In the secular world, the year 2020 may go down in history as
the worst year ever, at least to those of us living in it now. It started with
great flames that destroyed over 46 million acres in Australia, racial unrest
broke out in the USA fueling more disunity in that community, record-breaking
hurricanes in many places, and then covid-19 pandemic raged across the planet.
Across the globe, covid-19 has infected some 80 million and killing more than
1.7 million people so far and it is still unabated. Despite the introduction of
different types of vaccines, the world is experiencing a second wave of the
virus, and the emergence of new strains reported to be more contagious than a
previously-known strain. The year 2020 was a terrible, horrible, and a very bad
year in the eye of any natural man. Covid-19, rather than the propagation of
the Gospel of Jesus, or world unrest due to wars in hot spots, the new challenges
facing democracy especially from the aftermath of US 2020 presidential
election, the growing social inequalities across the globe, growing large scale
of unemployment, hunger, homelessness, general poverty, etc; covid-19 alone
makes the headlines in the news media in 2020.
The prophetic ministry of TB Joshua of the Synagogue Church
of All Nations, SCOAN, Lagos Nigeria, from the beginning, described the year
2020 as "A Year of Humility" he said would be starting from March
2020. At that time nobody saw covid-19 in the horizon nor that it could cause
the lockdown of even SCOAN normal worship programmes; services we had all come
to value. Covid-19 is no respecter of any person, continent nor race. It has
come to humble world Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings and the Princes, and
the same way as an ordinary man on the street. Worship places and learning
institutions were locked down for most of the year. It has been a humbling year
indeed as prophesied by TB Joshua.
Nevertheless, in October 2020 the President of the Republic
of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit sent a special invitation to Prophet TB
Joshua to come to his country for the prophetic intervention of peace. It would
be recalled that Prophet TB Joshua had prophetically intervened in that country
the year before. South Sudan, the youngest nation, is also one in which the
world organizations have been trying to negotiate peace but where human wisdom
is failing. But God has the final answer and can use Prophet TB Joshua. We
believe that God will honour Himself and establish peace in South Sudan.
Another milestone recorded by SCOAN in 2020 was the
"Distance is Not a Barrier to the Move of God". This slogan is not
new in the scripture but we don't know any other ministry in history that has
used it in the scale of SCOAN. Jesus Himself used it in an encounter He has
with the centurion who came to receive healing for his servant, (Matthew
8:8-13). The centurion had come and said to Jesus "Lord, I am not worthy
that Thou shouldest come under my roof. Speak the word only, and my servant
shall be healed". Jesus said unto the centurion, "Go thy way; and as
thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee". His servant was healed in
the selfsame hour. This is a ministry Emmanuel TV used during this covid-19 to
heal many of her viewers of diverse illnesses, with covid-19 just a special
case. In (Ezekiel 12:24-25) the Lord has said, "I will speak, and the word
that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in
your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it".
Hence for the Church of Christ in SCOAN, under Bishop TB
Joshua, it would be said that the year 2020 had many challenges but everything
therein was for the glory of God. In human terms, we try to estimate how many
people would have benefitted from the free but divine services of SCOAN if
there had been no lockdown but we'd run out of calculations. SCOAN Arena is a
typical Church and for those who believe a Spiritual Clinic at the same time.
Those healed by faith and prayers become as if nothing has ever happened to
them. Jesus Christ the Christmas born Messiah of God's people shall continually
heal us, now and in the coming years. The year 2020 might have truly been very
humbling, even for the Church of Christ, the global health, every economy,
every institution, and every individual, but it has been "as the prophet
said it would be". We also know that this prophet may have a message for
the world about the coming year. We encourage us to listen to what God may be
saying. Happy New Year and may God keep you, bless you and make His face shine
on you in 2021.
Emmanuel! God Is With Us!
Prof. R. A. Ipinyomi, University of Ilorin, Nigeria
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