Five Biblical Lessons Christians Must Learn from Boko Haram for Missions Advancement

No matter how bad a person or group is, there are certain good things to

Boko Haram Leaders

learn from  and possibly imitate in that person. Having lived and still doing ministries in the Northern part of Nigeria for more than 25years, I have first hand understanding of how the Muslims and especially the Boko Haram operates and have drawn out five Biblical character traits which I recommend as lessons to be adopted by Christians and guarantees that they will accelerate the speed of the spread of the gospel especially in the dark places of the earth.

1.  Readiness to Die -  The average Boko Haram member is ready to die for his/her course. We see both the young and old availing themselves as suicide bombers from time to time. Even though the course for which they avail themselves are Devilish, the truth remains that their height of commitment remains unquestionable. As they die and sometimes are killed, one assumes that their number will reduce but instead, their number multiplies. Jesus in John 12:24-25 taught the church: 'I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.'  How many Christian today are committed to the Lord to that point. Missions especially to the darkest jungle is costly. Sometimes it might cost us our lives.

2. Enduring Hardship -  Beside death, the average sincere Boko Haram will tell you that pursuing their course is not comfortable. You hear they running from jungle to jungle. Now their headquarters is located in a forest - Sambisa Forest. Yet, they neither complain nor grumble. I really wonder how many churches will be willing to go to remote places today not to talk of situating their headquarters strategically in the jungle. Apostle Paul taught us in  2 Tim 2:3-5 to : Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs — he wants to please his commanding officer. Enduring hardship is not a curse but a price every true Christians must be willing to pay to advance His kingdom. Taking the final frontier especially the chronic unreached jungle can never be done without enduring hardship.

3. Funding the Course they believe in.  Finances have consistently and undeniably remain one of the cruel challenge of the end-time harvest. Fund is needed for every facet of the missionary enterprise - from missionary training to deployment. The missionary families will need to eat, clothed, go to school, etc. The converts have to be catered for. Church, schools, hospitals, etc. have to be built. Sadly, even though the church has the money, missions is considered a waste so the budget is either low or non-existent. Yet the Bible says, No soldier goes to the battle front at its own expense. The early missionaries were well funded by their sending churches but the stories of missionaries of our time are full of woes. It is not surprising that fewer and fewer missionaries are responding to missionary call today.  

On the contrary, we see the Boko Haram who are seriously funded and we complain. The people are funding what they believe in. Some are not footsoldiers but they contribute immensely to get the footsoldiers going. A Muslim Politician is first and foremost a Muslim. His/Her finances cannot be divorced from his religion. He/She considers his position in the society as God-given and must be used to promote his religion. That is why a Governor in one of the North Eastern States could donate brand new hilux to the Boko Haram and a Governor of one of the financial institution publicly voted fund for his state and it was alleged that he used his position to pave way for free flow of resources into the account of Boko Haram. Nine Army Generals are still say to be court-martialed for a similar 'offence'. Watching the Boko Haram activities on Youtube, you will see the kinds of sophisticated weapons, vehicles, communication gadgets, etc. There is no doubt that they are highly funded.  The BBC once reported that they recruits from Niger Republic with N350,000-N400,000. That is no small money. How much do we support our missionaries with.

 For most Christians, reverse is the case. They will tell you point blank that it is not Christianity that placed him where he/she is. When shall the church release the fund God has provided for the most important work of enthroning Jesus as Lord over the nations. The likes of Apostle Paul is rare today. It was he who said in  2 Cor 12:15: 'So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well.'  The day all true Christian will make such resolution and act on it, the world will be reached.

Boko Haram Suspects

4. Visionary - The average Boko Haram member is very ambitious. North East of Nigeria is just the starting point. They want to overrun Nigeria. They want to take over Aso Rock, the Nigeria's seat of power. They want to take over the region and the whole world. They are working at it.    Even though, their activities is Devilish, there is nothing wrong with ambition. It was John Knox who said, 'give me Scotland or else I die'. Apostle Paul taught us to be visionary in Romans 15:20-21: It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. It is really sad that many Christians today live aimless lives.

5. Eternity in View -  Finally, the average Boko Haram member live life with the reward in the world to come in view. They were promised scores of virgin. They know if they die in the course of Jihad, it is a very speedy way of accessing the virgins. Sadly, many in the church today live without eternity in view.  If we do live with eternity in view, we will be more committed to missionary work than we are. Jesus said, He must do the work now that is day because the night comes when He will not work anymore. Let us learn from the heathen and approach this work with urgency.   Ours may not be virgin, but there is so much to heaven that time will not permit me to stress on here. "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Rev 22:12-13)