With the hardship occasioned by the impromptu lockdown imposed on Bonny Local Government Area by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike biting harder, residents of the area have resorted to God for His mercies.

These petitions to the Divine Being for His mercies were via online worship services across the island LGA as worshippers were locked down at home. While some connected to the cable television stations of their various denominations, others linked up the social media platforms while others worshipped via zoom conferencing.

Anglican Communion

The Anglican Communion in Bonny LGA joined their lead pastor and Dean of the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Bonny, Very Reverend Richard Hart in an online worship service where the message, “Faith and Hope” was delivered via a homily by Reverend Canon Ntiego Harrison.

In the homily, the revered clergy drew leitmotifs from Psalm 115 such as the connection between hope and faith, saying that faith in God births hope while hope, when realized, reinforces faith in the Creator, stressing that the trying times the world was facing calls for both virtues among Christian faithful.  

He further emphasized that faith comes in four hues, namely faith to sustain, faith to obey, faith to pray, and faith to hope in God as the One who secures His own, answers their prayers, cares for His own, and surmounts every challenge they face.  

Rev. Can. Harrison enjoined the faithful not to be despondent or discouraged as the Divine Being was watching His own and will accord them redemption and protection from the challenges of this world and bring their oppressors to judgment.

Redeemed Christian Church of God

On this same beautiful Sunday, June 28, 2020, Pastor-in-charge of Rivers Province 6, Region 5 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Matthew Ashaolu and his members across Bonny and Andoni Local Government Areas watched the live broadcast by their General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, who preached on the topic, “From Lockdown To Leaping Up”.

Pastor Adeboye, who drew lessons from Acts 3: 1-8 noted that the call by the Apostle Peter to the crippled man to “look on us” was a call to look up not just to them as bearers of the gospel message but to God Almighty the healer of the infirm and the provider of the needy.

He pointed out that many today are like the lame man who have settled for routine of concentrating on the adequate instead of looking up to God for the inexhaustive, stressing that when we lift up our eyes we link up with the Almighty God and His inexhaustible mercies.

Revelation Ministry

For members of the Revelation Ministry, Bonny, their Senior Pastor, Pastor Caroline Benstowe beamed her message, “Experiencing Favour with God and Man”, to them via her Facebook page, where she asserted that location and distance are no impediments to God’s blessings as he can locate and reach His own with his abundant blessings regardless of where they are.

“Wherever you are God will locate you, while you are in your house, the Holy Spirit will locate you. You need to believe in the Creator of the universe and when you do more of God’s word you take in will transform your life”.

She emphasized that to trust in God for His favour alone was under-accessing God’s awesome blessings as God’s children can also have favour with men, saying that “most people are ignorant of the fact that you can experience favour with God and also experience favour with man. Some people think that experiencing favour with God is the ultimate and all there is but no, it’s not”.

She highlighted the place of knowledge of God’s word and all other relevant knowledge to success in life, hinting that “you need to balance your understanding with the word of God because the truth you know will set you free. Remember that grace and peace is multiplied through knowledge”.

“A man of knowledge is a man of wealth. If you want to be wealthy, you want to be prosperous, you want to be favoured, you must be a man or woman of knowledge. God’s word says ‘my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge’.”

Deeper Life Bible Church

Also, Regional Overseer of Deeper Life Bible Church, Bonny Region, Pastor Charles Okon and his congregation watched the live broadcast of the message from the General Superintendent of the church, Pastor William Kumuyi, who quoted from Revelation 2: 1-11 to buttress the fact that Jesus Christ is head of the Church Universal and superintendents over it and over its activities.

“Jesus Christ is still in charge, He is still the one that is holding the seven golden candlesticks and you know that seven represents completeness. The Lord Jesus Christ is holding the whole church together.

“He is the head of the church and knows everything just as the head knows everything the other parts of the human body are doing. If you are doing well you will be happy that the Lord is saying that he knows what you are doing. He knows the patience, the devotion, the faith and the good works of the faithful.”

He harped on the need for Christian faithful to trust Him for all their needs and strive to please Him in all their earthly dealings, noting that as the Omniscient God all activities of man are well beholden to Him.  

Greater Evangelism World Crusade (GEWC)

For Christian faithful worshipping with the Greater Evangelism World Crusade (GEWC) in Bonny LGA, from all three zones of Bonny, Finima and Akiama Area, they joined their Zonal Area Minister, Pastor Abraham Oberesiki to watch the live broadcast via the church’s Facebook page where their International Director, Pastor Isaac Olori ministered on the topic: “The Weapon Of Prayer”.

Quoting from 2 Corinthians 10: 3-6, Pastor Olori announced that mankind was engaged in a war in which his antagonists being Satan and his cohorts are targeting his soul to deprive it of eternal salvation and endless bliss with his Maker.  

“There is a raging constant war ongoing in the spirit realm and unfortunately many Christians are not aware of this. This war is not physical combat and cannot be fought by physical weapons. This war is spiritual and can only be fought by spiritual weapons and this is prayer.”

He stated that “a man of God, John Bowen, once said that prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God and a scourge for Satan, stressing that “without prayers your soul is exposed, the target in this spiritual war is your soul”.

“Prayer is a sacrifice to God, a sacrifice of worship, sacrifice of praise, sacrifice of our lips, as we release it to heaven something comes, something is released. Then he says it is a scourge for Satan, a scourge is like a whip, is like koboko”.  

Living Faith Church, aka, Winners Chapel

For members of the Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, they and their Pastor in charge of Bonny LGA, Pastor Gabriel Adekoke, were on the church’s YouTube channel with their General Overseer, Bishop David Oyedepo, who espoused on the topic: “Breaking Invisible Barriers”, quoting from Exodus 15: 26 and 23: 25, 26.

He stated that mankind was engaged in invisible battles but God gives victory to His own and helps them assail their enemies just as He did for the Israelites in Egypt when he not only punished and destroyed Pharaoh and his military but also judged the gods of Egypt, assuring that this also be the lot of God’s children today.

“It is common knowledge that invisible battles are real, whatever might be behind whatever afflictions you are facing shall be destroyed in Jesus name.”

“Behind the captivity of Israel in Egypt was not pharaoh but the gods of this world. And when God came to rescue them He destroyed not just pharaoh and his army but the gods of Egypt. Every invisible behind the problems anyone is facing shall be drowned.”

The general expectation across the LGA was that God Almighty who owns all hearts and harbinger of all wisdom will grant the State Governor the empathy, wisdom and courage to do the right thing by cushioning the effects of the sudden lockdown he placed on the area without any form of impact mitigation.