Benue Church Killings Sacrilegious, Attempt To Cause Religious War – Osinbajo
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday described the recent killings of Christians in a Catholic Church in Benue State by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen as sacrilegious, saying it is calculated attempt by certain individuals to cause religious war in Nigeria.
The Vice president who spoke at the Inauguration of the Deeper Life Bible Church new auditorium in Gbagada, Lagos State, condemned the devastating act, adding that the killing ‘is heinous and sacrilegious for devilish minds to kill in a place of worship.’
According to him, a morning mass was being held when the herdsmen struck and killed the worshippers, adding that the killings in the church was a ploy by the devil to cause religious war in Nigeria.
He said while the security agencies continued to work to bring the perpetrators to book, the body of Christ must not lose focus, but must do more in propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Nobody can stop the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord is building His church and the gate of hell cannot prevail against the church,” he said.
Osinbajo urged the church to pray for the nation and the government, saying that running a government is like a spiritual warfare.
He said, “Persecution of Christians is on the rise. The devil is hard at work, stoking religious tension. I call on all Christians not to be broken even as security are working hard to prevent such occurrences and protect the lives and property of every citizen.”
The Vice President congratulated the General Superintendent and members of the Deeper Life for the vision and execution of the edifice and called on them to sustain the message of undiluted gospel of Christ the Church has been known for while also ensuring that the Temple of Christ which the church has built is also built in the hearts of the people.
“This is one of the proudest moments for me as a Christian, being alive and here seeing this sweet edifice built solely for the propagation of the Gospel of Christ. I am proud of what has been achieved here; the amenities, the IT architecture and ambience, It is my prayer that, with the way this church has been growing, the coming Glory will be greater than the one gone by,” he said.
He challenged the leaders and members of the Church to continue spreading the message of Christ, especially in this end time by making disciples of all nations, expressing his confidence that the ultra-modern headquarters will provide greater motivation and inspiration to preach the word of God.
In his address, the General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor Wlliams Kumuyi thanked the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo finding time to witness the official commissioning of the new auditorium, which he described as historical the journey of the Church towards evangelizing the world.
Pastor Kumuyi who drew the gathering down memory lane to the modest beginning of the church, said Deeper Life has remained true to the propagation of the message of love embodied in the life of Jesus Christ on earth and promised that the new auditorium will be a pilgrimage centre for spiritual development designed to emancipate the society from the shackles of sin.
He called on members of the church to take advantage of the new auditorium to continue to propagate the gospel, saying that only the eternal truth in the message of Christ has capacity to lift the country from the forcing plaguing its journey to unity and prosperity.
Also speaking at the event, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode thanked the General Superintendent of the Church, Pastor Kumuyi, for being an example of selfless evangelism and expressed his joy to be associated with the church.
Ambode, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Hon Lola Akande, said the Lagos State Government was especially impressed by the fact that the new church building came along with a new bridge and road enhancements for the people of Gbagada community and pledged for the use of the tabernacle towards the spread of the Good news of Christ.
Ambode said, “As a government, our mission is the entrenchment of harmonious relations among the people; respect for the rights of other people for freedom of worship and association and we are happy to have found a worthy partner and ambassadors in the leadership of Deeper Life Church.”
