What Is Conscience?
Conscience is a moral obligation of universal standard and acceptable by God. It is the voice within you that says do or don’t do, or “do I say or not say.” Be always cautious not to give your thoughts a tongue!
The Golden Rule says thus, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) is divinely the measuring yard. It simply means that before you do anything, weigh it within you before releasing it out. It is about thinking aloud before acting!
The conscience influences numerous public activities today. The power of consistency should influence the conscience and not driven by reactionary work. When God issued the Golden rule he had in mind the fact that all human beings are made in His image and likeness, and therefore equal in His eyes.
The problem today is that mankind has developed a Narcissistic personality. The hypotheses “we are good” and “they are bad” or “they deserve judgment” are survival gimmicks touted by depraved minds and fanned by the Devil to ensure he threatens coexistence.
It is sad that Christians today are caught up by the above either consciously or unconsciously. I have a behavioral theory that Christians behave so good in church on Sundays or Saturdays but live the opposite the remaining days of the week. The reciprocity that comes from our environmental stimuli has driven away the faith in God. Hence nominal Christianity as a result of lack of ordinal eclectic order. Unfortunately, the normative isomorphic mimicry imported to the Church by shepherds has changed spiritual paradigms and allowed secularism, cultism, modernism, spiritualism and all concoctions of eisegesis creep into the Church of God.
Lant in “Looking Like a State: Techniques of Persistent Failure in State Capability for Implementation” said, “Accelerated modernization is the modus operandi of a dominant paradigm we might call Big Development.” (Lant Pritchett et al). Employing his critical thinking into our situation, we would say technology has led to a capability trap to handle the surging influence of knowledge and Shepherds have succumbed to this, injuring the laity who look up to them for direction.
Whether you call it conforming or succumbing depends on your interpretation. No wonder you hear many shepherds say “don’t call us shepherds from Monday to Saturday. Lets meet on Sunday!” Shepherds are now buying private jets thanks to prosperity Gospel which is quickly superseding preparing the Church to meet the Lord (don’t misinterpret that riches are sinful).
The “I am chasing business, so let us meet later” mentality is everywhere bursting in and among shepherds. This is the language of the secular world. Yes, we are in the world but don’t belong to it! It is perplexing to see the etiquettes of shepherds on social media. It is appalling that they are busy everyday asking for money from abroad using hooks and crooks and when they are assisted they close accounts and go underground!
When such pandemics as COVID-19 strike, they are the first ones posting all manner of unverified pictures and texts without blinking an eye. Others are so angry that a vaccine will be given to Africans and some have vowed to go to jail than be injected!
Who has confirmed the source of the message? Why is the world silent? Are we the only Christians? Am I trolling conspiracy theory lies? Ask yourselves these questions because what shall we tell the church tomorrow if they don’t happen
Remember, we cannot reverse God’s timelines through prayer that is why we need to learn to say “but may will be done.” The trend around social media is appalling and doesn’t meet the threshold of a shepherd called by an organized God. Be sure, you are liable when propagating unconfirmed worldview that can’t be substantiated.
The capacity lack as a result of scantiness in seeking knowledge and the inspiration from the Holy Spirit.
The devil can turn the otherwise good technology for propagation of the Gospel to a tool used by shepherds to propagate hate, false prophecies of unproportioned conspiracy theories, unsound biblical teachings, Plagiarisms all strewn all over social media with no shame.
I don’t know if shepherds are aware that it is a criminal offense to copy and paste somebody’s article without acknowledging the source? Flee from satires! Flee from forwarded messages that don’t glorify God.
Keep a distance from tagging people without their prior consent. Desist from using peoples materials and signing your name at the bottom or beginning of the text. All these are sinful acts. Be courteous all the time. Always learn to say “I am sorry.”
The Bible says we redeem our time because the days we are living now are evil (Eph 5:16). Your conscience should awaken you to the fact that if the days are evil we must consciously choose to be on a better path. Our conscience should help us make good judgements from evil. This can be developed through mentorship programs and formal training in seminary amongst other training facilities. I am not belittling the work of the Holy Spirit which crowns all the above.
A clean conscience was part of Paul’s core teachings. He told church leaders to possess a clean conscience (I Tim 3:9)- A clean conscience prepares us to serve the living God unswervingly (Heb. 9:13ff). He continues to say, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” I Tim 4:1-2.
Let us not allow ourselves to be twirled around by satires and become conduits of hyperbolic exaggerations that look nice on the surface but under the obscurity lies the real meaning. Avoiding offending God and man, “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.” Acts 24:16.
In summary Paul says, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving,
slanderous (defamatory), without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous (guilty of deception), rash (reckless), conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power(dodging). Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
What shall we tell people happened when the things we called end of the world don’t come to pass? Shall we dodge by saying the Lord spoke WHAT? Let us listen in silence as He speaks then tell people God’s truth thereafter. The hype and trolling lies are dangerous for the Kingdom. Don’t forget that one day we shall stand before Bema seat and give an account of our actions on earth, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” II Cor. 5:10.
Lord have mercy.(Gk Kýrie deíxe éleos).
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By Bishop Obed Bett Chelogoi, ThM; DMin; ThD, Professor of Theology,
Joy Seminary, USA.
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