The President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Dr Samson Olasupo A. Ayokunle on Sunday said arrogance of humans against God and constituted authority, sin and all sorts of wickedness are responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic that defies human solution but God has provisions for its cure.
The cleric made this assertion in his Special sermon on a cable television, New Frontier TV, titled “Looking unto Jesus: I Shall Fear no Evil” taking from the book of the Numbers 21: 4-9 where he called for a change of heart with a view to seeing the solution to the pandemic.
Other factors he identified are, Ungratefulness or ingratitude, and the imminent Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
“As in the case of the children of Israel in this passage, the arrogance of man against God and lawfully constituted authority led to God’s anger and judgement over the people.
“People say anything today against God and against the word of God. The Holy Scriptures injunctions which are God’s commands no longer matter before us. We query the validity today of the word of God and equally deliberately act against it. All practices that would make us worship God we reject or abandon under the guise of fundamental human right.
“In some advanced nations, anything about God must not be mentioned in any public event neither can people worship God nor share the gospel with their neighbours. Doing so is an offense. This pride and arrogance against God came because of advancement in technology. We feel we can do many things without God and thus become ‘god’ to ourselves. Technological advancement should make us to reference God the more because he is the revealer of knowledge,” he said.
Speaking on the sin factor, he said, “Sinfulness is an extension of my first point of arrogance against God. In Nigeria, violence has become a daily occurrence. Beginning from the wickedness of armed robbers to religious terrorists such as Al Qaida, Al Shabab, Boko Haram, Isis, etc. We equally have the violence of banditry and Fulani Herdsmen attacks everywhere in the nation.
“People are slaughtered or kidnapped to be slaughtered or for ransom. Time will not permit me to talk about the wickedness of ritual killing for money making and fraudulent practices all over our world especially our nation Nigeria. People including believers walk about half naked like insane people and even dress like that to houses of worship to pollute many. Promiscuity is everywhere. We have sinned against God and he has sent to our midst a fiery serpent!”
He compared the world to the people of Israel who cried unto God and He raised up Moses to deliver them from the bondage in Egypt and at the Red Sea but instead of appreciating God, they always cried out and murmured against Him and Moses, His prophet, whom He had chosen to lead them to the Promised Land.
“Beloved, are we not provoking God daily for not being able to appreciate his goodness. Don’t we easily forget all the good things he has done for us before when another small problem arises? How grateful are we to God when we have experienced his goodness? We need to stop complaining and murmuring. We need to begin to appreciate him the way we speak and act. It is of the mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed”.
Ayokunle also reminded the people that the End of the Age will be preceded by all manners of wars, diseases and plagues and charged the Church to be prepared to welcome the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
According to him, “The second coming of the Lord to take his people home and judge the world of sin is drawing closer than ever before. What is happening now more happen because our Lord Jesus Christ’s predictions about the signs of the end must come to pass. (Matthew 24:7-8). All these things are calling our attention to a focus on Jesus Christ, who is the author and finisher of our faith so that when he comes we would not be found wanting.”
On what to be done to overcome the coronavirus attacks and other similar diseases, the cleric who also doubled as the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention assured those who are godly to nurse no fear of any pandemic. He reminded them of how God used the blood of the lamb to protect His people in Goshen when the angels of destruction were killing the first born of the Egyptians.
“The Blood of Jesus. When the plague was ravaging Egypt, it did not get to where the children of Israel were staying though it happened within the same city. This is because of the differences in the God both believed. The only God that can save told his own people to put the blood of the lamb of Passover in front of their houses so that when destruction gets to the doorpost where there is blood, it will spare such household and that was what happened (Exodus 12: 12-13).
He also identified the Faith in Jesus as another shield against any pandemic. “Believe today and escape from the pandemic ravaging the world. There is healing balm in Gilead. It is Jesus the Christ.
“For the children of Israel, it was by looking at the serpent on the tree that was hung that they were spared. Those who refused to obey by looking at the hung serpent definitely must have died though they were fellow Israelites like those that looked and were saved.
“Similarly, Jesus Christ our Lord has been hung on the cross where he shed his blood for us so that if we look unto him by faith at this time, call him into our lives and make him the object of our faith, even, if anyone has contacted the virus, in the name of the Lord, that person would be healed. Do you believe in Jesus?,” he said.
Ayokunle also called for prayers against the pandemic.
According to him, “If our prayers would be answered, we need to first repent of our sins of arrogance against God, disobedience to his commands, our wickedness and our ingratitude. God will not only forgive us if we genuinely repent from our sins, he would equally stop the pandemic. After the Israelites repented, Moses sought the face of God for them and God healed those that were beaten by simply telling them to look at the brazen serpent.
“The Lord enjoins us to call upon him in the day of trouble and that he would hear us and show us great and mighty things which we have never seen before in life. I urge all believers and those who know God to call upon him day and night. ”
“The church must cry to God for mercy and Coronavirus will be a thing of the past in the name of Jesus. I prophesy healing to all those that were already infected in the name of Jesus. I command the pandemic to stop by the authority of the risen Christ in Jesus’ name. You and I will not be consumed in the name of Jesus.”
