Appraisal of TB Joshua Ministries in the Year 2020

 

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

Where is the One Who has Been Born King of the Jews?

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Wisemen (the Magi) from the east arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him, (Matthew 2:1-2). The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) has become a major destination for pilgrims looking for Jesus, especially at Christmas. People come to spend Christmas and New Year with Prophet TB Joshua in SCOAN because they know that they will find Jesus in that Arena. Tourists from all over the globe come to SCOAN to seek God's intervention for one reason or another and to pray with His prophet there. This 2020 Christmas, defined by covid-19, is going to be different and making the well known Arena of Liberty less busy and less noisy of our joyful praises and dancing. When the prophet refused to open after the Lagos State permitted worship places to reopen we were not too happy. But prophet TB Joshua insisted chooses to wait on God to order the reopening. We didn't know at that time that covid-19 would have a second wave stronger than the first wave with a new strain of the virus, and possibly more subsequent waves ahead. The prophet is correct after all.

The Wisemen from the East went straight to Jerusalem to the palace of King Herod looking for Jesus, the New Born King. When King Herod heard the news, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. Today the kingdom of darkness is not rejoicing that the Promised King, prophesied by many prophets, had been born. Even Balam said about this King, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A Star will come forth from Jacob, and a sceptre will arise from Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab and strike down all the sons of Sheth, (Numbers 24:17). Jeremiah also said, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise for David a Righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land, (Jeremiah 23:5). Zechariah also said, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey", (Zechariah 9:9). Despite all the prophecies when King Herod heard that another King was born he was still disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. For us, we shall rejoice and sing, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest", (Luke 19:38). As for Christians all over the world we'll continually sing, "O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things", (Psalms 98:1).

Now the 21st Century Church of Christ is facing increasingly numerous challenges. Prophet TB Joshua is nevertheless one of the Church leaders we can describe as serving, loving and struggling for the good of the "Complete and Balance Teaching" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ The church is near and dear to his heart, and he spears no effort or amount in making sure the true gospel goes out. He has also continued to raise many apostles of standing, with sound knowledge of this Jesus of Nazareth, who also is the Christ of Christmas. Some of the challenges also include the prevailing society that is only willing to raise the class of church it wants and to listen only to whatever it wants to hear; instead of the Church where Jesus Christ will be present or preaching what the congregation needs to hear. Our inability to live by biblical teaching makes the Church biblically illiterate and ineffective. On this, we thank God that Prophet TB Joshua has continued to impact on the global society that living by the Word of Jesus Christ brings Jesus into our situation always and making doing exploits, for and in Jesus' name, like mere spoken words. It is our prayers that 2021 will produce a Christ Church that is led by revelation from above and not by sight nor mere motivational speakers. Hence if you are looking for Jesus, look into the scriptures and you will find Him therein. "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me", (John 5:39).

Emmanuel!!

Prof. R. A. Ipinyomi, University of Ilorin, Nigeria

God Wouldn't Hide What He is doing from His Holy Prophets

God is still saying something and this has become part of Prophet TB Joshua of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) and his ministry of prophecy. Hence when you hear the word "Prophet TB Joshua” what comes to your mind? Do you think of a man with some mystical powers that enable him to see the future? Or does your mind go to the Bible, thinking of high-profile prophets like Samuel, Elijah, Daniel or John the Baptist? It is a great honour to be chosen as a prophet of God, God's spokesperson of any generation. The position demands total obedience to God, courage, diligence and selflessness; and fortunately, God is always with them every step of their usual hard way. They don’t have to rely on their human strength, wisdom, opinion, or confidence, otherwise, they may derail and fail.

The Bible mentions several occasions when God spoke to His people. For example in (Genesis 18:17);  The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?" Also, God called out to Adam in the garden, even though He knew where he was hiding (Genesis 3:9). God spoke as a man to Abraham, even though He already knew how the conversation would proceed (Genesis 18:1–3). Jeremiah said that "The Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms to root out and pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:9-11).

The events in Genesis 18 is very appropriate here where the Lord visited Abraham and his wife Sarah. When Abraham saw three men coming he ran to meet them cheerfully and generously entertained them. After the entertainment and the further confirmation of the birth of Isaac, the men got up to leave and Abraham walked along with them. They were now four "men" standing and looking at the city of Sodom, a city that would soon be in flames, in the distance from a high vantage point. One of the four men was Abraham. One was the Lord in human form. The other two were angels, travelling companions of the Lord on this mysterious journey. By this time, Sodom had already gained a reputation for wickedness (Genesis 13:13). God chose to make Abraham aware so he would be all the more convinced of God's power and sovereignty. This patient process would also emphasize the extent to which Sodom had fallen.

Today prophecy is confused with forecasting or prediction and prophet confused with terms like a seer, future teller, etc. In science, we build models for prediction and forecasting. The prophecy that comes from the Lord is where God makes His plans known to man for the congregation to be edified and to appreciate the awesome power and sovereignty of this Almighty God. Prophet TB Joshua has many gifts of the Holy Spirit including the gift of prophecy. Every God's gift is after all for the edification of the Church of Christ. A human model built for forecasting the future trend, say covid-19, is deemed good enough if it gets it right 70% or more whereas prophecy is the exact revelation of God's plans because God puts His Word in the mouth of the prophet.

For instance, the rest of the world had predicted that Africa would be a major death centre of covid-19 but God has been kind to Africa to this period because God's prophet is here in Africa. The estimated population of Nigeria is 209 million while that of the USA is 332 million. The officially reported death statistics due to covid-19 in Nigeria currently is 1184 given a per capita death rate of 5.67 per million. Similarly, the USA has at this moment recorded 285351 deaths from covid-19 and a per capita death rate of 859.49 per million. Even the vaccines being produced around the world are too expensive for most Africans to buy. It must be that there is at least a prophet of God in Africa. Prophecy is walking with God and hearing from God and relaying God's message as sent. Abraham was able to plead for the release of his nephew Lot and his household otherwise they might have gone with Sodom firework of God. God is still actively saying something audibly through the prophet in SCOAN.

EMMANUEL!!! GOD WITH US!!!

Prof. R. A. Ipinyomi, University of Ilorin, Nigeria

End SARS: Revolution in Nigeria, ‘everybody will be ready to die’ – How T.B Joshua warned

 

As the protests over police brutality engulfing the nation of Nigeria steadily grow in momentum, a video of TB Joshua prophesying a ‘revolution’ instigated by Nigerian youths has resurfaced on social media.

The video, which was originally aired seven years ago on July 14th 2013, shows Joshua sharing a revelation to the congregation of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN), which he titled ‘Carry Your Youths Along’.

“I am seeing a revolution,” the cleric bluntly began, adding that “every revolution starts by protests”.

“I’m seeing people taking to the streets,” he continued, adding that the authorities would attempt unsuccessfully to quash the protests with police.

“You can stop protests but you cannot stop revolution. When it becomes a revolution, everybody is ready to die, so you can’t stop it,” he stated.

“It might be stopped at the beginning. Eventually, it will become so big that it cannot be stopped. This I see happen. Nigeria, pray,” he stated in the clip.

The cleric, however, proffered a solution, calling on the Nigerian government to actively engage its young people, recognising they are the “leaders of tomorrow”.

“God has given us the way out. The way out – job creation for the youth and the creation of a new social value system,” he said.

“No matter the education the youth have, they feel they have no place in politics and there is no job to keep them busy,” he continued, calling for a “new orientation” especially in the political sphere.

“In politics, the youth should be considered for important positions such as assistants to elders. While the elders are ministers, the youth should be junior ministers,” he advised. “By doing this, we are training them to take over tomorrow.”

The prominent cleric further reiterated his ‘shocking’ vision. “Revolution is a weapon of change that is coming. This is the vision I saw – revolution is coming when people will take to the streets because life has no value anymore to the people,” he said, adding that the “coming ominous signs are disastrous”.

Joshua appealed to those in leadership to “carry your youth along” in “politics and administration, especially in ruling your country”, adding that Nigeria’s young people “want to see themselves represented in every area of life.”

“When we carry the youth along, whenever there is a revolt, they will be available to readily speak to their colleagues,” he also noted.

The cleric insisted the revelation was “the voice of God” and “none of this will go without being fulfilled”.

“As sure as God lives, I, TB Joshua, will tell you only what God says. If I am hated, persecuted or intimidated because of my accurate prophetic messages, blessed be to God who gives the prophecy. The day will declare who is in the right and who is in the wrong, says the Lord,” Joshua concluded.

Since the outbreak of #EndSARS protests, Joshua is yet to make a public comment and his official social media handles have not referenced the unrest.

The protests, which have drawn huge crowds throughout Nigeria’s major cities, have morphed from insistence on the abolition of the notorious SARS police unit to impassioned calls for good governance and accountability among Nigeria’s politicians.

 

Video:

 

 

By John Owen Nwachukwu

Go to TB Joshua of SCOAN, and do what He Tells You

 

We read in Genesis 41 about Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, sold by ten of his brothers at a slave price to Egypt. But in time Joseph survived the ordeals in the pit, in Potiphar's house and in the prison to become a ruler in Egypt. In Genesis 41:41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." Joseph was now the Prime Minister in Egypt with enormous authority and powers. The famine period Joseph predicted had come and "When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do what he tells you," (Genesis 41:55). Similarly, when Jacob (Joseph’s father in Canaan) found out that grain was for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? I’ve heard there’s grain for sale in Egypt. Go there (to Joseph) and buy some for us so that we won’t starve to death", (Genesis 42:1-3). Hence you come to Joseph. After all, you know that he will solve your hunger, go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you to do because you have faith in him.

In John chapter 2: 1-11 we read that Mary the mother of Jesus, Jesus Himself and His disciples, we're called to a wedding ceremony. They ran out of wine and the mother of Jesus saith unto Him, "They have no wine". Jesus' mother did not ask Him to make, buy, or create more wine. She simply told Him what her concern was, and told others to follow His lead. His mother saith unto the servants, "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it". It is significant to note that Mary didn't ask for anything in particular. She did, however, told the servants to listen and to obey His instructions. Mary seemed content to trust in God's plans, even when she didn't know all the details. All she knew was that we should "Go to Jesus" for every one of our numerous concerns. Mary had absolute faith in Jesus, even though she was His mother. She recognized Jesus as the Messiah that would solve our burden by going to Him.

At several other occasions, individuals went to Jesus with their troubles and concerns for healing, for more understanding, even to truly known if He was the Promised Messiah. For example, in (Matthew 14: 21-31) where Jesus walked on the sea but His disciples thought It was a ghost. Jesus reassured them saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

So Jesus said, “Come.” As long as Peter kept his focus on Christ, he could do the impossible, and walking on the sea to meet Jesus.  But once he began walking by sight, fear gripped him. Under the control of doubt or fear, Peter was no longer able to do the impossible. Hence everyone should come to Jesus without fear, doubt or any anxiety because He is the Messiah of the universe. Go to Jesus.

Today across the globe many people are coming to see Prophet TB Joshua of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, in Lagos Nigeria or meet him in any of his International Crusades. Jesus had faced our helplessness before with compassion. "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36)". There is a lot of love and compassion when you come to SCOAN, known by many as Arena of Liberty. Despite the long queue and the big crowd of people to be encountered by those who will eventually make it to the Arena of Liberty about 99% of others who wish to come are hindered. Many listen to advice from other pastors, friends, or reading the internet largely owned by the devil and his agents. Many come only because of their problems and for other unholy motives. We recommend that you come to Jesus as you believe that He loves and doesn't want you to perish in the consequences of your sin.

When Pharaoh told them to "Go to Joseph" he knew that Joseph had the answer. Similarly when Mary the mother of Jesus told the servants to "Go to Jesus and do whatever He tells you to do" she had no iota of doubt. She knew how far she'd come with Jesus and that Jesus is not just her son but "the Son of God, the Messiah". Hence come to Jesus and whatever He tells you please do it. The people in SCOAN are generously telling each person to join a Living Church, a church where Christ presence and supremacy is acknowledged, recognized, preached and worshipped. Many still look at Baby Jesus in the manger, as the Crucified One. Yes, but Jesus is the Mighty God, the Saviour of the world, Messiah the King, the One that was, that is and Who is coming soon. Come to Jesus. Finding who Jesus is in SCOAN may assist you to have a closer walk with Him, that is if you will only come. Emmanuel

Prof.  R. A. Ipinyomi, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.