After condemning strongly last week, the list of recommended guidelines from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the opening of chriatian worship centres in Nigeria, Senior Pastor of the Household of God Church, Oregun, Lagos, Rev. Chris Okotie is firing from all cylinders again. This time the issue is the latest guidelines issued by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for the reopening of worship centres.
Okotie, in a statement last Friday declared the guidelines, an ‘abomination of desolation’. He vowed that the doors of his church would remain closed as long as the governor refused to review or cancel the guidelines.
Governor Sanwo-Olu had on Thursday declared that churches can begin services from June 21 as long as the abide by the new guideline of utilizing only maximum of 40 per cent of the assembly space.
The governor said, “We know that these places of worship have different sizes but even if your 40 per cent capacity is so large, you cannot have beyond 500 worshippers at once, and keeping that maximum 40 per cent capacity is really important.
“… Persons below the age of 15, because of how well they walk around and are difficult to hold down, should be excused from the places of worship and citizens that are above the age of 65 should not be allowed into these places of worship.”
Responding, Okotie, stressed that it was not in the place of the governor to reorder the mode of worship in the temple of God.
His words, “These guidelines are an ‘abomination of desolation’. Our doors will remain closed until these profanation and secularisation have been pulverised by the Emperor of heaven’.
“Beloved, yesterday, the abomination of desolation took a giant step towards standing in the holy place. The fulfilment of Bible prophecy is being accelerated by the forces of Janes and Jambres.
“To reorder temple worship is to deny God the divine prerogative of congregational adoration and the holy genuflects of the saints in light. Let no man’s heart be troubled by the vengeance of satanic antagonism.
Okotie had earlier blamed the Christian Association of Nigeria for not speaking for the church, describing them as Pharisees of old.
Meanwhile, The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries has told its members that the church services will still be transmitted live on selected broadcast stations as the church has decided not to resume physical meetings yet.
The Chairman, MFM Media Committee, Pastor Oladele Bank-Olemoh, who disclosed this, said adequate notice would be given before the resumption of physical services.
It was not stated by the church if their refusal was a protest just like that of Pastor Chris Okotie who saw the guidelines from Lagos state as “satanic antagonism” that should never be accepted by any true Christian.