Temitope rushed into the bathroom adjoining his office and splashed cold water on his face. The small space he used as an office suddenly became prison walls, closing in on him. He blew a few tongues and breathed deeply. He wondered where everyone was and why he would be faced with such a dreadful experience so early in the day, early in the year. “I plead the blood of Jesus “ he signed. He leaned back against the wall and covered his face with his two hands “God I'm sorry”, he murmured. A voice in his head shouted , but for what? “I don't know. I'm just so sorry. “Drips of water fell on his shirt front and he looked at it as though it was blood .“You did nothing wrong” , the voice in his head insisted ..
“I did nothing for now”, Temitope said to himself and walked slowly back into his office. As soon as he sat down , his eyes caught sight of a small brown envelope under his table. “for now” he reminded himself. “As long as I don't touch the money, I'm ok , he kept his eyes to the floor.
“It’s gift. Only a gift. The gift of a man makes room. If they need a favor from you, a gift paves the way for the favor. Its just like sowing a seed towards a blessing . Its what you preach every day. It can’t be right”, Temitope taught aloud .
“But this is a blessing, you need the money. Your wife is going to deliver any day now. What if it’s a caesarean section ? Do you ask the church to finance that too ? It could roll into hundred of thousand if you use the right hospital, you need this money. It is your due.”
This is what the bible means to say you reap were you sow if you work in the vine yard , you should eat from the vine yard. His head dropped into his hands and he scratch his scalp. Its true he needed the money. Though it was just fifty thousand naira it would go a long way. He should be more than this money , he thought . 50 thousand should not be enough to sway him at this level but despite the position as a regional coordinator , his office was small and sparsely furnished. Besides all the power he has lay in his little office. He was no longer pastor over congregation
Despite all the anointing, he had been promoted to this purely administrative seat! Once In a while , a church invites him to preach in a special program like once in four month. They all dreaded inviting him because they would have to load his boots with gift. The bigger churches who could afford that could also afford inviting bigger ministers from other ministries, and so they avoided him and went for the bigger bishops. He was caught in a strait. Though the headquarters catered to all his needs , it was just in a written agreement. In reality, he couldn't bring himself to state all his needs. For instance, the kind of hospital he desired to take his wife for delivery. The church could sponsor the general hospital or teaching hospital ,
But he would prefer his wife going to the private hospital, those ones that charge as though they were hotels. Where they served three column meals to their patient! He has visited a member there before he got his promotion.
Fifty thousand naira could sway him. In this present day Nigeria, even fifty thousand naira could wake a dead man . He picked the money and looked into the envelop. It was packed in three bundles, two hundred naira bills and one hundred naira bundle. He touched the money gently as though afraid to wake a sleeping child .
Even God knows I deserve this money and he whispered.it was a bribe. No need to white paint a sepulcher. He had to decide what to do with it. The two men who had come into his office had stated their intentions clearly. They understood he was the chairman of the reorganizing committee for the year , a position he just received the day before. They wanted him to post them to favorable and buoyant churches in the next few months during the annual redeployment season. They had promised that they would invite him to preach on their pulpit. often, and to seal their commitment to him, dropped a brown envelop. They seemed to have potential. And to crown it all they invited him to different big churches. They would load his boot twice a month. Isn't this like selling ones soul for a piece of bread? he asked the empty room.
When he looked down the empty office again and made up his mind. He would do what he would to make a point. he was in need and someone somewhere had to hear it even if it was a slap on their face… Even if it is BABA GOD himself.
Extract from KINGPRAISE publication.
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