The Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has called for prayers
for leaders in the country, saying governance is spiritual warfare.
Osinbajo spoke on Tuesday at the
inauguration of the auditorium of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry
headquarters at Gbagada, Lagos State.
Osinbajo said the inauguration was
auspicious because it came at a time when the nation is confronting different
security challenges.
He, however, faulted people who
criticise Christians in government.
While making reference to how Esther
in the Bible delivered the Israelites, he urged Christians to pray more, saying
governance is a spiritual warfare.
He said, “Those of us Christians in
government, we are sometimes referred to as Esthers; we are told that we are in
office for such a time as this.
“What is often forgotten is that when
Mordecai told Esther that she was in the palace for such a time as this, Esther
replied in Esther 4:16, ‘Go and gather all the Jews that are in Shusan and fast
for me, neither eat for three days – night and day. My maids will fast likewise
and I will go to the king, which is against the law, and if I perish, I
perish.’
“This I say to the church as well; it is the duty of the church to
pray for those in government; the church should uphold the hands of those in
government, not by complaining, but by supporting us in the place of prayer.
Governance is spiritual warfare. Anyone that does not know that, I know that
governance is spiritual warfare and I ask that you pray for us who are in
position of authority in this land.”
The Vice-President said the crises in
the North-East and other parts of the country were caused by Satan’s opposition
to the spread of the gospel.
Osinbajo, who condemned the
persecution of Christians in some parts of the country, said that President
Muhammadu Buhari had asked him to take up cases where people were prevented
from building religious places of worship.
He said, “First, there is even a
resistance to building of churches. There are specific cases and places where
specific allegations are made of valid applications made to build churches that
have been refused. The President has mandated me to take up those cases with specific
states and authorities. The right to freedom of worship is also a right to
build places of worship.
“Second is the physical persecution of Christians, a phenomenon we
have seen for years. Just this morning on my way here, I was notified of the
violation of a Catholic church in Benue State by armed killers, who went there
while a burial mass was taking place and killed the priest and some
worshippers.
“It is not only a heinous sacrilege,
but high wickedness to kill persons in the place of worship. As I discuss these
issues with the President and other members in the security council, it is
evident to me and to many that the devil’s biggest agenda is to stoke up a
religious conflict in Nigeria; one that will make it impossible for anyone to
preach the gospel or even Muslims to worship in their mosques. A few days ago
in Bama, a mosque was burnt and many died.
“While the security agencies continue
to work relentlessly to hunt down the perpetrators of this evil acts and bring
a permanent end to all the killings that are going on in the name of herdsmen
or Boko Haram or in any other name. We, as the body of Christ, must not lose
focus. We are called to bring men and women to salvation: all men and women,
even those who kill and persecute us.
“The enemy wants us to stand on our pulpit and preach hate. But we
will not. We will obey our Lord Jesus Christ, who said that we must love our
enemies and preach to even those who persecute us. There is nobody born or yet
to be born that can stop the march of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Osinbajo, while lauding the Deeper
Life for its investment in a flyover and streetlights to ease traffic in the
neighbourhood, said the edifice is the fourth largest auditorium in the world.
He described the General
Superintendent of the Church, Pastor William Kumuyi, as “a man of uncommon
humility and commitment to the spread of the undiluted gospel of Jesus Christ
with candour and integrity.”
The Vice-President urged the cleric to
continue to preach “righteousness and righteous behaviour” as the government
battles corruption.
The event featured musical
performances from the children, youths, campus and adult ministries of the
church.
Kumuyi thanked members and leaders of
the church for contributing towards the success of the project, saying the
church went beyond its initial plans by constructing the flyover and
streetlights as part of its corporate social responsibility.
He said it took the church 13 years to
construct the 30,000-seater church.
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