Bishop Dibal’s Strong Message to Fellow Pastors
“If You Have Not Tasted Our Pain, Please Keep Quiet” — Bishop Jesse Dibal Speaks on Persecution in the Church
In a deeply moving and confrontational message, Bishop Jesse Dibal has addressed fellow pastors and Christian leaders who, in his words, speak lightly about persecution in Nigeria without having personally encountered its weight.
“I may not have the spiritual, physical, or financial capacity to speak to Trump or Tinubu,” he began, “but I can respond to my fellow pastors.”
Bishop Dibal’s message draws a clear line between those who have suffered for the gospel and those who have only prospered from it. He cautions ministers who base their entire testimony on transactional Christianity — I gave, I fasted, God gave me this… — warning that such believers should exercise silence when the subject of persecution arises.
“If all you have is what the gospel has given you, and not what you have given for the gospel, when they are talking about persecution, please keep quiet.”
He goes further, speaking to pastors who have never watched their churches burn — not from electrical faults or accidents, but burnt deliberately because they bear the name of Christ.
“If you have never known flames that didn’t come from a technical problem, flames that burnt down your church because you are Christians — when they are talking about pain, keep quiet.”
His words cut deeper as he describes the heartbreaking reality of conducting burials for church members who were not victims of illness or accidents, but were murdered for their faith.
“If you have never attended a burial as a clergy, to lay down your members — ashes to ashes, dust to dust — members whose lives were taken simply because they are believers, keep quiet.”
According to Bishop Dibal, while believers in the North are raising urgent lamentations over repeated attacks, loss of lives, and the destruction of churches, some pastors elsewhere are dismissing the situation as a plot against “our resources.”
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He condemns this ignorance and insensitivity.
“We don’t speak of flames we read in papers. We don’t speak of blood we saw in a movie. We talk about flames we are first-hand partakers of.”
Bishop Dibal reveals that he himself has survived such persecutions. He has witnessed his church burned down. He has watched members slaughtered “like goats.” For him and many others, this isn’t history or news, it is their lived reality.
“Some of us are born in it. We still live in it. Every part of our livelihood remains in it.”
His message is a sobering reminder that while the gospel promises life, joy, and hope, many believers still face dangers simply because of their faith. His call is not for pity, but for understanding, unity, and sensitivity, especially among church leaders.
Bishop Dibal’s words challenge the Nigerian church to listen before speaking, to empathize before commenting, and to stand with persecuted believers rather than trivialize their suffering.
Content Credit | Olaoluwa Ayomide
Image Credit | google.com
