God is very serious about our commitment! We, Nagas, passed the NLTP Act in 1989 based on our faith and belief in Jesus Christ. It is not our God who initiated to keep abstinence from liquor and intoxicated things, but it was the Naga believers who have made a very strong decision to be a free Christian-dominated state from all the evils of intoxicated things. We, Nagas, have so many commitments before the Lord. While declaring Nagaland for Christ, we have vowed that our life, time, wealth, and talents will belong to our God. But, sadly, we have sold all those commitments with money and power.
Looking into our scenario today, the only commitment we haven’t broken is the NLTP Act. If we withdraw our commitment before our God, I can't imagine how serious it would be in the sight of God! We talk about the revenue and the better alcohol, but failing commitment before God could be the most serious one. Proverbs 26:11 says, "Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly". We, Nagas, have been mandated to build a healthier nation but have failed. In this juncture, what will be Nagaland’s claim for Christ if we folly our God by failing him? Galatians 6:7-8, 'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' We believe that everything has its result. Our one-sided decision might cause
a lot of harm and danger in our society. Dear Naga brothers and sisters, our parents have shed a lot of sweat and tears while fighting for social evil. They, too, have cursed the things that have disgraced our belief. With so many better dreams and visions for the upcoming generations, our elders have fought fearlessly for the benefit of our bodies and souls. But today, we are
trying to break the commitment that we have made before the Lord. Dear fellow Nagas. it is
going to dishearten our God if we withdraw our vows. I think it would be one of the worst decisions if our Naga leaders withdrew the NLTP Act. The Word of God says, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God' 1 Corinthians 10:31. Dear beloved Nagas, if other fellow beings have given up their lives in following Christ, what about us? Are we not following the same Christ? What do we determine to do and give up in following Christ? Is it not shame on our part to compromise with the evil and hate the one who has brought us thus far? Let us again reaffirm our Christian faith and look into our commitment before making any wrong decision.
Within a few decades, we have lost so many promising lives due to excessive use of alcohol and intoxicated things. And if we happened to make it available, how much damage would it be to our people? In general, we, Nagas, don't have self-control, and if we open up the way to sell alcohol freely, who will take responsibility for all the consequences? I urge every political worker, nation worker, and believer of Nagaland to be serious about our commitment. Let us all 'fight against the social evil that has ruined many faithful Christian families, which has brought division within the families and has misled many faithful Christians. Every believer must remain faithful to our calling. The Word of God says in 1 Corinthians 3:16, Don't you know that your body is the temple of God? and the spirit of God lives in you? Dear beloved Nagas, we are reminded that our body is the central worship place, and the Spirit of God is always manifest in our lives. Don't you know that our eternal inheritance doesn't belong to the things of this world? Rather, we have an eternal inheritance in the Lord. Mathew 5:8 says, 'Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.' Our ultimate purpose inbelieving in Christ is to see God. What we do influences us, and what influences us drives us. Let us be influenced by Christ's like-mindedness, not by this world's pattern; let us remain holy as our God desires us to be holy. May God continue to give every Naga Christian a strong will to fight against every evil that hinders our faith and commitment.
Dr.R Zulu Jamir
Kumlong Baptist Church