ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF JOS
CHRISTIAN INSTUITE
ARCHBISHOP BENJAMIN ARGAK KWASHI (OON) DD, D.Min.
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BISHOP'S CHARGE 2004
In the Name of
the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit. Amen
It is with joy and gratitude to God that we welcome
everyone to this Synod gathering. This week we begin a new Synod year as we enter the First Session of the Ninth Synod of the
Anglican Diocese of Jos. By the grace of God this Synod will contain certain notable events, including the Silver Jubilee of our
Diocese next year. It is therefore with particular pleasure that we welcome you all. We mention especially our Guest Preachers
and teachers, the Rev. Dr. Musa Gotom and the Rev. Dr. Soja Bewarang.
Dr. Musa Gotom is a man of deep insight and faith in God. If there is a scholar whom I respect and honour both for being a
teacher and a model to me, it is Dr. Musa Gotom. He was Principal of the Theological College of Northern Nigeria for twenty
years, President of C.O.C.I.N. (Church of Christ in Nigeria) for two terms, President of T.E.K.A.N. and a teacher of theology at T.
C.N.N., a post which he holds up to today. It is with deep respect and honour that we welcome him into our midst. He holds our
Diocesan Merit Award.
The Rev. Dr. Soja Bewarang is the pastor in charge of the C.O.C.I.N. Headquarters Church. He is a dear Christian brother and
his commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ attests to his character. He has a few publications to his credit. We are grateful to
God that he brings us the message of the gospel at this Synod. We pray that our fellowship with both these men of God may
grow in grace.
“The Church of Nigeria
(Anglican Communion)
shall be Bible-based, spiritually dynamic,
united, disciplined, self-supporting,
committed to pragmatic evangelism,
social welfare and a
Church that epitomizes the
genuine love of CHRIST.”
It is in these words that the overall vision for the Church of Nigeria has been defined. Following on from this, the
Primate, the Most Rev. Dr. Peter Jasper Akinola, has set in motion “Operation 1-1-3” for the Church of Nigeria. This is an
exciting initiative that should give fresh vitality to the church, as each member is directed to lead another person to Christ, bring
them to church and disciple them in such a way that that person can then go out and bring someone else to the Lord.
We are an evangelical province from our roots. Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther would not rest until the next village, town or city
had heard the gospel that he preached. He had written letters to the Emirs of Kano, Zaria and Sokoto proposing to visit them
and to tell them of his mission. In the steps of our founding fathers and C.M.S., we follow the godly leadership of our Church in
this great undertaking. To do evangelism is to do the will of God. May I remind us in Jos Diocese that what we are doing is also
being done in other dioceses throughout the Church of Nigeria. It is therefore important to remind us every day and to urge us
individually and collectively as a diocese to be thoroughly engaged in the
programmes of evangelizing Plateau State.
Operation 1-1-3 began with a time of prayer throughout the diocese from January to Easter. We are now in the section of the
programme from Easter to All Saints’ Day when every Anglican member of our Diocese, young, old, men, women and children,
must be taught and trained to be able to witness for the Lord Jesus Christ and to bring one more person to Christ between now
and December. By December a new missionary explosion should begin and the cycle must continue until Jesus comes. This is
our life. This is the mission of the church and I implore every member not to be disobedient, as some were, but to co-operate
with God to change lives and to make a difference in history, We are called to be transformed transformers.
Our Synod theme this year is taken from Romans 12:1-2:
I have a firm conviction that when the Lord saved me, he changed my life. That life changing experience which began from the
day I made a commitment to Jesus Christ has not ended. It is a continuing process, and as at this point it is being renewed. The
conversion experience which comes to anyone who makes a decision to surrender to Jesus Christ begins a new, exciting and
unpredictable journey of faith. This is known as conversion. It is a complete “turning round”, as the main focus of our attention
now shifts from ourselves to Jesus Christ, from material gain to spiritual growth, from sin to righteousness, from darkness to light.
I am convinced that the Lord did not just save us so that we can make a lot of noise inside and outside the church, with “born
again” slogans, clapping hands, making merry and having great church services, good as these may sometimes be. I believe
that God has called us for more than that.
I am further convinced that when God called me he did not call me just to read the Prayer Book, preach a few good sermons,
take offerings, bury the dead, conduct weddings and so on. To do those things is good - but that is not all! I am fully persuaded
that the church itself is not simply a human organization with a proven structure and administration, with big buildings, high
sounding theology and scholarship. No: God has a bigger idea for the church.
Sadly, however, the kind of Christianity being practiced by so many in Nigeria now will never bring transformation and will
certainly not lead anyone to heaven. Apart from the emphasis on a religion that meets your needs without demanding faith and
trust in God alone, we have gone further to give assurances to people concerning belief without at the same time demanding
repentance. How can anyone ever truly come to Christ without being changed? How can anyone follow Jesus Christ without
being transformed? How can anyone enter heaven without holiness? Biblical faith that brings transformation and leads people
to heaven is one which brings about a real change in life, which produces a Spirit-led transformation in life and environment.
The Lord called me and transformed me in order that I might be a transformer. The Lord called me and trained me in ministry
to go to transform communities, families and peoples of all kinds. He called me and sent me to the church, to remind the
members of his church individually and collectively of their position as agents of transformation in every field of endeavour in the
society and the nation. May I say that each one of us who has had an experience of a new birth in Christ is hereby reminded of
this urgent call to be transformed and to be transformers. This is not a new call! This has been the call of Christ to all people at
all times, right from the days of the first disciples.
It is true that when Jesus first called Peter, Andrew, James, John and their colleagues, they did not know what they were
becoming involved in! Some few years later, however, they were very clear, as the Holy Spirit filled them and they began to
preach and to see peoples’ lives transformed. The transformation brought about in the life of St. Paul was even more
remarkable: from being a persecutor of the church he was completely turned round to become a preacher, evangelist and
missionary. All that he formerly counted as valuable and prestigious he now regarded as worthless. His one concern was to
know Christ (Phil.3:10), and to bring others to a similar knowledge and love. This was not an optional extra, or something to be
done when he felt like it. This was a burning passion, a fire which nothing could quench, not even sickness, imprisonment,
shipwreck, difficulties or dangers. By whatever means he had at his disposal, Paul, having been transformed, was now a high
voltage transformer!
When he wrote his letter to the Romans, Paul had not yet been to Rome, but he had heard about this congregation which had
been planted in the very heart of the Roman Empire. Here was a big city; the diplomatic and trade centre of the known world;
peoples of all races, tribes, languages and abilities gathered there. The church was vibrant and growing, but also vulnerable to
the onslaughts of false teachers.
The main theme of Paul’s letter therefore is faith in Christ as the only ground of man’s acceptance by God, who treats all
people alike, Jew and Gentile. Of this gospel Paul is by no means ashamed: it is this gospel which has the power to transform
the life of everyone who believes. The need for such transformation is evident and urgent. Paul points out that all people, Jews
and Gentiles alike, have sinned and fallen short of the expectations and standards of God. This situation can never be set right
by the law, or by our doing “good works”. Sin and death came into the world through one man, Adam. Now, however, acquittal,
righteousness and new life have been brought into the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we put our
faith in him, our lives are transformed. In baptism we die to sin and rise to new life, no longer slaves to sin, but free to serve God
in righteousness.
All this is not achieved without a struggle in the heart of a person: Paul himself groans because although he may know what is
right, he often feels impelled to do what is wrong! There is only one way out: the only way to salvation is by the grace of God
through faith in Christ Jesus. The presence of the Holy Spirit confirms that we are indeed children of God and it is the Holy Spirit
who helps us in our weakness. The joy is that nothing at all can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
“Therefore” (12:1): based on the teaching that Paul has been expounding in the first eleven chapters, he now goes on to show
how Christians must now live and act. What has gone before is like a springboard, and now the implications are worked out in
practical terms.
“THEREFORE … I appeal to you , brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may prove what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
“Therefore”, Paul begs the Romans (and all followers of Christ), based on what has been taught, present your bodies as a
living sacrifice, holy to God. No matter how much doctrine or theory you may know, if you do not put it into practice it means
nothing. Do not be conformed, but be transformed! As you come here today, how do you present yourselves? What kind of life
have you been living for people to see? The clothes you wear are not so important; what matters is your life! When you truly
come to know the Lord there must be a change. You will find that you are working against the systems and standards of the
world. This will never be easy; you will be called names; sometimes you will wonder if you are doing the right things. There will
be a struggle, but you will see newness in your life, your ministry, your work, and this will spread to your family, the church and
the community.
“Be Transformed!”
The Need for Transformation
I have been thinking of an electricity transformer and this is particularly instructive because you do not need many transformers
to pull the electricity supply and redistribute it to bring light to a whole community, in fact you need only one transformer. In the
same way, when we make a decision to give our lives to Jesus Christ and receive him by faith, we become converted, born again,
and having been transformed in this way, we become transformers.
This is to be totally differentiated from the modern so-called “born again’s” who claim to be converted but continue to live in sin,
not only encouraging sin, but in some cases doing more to promote sin, lies, slander, wickedness, evil, hatred and all forms of
vice both in the church and outside the church. The prevalence of this kind of “born again”, explains why there are so many
Christians who go to church today, but the influence of the word of God in the community is nil; the influence of the Kingdom of
God is nil. Instead, there is much religiosity which has no power.
God is calling us to live transformed lives. We must fight sin; we must take a stand against wickedness and evil; we must
enthrone truth every day and in every place, verifying every story, gossip or report to establish the truth, before drawing a
conclusion. The fact that so many people are doing wrong does not make the wrong right. The devil has deceived us and has
got a majority of Christians to become lukewarm, complacent and even conformed to the patterns of the world. People cheat in
exams, steal monies and are corrupt in every aspect of life. There is no longer a clear distinction between Christian family living
and pagan family living. The world cannot look to the church for solutions to family and marital problems. Divorce, marriage by
correspondence and long distance family life are all being practiced by Christians as well as by non-Christians. Adultery and
fornication are practiced in the church as well as by unbelievers: there is no difference in life-style. In many cases the
environment is dirty and uncared for; discipline even in Christian schools is lacking.
Brethren, God is calling us now, collectively and individually, to change, to take a firm stand, to fight sin and wickedness, and
under the banner of the Lord Jesus Christ to enthrone truth in every place in which we find ourselves. If we are truly Christians,
as we say we are, we cannot conform to the world, but we must transform the world. God is calling us to teach and live righteous
lives in holiness; to institute the rule of truth and justice for all, and to promote the Kingdom of God. The only power the church
has is insofar as she exercises righteousness, holiness, truth and justice in all things. To lose this would be to lose the power to
be what God wants us to be.
Be Transformed!
You must be connected to Jesus Christ, just as you must have electricity in the wire: the wire on its own is useless. When you
are connected you now begin to move in the opposite direction to the world and the devil. The things that the world is running
after no longer have any attraction for you. But be careful: just as NEPA may suddenly take light, leaving everyone in darkness,
so in your spiritual life you may from time to time be confronted with something which causes the light of Christ to go out.
Reconnect as soon as possible! The renewal of our minds is an ongoing, daily process, a gradual development. One day when
someone offends you, you will notice a difference. Formerly your natural self would have reacted; now you take it calmly in a
Christ-like manner. This is even so in the family and between husband and wife. There is a gradual growth in holiness;
transformation does not happen all at once.
It is natural that a majority of people often sit down and watch out for each other’s failures. In fact, people find it more
newsworthy to point out failures and to make a big deal of them, than to report or work on something positive and good for the
benefit of others. Sometimes such failures become the subject matter of family meetings, political gatherings and little gossip
groups. Unfortunately, unknown to most of us, this is what denies us progress, unity and prosperity, It is not that we should not
point out mistakes, failures and deficiencies and correct things in love, but it is when we get caught up and are preoccupied with
magnifying other peoples’ failures with the sole aim of causing disharmony and destroying persons, that we bring grief to the
Body of Christ. This kind of attitude denies growth in the Body of Christ, or even the family, and makes fellowship difficult. This is
why there are so many little groups and each group is at the others’ throat, looking out for the mistakes and failures of the
others. Because of this we have difficulty in appreciating God’s gifts. We fail to appreciate one another and one another’s gifts.
We fail to appreciate the environment. We look down on ourselves because we fear that we will be condemned when we do
something wrong, or that we shall lose our face totally when we fail.
The result is increased poverty spiritually and materially. This is usually followed by physical, spiritual and material weakness
in the family and church as well as in the community. Self worth becomes so low and self esteem almost nil, to the extent that
nothing can easily be achieved. This in turn leads to an inability to invest and develop in our environment and also in our
children or in the church. Our ideas about the gospel and the Christian faith become confused, and so we return to culture and
other traditions for our instructions in life, or we even conform to the world’s standards.
This is why, in spite of the fact that there are many churches and so many Christians, nothing seems to be changing positively
in the society. The church is plagued by all forms of slander, malice, hatred and bitterness. Those who come to the church are
the leaders in the society from the
political arena, the universities, the business community, the traders, the civil servants and all other sectors, but no change is
recorded to honour or glorify God. Sadly, even those who come to ministry have come from the same kind of background, and
while they may have had a genuine conversion previously, when the pressure to conform to worldly standards now becomes
tough, these men of God take the easier option and conform to the world. This sad cycle leads the church also to conform to the
world. When the pastor conforms, the church conforms; the church, which brings in the people from all walks of life, will only do
what the pastor does. This vicious circle has only one cure:
Be Transformed!
To be an effective transformer you must be Spirit filled and Spirit led all the time. The experience of Paul at Ephesus as
recorded in Acts chapter 19, shows us very clearly that for God to use a person to do extraordinary things like casting out
demons, healing the sick and confronting institutionalized occultic practices, there is no option except for that person to be Spirit
filled. The Holy Spirit is the power of Jesus at work in the life of a transformer.
And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to
the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. (Acts 19:11-12)
In Romans chapter 8 Paul teaches us clearly:
“But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God really dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit
of Christ does not belong to him…..
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
It is the Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (verses 9, 14, 16)
Jesus said:
“I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world
cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.” (John 14:
16-17)
Jesus has promised the Holy Spirit , the main source and agent of transformation. The essence of this discourse is to to remind
the church that we cannot become effective transformers without the presence and the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Individually we must seek to be filled with the Spirit and learn to walk daily relying on the power of the Holy Spirit if we are to see
positive changes in our lives, in our homes and in the environment. The main connection between us and God is through his
Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Counsellor, the life-giving power of God.
A Transformed Life is a Presentable Life
I appeal to you , therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to PRESENT your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual worship.
When Paul appealed to the Christians to present themselves as a living sacrifice, he was appealing to them to make a good
presentation and to offer themselves completely to God. The Old Testament made very clear what kinds of sacrifices should and
should not be presented to God. Sick or maimed animals were unacceptable. Only genuine offerings, the best available, given
wholeheartedly, and with the right intention - only such sacrifices could be offered to the Almighty God.
What kind of presentation are you making to God in your own life today? You will never visit your Father or Mother without
taking a befitting gift. If you do that for your earthly parents, how much more will you do for your heavenly Father! What we
present to God must be the best, the very best, every time, everywhere. Paul’s appeal is that the very best that we can offer is
ourselves. If we offer anything else, it may touch our pockets and may even cost us something in terms of energy or effort, but it
will only be a partial offering. If we are serious about following Christ and if we wish our lives to be transformed, our offering must
be a total presentation of ourselves. Each person should be able to come to the altar and say, “Lord, I present myself to you,”
and then you present yourself to the world as a person of God. Your friends, the community, the world are watching, waiting to
see the gospel lived in you, but they can only interpret what you present.
The story was told of a young girl who wanted to knit a beautiful sweater to make a special present for her father. To do this
she shut herself in her room and refused to come out even to greet her father. After a week, the sweater was ready and she
now came out and gave it to her father. Her father thanked her and agreed that it was very beautiful, but he said, “I do not want
the sweater as much as I need you!” We can be so busy that we draw away from God. We can be so busy that we forget to
present ourselves to God. No academic knowledge can be a substitute for the knowledge of God.
You may think that you have nothing to offer to God, no outstanding talent or ability, no great achievement. Just offer yourself
to God, completely, and you will discover that God will transform you and use you! But it must be a genuine present, given
wholeheartedly, and totally, not withholding anything, but letting go of everything. That is the kind of presentation which will
enable you to be Transformed!
A Transformed Life is a Devoted Life
I appeal to you , therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, HOLY and
ACCEPTABLE to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Sometimes we may say that we give our life to Jesus, but in reality we give our devotion elsewhere; or we may supposedly give
our services to Christ, but we give our life elsewhere.
To be “holy” is to be set apart, set apart for God. When the rest of your colleagues are taking short cuts, selling bad quality
goods at exorbitant prices, giving short measure, telling lies, cheating and gossiping, you say. “No, I will not join you.”
You will not be popular with them, but your first concern is to please God, not men. Your focus is on God. Your devotion is to
God, not to man or to money, or power or fame. The person or thing to which you are devoted will determine the type of life you
lead and you will gradually become more like that which you worship. A life devoted to God is therefore a life which is in the
process of being transformed.
A Transformed Life is a Sacrificial Life
I appeal to you , therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a LIVING SACRIFICE, holy and acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual worship.
A life of devotion demands sacrifice. If you are a living sacrifice, you are completely devoted to God and dedicated to God; you
live for what God says and not for what people say. Gradually you will find that people notice something different about you; they
may even say that you are a man or woman of God, and so they come to you not to bring gossip, but for prayer and counselling.
Remember that when you sacrifice something you are no longer the owner of that which you sacrifice; you cannot take it back,
it is given totally. If you are a living sacrifice, you no longer belong to yourself; you belong to God. Remember too, however, that
once a sacrifice is offered, no-one else dare touch it. Should anyone try to do so, he is looking for serious trouble! If you offer
yourself as a living sacrifice to God, God will strengthen you, defend you, guide you and inspire you. You will walk and not faint,
run and not be weary, you will fly on eagles’ wings, always pressing on, giving yourself without limit, and never, ever
complaining! That is a transformed life, and a life which will in turn encourage others to
Be Transformed.
A Transformed Life is a Mission-Orientated Life
We have a mission and our mission is to be productive and fruitful in multiplying the transformational power of the gospel of
Jesus Christ in our lives, families, places of calling and vocation, in our communities. We must make it our aim that when we
come to worship as a community we do so in spirit and in truth. As a worshipping community the fear of the Lord should be seen
in all that we do. Honesty begins from within the church. Faithfulness in big and small things attracts God’s attention for
blessings. Holiness is the evidence of a transformed life. When the church community is characterized in these ways, that church
will experience the power of God.
We do not remain there as a church community, but we move on to demonstrate the love of God by serving the larger
community. This is where our gifts and talents are used to display the love of God. True service is a mark of the love of God.
This opens doors for mission. This makes it possible to share unselfishly - and remember: selfishness is the key to misery in
life! This is what made the missionaries come to share with our grandparents, and even die in our communities. We are today
reaping the labours of those who were transformed and became agents of transformation. It is now our turn, one and all, to
repeat this process in our generation. We must be courageous, and we must insist on practicing the word of God so that we can
transform our communities, so that they too practice what we teach and live.
This must cover every aspect of life. We cannot be wonderful preachers but bad home-makers and family people. We cannot
be great evangelists, only to be found to be wallowing in sin in our private lives. We cannot hide and cloak ourselves under the
cover of born again Christians only to be found to be lazy, insincere and untrustworthy at heart. We who now claim a total
surrender to Jesus Christ must show the world what this really means in real life. We are called to a life of vulnerability and
transparency. We are also called to be implementers of Kingdom policies for God. We are not called to be mere instructors and
signposts, but we are called to demonstrate in our own lives what it means to be members of the Kingdom of God in this life. This
means that no Kingdom child will watch policies of the Kingdom of God being violated and / or abused with impunity, and do
nothing.
At least three things must be done to change a situation:
a. Go to God in prayer about the situation. Prayer that will change a situation must be in accordance with Jesus’ teaching on
prayer:
"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street
corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into
your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Mat.
6:5-6)
It must be closet prayer. It must be prayer that emanates out of a sincere, deep concern about the situation. Such a prayer,
according to my good friend, T. Adeyemo, must be based on these five points:
Prayer that will bring transformation and revival must be personal; it is not a public show. Once you create an industry of public
prayer meetings, there will be many people who come just for the show and who do not pray privately.
Prayer must be private: enter your room and shut the door.
Prayer must be passionate: pray passionately over the issues that lie ahead of you. This is not something you do once and then
forget it; it is a marathon. The older you are in your walk with God, the longer will be your times with God.
Prayer must be particular; you must have a particular time and a particular place. People of God are consistent in their walk with
God: he reveals himself only to those who truly seek him.
Prayer must be Spirit filled.
b. Hear and Teach the Word of God. You yourself must sit consistently as a disciple of the Holy Scriptures and train yourself in
the art of listening to the word of God. Now, more than ever, in order that you may train others to become disciples of God
through the Scriptures, you must be adequately equipped for this task before you open your mouth to speak about it.
“For as the rain and snow come down from heaven,
and return not thither but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
(Isaiah 55:10-11)
The rain must inevitably have an effect on the earth, whether that effect is positive or negative. Similarly, the word of God must
have an effect: people’s reactions to it may be positive or negative, but no-one can remain neutral, because to ignore the word
or to pretend that it has not been heard is itself a response to the word. It cannot be as if nothing has happened. The word may
bring rebuke; it may encourage and bring growth. The word of God has the power to transform, indeed when a person or
situation is confronted by the word it God there must inevitably be change, whether negative or positive. This is so because the
word is not just inanimate ink on paper; the word of God is powerful, active and alive; it is a two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).
The word is a creative force: God speaks and it IS. By the word of the Lord the heavens and the earth were made.
When human relationships go wrong, a key factor is often a breakdown of communication. If that is true in human
relationships, what about our relationship with God! God wants to communicate his love to us; God wants us to communicate
with him. When Jesus, the Word of God, was born in the world, his coming surpassed all other kinds of communication (Heb.1:
2); now it became possible for God to talk to man and for man to talk with God directly.
As a people called by God, we must listen in order to discover what God wants to accomplish in our lives. God has a plan
for every one of us. We know from Scripture that these plans are for good and not for evil. God has called you in order to fulfill
a particular task in the place where you have been put. God will not call you and put you in a place, and not tell you what to
do. But are you listening? He has given you a particular responsibility in that time and place. If you fail, someone else will do it,
but that was not the original plan. Each one of us has a special place with God, but sometimes we stop listening to God, and
only listen to what other people say. Life is a long journey; watch your way, and every day check that you are on the right track.
If you do not do this your prayer will be a one-sided conversation. Be consistent, and over time, as you daily ask God to speak
and to help you to listen, you will gradually know what is the will of God. Then your life will be transformed and you will help to
transform others.
c. Demonstrate the power of the Kingdom of God using Scriptural methods. This is where you stand up to be counted by
refusing to do what will not please God. Like Daniel, you make up your mind to do only those things that will bring glory to the
Lord. Reject all forms of evil. Renounce works of darkness; take a firm position, and do only what is right, whether in private or
public. Live a life wholeheartedly dedicated to serving the Lord. Throughout the Scriptures we hear how God has taken a
position against wickedness. Wickedness has never prospered and will never prosper. God has not changed his mind on this.
To invest therefore in a transformed way of living for Christ is not foolishness, it is the wisest decision you can ever make in your
life. This decision gives purpose to living, meaning to life, ability to accomplish and brings fruitfulness in service. This decision
makes this life worth the living and makes the life to come a place which we joyfully anticipate.
In the world people do things because they must get something as their gain. Everyone in their profession believes that they
are in it for the material benefit and gain that must be actualized in the immediate and present condition. This belief has caused
a lack of true commitment in every profession. It has robbed us of honesty; it has prohibited us from putting in our best and
producing quality results in learning and teaching and enterprise. This attitude encourages laziness and yet demands the
maximum wage. A little effort or labour for full pay is the motto! Cheating and falsification in everything is encouraged.
Be transformed!
“The truth will set you free!” (John 8:32). “The truth” is both your defence and your weapon against Satan, and if you are to
record victory over Satan you must put on this “belt of truth” (Eph.6:14). The greatest weapon which the devil has is lies, even
though he keeps discouragement as the last card in his game plan. When you fall into the trap of Satan by sinning, you open
the door for the devil to manipulate your mind and your thinking to his advantage. He will create imaginary enemies; those you
suspect will reveal the truth about your life, and in fact whoever will tell the truth becomes your enemy whom you cannot now trust
– including God! The only person you can trust is Satan or fellow liars. You then graduate to the next stage and project your
suspicions on to others, especially those who seem to be successful in what they are doing. You do not wish anyone well; you
do not wish any project well.
The devil loves such a person and uses that person to intimidate others, create fear and domination. Those who dare to stand
against them must be crushed! When fear dominates a place or a community, there will be no true love. Where there is no love,
there will be no light. Where there is no light, there is darkness, and there the devil reigns. Where the devil reigns, there will be
lies and abundance of sin. Only spiritual transformation can bring about victory over sin and Satan on a daily basis.
Be transformed!
WASE - YELWA - SHENDAM CRISIS
We reported last year the attack on the churches in Wase, Kadarko areas and Yelwa town, and we mentioned very clearly that
although the Muslim attackers would claim to have been provoked by issues involving farm lands, traditional areas of settlements
or even by socio-political issues that have nothing to do with the church, nonetheless the first victims of Muslim onslaught remain
the church, Christians, Christian businesses and property. It is sad, very sad indeed, that since 2001 this pattern has not
changed, despite out cries. To make matters worse, the international media and government at all levels continue to put a
blanket blame on Christians and Muslims without fishing out the truth of the matters involved. Our reports show that this year
again, a village, Hamale, was attacked in February by Muslims from Mavo. The crisis that began in this small way continued
systematically until every single church in Yelwa was destroyed,. Several Christians who knew nothing about the alleged stolen
bicycles in Hamale village or even about alleged cow stealing in Yelwa area were attacked, killed and some were sacrilegiously
murdered inside the church.
We continue to salute the faith of all the peace loving Christian people who have continued to endure the hardships and
persecution that have befallen us on the Plateau since 2001. We further salute the faith and courage of the Rev. D. W. Yamtal
and his family, the Rev. S. N. Wyom and his family and the Rev. D. M. K. Power with all their staff and members of their
Archdeaconries, who have stayed and watched their churches being burnt, their members killed and their property looted. They
are still holding on even now. May we rise to give them a standing ovation.
I hate persecution, but persecution is definitely not the way to kill a church, for the blood of the martyrs is always the seed of
the church. We have already made our reports to the Primate of the Church of Nigeria and to the Archbishop of Jos Province.
We salute the faith of those who have endured all these hardships and have remained faithful to Christ without retaliation or
cursing. These are our brothers and our sisters who even now are picking up the pieces of whatever is left of their lives to
continue to testify to the power of Jesus in these areas. Let it be said to the world at large: the church on the Plateau is an
innocent victim and until the truth is done, the church will continue to suffer, but certainly the church will not die. It should be
pointed out that a majority of the people involved in reprisal attacks are people who may not necessarily have any Christian
allegiance, they are certainly non-Muslims, but they are fighting for their traditional lands and homes and for other socio-
economic reasons. These reasons may have implications for Christians in the Church. The church, however, has no militia and
no stock of arms.
PLATEAU STATE: THE STATE OF EMERGENCY
We wish to appeal to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Olusegun
Obansanjo, and the Federal law makers, kindly to review the State of Emergency imposed on Plateau State. We sympathise with
some of the difficulties that have faced our President before he arrived at this decision, but we plead nonetheless, and appeal
that the State of Emergency be reviewed in order to give room for the democratic processes to attempt once again the
governance of the people of Plateau State.
Our appeal is borne out of a sincere conviction that the church on the Plateau has been an agent of peaceful co-existence for
a long time. We have a track record of hospitality and peace, It is also our conviction that there are many peace-loving Muslims
who are eager to work for the building of peaceful co-existence not only in Plateau, but in the whole nation. For example: we
have worked for peace where ordinary communal clashes and carelessness would have resulted in Christian-Muslim conflict, but
this was averted:
a. In February 1992, a young Christian man, married with one child, was beaten to death by Muslims at 'Yan Taya Junction,
Jos. Christian leaders rose to the occasion and worked hard for peace and there was no retaliation, no mosque was destroyed
and nothing happened, except that there was now a young widow with her one child and she is still with us.
b. In 1993 a young Anaguta man was beaten to death in Anguwan Rogo on the election field. Again the Church rose to the
occasion; we did what we have always done and there was peace, with no mosque destroyed.
c. Just before Christmas in 2000 another young Christian man of 20 years was killed by his Muslim friend. Once again we put
our heads together and worked for peace; no mosque was destroyed and no lives were lost.
d. Mention must be made of the role CAN played in 1998 in the Gyero Communal clash. Again we did everything to stop it
being turned into a religious riot and no mosque was destroyed.
e. When there was an impasse between workers in Plateau State and the Government of Plateau State, CAN worked very
hard and played a prominent role in resolving the impasse.
However, since the late 1970’s there has been a rise of certain powerful militant Muslims who have taken a particular interest in
blaming the church and Christians for any and every thing that touches a Muslim. For example, in 1987 a Christian preacher
was allegedly reported to have quoted the Quaran in his sermon in Kafanchan College of Education. Instead of dealing with the
Christian preacher alone, or taking him to the police, or seeking justice, Christians in Katsina, Funtua and Zaria suddenly woke
up the following morning to a spate of attacks, killings and destruction of lives and property, including the destruction of over one
hundred churches in Zaria alone. The security forces did nothing. Over the years that followed, the same trend of events has
consistently plagued the Northern parts of the country.
Plateau State had been spared this until 2001. In September 2001 it was alleged that a young girl was crossing a Muslim place
of prayer and that sparked off the burning of churches and the killing of Christians. In March 2004, cattle thieves were said to
have raided some cows belonging to Fulani. In retaliation, the Muslims killed Christians, destroyed Christian property and
businesses in Yelwa. Were the cattle thieves identified as belonging to any church, or as Christians? Even if they were, could
they not have been reported to the police for the law to take its course? Moreover, if cattle rustling were the case, is it all the
churches in Yelwa that were guilty? It is fair to say that the church on the Plateau has suffered a lot. We are appealing to all
sensible Nigerians to consider the plight of the church and to create an opportunity for sincere, honest citizens of this country to
conduct their business, earn their living and eat the fruit of their labours in their homeland.
It is the government’s constitutional duty to provide security for its citizens and guests. We therefore appeal to the Federal and
State Governments for the provision of adequate security for us as people - Christian, Muslim and traditionalists - but especially
as Christians because we are being given a bad name to be hanged. CNN and BBC called those who carried out the Yelwa
killings “Christian militia”. The church on the Plateau has never organized a Christian militia. If the foreign media are on a guilt
trip because of their own nations’ policies which are not successful as it affects Muslims around the world, they should not project
their guilt on to poor innocent Christians in Northern Nigeria who are trying to work hard to build bridges with their fellow Nigerian
Muslims, as part of the effort of nation building within our young democratic set-up. It is not wise to stir up hate, as hatred is not
an instrument of building families, let alone a nation
Let the Government take bold steps to bring to book all criminal acts, no matter who are committing them. Let all white papers
on previous Commissions be published and those found guilty be brought to book. Unless this is done there seems to be no
divide between law-abiding citizens and those who refuse to keep the law. The Government should arrest and try all thieves,
arsonists, Talibans, terrorists, whatever their religious convictions and put them in jail. There are many Christians and Muslims
who love peace and the progress of this country and in fact these far outnumber the few who are instigating and fuelling
confusion and giving every crisis a religious colour in order to achieve their selfish ends. This will enable the church and indeed
Muslim leaders to redirect the minds of the younger generation in order that they be not misled to think that a person can hide
under the guise of religion to commit any crime and get away with it.
WOMENS’ CONFERENCE AT KWATAS
We give thanks to Almighty God for making this year’s Womens’ Conference possible and especially for bringing in Guest
speakers, Rev. Mrs. Joyce Karioki and Mrs. Patience Bassey from Kenya and Lagos respectively. It turned out to be one of the
biggest gatherings ever of women in our diocese, and to the glory of God, we joyfully report the harvest of over 160 souls of
women who made an open commitment to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. This is an unforgettable event in the history of
Jos Diocese.
We salute the tirelessness and dedication of the President of the Mothers’ Union and Women’s Guild, Mrs. Gloria L. Kwashi,
whose drive for the Conference brought it to a successful completion. We pray that God will sustain the faith of the young
converts and bring fruit to the lives of those who attended and rededicated their commitment to Jesus Christ. We rejoice with the
women of our diocese and assure them of our prayerful support and co-operation in their work towards the building up of God’s
Kingdom and the progress of his gospel. We believe that when women truly know and love the Lord and dedicate their lives to
following him, they will bring up the John and Charles Wesley’s of our generation. May the Lord continue to prosper their work in
our diocese.
MISSION OUTREACH
We must give glory to God and thank him profoundly for blessing our little efforts in mission throughout the Diocese and
beyond. We have hardly begun our Mission Explosion and already two new congregations have been added within Jos city. The
programmes of the Diocesan Mission Team have led us as a diocese through short term missions and our mission outreach
which took place in Vom Archdeaconry this year. We cannot in this small space share the testimony of all that the Lord did, but
we are glad to report that those who went out with us for the mission week in the hills and in the valleys, have continued to testify
that their lives can never be the same again. We praise the Lord for the purposeful leadership of our Diocesan Missioner, the
Rev. Canon C. O. G. Nlem, and his team. We commend them to your prayers as they lead us wherever the Spirit tells them to
take us.
We seize this opportunity to appeal for financial support for our missionaries in the rural areas, so that they can remain there to
nurture the faith of the young congregations in these difficult areas up to the point where the young Christians can stand and be
a church on their own.
We ourselves have been privileged this year to carry the gospel to the USA, and to be part of the SOMA (Sharing of Ministries
Abroad) Team to lead a Mission Retreat for the Bishops and their wives of the Church of the Province of Kenya. These are rare
privileges and opportunities that God has given to us to labour for his glory. We were also invited to be the Guest Preacher at
the Uganda Martyrs’ Day in
Namugongo: the main service, which attracted over 20,000 people at the Martyrs’ Shrine, also witnessed a crowd of over 300
people coming forward to make commitments to Jesus Christ. We return thanks to Almighty God, to our intercessors in and
outside the diocese, our praying partners and the entire church and Diocese of Jos for the constant prayer support we receive
on all our missionary journeys.
We must also mention the Crusade at Umuahia which saw a number of people making commitments to Jesus Christ as well as
the EFAC Convention at Nnewi, all of which were held in April this year. Let us with one heart and mind offer to God glory, praise
and thanksgiving that in our time the word of God should spread to produce transformation in the lives of listeners and in our
lives as preachers. We will honour the call of God on our lives in all humility, and we call on you as a people of God to continue
to support us in prayer.
We are deeply grateful for the tireless labour of love shown by the whole team of the Gospel Health and Development Services
(GHaDS), and especially the Chairman, Dr. E. Ameh, and the Co-ordinator, the Rev. N. P. Bewarang, who have become
everything in the effort to bring health and healing to the sick, hurting , injured and dying. They have become multi-purpose
health and care-givers. Throughout our Diocese the impact of their services is being felt; right from the hills to the lowlands and
valleys of Plateau State GHaDS is known literally for everything in health.
Our HIV and AIDS department under GHaDS is receiving a big boost from supporters in our Diocese and we thank God for the
missionary zeal of those who have shown concern and care to the sick in their time of need. The international organization,
Christian Aid, has also shown interest to partner with us in this programme. We are grateful. This missionary responsibility must
continue; taxing it may be, but for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ the task must be done.
We must also put on record the risk taking labour of love of the Diocesan Relief Committee. They have gone to battle areas at
the risk of their lives and have taken food items, clothes and monies to Wase, Langtang North and South, Yelwa and Shendam
areas during their trying times. We salute the courage of the Rev. K. Dimka in being used by God in this regard. We particularly
recognize the heart of love and determination to carry on with the mission of God in providing relief to people in their moments of
trial. We salute the whole team. The visits of the Relief Team have been mentioned, and are still being mentioned, wherever we
have visited in this troubled area. We also want to seize this opportunity to thank individuals and churches who have supported
and given generously to enable this committee to reach out in mission to sufferers. May God bless you.
This is our mission as a church and we are a church that cares for the whole person,. We will endeavour as a church to
preach the gospel (proclamation), to teach the gospel (educa-tion), to reach the heart with the gospel, health and health
education, and to disciple the converts and bring them into the fellowship of believers so that the cycle is repeated by the young
convert. This is a major part of Christian discipleship, as the young Christian is trained to give, to share and to care for others,
for the environment and for himself. This will bring about a transformed life.
SCHOOLS
The Lord continues to open doors of mission for us through education and we encourage the whole diocese to return to the
old CMS method of community service. It is with joy that we approve the take-off of St. Luke’s College, Jos, and St. Peter’s
Secondary School, Langtang.
At the same time, the community of our young church in Jivir (Pankshin Archdeaconry) has given us a massive piece of land
and they have gone ahead as a community to mould for us mud bricks for the building of our school in Jivir. The excitement of
the community cannot be described as they have come around our mission station to assist in building the classrooms at Jivir.
We are grateful to God for the success of this project. The Secondary School, which is known as the John Kwashi Memorial
College, will take off in September this year. This project will enable the teaming young people to go to school within their own
community and receive Anglican education, with the Prayer Book, Catechism and Bible Knowledge.
John Kwashi had his education in Wusasa and graduated in 1930. He became the first Headmaster and the founding teacher
of the NA School Pankshin in 1936. He was also a founding member of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Pankshin. His career in
education took him to founding schools all over the Plateau Province. He became a visiting teacher and warden of the
Government Technical Schools at Potiskum and Bukuru. An Anglican educationalist to the core, he chose to be buried in
Pankshin where he had begun his career as a teacher. It is for this reason that we choose to name the Secondary School in Jivir
after him. We bring this joyful news to you for your prayers and your support.
HONORARY CANONS
In the course of the year we have prayerfully preferred the Rev. J. U. Okolo as an Honorary Canon of our Diocese. He is an
international evangelist musician who has served with us in this Diocese in the past eleven years, and has worked as assistant
priest in different parishes in the diocese. It is with joy that we appoint him to this post.
We have also prayerfully appointed the Rev. Dr. J. D. McGlynn, a professor of theology at Nashotah House, Wisconsin, USA,
as an Honorary Canon. He was a professor of theology at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry and taught me two courses. He is
a faithful Biblical scholar, who has upheld the orthodox faith and upholds the supremacy of Scripture for life and living. He is a
gifted teacher and pastor who has faithfully served the Anglican Church and trained many pastors. He has a heart for Africa and
his links with us have gone from strength to strength over the years. It is with joy that we offer him Honorary Canon status in our
Diocese, and he is appointed as Canon Theologian. It is our prayer that we will encourage one another in our journey of faith,
so that on a daily basis we will see our lives transformed.
SILVER JUBILEE
As a Diocese we will be 25 years old next year. It is a privilege for us to see a Silver Jubilee. I am certain that I will not be here
for the Golden Jubilee - at least not as Bishop! I have consulted with the Media Department and consultations will continue with
all the other departments, beginning from now, as to how we will celebrate this Jubilee from January to December.
The Diocesan Investment Committee has set out to work with its pamphlets and we would like to seize the opportunity next year
to put this diocese on a solid foundation spiritually, financially, numerically and educationally. We on our part have made a
commitment to God for this purpose, especially as we see our days of retirement drawing closer. There is no doubt that it will be
taxing, but there is no doubt too that God is giving us an opportunity to celebrate, to participate in giving, to share, to rejoice, but
most importantly, to bring about a lasting spiritual revival and transformation of our lives and our environment.
We call on the whole world to join us because we are believing God for a mighty explosion at 25 years old. What it will look like
we do not know, but what we are asking God for, we are also believing him for. Do not be left out. Transformation begins now!
CONCLUSION
God has given us a Nation to build, a State to develop and a Diocese to evangelize. It is our God-given responsibility to
transform our environment and make it conducive for human beings to live in and to enjoy life. We must not surrender to those
whose main aim is to terrorize, cause disharmony and destroy life and the natural environment. I am hopeful because God has
done it before and we have no reason to be discouraged. When the Founding Fathers went to America, the conditions they met
were more hostile than those which we have here today. In England, John Wesley and others fought the evils of their time and
today both England and America are countries to which most Nigerians would love to run to find solace. Brethren, we must build
and make our country and our State a place where people will want to come and find solace. Let us rise up to the challenge and
face the forces of evil and wickedness on our knees in prayer; let us endure all hardship, disgrace and shame with humility and
pursue our course in bringing transformation with perseverance. To give up is to deny the power of Christ; to run away is to
surrender to the devil. If we live, we must live for Christ; to die is to be with him! Therefore
Be Transformed!
The time has come and we must all make a commitment not to be satisfied with mere religion without power. We must reject
mediocrity, complacency and luke-warmness in our faith. It is time for us earnestly to seek a genuine biblical, Spirit-led revival as
individuals and as a church. The time has come for us to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit to become living agents of
transformation at home, at work and in the society.
We are saved to serve. In order to fulfill this we must be transformed transformers. We will press on with this in ministry from
now until this diocese and this nation are filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. We vow to know no rest
until this is achieved:
“Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night they shall never be silent,
You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest,
and give him no rest, until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)
+Rt. Rev. Dr. B.A. Kwashi, O.O.N.
June 2004
the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit. Amen
It is with joy and gratitude to God that we welcome
everyone to this Synod gathering. This week we begin a new Synod year as we enter the First Session of the Ninth Synod of the
Anglican Diocese of Jos. By the grace of God this Synod will contain certain notable events, including the Silver Jubilee of our
Diocese next year. It is therefore with particular pleasure that we welcome you all. We mention especially our Guest Preachers
and teachers, the Rev. Dr. Musa Gotom and the Rev. Dr. Soja Bewarang.
Dr. Musa Gotom is a man of deep insight and faith in God. If there is a scholar whom I respect and honour both for being a
teacher and a model to me, it is Dr. Musa Gotom. He was Principal of the Theological College of Northern Nigeria for twenty
years, President of C.O.C.I.N. (Church of Christ in Nigeria) for two terms, President of T.E.K.A.N. and a teacher of theology at T.
C.N.N., a post which he holds up to today. It is with deep respect and honour that we welcome him into our midst. He holds our
Diocesan Merit Award.
The Rev. Dr. Soja Bewarang is the pastor in charge of the C.O.C.I.N. Headquarters Church. He is a dear Christian brother and
his commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ attests to his character. He has a few publications to his credit. We are grateful to
God that he brings us the message of the gospel at this Synod. We pray that our fellowship with both these men of God may
grow in grace.
“The Church of Nigeria
(Anglican Communion)
shall be Bible-based, spiritually dynamic,
united, disciplined, self-supporting,
committed to pragmatic evangelism,
social welfare and a
Church that epitomizes the
genuine love of CHRIST.”
It is in these words that the overall vision for the Church of Nigeria has been defined. Following on from this, the
Primate, the Most Rev. Dr. Peter Jasper Akinola, has set in motion “Operation 1-1-3” for the Church of Nigeria. This is an
exciting initiative that should give fresh vitality to the church, as each member is directed to lead another person to Christ, bring
them to church and disciple them in such a way that that person can then go out and bring someone else to the Lord.
We are an evangelical province from our roots. Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther would not rest until the next village, town or city
had heard the gospel that he preached. He had written letters to the Emirs of Kano, Zaria and Sokoto proposing to visit them
and to tell them of his mission. In the steps of our founding fathers and C.M.S., we follow the godly leadership of our Church in
this great undertaking. To do evangelism is to do the will of God. May I remind us in Jos Diocese that what we are doing is also
being done in other dioceses throughout the Church of Nigeria. It is therefore important to remind us every day and to urge us
individually and collectively as a diocese to be thoroughly engaged in the
programmes of evangelizing Plateau State.
Operation 1-1-3 began with a time of prayer throughout the diocese from January to Easter. We are now in the section of the
programme from Easter to All Saints’ Day when every Anglican member of our Diocese, young, old, men, women and children,
must be taught and trained to be able to witness for the Lord Jesus Christ and to bring one more person to Christ between now
and December. By December a new missionary explosion should begin and the cycle must continue until Jesus comes. This is
our life. This is the mission of the church and I implore every member not to be disobedient, as some were, but to co-operate
with God to change lives and to make a difference in history, We are called to be transformed transformers.
Our Synod theme this year is taken from Romans 12:1-2:
I have a firm conviction that when the Lord saved me, he changed my life. That life changing experience which began from the
day I made a commitment to Jesus Christ has not ended. It is a continuing process, and as at this point it is being renewed. The
conversion experience which comes to anyone who makes a decision to surrender to Jesus Christ begins a new, exciting and
unpredictable journey of faith. This is known as conversion. It is a complete “turning round”, as the main focus of our attention
now shifts from ourselves to Jesus Christ, from material gain to spiritual growth, from sin to righteousness, from darkness to light.
I am convinced that the Lord did not just save us so that we can make a lot of noise inside and outside the church, with “born
again” slogans, clapping hands, making merry and having great church services, good as these may sometimes be. I believe
that God has called us for more than that.
I am further convinced that when God called me he did not call me just to read the Prayer Book, preach a few good sermons,
take offerings, bury the dead, conduct weddings and so on. To do those things is good - but that is not all! I am fully persuaded
that the church itself is not simply a human organization with a proven structure and administration, with big buildings, high
sounding theology and scholarship. No: God has a bigger idea for the church.
Sadly, however, the kind of Christianity being practiced by so many in Nigeria now will never bring transformation and will
certainly not lead anyone to heaven. Apart from the emphasis on a religion that meets your needs without demanding faith and
trust in God alone, we have gone further to give assurances to people concerning belief without at the same time demanding
repentance. How can anyone ever truly come to Christ without being changed? How can anyone follow Jesus Christ without
being transformed? How can anyone enter heaven without holiness? Biblical faith that brings transformation and leads people
to heaven is one which brings about a real change in life, which produces a Spirit-led transformation in life and environment.
The Lord called me and transformed me in order that I might be a transformer. The Lord called me and trained me in ministry
to go to transform communities, families and peoples of all kinds. He called me and sent me to the church, to remind the
members of his church individually and collectively of their position as agents of transformation in every field of endeavour in the
society and the nation. May I say that each one of us who has had an experience of a new birth in Christ is hereby reminded of
this urgent call to be transformed and to be transformers. This is not a new call! This has been the call of Christ to all people at
all times, right from the days of the first disciples.
It is true that when Jesus first called Peter, Andrew, James, John and their colleagues, they did not know what they were
becoming involved in! Some few years later, however, they were very clear, as the Holy Spirit filled them and they began to
preach and to see peoples’ lives transformed. The transformation brought about in the life of St. Paul was even more
remarkable: from being a persecutor of the church he was completely turned round to become a preacher, evangelist and
missionary. All that he formerly counted as valuable and prestigious he now regarded as worthless. His one concern was to
know Christ (Phil.3:10), and to bring others to a similar knowledge and love. This was not an optional extra, or something to be
done when he felt like it. This was a burning passion, a fire which nothing could quench, not even sickness, imprisonment,
shipwreck, difficulties or dangers. By whatever means he had at his disposal, Paul, having been transformed, was now a high
voltage transformer!
When he wrote his letter to the Romans, Paul had not yet been to Rome, but he had heard about this congregation which had
been planted in the very heart of the Roman Empire. Here was a big city; the diplomatic and trade centre of the known world;
peoples of all races, tribes, languages and abilities gathered there. The church was vibrant and growing, but also vulnerable to
the onslaughts of false teachers.
The main theme of Paul’s letter therefore is faith in Christ as the only ground of man’s acceptance by God, who treats all
people alike, Jew and Gentile. Of this gospel Paul is by no means ashamed: it is this gospel which has the power to transform
the life of everyone who believes. The need for such transformation is evident and urgent. Paul points out that all people, Jews
and Gentiles alike, have sinned and fallen short of the expectations and standards of God. This situation can never be set right
by the law, or by our doing “good works”. Sin and death came into the world through one man, Adam. Now, however, acquittal,
righteousness and new life have been brought into the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we put our
faith in him, our lives are transformed. In baptism we die to sin and rise to new life, no longer slaves to sin, but free to serve God
in righteousness.
All this is not achieved without a struggle in the heart of a person: Paul himself groans because although he may know what is
right, he often feels impelled to do what is wrong! There is only one way out: the only way to salvation is by the grace of God
through faith in Christ Jesus. The presence of the Holy Spirit confirms that we are indeed children of God and it is the Holy Spirit
who helps us in our weakness. The joy is that nothing at all can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
“Therefore” (12:1): based on the teaching that Paul has been expounding in the first eleven chapters, he now goes on to show
how Christians must now live and act. What has gone before is like a springboard, and now the implications are worked out in
practical terms.
“THEREFORE … I appeal to you , brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may prove what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
“Therefore”, Paul begs the Romans (and all followers of Christ), based on what has been taught, present your bodies as a
living sacrifice, holy to God. No matter how much doctrine or theory you may know, if you do not put it into practice it means
nothing. Do not be conformed, but be transformed! As you come here today, how do you present yourselves? What kind of life
have you been living for people to see? The clothes you wear are not so important; what matters is your life! When you truly
come to know the Lord there must be a change. You will find that you are working against the systems and standards of the
world. This will never be easy; you will be called names; sometimes you will wonder if you are doing the right things. There will
be a struggle, but you will see newness in your life, your ministry, your work, and this will spread to your family, the church and
the community.
“Be Transformed!”
The Need for Transformation
I have been thinking of an electricity transformer and this is particularly instructive because you do not need many transformers
to pull the electricity supply and redistribute it to bring light to a whole community, in fact you need only one transformer. In the
same way, when we make a decision to give our lives to Jesus Christ and receive him by faith, we become converted, born again,
and having been transformed in this way, we become transformers.
This is to be totally differentiated from the modern so-called “born again’s” who claim to be converted but continue to live in sin,
not only encouraging sin, but in some cases doing more to promote sin, lies, slander, wickedness, evil, hatred and all forms of
vice both in the church and outside the church. The prevalence of this kind of “born again”, explains why there are so many
Christians who go to church today, but the influence of the word of God in the community is nil; the influence of the Kingdom of
God is nil. Instead, there is much religiosity which has no power.
God is calling us to live transformed lives. We must fight sin; we must take a stand against wickedness and evil; we must
enthrone truth every day and in every place, verifying every story, gossip or report to establish the truth, before drawing a
conclusion. The fact that so many people are doing wrong does not make the wrong right. The devil has deceived us and has
got a majority of Christians to become lukewarm, complacent and even conformed to the patterns of the world. People cheat in
exams, steal monies and are corrupt in every aspect of life. There is no longer a clear distinction between Christian family living
and pagan family living. The world cannot look to the church for solutions to family and marital problems. Divorce, marriage by
correspondence and long distance family life are all being practiced by Christians as well as by non-Christians. Adultery and
fornication are practiced in the church as well as by unbelievers: there is no difference in life-style. In many cases the
environment is dirty and uncared for; discipline even in Christian schools is lacking.
Brethren, God is calling us now, collectively and individually, to change, to take a firm stand, to fight sin and wickedness, and
under the banner of the Lord Jesus Christ to enthrone truth in every place in which we find ourselves. If we are truly Christians,
as we say we are, we cannot conform to the world, but we must transform the world. God is calling us to teach and live righteous
lives in holiness; to institute the rule of truth and justice for all, and to promote the Kingdom of God. The only power the church
has is insofar as she exercises righteousness, holiness, truth and justice in all things. To lose this would be to lose the power to
be what God wants us to be.
Be Transformed!
You must be connected to Jesus Christ, just as you must have electricity in the wire: the wire on its own is useless. When you
are connected you now begin to move in the opposite direction to the world and the devil. The things that the world is running
after no longer have any attraction for you. But be careful: just as NEPA may suddenly take light, leaving everyone in darkness,
so in your spiritual life you may from time to time be confronted with something which causes the light of Christ to go out.
Reconnect as soon as possible! The renewal of our minds is an ongoing, daily process, a gradual development. One day when
someone offends you, you will notice a difference. Formerly your natural self would have reacted; now you take it calmly in a
Christ-like manner. This is even so in the family and between husband and wife. There is a gradual growth in holiness;
transformation does not happen all at once.
It is natural that a majority of people often sit down and watch out for each other’s failures. In fact, people find it more
newsworthy to point out failures and to make a big deal of them, than to report or work on something positive and good for the
benefit of others. Sometimes such failures become the subject matter of family meetings, political gatherings and little gossip
groups. Unfortunately, unknown to most of us, this is what denies us progress, unity and prosperity, It is not that we should not
point out mistakes, failures and deficiencies and correct things in love, but it is when we get caught up and are preoccupied with
magnifying other peoples’ failures with the sole aim of causing disharmony and destroying persons, that we bring grief to the
Body of Christ. This kind of attitude denies growth in the Body of Christ, or even the family, and makes fellowship difficult. This is
why there are so many little groups and each group is at the others’ throat, looking out for the mistakes and failures of the
others. Because of this we have difficulty in appreciating God’s gifts. We fail to appreciate one another and one another’s gifts.
We fail to appreciate the environment. We look down on ourselves because we fear that we will be condemned when we do
something wrong, or that we shall lose our face totally when we fail.
The result is increased poverty spiritually and materially. This is usually followed by physical, spiritual and material weakness
in the family and church as well as in the community. Self worth becomes so low and self esteem almost nil, to the extent that
nothing can easily be achieved. This in turn leads to an inability to invest and develop in our environment and also in our
children or in the church. Our ideas about the gospel and the Christian faith become confused, and so we return to culture and
other traditions for our instructions in life, or we even conform to the world’s standards.
This is why, in spite of the fact that there are many churches and so many Christians, nothing seems to be changing positively
in the society. The church is plagued by all forms of slander, malice, hatred and bitterness. Those who come to the church are
the leaders in the society from the
political arena, the universities, the business community, the traders, the civil servants and all other sectors, but no change is
recorded to honour or glorify God. Sadly, even those who come to ministry have come from the same kind of background, and
while they may have had a genuine conversion previously, when the pressure to conform to worldly standards now becomes
tough, these men of God take the easier option and conform to the world. This sad cycle leads the church also to conform to the
world. When the pastor conforms, the church conforms; the church, which brings in the people from all walks of life, will only do
what the pastor does. This vicious circle has only one cure:
Be Transformed!
To be an effective transformer you must be Spirit filled and Spirit led all the time. The experience of Paul at Ephesus as
recorded in Acts chapter 19, shows us very clearly that for God to use a person to do extraordinary things like casting out
demons, healing the sick and confronting institutionalized occultic practices, there is no option except for that person to be Spirit
filled. The Holy Spirit is the power of Jesus at work in the life of a transformer.
And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to
the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. (Acts 19:11-12)
In Romans chapter 8 Paul teaches us clearly:
“But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God really dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit
of Christ does not belong to him…..
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
It is the Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (verses 9, 14, 16)
Jesus said:
“I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world
cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.” (John 14:
16-17)
Jesus has promised the Holy Spirit , the main source and agent of transformation. The essence of this discourse is to to remind
the church that we cannot become effective transformers without the presence and the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Individually we must seek to be filled with the Spirit and learn to walk daily relying on the power of the Holy Spirit if we are to see
positive changes in our lives, in our homes and in the environment. The main connection between us and God is through his
Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Counsellor, the life-giving power of God.
A Transformed Life is a Presentable Life
I appeal to you , therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to PRESENT your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual worship.
When Paul appealed to the Christians to present themselves as a living sacrifice, he was appealing to them to make a good
presentation and to offer themselves completely to God. The Old Testament made very clear what kinds of sacrifices should and
should not be presented to God. Sick or maimed animals were unacceptable. Only genuine offerings, the best available, given
wholeheartedly, and with the right intention - only such sacrifices could be offered to the Almighty God.
What kind of presentation are you making to God in your own life today? You will never visit your Father or Mother without
taking a befitting gift. If you do that for your earthly parents, how much more will you do for your heavenly Father! What we
present to God must be the best, the very best, every time, everywhere. Paul’s appeal is that the very best that we can offer is
ourselves. If we offer anything else, it may touch our pockets and may even cost us something in terms of energy or effort, but it
will only be a partial offering. If we are serious about following Christ and if we wish our lives to be transformed, our offering must
be a total presentation of ourselves. Each person should be able to come to the altar and say, “Lord, I present myself to you,”
and then you present yourself to the world as a person of God. Your friends, the community, the world are watching, waiting to
see the gospel lived in you, but they can only interpret what you present.
The story was told of a young girl who wanted to knit a beautiful sweater to make a special present for her father. To do this
she shut herself in her room and refused to come out even to greet her father. After a week, the sweater was ready and she
now came out and gave it to her father. Her father thanked her and agreed that it was very beautiful, but he said, “I do not want
the sweater as much as I need you!” We can be so busy that we draw away from God. We can be so busy that we forget to
present ourselves to God. No academic knowledge can be a substitute for the knowledge of God.
You may think that you have nothing to offer to God, no outstanding talent or ability, no great achievement. Just offer yourself
to God, completely, and you will discover that God will transform you and use you! But it must be a genuine present, given
wholeheartedly, and totally, not withholding anything, but letting go of everything. That is the kind of presentation which will
enable you to be Transformed!
A Transformed Life is a Devoted Life
I appeal to you , therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, HOLY and
ACCEPTABLE to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Sometimes we may say that we give our life to Jesus, but in reality we give our devotion elsewhere; or we may supposedly give
our services to Christ, but we give our life elsewhere.
To be “holy” is to be set apart, set apart for God. When the rest of your colleagues are taking short cuts, selling bad quality
goods at exorbitant prices, giving short measure, telling lies, cheating and gossiping, you say. “No, I will not join you.”
You will not be popular with them, but your first concern is to please God, not men. Your focus is on God. Your devotion is to
God, not to man or to money, or power or fame. The person or thing to which you are devoted will determine the type of life you
lead and you will gradually become more like that which you worship. A life devoted to God is therefore a life which is in the
process of being transformed.
A Transformed Life is a Sacrificial Life
I appeal to you , therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a LIVING SACRIFICE, holy and acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual worship.
A life of devotion demands sacrifice. If you are a living sacrifice, you are completely devoted to God and dedicated to God; you
live for what God says and not for what people say. Gradually you will find that people notice something different about you; they
may even say that you are a man or woman of God, and so they come to you not to bring gossip, but for prayer and counselling.
Remember that when you sacrifice something you are no longer the owner of that which you sacrifice; you cannot take it back,
it is given totally. If you are a living sacrifice, you no longer belong to yourself; you belong to God. Remember too, however, that
once a sacrifice is offered, no-one else dare touch it. Should anyone try to do so, he is looking for serious trouble! If you offer
yourself as a living sacrifice to God, God will strengthen you, defend you, guide you and inspire you. You will walk and not faint,
run and not be weary, you will fly on eagles’ wings, always pressing on, giving yourself without limit, and never, ever
complaining! That is a transformed life, and a life which will in turn encourage others to
Be Transformed.
A Transformed Life is a Mission-Orientated Life
We have a mission and our mission is to be productive and fruitful in multiplying the transformational power of the gospel of
Jesus Christ in our lives, families, places of calling and vocation, in our communities. We must make it our aim that when we
come to worship as a community we do so in spirit and in truth. As a worshipping community the fear of the Lord should be seen
in all that we do. Honesty begins from within the church. Faithfulness in big and small things attracts God’s attention for
blessings. Holiness is the evidence of a transformed life. When the church community is characterized in these ways, that church
will experience the power of God.
We do not remain there as a church community, but we move on to demonstrate the love of God by serving the larger
community. This is where our gifts and talents are used to display the love of God. True service is a mark of the love of God.
This opens doors for mission. This makes it possible to share unselfishly - and remember: selfishness is the key to misery in
life! This is what made the missionaries come to share with our grandparents, and even die in our communities. We are today
reaping the labours of those who were transformed and became agents of transformation. It is now our turn, one and all, to
repeat this process in our generation. We must be courageous, and we must insist on practicing the word of God so that we can
transform our communities, so that they too practice what we teach and live.
This must cover every aspect of life. We cannot be wonderful preachers but bad home-makers and family people. We cannot
be great evangelists, only to be found to be wallowing in sin in our private lives. We cannot hide and cloak ourselves under the
cover of born again Christians only to be found to be lazy, insincere and untrustworthy at heart. We who now claim a total
surrender to Jesus Christ must show the world what this really means in real life. We are called to a life of vulnerability and
transparency. We are also called to be implementers of Kingdom policies for God. We are not called to be mere instructors and
signposts, but we are called to demonstrate in our own lives what it means to be members of the Kingdom of God in this life. This
means that no Kingdom child will watch policies of the Kingdom of God being violated and / or abused with impunity, and do
nothing.
At least three things must be done to change a situation:
a. Go to God in prayer about the situation. Prayer that will change a situation must be in accordance with Jesus’ teaching on
prayer:
"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street
corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into
your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Mat.
6:5-6)
It must be closet prayer. It must be prayer that emanates out of a sincere, deep concern about the situation. Such a prayer,
according to my good friend, T. Adeyemo, must be based on these five points:
Prayer that will bring transformation and revival must be personal; it is not a public show. Once you create an industry of public
prayer meetings, there will be many people who come just for the show and who do not pray privately.
Prayer must be private: enter your room and shut the door.
Prayer must be passionate: pray passionately over the issues that lie ahead of you. This is not something you do once and then
forget it; it is a marathon. The older you are in your walk with God, the longer will be your times with God.
Prayer must be particular; you must have a particular time and a particular place. People of God are consistent in their walk with
God: he reveals himself only to those who truly seek him.
Prayer must be Spirit filled.
b. Hear and Teach the Word of God. You yourself must sit consistently as a disciple of the Holy Scriptures and train yourself in
the art of listening to the word of God. Now, more than ever, in order that you may train others to become disciples of God
through the Scriptures, you must be adequately equipped for this task before you open your mouth to speak about it.
“For as the rain and snow come down from heaven,
and return not thither but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
(Isaiah 55:10-11)
The rain must inevitably have an effect on the earth, whether that effect is positive or negative. Similarly, the word of God must
have an effect: people’s reactions to it may be positive or negative, but no-one can remain neutral, because to ignore the word
or to pretend that it has not been heard is itself a response to the word. It cannot be as if nothing has happened. The word may
bring rebuke; it may encourage and bring growth. The word of God has the power to transform, indeed when a person or
situation is confronted by the word it God there must inevitably be change, whether negative or positive. This is so because the
word is not just inanimate ink on paper; the word of God is powerful, active and alive; it is a two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).
The word is a creative force: God speaks and it IS. By the word of the Lord the heavens and the earth were made.
When human relationships go wrong, a key factor is often a breakdown of communication. If that is true in human
relationships, what about our relationship with God! God wants to communicate his love to us; God wants us to communicate
with him. When Jesus, the Word of God, was born in the world, his coming surpassed all other kinds of communication (Heb.1:
2); now it became possible for God to talk to man and for man to talk with God directly.
As a people called by God, we must listen in order to discover what God wants to accomplish in our lives. God has a plan
for every one of us. We know from Scripture that these plans are for good and not for evil. God has called you in order to fulfill
a particular task in the place where you have been put. God will not call you and put you in a place, and not tell you what to
do. But are you listening? He has given you a particular responsibility in that time and place. If you fail, someone else will do it,
but that was not the original plan. Each one of us has a special place with God, but sometimes we stop listening to God, and
only listen to what other people say. Life is a long journey; watch your way, and every day check that you are on the right track.
If you do not do this your prayer will be a one-sided conversation. Be consistent, and over time, as you daily ask God to speak
and to help you to listen, you will gradually know what is the will of God. Then your life will be transformed and you will help to
transform others.
c. Demonstrate the power of the Kingdom of God using Scriptural methods. This is where you stand up to be counted by
refusing to do what will not please God. Like Daniel, you make up your mind to do only those things that will bring glory to the
Lord. Reject all forms of evil. Renounce works of darkness; take a firm position, and do only what is right, whether in private or
public. Live a life wholeheartedly dedicated to serving the Lord. Throughout the Scriptures we hear how God has taken a
position against wickedness. Wickedness has never prospered and will never prosper. God has not changed his mind on this.
To invest therefore in a transformed way of living for Christ is not foolishness, it is the wisest decision you can ever make in your
life. This decision gives purpose to living, meaning to life, ability to accomplish and brings fruitfulness in service. This decision
makes this life worth the living and makes the life to come a place which we joyfully anticipate.
In the world people do things because they must get something as their gain. Everyone in their profession believes that they
are in it for the material benefit and gain that must be actualized in the immediate and present condition. This belief has caused
a lack of true commitment in every profession. It has robbed us of honesty; it has prohibited us from putting in our best and
producing quality results in learning and teaching and enterprise. This attitude encourages laziness and yet demands the
maximum wage. A little effort or labour for full pay is the motto! Cheating and falsification in everything is encouraged.
Be transformed!
“The truth will set you free!” (John 8:32). “The truth” is both your defence and your weapon against Satan, and if you are to
record victory over Satan you must put on this “belt of truth” (Eph.6:14). The greatest weapon which the devil has is lies, even
though he keeps discouragement as the last card in his game plan. When you fall into the trap of Satan by sinning, you open
the door for the devil to manipulate your mind and your thinking to his advantage. He will create imaginary enemies; those you
suspect will reveal the truth about your life, and in fact whoever will tell the truth becomes your enemy whom you cannot now trust
– including God! The only person you can trust is Satan or fellow liars. You then graduate to the next stage and project your
suspicions on to others, especially those who seem to be successful in what they are doing. You do not wish anyone well; you
do not wish any project well.
The devil loves such a person and uses that person to intimidate others, create fear and domination. Those who dare to stand
against them must be crushed! When fear dominates a place or a community, there will be no true love. Where there is no love,
there will be no light. Where there is no light, there is darkness, and there the devil reigns. Where the devil reigns, there will be
lies and abundance of sin. Only spiritual transformation can bring about victory over sin and Satan on a daily basis.
Be transformed!
WASE - YELWA - SHENDAM CRISIS
We reported last year the attack on the churches in Wase, Kadarko areas and Yelwa town, and we mentioned very clearly that
although the Muslim attackers would claim to have been provoked by issues involving farm lands, traditional areas of settlements
or even by socio-political issues that have nothing to do with the church, nonetheless the first victims of Muslim onslaught remain
the church, Christians, Christian businesses and property. It is sad, very sad indeed, that since 2001 this pattern has not
changed, despite out cries. To make matters worse, the international media and government at all levels continue to put a
blanket blame on Christians and Muslims without fishing out the truth of the matters involved. Our reports show that this year
again, a village, Hamale, was attacked in February by Muslims from Mavo. The crisis that began in this small way continued
systematically until every single church in Yelwa was destroyed,. Several Christians who knew nothing about the alleged stolen
bicycles in Hamale village or even about alleged cow stealing in Yelwa area were attacked, killed and some were sacrilegiously
murdered inside the church.
We continue to salute the faith of all the peace loving Christian people who have continued to endure the hardships and
persecution that have befallen us on the Plateau since 2001. We further salute the faith and courage of the Rev. D. W. Yamtal
and his family, the Rev. S. N. Wyom and his family and the Rev. D. M. K. Power with all their staff and members of their
Archdeaconries, who have stayed and watched their churches being burnt, their members killed and their property looted. They
are still holding on even now. May we rise to give them a standing ovation.
I hate persecution, but persecution is definitely not the way to kill a church, for the blood of the martyrs is always the seed of
the church. We have already made our reports to the Primate of the Church of Nigeria and to the Archbishop of Jos Province.
We salute the faith of those who have endured all these hardships and have remained faithful to Christ without retaliation or
cursing. These are our brothers and our sisters who even now are picking up the pieces of whatever is left of their lives to
continue to testify to the power of Jesus in these areas. Let it be said to the world at large: the church on the Plateau is an
innocent victim and until the truth is done, the church will continue to suffer, but certainly the church will not die. It should be
pointed out that a majority of the people involved in reprisal attacks are people who may not necessarily have any Christian
allegiance, they are certainly non-Muslims, but they are fighting for their traditional lands and homes and for other socio-
economic reasons. These reasons may have implications for Christians in the Church. The church, however, has no militia and
no stock of arms.
PLATEAU STATE: THE STATE OF EMERGENCY
We wish to appeal to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Olusegun
Obansanjo, and the Federal law makers, kindly to review the State of Emergency imposed on Plateau State. We sympathise with
some of the difficulties that have faced our President before he arrived at this decision, but we plead nonetheless, and appeal
that the State of Emergency be reviewed in order to give room for the democratic processes to attempt once again the
governance of the people of Plateau State.
Our appeal is borne out of a sincere conviction that the church on the Plateau has been an agent of peaceful co-existence for
a long time. We have a track record of hospitality and peace, It is also our conviction that there are many peace-loving Muslims
who are eager to work for the building of peaceful co-existence not only in Plateau, but in the whole nation. For example: we
have worked for peace where ordinary communal clashes and carelessness would have resulted in Christian-Muslim conflict, but
this was averted:
a. In February 1992, a young Christian man, married with one child, was beaten to death by Muslims at 'Yan Taya Junction,
Jos. Christian leaders rose to the occasion and worked hard for peace and there was no retaliation, no mosque was destroyed
and nothing happened, except that there was now a young widow with her one child and she is still with us.
b. In 1993 a young Anaguta man was beaten to death in Anguwan Rogo on the election field. Again the Church rose to the
occasion; we did what we have always done and there was peace, with no mosque destroyed.
c. Just before Christmas in 2000 another young Christian man of 20 years was killed by his Muslim friend. Once again we put
our heads together and worked for peace; no mosque was destroyed and no lives were lost.
d. Mention must be made of the role CAN played in 1998 in the Gyero Communal clash. Again we did everything to stop it
being turned into a religious riot and no mosque was destroyed.
e. When there was an impasse between workers in Plateau State and the Government of Plateau State, CAN worked very
hard and played a prominent role in resolving the impasse.
However, since the late 1970’s there has been a rise of certain powerful militant Muslims who have taken a particular interest in
blaming the church and Christians for any and every thing that touches a Muslim. For example, in 1987 a Christian preacher
was allegedly reported to have quoted the Quaran in his sermon in Kafanchan College of Education. Instead of dealing with the
Christian preacher alone, or taking him to the police, or seeking justice, Christians in Katsina, Funtua and Zaria suddenly woke
up the following morning to a spate of attacks, killings and destruction of lives and property, including the destruction of over one
hundred churches in Zaria alone. The security forces did nothing. Over the years that followed, the same trend of events has
consistently plagued the Northern parts of the country.
Plateau State had been spared this until 2001. In September 2001 it was alleged that a young girl was crossing a Muslim place
of prayer and that sparked off the burning of churches and the killing of Christians. In March 2004, cattle thieves were said to
have raided some cows belonging to Fulani. In retaliation, the Muslims killed Christians, destroyed Christian property and
businesses in Yelwa. Were the cattle thieves identified as belonging to any church, or as Christians? Even if they were, could
they not have been reported to the police for the law to take its course? Moreover, if cattle rustling were the case, is it all the
churches in Yelwa that were guilty? It is fair to say that the church on the Plateau has suffered a lot. We are appealing to all
sensible Nigerians to consider the plight of the church and to create an opportunity for sincere, honest citizens of this country to
conduct their business, earn their living and eat the fruit of their labours in their homeland.
It is the government’s constitutional duty to provide security for its citizens and guests. We therefore appeal to the Federal and
State Governments for the provision of adequate security for us as people - Christian, Muslim and traditionalists - but especially
as Christians because we are being given a bad name to be hanged. CNN and BBC called those who carried out the Yelwa
killings “Christian militia”. The church on the Plateau has never organized a Christian militia. If the foreign media are on a guilt
trip because of their own nations’ policies which are not successful as it affects Muslims around the world, they should not project
their guilt on to poor innocent Christians in Northern Nigeria who are trying to work hard to build bridges with their fellow Nigerian
Muslims, as part of the effort of nation building within our young democratic set-up. It is not wise to stir up hate, as hatred is not
an instrument of building families, let alone a nation
Let the Government take bold steps to bring to book all criminal acts, no matter who are committing them. Let all white papers
on previous Commissions be published and those found guilty be brought to book. Unless this is done there seems to be no
divide between law-abiding citizens and those who refuse to keep the law. The Government should arrest and try all thieves,
arsonists, Talibans, terrorists, whatever their religious convictions and put them in jail. There are many Christians and Muslims
who love peace and the progress of this country and in fact these far outnumber the few who are instigating and fuelling
confusion and giving every crisis a religious colour in order to achieve their selfish ends. This will enable the church and indeed
Muslim leaders to redirect the minds of the younger generation in order that they be not misled to think that a person can hide
under the guise of religion to commit any crime and get away with it.
WOMENS’ CONFERENCE AT KWATAS
We give thanks to Almighty God for making this year’s Womens’ Conference possible and especially for bringing in Guest
speakers, Rev. Mrs. Joyce Karioki and Mrs. Patience Bassey from Kenya and Lagos respectively. It turned out to be one of the
biggest gatherings ever of women in our diocese, and to the glory of God, we joyfully report the harvest of over 160 souls of
women who made an open commitment to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. This is an unforgettable event in the history of
Jos Diocese.
We salute the tirelessness and dedication of the President of the Mothers’ Union and Women’s Guild, Mrs. Gloria L. Kwashi,
whose drive for the Conference brought it to a successful completion. We pray that God will sustain the faith of the young
converts and bring fruit to the lives of those who attended and rededicated their commitment to Jesus Christ. We rejoice with the
women of our diocese and assure them of our prayerful support and co-operation in their work towards the building up of God’s
Kingdom and the progress of his gospel. We believe that when women truly know and love the Lord and dedicate their lives to
following him, they will bring up the John and Charles Wesley’s of our generation. May the Lord continue to prosper their work in
our diocese.
MISSION OUTREACH
We must give glory to God and thank him profoundly for blessing our little efforts in mission throughout the Diocese and
beyond. We have hardly begun our Mission Explosion and already two new congregations have been added within Jos city. The
programmes of the Diocesan Mission Team have led us as a diocese through short term missions and our mission outreach
which took place in Vom Archdeaconry this year. We cannot in this small space share the testimony of all that the Lord did, but
we are glad to report that those who went out with us for the mission week in the hills and in the valleys, have continued to testify
that their lives can never be the same again. We praise the Lord for the purposeful leadership of our Diocesan Missioner, the
Rev. Canon C. O. G. Nlem, and his team. We commend them to your prayers as they lead us wherever the Spirit tells them to
take us.
We seize this opportunity to appeal for financial support for our missionaries in the rural areas, so that they can remain there to
nurture the faith of the young congregations in these difficult areas up to the point where the young Christians can stand and be
a church on their own.
We ourselves have been privileged this year to carry the gospel to the USA, and to be part of the SOMA (Sharing of Ministries
Abroad) Team to lead a Mission Retreat for the Bishops and their wives of the Church of the Province of Kenya. These are rare
privileges and opportunities that God has given to us to labour for his glory. We were also invited to be the Guest Preacher at
the Uganda Martyrs’ Day in
Namugongo: the main service, which attracted over 20,000 people at the Martyrs’ Shrine, also witnessed a crowd of over 300
people coming forward to make commitments to Jesus Christ. We return thanks to Almighty God, to our intercessors in and
outside the diocese, our praying partners and the entire church and Diocese of Jos for the constant prayer support we receive
on all our missionary journeys.
We must also mention the Crusade at Umuahia which saw a number of people making commitments to Jesus Christ as well as
the EFAC Convention at Nnewi, all of which were held in April this year. Let us with one heart and mind offer to God glory, praise
and thanksgiving that in our time the word of God should spread to produce transformation in the lives of listeners and in our
lives as preachers. We will honour the call of God on our lives in all humility, and we call on you as a people of God to continue
to support us in prayer.
We are deeply grateful for the tireless labour of love shown by the whole team of the Gospel Health and Development Services
(GHaDS), and especially the Chairman, Dr. E. Ameh, and the Co-ordinator, the Rev. N. P. Bewarang, who have become
everything in the effort to bring health and healing to the sick, hurting , injured and dying. They have become multi-purpose
health and care-givers. Throughout our Diocese the impact of their services is being felt; right from the hills to the lowlands and
valleys of Plateau State GHaDS is known literally for everything in health.
Our HIV and AIDS department under GHaDS is receiving a big boost from supporters in our Diocese and we thank God for the
missionary zeal of those who have shown concern and care to the sick in their time of need. The international organization,
Christian Aid, has also shown interest to partner with us in this programme. We are grateful. This missionary responsibility must
continue; taxing it may be, but for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ the task must be done.
We must also put on record the risk taking labour of love of the Diocesan Relief Committee. They have gone to battle areas at
the risk of their lives and have taken food items, clothes and monies to Wase, Langtang North and South, Yelwa and Shendam
areas during their trying times. We salute the courage of the Rev. K. Dimka in being used by God in this regard. We particularly
recognize the heart of love and determination to carry on with the mission of God in providing relief to people in their moments of
trial. We salute the whole team. The visits of the Relief Team have been mentioned, and are still being mentioned, wherever we
have visited in this troubled area. We also want to seize this opportunity to thank individuals and churches who have supported
and given generously to enable this committee to reach out in mission to sufferers. May God bless you.
This is our mission as a church and we are a church that cares for the whole person,. We will endeavour as a church to
preach the gospel (proclamation), to teach the gospel (educa-tion), to reach the heart with the gospel, health and health
education, and to disciple the converts and bring them into the fellowship of believers so that the cycle is repeated by the young
convert. This is a major part of Christian discipleship, as the young Christian is trained to give, to share and to care for others,
for the environment and for himself. This will bring about a transformed life.
SCHOOLS
The Lord continues to open doors of mission for us through education and we encourage the whole diocese to return to the
old CMS method of community service. It is with joy that we approve the take-off of St. Luke’s College, Jos, and St. Peter’s
Secondary School, Langtang.
At the same time, the community of our young church in Jivir (Pankshin Archdeaconry) has given us a massive piece of land
and they have gone ahead as a community to mould for us mud bricks for the building of our school in Jivir. The excitement of
the community cannot be described as they have come around our mission station to assist in building the classrooms at Jivir.
We are grateful to God for the success of this project. The Secondary School, which is known as the John Kwashi Memorial
College, will take off in September this year. This project will enable the teaming young people to go to school within their own
community and receive Anglican education, with the Prayer Book, Catechism and Bible Knowledge.
John Kwashi had his education in Wusasa and graduated in 1930. He became the first Headmaster and the founding teacher
of the NA School Pankshin in 1936. He was also a founding member of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Pankshin. His career in
education took him to founding schools all over the Plateau Province. He became a visiting teacher and warden of the
Government Technical Schools at Potiskum and Bukuru. An Anglican educationalist to the core, he chose to be buried in
Pankshin where he had begun his career as a teacher. It is for this reason that we choose to name the Secondary School in Jivir
after him. We bring this joyful news to you for your prayers and your support.
HONORARY CANONS
In the course of the year we have prayerfully preferred the Rev. J. U. Okolo as an Honorary Canon of our Diocese. He is an
international evangelist musician who has served with us in this Diocese in the past eleven years, and has worked as assistant
priest in different parishes in the diocese. It is with joy that we appoint him to this post.
We have also prayerfully appointed the Rev. Dr. J. D. McGlynn, a professor of theology at Nashotah House, Wisconsin, USA,
as an Honorary Canon. He was a professor of theology at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry and taught me two courses. He is
a faithful Biblical scholar, who has upheld the orthodox faith and upholds the supremacy of Scripture for life and living. He is a
gifted teacher and pastor who has faithfully served the Anglican Church and trained many pastors. He has a heart for Africa and
his links with us have gone from strength to strength over the years. It is with joy that we offer him Honorary Canon status in our
Diocese, and he is appointed as Canon Theologian. It is our prayer that we will encourage one another in our journey of faith,
so that on a daily basis we will see our lives transformed.
SILVER JUBILEE
As a Diocese we will be 25 years old next year. It is a privilege for us to see a Silver Jubilee. I am certain that I will not be here
for the Golden Jubilee - at least not as Bishop! I have consulted with the Media Department and consultations will continue with
all the other departments, beginning from now, as to how we will celebrate this Jubilee from January to December.
The Diocesan Investment Committee has set out to work with its pamphlets and we would like to seize the opportunity next year
to put this diocese on a solid foundation spiritually, financially, numerically and educationally. We on our part have made a
commitment to God for this purpose, especially as we see our days of retirement drawing closer. There is no doubt that it will be
taxing, but there is no doubt too that God is giving us an opportunity to celebrate, to participate in giving, to share, to rejoice, but
most importantly, to bring about a lasting spiritual revival and transformation of our lives and our environment.
We call on the whole world to join us because we are believing God for a mighty explosion at 25 years old. What it will look like
we do not know, but what we are asking God for, we are also believing him for. Do not be left out. Transformation begins now!
CONCLUSION
God has given us a Nation to build, a State to develop and a Diocese to evangelize. It is our God-given responsibility to
transform our environment and make it conducive for human beings to live in and to enjoy life. We must not surrender to those
whose main aim is to terrorize, cause disharmony and destroy life and the natural environment. I am hopeful because God has
done it before and we have no reason to be discouraged. When the Founding Fathers went to America, the conditions they met
were more hostile than those which we have here today. In England, John Wesley and others fought the evils of their time and
today both England and America are countries to which most Nigerians would love to run to find solace. Brethren, we must build
and make our country and our State a place where people will want to come and find solace. Let us rise up to the challenge and
face the forces of evil and wickedness on our knees in prayer; let us endure all hardship, disgrace and shame with humility and
pursue our course in bringing transformation with perseverance. To give up is to deny the power of Christ; to run away is to
surrender to the devil. If we live, we must live for Christ; to die is to be with him! Therefore
Be Transformed!
The time has come and we must all make a commitment not to be satisfied with mere religion without power. We must reject
mediocrity, complacency and luke-warmness in our faith. It is time for us earnestly to seek a genuine biblical, Spirit-led revival as
individuals and as a church. The time has come for us to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit to become living agents of
transformation at home, at work and in the society.
We are saved to serve. In order to fulfill this we must be transformed transformers. We will press on with this in ministry from
now until this diocese and this nation are filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. We vow to know no rest
until this is achieved:
“Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night they shall never be silent,
You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest,
and give him no rest, until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)
+Rt. Rev. Dr. B.A. Kwashi, O.O.N.
June 2004