Prophet Samson Mustapha Benjamin, the General Overseer of Resurrection Praise Ministries (RPM) International, Lagos, in this interview with Woman Editor, Temitope David-Adegboye, speaks about the basis of his ministry, what is sustaining the church and why he is championing ecumenism
It has been 14 years since you started this church, how would you describe the journey so far?
Prophet Samson Mustapha BenjaminIn everything in life, there are challenges. But so far, so good. It is by His grace, not by might, nor by power. You can judge for yourself from what you are seeing. We have been able to surmount many challenges. At a point, the press was a little problem for me because they didn’t understand me until 2008, when I had to explain my activities using the scriptures. Today, by His grace, I am one of the beautiful brides, if not the most beautiful.
What would you say is the basis of this ministry?
When you are a messenger, you carry a lot of messages. But there are special messages that God does not send just anybody; instead, He raises special messengers to carry such errands. I fall into the group of those with special errands. I am a pioneer of a peculiar thing that have not existed before. The challenges of starting a new thing were like that before the Holy Ghost baptism era; they were criticised for speaking in different tongues. When deliverance came, they also faced challenges. So it is not different from mine because I am actually the leader of the era of what I call the Pentecostal spiritual movement. This is a calling by which you don’t preach only theory – you don’t talk to people by faith; you practicalise it, and this is not common.
Substance is something that you can touch and feel. If somebody goes to a native doctor, he tells you to go and bring a white cock and white piece of cloth. He ties them with something and gives them back to you. Because you are holding that thing in your hand, you feel you are holding power. It is a transformation. So, instead of saying that you are protected by the blood of Jesus, I tell you to give me your wristwatch and I will bless it; so that anytime you wear it, God’s protection is in your hands. That is transferring faith into substance. So because it is new, others found it difficult to understand at that time. Pentecostal pastors found it difficult to accept my way of dressing. Consistency will always overcome trial. I was consistent; I kept doing what I was doing, and today, some of them copy me.
What would you attribute the explosive growth of your church to?
I attribute it to God. I grew up reading lots of Christian literature, and Bishop David Oyedepo is one person I grew up to know from my secondary school days. I respect him and will always respect him. I championed the Kaduna youth revival in 1987, and when we lacked where to fellowship, Oyedepo normally allowed us the use of his church.
Are you still in touch with him?
He is still a father to me. Sometimes, some people would get to heaven before they know how much work they had done. Oyedepo may not know the amount of work he did in me; but the seed has grown worldwide, even in diplomacy. That is why I can be referred to as His Eminence, His Excellency, and Imperial Royal Majesty. In 2012, I was actually crowned in Washington DC. Forget the level of success I have achieved, I look up to fathers in the faith. Simplicity and humility must be there. You must recognise those who helped you to get to where you are. Another man I respect so much is the late Benson Idahosa. Oyedepo used to bring him to Kaduna in those days, but I never had the opportunity to meet with him because it was very difficult growing up. But I have watched all his tapes and I loved him very much. He was one man I longed to be like.
What prepared you for the many roles you’ve found yourself playing now?
I am a selfless person. I look at it from the perception that as a young person, you had so many beautiful girls around, you didn’t have anything to do with them and all of a sudden, you decided you would not get married and you abstain from some other things. While I would not want to say this is the particular reason, but some sacrifices make God to give some people special assignments, attention and privileges. I am just a little over 40, but there is nothing I am looking for that I cannot get. There is no world leader I cannot meet with. I have remained Nigerian permanent attendee in the congressional black caucus of the United States of America, the highest gathering in the world. So, that has created a lot of relationships for me in the international arena. And I give God the glory for everything. So, it is not about me; it is His mercy and being faithful to the little that one is given. I also try to make excuses for people’s mistakes. If someone makes a mistake, it is not in my place to go on the altar and run him or her down. Destructive criticism is not godly. That is why I am championing the church unification programme – ecumenism.
What do you make of the division in Christendom?
The division we experience among Christians is very vast and that is what is making people take advantage of us. I expect that at this point in time, some big men that I look up to as fathers in the Lord should be able to forgive Ayo Oritsejafor for breaking away from Idahosa. But this is not so. As the president of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), he should be able to garner respect and bring Christians together. But some people still feel hurt by what he did in the past and so they will not be there for him. We should see him as the rallying point. When I speak to him, I do so as a child to a father. And I think that is one thing that is giving me the opportunity to be able to break through to all of them because when they run down my dossier and see my spiritual, diplomatic and other activities and yet I still respect them, they know I am humble. Papa Oyedepo cannot be sitting on a chair talking to me and I sit on a chair too. I would rather sit on the floor. The way up is down. And when you have the blessing of these kinds of people, nobody can curse or hurt you. That is why I am championing the cause of unifying the church. If you come here on Sundays, you find my members clutching the rosary. The rosary is not meant for the Catholics alone. Who told you that Catholics will not go to heaven? After all, what people go to see at Jerusalem today are protected by Roman Catholics. So, I am looking for a way to bring the church together.
How do you deal with women who may be attracted to you?
I live in this compound. I don’t have any house anywhere in the world, even with my status. I am a perfect sacrifice to God. My father used to say “Benjamin is my sacrifice to God”. Even if God protects you, he says “lead us not into temptation…” You must also learn to be disciplined. I fast a lot because I want power. St. Paul said: “I put myself under subjection…” I do that a lot. When you leave here, it is just me and the security men.
How did your parents take your celibacy move?
They didn’t have any issues with it. Probably if my mother had lived longer, she might have made an issue out of it.
Why is it that your members refer to you as boy-boy (servant), while other clerics prefer to be called ‘man of God’?
The fact that others do it that way does not mean everybody should follow the same route. I am a slave and servant of the Author and Finisher of our faith. I don’t even refer to myself as bishop of archbishop. This is the way I look at myself. I am a messenger of God. I tell my people that they are God’s property; I am only taking care of them for God, so that they can go to heaven. When I hear people say “you are too much”, I don’t take it; it is only God that is too much. It is the members that make pastors sin. And that is because the pastor is not sensitive. If a pastor is being praised and he does not return the glory to God, it may enter into his head that he would climb the altar and tell his congregation not to call God again, but his name. So, when you hear people start calling themselves “god” or that they answer prayers, it is not their fault; it is the members’ fault. That is the mistake some people make. God said: “My glory I will share with no man, neither my praise will I share with any man.”