honeyB2018:



Lots of you, react to threads without a deep thinking of what the thread was out to showcase.
In Epg.4: 11-13, the bible talked about giftings and what it should be used for. 1peter 4:10 talked using the gifts to minister to one another. If the church or place of worship is lockdown and you are not as it is now, in a place where your gifting can be used to God's glory, what do you think, will be the fate of those who need it but couldn't?
This is what the present situation portends.

The church isn’t locked down, it’s the building that is locked due to the pandemic. Churches are still holding services using different online and digital medium. The problem with a lot of you is that you guys practice religion and not Christianity.

BluntTheApostle:


You are the one who is 100% wrong.

If your pastors had done the real job of building up people, instead of building mighty structures, then Christians would be able to survive on their own during crisis such as this pandemic.

Christianity has faced far more persecution in the past than now, and still survived. The secret is the investment that the Apostles made on the church (the people). But in today's Christianity, buildings are prioritized.

Corporate Christianity was emphasized by Paul because the Church was still very young, and new members needed all the encouragement they could get.

But today, the Church is old, and the Word can be easily assessed even through phones. There are many Bible apps (even with audio features) that you can download and read the Word by yourself.

This was not the case in the time of Paul. A new member needed all the guidance and encouragement they could get from the older members.

But if a Christian in today's time who has been going to Church every Sunday for at least 5 years is still depending on the corporate church for guidance, then I am sorry to say that there is no difference between such a Christian and a student who has been repeating the same class for 5 years.

Such a Christian needs deliverance from the spirit of Churchianity.

Absolutely. The church today is not doing enough to make 'fishers of men'.

The church is contended with the spectacular, the feeding of 3,000 with five loaves and two fishes. It wants the people to sit down in groups as the scriptures say almost in perpetuity. Jesus on the other hand quickly became fed up with those who came only for the food.

He rather wanted them to become the source. That is why mature commentators in the faith are concerned about the poor impact of the church in the affairs of nations. This is because there are far too many babies in the kingdom and not enough caretakers. That is, fewer graduating from the 'school of Christianity' to become active fishermen in the field of life.

Church leadership is responsible for this problem. For deliberately witholding I think, crucial knowledge that will help the birds mature and leave the nest as it were. Si they are bound to be concerned by events that will keep the flock physically away for any protracted period of time.

mceze:


Shut up! Chris, Oyedepo and their likes are criminals and con artist. With all their prayers before the lockdown, did anything change in Nigeria? This people are just after their business. Most Churches are nothing but pure business in Nigeria. Spiritual my foot! Nigerians are hypocrites and not believers or Christians, including you.

Mceze,
I don't know how one can be of help to you, your ignorance and public display of stupidity on this platform is on the increase and need to be controlled.
You started with insults and lack of respect, thereby making yourself, the worst example of the product you are trying to advertise.
If you are in the position of those you are insulting today,won't you do more than them?
This is 2020. Caution yourself.

Yanglee:


The church isn’t locked down, it’s the building that is locked due to the pandemic. Churches are still holding services using different online and digital medium. The problem with a lot of you is that you guys practice religion and not Christianity.

You are still wrong my brother.
The reason lots of you are saying all these, is because you are not involved. Church is not about Tithes and offerings, but that of bonding together, which you don't know.

So few of them still have the fear of God that doesn't want to have people blood on his hands all in the name of tithes and offering.

PastorandMentor:
No need to argue with you.
Men make men.
What you need for your next level is in the hands of one man.
Remain there in frustration while i keep enjoying the Grace i inherited from my father Bishop Oyedepo.

D Bible doesn't say anything about d "grace of oyedepo". U can share with me were u got that from d Bible. D Bible says in 2 Corinthians 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ...".

So while u are "enjoying d grace of oyedepo" (which i call crumbs), let me share with u d grace I enjoy& pls tell me which is better. Let me introduce u to d God of all grace. Check out 1 Peter 5:10.

2 Corinthians 9:8 says:

"And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to me, so that I may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity".

If u can't support ur faith with scriptures & u see oyedepo as your source, then u are practicing idolatry and not Christianity. If u see ur pastor as d source of anointing, then obviously u don't no what u are doing

olaayodele:


I can sympathize with you. I believe that you must be a pastor, missing the tithe and offerings. Members can still pay these online.
Pastor poju barked up his points by making references to the Bible. God is not an author of confusion

Olaayodele
If tithe and offerings are the reasons, why we're asking that the church be opened, I want to tell that lots of church members are now tithing and giving their offerings and making their vows and pledges online.
So Sunday collections and all the attendant problems are solved.
But the bible said Iron shapeneth iron. There are lots we can achieve when we congregate as believers. Thanks

honeyB2018:


You are still wrong my brother.
The reason lots of you are saying all these, is because you are not involved. Church is not about Tithes and offerings, but that of bonding together, which you don't know.

During a pandemic? Would there be gatherings of brethren’s in the building of a church if most are sick and isolated? The building isn’t the church, the people make up the church and in as much as church service is still ongoing I am actively involved. I stream my church service live on sundays as well midweek services.

litigator:



How many church buildings did Apostles Peter and Paul build?

Atleast, they wrote over 75% of the new testament. The church in Ephisus, was it a physical building during the days of the great persecution?

Also, juxtapose your assertion with the Biblical elucidations that " the kingdom of God is within thee". Luke 17:20-21, particularly at verse 21.

Also, the old church shared everything in common and non lacked. Even those who had benefited from the good will of others but wanted to be greedy with theirs, met fatal punishment. How well has our modern church copied such precedent? Acts 4: 30-End; Acts 5.

During this period of Covid-19, how well is the church resources being shared amongst members of the church and by extension, members of the public as a tool of evangelism?

Jesus fed the congregation because He knew the importance of food to the body(biological feeding), and salvation to the soul( spiritual feeding).

How well has our church emulated this biblical precedent during COVID-19. Is this not the best time to win souls to the kingdom via the apt deployment of both mechanism?

Jesus and Apostle Peter were both leaders of the Church, both yet they knew they were trustees of the church, thus, gave good account of stewardship and didn't owe much personal property. Acts 4:32-End

Even Jesus lead by example by borrowing the a colt He used for triumphant entry. He could afford to buy one of the very best, and his actions will be justified because it is for the propagation of the gospel , but instead borrowed one. Mark 11:3.

***Take notice that this is a lame excuse being used by our religious leaders in an attempt to justify the luxurious lifestyle and the acquisition of aircrafts and phantom automobiles. But that is a discourse for another day.

From Apostle Peter's encounter with the man at the beautiful gate, it is apt to conclude that He didn't control the church resources even as a leader and pastor of the first church. He thus gave freely that which he had which was his anointing and heal the man of his infirmity. Can same be said for modern-day pastors and spiritual leaders? What changed?

Finally, lockdown has been lifted in some parts of the western world such as Italy where the church began, but the physical place of congregation is still under lockdown. Most of these pastors have church branches within such domicile, why are they not condemning the govt of such state as they do Nigeria?

Kindly educate my ignorance.

I await your timely response, God bless.

I am an Omnist and Bible student. I know there are 4200+ religion in our modern-day world, and that God is not a Christian, but He is" I am that I am".

Reference: God is not a Christian by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

I offer my highest regards.

I have questions for my Muslim brothers too, but we will address that another day. Shalom.

You have said it all. All this pastors are just after their belle...went to a church in Abuja one time the pastor was challenging his members to buy him the latest BMW SUV. That he knows they can do it. Saying its for the work of God,thier prestige and his own upliftment. And all in the church where screaming yes we can yes we can. I was so sock and amaze like I was the only one that tot sumthing was wrong with that... The truth is that our pple perish for lack of knowledge.they don't study the work themselfs all you hear them say is "our daddy in the Lord said" dis or dat. See now what we are hearing now is I stand with daddy dis and dat not even concern about your own self or your health... This men are saying what they are saying because of what they have missed and still missing. They don't care about you. They just need you to continue to grow rich and relevant.

honeyB2018:


Olaayodele
If tithe and offerings are the reasons, why we're asking that the church be opened, I want to tell that lots of church members are now tithing and giving their offerings and making their vows and pledges online.
So Sunday collections and all the attendant problems are solved.
But the bible said Iron shapeneth iron. There are lots we can achieve when we congregate as believers. Thanks

Congregate at the detriment of your own life Can you hear yourself

Olarewaju89:


You are a very funny fellow and i like your type, because you will be a useful vissel for God. I will like to know you more than this.

When I read all you have typed on this topic , cursing people , abusing parents and the likes , I wonder what makes you think an unbeliver will want to be in the same religious shed as you . Even many atheists or unbelievers are polite, humble, intelligent and milk . Your orientation needs a total overhaul and most importantly please stop deceiving yourself when you see the truth starring at you. I lost respect for these con artists when I watched one of them laying curses on people that don't pay tithe, It still beats my imagination why people can't easily figure out they are fakes, come on, you don't need an IQ of Albert Eisten to know that , its either you are benefitting from the scam ( most likely ) or you are irredeemable stupid

honeyB2018:
Pastor Poju, is 100% wrong. I'm not surprised he can spew this nonsense.
Lots of people, don't see and understand what Bishop Oyedepo and Pastor Oyakhilome Chris is seeing and talking about. Lots of you, toeing the line of thought of Pastor Oyemade, don't know, the power of the cooperate church. If you know, you will not be in his support.
You don't know, what damage, spiritually the closure of the place of worship has done to lots of believers, lots of Christians will never be the same after this lockdown and closure Wait till the closure is lifted, then you will understand.
I stand with Bishop Oyedepo and Pastor Chris. Oyakhilome.

He spoke with references and bible verses, dont just stand with anyone, quote scriptures and references

The topic of this post is highly misleading.

Openbusiness:
I stand with Pastor Chris and Bishop Oyedepo! Pastor Chris we know, Bishop Oyedepo we know, hu be this wan?

You are an slowpoke for making this comment.Finally a pastor said something meaningful you are here uttering nonsense
Those people you fight for are fighting for their stomach,I wonder when Nigerians would start usunu their senses

litigator:



How many church buildings did Apostles Peter and Paul build?

1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

1 Corinthians 7:17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.

hecomeshome:


1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

1 Corinthians 7:17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.

New International Version
1st Corinthians

7:1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.
7:2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
7:3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
7:4 The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.
7:5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
7:6 I say this as a concession, not as a command.
7:7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
7:8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am.
7:9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
7:10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
7:11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
7:12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
7:13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.
7:14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
7:15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
7:16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
7:17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.
7:18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.
7:19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts.
7:20 Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.
7:21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you--although if you can gain your freedom, do so.
7:22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave.
7:23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
7:24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
7:25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
7:26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are.
7:27 Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife.
7:28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
7:29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none;
7:30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep;
7:31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
7:32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the Lord.
7:33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife--
7:34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her husband.
7:35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
7:36 If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married.
7:37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin--this man also does the right thing.
7:38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.
7:39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.
7:40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is--and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

Sir, please read within context and educate my ignorance. Don't lift a sub-verse in trying to bamboozle me.

I remain a student and I am more than willing to learn. I still a baby in spirituality and I wish to leave milk someday and start eating real spiritual food.

Thank you

Flowkeyy:


You have said it all. All this pastors are just after their belle...went to a church in Abuja one time the pastor was challenging his members to buy him the latest BMW SUV. That he knows they can do it. Saying its for the work of God,thier prestige and his own upliftment. And all in the church where screaming yes we can yes we can. I was so sock and amaze like I was the only one that tot sumthing was wrong with that... The truth is that our pple perish for lack of knowledge.they don't study the work themselfs all you hear them say is "our daddy in the Lord said" dis or dat. See now what we are hearing now is I stand with daddy dis and dat not even concern about your own self or your health... This men are saying what they are saying because of what they have missed and still missing. They don't care about you. They just need you to continue to grow rich and relevant.

If you stand for the truth, you will always stand alone. But then, this is life and no one gets out alive and no one takes anything away from this world.

Naked we came, and naked we shall return.

litigator:


New International Version
1st Corinthians

7:1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.
7:2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
7:3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
7:4 The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.
7:5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
7:6 I say this as a concession, not as a command.
7:7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
7:8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am.
7:9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
7:10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
7:11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
7:12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
7:13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.
7:14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
7:15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
7:16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
7:17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.
7:18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.
7:19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts.
7:20 Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.
7:21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you--although if you can gain your freedom, do so.
7:22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave.
7:23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
7:24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
7:25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
7:26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are.
7:27 Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife.
7:28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
7:29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none;
7:30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep;
7:31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
7:32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the Lord.
7:33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife--
7:34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her husband.
7:35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
7:36 If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married.
7:37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin--this man also does the right thing.
7:38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.
7:39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.
7:40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is--and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

Sir, please read within context and educate my ignorance. Don't lift a sub-verse in trying to bamboozle me.

I remain a student and I am more than willing to learn. I still a baby in spirituality and I wish to leave milk someday and start eating real spiritual food.

Thank you

You didn't respond to 1Cor 3:6. What about it?
If I go with NIV, why would Paul lay down a rule in all the churches if he didn't plant them?
Cos you said he didn't build churches.

hecomeshome:


You didn't respond to 1Cor 3:6. What about it?
If I go with NIV, why would Paul lay down a rule in all the churches if he didn't plant them?
Cos you said he didn't build churches.

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ.
3:2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
3:3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
3:4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?
3:5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
3:6[b] I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
3:7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
3[/b]:8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.
3:9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.
3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
3:12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
3:13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.
3:14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
3:15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
3:17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
3:18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise.
3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness";
3:20 and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."
3:21 So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours,
3:22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours,
3:23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.


From this passage, there is nothing that alludes to your position on physical congregation.

3:7 is apt on the possible exponential and geometric success of online church is properly deployed at this time.

May I say that it is not the preaching of the pastor that converts a soul into the kingdom, but the manifestation of God through the powers of the Holy Ghost.

It is God who makes all things possible not our worship at a building or online fellowship. God is God of all. If we both agree on this fact that God is God with limitless possibilities, then we can also agree to the fact that He can do much more through online church as we now have the endless possibilities of reach millions world over without geographical boundaries.

Let's agree to disagree. We are both learning.

hecomeshome:


You didn't respond to 1Cor 3:6. What about it?
If I go with NIV, why would Paul lay down a rule in all the churches if he didn't plant them?
Cos you said he didn't build churches.

Youre right , Paul had churches under him who reports to him likewise other apostles like john and Peter had jerusalem under him

Paul had pastors like timothy, titus whom he send to some of the churches under his auhtority

litigator:



From this passage, there is nothing that alludes to your position on physical congregation.


Let's agree to disagree. We are both learning.

Yes, we are both learning.
But it beats my imagination that a bible student could say apostle Paul didn't plant churches.
Shalom!

Digitalstarlite:

Babe...can u deliver ekankan soup to me

What's that?

Digitalstarlite:

Is e ur Pastor?

And has e donated more dan #10m

Please make google your dear friend.

hecomeshome:


Yes, we are both learning.
But it beats my imagination that a bible student could say apostle Paul didn't plant churches.
Shalom!

Is online church not a church?

Our contention is whether or not physical congregation should be encouraged at this time when we can do same via online worship.

That is the contention. Physical meeting at this time as against online meetings.

Don't shit goal post. Thanks.

honeyB2018:
Pastor Poju, is 100% wrong. I'm not surprised he can spew this nonsense.
Lots of people, don't see and understand what Bishop Oyedepo and Pastor Oyakhilome Chris is seeing and talking about. Lots of you, toeing the line of thought of Pastor Oyemade, don't know, the power of the cooperate church. If you know, you will not be in his support.
You don't know, what damage, spiritually the closure of the place of worship has done to lots of believers, lots of Christians will never be the same after this lockdown and closure Wait till the closure is lifted, then you will understand.
I stand with Bishop Oyedepo and Pastor Chris. Oyakhilome.

Pls did Bible teaches Christians not to respect the Authority of the land? Mosques and other worship places were also directed to close till further notice,why is the big news for churches alone? Where is it in the Bible that says until Christians go to a particular house their prayers won't be answered or worship won't be accepted by God? We should be aware that Religion and Spirituality arent the same,they are 2 different things. Pastor Poju has spoken well, the world needs big help from all these Pastors,China,Italy,USA,etc need their miracle prowess for Covid19 cure and it 'll be a great wickedness to mankind if they refused to assist.

litigator:


Is online church not a church?

Our contention is whether or not physical congregation should be encouraged at this time when we can do same via online worship.

That is the contention. Physical meeting at this time as against online meetings.

Don't shit goal post. Thanks.

Are u really serious? Who wrote this:

How many church buildings did Apostles Peter and Paul build?
Atleast, they wrote over 75% of the new testament. The church in Ephisus, was it a physical building during the days of the great persecution?

honeyB2018:
Pastor Poju, is 100% wrong. I'm not surprised he can spew this nonsense.
Lots of people, don't see and understand what Bishop Oyedepo and Pastor Oyakhilome Chris is seeing and talking about. Lots of you, toeing the line of thought of Pastor Oyemade, don't know, the power of the cooperate church. If you know, you will not be in his support.
You don't know, what damage, spiritually the closure of the place of worship has done to lots of believers, lots of Christians will never be the same after this lockdown and closure Wait till the closure is lifted, then you will understand.
I stand with Bishop Oyedepo and Pastor Chris. Oyakhilome.

Any Christian who does not remain the same after covid 19 is not a Christian. So quit your ineffective way of manipulating people into thinking those your edifice u have a grand opening is the Church of my beloved Christ.

aalangel:


Please make google your dear friend.

This girl
Don't quote me wrong....in my first comment...I never said anytin about pastor Chris...go and read my comment well...cos u foolish girls now are to robe someone, lie say dey wan rape u, cos problems everywhere...

U are reaaly mad since morning dat u have been trailing my mention....
Go and sell ur dead soup to in d grave yard...

Lemmyo:
People who find it hard to attend Sunday service, now that the place of worship is closed, will they be looking for house fellowship centers? The place of worship is open to worshipers any time of the day to seek a quiet time, but can you go to the house of an individual any time of the day to seek a quiet time

What happens to your own house?

petra1:


Tithes and offerings are given to God. We are not talking about tithes. If you don't have a contribution move on and close the door

Tithes and offerings given to which God? god of men right?

hecomeshome:


Are u really serious? Who wrote this:

How many church buildings did Apostles Peter and Paul build?
Atleast, they wrote over 75% of the new testament. The church in Ephisus, was it a physical building during the days of the great persecution?

You sha wan find trouble. You know exactly what you are doing. You are playing a psychological game like the Pharisees and Sadducees did Jesus Christ. Using logical reasoning.

Well! I did not say the apostles did not build church, my word was " church building".

Now, let us consider the meaning of the word church.

Church -meaning.

Latin ecclesia, from Greek ekklesia, where the word is a compound of two segments: "ek", a preposition meaning "out of", and a verb, "kaleo", signifying "to call" - together, literally, "to call out". Although that usage soon passed away and was replaced with "assembly, congregation, council", or "convocation".

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesia_(Church)&ved=2ahUKEwiS8bGA1qfpAhXJ8OAKHXIbAoAQFjADegQIARAR&usg=AOvVaw0EGb-LuOj2RGurmQy283RS

See also,

Church, the [T]
Definition of the Church. The New Testament word for "church" is ekklesia [ejkklhsiva], which means "the called out ones." In classical Greek, the term was used almost exclusively for political gatherings. In particular, in Athens the word signified the assembling of the citizens for the purpose of conducting the affairs of the polis. Moreover, ekklesia [ejkklhsiva] referred only to the actual meeting, not to the citizens themselves. When the people were not assembled, they were not considered to be the ekklesia [ejkklhsiva]. The New Testament records three instances of this secular usage of the term ( Acts 19:32 Acts 19:39 Acts 19:41 ).

The most important background of the term ekklesia [ejkklhsiva] is the Septuagint, which uses the word in a religious sense about one hundred times, almost always as a translation of the Hebrew word qahal [l;h'q]. While the latter term does indicate a secular gathering (contrasted, say to eda [h'de[], the typical Hebrew word for Israel's religious gathering, and translated by the Greek, sunagoge [sunagwghv]), it also denotes Israel's sacred meetings. This is especially the case in Deuteronomy, where qahal [l;h'q] is linked with the covenant.

When we come to the New Testament, we discover that ekklesia [ejkklhsiva] is used of the community of God's people some 109 times (out of 114 occurrences of the term). Although the word only occurs in two Gospel passages ( Matt 16:18 ; 18:17 ), it is of special importance in Acts (23 times) and the Pauline writings (46 times). It is found twenty times in Revelation and only in isolated instances in James and Hebrews. We may broach the subject of the biblical teaching on the church by drawing three general conclusions from the data so far. First, predominantly ekklesia [ejkklhsiva] (both in the singular and plural) applies to a local assembly of those who profess faith in and allegiance to Christ. Second, ekklesia [ejkklhsiva] designates the universal church ( Acts 8:3 ; 9:31 ; 1 Cor 12:28 ; 15:9 ; especially in the later Pauline letters, Eph 1:22-23 ; Col 1:18 ). Third, the ekklesia [ejkklhsiva] is God's congregation ( 1 Cor 1:2 ; 2 Cor 1:1 ; etc.).

The Nature of the Church. The nature of the church is too broad to be exhausted in the meaning of the one word, ekklesia [ejkklhsiva]. To capture its significance the New Testament authors utilize a rich array of metaphorical descriptions. Nevertheless, there are those metaphors that seem to dominate the biblical picture of the church, five of which call for comment: the people of God, the kingdom of God, the temple of God, the bride of Christ, and the body of Christ.

The People of God. Essentially, the concept of the people of God can be summed up in the covenantal phrase: "I will be their God and they will be my people" (see Exod 6:6-7 ; 19:5 ; Lev 26:9-14 ; Jer 7:23 ; 30:22 ; 32:37-40 ; Ezek 11:19-20 ; 36:22-28 ; Acts 15:14 ; 2 Cor 6:16 ; Heb 8:10-12 ; Rev 21:3 ; etc.). Thus, the people of God are those in both the Old and New Testament eras who responded to God by faith, and whose spiritual origin rests exclusively in God's grace.

To speak of the one people of God transcending the eras of the Old and New Testaments necessarily raises the question of the relationship between the church and Israel. Modern theologies prefer not to polarize the matter into an either/or issue. Rather, they talk about the church and Israel in terms of there being both continuity and discontinuity between them.

Continuity between the Church and Israel. Two ideas establish the fact that the church and Israel are portrayed in the Bible as being in a continuous relationship. First, the church was present in some sense in Israel in the Old Testament. Acts 7:38 makes this connection explicit when, alluding to Deuteronomy 9:10, it speaks of the church (ekklesia [ejkklhsiva]) in the wilderness. The same idea is probably to be inferred from the intimate association noted earlier existing between the words ekklesia [ejkklhsiva] and qahal [l;h'q], especially when the latter is qualified by the phrase, "of God." Furthermore, if the church is viewed in some New Testament passages as preexistent, then one finds therein the prototype for the creation of Israel (see Exod 25:40 ; Acts 7:44 ; Gal 4:26 ; Heb 12:22 ; Rev 21:11 ; cf. Eph 1:3-14 ; etc.).

Second, Israel in some sense is present in the church in the New Testament. The many names for Israel applied to the church establish that fact. Some of those are: "Israel" ( Gal 6:15-16 ; Eph 2:12 ; Heb 8:8-10 ; Rev 2:14 ; etc.); "a chosen people" ( 1 Pe 2:9 ); "the true circumcision" ( Rom 2:28-29 ; Php 3:3 ; Col 2:11 ; etc.); "Abraham's seed" ( Rom 4:16 ; Gal 3:29 ); "the remnant" ( Rom 9:27 ; 11:5-7 ); "the elect" ( Rom 11:28 ; Eph 1:4 ); "the flock" ( Acts 20:28 ; Heb 13:20 ; 1 Peter 5:2 ); "priesthood" ( 1 Peter 2:9 ; Rev 1:6 ; 5:10 ).

Discontinuity between the Church and Israel. The church, however, is not coterminous with Israel; discontinuity also characterizes the relationship. The church, according to the New Testament, is the eschatological Israel incorporated in Jesus Messiah and, as such, is a progression beyond historical Israel ( 1 Cor 10:11 ; 2 Cor 5:14-21 ; etc.). What was promised to Israel has now been fulfilled in the church, in Christ, especially the Spirit and the new covenant (cf. Ezek 36:25-27 ; Joel 2:28-29 ; with Acts 2 ; 2 Cor 3 ; Rom. 8 ; etc.). However, a caveat must be issued at this point. Although the church is a progression beyond Israel, it is not the permanent replacement of Israel (see Rom. 9-11, esp. Rom 11:25-27 ).

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/the-church/

Stop playing these games. We are better than this. I was specific in choosing my phrase and phraseologies.

I believe in the "church" which is the body of Christ or a congregation of believers of Christ.

Christ and the Apostles were more focused on the church and the growth of the church( the sheep) and not the sheep ranch. Of what use is the ranch, if the shepherd is more focused on the ranch than the sheep?

This is time to reach out to the sheep via the apt deployment of the internet, and not to focus on the ranch. The sheep is the church and not the ranch. The ranch is the mere geographical location, and you will want to agree with me that God cannot be confined to a geographical location.

The earth is not up to 2% of the universe. It's just a footstool in the scheme of things.

For further elucidations on this, you should consider the book of Gigamish. It is a fantastic read.

I could reference you to over 2k articles and publications on the jurisprudence of the early church as it relates to Greekology, ancient Roman history, ancient Jewish history and Egyptology.

This is to enable you read and appreciate the context in which certain biblical words were used, their etymology vis-a-vis the usuage of literary devices.

Perhaps you will come to the understanding that what the church ought to focus more at this point in time, is the maximazation of the parable of the talent more particularly as it relates to the single talent which it has long buried, now that the devices of Hades is being unleashed on the church.

The leadership has alternative which we can maximize to the fullest, rather than insist on fellowshipping in physical buildings. You can't stop a river from flowing, it will always find a way without insisting on the old way.

I shall say no further on this. I rise.

litigator:



How many church buildings did Apostles Peter and Paul build?

Atleast, they wrote over 75% of the new testament. The church in Ephisus, was it a physical building during the days of the great persecution?

Also, juxtapose your assertion with the Biblical elucidations that " the kingdom of God is within thee". Luke 17:20-21, particularly at verse 21.

Also, the old church shared everything in common and non lacked. Even those who had benefited from the good will of others but wanted to be greedy with theirs, met fatal punishment. How well has our modern church copied such precedent? Acts 4: 30-End; Acts 5.

During this period of Covid-19, how well is the church resources being shared amongst members of the church and by extension, members of the public as a tool of evangelism?

Jesus fed the congregation because He knew the importance of food to the body(biological feeding), and salvation to the soul( spiritual feeding).

How well has our church emulated this biblical precedent during COVID-19. Is this not the best time to win souls to the kingdom via the apt deployment of both mechanism?

Jesus and Apostle Peter were both leaders of the Church, both yet they knew they were trustees of the church, thus, gave good account of stewardship and didn't owe much personal property. Acts 4:32-End

Even Jesus lead by example by borrowing the a colt He used for triumphant entry. He could afford to buy one of the very best, and his actions will be justified because it is for the propagation of the gospel , but instead borrowed one. Mark 11:3.

***Take notice that this is a lame excuse being used by our religious leaders in an attempt to justify the luxurious lifestyle and the acquisition of aircrafts and phantom automobiles. But that is a discourse for another day.

From Apostle Peter's encounter with the man at the beautiful gate, it is apt to conclude that He didn't control the church resources even as a leader and pastor of the first church. He thus gave freely that which he had which was his anointing and heal the man of his infirmity. Can same be said for modern-day pastors and spiritual leaders? What changed?

Finally, lockdown has been lifted in some parts of the western world such as Italy where the church began, but the physical place of congregation is still under lockdown. Most of these pastors have church branches within such domicile, why are they not condemning the govt of such state as they do Nigeria?

Kindly educate my ignorance.

I await your timely response, God bless.

I am an Omnist and Bible student. I know there are 4200+ religion in our modern-day world, and that God is not a Christian, but He is" I am that I am".

Reference: God is not a Christian by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

I offer my highest regards.

I have questions for my Muslim brothers too, but we will address that another day. Shalom.

.