In villages where ancestral shrines still command reverence, and in cities where smartphones glow with the lure of digital scams, a generation of Nigerian teenagers now stands at a perilous crossroads. The question is not whether they will believe something, but what they will believe. A gospel diluted into sentimental aphorisms— “God loves you,”“life to the full,” “Jesus died for sinners” —may sound comforting, but it often lacks the call to surrender, repentance, and radical discipleship that defines true Christianity.
The Apostle Paul declared, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). His proclamation was never a “candy-floss gospel” —fluffy, sweet, but empty. Instead, it was a call to repentance, a confrontation with sin, and a summons to recognize Jesus as Lord. Evangelist Billy Graham once warned, “We have seen the cross banished from the public square, but it must never be banished from our preaching.” In Nigeria today, however, the temptation to sugarcoat truth is strong. Preachers often highlight prosperity, healing, and divine favour while sidestepping the call to repentance. Like the proverbial frog in warming water, many churches do not notice how the core temperature of their message has shifted. What remains is often high in sugar but low in substance.
Nigeria’s youth are negotiating two worlds. In rural communities, young people wrestle with centuries-old traditions—sacrifices, charms, and oaths. In urban centers, teenagers are ensnared by new idols: get-rich-quick internet scams, pornography, and the intoxicating allure of social media validation. Both shrines and smartphones promise power, acceptance, and identity, yet both leave souls empty. Revivalist Leonard Ravenhill once boomed “Entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy.” His words ring with eerie accuracy as Nigerian youth binge content yet remain spiritually starved. Unless the gospel is preached in its full weight—the demand to repent, the invitation to be born again, and the glory of Christ’s Lordship—this generation will substitute Christ for counterfeits.
The story of revival through the ages reminds us that true transformation never comes through soft slogans. John Wesley’s revival in 18th-century England was ignited because he preached not only grace but also holiness. Dwight L. Moody once said, “The Holy Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation.” Their voices echo across time: what changes youth is not diluted clichés but Spirit-filled proclamation. The Nigerian Church must learn from these giants. In an age when even evangelism risks being reduced to catchy Instagram reels, young people need to hear the rugged truth—that sin enslaves, that Christ liberates, and that repentance is not optional but essential.
Dear teenager in Nigeria, whether you kneel before ancestral shrines or scroll endlessly through TikTok feeds, hear this: “Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). Jesus Christ is not merely an accessory to life—He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The call is not just to add Him to your traditions or to your tech-driven lifestyle, but to surrender wholly. Charles Spurgeon once declared, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. Let them perish with our arms about their knees.” That is the heart of every true evangelist, and it must be the heartbeat of Nigeria’s witness today.
Nigeria’s future rests in its youth, but their eternity rests in Christ. To preach a gospel stripped of repentance is to serve candy when souls need bread. To preach Christ as Saviour without proclaiming Him as Lord is to offer comfort without cure. Jesus still knocks: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hears My voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him” (Revelation 3:20). The shrines of the past cannot save you. Some of our fathers and fathers in the faith ran away from it and embrace Christ because idolatory has negative consequences. The smartphones of the present cannot redeem you. But the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse you, the Spirit of God can empower you, and the Kingdom of God can transform you. The call is urgent: Nigeria’s teenagers must hear a gospel of fire, not fluff. They must be invited not to a sugar-coated faith, but to a cross-shaped one. And they must know, beyond doubt, that the only safe refuge in this generation is Christ.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
08152094428 (SMS Only)
