The Sun News On-line/man in the pulpit

Pastor Mathias Iwekuba, General Overseer of The Body of Christ Assembly, (Passover Christian Centre), Orile, Iganmu, Lagos, says fasting and praying is the bedrock of Christendom. For him, fasting and praying enables miracles that seem impossible to man to happen. In a recent chat with Daily Sun, Pastor Iwekuba spoke about the ministry so far.

Conversion
I had worked in various companies as an accountant before I resigned to go into private business. During that period, I received the call of God to become a pastor, and I didn’t want to become a pastor because I didn’t see any challenge in it. By then I had not given my life to Christ. It was in 1990 that I gave my life to Christ at Redeemed Christian Church of God, and things turned around in my life.

In 1991, I had a revelation about heaven and after that, it became clear that I could not run away from being a pastor. I was still reluctant because I wanted to achieve my career goal and end up working in an international organization. Eventually I heeded the call of God and became a pastor.

Tithe and offering
Tithe is an injunction from God. In the book of Genesis, Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedec, the prince of Salem. Also in Malachi, tithe was emphasized and God called those who don’t pay their tithes robbers. People who pay their tithe are preserved from the devourer while those who do not pay their tithe open the door for the devourer to eat up the labour of their hands. In the Bible, Jesus commended the widow who gave her widow’s mite as offering. When people give offerings, it should be from their heart, that they have not sinned against God or human beings.

Miracles
From my own experience, I would say that miracles are real and they exist. When I was in secondary school, I used glasses, until when I traveled to England. I had two sets of glasses, one for reading and the second one for driving. One day, I attended a miracle service and the pastor prayed and I received my miracle of healing. I had worn glasses for 20 years but after that prayer, I removed my glasses and since I have not worn them again.

Area of calling
I would say that I am just a pastor. A pastor is like a general practitioner who is an all rounder in all areas of medicine. I wouldn’t call the body of Christ as a general ministry because it is not in the word of God. The word of God is a five fold ministry, there are divisions such as being an apostle, a prophet, a teacher, an evangelist or a pastor. The Lord has not asked me to change my name from being a pastor. Any problem that people bring to me, I would take it to the Lord in prayer and they are solved. I would not call myself a specialist in one area. Anybody who is a pastor can effectively function in other areas too.

Challenges
The challenges I have faced are many. Some Christian groups now compete with the corporate world in the way they meet up and at the same time, remain in the faith. Most people try to please their congregation by introducing new things and they end up going out of the way. It is difficult to close your eyes on the modern things going on. For me as a pastor, I want to remain in the middle, by not being too outlandish or being so conservative that would keep away young people from the church.
Money is also another challenge.

I do not take money from people anyhow. Some years ago, a man brought some millions of naira to me and since I did not know the source of his money, I refused to collect the money from him and the Lord has kept me going since then.