{"id":100211,"date":"2026-09-14T07:15:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T07:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=100211"},"modified":"2026-09-14T07:15:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T07:15:28","slug":"hymenaeus-and-alexander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=100211","title":{"rendered":"Hymenaeus and Alexander"},"content":{"rendered":"

By The National Prayer Altar<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a warfare that every Christian has been called to engage in. It is not against principalities and powers, it is not conventional warfare against humans. It is a war within the self. Very few believers win in this war. In the modern-day Church, many Christians manifest their defeat. Many accomplished ministers of the gospel are able to fight and obtain victory over demons, using the name and power of Christ, but at the battlegrounds within the self, they fall. It is the war of the conscience. Paul commanded Timothy to _”war a good warfare”_ (1 Tim. 1:18). Timothy had _”prophecies”_ concerning his life and ministry, yet, those prophecies were not going to shield him from the inevitable battle he had to fight within himself. That a man is called by God and mightily used by heaven is not the guarantee that he will end well. He must fight the warfare within himself and prevail.<\/p>\n

To drive home his point to Timothy, Paul gave him the example of Hymenaeus and Alexander (v.20). Those were ministers of the gospel who answered the same call of God, like Paul and Timothy. Hymenaeus and Alexander were two prominent men in the Church at Ephesus, who had taken in and propagated false teachings, for which the apostle had to hand them over to Satan, to teach them not to blaspheme. They were false teachers in the early church, who rejected a good conscience and ruined their faith.<\/p>\n

Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme\u00a0 (1 Tim. 1:19-20).<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In 1 Tim. 1:18-20, Paul differentiates between _\u201cfaith\u201d_ for salvation, which is given freely by God, and a good conscience, which everyone is supposed to produce to strengthen and preserve the _\u201cfaith\u201d_ given to them. It says in Eph. 2:8, _”For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”_ Apostle Peter, in 2 Pet. 1:1, writes _”to them that have obtained like precious faith,”_ and urges them in verse 5: _”giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue.”_<\/p>\n

To help humans to believe in God Whom they have not seen, and Christ Whom they have not met, God deposits _\u201cfaith\u201d_ in them, as a gift. That is how all are saved by grace. However, everyone who receives that gift of \u201cfaith\u201d must consciously and consistently work on themselves to strengthen their conscience.<\/p>\n

While every human being might not receive that gift of \u201cfaith\u201d leading to salvation, everyone was born with a conscience. It is God\u2019s alarm bell installed in the soul to restrain everyone from doing evil, and propel them to do good. Every human being has a conscience. The problem is, it is not so active in everyone. Some nurture their conscience, and it is active, but in others, it is dead. A man or a woman can kill the conscience by repeatedly ignoring it. For example, if a man should tell a lie for the first time, his conscience would scream, \u201cA lie!\u201d. A careful observer would notice that the man becomes uneasy, because the conscience has struck him with guilt within. If he repents at that point and tells the truth, the conscience would remain active. If he should ignore that inner witness, the next time he tells a lie, the inner witness would still scream, but not so loudly, because it is being suppressed. If that man should keep telling lies, he will get to that point where he no longer hears that voice. At that point, he would have \u201ckilled\u201d his conscience. He could then continue to lie without blinking an eye. That kind of man would lie and still swear that he was telling the truth.<\/p>\n

When God gives a us salvation by grace, He expects us to keep our conscience alive, to restrain us from doing evil. Those who accept \u201cfaith\u201d for salvation but reject a good conscience, ‘shipwreck’ their faith. The image of a shipwreck is a powerful one. It depicts a vessel laden with precious materials, setting out purposefully to another destination. Along the way, something disastrous occurs to the vessel and it no longer reaches its goal. Not only does the vessel perish, but everything on it also perishes. In 1 Tim. 1:18-20, Paul illustrates how that vessel is destroyed: it is handed over to Satan.<\/p>\n

That someone has faith or trust in God is not sufficient. They must also demonstrate a good conscience and moral integrity. Any Christian who lacks moral integrity will make a shipwreck of their salvation.<\/p>\n

Christianity in this generation has been afflicted with a terrible disease that can be described as the “lack of conscience.” It is becoming common to find Christians who lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, and swear falsely. The modern Church has stopped placing emphasis on moral integrity while placing undue emphasis on prosperity and the luxurious lifestyle. Consequently, the credibility of the Church has been negatively impacted. Some in the Church hold on to faith but without a good conscience, and they keep believing that they will end well. Not true.<\/p>\n

This alarming tendency has lately become conspicuous as Nigeria prepares for another electoral transition in 2027. Reputable ministers of the gospel have been seen coming out to commend an obviously corrupt, incompetent, and unaccountably presidential candidate as the best man to lead the country. Some ministers of the gospel have outright endorsed that individual to continue to lead the country. Not only have they endorsed the character, but they also fight anyone who corrects them. Like Hymenaeus and Alexander, they blaspheme the name of the Lord by calling themselves follower’s of Jesus Christ while they endorse corruption and evil in the land. They have faith, but they lack a good conscience. One of them, Prophet E. B., went on Facebook to say that whoever does not vote for Tinubu will not make heaven, as if the ballot paper has become superior to the saving blood of Jesus, or he were the gateman of heaven. They are _”Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron”_ (1 Tim. 4:2). They have forgotten Isaiah 5:20, 23-24: _”Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! \u2026 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.”_<\/p>\n

This matter of moral deficiency in the Church should be of grave concern to every God-fearing believer. God has been known to treat people according to their deeds. May these acts of moral failure displayed by some Christian leaders not delay the deliverance of Nigeria. It is absurd that there are people who suffer the maladministration under the APC and still campaign for the same group of people to remain in power. It is disappointing that some people would support a man whose policies increased the number of poor people in Nigeria from 87 million to 139 million in his first year in office. The signal they are sending to heaven is that Nigerians loves corruption, and they are not tired of the consequences. This generation of Hymenaeus and Alexander is threatening to prolong the indignation that is already upon the land.<\/p>\n

At this point, one is compelled to recall the word of God which came on 1st July 2016, that Nigeria was under the judgment of Jeremiah 27. That word indicated that God had released the spirit of Nebuchadnezzar into Nigeria. Verse 7 says, _”And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.”_ This was shared in the Marathon Prayer Call of 11th \u2013 17th May 2026 entitled, \u201cGo To Shiloh\u201d. That prayer-call stated that there were positive and negative prophecies hanging over Nigeria. According to that word, Nigeria under Tinubu had come to the era of \u201chis son,\u201d with Buhari as Nebuchadnezzar. The frightening aspect of that word is that \u201chis son\u2019s son\u201d might still come, if the Church does not cooperate with God.<\/p>\n

A lot of prayer work has been done for the deliverance and restoration of Nigeria. Unfortunately, as some Christians are cleaning the house, there are those who keep pouring filth into the sanctuary. All they see is the opportunity to enrich themselves, regardless of God\u2019s righteousness. In their hypocrisy, they claim that they are “playing politics\u201d. They scoff at those who challenge them, tagging them as those who “do not understand politics.” That may be true. They do not understand \u201cpolitics.\u201d They understand righteousness. Politics without righteousness is irrelevant to the Kingdom of God: _”For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost”_ (Rom. 14:17).<\/p>\n

This is not an to say that the prophecy of Pastor Elton will not come to pass, or that any of the promises of God for Nigeria will be cancelled. All those promises shall be fulfilled in full, but they could be delayed. For how long, one does not know. The signals from heaven indicate that God is displeased with what is going on in the Nigeria Church. If it was only non-Christians involved in those acts of unrighteousness, there would have been no need to worry. Sadly, prominent Church leaders are involved in the display of evil conscience.<\/p>\n

Now is the time for Christians to expose and shame all the Hymenaeus and Alexandars of this generation, before they use their evil conscience to cause further problems for the Church and the country. The horrific experiences of vulnerable Christians in the North and in the Middle Belt of Nigeria should have pricked their conscience to dissociate from the All Progressives Congress and everyone that is in the party. Unfortunately, they have no regard for the command of the Master as given in Matt. 7:12: _”Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”_ If they were the ones in the shoes of those persecuted Christians, they would have wanted everyone to rise in their defence and for their deliverance. Their conscience does not prick them that they are treating others in a way they will not want to be treated.<\/p>\n

There is hope that the indignation of God upon Nigeria shall be lifted. However, if the restoration is delayed, the Hymenaeus and Alexanders of this generation should be held responsible. May the Lord have mercy upon Nigeria and deliver His Church from men of evil conscience. Amen.<\/p>\n

PRAYER POINTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

1). 1 Cor. 11:31 Pronounce judgment on all the evil going on in the Church.<\/p>\n

2). John 15:1-2
\nPray that God will purge from the Nigeria Church every minister of the gospel that does not bear good fruit.<\/p>\n

3). Is. 26:9-11
\nPray that God shall execute His righteous judgment upon the Nigeria Church, to teach Christians righteousness.<\/p>\n

4). Is. 5:20
\nActivate God\u2019s judgment on those who promote and defend evil in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

5). Matt. 24:22
\nPray that God shall shorten the days of indignation upon Nigeria, for the sake of His elects.<\/p>\n

6). Ps. 75:6-7
\nPray that God shall have mercy upon His Church in Nigeria and promote righteous men and women into positions of leadership.<\/p>\n

7). Rev. 11:15
\nPray that the throne of Nigeria shall become the throne of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

\u25cf The National Prayer Altar, headed by Pastor Bosun Emmanuel and Prof Kontein Trinya, meets nightly on Zoom to pray for Nigeria, missions, and other ancillary matters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By The National Prayer Altar There is a warfare that every Christian has been called to engage in. It is not against principalities and powers, it is not conventional warfare against humans. It is a war within the self. Very few believers win in this war. In the modern-day Church, many Christians manifest their defeat. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":97577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5772,5782],"tags":[8684,1646,8683,1999,4252,8685],"class_list":["post-100211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-faith","category-opinion","tag-alexander","tag-christianity","tag-hymenaeus","tag-paul","tag-timothy","tag-warfare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=100211"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100212,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100211\/revisions\/100212"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/97577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=100211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=100211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=100211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}