by UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR, SOLEMN ASSEMBLY HELD ON THE 17TH OF JANUARY 2021.
THEME: HEAL OUR LAND O LORD 2CHR 7:14
MINISTER: REV. FR. EMMA EROH
DEPARTURE:
I must commend the VC of Unical and her team for trusting and having faith in the power and place of prayers in transforming Unical. It is a noble venture to put a pause to the entire school activities in order to seek the face of God to heal us, our land and bless us. It is my prayers that your reign shall leave indelible Mark’s on the sands of Unical and restore the perforated glory of Unical and stem the trouble in our land in Jesus name Amen. Indeed with God all things are possible Mk 10:27.
SOLEMN ASSEMBLY
The bible records myriads of instances where the entire community or nation resorted to prayers either to avert calamity or seek for God’s mercy and healing . In Deut 16: 8 the Lord commanded for a solemn assembly of prayers and impacting God’s blessings on his people. Lev. 23:36 emphasised restraint from work as a critical aspect of a solemn assembly inorder that the significance of the day may impact the people.
In 2Chron 7:9 solemn assembly preceded the dedication of Solomon’s famous temple in Isreal, where the Lord promised ” to hear their cry and heal the land” 2Chron 7:13- 18. Healing is therefore pivotal and central to the life of a child of God.
Similarly, King Jehu called a solemn assembly of all the prophets of Baal and exterminated them all and freed Isreal from idol worshipping and charms cf 2kgs 10:18-25. This solemn assembly is not to kill perpetrators of evils, those having a romance with charms and juju men, those using evil powers to influence authorities in their favours etc. No, the target is rather to bring God’s mercy, repentance, blessings and healing on our school via a change of attitude or conversion.
Prophet Joel in Chap 14:2 called an assembly for prayers inorder to avoid impending doom and anarchy, this is why this conglomeration of various minds and hearts is not only pertinent but crucial, to save our community from doom and bless our Land.
WHAT IS A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY.
Solemn assembly is a time for conversion that comes from the heart. It is a moment of casting back your mind to where you have failed and asking for a change of heart.
In our lead text 2Chro 7: 14 – 18, the Lord stated unequivocally,
IF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME, HUMBLE THEMSELVES, PRAY, SEEK MY FACE, TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, THEN I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND FORGIVE THEIR SINS AND I WILL HEAL THEIR LAND.
The Lord knows that some of us have abandoned the path of righteousness and humility and are wearing the unenviable toga of pride. We invent our own roles and circumvent laid down principles for success. We have become demi gods that should be worshipped because of the positions God gave us. We have even become untouchable and when we are no longer relevant in that aspect. We have over bloated ego and look down on others. The Lords demands humility as a prerequisite for healing. In Mark 2:1-12, Before the Lord healed the paralytic man he first forgave his sins. This means that sin is an obstacle to God’s healing mercies. The sin of pride can suffocate God’s healing power. Lev 26 :4 humble yourself so that the Lord will bless you. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. James 4:6-10. In humility count others as better than yourself. Phil 2:3-8, Clothe yourself in humility. Col.3 12-13. God’s divine purpose is to forgive you and heal not only you but your land.
PRAYERS: Prayers is a vital link with God that can never be over emphasised. Prayer is the key that opens all doors. It is the most powerful weapon on earth, it surmounts that seemingly insurmountable issue; sickness, marital problems, addictions, family scores etc. There’s power in prayers. We can make very little progress without prayers. It is prayers that will catapult us to where we ought to be and rain down God’s blessings of healing and fruitness on us all. We cannot stand up in prayers with grievances against one another and expect God to answer us. That’s why the next stage is pertinent.
SEEK GOD’S FACE.
Seeking God’s face entails total commitment in the things of God and abhorrence of worldliness. It is turning away from carnality and the pleasures of the world and submerging yourself into the ocean of God’s mercy that provokes healing. He invites you “come to me all who are over burdened and heavy ladened, and l will give you rest. Matt 11:28. Some of you are labouring under a heavy burden and life is now consistent pain and emptiness devoid of happiness. God’s healing power shall bring RESTORATION. Seek the Lord and you will find him Lk 11:9-10. When you seek me you will find me. Jer 29:13. Those who seek the Lord shall be blessed Ps 69:32. Again, Ps 34:4-5 states ” there shall be deliverance and removal of shame for those who seek the Lord. And the Lord shall save them. Beloved in Christ, this is the time to seek the Lord and activate his power of healing.
TURN FROM WICKED WAYS. Heb. 6:1.
Wickedness in the land attracts God’s punishment on his people, but turning away from wickedness brings forgiveness and healing. This Solemn Assembly is a call for repentance, healing and invoking God’s blessings and His ineffable graces on His children. There are aspects of our lives that we need to turn away from.
AREAS FOR HEALING
It is essential as those in the academia and adminstration to exhume our consciences which we interred long ago .
In an academic environment like this, they are some who live a life of debauchery ( like the prodigal son), dissoluteness, turpitude, depravity,loudness, rakishness,perversion, libertinism, immodesty, indecency, impropriety, immorality and lasciviousness cf 1Cor 6:9-11, Gal 5:19-21, Rev 22:15, like the prodigal son, there is absolute need to beat their comatose consciences back to life. We need the healing rays of God to shine through our lives and make us new.
STUDENTS – SOLEMN TARGETS
Let me begin the process of disentombment of consciences with students. Your main target here is to excel in academic and MORALS or character and learning, you need solemn focus to fulfill your dreams and face the challenges of the modern world, so why distract yourselves, you need God’s healing mercy on some of your life styles like
– parties and clubbing
-cultism
-fashion
-immorality
– cohabitation
– ambassador of nudity
-prostitution etc
You need a solemn focus, and l am convinced you can make it. Some of you have incurred alot of sicknesses because of your lifestyle. God shall completely heal and deliver you in Jesus name Amen. Listen to God speaking to you.
LECTURERS: SOLEMN CONSCIENCES.
1. Lecturers who are not committed to their duties need healing.
2. Those who frustrate students need God’s mercy
3. Those who lack self control and shamefully romance with their students need healing.
Hope you realize that you have female children too. Whatever a man sows, that shall he reap. Gal 6:7-8.
5. Some extort poor students thereby pushing them into different vices.
6. I heard some fraternise native doctors for charms and amulets. All to gain favour.
7. Some deliberately scheme to out smart their colleagues and engage in ” pull him/her down syndrome ”
8. Tribalism and nepotism is said to be a stumbling block to academic excellence. The bile and bitterness in our system need to be healed for absolute blessings from God.
Hear What the Lord said.
Eph 14: 19 pursue peace and what makes for mutual up building.
1Theas 4:18 encourage one another with helpful words.
Eph 4:13 Eschew all kinds of bitterness wrath, anger, malice, slander etc
ADMINSTRATIVE STAFF
– SOLEMN ACCOUNTABILITY.
The Administrative staff are the engine room and drivers of the University system. It is inundated and saturated with recklessness, sloth, envy, scheming,, we need the healing mercy of God inorder to prosper. You have to be committed to your task and be transparent about it knowing that it is Lord whom you are serving.
Be truthful in all your dealings. We need God’s healing mercy in the areas of insincerity, eye service, condoling evil, setting each other up etc. Let us ask for God’s mercy and healing.
PROFESSORS- SOLEMN MENTORSHIP.
Professors are revered, erudite, cultivated, collegiate, cerebral, cultured, refined, polished, primed and apprized intelligentsia.
My worry is that we are not getting solemn mentorship emanating from your desk. The anger and bitterness you cast into the system, does not befit the trajectory of your meteoric but painstaking rise to the apex of your career. You need to collaborate with the VC to give her best to the school. We too need divine healing and mercy.
VC – Solemn Leadership.
Even in the University system, they are politicians who daily gravitate around the orbit of power. The churn out stories putting the VC at loggerheads with imaginary enemies. The VC should be mindful of this ” tick skinned men and women”, who feel that it is our turn to eat. Keep them far away from you. You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free Jn 8:32.
Prov 29:2 When the righteous are in power the people rejoice but when the wicked rule, the people mourn.
Madam VC
Be firm but courteous
Be strong but modest
Be gentle but wise
Be focused but consultative
Be an Amazon, but battles are won with a coterie of wise men/ women.
Be powerful but remember power is ephemeral. We are yesterday’s children.
In an academic environment like this, they are some who live a life of debauchery ( like the prodigal son), dissoluteness, turpitude, depravity,loudness, rakishness, perversion, libertinism, immodesty, indecency, impropriety, immorality and lasciviousness cf 1Cor 6:9-11, Gal 5:19-21, Rev 22:15, like the prodigal.son, there is absolute need to beat their comatose consciences back to life. This is the focus now.
EFFECTS OF GOD’S HEALING
There are myriads of blessings that we will enjoy as effects of God’s healing of our Land
– Divine favours and promotions.
– Grooming a future generation that we will be proud of.
– improved standard of education
-integrity in our system
– Divine prosperity and upliftment
– spirit of contentment
– witnessing to God by our lifestyle
– physical healing of our ailments.
– Blessing on our children to make us proud etc.
CONCLUSION
When the prodigal son in Luke 15 :17 realized he had been on the wrong path, he made a u-turn and headed back home to repair the damage he had done in order to activate God’s healing. He received more than he ever bargained for – royal welcome in an atmosphere of abundance.
2Chr 7 : 14 This is a call for national or corporate repentance. If we have dishonoured God’s name by our deeds, we must accept the punishment for our sin( every sin has its wages)
1. You must humble yourself
2. Pray for the removal of judgement due to sin
3. Seek God’s face
4. Renounce you sin and turn from evil ways.
This will provoke communal mercy;
-Forgiveness of Sins
-Conversion
-Healing of the Land.
It is our turn now to renounce our sins humbly and activate God’s healing of our land and RESTORATION of then glory of our UNICAL. Let God’s will and reign be established in our school in Jesus name Amen.
-BLESSINGS
The Lord Shall promote you in Jesus name
The Lord shall heal you in Jesus name
The Lords mercy shall locate you in Jesus name.
Your dreams shall be fulfilled in Jesus name,
Evil hands and eyes shall not see you in Jesus Name,
UNICAL shall be great again in Jesus name,
God’s hand shall be upon you in Jesus name,
Your families shall be blessed in Jesus name,
Your offices shall be blessed
Our Land shall be blessed in Jesus name.
