Ragtag and Bobtail

The fear of the unknown is a dicy thing
Especially in the church of God
There must be some reverence
Some orderliness
Some soberness
Some quiet!
This is God we are talking about
It is not some idol!
How can a believer be so irreverent when worshipping his God
People clapping hands! Clapping!!!!
Oh my God!
Where did you people come from?
No incense? No special garments? Didn't God give Aaron special garments in the Bible?
The church should be like the royal court
Even the poorest of the poor makes the effort to look good when presenting himself or herself before a king
These so called ragtag Christians must be cautioned heavily
And then they speak in tongues
How does that even make sense?
The Bible says they spoke the language the people present during the day of pentecost understood!
They weren't talking gibberish
They spoke a language that could be easily discerned and understood by the people listening to them
But not today!
They just say all sorts of crazy stuff!
Nobody with any sense should have to descend so low mentally in order to serve God
God is so Holy and sophisticated in wisdom that the idea of Him being the source
of the gibberish people say in the name of speaking in tongues was just preposterous
And then there is that business of people laying hands and healing the sick
How stupid can people be and still breathe?
God gave people wisdom, knowledge and understanding to make medicines
God created herbs, roots and shrubs from which drugs were made
The Bible says clearly "Is there no more balm in Gilead?"
Balm is medicine!
It is true that Jesus and the disciples laid hands on the sick and healed them
It was to demonstrate the uniqueness of Jesus and the authority of the apostles before the Bible was compiled
Once the Bible was compiled! It became the greatest authority and manual for mankind
There was no need for working of miracles as a form of validation
The word of God had validated itself because it cannot be broken
The Bible had been the highest selling book from generation to generation due to its divine power
Healing the sick and manifestation of the Holy Spirit went extinct with the apostles
We are now expected to follow the teachings of the Bible with wisdom unto perfection
We are above the cheap tricks of miracles, signs and wonders like wayfarers
God doesn't need to convince us of his realness anymore
The Bible is the greatest miracle ever worked!
She spoke on and on
He listened to her carefully
He was somehow amused too
Some years back! Her argument was his argument
He used that argument to clobber many christians claiming to be pentecostals
A sunday school teacher in their own denomination would flog any pentecostal pastor in the knowledge of the scriptures
In fact, most of the pastors, prophets and general overseers of pentecostal churches are from orthodox denominations like theirs
They were the discontent, mischievous and unrepentant ones
who left the church to start their own church because of their ego, their bellies or their ignorance
Until he saw the light!
The Holy Spirit didn't bother teaching him exegesis
The Holy Spirit tore his religious reality to shreds
The Holy Spirit made it clear, that a church without his presence is a slaughter house for the enemy
He came to the meeting that day to prove it
When he was invited, he wanted to ignore the invitation
The forum that invited them was trying to use a carnal means to foster unity within the fold of Christ
They invited the lady, a professor of Theology and an orthodox Church advocate and him a pentecostal Christian with an orthodox background to speak on the topic "The evolution of Christianity in Nigeria"
As the woman spoke on, she mentioned as a major problem the lack of Christian ethics and morality in many so-called Christians today as a result of the half baked education of the founders of pentecostal churches
She mentioned Unemployment as a factor that drove the growth of mushroom churches everywhere
She also mentioned the advent of the television and televangelists! Claiming the pentecostal
churches had hoodwinked many people through the use of television effects
She talked about campus fellowships and the catch them young policy of pentecostal churches
She also talked about the permissiveness of the pentecostal churches as a factor in their population increase!
Members were allowed to wear whatever they wanted, play and dance any type of music in church and treat God with disrespect all in the name of freedom and liberty!
She spoke for one hour!
He couldn't have done a better job!
People clapped in the auditorium
The professor's paper and its delivery were excellent!
He went over to where the professor sat and shook her hand for a job well done
He walked up to the podium
He said "The erudite professor among many things said the Holy Spirit is no longer with us in the way and manner the pentecostal church portrays it!
She said miracles, signs and wonders ceased with the apostles
She said speaking in tongues the way the pentecostal does it was "fake, unreal and unbiblical"
She said many pentecostal pastors lack the knowledge of the logos...
He paused
He scanned through the audience in the packed auditorium of the University campus
It was supposed to be an academic debate on religious issues
His eyes picked out a student seated on the front row
He saw the walking stick and the dark thick spectacles
He walked away from the podium towards the blind lady
There was pin drop silence in the auditorium
He took the blind lady by the arm and whispered "Please follow me" in her ears
He gently led the lady, now holding her cane in her other hand back to the podium
He said: How can the gospel's transforming power be made of no effect by some people in the name of doctrine?
In Mark 7:13 Jesus Christ said "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition,
which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."
Look at this lady here? How many students on this campus know her?
(Many students raised up their hands)
He turned to the lady
He: Lady, please what is your name
Lady: My name is so and so
He: What are you studying?
Lady: Special Education
He: What level are you?
Lady: 300 Level
He: Do you know the name of the condition that caused your blindness?
Lady: River blindness, also known as onchocerciasis
He: How long have you had this condition?
Lady: Since I was 14
He: How old are you now?
Lady: 27
He: So you have been in this condition for how long
Lady: It started gradually but i lost my complete eyesight when I was 19
He: Would you like to see again?
Lady: Yes please
He: Okay!
He took her by the hand and led her back to her seat!
He: Jesus accused the pharisees of making the "Word of God" of no effect by their traditions! Who is the "Word of God?"
The students screamed "Jesus"
He: Jesus told the pharisees that they made him of no effect through their traditions!
Many of us left the ineffective church to start an effective one by the leading of the Holy Spirit
We left the denominations built around the wisdom and tradition of men for the one not built by hand
Remember that in Daniel's vision, it was a stone not cut by human hand that filled the whole earth! *Daniel 2:34
I left the denominations that refused to accommodate the Holy Spirit in its plan by insisting that the Holy Spirit act properly
I left the educated, influential, elite, rich and powerful denomination for the one full of power
I left the academic church full of legalism for the illiterate church taught by the Holy Spirit
I left the the darkness that allowed evil to fester under its philosophy for the light that conquers evil
I left the mundane for the dynamic, and as that famous song writer sang
"Amazing Grace How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost but now I'm found was blind but now I see!"
Then he did the most bizzare and unexpected thing!
He picked the microphone off its stand, stood directly behind the podium and shouted
In the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit that worketh miracles in me!
I command you blindness to leave now, lady,you can see now!
It was as if he knew something they all didn't know
There was a brief moment of silence
It was as if people didn't really understand what he said or meant!
Suddenly the lady screamed! Her dark sunshades in her hands!

She was leaping and shouting
Her friends were leaping and shouting, those beside her were leaping and shouting
She ran onto the podium
The auditorium cheered
Commotion everywhere
The professor that spoke earlier also ran onto the stage, holding the healed lady and jumping for joy
Nobody seemed to get what was going on!
He was also taken aback!
Why was the professor and the lady healed of blindness crying and hugging each other?
He eventually gave the professor the microphone!
Professor: She is my daughter, i brought her here to listen to my presentation!
He: But she said she is a student of this school
Professor: Yes! She is studying Special Education here and she is my daughter!
He: Jesus! WOW!!
The auditorium erupted in worship and thanksgiving!
More miracles were recorded as the Holy Spirit moved mightily in their midst
The fellowship leaders on campus joined him
They ministered to as many as gave their lives to Christ and needed healing
He needn't say anything more!
The following Sunday, the Professor, her husband, the daughter who was healed of blindness and their younger son came to his church to see him
The professor was worried her daughter might lose the healing if she doesn't receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit
He prayed with the whole family
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues
They joined a pentecostal church close to their house thereafter in order to grow in the things of the spirit!

PS: This event happened in 2013
It was one of the experiences of the brother in Jeans and T-shirt
The Holy Spirit is still very much with us with the fullness of his supernatural abilities at work in us
Refuse him at your own risk
Embrace him and he will empower you to live a victorious life
Are you still arguing what speaking in tongues really should be like?
You better accept the gift of the Holy Spirit the same way you accepted Jesus as your Lord and saviour
You cannot be smarter than the giver of all gifts
You cannot insist on having your way with the one who designed your salvation and your life in Christ
Ditch all resistance and argument today
Get filled with the Holy Spirit Now!!!