Unashamed of the Gospel by Abel Bawa Shepkami

I look forward to Saturdays, because i get to sleep all night untill 10 am and by 1pm, we go for shopping or outing at the zoo or visit the park which is not far from our house or have a nice time at the restaurant down the street or hangout at the National sport center. 

On this fateful Saturday morning (which was a day after my graduation) it was supposed to be my best saturday because I graduated with first class, got awards from both the school and F.C.S (Fellowship of Christian Students) due to my academic and spiritual performance.

While I was enjoying my sleep, my neighborhood was disturbed by a loud wailing. With sleep in my eyes, I wondered where the noise was coming from? who were those disturbing our peace? And why was the noise coming closer and closer to our house?

Every sleep vanished from my eyes as the wailing came straight and remain in our compound. I ran to the palor and met my mom piping through the window sweating profusely even in the early hours of the day. My heart beat increased, my tick night wears couldn't stop me from shivering. I wish I could vanish into the thin air or the ground swallow me up and save me from this evil.

 Finally, mom opened the door and to my shock, there lay a body on the ground and a the woman with the loudest cry knelling over him and crying her life out. I was shocked to see that she was Hajiya Binta. Hajiya Binta is the mother of my roommate Sani and at this point, I was loosing my breath because the body on the floor looked just like my roommate Sani. I wandered; could this be Sani? What actually killed him? Why is she bringing his body to me? What did she tell the other family members to convince them to follow her to my house?

Then Hajiya Binta turned to my mother and said "what have I done to your wicked son? Why is he heartless? The look on my face and that of my mom when we turned to look at ourselves showed we were wondering if she was talking about me or someone else.

From the crowd, someone walked up and motioned with his hands signifying that everyone should be calm. He then told us that Sani couldn't graduate because when he started missing lectures, following bad friends, started smoking and even joined a cult, I was watching and I did nothing to stop him.

He turned to me and asked " do you really know the seriousness of sin?" He added "Do you know the pain of watching your son dying daily because he have become a prisoner to sin?" He blew my mind by saying that yesterday when you were dancing in your graduation gown, Sani was facing a firing squad because that was where sin led him to.

He asked further, "Do you even know the seriousness of the price paid for sin? God had to send his only begotten son for people like Sani yet you allows that investment to waste? Do you know that investment is more than all the treasures of the world combined?

He asked also, " Do you even know the seriousness of the consequences of sin? Do you know Sani your roommate is now in hell? Do you know he hate you for watching him walk into hell without any effort to stop him?

At this point, I was already feeling like the worst human he said again "Do you know that the whole heaven was counting on you hoping that you will turn this sinner from sin so that heaven will rejoice?" Let me ask you "Do you know that from father Abraham to Moses to Paul, all were counting on you?" The last blow was when he asked "Do you know the one who spoke the world into form ( God Almighty) is disappointed in you?"

 My mom shouted "Abel, you are a colossal waste and disgrace." I responded by saying I was just trying to mind my business (the school and studies was what I went for) then she asked which business is greater than the business of the master? I tried defending myself by saying that the last time I tried it with a student, they disgraced me publicly. My mom cut me by asking "are you now ashamed of the gospel?"

Here is Sani laying dead, his mother and family members all crying because I let them down. Heaven is also mourning because I allowed a soul to be lost because I was ashamed of the Gospel. Everyone left me with Sani's lifeless body even my mom. I cried and tried to wake him but he was dead.

This was when I woke up and saw Sani struggling to enter the room with blood stains on him all over the ground. After much persistent, he told me that another cult group clashed with theirs and he got shot. I have been ashamed of the Gospel but not anymore so I used the dying minutes to tell him of Jesus for the first time then he died.

The last sunday before our graduation, i stood in the chapel to narrate the dream and experience I had with Sani. More than half of the congregation were out when i made the altar call. Many were crying and asking God for mercy for being ashamed of the Gospel. For me, I am still ashamed that I have been ashamed of the Gospel all my 4 years in school. But I vow to be unashamed of the gospel knowing that it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.