The Correspondence 02

Dear Didaskalos

My name is Emmanuella. I’m a worker in my church. I’ve noticed a trend there. The folks running the church are old school. They are not in touch with what’s in vogue, especially when it comes to fashion.

Can you imagine what my pastor’s wife wore to church last Sunday? She wore a black scarf on a skirt suit. Who does that? For crying out loud, couldn’t she have worn a hat instead? It was really distracting during the sermon. To make matters worse, they don’t even allow us to wear what we want to wear. They say we should wear below-the-knee skirts. Who wears three-quarter skirts these days! They just look stupid in their attire. I just want to leave this church.

Dear Ella,

You’ve made great points fashion-speaking, but you’ve made no sense bible-speaking. You’ve turned your focus from weightier matters to ephemeral things. While dressing appropriately is important, should that be the main criteria for the church you attend? Aren’t you concerned about matters such as the word of God taught, the love shared among brethren, communion in the place of prayer and all other spiritual edification you can get from the fellowship of the brethren?

When it comes to dressing, the Bible’s principle has always been modesty. I coined this out from Paul’s injunction in 1 Timothy 2:9 “I also want the women to be modest and sensible about their clothes…” God is not against your dressing well. In fact, He was the first fashion designer, for He made clothes out of animal skin in the Garden of Eden, before chasing our first parents out. He just doesn’t want you to channel all your energy into fugacious issues like fashion, forsaking eternal issues like spiritual growth. Christian fashion is covering your nakedness in style. It’s as simple as that.

Ella, please get your priorities right. Start spending time with the word, and in prayers. Then the desire to leave the church will fizzle.

gidmedico

The Correspondence 01

ONE

Dear Didaskalos

I’m Kemi. I took my sick child to the hospital owned by my church and spent a lot. Just in one night I spent 50k. A whole 50k, on drugs, tests, and only God knows what. I am so pained. A church I pay my tithe to. I just even received my pension and paid a large chunk as seed offering to the church, and yet I still pay this much to treat my sick child in their centre?

It’s disheartening sir. I can recall when I was a catholic. I got 50% off my hospital bills at their hospital. And now I got born again and joined this so-called Bible believing church, and this is what I get? What is going on? What is this church doing with our monies? I’ve faithfully served in this denomination for more than 20 years and this is how they treat me? Well, I’ve made up my mind on what to do. To hell with their prophesies and so-called promises from God. They’ve beguiled me for too long. I just thought I should get your counsel.

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Dear Kemi

Your anger is wrongly channeled. And pardon me, but you sound hilarious. When you were paying your tithes and offerings, was it with the hopes that the church was saving it for you so that in the event you or your family members fall ill, they could put their hands into the money you kept with them for your medical bills? Where did you get this notion from? That you should get direct privileges from the church because you’re a faithful tither (Mind you, I’m not saying the church cannot raise money to sort out the medical bills of needy members).

My dear, please read your bible again. Our tithes and offering, and in fact every other thing, should be done as unto God. Colossian 3:23-24 in the Good News Translation puts it this way:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve. “

So Kemi, stop whining. Your church has done you no wrong. That hospital has overhead expenses they have to cover, so you need to pay money for services rendered. And your church made no promises in the first place that they were going to subsidize your bills. Or did they? And who even told you your tithes were used to set up the hospital in the first place? When you gave those monies, you gave them to God. He alone, through whatever means He chooses, will reward you.

Sit your butt down and grow up Kemi. Stop drawing unnecessary analogies.

gidmedico

DISCLAIMER: Names of persons used are not necessarily specific to those related to me.