"Touch me not", Jesus told Mary.
"For I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."
John 20:17
This was after Jesus resurrected...
I read this scripture & my imagination started roaming as it always does: I imagine Jesus as a Nigerian. I can guarantee He would have monopolized God the way our pastors do.
It's very common to hear the Nigerian Pastor say, "whatever you're going through, MY GOD will help you!"
"MY GOD will touch you today!"
"MY GOD will turn that situation around!"
It's almost always my God, my God, my God.
Jesus told Mary, MY Father, YOUR Father; MY God, YOUR God.
In other words, Mary, you & I have same access to Him!
We're on the same level relating with God!
If I were a pastor & I always tell my flock, "My God will heal you!" or "My God will bless you!", with time, the flock will start praying, "In the name of the God of Haruna Daniels!"
Or sing, "🎵I am serving the God of Haruna, I know, yes I know...🎵"
Giving the notion that I have a better relationship with God than them, making myself another mediator between God & man.
That is what we see in our Churches today.
I don't know if this is a Nigerian thing: I'm not sure people pray to the God of their pastors elsewhere...
But sha, we thank God that Jesus isn't Nigerian, so He didn't monopolize God.
He opened the access, that's why He called God Mary's Father & Mary's God too.
May we not turn God's Fatherhood into a monopoly.
Amen.
Shalom.
🙏🏿
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Bola Tinubu is an interesting character.
He makes his detractors & opponents underestimate him on purpose.
He has this demeanour of a dour sleepy Man with half a brain, but he is FAR from that!
He is a very deep thinker & master strategist.
He always KNOWS what he's doing...
Do you remember the song, "hand dey shake, leg dey shake, Baba wey no well...🎵"?
The Opposition thought he was going senile!
When he presented the 2025 Budget to the National Assembly, he made a Freudian slip (or so we thought): he called them the 11th National Assembly...
I think today y'all should KNOW he was DELIBERATE! He ended his speech with, "That means you are ALL reelected!"
They gave him a standing ovation!
That man ALWAYS KNOWS what he is doing, folks.
Underestimate him at your peril!
"Hello? Hello?"
"Yes, how are you, Simi?"
"Good morning, Sir! I am NOT fine Sir!"
"Why?"
"They want to impeach me, Sir! Please, help me Sir!"
"Simi! But I wanted to help you before! I brought you & your HOA Members together to talk & you all signed an agreement, remember...?"
"Yes Sir! I'm sorry, Sir!"
"Why did you renege on the agreement you signed?"
"It's the Devil, Sir! I am sorry, Sir! Help me, Sir!"
"Ok... So how do you want me to help you? You know I'm not a member of your Party: maybe you should call Atiku to help you, Simi..."
"Ha! That one?"
"Yes! Or Bukola or any other PDP member who has held a high office in the Country..."
"No Sir! You're the C-in-C, Sir! Everything ends on your table, Sir! Just help me find soft landing, Sir: these guys have started impeachment proceedings against me, Sir!"
"Yes, I heard..."
My friend, @praisefowowe wrote:
"The world is shifting rapidly, & the era of lawless leaders & bullies is upon us.
A GENERATION is being led into CONFUSION, where what is RIGHT is simply what is LOUDEST.
TRUTH is being DROWNED in NOISE & VALUES are being REWRITTEN...
By those who serve SELF, not GOD..."
I've not heard or read a more succint statement in a very long time.
Today, the world believes the more NOISE they make, the EASIER it is for their views to be ACCEPTED by others.
Just as AUCTIONS go to the HIGHEST Bidder...
TRUTH goes to the LOUDEST Noise Maker.
The LGBTQ Community understands this very well, so they make the loudest noise about their Movement, drowning all dissenting voices into oblivion.
It's practically a CRIME today if you choose to insist you will NOT support the Movement!
A father went to pick up his 6 year old boy from school.
He was alarmed when he got to the school to meet his son CRYING!!!
"What happened, son?"
"It's him!!!" The son pointed to his classmate, a big, fat boy!
The father was ANGRY!
He immediately went to see the Head Master...
"I will NOT accept my son being BULLIED in this school! I DEMAND that bully is PUNISHED!"
Head Master smiled.
"You're getting it wrong, Sir. Your son was NOT bullied. Maybe you should ask him why he's crying, Sir."
Woah!
He turned to his son: "What really happened, Son?"
"We sing 'Fatty Bum Bum' to make fun of him! But instead of him to cry, he will start DANCING! Daddy, he shouldn't DANCE! He should CRY We want him to CRY!!!😭😭😭"
The father was SHOCKED!
He had jumped to a WRONG conclusion!
His son wasn't bullied: he was THE Bully!!!