By Johnson Adebowale
Prophet Dr. Samson Ayorinde, general overseer, World Evangelism Bible Church (WEBIC) is a renowned evangelist and host of the famous Anointing Night and the nationwide Fire Crusade that attracts millions of participants in one meeting.
In this interview, the prophet outlines how the 2023 general election would play out, the last 27 years of his journey, and a lot more.
Excerpts:
Were you born a prophet or did you venture to become one, how did the journey begin?
I was born a prophet from the womb of my mother with a prophetic utterance for the work. I was born a Nazirite with a lock of hair more than 60 years ago in Ilorin, Kwara State. A prophet spoke of my birth, saying that I was going to be acknowledged all over the world. My calling is back with evidence. At a stage in the pregnancy, I disappeared from the womb and the doctors and nurses were planning to flush out the pregnancy. Then one Prophet Awolola of blessed memory divinely revealed I was still right in my mother’s womb and she was asked to get a bell, ring it around her womb and then take it to a popular mountain called Sobi in Ilorin for seven days. And because she could not afford the transport fee, my mother had to trek to where the mountain was located in her condition and the idea was to wait at the mountain with the bell, where rain and sun beat her, and thereafter bring the bell back to the prophet. The prophetic utterance was that I shall ring the bell through the world and I still have the bell with me.
That is the origin of my calling. However, because I was a tough boy while growing up, my interest was never in the things of God, and I was exceptional with my studies. I am indeed intelligent and was always leading in all my classes and had almost A’s in my WAEC. I came out successfully in my Cambridge examination and was offered admission to study Architecture at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State. It was at ABU, during my Master’s degree, that I heard the audible voice to go and preach the gospel, the time has come for me to step into the world. Before that time, I was more or less an atheist that did not go to church and my dream then was to build the first nuclear architecture in Nigeria. A friend who had been preaching the gospel to me for years came into the room and I informed him I wanted to be born again. He prayed with me and led me to Christ and the experience kept me in my room, Block F2, Room 15, Suleiman Hall, for three days without food but praying in tongues. At that time, some of those that came looking for me when they did not see me around the school environment were miraculously healed from eye problems and insanity.
Did you get any formal training under any man of God?
After leaving Cherubim and Seraphim Church, I joined Prophet Kehinde Oye of Jesus is Alive Evangelical Ministry in Zaria. I worked under him and rose to serve as northern regional overseer.
Was it after your praying and fasting that God told you to start the ministry?
My encounter with the Lord led me through a series of waiting that culminated in 40 days of fasting. When I finished, I was caught up in heaven and the Lord gave the name of the ministry as World Evangelism and instructed me to move my base down to Lagos. This fasting has become a habit. People around me know in January and July I am always into fasting and prayer; it has become part of me.
Following my experience in my room on campus, I started Tuesday counselling sessions for people in my room and it is 27 years since the counselling sessions were converted to Tuesday Miracle Service. The journey has been good and people have always come around. I am naturally flowing with miracles. To me, miracle life is a walk. It is not for me to entertain people. I could be travelling and see a mad person on the way and instruct my driver to pick such a person, I pray for them and make an effort to reconcile them with their families.
What have you learnt in 27 years?
I have learnt so much. It has been the mercy and grace of God that have upheld us. I don’t see myself to be special but as somebody that is the product of mercy and grace. I don’t criticise churches, for instance, the Catholic Church. The church is holding forte for the kingdom. The church is operating according to their level of knowledge and they have the structures. The woman that sponsored my education from A-level to university was a Catholic, a philanthropist; then why would I condemn Catholicism?
What is your next plan for WEBIC?
As a prophet and an evangelist, among our plans are to return to the field or stadium for our open-air crusade the moment the finance aspect is put in shape. I am looking forward to having an open-air crusade in Delta State before the end of the year. Also, we are relaunching our television programme, though it has already started. I don’t encourage people to leave their church, I encourage them to serve God. But Tuesday is an extra time for everybody to come around and receive their miracle.
What is your advice to younger ministers?
As a church, we are planning to start a young ministers’ clinic for youth, and materials are ready. The Samson Ayorinde School of Supernatural Evangelism is going to be packaged as a course to train youth and young ministers. What I always tell people is, never to think because the Lord is using you then you cannot be accessible.
Many men of God in the country have been revealing what the outcome of the 2023 general election would be, while some foresee doom, others claim nothing has been revealed. What has God revealed to you concerning the 2023 general election?
As far as the 2023 election is concerned, the election would definitely hold. Nigeria is not going to be in disarray and the issue of security would be under control this year.