Expendables

His sudden rise to limelight was as a result
of his elder brother's election as the governor
of their state
Before that, he had survived on the sale 
of family land  located in a choice area of
the city
He came from a large family but he was
the least educated
His elder brothers and sisters made the
most of their Father's wealth by getting
an education
He dropped out willingly to learn how 
to plumb
As they all grew older, he found himself 
at a disadvantage
His father also saw this and gave him the
right to the choice land
He was to sell and remit a certain amount
to the family purse
Whatever gains he made from the sales
belonged to him
Land business was lucrative
Before long he had married four wives
He had travelled on pilgrimage twice
and gotten three chieftaincy titles
His first wife was the love of his life
She was into sale of gravel and other
building materials
That was how they met
The second wife was given to him
by the local king of their village
when he got the chieftaincy title
She was a teacher and the daughter of
the local king
They told him she was "chieftaincy wife"
His first wife married his third and fourth
wives for him
He knew she did it to put the second wife
who was a little troublesome in her place
But he was happy 
His family was large and healthy
All the children lived together in unity
He was a very happy and contented man
Then his elder brother contested for
the governorship position and won
It was the very best thing that ever 
happened to him
He got some contracts to construct
mass housing projects in his state
His first wife also got in on the act
They invested so much money hoping
to make so much more
Suddenly there was a coup
The civilian government was sacked
The military took over and their
investment got trapped!
He prayed, he fasted, he went to
the religious leaders of his religion
They prayed and fasted
Things got more difficult
He went to visit the military administrator
He tried to explain his plight
Even if he would not be allowed to complete
the project
He wanted a refund of his investment
The military administrator did not even
grant him audience
After so many hours of waiting and 
lobbying to see the governor
A friend told him about a Full Gospel
Businessmen meeting holding in a hotel
in the city
The friend told him the military governor
had been invited
"He would have no option but to grant
you audience if you cornered him there!"
He had never been to a Christian function
before
He had been told many things about the
so-called Christians
But this was a matter of life and death!
He decided he would attend the meeting
He needed to see the governor desperately!
The meeting was held on a Saturday evening
Many business people were there
The governor came too
The speaker was a well-known businessman
He spoke for about forty minutes
While he was speaking, he didn't know
what happened to him
His heart melted, his body trembled
He started weeping, he started losing himself
He gave his life to Jesus Christ that day
He received the gift of the Holy Spirit
He didn't even know when the governor left
The very next morning, he got a phone call
The governor wanted to meet with him
immediately at the statehouse!
He went to meet with the governor
The governor told him his file had been reviewed
He had been cleared of suspicion of corruption 
He was given the go-ahead to complete 
the project
His investment was repaid and he was given
the needed money to finish the project
WOW!
He started praying the Christian way in his room
He did this for a week
The following Sunday, he called a 
family meeting
He shared the testimony to his wives 
and children
His first wife was overjoyed
She had been secretly going to church
with her children
God has answered her prayer of
salvation over her household
She invited her pastor to the house
They wanted to know how to proceed
in their walk with Jesus
The pastor was happy they had both become
born again Christians and at the same
time they were both filled with the Holy
Spirit
He told them about restitution
He told him he had to let go of his three
other wives
They were before "God", illegal wives taken
in the time of ignorance
They had to be set free now and settled to
marry other men
A believer must have only one wife
His first wife was the only wife recognized
by God
If he slept with another woman, he was committing
adultery
Those who commit adultery shall go to hell!
In order to make heaven, he must make full
restitution and let go of his three other wives
and children
He must work out an arrangement that would
soothe all the parties involved
For the sake of heaven and eternity!
Wow!
He told the pastor he would pray about it!
He lost his peace from that moment
How could God save him so graciously
and give him so much joy and peace
only to ask him to become irresponsible!
He loved his family
He had the wealth to provide for his family
All his children were attending the best
schools in the state
Nobody could tell the children of the 
first wife apart from the children of the
other wives
They were all one!
The other wives had also accepted Jesus
Christ as their Lord and saviour
As soon as he told them his decision
They didn't see it as a problem
He was their husband and that was the
direction he had chosen to lead them
But this restitution thing...
He once had an uncle who got converted
to Christianity and did restitution
All his children became something else
His first wife enjoyed her husband more
before the restitution
After the restitution, the other wives
became bitter and went diabolical
They believed he used trickery to disinherit
them and their children
He suffered from a stroke not long after
He died at the age of 64
His properties were still in probate court
as the family ended up in a legal battle
that has rubbished his legacy!
His uncle's daughters wanted nothing to
do with God
They believed God ruined their lives and
killed their father
The wives were bitter against one another
His Uncle's sons didn't amount to much
This was the picture he kept seeing in his
mind
A scattered family, bitter ex-wives, hurting
children, restless hearts and painful realities
It took sleep away from his wife
Three nights later, his first wife came to
his room
She greeted him and told him she had
noticed that he was worried over the
restitution thing
She had been very worried too
She didn't want him to do it
God couldn't have been that wicked
What fate would befall the other wives
Would they start sleeping around looking
for security all in the name of restitution?
Would they be happy living alone without
the covering and protection of a husband?
Can money adequately compensate them
for the presence of their husband and 
the father of their children?
His wife made a lot of sense
But the pastor was talking about heaven
It seemed to him that without the restitution
none of them will ever make heaven!
He really wanted to reign with Jesus
in heaven
He was willing to do whatever it took to
make heaven!
He went to the site of his mass building 
project the following day
While he was there he met an old friend
They attended Government College together
before he dropped out
His friend had become a Reverend
His friend's denomination was erecting a 
massive church building close to his 
construction site
They exchanged pleasantries
Then he discussed his plight with his 
friend
His friend patiently sat with him and took
him through the Bible
Many Jews had more than one wife,
Abraham, Jacob, Boaz, David, Solomon etc
Sarah, Rachael, Leah, Hannah, Ruth, 
Abigail, were women in polygamous
marriages in the Bible who God heard
their prayers and related with without 
any discrimination! 
There is no biblical evidence whatsoever
that a man in a polygamous marriage
and his wives will not make heaven due
to their marital relationship!
Salvation was not based on marriage
or performance of any kind
It is based on Jesus Christ!
"For God so loved the world that he gave
His only begotten son that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish but
have eternal life!"
"Marriage" had nothing to do with it!
His friend also explained that being
a polygamist might exempt him from
taking up some church leadership roles
but does not exempt him from serving
the Lord and worshipping God in spirit
and in truth!
WOW!
He was so relieved!
When he got home he called a family 
meeting
He told his wives and children they
would be attending the denomination
of his friend since that was
the denomination that seemed not to
condemn them to hell for the decisions
they made before being saved by the
Lord Jesus!
He joined the church in 1995
He was faithful in his walk with the
Lord until 2016 when he went home
to be with the Lord at the age of 70!
His family remained one!
The older children helping the younger
ones find a foothold in life
His first wife died in 2013, but the other
wives are still together, keeping each 
other company and living in love!

PS: I saw firsthand in 2004, the effect
the "Butcher the family doctrine" of
restitution had on a family in Oshogbo,
Osun state! The second wife was thrown
out of the marriage by the husband and the
 first wife after the husband became
born again!
They hid behind making heaven and
restitution to rid themselves of the 
woman and her children!
Her life and that of her children meant
nothing to them!
The husband rented a flat for her, paid the
children's school fees for a term and 
"set his way right with God!"
Soon the rent expired!
The children's school fees got due 
 again!
But the man had turned his back on the
past
He had become a new creature
He was heaven bound!
Her calls were going directly into voicemail
She decided to work harder
Her daughters started trying to
help out
A lot of regretful adventures ensued
Pregnancies, scandals, abortions
In all these, what people saw was
"Like mother like daughters"
Eventually, she worked herself
to death one Tuesday afternoon!
She just slumped!
The children never really recovered
from it
Their Father tried to make amends
after their mother's death
But that horse has been flogged 
to death!
There was nothing Christlike in
that restitution!
It is carnal, selfish and wicked!
Jesus would always put human life
above any other principle or ideology
even one as sacred as the law and
religion!
If heaven is the goal, we must not
only aspire to "get" there! We must
also strive to bring others into its
bliss with love and kindness!
I have never subscribed to any ideology
that dangles heaven before men while
encouraging them to treat other people
like vermins!
Some religious people will kill in the 
name of making heaven!
Not so for believers!
We live and we let others live!
Our heaven is a product of divine 
love and mercy through Jesus Christ.