Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy, has alleged that church leaders are responsible for the guidelines placed on churches.
Oyakhilome insisted that some leaders have insisted that government should ensure that churches remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
The founder of Christ Embassy made the remark while faulting the guidelines issued by government for the gradual reopening of churches.
Addressing his members, Oyakhilome also said pastors who are afraid of the virus don’t believe in God.
He said: “You can’t believe in Jesus Christ and be afraid of virus. Jesus touched people with leprosy and healed them.
“But these people who are afraid are pretending to be representing the Christians. It’s a shame. I think the leaders are laughing at them.
“If you are a Christian and minister of the gospel and you are afraid of the virus, you have no gospel. Your gospel has ended. The moment you start giving such guidelines to people in the church, you’ve repudiated your faith in Christ.
“We have to pray for our leaders and pastors who are scared of the virus.
“You may not know this but the reason many churches are still shut down is not just government but church leaders who insisted that government should not let the churches open, except the churches follow these wicked guidelines.
“Some of those guidelines like wearing of gloves before laying hands on the sick, suspending holy communion, holy communion that Jesus Christ told us to take, now we are told to suspend them because of a pandemic, this is crazy.”
President Muhammadu Buhari had months ago placed a ban on religious gathering in the country, following the COVID-19 outbreak.
In a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, had issued guidelines for worship centres across the country.
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