3 weeks ago
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Bishop Sola Adetunji was a pharmacist earlier helium was called into afloat clip ministry. In 1993, helium founded the Endtime Power Ministries (a.k.a, Chapel of His Power) and different outer churches, though with antithetic names, to thatch the word, evangeliseJesus Christ and interaction the people. In a chat with
OMIKO AWA, Bishop Adetunji talked astir the relation of the religion successful the nation’s existent economical situation, usage of herbs and religion healing among others.
How did you travel into ministry and what were you doing earlier then?
I AM a trained pharmacist. I finished from ObafemiAwolowo University, Ile-Ife successful 1987. I served and worked successful Niger State and aboriginal came Lagos for my internship and aboriginal went backmost to Ekiti State to enactment successful a assemblage pharmacy.
How were you called into the ministry?
In 1981/82, portion I was inactive successful secondary school, I had an brushwood and became calved again, but erstwhile I entered the assemblage and concentrating connected my studies, I temporarily forgot God. But connected December 31, 1990, I was restored and I became precise fervent, due to the fact that I knew my God. In 1991, I got the imaginativeness of God’s telephone and I started a radical called,the Hunters; it was a radical of believers. We went to villages to amusement Christian films, administer tracts and to evangelise the gospel. And by 1993, I founded the Endtime Power Ministries besides known arsenic Chapel of His Power. We started astatine Ifake, Ekiti with conscionable 9 members.While doing this, I was inactive practicing pharmacy until my nonrecreational signifier began to tally against my Christian ethos and ministerial ethics.
There was a peculiar case, wherever a joined pistillate came for an termination drug. She said, she had 4 children already and that the 5th was connected the mode and she and her hubby had concluded plans to abort the child.Hearing this, I conscionable don’t cognize what to say, I was betwixt the devil and the heavy bluish oversea due to the fact that I did not privation to springiness her the drug, but recovered it hard to archer her. So, I said to the woman, portion termination the 1 successful the womb erstwhile we tin easy termination immoderate of the 4 children alive. The pistillate exclaimed: “Do you privation maine to perpetrate murder?” And I replied, that is precisely what you privation maine to do. She grew annoyed and walked retired of the pharmacy. Before long, the quality dispersed astir the town. My employers heard of it, became irritated and began to look for a mode to alleviation maine of my job. The incidental boosted my popularity, particularly arsenic astir of the radical successful the municipality could not differentiate the quality betwixt a aesculapian doc and a pharmacist. My employers yet relieved maine of the job, believing that if I permission the job, the religion I was starting would besides cease to exist. So, I was forced to spell into afloat clip ministry without adequately preparing for it financially. The backing of the religion then, solely rested connected me. I was good paid; I was earning N1,300:00, portion my contemporaries successful the civilian work were getting N350.00 to N400;00, so, wealth was not my problem. I utilized to provender radical successful the church, a contented we person upheld to date.
It was aft I near the occupation that God successful 1993, said to me: “After they led the sheep to the shore, they near each and followed him.” It is simply a scripture successful the Bible, but it came to maine arsenic a Rhema; that is however God speaks to immoderate of us. This means aft I had led the sheep to the shore, I should permission each and travel him. This was however I came into afloat clip ministry.
How past did you past without capable funding?
The radical I could past scope retired to were mostly young radical that person conscionable near secondary school. They were eating successful my house, but erstwhile I ran retired banal due to the fact that I was nary longer connected a salaried job, it became a challenge. At that period, I got utilized to taking soaked garri and groundnut barroom (kulinkuli). Then we referred the garri arsenic cornflakes; truthful each clip we accidental bring cornflakes among ourselves, we meant garri. However, God saw maine done and contiguous we are successful antithetic states.
As a pharmacist and a cleric, what is your instrumentality connected religion healing, the usage of herbs for curative purposes and radical going to hospitals for aesculapian treatment?
The information is, God is not against the usage of medicine. Paul, the apostle, had a doc that was pursuing him astir connected his missionary journey. There were casesherbs were usedin the Bible. In fact, God ne'er told america to devour beef. He said we should devour herbs, but we deviated from that. All sicknesses and diseases came from animals. Plants bash not person diseases that could infect man, which is the crushed erstwhile you chopped down a works oregon a histrion it dies and nurture the ground. Kill an carnal and permission it connected the ground, it volition bring retired worms, which means determination are immoderate contamination successful the belly of that carnal earlier it died and portion we devour the beef we get a batch of sicknesses. God’s intension for america is to devour plants, this is wherefore immoderate radical person chosen to beryllium vegetarians and they are healthier.
Being a vegetarian is similar going backmost to book days. I americium not a vegetarian due to the fact that I devour meat.
But the usage of herbs and drugs are ne'er contradictory to the words of God, alternatively they complementary. I usage to archer radical if “prayerquine” does not heal you, thenuse Chloroquine. This simply means if your religion cannot support you outof the infirmary wherever drugs could beryllium administered to you, portion did you autumn sick.
If Apostle Paul could usage a physicianthat took attraction of him, it tells america that aesculapian doctors person a relation to play among Christians. Doctor themselves volition archer you that they cure lone God heals. Drugs fasten the healing process successful our assemblage and should beryllium utilized erstwhile necessary. I americium not against herbs oregon drugs oregon prayers. Herbs oregon occidental medicine bash not contradict each other, though a batch of radical thought they do. The lone spot they contradict is erstwhile you statesman to chant into the herbs. With this, you are evoking demonic powers into the herbs. Although, immoderate of the chanting are sometimes intelligence due to the fact that the chanter wants to makeusers to judge the concoction has immoderate spiritual powers. However, determination are chants that really enactment due to the fact that demonic powers person beenevoked; this is the benignant that I americium against due to the fact that the scripture does not enactment it. I americium not against herbalism, but cultism. I volition lone beryllium against herbalism if it is mixed with cultism.
Is supplication not a signifier of chants?
No, supplication is simply a signifier of connection with the Almighty God. Cultism oregon incantation is simply a signifier of connection with the lesser gods, who are really demons that God sent distant from heaven. They are the fallen angels; they person their ain powers, which are not complementary to God’s power. This is the crushed they enactment against God’s purpose. They are the followers of Satan. Chants spell to demons, portion prayers spell to the Almighty God. Mistake radical marque is to deliberation that these demons walk their accusation to God, which is not true;they walk their accusation to Satan who see and reply them. Satan has a level of powerfulness and radical worship him. However, God’s powerfulness is superior to that of Satan.
With COVID-19, galore churches suffered mediocre attendance and fiscal setback, and besides the emergence of online worship. How bash you spot this move?
Development mostly is simply a continuous one. However, COVID-19 earnestly affected ministries that person nary developmental hindsight, but radical who understoodthat alteration is continuous and permanent, instantly embraced exertion arsenic a means to transmit the gospel to the world. This besides expanded a batch of people’s ministry. The pandemic and the consequent usage of exertion moved the religion forward. Although, the determination mightiness person been affected carnal gathering, the pew mightiness person gathered dust, galore souls were inactive won to God, portion online ministries flourished. Some Conservativesmay spot the usage of exertion arsenic devil’s thought to propulsion down the church, which is not true. Printing property started with the volition of printing the gospel and spreading itround the world. This aboriginal gave commencement tothe press. So, God is utilizing ‘Whatsapp, tiktok, facebook’among others to boost the dispersed of His world. COVID-19 lone affected the carnal church, portion the main church, which is the gathering of the called retired radical flourished.
Do members get the sameblessings from online services, arsenic they get fromphysical religion services?
Yes, they do. It is conscionable similar having an overflow successful the carnal religion wherever televisions are placed successful immoderate locations for those who could not participate the main religion to ticker what is happening successful the religion without seeing the pastor physically. Our fathers of religion including Pastor Kumuyi and Adeboye person been utilizing this method up of time. Many radical spell to differentcamps and volition not spot the pastors determination face-to-face, but volition inactive beryllium blessed. Some radical that could not get to the campy volition perceive via vigor and tv stations and inactive get their miracles. However, the blessings oregon miracles hap based connected member’s faith. It is not the medium, but the level of one’s religion that matters.
How tin Nigeria and Nigerians flooded its existent economical challenge?
According to the prophetic program of God, successful astir each state of the world, things are not going to get better; things volition proceed to get worse. Nigeria is experiencing it ain information successful a heavier mode due to the fact that we person dishonest leaders. If you observe you volition announcement that since 1983 the system has been sliding downwards and successive governments person been moving to amended connected it. Everyone present is reasoning of a mode to past the harsh system and marque beingness amended for themselves. This is the crushed I pity those connected wage and asking for wage increase, which volition not come. And with each wage summation comes ostentation that volition marque everyone to spell backmost to quadrate one.
Sometimes, we behave arsenic if we are successful a socialist authorities wherever authorities is for the people. Going by what is happening successful the country, it is simply a incorrect definition, erstwhile we accidental ideology is the authorities of the radical and by the people; no, it is not! Our ain ideology is simply a authorities of the chosen fewer for the chosen few. People successful authorities contiguous are doing it for their selfish interest; they are moving for themselves and not for immoderate communal man. You tin spot the mode they alteration parties each clip they suffer oregon fallout offavour successful 1 party. All these are happening due to the fact that they spot authorities arsenic a crippled of endurance so, they person to warring to enactment afloat. We should look inwards and statesman to turn what we eat.
As a young antheral you served successful Niger State, wherever you were good accepted arsenic a Nigerian. With what ishappening successful the state would you let your children to service successful immoderate portion of the bluish region?
The spate of insecurity successful the state shows we are unusual bedfellows. I emotion unity and clasp it, but things successful the state person got to a level that we should beryllium down and code the issues 1 aft the other. There are places successful this state wherever Christians are forced to formal similar Moslems. Our diversity, erstwhile it comes to religion is truthful dense that immoderate radical find it hard to tolerate radical from different tribes. I volition telephone connected authorities to reverse the younker work scheme. I bash not privation it cancelled, butlet authorities let the students to work wrong their regions, portion putting restrictions connected immoderate states, particularly Lagos and Abuja. Because they are the states astir radical would privation to serve. In different way, authorities tin adjacent suspend taking these youths to antithetic states and usage the one-year strategy to thatch them entrepreneurship. The monthly stipend fixed to them could beryllium utilized arsenic a startup bundle for them erstwhile they decorativeness the course.
How tin the Church bailout couples, its members astatine this economical downturn?
This is simply a clip couples request to basal strong. Before nowyou could perceive men (husbands) telling their wives they tin transportation the household load unsocial and arsenic specified let their wives to walk their salaries alone, but present it is evident that the men cannot transportation the loads unsocial immoderate longer. So, it is amended for couples to beryllium agreed successful making expenses, successful mounting targets, and besides to look for a mode of diversifying their vigor to marque other income. If you cheque the communicative of the Garden of Eden, the Bible says 4 rivers wateredthe garden, which means 4 rivers supplied the request of the garden. A household should not clasp its bid until they person 4 sources of income.
Coming to the religion of God, this is the clip the religion should assistance its members, not lone by fixed them money, but besides by impacting cognition that would alteration them to marque money. Very aboriginal successful my religion history, I bash archer radical that if you person immoderate to sell, you volition person thing to spend; truthful thatch your religion subordinate to person thing to sell. It could beryllium service, it could beryllium knowledge, it could beryllium skills, it beryllium goods; they should person thing to sell. If you person immoderate things to sell, you volition person thing to walk due to the fact that endurance volition not travel automatically, neither volition itcome done government. Church should attraction for its members.
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