In a country where many men of God are fond of demanding money from church members, Prophet Emmanuel Olusola Jaiyeoba of the Celestial Church of Christ (Ase Oluwa Parish) District Headquarters, Samonda, Ibadan, is a man of God actually provides financial succor to church members who have one financial problem or the other rather than take money from them. In this interview with Sharpedgenews.com‘s Bureau Editor for Southwest, Alaba Abdulrazak, the renowned man of God that was a former Chairman of the Oyo State Pilgrim Board (Christian Wing) spoke of many who have received healing through prayer from his Church. He also talked extensively on his philanthropic gestures and also why he believes Pentecostal churches are not for Africans as he referred to them as ‘Imported Churches’.
EXCERPTS:
On Nigerian Men of God
Well, let me tell you, not everybody who is called a man of God is really a man of God. You see, it is only in Nigeria that you see the so-called men of God flaunting their wealth. You can imagine a man of God riding a jet and many members of his church hardly eat three times daily. Tell me you would feel when you alight from a private jet and face your church members who have not eaten, much less own a car. Why can’t they sell off these jets or even use the money to acquire Jeeps or other four-wheel vehicles that can take them anywhere in the country. You don’t need a jet as a man of God. When you ride on it, you will be intimidating the poor who contribute their money to the church. Why can’t these men of God invest the money somewhere and come to church one Sunday and find out about some of the church members that are in need of financial assistance. By the time you do this, you are not only assisting them but also making them to come closer to God. These sets of people would never forget such church. You will discover that in most cases with just N20,000 or even N100,000, you can change some people’s lives for better.
Private Jet and Propagation of Christianity
See, let me tell you, this is Africa. But you see the problem is these imported churches. These Pentecostal churches are imported and that is why I called them imported churches. Americans, when they lay their hands on anything they want to do it properly. They started with giving out tracts free of charge. God created Africans with their own way of life. God gave Africans their own churches. For example Christ Apostolic Churches that came through our brother and father in the Lord, Apostle Joseph Ayodele Babalola, who died many years ago. You see when you go to the Christ Apostolic Church after clapping your hands, you will discover that the woman selling bean cake beside your house comes out to confess that she has killed a lot of people and that she has used their blood to fry the bean cake. That will never happen in America because the white man does not have stepmothers and are not polygamous like we Africans. Former American President, Bill Clinton’s father never had two wives but only one wife. Clinton too had only one wife, Hillary Clinton and just a daughter. Here in Africa we have four or five wives and two or three of them are witches. God created our own way of life and there is nothing we can do about it. When we go to Celestial churches and after praising God, your own daughter confesses that she is behind all your problems. Or go to C&S (Cherubim and Seraphim) you will discover that your wife is a witch and so on. That is what we see here in Africa. But we now pretend that we are no more Africans and we go about propagating all these imported churches where you see an illiterate woman selling pepper and who does not understand English language attending such church that conduct everything in English language. God created Africans with our own way of life; with our own religion and when Christianity came, he gave us our type of churches. Apostolic is pure African, Celestial church is pure African and Cherubim and Seraphim C&S is also pure African. Africa is a Dark Continent and Nigeria is notorious for it. People would not come out and confess in London or in America. You can never see a woman selling bean cake beside your house in all these developed countries. They have their own peculiar problems and that is why they have the kind of churches they have in those countries. A day is coming that most of them will run away from all these imported churches and come to our churches to solve their problems.
Criticisms Against White Garment Churches
You see Nigerians like to criticize even in matters that have to do with religion. The Pentecostal pastors do come to us to solve their problems. One came to me recently and told me that witches were disturbing him. I told him that I will come to his church and pray for him and he said no. I asked him why? He said his church members would not like it; I then told him to come to my church and he said no because according to him, my church members will recognize him. He later asked me if I could pray for him in my bedroom and I said no. These are the people who would say we are not following the Holy Bible and when we showed to them that everything we are doing is in the Bible, they said it is the Old Testament. We then asked them if Old Testament is not a Holy Book of the Christians. Pentecostal churches have stealing the show because they like to make noise and propaganda.
Miracles in his Church
Let me tell you the reality. We have many testimonies and many miracles taking place in this church. But we don’t make noise like it is the case with some other churches. For example, one Pentecostal pastor was brought to our church because he could not work for four years. After we prayed for him in this church, he stood up and walked. Another woman who a doctor had lost hope on her was healed of cancer by the power of the Lord in this church. Also, there was another young man who was blind and also regained his sight because the good Lord is still in our church. We have evidence to show for all these miracles and many testimonies that I can show you.