• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Resist all forms of evil, cleric urges Christians

Christians

Eric Emiaso, the presiding bishop and head of mission, Gospel Church of Christ worldwide, has charged Christians to be Christ-like and resist every form of evil in the face of challenges that characterise the nation, urging Christians to continually pray and have absolute faith in God and in His word, especially as the country is going through turbulent times.

Bishop Emiaso stated this at the annual convention of the Church and one year anniversary of his inauguration as the presiding bishop, held last weekend at the Lagos International headquarters.

According to Emiaso, Christians should endeavour to be practical and responsible with obedience to the word of God and leading of the Holy Spirit, which is key to experiencing desired flourishing in Christ. He further emphasised flourishing in Christ as divine provisional needs to live a successful life.

Emiaso opined that disobedient and rebellion to the word of God have left many Christians stagnant and hindered from flourishing as they should. He therefore, challenged Christians to anchor their lives and services on the word of God and not social activities that have no impact on their spiritual growth and development.

Emiaso, whose goal is to win more souls, plant more churches and encourage women development in the church, also, decried recent developments, where some pastors are reportedly involved in rapping, adultery, fraud and other vices that diminish the office and calling of a pastor.

Ministry or ministerial works are not career, they are callings with divine unction, but many see it the other way round and abuse it”, Emiaso said, attributing it to satanic agents who masquerade into the ministry through the window and back doors without proper spiritual upbringing, but with the motive and intention of misleading people in the ministry.

Speaking further he said, “The church is sick, fills with unrighteous characters that have no purpose of being in the ministry than for personal satisfaction and it will require divine intervention of Jesus Christ, the owner of the church to heal the church”.

On Nigeria trajectory as a nation, the cleric said, “In a few month, Nigeria will be celebrating 59 years of independence and the reason we are still in self-afflicted bondage as a nation is because of man-made hindrances that have plagued our national growth and development. No doubt, the flourishing of Nigeria is spiritual and you cannot treat spiritual matters with physical, until Nigeria as a nation goes back to God, we will continue in all manners of situation.

“Don’t be deceived by noise making, self-acclaimed prophets, who prophesy falsehood to deceive gullible Nigerians and enrich themselves for self-edification and political gratification”.

The convention was held to empower, encourage and expose the congregation to the knowledge of further exercising their divine right to flourishing in Christ spiritually, physically and otherwise in every endeavour of life and ministry.

Present at the convention were also Bishop Andy Ogbu, Apostle Leslie Nsame from Cameroon, Bishop Sam Oniekoro, among others as guest speakers. Other activities that featured during the four-day convention included ordination of ministers and retirement of Bishop Anthony Emeghara and Rev. Duke Atima, who have served the church meritoriously in many capacities.

 

SEYI JOHN SALAU