The Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, The Rt. Revd. Dr. Humphrey Olumakaiye has warned believers to be wary and careful of the kind of preachers they follow noting that some preachers are like the Biblical Simon the sorcerer who used sorcery and witchcraft to deceive people before he was delivered through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus.
He gave the admonition at 2018 confirmation service of the All Souls’ Church, Lekki Lagos on Sunday December 16.
Olumakaiye who preached on “the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer” also stressed that the external work we do in the church or anywhere does not guarantee a successful Christian living adding however that a life that is fully dependent on the Holy Spirit is the life that can be termed to be successful.
He said, “We still have church leaders who use sorcery to perform miracle. We must not be carried away by them rather we need to live a life that is fully dependent on the Holy Spirit. Fake prophets are all over. Don’t be carried away by miracles. There are 419 pastors all over.”
He stressed, “I am by no means saying there are no genuine miracles, signs and wonders. By His grace I operate in the healing ministry. God has healed many people in my ministry. But what I am saying is that miracles and signs can be faked. There are pastors who use evil means to perform miracles. We must be wary of them.”
The Anglican Bishop explained further that “We need to understand that living by the Holy Spirit is to live a successful life. Living Life in the spirit is not by wearing ear rings or not wearing ear rings. It is not about how we dress though we emphasise moderation. It is yielding to the Holy Spirit per time. It’s not something done for a few minutes. It’s a lifestyle.”
The Anglican Bishop said genuine believers will always surrender their emotion to the Holy Spirit. “The power of the Holy Spirit must not at any time be taken for granted. Until we go back to allow the Holy Spirit to control our minds we will be living a life of struggle and pain”
While congratulating the candidates for confirmation for yielding their will to God he urged them to fully surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. “The Lord will perfect every move you take. It is the spirit that comes before the law. We must get to a point in our lives when the desires of the spirit becomes stronger than the desires of the flesh. When the Holy Ghost is given a place. We will not have to struggle to live for God.”
While noting that the desires of the flesh are negative he said, “the starting point for us as believers is to “acknowledge our helplessness. The arm of flesh will always fail. Then, we should trust and have faith in God that he is able to help us live a life of holiness, act upon the leading of the Holy Spirit and continually thank and appreciate God.”
About 19 girls and 21 boys were confirmed at the ceremony which attracted hundreds of worshippers. The service also witnessed the child dedication of Mr. and Mrs. Wigwe, Mr. And Mrs. Ogunmola. There was also the Family Harvest of the families of Emmanuel Nwonu and Sir. and Lady Akum Chukwuka.
The thanksgiving was rounded off with the 50th birthday thanksgiving of a Deputy General Manager of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Ayodele Awe.
