COVID-19: Rev. Kristilere Urges Churches to Prepare members for Heaven
The Senior Pastor of Shepherd hill Baptist Church, Obanikoro, Lagos, Rev. Israel Kristilere has described the coronavirus pandemic as a God-given wake-up call on the second coming of Jesus Christ. He said despite the several failed predictions of the end of the world in history the fact remains that Jesus Christ is coming back. The cleric made this statement in his lecture at the webinar Continuous Education Conference of the West African College for Missionary Bishops (WACOMBS).
Rev. Kristilere, in his lecture titled Focus on the second coming of Christ, the Lord of the Church, pointed that Jesus is coming back to judge the world and separate people from one another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He asked what it would profit people if they escape the coronavirus pandemic, but end their lives in hell fire. “It is like escaping a mud spray from a moving car only to jump into a drum of boiling water. If we are going to press forward after the pandemic, we must prepare our people for the second coming of Christ,” he said.
The preacher admitted that the Church would lose some worshippers to the deadly pandemic, but would also gain more members. He explains: “The fact is that many of our churches had more worshippers/customers than members or disciples. The pandemic will do the sieving or separation for us. We must therefore not betray our caller by failing to prepare those he has committed to our hands for the purpose for which they were committed. Jesus is coming. Let us be prepared,” he enjoined.
The preacher then the revelation that he said God gave to him about the COVID-19 pandemic. “One revelation the Lord has given to me concerning this pandemic is that genuine revival shall break out after this pandemic. This was the case after the Spanish flu. I believe this COVID-19 or Chinese flu will not be different. One scripture the Lord has constantly laid on my heart is Isaiah 14:1-7. God has promised to have mercy on our world and there will be restoration. But much more than this is the fact that, there will be revival. The pandemic is a revival preacher.”
While he advised people to prepare to be part of the coming revival, kristilere said no military power or wealth has been able to stop the destructive global spread of COVID-19, which he described as a tiny member of the coronavirus family. He expressed confidence that God would stop the pandemic that has ravaged the world
“But God will stop it. The full human impact and economic cost might last for months, but it will come to an end. This pandemic has revealed how vulnerable human beings are and has also exposed our weaknesses and frailties. The heart of men will definitely be searching for genuine answers which can only be found in God and His word. We must not fail as God’s servants. The importance of good leadership at such a time as this cannot be over emphasized. We must be on top of situations to be able to bring our members to the top. We must pray and seek God’s face like never before to know what is next in line in His agenda for His World, His church and each of us in particular.”
Rev. Kristilere assured the world that there is hope after the COVID-19 global scourge. “Definitely, there is hope for a tree when it is cut, it shall sprout again. (Job 14:7) There is hope for you after the pandemic. There is hope for the Church. There is hope for the world. Definitely, it can no longer be business as usual, but we must ride on the gains of this pandemic to reexamine, evaluate and reorder our priorities and activities. In life, there are three classes of men namely those who have no idea of what to do, those who have idea but not willing to pay the price of doing it and those who know what to do and are willing to pay the price. With the strength and power that God supplies, we shall press unto victory” he assured.
