….knocks govs threatening restrictions over vaccination
General Overseer (G.O) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye says he would take the COVID-19 vaccine if it is required of him to enter any nation of the world to preach.
Speaking on Saturday morning at the Church’s monthly Holy Ghost Service at the Redemption Camp, Pastor Adeboye said he did not ask members of his church not to take the vaccine.
The October Holy Ghost Service marked the end of the weeklong 2021 National Youth Convention of the RCCG with the theme God Bless You Part 9, with sub theme as Exceeding Expectations.
Stressing that he was not speaking for the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) or the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) but to members of the RCCG, he said, “I never said to you don’t be vaccinated, you have never heard that from me. Rather than living in fear or doubt, get vaccinated. If you believe that getting vaccinated would put your mind at rest, then go ahead.
“Daddy are you saying that you too could be vaccinated? If there are nations in the world that say I can not come to preach the gospel there because of vaccination, I will do anything for Jesus Christ.
“If vaccination is going to hinder me from doing the work that God has called me to do, if they asked me to get vaccinated 10 times, I would be vaccinated.”
Adeboye has been reluctant to publicly endorse COVID-19 vaccine, building speculations that he may not be in support of it.
“Don’t ever say that you heard from me that you should not be vaccinated,” he added.
He recalled the prophecy he shared on January 1, 2020 that the world would convulse like a new born baby having convulsion; how he prayed that God should intervene on behalf of African nations that did not have the capacity to handle the pandemic and how God has answered the prayers and averted what many had predicted would have been a major calamity for African nations.
He also restated what God told him, which he told the worldwide congregation of the Church, that only those whose time has come would be claimed by the virus and urged the members again not to be afraid but to get vaccinated if that would reassure them.
The highly influential clergyman, however, criticised some state governors mandating the public to compulsorily take the jab in order to access public places including banks and churches.
“The number of doses available in the country is not even enough for 10 per cent of the total population of the country, how do you then say whoever does not take the vaccine will not be able to go to the bank or church?” he asked.
“It means 90 per cent of the people will not be able to access their money. We will then need to go back to the olden days way of keeping money, I hope you know this system, putting money in the pot and burying it in the backyard.
“Well, I believe they just want to make us laugh and you know in Nigeria, we need things to make us laugh,” he said.
QED with additional reporting.
