WHY GOD LET CHURCH SHUTDOWN, NOT COVID19. WHY IT WON’T OPEN UNLESS…
Bishop Nick Iheanacho
The Chairman of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Uyo has revealed why God allowed the church to be locked down this long. In a most pensive and sombre mood, Bishop Nick Iheanacho averred that the corona virus pandemic was not strong enough to cause the church to be shut down but pride, haughtiness and embarrassing self-adulation of pastors that provoked God to allow the current pandemic defy scientific solutions; forcing governments to helplessly force the church to close down. Bishop Iheanacho, noted for his close following of end time prophecies in relation to current happenings, stated this in an interview with Questnews24 last week in Uyo.
He said that Government should not be blamed for the shutdown of the church as no human institution was powerful enough to stop the church from gathering. “Think about this for a second: Who could have been able to stop the church from gathering? Not even government, no matter how powerful a government is, it cannot stop the church from gathering. Check through history, no government, no power it was ever stopped the church from gathering. For COVID 19 to stop the church, it means there is something behind the disease that we don’t even know or bother at all to know,” he said.
He observed the pastors were becoming too proud and compromising, hence God allowed the coronavirus to humble them into repentance. His words: “The pride, ego and haughtiness of pastors and the world have become so provocative that God may have pondered: ‘If a pestilence can do the job of bringing the church to a place of reasoning, so be it!” Buttressing his assertion, he said the situation was beyond Government and that was why despite agitations by pastors for reopening of churches, the church still remain closed. Stated that argued for Government to reopen the churches, pastors should first humble themselves and seek repentance so that God lift the embargo. The subsisting lockdown, he said was a child’s play compared to the looming judgment awaiting the church if pastors will not repent of all forms of pride and haughtiness.
The clergy expressed fear that if government should open the church for general worship now without general repentance, pastors would still continue with pride and self-adulation and that while the church remains closed, pastors should consider themselves suspended from their services to the kingdom and change their ways.
However, hope that the church in Akwa Ibom State was reopening on Pentecost Sunday March 31 has been dashed. According to Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Akwa Ibom State chairman, Bishop Emmanuel Etim, CAN was meeting with representatives of the State Government to work out agreeable modalities for reopening of Churches in the State, but hope dimmed when the government through the State’s spokesman, Charles Udoh, issued a statement reaffirming the church was still under lock and key until further notice. How long the indefinite close down would remain, no one can tell. Meanwhile, the State Government has absolved itself of blame for close down of churches when the Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, was answering questions in a radio call in programme. He placed the responsibility of reopening of worship centres on CAN. But surprisingly, government has called on Christians across the State to embark on a three day fasting and prayer in early June.
Editor’s note: Read the full text of interview with Bishop Nick Iheanacho at www.questnews24.com
