Efforts are high to get the gospel of Christ preached all over Nigeria. But pastors and general overseers seem to be taking the shine off the Lord and Saviour, writes TEMITOPE DAVID-ADEGBOYE.
They call Jesus the Author and Finisher of their faith, but many Christians would rather go about with the image of their pastor or general overseer (GO) and his wife than that of that of Jesus Christ. Some carry these men of God’s picture in their bibles and wallets, while others simply go about with branded items, brandishing their pastors. In some cases, the walls of their homes and offices are also adorned with images of their congregation leaders smiling down at everybody in sight.
This trend has made many people, particularly those who are of different faiths to argue that Church leaders have stolen the place of Jesus in the lives of their members. Some argue that Christendom now idolises men rather than exalt Jesus, the Head of the Church.
Unfortunately, however, a closer look at many Churches seems to lay credence to these facts.
But while some see this trend as ugly and unnecessary, others say it is simply a display of admiration, respect and love for these pastors. Before now, only one Church was being ‘crucified’ for paying high premium to images, including those of “heavenly beings”, the Catholic Church.
“Nobody can take the shine off Jesus. The created can never compare with the Creator. Many (not all) pastors are building empires around themselves, while members are making idols out of them. But a man/woman who knows Jesus will always know where to draw the line, and give God’s glory to Him,” said Uche Agboje, a businesswoman.
Others like Faith Osahon, who though do not practise it, see nothing wrong with the act. The civil servant, who worships at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), does not go about with the picture of Pastor Enoch Adeboye, her GO, but sees nothing wrong in people doing it. For her, the benefits out-weigh the detriments. According to her, members have at one time or another given testimonies of how God saved them from misfortune because they had the picture of the GO, either in their homes or even in their wallets.
Others see it as simply identifying with the church and denomination in question.
“A sister once gave a testimony how, sometime ago, God delivered them from operations of armed robbers who visited their home. According to her, after harassing members of the household, one of the robbers just shouted at the others, saying that they had to hurriedly leave the house. He said they could not take anything from the house because he sighted the portrait of ‘Daddy GO’. To them, if they took anything or injured anybody in there, the God of Adeboye would deal with them. And so, they left without taking anything from them,” Osahon recounted.
This story was corroborated by John Chukwudi, a banker, whose office is located on the island. For him, a memorabilia, a key-holder had the picture of the same Daddy GO, and when he was about to be attacked on Third Mainland Bridge, the guys fled on sighting the picture.
“I was returning from my place of work on the Island one day about 11.30pm, when some armed men stopped me and ordered me to get down from the car. One of them made to start the ignition when he saw the key-holder. The guy whispered to the two others, saying ‘na daddy G.O pikin, na daddy GO pikin.’ He immediately came out and they asked me to get into the car and drive off quickly,” Chukwudi told The Niche.
The story is not different among worshippers at Living Faith Worldwide (aka) Winners Chapel, Ota, where Bishop David Oyedepo directs the affairs. Often, members also give testimonies of how having the picture of papa and mama, on stickers, either on their dashboard or screens.
Although these testimonies may sound convincing, many, however, are of the opinion that these justifications are not enough for Church members to neglect God and instead worship pastors like they do nowadays.
Speaking on the issue, Pastor Seun Owolabi of Grace Assembly, Satellite Town, stated that while he is not averse to people respecting their GOs, the problem is that many people over-do it.
“You find people who refer to their pastor in everything and every discussion. For them, it is no longer what Jesus would do when a situation arises; it is what their pastor says. Some would not marry someone except their pastor says so.
Unfortunately, these pastors too encourage them a great deal. Tell me, do these GOs not know that their members carry their pictures everywhere with them, and instead of calling on Jesus, for assistance when in trouble, they run to them. This is a problem that we face in Christendom today,” Owolabi said.
On her part, Founder/President of Christ Church, Lagos Rev. (Mrs.) Frances Oluku, warned fellow clerics against the trend.
In her words: “Sadly, this is the state of many prominent denominations today, with particular reference to the Pentecostal and charismatic folds. Pastors do not have an easy job, we know it. But they should know that they are supposed to be imitating Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
“Every time the members of the Church look towards the pulpit, they are expecting to see Christ, not you. Yes, they may see your face, but they are looking for something beyond your face. They want to see the face of the Lord. Is His Spirit upon you? Did you bask in His glory during your prayer time before coming to the pulpit? Who will speak to the people, you or Christ? Remember well, at least the tradition says that the high priest of the Old Testament had a cord tied around his leg, just in case he was unable to stand before the presence of God in the holy place.
“God is looking for worship and adoration from His people and the people are looking for the presence of the Lord, so they can worship Him. Ministers should be anointed for service and ready to usher in the presence of God, whether they minister as preacher, singer or musician. Sometimes the minister would expect the people to prepare the atmosphere for preaching, but anointed ministers should already have God’s presence with them to minister. Enoch walked with the presence of the Lord till God took him. Elijah knew God’s presence was with him as he challenged idol worshippers and performed miracles. Peter walked with such an anointing from the Spirit until just his shadow falling on the people healed sick bodies. Smith Wigglesworth, a noted pioneer of the Pentecost Revival, so loved God that his intimacy with the Lord brought forth frequent manifestations of healing during his ministry, but people did not worship him. Jesus died to make this power and this presence available for every believer.”
On her part, Pastor Morinmade Makinde, a relationship expert and marriage counsellor, said: “One thing I have noticed is that our greatest challenge in this generation is a non-vital relationship with the Holy Spirit. So it seems easy and makes more sense to just excessively praise others, whom we perceive as higher in authority in Church, thereby idolising them. This is more evident even in places of prayer. Many people must get to their pastors for prayers on everything. We think in our hearts that God hears them more. But that is wrong.
“Many are ignorant of some certain spiritual truths, but what I would just advice is that after we as Christians have received the Holy Spirit, we can’t be the same anymore. We should learn to commune more with the Holy Spirit, call on the name of Jesus Christ when in trouble because He alone can deliver us, and not man,” Makinde stated.
