Evang. Emmanuel T. Akeredolu |
The DCC Superintendent of Christ Apostolic Church, Ilorin DCC, Ilorin, Kwara State, Evangelist Emmanuel Toluwase Akeredolu in this interview with 'Gbenga Bankole speaks on many interesting issues. EXCERPT !
A lot has been said
about corona virus. As far as you are concerned, do you see the hand of God in
it?
In many of my messages and prayers since the issue of
COVID-19 started, I always appeal to God to please have mercy on us. I do tell
people that if Satan is fighting you, you can run to God, if man is fighting
you, you can run to God, but what if it is God that is fighting the entire
world, whom will we run to? You can’t pray that God should attack God. Anytime
I want to pray on COVID-19, I love praying to God to have mercy on everyone in
the entire world. The sins of the entire world are too much, even more than
those of Sodom and Gomarrah. The entire world is supposed to be destroyed by
God. People are being killed all over the world every second. Terrorist, ritual
or militant killing does not have any meaning to us again because it is too
rampant and it doesn’t move us like before. If you listen to news you will hear
Pastor so and so was caught with human head or engages in rape. The entire
world is overdue for destruction from God. The world would have been destroyed
if not because of Jesus Christ who is at the right hand of God pleading on our
behalf, begging maybe we can still find more people into the kingdom of God.
Concerning COVID-19, as an individual, I see the hand of God
in it because if it is a mistake by the biologist or something they plan to do
God sees it and He has many ways to stop them. If they plan to destroy the
entire world, God can use His own power to stop it from working. If God wants
to deal with a nation or a person, He will enter into someone to do it. The
Bible says God sealed the heart of Pharaoh in order for him not to repent
because the hand of God was upon him for destruction. For me I think except if
God is ready to have mercy on us, no prophetic prayer from anybody can stop
COVID-19. Meanwhile, all the children of God will be saved from the disease by
the grace of God.
The Bible talks about
perilous times. Do you think that COVID-19 is part of the signs of perilous
times?
Not yet. When it is time for perilous times the whole world
will know, but the saint will not experience the perilous times. Perilous times
will come after the rapture. Pandemic, war, violence and other atrocities are
signs that the coming of Christ is very near.
In a time like this,
what is supposed to be the focus of the Church?
The focus of the Church in a time like this is to preach
more about Christ to people. If you study the situation of things this period,
you will discover that people turn to God more than before. It was reported in
the media that some Indians drove their idols to the sea and they said it is
only God that can save them and the entire world. There are a lot of people who
are praying than ever. Millions of people are preaching on Facebook, Zoom,
YouTube and other social media platforms. Since the issue of COVID-19 started I
have been preaching on Facebook on a daily basis from 9pm to 10pm. People from
US, Europe and other parts of the world listen to my message, but before now I
didn’t do it. I used to preach only in the Church and on radio.
As Christians we should use social media at this period to
preach the gospel to more people. I didn’t use Mixlr (online radio) before but
now you can listen to me on Mixlr preaching the Gospel of Christ just as you
watch me on Facebook. Those who don’t have access to Facebook can listen to me
on Mixlr. At times after preaching on Facebook, I will discover that nothing
less than 900 people watched it. When you check the following day you will see
that over 1000 people have watched it. I now reach more people than when I preached
in Church. This period is an opportunity for everyone to sit down and amend
your ways. Anybody can die at any point and at anytime because as a Christian
we are not supposed to be afraid of death, though we must be careful and try as
human beings to protect ourselves. However, every Christian must be ready to
die anytime. Baba Babajide used to say “if a Christian dies untimely he or she
will enter the kingdom of God untimely or immediately. There are a lot of
people who have died without preparing or expecting it. This is an opportunity
to amend our ways. Whatever we have been doing before that is against the will
of God we should repent from it.
There are some people
who have linked COVID-19 with upcoming 5G network. What is your thought on
this?
I don’t believe in that. 5G has nothing to do with COVID-19.
We have been using 3G and 4G networks without any problem. I am sure few years
after we start using 5G, 6G will be introduced. 5G is just a network. I don’t
believe it has any connection with COVID-19.
It has nothing to do with COVID-19. It may be a scientific error that is
responsible for COVID-19, but God knows about it.
Some people are
saying that ‘one religion’ that United Nations and Pope are proposing to
religious leaders across the globe is one of the plans of the Antichrist to
shut the Church. Do you think the Church (or worship centres) can be shut
permanently even before the coming of Christ?
If we look at it critically, the Pope himself is not a
Christian, but a Catholic. Many of them don’t believe in the birth of our Lord,
Jesus Christ. They believe in Islam and partially believe the Bible. If you see
Catholic Bible, there are some passages of the real Bible that are not there.
They also have other passages of the Bible that is not in the popular one we
are using. I know Satan has a hand in what is going on across the globe
regarding ‘one religion’ but it won’t work because it is written in the Bible
that the gate of hell shall not prevail over the Church. They have been trying
for many years to silence the Church, but it is not possible. Even if they make
attempt, they can only close the worship centres, not the Church. As an
individual I am a Church.
What is your message
to state governments who have failed to open worship centres till now?
I pray that God will visit them and tell them the right
thing to do. They know what they are doing. They are playing games. They are
receiving money from World Bank, United Nations and some private organizations.
The number of COVID-19 patients in Nigeria keeps increasing on daily basis, but
we don’t know where they are keeping them. They are just giving us figures.
They should show us those patients in isolation centres; they may not show
their faces. They should allow the press to go to the isolation centres to
interview them.
I want to appeal to state Governors to allow worship centres
to open. Corona virus doesn’t live in church or mosque. In our assembly here,
we use thermometer to check your temperature before you are allowed into the church
compound, you wash your hands with soup and sanitizer and you must use your
facemask. In the church we give ourselves social distance and we are enjoying
our services. We hold two services for one and half hour each. Governors should
allow people to come back to church where we can pray and God will have mercy
over the entire world.
What is your advice
to ministers who are being affected negatively by the lockdown of churches or
COVID-19?
It is only in CAC you will hear Pastors saying God says I should
not do any other business. Up till now I am still against it. If you gather 20
of the Pastors who usually make such statement, ask them, ‘did you receive that
message from God or from the Holy Spirit?’ I always teach Pastors under me how
to make money since I was District Superintendent. When I was in Lagos I
challenged one of my Lady Evangelists who come to church from 6am and will be
in the church till evening to find something doing. She told me she was selling
charcoal and fire wood before God called her into the ministry. Due to the fact
that I have two male and two female Evangelists, I scheduled them to be one
male and one female for each week. I told the woman to go back to her charcoal
business same as others. One of them came back in six months and told me she
wanted to buy a land. To the glory of God, the woman and her husband are living
inside their house presently. They have built their house. As a minister, if
God does not want you to do any other business in the ministry, He will categorically
tell you. When a Pastor who has no business did not receive any salary for two
months, he will start panicking. To the glory of God I know how I assisted
people financially during the lockdown. Every Pastor is supposed to have a
source of income apart from the salary coming from the church. If you have
another source of income as a Pastor you cannot be messed up by Elders in your
assembly.
There is no doubt
that the economy of the world, Nigeria in particular won’t remain the same
after COVID-19, what is the plan of God for His children in a time like this?
Anybody who knows himself or herself as a Christian must not
panic because we are children of God. He knows what to do concerning us. I have
never disturbed myself concerning tomorrow because if truly I am a servant of
God and His son, He has so many ways to take care of His children. He will take
care of us. We shouldn’t be disturbed. I never for once during the lockdown
thought of what I will give to my wife or children because I know the God I am
serving will provide for me. If I serve Him as child and servant, He knows what
to do to me. If the Federal Government of Nigeria can provide for its military,
I know my God can do more than that. My message to everybody is that we should
remain calm, trust your God and He will take care of you.
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Great insights. God bless you Daddy.
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