| Those who collect offering
after preaching in buses are thieves
By BISI OLALEYE
Wednesday,
March 21, 2007
 |
• Pastor Felix Akinjo
Photo:
Sun News Publishing |
|
Pastor Felix Olubunmi Akinjo, general overseer, Christ Gospel
Foundation Church, Okerube, Lagos is one of the few pastors who would call a spade
a spade even at the expense of his life.
He doesn’t care whose ox
is gored in proclaiming the word of God. In a chat with Daily Sun,
he says that being born again is the first criterion for making heaven, adding,
however that that is not the end of the road.
He said that one should
live according to the word of God and obey his commandments. He also hinted that
preachers who collect offering after preaching in buses are stealing by tricks
since it is not biblical to do so.
Background
My name
is Pastor Felix Olubunmi Akinjo. I am a native of Ilu-Titun, Okitipupa Local Government,
Ondo State. I was born and bred there before coming to Lagos in 1969. Through
the grace of God, I became a born again Christian in 1971 and was ordained a pastor
at International Gospel Church, Shomolu (IGC). I was there for 23 years serving
the Lord before God told me to proceed.
I did not want to listen at first,
but through pressure from the Spirit of God and with other individuals sent to
me by God, there was nothing I could do than to proceed. I was sent to go to the
world and evangelise the word of God. Besides this, three years ago, we came down
here just to do house warming. And as we were praying I heard the voice of God
that this is where I should start the ministry.
I did not take it seriously,
but my wife, Lady Evangelist Dorcas Akinjo also heard the same voice, by the time
she told me, I laughed and I later went to consult our father in the Lord. We
prayed together and God gave me the go ahead. We started the ministry in a house
where we held fellowship every Sunday. It is precisely two years now that we moved
to this land. This is our second anniversary and the purpose of the ministry is
to propagate the gospel and to draw people nearer to God. And also to see the
world turned from their evil ways to God their creator.
Message
to lost souls
My message to the lost souls is for them to think deeply
and know that someone created them. They should know that the purpose they were
created by God is for them to serve him. They need to turn away and repent from
their evil ways unto the living God. And that they should serve him with all their
might and strength and also for them to guide their salvation jealously so that
when Christ comes, we will all reign with him.
Proliferation of
churches
The Bible says that by their fruits, we shall know them.
Here, we evangelise undiluted word of God. Those who are fake will be known through
their fruits. The book of Galatians says that the fruit of flesh goes thus: that
of fornication, adultery and so on. That of the spirit is still there. We hear
from God and tell it to the people here. We don’t come up with our own imagination.
We depend solely on the spirit of God.
Modern day Christianity
The
modern day Christianity is quite different from old time religion. People come,
some classical and modern. You see, I will like to borrow my father’s words,
that is Pastor E.A Adeboye of Redeemed Christian Church of God. When people asked
him this same question, he said that they should not be chased away, because whenever
one attends Holy Ghost service, one sees multitude of people from different walks
of life, but what he always tell to them is the same thing. I will say we will
allow the righteous and the evil doers to grow together. When the time comes,
God will separate the wheat from the chaff.
Manifestation of anti-Christ
Anti-Christ
is already manifesting. The only thing we are expecting, as per the word of God
is the coming of Christ. Every other thing is immaterial. At the end time, we
will see pastors with all kinds of evil works. We are expecting Christ. The anti-Christ
is really at work now. It is now left for every one to rebuke him because the
Bible says it will run away from us if we rebuke him. The word of God says that
when the end shall come, nation will rise against nation and father against children.
Which of these haven’t we seen happening? We are expecting Christ to come
and subdue the power of anti-Christ.
Tithes and offering
A
tithe is God’s commandment in Malachi 3 Vs 10: ‘Bring ye the entire
tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house’. Tithes are
the 10 per cent of the annual or monthly salary. By the time you reduce it, you
have done the wrong thing, but once you bring it according to God’s will,
you have done the right thing. Offering is quite different and more than tithe.
If you like you bring out all your salary as offering. The Bible does not say
anything on the amount of offering. Today, most civil servants earn their salary
once in a month and so they pay tithe once a month, but offering is paid everyday.
It is not necessary that you bring it to the church. You may give it to anyone
that is in need. It is only God that will pay one back.
It is not proper
for preachers to collect offering in busses. If I preach in a bus and anybody
gives me something out of his own free will, that is different. I am not supposed
to ask people to give offerings. I don’t think such act is Biblical. It
is using trick to steal and such people should be left to God’s judgment. |
