The Vicar, St. Peter’s Anglican Church Akpo, Rev. Canon Henry Durunna, has identified sudden surge on idolatry among young people as challenge ought to be tackled by Christians across the globe.
He made the identification while delivering sermon in a Funeral of Late Regina Ekedimma Obiapusi – Okpalanoikwa, mother of Mr. David Okpala, Staff of Ministry of Information, Anambra State.
The funeral took place at Obiapusi’s Compound, Agbelu Village, Akpo, in Aguata LGA, on March 7, 2024.
The cleric said, “I feel worried seeing young people trouping back to idolatry, a practice our great grandfathers jettisoned long ago.
“It is history to some of us. Some among us witnessed infants lose their lives for coming into the world as twins.
“Men were being castrated just to work as guard in the house of a King.
“The reason for removing their testis is for them not to look at kings wife with sexual intention.
“It was a norm to sacrifice able bodied men to idols, to mention but few negative practices associated with idolatry.
“Christianity washed these practices away. How then did men who are not bad upstairs thought and decided to go back to this harmful practices? It is indeed irritating.”
Canon Durunna blamed it on witch doctors who disguised themselves as prophets and prophetess.
“It is difficult today to identify who is a spiritism (Dibia n’agba afa), water spirit agents (Ndi otu mmuo mmiri), demon appeasers (Ndi na-aru agwu na ndi na-eji Ogbanje).
“These group of people has opened their personal Churches and identified themselves as prophets and prophetess.
“Lazy Christians who refused to search out the truth from the Scripture eventually fall victim to them.
“It is connected to get rich quick syndrome (Ego Mbute) ravaging the globe today. Straight road to making riches is identifying opportunities in a disturbing senerio”.
He gave instance of essential goods being sky-rocketed in prices in our markets today.
“Work out way to planting high breed yielding cassava, harvest, process, produce garri or cassava flour.
“You will not only be solving food problems ravaging the society today but making much riches at this economic crunch.
“Think more about solving problems of the society than aggravating it. You will be walking in the fast lane of becoming a man to reckon with.
“It is madness to go to an idol for riches. No idol has power to give riches. If there were, those self acclaimed prophets and prophetess will not have told you.
“They will pack all the money for themselves and employ you as gate man, wash man, flower attendant, cook, among other minor domestic work.”
He enjoined priests, pastors, evangelists not to economize biblical truth. Giving people false hope only to keep as members of your Church is counter productive to gospel growth and development.
“Ill gotten wealth is offensive to God, even when tithe, fat brown envelopes and huge donations are given.
“We have gathered for the funeral ceremony of our sister Regina who died at 94. Thank God for this lengthy years granted her, yet it does not matter.What matters is the positive impact our sister’s life made to the living.
“So, work hard to making your life meaningful to others to book a place in the bosom of the Lord.”
The first Daughter of the deceased, Mrs Dorathy Nwafor while describing who the mother was said, “mama was hardworking, courageous, having lost her husband over 50 years ago, she toiled all night to providing for her children and six children of her sister who died breastfeeding in 1967.
“She is indeed a mother who told us as children to hold firm to word of God as it answers to every situation, an advice that has been sustaining us.”
The son of the Deceased, Mr. Okpala thanked all in attendance especially Staff of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State who trooped out in their numbers to commiserate with their own.
He prayed God to replenish virtues lost by everyone in making the funeral a success, wishing them safe journey to wherever they came from.
By Stella Okpala
*Stella is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State.
