The Nigerian Baptist Convention has expressed shock at the news of the passage of Pastor Temitope Babatunde Joshua widely known as TB Joshua, saying however that God reserves the right to give and take life.
The 57-year-old mystery Pastor was said to have submitted to death on Saturday night hours after subtly predicting his imminent exit by saying that he would not celebrate his 58th birthday on June 12, 2021.
A statement by the new President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Rev. Israel Akanji, made available to journalists in Ibadan on Sunday by Rev. Eben Durodola, the Public Relations Officer of the Christian body, charged the family of the deceased as well as the church to take solace in God, the ultimate giver of life.
The statement read, “We, the Nigerian Baptist Convention, commiserate with the family and Church of Prophet TB Joshua and pray that God will comfort them and grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.
“The Baptist urged the Synagogue Of All Nations to continue in the gospel of our Lord Jesus more than before as the founder left them. Christ, the owner of the Church, will continue to strengthen them to prepare people for the coming of our Lord Jesus.”
Durodola, in an interview with Oyo Reporters added, “It was a rude shock to us at the Nigeria Baptist Convention. The only thing for us is to pray for the family for God to console them and at the same time, for God to be with those he left behind.
“It’s a clarion call for all Christians to be closer to the Lord because we don’t know when we will be with the Lord. We Nigerians should move closer to God, move away from wickedness and allow unity to reign in this nation.
“The cleric had done his best and had left. It’s a clarion call for us to be Godly in all things that we do because everything that has been happening in the nation is an indication of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ which is closer than before.
“Death is not a matter of age, where you come from, or whether you are a pastor or not. It comes when God has ordained it. As a result, the Nigeria Baptist Convention prays that God will be with everybody that the man left behind.”
