By Law Ibitoye
Clergymen at the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Ilupeju District Headquarters, Ilupeju-Ekiti, have charged Nigerians to live consciously in preparation for death, stressing that no human being is exempt from mortality.
Pastor Soji Ayoola of CAC Oke Ayo, Ilupeju-Ekiti, gave the charge on Saturday during the final thanksgiving service held in honour of late Deaconess Florence Omoyeni Oluwatuyi.
Speaking on the topic “Preparing for Death,” Pastor Ayoola reminded the congregation that every person born of a woman would one day die, urging them to always reflect on death in all their endeavours. He said how individuals live and what they are doing when death comes would form the basis of their judgement before God.
Taking his scriptural texts from Genesis 5:5–10, Genesis 5:27, Isaiah 22:13 and 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, the cleric noted that man has very little time on earth and therefore must live for Christ. He added that preparation for death is a daily exercise, as no one knows the exact time or hour.
Pastor Ayoola further admonished Christians to remain steadfast in the assignment given to them by Christ, warning that a life without Christ is full of crises. He encouraged believers to live for humanity, citing Acts 9:36–40, and urged them not to live as though they would never die but to make God happy through obedience and the doing of His will, referencing Philippians 3:10.
He concluded by urging the congregation to reflect deeply on the sermon and make necessary amendments to their lives before death comes knocking.
Speaking on the life of the deceased, Pastor Ayoola described late Deaconess Florence Oluwatuyi as a devout Christian, prayer warrior and a woman who lived an impactful life. He said she was a businesswoman and a member of Egbe Olobi, through which she encouraged many people to go into business and offered financial support to several individuals. According to him, she led many souls to Christ and lived selflessly for God and humanity until her death at the age of 80.
Earlier, during the burial service at the deceased’s residence, Pastor Eniilumoka Adekola Lawrence of CAC Ilupeju District Headquarters also charged Christians not to spend their entire lives struggling to acquire wealth and possessions.
Delivering a sermon titled “It’s Not Yours,” the cleric said wealth, properties, fame and power do not truly belong to man but to God. He described life as vanity, noting that people come into the world naked and would return the same way.
Pastor Eniilumoka added that every action carried out on earth is properly recorded, stressing that when death comes, all earthly struggles and possessions come to an end. He urged the congregation to live for Christ and humanity, reminding them that life is transient.
While speaking on the deceased, he said late Florence lived a fulfilled and impactful life, adding that her dedication to the church was evident as she had volunteered to become a church shareholder at the twilight of her life but was unable to fulfil the pledge before death intervened.
The church auditorium was filled to capacity as people from all walks of life thronged the venue to pay their last respects to the late Deaconess Florence Omoyeni Oluwatuyi.