OF PLACES OF WORSHIP:BY UJIADUGHELE EMMANUEL

OF PLACES OF WORSHIP

I know the first thought that drops into your mind at the sight of the title-BLASPHEMY! But wait, just before you crucify me downside up like Apostle Peter, please read me out.

Nigerians are known to be very religious and zealous for the things of our God and gods, as the case may be. It is therefore unsurprising to see churches sprout in just about any place-school classrooms, cinema halls, shops/kiosks and even cargo containers! While this is an interesting development, it is meat reserved for another pot of soup. For the purpose of this piece, I am more concerned with the somewhat befuddling act of making hotel reservations for God.

I have often heard people say that the church is not a physical building and wherever two or three are gathered in His name, He is there with them. I quite agree with this assertion but must we descend into the ridiculous to prove a point? It is enough that we cramp God into cargo containers but to drag Him into hotels, that’s an entirely different matter.

You might want to argue that Christ wined and dined with sinners but that bothers on evangelism and soul-winning. I am talking about our choice of venues of worship. Let me ask: What makes the hotel, venue of various atrocities from Mondays to Saturdays, a holy place on Sunday mornings? Anointing oil? Worship and Praise? Can we not get a more appropriate and decent place to worship?

I do not write to slight any sect or group but if God were physically present with us, would we ask Him to sit in one hotel room/lounge while we worship Him? A place where ill-clad ladies strut like turkeys, rightly dividing the attention of members? Or a place where, at the same time the pastor mounts the pulpit, one young man mounts another man’s wife just directly above? Perhaps, a place where the smells of cigars and alcohol play peek-a-boo with the noses of members? What if there was a brother and or a sister battling with those vices? Wouldn’t that be leaving a bowl of milk in front of a cat?

Hotels are built for relaxation, conferences, meeting and other whatnot that happen there. What if we gathered the rent we pay to hoteliers, purchase a piece of land and erect a structure to worship God? Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well, brethren. If we must worship God, we must do in spirit, truth and decency.

Build a house for God, if you must. Just don’t lodge Him in Hotels.

Crucify me.

Emmanuel Eromonsele Ujiadughele