Testament Without Testimony
THE Church’s numeric growth in Africa and especially in Nigeria is alarming. Every right thinking man will believe that with the level of Christian presence, the church should have taken over the sphere of influence in the world. While it may be difficult to say the church is making no impact, but her level of impact has not been justified. What then is responsible for the insignificant impact of the Church in our generation? The gospel of “Testament without Testimony” is one among other factors.
The Ark of Testimony
It would be recalled that the “Ark of Covenant” was the symbol of God’s abiding presence with the Israelites. Anytime the “ark” is in the company of the covenant people, the glory of God is revealed. Whenever the “ark” is captured they feel empty, a state of Ichabod – the departed glory. The ark of God to the covenant people is so unique and important; without it they lose sight of God’s favour.
What then will distinguish us as the covenant people in
our generation save the glory of God; the abiding presence of God, represented by the “Ark of Testimony?” The understanding of this truth will help the contemporary church to make more impact individually and collectively. Let’s examine the symbols in the ark briefly.
• The Tablets of Law – Testament (Exodus 25:16). In the ark of testimony lies the pair of tablets wherein the Ten Commandments given to the Israelites were written. This simply represents the terms of contract that the Lord initiated with the Israelites. It represents the word of God. It suggests that in the “Ark of Testimony”, there is the Word of God – The Testament. The ark of testimony will never represent God’s interest among men, if the Testament in it is found missing. Alas, there are lots of churches today where the Testament is missing; the word of God is scarce. Will God be available in such churches to glorify Himself? God is never intimidated with bogus grammars, ravaging prayers and pots of testimonies without the Testament. The church is making insignificant impact today because of the missing Testament.
• The Rod that Budded – Authority (Numbers 17:10). The second item cited in the ark of testimony is the rod of Aaron that budded. Considering the scenario that brought about the budding of the rod, it is battle for supremacy. (Why the battle for supremacy among contemporary ministers and their church brands is not the focus here, we need to mention that we must learn to stop the rat race for the manifestation of God’s glory among us in such a time like this.)
Pastor Abimbola A. Ogundare, Peaceway Baptist Church, Ikotun, Lagos. 12/14 Audu Street, 2nd Junction Bus Stop, Governor Road, Ikotun, Lagos State. +234-907-8712107; +234-909-138-8788 abimbolaogundare@yahoo.com; peacewaybc@gmail.com