Skip to main content

Featured Post

Former Arsenal Goalkeeper Dies at 48 in Train Collision

The football world has been thrown into mourning following the tragic death of former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger, who reportedly died at the age of 48 after his car was struck by a train. According to multiple international media reports, the incident occurred at a railway crossing in Austria, where Manninger’s vehicle was hit in a devastating collision. Emergency responders arrived swiftly at the scene, but efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful. Manninger, a former Austrian international, enjoyed a distinguished career across Europe, featuring for top clubs including Arsenal and Juventus. He was part of the Arsenal squad under Arsène Wenger during the late 1990s, contributing to the club’s domestic successes and earning admiration for his composure and professionalism. Tributes have begun pouring in from across the football community, with former teammates, clubs, and fans expressing shock and grief over the sudden loss. Wenger, who managed Manninger during his time in Nort...
Post a Comment

In the Voice of Joshua Selman: The Early Church Was a Movement, Now Many Churches Are Monuments - Abioye Tosin Lawrence




 _when the movement returns, monuments will tremble_ 

Once upon a pulpit, fishermen became apostles. Now, apostles become influencers. Once, men wept in upper rooms for the Holy Spirit; today, they weep in boardrooms over livestream engagement stats.


In the early church, Peter healed a lame man at the gate called Beautiful. In today’s church, the gate is still beautiful Italian marble, gold-plated,  but the lame are charged gate fees for healing services that require seed offerings and a PayPal link.

Let’s be honest,  if Jesus walked into most churches today, He wouldn’t be ushered to the front row. No. He’d be stopped by protocol for wearing dusty sandals and no ID tag. And if He flipped a few offering baskets in righteous anger, they’d call security, or worse, accuse Him of attacking “God’s anointed."


Enter the voice of Joshua Selman, or rather, the spirit behind him calling out to a generation in slumber:
"What we have today is not the Gospel.

These days, church is big business. The pastor is the CEO. The pulpit is a stage. The choir is an entertainment unit. And the Holy Spirit is expected to follow the media team’s cue.


Ask the youth why they attend service:
“To take Instagram pictures.”
“To sow for my Range Rover Evoque.”
“To be anointed for Canada.”
Rarely, if ever: “To be transformed.”

Meanwhile, the genuine few,  the Joshuas, the Pauls, the obscure prophets with no brand manager are labeled “motivational speakers” simply because they refuse to manipulate. They challenge, they awaken, and worse: they make people think. A crime in the modern religious enterprise.

When last did your “man of God” preach on sacrifice, truth, or justice without conveniently swerving into tithes and honorarium? When last did you see a church budget published publicly, or pastors taking salary cuts in times of national hardship?


No shade. Just light.

The early church cast out demons. Today’s church casts out dissenters. The early church sold possessions to feed the poor. Today’s church sells wristbands to fund a private airstrip.

And still, we call it "revival."

Perhaps the greatest miracle of modern Christianity is how many churches grow without growing Christ.

But not all hope is lost. Somewhere, a Joshua speaks. Somewhere, a youth listens. Somewhere, the fire flickers again, not on stages, but in hearts.

And when the movement returns, monuments will tremble.

Comments

Post a Comment

Join the conversation!
Have insights, corrections, or questions about this news story? Drop your comment below. We value civil, fact-based discussion.

Popular posts from this blog

BREAKING: PDP Bleeds in Oriade: Commissioner Loses 14 Party Leaders to Wole Oke in Home Ward

In a significant political shift, 14 grassroots leaders, including prominent women and youth coordinators from Ward 11, covering Ijeda and Iloko in Oriade Local Government Area of Osun State, have resigned from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and pledged allegiance to Hon. Wole Oke’s growing political camp in the All Progressives Congress (APC). The mass resignation, formalized in a jointly signed letter, marks a deepening crack within the PDP structure in Oriade, as key mobilizers abandon the party over what they describe as years of marginalization, poor internal democracy, and a lack of direction. Their defection is also seen as a major boost to Wole Oke’s political momentum within the APC, following his recent and controversial departure from the PDP. “We are grateful for the opportunities and experiences we had as PDP members,” the group stated, “but the party no longer reflects our values or aspirations. We believe in Hon. Wole Oke’s leadership and vision, and we are proud to...
Post a Comment
Read more

BREAKING: Esa-Oke Youths Reunite as Survivors, Caution Pelumi against revisionism

....we’re not your campaign slogan Once upon a glorious, chaotic 2017, practically every able-bodied youth in Esa-Oke held honorary title in the land: Personal Assistant to Barrister Pelumi Olajengbesi. No interviews. No pay. Just passion, blind loyalty, and the stamina to chase him from one campaign ground to the next like a political body double. From Comrade Mainframe to Comrade Swiss, from Yinka Oba to the humble football boys who carried cones like national flags, we were there. We were the movement. Until, of course. Now in 2025, Barrister Pelumi, clearly inspired by a Netflix political drama is on a media tour telling anyone who’ll listen that he "settled everyone who worked for him." Settled who, please? Maybe in his dreams or in the metaverse. In the real world, the story’s a bit different. Those of us from Obokun, who hustled day and night, got exactly zero: no thank you, no handshake. Take Sami, now a former Ward 7 councillor, no thanks from Pelumi. Folusho? Aregbe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Assassination Attempt: Police can’t deny what’s on their desk, says Amotekun boss

  The Corps Commander of the Osun Amotekun Corps , High Chief Dr Hon. Adekunle Isaac Omoyele , who is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital following an attempted assassination on his life on Monday, has strongly refuted the claims made by the Osun State Police Spokeperson regarding the incident. Reacting to the statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), who claimed that investigations had not commenced because the Commander had not provided evidence of the attack, the Amotekun boss expressed deep disappointment, labeling the police response as insensitive and misleading. "It is shocking that a police spokesperson would say there is no evidence of an attack when the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ota-Efun Division — the nearest jurisdiction to the incident — was immediately informed," the Commander said. "Officers from that division visited the scene the same night, assessed the damage, evacuated the vehicle, and advised me to seek ...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Will Pay $10M If Nnamdi Kanu Curtail Insecurity, Ezendigbo Challenge FG, S' East Politicians

The Founder of the Better Nigeria For Better People, Chief. CBN Onwuasoanya Ezendigbo, has lambasted the former Governor of Anambra State and the Presidential candidate in the last general elections under the Labour Party, Peter Obi, for facilitating efforts towards Nnamdi Kanu's release from detention. Ezendigbo, in a statement released on Thursday said that, Nnamdi Kanu lack power to stop insecurity in Southeast Nigeria. According to the former Presidential Aspirant, "Let's have a road map for a 2-month cease-fire agreement to demonstrate that to release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) would stop insecurity. He's just a political football fan for politicians, he said." "I am challenging both the federal government and Southeast politicians with $10M (Ten Million Dollars), they should tell Nnamdi Kanu if there will be no sit-at-home, no kidnapping in the region, that will give guarantee that he has control over insecurity in the southea...
Post a Comment
Read more