By Sola Ojewusi

…AS COMMENDATION MESSAGES FOR T.B. JOSHUA FLOOD IN FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Last Christmas Eve was a day of absolutely heavenly display of the best of Christmas carols as the world was regaled by the Synagogue Church of All Nations SCOAN with alluring and soul lifting celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Christ.

Prior to Thursday, December 24 the day of the CAROL Service, the event had been promoted by SCOAN’s Emmanuel TV Channel and on all social media platforms. Indeed the world headquarters of the church in Ikotun Lagos had been transformed into a sparkling display of Christmas pomp and pageantry garnished with ultra giant Christmas trees, neon lightings of pyrotechnic dimension.

The word on lips was that, as if to defy the recalcitrant and stubborn pandemic that has in the past one year shut the world down and forced people to refrain from most of their ways of life, TB Joshua was determined to use the Carol Service to bring happiness and succour to a troubled world.

While all the anti-Covid-19 protocols were faithfully observed – no crowds or congregation, employment of virtual link to international performers on the state of the art broadcast facilities of the church – the world witnessed a scintillating showcase of the best of Christian yuletide entertainment. Not only was the SCOAN choir in its best carol ministration elements, the world was entertained and inspired by world class performance by many international gospel artistes.

The Carol service took off with a flurry of activities, including Prophetess Angela’s short message on the significance of Christmas in which, using Luke 2:25-35 as reference, she reminded the world that, “Christmas is not only about Christ of history, Christ of story or Baby Jesus. Christmas is about Christ whom the Spirit reveals to us.” She further set the tone for the explosive ministrations to come with the question: “Are you ready to meet Him? Open the door of your heart – the contact point, communication point between you and God.”

The floodgate of soulful music was thereafter thrown open when the Emmanuel TV Choir performed the special number “Flow From You”. The alluring message of the lyrics would set the tone for the soul lifting spree that followed: “Jesus I’m emptied of my own/Fill me with Your Spirit/Let Your Word find its place/In the depths of my heart/So by its nature change my life.” The Emmanuel TV Choir would then follow up with the performance of a special number titled “Who On Earth”.

Giving credence to the church’s “Distance is not a Barrier” mantra, the night also witnessed performances by international artistes. From the USA, renowned gospel artiste VaShawn Mitchell gave a scintillating performance via Zoom while opera singer Samuel Kim – a member of the German national opera – regaled millions of viewers on the Emmanuel TV channel with the performance of an ode to the birth place of Jesus: “Oh Holy City”.

International Ghanaian gospel artiste Shasha Marley was also an exciting presence on the Carol Night. Performing “I’m Not Ashamed Of The Gospel”, and “So Nyame Mu” (a Twi number meaning “Hold On To God”), Marley further raised the roof with his pulsating rendition.
From South Africa, international gospel artiste Bongani Nchang followed with two numbers, “You Are The Mighty God” and “My Trust Is In You”. It was indeed an unforgettable spirit lifting night for the millions of Emmanuel TV viewers.
A new dimension was brought into the day’s performances by a dance drama group known as I For Christ when they titillatingly showcased a piece titled “Distance Is Not A Barrier”.

SCOAN founder, PROPHET T.B. JOSHUA’S message at the Carol Service was sent from the PRAYER MOUNTAIN and it was delivered by Prophet Chris AT THE EMMANUEL TV LIVE CHRISTMAS CAROL NIGHT. T.B. Joshua was in prayer seclusion on the same mountain where all the events of 2020, including the pandemic rage and the American elections results were revealed to him by God, and was waiting for God’s message for 2021. He was also expected to bring to the world the New Morning Water and the New Anointing Sticker that, according to the statement would “protect us and all our belongings.”

Meanwhile in the spirit of Christmas and in celebration of TB Joshua’s contributions to Christendom the internationally renowned televangelist has received a special Christmas message from the historic town of Bethlehem – where Jesus Christ was born.

One of the messages, which came from Father Rami Asakrieh – Head Of The Parish of Bethlehem reads thus: “Greetings from this Holy place where Jesus our Lord was born. We thank our dear Prophet TB Joshua and Emmanuel TV Partners for their support and pryers. We keep you in our prayer and we wish you from this Holy place a Merry Christmas. Remember, here God told us He is with us; He is stronger than anything. God bless you! Merry Christmas! Thank you for your cooperation in supporting our needs in Bethlehem for medicine and our children’s needs. We keep you in our prayers.”

In similar fashion, Advocate Anton Salman – Mayor of Bethlehem also has these glowing words of felicitation for the Man of God:
“We are sending from Bethlehem our greetings and love to Prophet TB Joshua and his followers, hoping for them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We also send our message to the whole world which is the message of hope and optimism and a better future, hoping that the pandemic, which touched all fields of life in the world, would end very soon and return the world to its normal life with health and security. Thank you and God bless you.”