The Death of Bishop Gerald Glenn (Virginia, USA) from COVID-19 – By Godwin Airuoyuwa

Posted by admin Articles, Columnists, Godwin O. Airuoyuwa, Headlines, NNP Columnists, Raw Politics Friday, April 17th, 2020

Late Bishop Gerald Glenn

By Godwin Airyuoyuwa | Greater Toronto Area (GTA) | April 17, 2020 – Bishop Gerald Glenn of the New Deliverance Evangelistic church Virginia is quoted as saying, “God is larger than this dreaded disease.” This statement is no doubt a correct statement, but its application by the Bishop to violate the safety protocols ordered by the State, is totally wrong. While not saying that the Bishop’s death is a punishment from God for this violation, it is nevertheless clear that his decision to violate the State’s order fell short of God’s expectations. When our Lord Jesus Christ was asked if it was right to pay Taxes to Caesar, his answer was, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Mt 22:21).

Apostle Paul, in Romans 13:1-2 said this, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.” These are the words of God, and there is no doubt that the Bishop was well aware of them; why he chose to disobey them is unclear to me. His action not only endangered his own life, it put the lives of many within and outside his church at risk.

Our God is God of order, and even while He enjoys our worship, He expects us to apply wisdom in all that we do. When the Spirit led Jesus to the desert to be tempted by the devil, the scripture records that he was taken to the highest point of the temple, and asked to throw himself down, for it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered the devil, “it is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Mt 4:6-7) Could God have been able to save Jesus from crashing to the floor, if he fell from the top of the temple? The answer is yes; but was it necessary for him to put God to that test, simply because the devil wanted him to? Absolutely not! I think that is where the late Bishop failed to apply wisdom.

It is unfortunate that the Bishop is dead, but the timing of his death should not be allowed to go unnoticed by the Christian world; is there any lesson the body of Christ can learn from it, was it just coincidence or retribution? Not all of us will know the truth; only the one to whom it is revealed by the Lord. Whichever way we look at it, “Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22).

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Engr. Godwin Airuoyuwa is the author of the book Practical Christianity: Living Like the New Creature You Have become (2019). Copies could be purchased from Amazon or the publisher Shidaanikei Publishers @ [email protected]. The author can be reached at [email protected].wp_posts