Spiritual leader of the Synagogue Church of all Nations, SCOAN, Prophet Temitope Joshua has broken his silence on the recent disaster at the church’s guest house in Lagos, which left several members dead and various others injured.
The cleric who said he was still in shock over the incident, however, disclosed that he would surely overcome these trying moments.
It can be recalled that a six-storey guest house belonging to the church collapsed last Friday, killing no fewer than 80 persons. Continue
Reacting to the incident though a Facebook post, the Prophet, as he is fondly called said he would not be “destroyed” by the incident.
“Hard times may test me, they cannot destroy me”, TB Joshua said, adding, “To withstand hard times, stand with Christ. When you face trials, hard times, you can count it all joy if you add faith”.
Using Biblical allusion to portray his message, TB Joshua stated that God sometimes makes use of hard times to “draw us to Himself”, noting that God visits His people with hard times because they often become “proud and stupid with wealth and pleasure”.
He added, “It is through hard times that you gain the necessary experience and maturity to handle whatever responsibility given you.
“We are most likely to go astray from God and forget Him when things are easy with us in the world because we often become proud and stupid with wealth and pleasure.
“God visits His people with hard times that they may learn His way. His ways, though hard to the ungodly men, are desirable and profitable because they lead us to safety unto eternal life. God allowed the enemy to overcome Israel so that they may learn the difference between serving God and serving the devil.
“If not for our hard times, we would not have sought the face of God. I mean, if not because of hard times, man by his wicked nature, would not have sought the face of God.
“This means, God sometimes uses hard times to draw us to Him so that we can take our proper position and possession in Him”.
Reacting to the incident, a South African public affairs commentator, Allan Taylor, expressed sadness over the number of his compatriots killed in the tragedy.
Taylor bemoaned that TB Joshua was allegedly deceiving and luring South Africans to his church.
He accused him of unfairly personalising the tragedy at the expense of the “unfortunate victims”.
“I’m saddened by the death of up to 67 South Africans in the Nigerian church collapse and at the hands of TB Joshua’s greed. It is also important to expose those who lured the unfortunate victims to Nigeria on false pretences.
“Innocent lives of people have been lost; yet TB Joshua makes the tragedy about himself. He is a disgrace”, the enraged South African wrote on Twitter.
A commentator, Portia Tsotetsi, said TB Joshua owed the families of her compatriots lost in the building collapse some answers.
He said, “My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the 67 South Africans who lost their lives in Nigeria. What bothers me most is the silence of TB Joshua and his church concerning the 67 who died.
“Where are messages of condolence? When is the church (SCOAN) offering a statement of condolences to the families? When is TB Joshua speaking about this tragedy? What bothers me is the amount of blind loyalists who refuse to see facts. They will do anything to protect their church”, Tsotetsi tweeted.
But a member of the church based in South Africa, Neo Motlokoa, stated that her faith in the Christian leadership of TB Joshua “is not shaken” despite the criticisms that has trailed the church disaster.
“I am a South African who loves Jesus. This morning every TV station and newspaper is carrying the news about the tragedy.
“Has Prophet TB Joshua all of a sudden become questionable to you? Is he still a servant of Christ? This is about not only SCOAN and the Prophet (TB Joshua). My faith is not shaken”, Motlokoa wrote on the church’s official Facebook page.
Another commentator, Ebenezer Donkor, insisted that the widespread criticisms on TB Joshua, would keep not him away from the church.
“Even if another building collapses to kill one billion people, I will still follow Christ through Prophet TB Joshua. My faith is unshakable. God bless the man of God and all those who follow him”, Donkor said.
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