COVID-19: How Pastor Oyemade Countered Oyedepo, Oyakhilome On Churches Closure

 

The Senior Pastor of Covenant Christian Centre Lagos, Pastor Poju Oyemade, has disagreed with prominent preachers against the continued ban on religious gatherings over the Coronavirus pandemic, stressing that the closure of church buildings does not stop the manifestation of God’s power.

Though the lockdown has been eased in Lagos, Ogun and FCT, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered in his latest broadcast, that worship centres will remain shut till further notice.

This led the founder of Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, to flay the authorities for closing churches, insisting that worship centres should be a place where the afflicted come and get healed.

Toeing the same path as Oyakhilome, founder of Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo stated that the continued closure of churches was suspicious as it was part of the moves to stop the church of God from expanding.

But Oyemade, on Friday, used his Instagram page to weigh in on the matter, positing that the closure of churches does not in any way stop the Holy Spirit from working.

Citing biblical passages, he said: “The sick healed in the book of Acts were healed on the streets, in people’s homes, in public places and not within the four walls of a Church.”

Oyemade continued: “Closing the doors of a physical building does not in any way mean the closure of the anointing of the Spirit from working.

“Church buildings may be shut down but true faith and the anointing of the Spirit has not stopped working.

“There is a difference between expression of emotions and the manifestation of the anointing to heal the sick.

“There is nowhere in Jesus’ ministry where the healing of the sick was preceded by a congregational service.

“In the Book of Acts, the sick were healed predominantly on the streets with no fanciful service going on.

“Closure of a church building does not stop the rivers of living water from flowing out of your belly. It resides in our inner man.

“There was collective prayer to receive a supply of the Spirit which led to outdoor manifestations.

He referred to Apostle Paul insisting Christians do not have to be together in a physical space to receive that supply.

“Did he not say to the Church at Phillipi, I know this shall turn to my salvation through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus? The Church was miles away from where Paul was.

“Charles Finney began a massive revival by people praying in their homes all keeping watches at the same time. They all chose the exact time to pray and they did in their homes until the Spirit broke out on the streets.

“They did not criticise any other Church or ministry of weakness. Criticizing others doesn’t attest to the fact that you have strength. They only stayed with God until something broke out on the streets.”