Without any iota of doubt the coming of coronavirus popularly tagged Covid-19 pandemic has rattled everyone. It has confused, it has debased and has messed almost everyone living caught unaware.
The events of the past six months globally caused by Covid-19 have brought a lot of troubles to people across the world. Presidents of foremost and so called civilised nations have been debased, confused and ridiculed as they could not profess any solution to the pandemic whether on long or short term bases. To say the least it has grossly left our leaders in government almost totally in mess as they are all struggling to wriggle themselves out to provide what could be called face saving measures.
The pandemic has dealt serious blows to people and nations across the world, which made things look as if they could not come to normalcy within a foreseeable future to come.
Even as nations and countries of the world are still struggling to return to normal, most leaders are still engrossed in fear and confusion as they are not sure if the pandemic is on its way out, or could relapse. One may even state here that the mesmerisation has not left our churches, mosques, and spiritual leaders without its dent. In fact many of the known famous pastors and religious leaders have faced inexplicable embarrassments.
That is not the subject matter of this discussion. The matter of the moment is how the society especially the Church of God and religious institutions would bounce back to normalcy.
For about eight weeks many churches especially the big ones cannot congregate with their members, auditorium, centres, halls and churches that were built to house thousands of congregants in fellowship might have not been opened for all these months.
Now that both the government and religious leaders are thinking of opening the church and mosques as it were, some questions on stark realities are still staring the stakeholders in the face.
The government in trying to provide directions have come up with various suggestions, some tenable and others not only ridiculous but seemingly unthinkable. Among such advice offered by government or health experts are that churches are worship houses cannot take more of 20 worshipers at a time, some are suggesting that elderly people and those with underlining issues should not go near churches. Very laughable and ridiculous. Others like Lagos State are not only mooting the idea but have concluded that all churches and mosques should not only ensure safety standards but must come back to register and ensure their safety standards.
Churches have been told not to open without ensuring the safety standards. With all these postulations, the questions coming is “Where is the Church?”, and in fact, “Where is our God in all these?”
It is most unfortunate that all or may be many of our pastors cannot defend God in a very testy situation like this. It is good to obey the laws of the land, is it not better to obey God and damn the consequence? In a situation like this somebody especially the prophets in the land should be able to tell us the mind of God, not those doing heady calculations or merely playing to the gallery. It will not be those who would say and not come to pass. Such people are not worth to be called prophets. They don’t want to be tagged as disobedient, unruly and uncooperative.
Without any doubt we have compromised our faith, no pastor is ready to die for Jesus, nobody is ready to damn the consequence. Where are the likes of Shadrach, Meshak and Abednego? Where is the Daniel of our time? Little wonders that all manners of people go on to rain insults on the church and its leaders in a time like this.
As if all those are not enough, the government and religious leaders are thinking about opening the church, and in Lagos here, Lagos are lumped with hotels, restaurants, event centres, cinemas and social clubs, Now they should come and register their presence and members for unforseen contingencies.
Yet another advice, if you are less than 15 years and above 55 years and don’t go near Churches, if you have underlining health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, HIV, and all that, you are advised to stay at home to worship.
In this kind of situation, the Christians or the leaders should be able to call the government to order. Religious groups like government and even NGOs should be able to set up their team of medical experts and technicians to also advise the government on how to go about the situation in a way that it would not adversely affect the faith homes.
Well, as the situation is now, the days of sober reflection of the Church are not yet over. Just before they go back to business as usual this is a time that the Nigerian Church needs a leader in the order of Moses, Elijah and Elisha. We need the man God called, not opportunists politicians in cassocks, who are merely out to merchandise in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When the sick and the vulnerables cannot enter church again to receive healing, what is the business of the Church? In fact the leadership of CAN, and that younger pastors look up to as fathers and leaders should go back to God and ask if they are truly called or if they are just there to take advantage of the less outspoken ones.
In a time like this, all spiritual leaders should come together and proffer spiritual solutions to the problems on hand, the world is earnestly waiting for the manifestation of the children of God.
If all our pastors were only to boast of the miracles and characters of the bible without thinking of standing firm to relive such, their faith leaves doubt in the mouth.
One other loophole in all these has been simply because Christians sold out their birthrights to politicians. Somebody in a message to us asked why the government respect the market leaders more than church leaders. I asked why would they not respect them? While market leaders negotiate with politicians, religious leaders go to politicians to collect handouts and beg for one favour or the other.
It is time Christians and other religious leaders stood up and declared support for righteous people in government. It is time the Christians began a thorough search for those they can talk to, those who would have their eyes in a time of crises like this when they get to government. Let the Church begin to nurse and groom future political leaders.
Perhaps we need to state here again that if our old influential religious leaders are tired and have compromised the faith let there be serious prayers by the young, energetic and God hearing ministers of God not only in Nigeria but all over the world.
It is during a time of crisis like this that leaders emerge. Those who believe in the power of God should pray this time and pray through. We have a lot to pray about. We need to pray as mortals for God to send Coronavirus packing from the surface of the earth. The world does not only need political leaders but also spiritual leaders who can hear from God and tell political leaders the message from God. They are the ones political leaders can call father. When we are ready to hear from God, and act accordingly, there will be peace, harmony and progress in the land. May the Prince of Peace take a perfect control.
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