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The Christian is daily confronted with this evil called corruption.\u00a0 He is constantly under pressure to play ball\u2019 or risk losing out.\u00a0 For the majority, corruption has become a way of life that cannot be avoided.\u00a0 But for us as Christians, it is a capital challenge that desires to put us at enmity with God.\u00a0 With determination, and by the heavenly provisions at our disposal, we must confront this giant standing on our way.\u00a0 Many have been knocked down, and some fatally wounded in the spirit, by the plague of corruption, but the \u201cchosen generation\u201d must show forth the praises of \u201cHim who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light\u201d, 1 Peter 2:9.<\/p>\n
Finally, it must be noted that corruption is not new or peculiar to any one nation alone, but what is clear is that it attracts God\u2019s wrath, Genesis 6:8-12.<\/p>\n
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a. Favoritism \u2013 This is an act of kindness beyond what is due or usual, it is a special treatment given to one person at the expense of another, James 2:1-4.\u00a0 There should be no favoritism or partiality on account of rank, birth, wealth or apparel.\u00a0 Partiality is not consistent with the Scriptures.\u00a0 Our God is not a respecter of persons, Act 10:34; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9.\u00a0 Favoritism is not only a problem in society but has crept into the church.\u00a0 It was in scripture where the widows were neglected and only a fraction of persons were being served.\u00a0 This necessitated the appointment of seven and to ensure a fair treatment for everyone.\u00a0 In today\u2019s church, favoritism appears in different forms.\u00a0 Leaders are appointed in some congregations based on personal interest, such as tribal, professional, social considerations, etc.\u00a0 All these affect the spiritual output of the church.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n b. Fraud (Advance Fee Fraud) \u2013 This is criminal deception intended to gain money or have personal advantage, 1 Thessalonians 4:6.\u00a0 In recent times advance fee fraud popularly called \u2018419\u2019, had taken a new dimension with deceitful means of defrauding unsuspecting persons.\u00a0 With the advent of internet services, there has been an increase in the rate of fraud or cyber crimes.\u00a0 It is pitiable that some brethren have been defrauded by trusted professing Christians, even in the church, Psalms 35:20; 2 Thessalonians 2:13.\u00a0 As a result, there is little or no trust among brethren most especially when it has to do with money.\u00a0 Brethren should beware of fraudsters who come with flatteries, treacherous, deceitful craft.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n c. Falsification of Personal Data (e.g. false declaration of age).\u00a0 This is claiming any date that is not your birthday.\u00a0 We should not swear falsely, Leviticus 6:3, it amounts to the documentation of lies so as to be in an advantageous stead.\u00a0 This is seen at work places; where people including Christians consciously and deliberately declare younger age through a false oath to enable them spend years at work.\u00a0 Anything obtained by lying is vanity and it leads to death, Proverbs 21:6.<\/p>\n We must love the truth and be sincere at all times.\u00a0 Consequent upon the above, we find old men and women who can no longer work effectively in active service and deliver maximally at work.\u00a0 This affects the overall work force output, as men and women who ought to have retired are still engaged, they fill up and occupy the spaces their children should have worked thereby resulting in unemployment of the younger generation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n d. Extortion \u2013 This is obtaining by force, threats or other unfair means, seen in various forms these days.\u00a0 Some Christian leaders cajole fellow Christians and members using all manner of tactics to rip people or members of their money.\u00a0 Almost everything today in church has been tied to sowing, seeding, or giving else God will not answer.\u00a0 It does not matter the state of the giver, Ezekiel 22:12, Matthew 23:25.\u00a0 Unsuspecting Christians keep falling victim of this.<\/p>\n God will not prosper fraud and tricks.\u00a0 And such leaders who defraud the poor of their hard-earned money to make their pockets fat, stand at the risk of God\u2019s judgment except they repent like Zacchaeus, Luke 19:1-10.\u00a0 John the Baptist admonished those to be baptized not to exact more than is appointed and this is very important for tax and levy collectors, Luke 3:13.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The reason why some Christians get involved in corrupt practices is not far fetched.\u00a0 Below are some.<\/p>\n a. Greed and Impatience \u2013 Most persons, especially youth, do not want to go by God\u2019s time.\u00a0 They want to be rich at all cost and quickly, hence they got into all sort of vices to actualize their crave for quick wealth.\u00a0 God wants His children to wait upon Him, to wait patiently on the Lord.\u00a0 Remember that wealth gotten by vanity shall diminish, Proverbs 13:11.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n b. Laziness \u2013 Hard work is not encouraged, hence they seek the easy way out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n c. Change in Social Values \u2013 Before now, when young boys buy flashy cars and build mansions, elders asked questions on how they came about their sudden wealth, and if no satisfactory answers were given, sanctions were placed on such persons, this is lacking in our present day society.\u00a0 Sermons and teachings on holy living, the rapture and the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ must never cease from the pulpit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n d. Undue Emphasis on Wealth, Social Status, Etc., by Pastors and Church Leaders \u2013 The undue recognition given by church leaders to seemingly wealthy persons and highly placed individuals in society, who perhaps are not even born again, has led some genuine believers into corrupt practices.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Christians should not be part of the corruption of our time.\u00a0 The believer is to separate himself or herself from the crowd by living holy lives, \u2018touch not the unclean things\u2019, 2 Corinthians 6:17-18.\u00a0 We should be examples to unbelievers.\u00a0 We are in the world, not of this world, John 15:19, 17:15.<\/p>\n The call to separation is a definite call that the believers must yield to.\u00a0 The believer must make deliberate and conscious effort to live right and stand out from the crowd and its corruption.\u00a0 This he or she does by his or her lifestyle.\u00a0 Christ should reflect in every facet of the Christian\u2019s life; at work, home, the market place, church, etc.<\/p>\n The believers\u2019, whose focus is on making heaven, will live their lives with the consciousness of the fact that they are pilgrims and strangers on earth; this should be a driving force which should propel them from corruption and help them abstain from sin.\u00a0 The believer is to be bold to do good works.<\/p>\n In spite of all pressure faced by the believer, they must be resolute not to be conformed to the standard of this world, they must watch against compromise.\u00a0 This cannot be by strength, hence the need to renew our mind with the word of God and rely on Him for empowerment by His Spirit.\u00a0 The desire to be approved of God must be paramount in our mind. \u00a0Believers are in the world, but not of it, and it is necessary to be a light to those who are in spiritual darkness.\u00a0 We are to live in such a way that the unsaved can see us as an example and change for Christ.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n a. The Church \u2013 Among Church people, we must identify the wolves among the sheep and help them become who they ought to be in Christ.\u00a0 Help them out of it by talking and most importantly praying for them.\u00a0 It is paramount to also identify the cause of the corruption if it is because of lack of want, such persons should be empowered.\u00a0 It is, however, difficult where those involved in the corrupt practices are the leaders.\u00a0 In any case, the power of prayers to right every wrong must be emphasized. Such person should also be disciplined and publicly too, to serve as a deterrent to others.\u00a0 The word of God and the fear of God in the heart of men is the only constraint to corruption.\u00a0 Sermons and teachings on holy living, the rapture and the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ must never cease from the pulpit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n b. The Society \u2013 In the society the law enforcement mechanism should be overhauled.\u00a0 They should be empowered and equipped to detect corruption and be able to adequately bring culprits to book.<\/p>\n The public punishment of such person no matter how highly placed, would serve as a deterrent to others. \u00a0Leaders should lead by examples.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Complete prosperity and good success is God\u2019s wish for all His children, 3 John 2; Joshua 1:8.\u00a0 As long as we live in obedience to His will, we shall not be failures in life.\u00a0 Corruption is satan\u2019s alternative to God\u2019s prosperity and success.\u00a0 We must rise up to its challenges on a daily basis, and say no its contents, no matter how attractive, we must prepare our minds against corruption, speak against corruption and flee corruption.\u00a0 Take the right step now and start to act beginning from your home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n James \u2013 \u201cSubmit yourselves therefore to God.\u00a0 Resist the devil, and he will flee from you\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Christian in a Corrupt World (Part 2), March 9, 2014 Central Thought: The believer should always do the right thing even if it means standing alone. Text: Ecclesiastes 3:16-17, 7:7; Acts 24:24-27, Deuteronomy 16:19-20 Introduction: The Christian is daily confronted with this evil called corruption.\u00a0 He is constantly under pressure to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sundayschool"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=402"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":405,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402\/revisions\/405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Why do some Christians get involved in corruption?<\/h5>\n
3. What should be the Christian attitude toward these forms of corruption?\u00a0 Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 6: 17-18; 1 Peter 2:11-12.<\/h5>\n
4.\u00a0 Discuss how we can practically tackle corruption.<\/h5>\n
Daily Living Application:<\/h5>\n
Memory Verse:<\/h5>\n