The following are the views expressed by Olufemi Oguntokun in the May 29, 2026’s episode of the On the Lord’s Side Podcast – Christian perspectives on news and current events.
ON PASTOR PHILIP OLUBAKIN AND THE COST OF GETTING MARRIED
A story has been making the rounds on social media about a Nigerian pastor, Philip Olubakin, who recently conducted a wedding right inside his office.
No bridal train.
No groomsmen.
No wedding gown.
No fireworks.
No elaborate reception.
No live band.
No expensive venue.
Just two young people, their families, witnesses, and a marriage solemnized before God.
Pastor Olubakin explained that he was not condemning elaborate weddings. Rather, he was challenging the idea that people should postpone marriage indefinitely because they cannot afford the kind of wedding society expects them to have.
And honestly, I think he is making an important point.
If you are familiar with the social scene in Lagos and many parts of Nigeria, you already know that weddings have become major productions. In many cases, the celebration itself now costs more than the foundation of the marriage being celebrated.
Recent estimates suggest that a standard Lagos wedding involving a few hundred guests may cost anywhere between fifteen and thirty million naira when all the expenses are added together. Venue, catering, drinks, decor, photography, videography, entertainment, traditional ceremonies, and countless other expenses quickly accumulate.
There is nothing sinful about celebrating a wedding elaborately if one has the means.
Marriage is a God-ordained institution. It is worthy of celebration.
But the danger comes when the celebration becomes an obstacle to the institution itself.
That is what Pastor Olubakin is trying to address.
His closing statement struck me particularly:
“Things don’t have to be very difficult.”
That observation extends far beyond weddings.
Many things God intended to be simple have become unnecessarily difficult because of social pressure, cultural expectations, and our desire to impress other people.
Sometimes we need to strip away everything non-essential and ask ourselves a simple question:
What really matters?
At the heart of marriage, what matters is covenant.
What matters is commitment.
What matters is vows before God and witnesses.
What matters is laying a proper foundation.
Everything else is secondary.
ON REMOVING OBSTACLES TO GODLY THINGS
One reason I wholeheartedly support what Pastor Olubakin is doing is that it reminds me of a biblical principle that appears repeatedly throughout Scripture.
Whenever people seek to do something godly, we should not be the ones creating unnecessary obstacles.
In the Old Testament, the cities of refuge were to remain accessible. Roads leading to them were to be maintained. Obstacles were to be removed so that people fleeing for safety could reach refuge without hindrance.
That principle extends beyond the cities of refuge.
When people desire to do something noble, godly, and God-honoring, Christians should be removing barriers, not creating them.
This applies to salvation.
It applies to church life.
It applies to baptism.
It applies to thanksgiving.
And yes, it applies to marriage.
Society has already created enough pressures.
The church should not add more.
If a young couple wishes to marry and lacks the financial capacity for an elaborate ceremony, then let them marry.
The people who truly matter will understand.
And years later, the quality of their marriage will not be determined by the size of the reception hall.
ON FALLING OUT OF LOVE BECAUSE OF MONEY
Closely connected to that story is another viral clip making the rounds online.
A woman asked a panel what she should do because she had fallen out of love with her husband after he stopped providing financially. She explained that he had been unable to provide adequately for about a year and a half and that she was now considering returning to an ex-partner.
The responses from the panel were strong, and rightly so.
One of the panelists made a profound observation.
If you love someone only under certain conditions, then the moment those conditions disappear, your love disappears too.
That is not covenant.
That is convenience.
Marriage was never intended to be sustained only during prosperous seasons.
The traditional wedding vows reflect this reality perfectly.
For better or worse.
For richer or poorer.
In sickness and in health.
Those words exist because difficult seasons are inevitable.
And honestly, what troubled me most was not simply the woman’s frustration. Financial pressure can be genuinely difficult.
What troubled me was the underlying assumption that temporary inability to provide automatically invalidates marital commitment.
That is not how covenant works.
Our Lord Jesus Christ gave very narrow grounds for divorce.
Financial difficulty was not one of them.
A difficult season is precisely when commitment demonstrates its authenticity.
If loyalty only exists when conditions are favorable, then it is not really loyalty at all.
ON IN-N-OUT BURGER AND QUIET EVANGELISM
Another story that caught my attention concerns the American fast-food chain In-N-Out Burger.
The company has once again refused demands that it remove Bible verse references from its packaging and products. The management has made it clear that the practice will continue.
Now, many people in Nigeria may not immediately understand why this is controversial.
But in parts of North America and Europe, there is increasing hostility toward visible expressions of Christianity in public life.
People object to Bible verses.
People object to Christian symbols.
People object to scriptural references.
Some would prefer Christianity to remain entirely private and invisible.
Yet In-N-Out Burger continues quietly printing references such as Nahum 1:7, Revelation 3:20, and Proverbs 24:16 on its packaging.
I found myself looking up some of those verses.
Nahum 1:7 says:
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.”
What a beautiful reminder.
And that is precisely the point.
Someone may never otherwise open a Bible.
Someone may never otherwise encounter that verse.
But a simple reference on a napkin or burger wrapper may provoke curiosity.
And curiosity may lead to Scripture.
And Scripture may lead to Christ.
That is evangelism.
Not every Christian witness requires a microphone.
Not every Christian witness requires a pulpit.
Sometimes witness occurs through faithful presence in the marketplace.
Sometimes witness occurs through excellent work.
Sometimes witness occurs through small reminders that point people toward eternal truths.
ON CHRISTIAN EXCELLENCE AND CHRISTIAN WITNESS
There is often a debate among Christians.
Some argue that believers should simply perform excellent work and let their conduct speak for itself.
Others emphasize direct proclamation.
The truth is that both matter.
Martin Luther reportedly observed that a Christian shoemaker is not known because he places crosses on shoes. He is known because he makes excellent shoes to the glory of God.
There is wisdom in that.
Yet there is also wisdom in not hiding one’s faith.
What I appreciate about In-N-Out Burger is that it strikes a balance.
The company is not forcing anyone to read Scripture.
The verses are not being shouted through loudspeakers.
They are simply there.
Available.
Visible.
Present.
And when God intends to speak to someone, He often uses surprisingly ordinary means.
A napkin.
A paper cup.
A burger wrapper.
A Bible verse.
And suddenly a person realizes that God has something to say.
ON EID, ISAAC, AND RELIGIOUS CONFUSION
Finally, during the recent Eid celebrations, I came across two social-media posts that I found fascinating.
The first was from a Christian preacher who discussed Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of Isaac and argued that Christians understand that story differently because we recognize its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
And that is exactly right.
The ram that replaced Isaac pointed forward to something greater.
It pointed forward to Christ.
The sacrifices of the Old Testament ultimately found their fulfillment in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
That is why Christians no longer offer sacrifices of bulls, goats, or rams.
Christ has already accomplished what those sacrifices anticipated.
ON THE DANGERS OF FALSE EQUIVALENCE
The second post came from a Muslim woman who remarked that many Christians openly celebrate Eid and therefore Muslims should feel free to participate in Christmas festivities without criticism.
And this touches on a broader issue.
Many people today attempt to create an artificial equivalence between fundamentally different religious beliefs.
The motivation often sounds harmless.
It sounds friendly.
It sounds tolerant.
But ultimately it can create confusion.
Christians should know what they believe and why they believe it.
Muslims should know what they believe and why they believe it.
Mutual respect does not require theological confusion.
In fact, genuine respect is often strengthened by clarity.
One of the most destructive tendencies in modern culture is the insistence that all religious differences are essentially meaningless.
They are not.
Truth matters.
Doctrine matters.
Belief matters.
And while Christians should treat everyone with kindness, respect, and love, they should never feel pressured into pretending that fundamentally different beliefs are actually the same.
They are not.
And clarity is not hatred.
Clarity is honesty.
May God grant us wisdom, discernment, courage, and faithfulness in an increasingly confused age.
And may He help us focus always on the things that truly matter.
Whatever you do today, remain firmly on the Lord’s side.
