Those who read this page last week, which centred on the dust raised by the couple who had broken all the rules laid down on marriage by Deeper Life Church, have responded.
And the response came in torrents, nay, deluge. For allowing his wife to dress in a fitted, flowing wedding gown, wearing make-up, carrying a bouquet of flowers, cutting a cake, all opposed to the standards of the church, some people have asked for John Kumuyi’s head. He should even be expelled from the church, they say. But some others have risen in stout defence. Neither John nor Love Kumuyi did any wrong, and they have not committed any sin.
Therefore, their suspension by the church was unfair, unjust, unwarranted, hypocritical, hostile, they claim. Bellow is just a small fraction of the responses: John embarrassed his dad Reading your lovely piece on Kumuyi’s son, I agreed almost 100%.
As long as the couple profess membership of Deeper Life, they must remain bound by the rules of the ministry. John, I believe, has an obligation to save his highly respected dad the embarrassment that is in publicly flouting rules that have guided generations of people his own father shepherds. Betty Abah, journalist, Lagos God’s word is settled Honour is showing merited respect to one’s parents. Please tell Mr and Mrs John Kumuyi what God said in Deuteronomy 5:16.
You and I belong to old time religion, no doubt. God’s word is settled. Elder Ben Ogbomo, Lagos They’ll carry the cross One sin through careless neglect can affect one’s spiritual destiny, just like it happened to Demas and Esau. The latter sold his birthright for porridge, while Demas loved the present world more than God. John and his wife seem to love this present world too.
God will forgive their wilful sin, but they will carry this cross for a long time. The things regarded as non-essentials have sent many believers to hell. Emmanuel Adeniyi, Lagos Sin of rebellion Kudos for the great piece, more especially for creating a balance backed with relevant quotes from the Holy Bible.
In the context of the preaching and tenets of the church, which they were born into, the couple have committed the sin of rebellion, as you stated. Why should children of highly placed members of the church be the ones to break ranks? The wife should have appeared with six months pregnancy, and insist they have been staying abroad, hence cultural influence.
I commend Pastor Kumuyi and his wife for not walking away from the wedding. They would have been justified if they did. Mike Nzeagwu, Lagos Act of God To me, God’s hand might be in the whole saga to streamline the Deeper Life Church along modern trends, without taking holiness and sanctity of Christianity from the hearts of believers. It should be seen as a general corrective measure.
The law itself looks discriminatory against female believers who are known to be inclined towards adorning themselves.
And since the couple’s parents attended the wedding, the best option is to take the issue as an act of God. Lai Ashadele, Lagos Not intellectually equipped It takes intelligence, real intelligence, to appreciate the depth of Pastor Kumuyi’s character, his teachings, and lifestyle.
It takes real intelligence to understand the meaning of being a son of this unique man of God. John Kumuyi is not intellectually equipped to appreciate holiness, so he should be forgiven. But he should not be involved in any serious matter of the church. Obunikem Okonkwo To Pastor Kumuyi Fred not thyself sir, the Almighty knows that you have laid a solid foundation for God, ministry and humanity. It can be painful if our foundations are being opposed by those with us, but do not bother.
When the young couple grow older, they will understand the harm they did. Be undeterred sir, and be more determined in maintaining the integrity of your ministry. Pastor Livy Onyenegecha, 08036174573 Please, show mercy In the Bible, a self-confessed righteous man, and a sinner went to pray.
The former told God how good he was, while the latter pleaded for mercy. God heard the prayer of the sinner. Let the Deeper Life Church show mercy to the young couple, since they have so requested. Chief J. J. Ibeka, Lagos What Kumuyi taught us John Kumuyi cannot destroy his father’s testimony.
He will give account of his own life to God. What Kumuyi taught us is the undiluted word of God, and no action of any son will take anything away from that. Kumuyi’s teaching will populate heaven, with or without his children. God give us more Kumuyis.
Pastor Frank Oputa, Lagos They’ve shown remorse Being children of pastors in Deeper Life, John and Love Kumuyi would have been assumed guilty because much is expected of them. But since they’ve shown remorse, they should be forgiven.
As for making heaven, that is not for man to decide. It is entirely God’s prerogative. Revd S. A. Adetayo, St John’s Anglican Church, Ikotun, Lagos They simply broke the rules The behaviour of the younger Kumuyi and his wife is akin to the tale of Adam and Eve in the scripture, where God gave them a set of rules in the Garden of Eden and they made themselves weak and vulnerable to the whims and caprices of Satan.
There should be no sentiment or the after-thought alibi about their misbehavior that they have lived for donkey years outside Nigeria and were influenced by their present environment.
They simply broke the golden rules of the church governing weddings and they cannot honestly claim they were oblivious of the rules. As the Roman Catholic Church doctrine teaches us, it is wrong for anyone to deliberately commit the sin that carries death penalty, and once anyone does, the person knows that the wages of such sin is death.
So it is with the young Kumuyi and his wife who went of their own volition to violate the set rules of their church and brought shame to their revered parents.
Whatever action the Deeper Life church takes to redress their action is to me justified because there shouldn’t be any sacred cows in compliance to the law or otherwise, and doing so implies the rules were meant for the low people and not for the high.
But if the law is respecter of no one, then there should be no sentiment or hue and cry against the sanctions accruing to them for breaking the rules. However, what I disagree with is that parents should be punished for the misbehavior or misdemeanor of their adult children. It is wrong because as the scripture tells us, everyone must answer to his own deeds or account before God on the judgment day.
So, Deeper Life sanctioning their parents is unjust and wrong, even though their parents attended the wedding, unless they (the parents) incontrovertibly had a pre-knowledge that their children’s wedding was going to be that gorgeous and flamboyant, against the rules of the church.
Otherwise, their children should be answerable for their own deeds, right or wrong, before the church and not the parents. Abuchi Anueyiagu, a Public Affairs Analyst/Veteran Journalist, 08080242128, buchisbuchis@yahoo.com Quit, if you can’t keep rules I enjoyed every bit of your article. While I agree that there should be no difference in enforcing biblical laws in every part of the world, it is a known fact that certain words such as moderation are subjective, and cannot have universal measurement.
Different people and cultures will have their own interpretation. In a culture where people go naked, moderation may mean not to wear too much. In a poor village, moderation may mean not to display opulence and wealth. I live in the UK and the dress in question is quite moderate compared to some wedding dresses that I have seen recently, but that is not the issue.
The issue is moderation as it is practiced by the Deeper Life Church. What is very important is that once you are a member of an organization, all their laws (doctrine in church language) are binding and breaking them is an act of disobedience, which is a sin.
Once a man or woman can no longer abide by the set rules of the organization, he or she must quit the organization or seek to change the laws while still obeying it until such a time that the law is changed. This is the proper and orderly way to do things and I think you will agree with me that our God is a God of order.
In concluding, I would say that Kumuyi’s son has done a grave injury to the lifelong work of his dad and has committed a sin. Mobolaji Akinola, akinolabolaji@yahoo.co.uk Judge not According to the Holy Book, those who worship God should worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24.Let the hearts of the couple pass judgment, and not the church, not even the fathers. Romans 2:17-29.
A man is judged by what comes out of his mouth (heart). Matt. 15: 19-20. We are too much of appearance type Christians than spiritual type. Rules and regulations were what turned the Jews away from Christ instead of faith. Austeen O. C. Lagos,
Source: The Sun
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