By Gowon Omale
How do Christians defend themselves in an enemy territory; or their own community and territory against marauders and killers?
The first and major step is to go to God in prayers and plead for His protection for He is able to keep His own. But is that all? Some think and say so. Others believe there is a natural or second step.
According to their argument, though God says we should ask for our daily bread, as Jesus Christ taught in the greatest prayer of all times, God does not require docility. He expects His children to work for it, for He says in somewhere that, “he who does not work should not eat”.
He said this through Paul, the greatest missionary (some say, evangelist) who ever lived. Though he made the work of God his raison d’etre, he worked when the need arose to meet his and his companions’s needs.
That is why I am inclined to side with those who say that while it is expedient to pray for God’s protection at ALL times, we may need to play our part to protect ourselves and loved ones. And there is no greater set of loved ones like those in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
However, whatever steps we take to protect ourselves must be totally defensive, and not in any way aggressive. For even our Lord and Saviour WARNS that those who live by the sword (gun or any other assault weapon) die by the sword.
We cannot, therefore, slaughter those we are called to love and proclaim the message of salvation, no matter how vile and murderous they are. God is still very much interested in the salvation of the souls of men from every ethnic nationality (and their offshoots) as He orchestrated when Peter first publicly preached, and when John saw the array of persons of every ethnic colour before the throne of God, so the pursuit of aggression of enemies is not of Him.
In fact, fearing for the lives of His followers, Jesus Christ once advised them to get defensive weapons; but shortly after, a rash disciple, Peter, used it aggressively, and was sternly rebuked by Jesus.
It is also likely that many may hide under this admonition of the Lord to defend themselves, and consider stepping out of line; but then they stand to be cut down by it, sooner or later, because the Author of live Himself said so.
In the light of the above, what should Christian communities do, as the needless onslaught on them Nigeria-wide (and worldwide)continues. Like the Jews did in the account of Esther, they can come together to pray and fast. They can also fashion and procure weapons that are within the ambit of the law, to protect themselves. Except those that are sick among them, they can take turns to run a 24-hour surveillance on their communities, with a readiness to protect against attackers in the manner Nehemiah and others did. They MUST NEVER neglect to make communication with God a daily and lively exercise for His guidance and ultimate protection. Above all, they must live holy and righteous lives. They MUST NEVER shed innocent blood or contemplate vengeance, which belongs only to God.
This Christian Community Defence Group (CCDG) must remain ever vigilant and prayerful, knowing that while we are advised to be prayerful and watchful in our walk here on earth, we should do same in the area of protecting the Church. This requires putting our ears to the ground in the spiritual and physical.
Christians who are familiar with the story of Gideon know that number does not count with God, especially in communities where Christians are few in number. What matters is committing everything to God and working with the available number. If we die, we die, but not because we did not try. Head or tail, with lives completely given to Jesus Christ, we will make paradise and eternity with our Father.
Nevertheless, it must be noted that the sum total of our Lord’s words appear to be that we will be persecuted, but He does not rule out defending ourselves. We can run, we can hide, we can employ other defensive measures; but we must remember that if we die during persecution, He warned us that if they did it to Him, they will do it to us. Shalom aleikem.
References: Matthew 6: 9 – 13; Matthew 26: 51 – 53; Luke 22: 35 – 51; John 18: 10 – 11; Revelations 5:9; 7:9; Acts 2: 1 – 11; Esther 1 – 10; Deuteronomy 32:35; Roman’s 12: 19; Judges 7: 1 – 8; John 15: 17 – 21.
▪︎ Omale, a writer, lives in Abuja and sent this via WhatsApp. He can be reached by SMS on 07066207176.