By Ebunoluwa Sessou

Reverend Toyin Kehinde is the Senior Pastor of Agape Generation International Church, Maryland, Lagos. He is also the former State Secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, as well as the Zonal Secretary of PFN, South West, Nigeria. He is the Lagos State and South West Coordinator of Nigeria Prays, a prayer organization set up by former Head of State, General Yakub Gowon.

In this interview, he speaks on the need for Christian leaders to use technology to correct errors that are going on in the digital space among young people.

How would you react to how pastors criticize themselves on social media?

Those who go on social media, criticizing one another, have their reasons. Some feel they want to correct what they feel is an error while others want to counter the reaction. The question is why should we begin to argue on social media? Can we begin to preach the gospel? If we are concerned about taking the gospel to people who have not been reached, we will not have time to begin to argue whether there is heaven or there is no heaven. Whether we should pay tithe or we should not, if you know that there is work to do, you will not have time. But, when we are eating and satisfied, then, we want to argue over nothing. There are hundreds of people who have not heard the gospel. If they prioritise the gospel, they will not do that. For those who want to correct errors, the bible says, “when you want to correct, you should correct in the spirit of meekness”.
There is nothing wrong if you feel that someone has erred whether in doctrine, practice or character but in your correction, the bible says, “you should do so in the spirit of meekness and love”. Knowing that you also might be tempted. But thinking that you know it all or you are the best and there is no other person, makes it a wrong lifestyle.

Young people have taken over social media and the church is also leveraging on it to reach the unreached, what is your charge to the church in ensuring that there is a proper check in the things that go online?

We must realise that the world is changing; however, the word of God does not change. The theme for this year’s conference is His Word to Our World. We must realize the situation and the time that we are in now. In the days of the people of old, there are so many things that they did not have then. We must understand that we are in a different space. With Covid, several things have changed in the world. Covid has brought , the digital world or the digital nation to limelight.
The church must be in the digital space. There are so many things that go on in the digital space and so, we need to teach, instruct, counsel and help our young people on how to behave themselves in the digital space. The leadership of the church must be able to instruct from the scriptures on how believers ought to live in the digital space. The digital space is so wide and vast and there are many things there including the truth, facts, friction, errors and everything. How do we teach our people, instruct and guide them on their exposure to life in the digital space? That is the work of the church. We cannot stop the digital space because it has come to stay. We must instruct people, preach the gospel, disciple people, we must get into that space and influence it for Christ. We must teach young people how to live as Christians in the digital space.

How would you charge the leadership of Nigeria especially ensuring decorum and upholding moral standard?

We must teach our people how to live as Christians in the political and governance space. Daniel did not have a church but he was in government and yet a Prophet. The same with the Hebrew children, Joseph did not found a church, but he was the Prime Minister. David was a king. The question therefore is, how do you operate as a Christian in a political and governance space.
We must teach our people the right way of life. But, the problem is that many of the people in government see themselves as politicians first before being a Christian. Rather, it is better to see themselves first as Christians before seeing themselves as politicians. If you understand that, then you will be able to uphold your Christian virtues, values and principles and see how you can bring it to bear in governance. We encourage Christians who are in politics and governance to carry the character of Christ into what they are doing. Ask yourself, what would Jesus do if He was a local government chairman, a permanent secretary or director general of an agency, Head of Account of an agency? When you think like that, then, you will be able to bring Christian values, virtue and principles into that space. Our nation will be a better place.

We have challenges when it comes to values in this nation and that is why it is important to always think ans behave as Christians in any field where we operate, if not our values will be corrupted. if we follow the precept of Jesus Christ, then, we will be able to right the wrong.

The challenge is that lots of Christians who found themselves in political space cut off from the pastoral cover. They do not see themselves accountable to their spiritual leaders. They feel that when their tenure is over, then they can come back to their pastors. Esther was a Queen and yet she was accountable to Mordecai. Mordecai could instruct her on what to do. He was the spiritual leader or covering for Esther and he kept on teaching and guiding Esther. David had a prophet, who was Nathan. He could not do anything until he gets instruction from Nathan. But, a lot of people in government do not feel accountable to spiritual oversight. Nobody can correct them, they do not submit to spiritual oversight and it is a major problem. If we can resolve some of these problems, I believe, we will have a better Christian values and principles in our public space.

Talk to us about the February event

It is an annual programme, known as the Global Mandate Conference. It is coming up on February 20-23 with the theme, ‘His Word to Our World’. It boils down from our passion and vision as a church to get the gospel to the end of the earth. Jesus Christ said, “Go ye into the World and Preach the Gospel to all creatures. When Jesus was talking about the signs of the end time, he also said that this gospel must be preached in all the world, then the end will come.

When we look at events happening, most if not all of the signs Jesus talked about including nation fighting against nation, famine, earthquakes, among others are already happening and probably the only one left is the gospel getting to the end of the earth.

We feel that the urgent and the most important task of the church today is to make sure that the gospel gets to places, people and spaces where it has not reached. The unsaved are different from the unreached. The unsaved are those who have had about the gospel through several means but they have not given their lives to Christ. But, the unreached are those who do not have people to witness to them or tell them about the gospel or they have an insignificant number of Christians in their community to witness to them.

A lot of work by the church today is focused on the unsaved. We have them in our city centres, as colleagues, but lots of the church’s manpower, resources and finances are targeted at getting the gospel to the unsaved. However, less than five percent of the church resources including manpower, materials, finance, resources are targeted at these unreached because most of the time, they are not in city centres. They do not even have the gospel available to them. When you go there as a church or mission organization, you will have to do lots of work by spending lots of money to start a church. It might take two or three years to get a congregation.

Therefore, the majority of the churches do not focus on those places. We focus more on our city centres.

In our nation, Africa, Middle East, we have groups of people who are not yet exposed to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, we are enburdened to take the gospel there and work with likeminded people to ensure that the gospel get to them. That is the essence of the Global Mandate Conference. We will be having missionaries who are serving among these unreached groups majorly from the Northern part of Nigeria, North Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, and West Africa among others.

This conference is to network and collaborate together. It is a time they come to Lagos, Nigeria to give a report of the activities that have been happening for the past one year. They give reports on the challenges, prayer points to be raised, and needs to be met This would enable me to know what to do for the next year.
Pastor from the city would be invited to come and hear testimonies, challenges and stories, perhaps anyone could be moved to support, collaborate, network with these people. It is a time these missionaries come together to recharge one another and remind ourselves of the singular task of taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.

We also sit together to restrategise because the days are changing. We need to know what to do and how we could further collaborate. It is also a time for the missionaries to rest.

We also carry out medical checks on them because they work in places where a lot of times, medical facilities are not available.

How many people are expected to be around?

We expect 150 missionaries from Northern Nigeria, West Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Europe, as well as a large number of city pastors. For the duration of the conference, all their bills would be taken care of including transportation, feeding, logistics, local transportation among others

What are the challenges of these missionaries?

One of the challenges is that many of the missionaries are working alone. Not many churches relate, connect and collaborate with them. Most of the time, they are lonely.
Putting a call through to them, checking on their welfare, pray for them would go long way

Finance is another major challenge because you cannot collect tithe or offering from the people who do not have knowledge about Christ, rather the missionaries would have to spend noney on the people and their children. So, they are giving their resources to people. These missionaries do not have any financial source. So, funding is a big challenge. Prayer support is another challenge. Money does not solve everything.
In our city centres, almost 99 percent of our prayer points are on me, myself and I. It is very hard to hear prayer points raised for missionaries. In our family devotions, we hardly focus on the missionaries. If we can get 10 percent of our prayer efforts towards these people, it will go a long way to help them because they are facing the devil and demons. There must be some prayer input dedicated to these people.

In a nutshell, you are urging Christians to remember the missionaries?

I believe that is the uppermost in the heart of God. To take the gospel to people, places and spaces where the gospel is not available.

What are the expectations from the people?

We are expecting them to participate in all the sessions, interact with one another because they are coming from different places. They should collaborate with one another, pray with one another. It is also a time of reunion, bonding, healing of wounds and comfort. It is a time of networking with the pastors in the city.

How best do you think pastors in the city can address the agony of pastors in the rural area, especially as the nation is faced with pains, scarcity of food, death among other challenges….

I believe, we should understand what the early church did. During the early church era, there were those who had surplus as well as those were in need. The bible records that those who had surplus sold their properties and brought the proceeds to the Apostles. And the Apostles distributed to the needy so that no one among the people had any lack. I think the church should understand that we are here to help and support one another. If God has blessed you with money, material things, it is expected that you also share with those who do not have.
Our conviction is that God has put us in the city because of those who are in the rural places who are unable to take care of themselves. And they are there because of all of us. Many of us cannot be in those areas because of our work or families or training but they are there for us and we are here for them. We are partners. We are working together. What they lack should be provided by us who are in the city.

The distinguishing factor between those who were received into the kingdom and those who were denied when Jesus was giving the parable was how they treated the poor and the needy. Stretching your hands to help those who are in need goes a long way.

Churches are spreading across Nigeria yet immoralities, corruption, killings are in the increase among other vices. Some of these people are workers in the church, what so you think?

First, we are in the end time. According to Apostle Paul when he was writing to Timothy, he said, “In the end time, perilous times shall come, so, we are in the end time and we will be seeing and hearing terrible things. Part of the terrible thing is that men will be lovers of pleasure, they will be disobedient and there will be false teachers, prophets and apostles. Jesus even said that this end time is the age of deception, that people will be so deceived that, if it were possible, they will deceive the elect. If we understand that we are in the end time, then, what is happening will not be new. In fact, the love of many would vast cold. People will get for themselves people who will tell them what they want to hear.

The bible says, there will be seducing spirits which is the teaching of the doctrines of the devil. If the church does not continue to emphasize the truth of the word of God, we will continue to see these things because, we are products of what we hear.
If you are hearing about salvation, righteousness, purity, the second coming of Jesus, heaven, it puts a check on you in the way you live your life. But if all that you are hearing is how to make it well and big here in this world, and you are not thinking of heaven, you will not check your moral behavior. There is nothing wrong in being prosperous but if all you are hearing all the time is how to prosper, such people are likely going to move away from the part of righteousness.

If you have hope that there is something else after this earth, then you will purify yourself. There are certain things that you will not do. If you will think that everything begins and ends here, then, you are likely going to be in that category.