*BEFORE WE ZOOM EVERYTHING AWAY*?

Sometimes early 2020, the world was hit by the outbreak of a global pandemic called Covid-19. Whatever that means it is best known to those who brought the strange name into human space.

In response to the pandemic, nations were shut down, offices were closed, school children were sent home, movement were restricted, nations suffered weeks of total lockdown of course churches were not speared in that new normal. Quickly the church resorted to online fellowship. Thank God for that, thank God for zoom then.

Further, to curb the spread of this deadly virus, nose mask, social distancing, hand sanitizer, regular washing of hands and all kinds of protocol were introduced. People became more careful by way of association. Unfortunately, many people died across the globe as a result of complications from the surge of Covid19.

But by the end of same year 2020, the pandemic had greatly gone down in fact to the barest minimum and gradually all the shut down and lockdown and lockout began to ease of. Today, offices are back to work, businesses have picked again, governance inclusive etcetera.

But to my greatest surprise, the CHURCH that proclaims faith, power, anointing and a better life in heaven after earth have gone almost completely to sleep. Even when other critical components of human lives have woken up from their sleep, the church have refused to. It is unacceptable that till this moment we haven't resumed fully in our worship centers. We are still engaging zoom in almost every of our meetings neglecting the impact of physical gathering and I ask, has the church become a zoom church? What are we still doing on zoom? Haven't we zoomed enough?

I know many will have dissenting views to this. Of course, we should not tempt God, we should be wise as serpent, we should apply wisdom, o yes we should stay safe and obey government protocols, we should this, we should that bla bla bla. It is the same we should...." that has brought the church to its knees as a powerless church.

Let me say it clearly, the church of today is not only an irresponsible church but a very weak one. Better put the church of today seems to take advantage of every opportunity to lazy around. We take advantage of every thing to lay low claiming all what not to justify our spiritual failures and irresponsibility. It is written "woe to them that are at ease in Zion"

Why are we this fearful? Why afraid to die? Why desert our worship centers for this long even when Covid-19 is no longer all time high? Who do us this thing?

Does our so called religious leaders need a soothsayer to tell them that Covid-19 has drastically gone down hence the need to return to full physical service before we have no more members in our churches? Hey! Our church halls are going empty Christians please wake up. More, do they also need me to tell remind them that the church hall is almost running empty, I mean empty and very soon we will have no one to call member.

Maybe I should remind them also, that our years of fragile spiritual lives that was never hot enough to kill flies has gone completely comatose as a result of continuous empty and none-spiritual zoom meetings.

Suddenly effective evangelism has ended, vigils no longer holds, crusade is not even in our thought anymore, no solid spiritual gathering anywhere to keep brethren burning for the kingdom. Its like everything has been zoomed away.

How can the body of Christ in this last days suddenly resort to mere zoom meetings to prepare disciples for the kingdom and for what is to come? Do we really understand the urgency and the seriousness of the work we have been called into and what it requires or we are just goofing around?

An all important meeting like Pastors meeting is now held on zoom, workers meeting on zoom etc, and we don't feel awkward about them. Its sickening, its a shame and God can never be proud of this kind of thing. It is pure laziness, lack of fire and power, in fact its a clear indication of a sleeping church. It doesn't matter the argument anyone may throw up. Many have resumed back to their offices where they earn salaries but are yet to resume church and will go to any length to justify that error.

Look at our nation, she is bleeding heavily, everything is going bad by the day. Where is the church in the scheme of things? How can anyone explain that when the church was needed most that is when it went to sleep and to snore on zoom? How on earth does spiritual leaders find zoom meetings comfortable in the first instance? How effective and impactful can zoom meeting be or we are not concerned about the spiritual wellbeing of our people?

Other religions who understand the urgency involved in religious work are all out and fully back to station. They are gaining more grounds by the day, conquering and subjugating believers and forcing them to denounce Christ and accept their religion and many are doing so. The Nigerian church most especially does not understand they are gradually sliding the way of the Turkey church.

Let me end this contribution by calling on church leaders to rise to their responsibilities with immediate effect. They must end this spiritual slumber being spread across in the name of zoom meetings. We must return to full house physical meetings in our churches. Let me say again, we need to put an end to this zoom madness because it is not helping us. As a believer if at this point you don't see anything wrong with this zoom meeting then something is definitely not right.

My point is we are running spiritually dry by the day brethren we should not be deceived. Zoom is taking away the remnant left with us before now. Zoom meeting is not helping our spiritual lives. It is not working anymore, its has served its purpose, it has outlived its usefulness therefore no longer qualified as a vehicle to drive spiritual empowerment.

Who knows, maybe still relevant to offices and governments but not the church except for very lighter church meetings. The church thrives on physical gathering and corporate anointing and we must not sacrifice that on the altar of convenience, excuses and laziness.

Zoom to me has become a tool to slow and weaken the church as well as our prayer lives, sadly its achieving this aim without believers knowing it. Our leaders are not seeing it rather very comfortable with the trend after all they can't come and die. No be dem kill Jesus.

Finally, I call on all Christian denominations in Nigeria to as a matter of urgency call back their sheep to the church for full house physical meetings. At best we can have multiple services just to maintain the social distancing protocol.

Enough of zoom meetings before we zoom everything away.