didn't know anybody in Nigeria, but he was determined to make the best of the experience by making friends and doing some "networking", as they call it

He met her at the youth centre, and they got talking

She became his tour guide on the trip

She introduced him to all the who-is-who at the convention, and they were almost inseparable throughout the week of the convention.

It was the best convention she ever had

He didn't give her any indication that he wanted to date her, but being with him and being seen with him gave the convention a different flavour for her.

She revelled in it and wished the convention wouldn't come to an end

Two days before the convention ended

Her family had gone to the auditorium for service while the two of them were driving home from the kitchen with the food meant for the family.

When they got to her father's house, they sat down to rest a little

She locked the door and drew the blinds

She held him by hand and led him to her room upstairs

Their clothes parted like the Red Sea

His rod budded, and they rode each other like Balaam rode his donkey

Once she opened that gate, they couldn't stop.

He was back again to ride her donkey to Jerusalem while she was screaming Hossanna many over and over again. 

It was literally what they were doing when his parents sent his younger sister to come and tell him that they had to leave for the airport if they wouldn't miss their flight.

He left

She cried

Three weeks later

She discovered she was pregnant

She told her father

Her father told his fellow senior pastors

They told the elders of the church

The young man and his parents were summoned to Nigeria

The procedure of the church regarding such things was clear

The father of the child must be suspended as a pastor

The two children would be subject to disciplinary action by the church leadership

After their disciplinary period is done, the two families will sit down and discuss the way forward regarding the two people involved and the baby

When they got to the meeting, the father of the young man said his son was forty years old, not gainfully employed and unable to fend for a family

One of the elders said, "I will give him a job."

Another said, "I will give them a house."

Another said, "I will give them a car."

The father of the young man said, "We know we are suspended, so we will go and finish our suspension and then come back to discuss this."

One of the elders said, "You are not suspended; your son is forty years old, and we consider him to be an adult; we would like the wedding to take place as soon as possible, and they cannot get married while suspended, so we have waived the suspension."

The mother of the young man said, "They barely know each other. Let her have the baby, and they can continue their friendship until they are sure they want to be together."

The elders said, "Isaac met Rebecca once, and the two of them became husband and wife that very day."

The father of the young man said, "What about holiness, what about God? What about fornication, the seed of sin, repentance and seeking the face of God for forgiveness?"

The elders said, "Those are for teenagers and young adults who cannot make sound decisions. How can we be accusing a forty-year-old and a thirty-five-year-old of such things? In saner climes, both of them should have finished having children already at this age. Let us tidy this thing up as soon as possible and put it behind us before it becomes a scandal."

They asked the young man and woman if they didn't mind getting joined together that day with the elders as witnesses.

Since both parents were there, and so were they

They agreed

They were wedded that day

The young man was given a Honda Pilot and a job in a mortgage bank

He was also given the post of youth pastor at a church in Nigeria and a three-bedroom flat on the campsite of the church, which was not far from his office

That was how the matter was closed to everybody's satisfaction.

The marriage now has three children

Try the same scenario with a pastor without money and influence

He will be suspended

His daughter will be embarrassed and suspended

The young man will be embarrassed and suspended

There will be no job for him

There will be no house

There will be no car

She will most likely end up a single parent and be used as an example to other ladies.

She will be treated like a pariah all the days of her life if she does not change church.

Religion is a control tool for the poor

You must get this truth and break away from its hold today

Jesus didn't give us religion; he gave us eternal life

He gave us the liberty of the Spirit and all the blessings that come with it

Look around you into all the religious organisations you know

The hypocrisy is glaring and jarring

Only the blind will refuse to see it

This was what made religion unable to save mankind from the beginning

It is still what makes religion unacceptable today

It is a double standard that nothing can cure

Salvation, however, is a one-way street, and it costs nothing

Jesus has paid it all

All you need to do is believe this, accept the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and get filled with the Holy Spirit.

Once you receive the Spirit of life and you begin to follow his leading, your life changes forever.

The yoke of sin and guilt will forever be broken in your life

Spiritual attacks and all the enemy consciousness will be gone

You become a new man, spirit-filled and untouchable by the horde of darkness

Glory be to God!

 

PS: If you put Judaism, Islam and Organised Christian religion side by side, you will see that there is really no difference in all

Some adherents of Judaism do not believe in life after death, while some do

Islam believes in life after death, but paradise has to be earned by keeping the five tenets.

Religious Christianity believes that life after death has to be earned by performance and observance of the law, moral codes and doctrinal hoops.

Only Jesus stated boldly that he was going to prepare a place for those who believe in him, and he required that we do nothing to help him accomplish this purpose apart from believing in him.

Jesus completed the work at the resurrection

In Christ alone do we find true redemption that is free indeed.

 

 

-GSW--