I recently read that a very popular pastor in Nigeria spoke against the arrest of pastors who disobeyed the social distancing order by the government by holding services of more than 50 people. His argument is that the pastors were arrested just as Jesus and his disciples were arrested for doing what government warned against.
Both instances are quite different from each other. Jesus and his disciples were arrested by the government for upholding God’s commandments and testimonies. These pastors on the other hand were arrested for disobeying the government who hasn’t stopped them from upholding God’s commandments.
The lockdown and social distancing order by the government is not a persecution of Christianity as some are trying to paint it. It is truly what it is – the protection of people which is by curbing the spread of COVID-19.
If some people say Christianity is persecuted because Churches aren’t allowed to hold services in the regular manner, what about night clubs, sports stadiums, concert halls, restaurants, buses, schools etc? Can those ones also cry of persecution?
The government is simply trying to protect the citizens by ensuring that the number of people infected with COVID-19 doesn’t increase. Perhaps, it’s when people start dropping dead that stubborn folks will understand the government’s effort.
Any pastor that tries to cramp his church with a crowd is wicked and should be arrested for endangering lives and aiding the spread of the virus.
Some may say “God will protect us, so we must have faith in that by gathering as usual”. That is a wrong thing to say because it means you are tempting God. God steps in when there’s nothing else you can do to protect yourself. But when you have measures or escape route and still decide to walk into evil because you think God will protect you, then you will be punished.
Proverbs 22:3
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
Don’t tempt God, obey the government’s guidelines towards battling this virus. It is not compulsory you gather in a build before you worship God. You can worship God individually at home because God is everywhere and can see you.
Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
The only time you can disobey government’s order as a Christian is when they are telling you to disobey God’s word. Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego were told by their government to bow before a statue. They refuse because it was against God’s commandment.
Exodus 25:4-5
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
The three young man refused to obey the government’s order because it goes against God’s word. Then knew the punishment the government would visit then with. They knew God could deliver them from it because they couldn’t deliver themselves. The only other way out of the punishment is by disobeying God. They didn’t want that route so they trusted in God.
Daniel 3:17
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king
Don’t let any false pastor expose your life to danger of the virus. The worst thing is that when you get infected, same pastors who hold stage-managed miracles in large stadiums won’t be able to perform a miracle to heal you because they are false prophets who don’t know God.
Stay at home and stay away from conspiracy theories. Read the Bible...
Source: Nairaland
