What does it mean to be born again? Emmanuel Onasanya in this piece chronicles the story of some Nigerians who claim to be born again; which translates to having experiential knowledge of Christ.
Olalere Samuel
He was born into a Muslim home and had a passion for the Islamic faith. He fasted regularly, loved Islam deeply and eventually became an Islamic cleric.
But to the shock of his immediate family and many who knew him, Olalere Samuel became born again.
He told Church Times his conversion was influenced by the healing power of God when he worshipped in a Foursquare Church in Iwo, Osun State. He had gone to stay with his brother who was a Christian and they had both attended one of the Bible study meetings when he witnessed the live healing of a dumb brother. That prompted him to decide to follow Jesus because according to him, he had not witnessed people being healed that way before.
He recalled that the young man who was dumb was brought to the meeting and he was being prayed for. “The prayer was intense that day. I was watching and wondering what would happen. They asked everybody to close their eyes, but I did not. They kept praying. The prayers continued for 15 minutes. To my greatest surprise, the person that was dumb began to speak.”
That was the day Olalere decided to surrender to Jesus. He just wanted to give Jesus a try. But since then, he has remained in the Christian faith. He recalled going home to destroy some of the charms he had in his custody immediately after his conversion experience.
He recalled that the young man who was dumb was brought to the meeting and he was being prayed for. “The prayer was intense that day. I was watching and wondering what would happen. They asked everybody to close their eyes, but I did not. They kept praying. The prayers continued for 15 minutes. To my greatest surprise, the person who was dumb began to speak
Personal healing
What further strengthened his faith was how God healed him of stomach ache a day after his conversion. “I prayed in the name of the God “the God that healed the deaf and dumb brother”, immediately the stomach pain stopped.
He was so excited by the experience that he almost immediately became an evangelist. He began to share his new found faith with his friends. By the following week in the same church, he received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
That ignited his evangelism zeal. He began to wear a T. Shirt with the inscription ‘I found it, new life in Christ Jesus’, Many knew him by that T. Shirt as he preached in many neighbourhood in Oshogbo where he lived.
On life after being saved he said, “a believer may not be able to live a life without sin, but a believer can live above sin. There will be temptation as long as we are here on earth. But there is always a way of escape. If anyone sins, there will be an opportunity for forgiveness only when we confess our sins and not go back to them. We can only be perpetually sinless when we see Christ and we are no more in this world”
Philip Kayode
Despite being born in a Christian home to a pastor father, Philip Kayoe hated going to Church and reading the Bible. He enjoyed having fun with friends and savouring the pleasures of this world. But all that came to a halt in 2019 during an evening programme at the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries.
According to him, one Pastor Daniel had come to minister in the church that evening. “He talked about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and opened my eyes to some things in the Bible. I was so inspired by his message that the veil in my eyes fell off. It was that day I became born again. Right from that day, I began to have a deep hunger for God and His word. I began to love the gathering of God’s children. Activities in the church began to make sense to me. That same day, I was baptized with the holy spirit and my life had never remained the same again.”
Kayode Philips
Challenges of being born again
On the challenges he has faced since he became born again, he said, “One of the most important things you need to know as a Christian is we will be tempted. We need to prioritize our spiritual life, putting in much effort to stay Holy. Staying focused on the journey of growth. We must also recognize when we miss it and immediately seek God’s forgiveness and then continue the Christian journey.
Bolanle Olutunde
Also sharing her experience, Bolanle Olutunde said she had always thought all religions are the same and that we all worship the same God just that the methods of worship are different. But the day God opened her eyes, she realized that the Christian faith is the only faith that provides salvation for man.
“In 1986 I was invited to a programme at the Deeper Life Church in Gbagada, Lagos. I was so touched by the ministration that day and decided to surrender my heart to God. It was right at the venue of the meeting that I received the baptism of the holy spirit. My eyes were opened almost immediately. I saw that God had translated me from darkness to light.”
Bolanle Olutunde
My words changed
Olutunde believes persecution is inevitable for every believer. “As a Christian, there are implications for every word you speak. I realized that coming to Jesus gives me a different perspective and view of life. Speaking recklessly became a no-no for me. Before I gave my life to Christ, I could talk anyhow, but not anymore since I met Jesus”
She has also come to realize that living for Christ means “marrying your will into the will of God”
Ayomide Akintoye
Sharing her conversion experience, Ayomide Akintoye who was born into a Christian home said before she became a Christian, the Bible and church did not make sense. “I only go to Church on Sundays and was always forced to go. I was not interested in any spiritual activities.”
But she experienced a dramatic turnaround one faithful day when she attended a programme in Gospel Faith International Ministries. The pastor preached on the topic, “salvation and purpose” It dawned on her that she needed to discover her purpose after listening to the message. She also got to realize that it is only in Christ that true purpose in life can be experienced.
Ayomide Akintoye
Love for God increased
The significant thing that changed for her when she came to know the Lord was her perception of the things of God.
“Before my conversion, the Bible was like any other book. But when I embraced Jesus, the Bible turned into a book I value so much. I now have deep insight into it. It is like a scale was removed from my eyes. Now I enjoy regular fellowship with the Lord. Church is no longer as boring as it appeared to me. I now have a hunger for the things of God.”
David Onasanya
David Onasanya who is still in his early 20’s lived a life without direction, focus and no vision. He did not mind the consequences of being reckless. In November 2019 however, he had a personal encounter with God. He was alone in his room, went to his wardrobe and found an abandoned Bible that had gathered dust. He opened a particular Bible verse in the book of Job and it ministered to him. It was like hearing God say to me, “David what are you doing with your life, you’re wasting the essence of living, you are enjoying unholy things”
The ministration was so real that he had no option but to turn Jesus and accept Him as Lord over his life.”
A call to righteousness
Onasanya noted that the Bible called all Christians to righteousness. So living a “sinless life” according to him is possible. He believes Christians should constantly stay in the presence of God and eschew evil. “When one falls into sin, the person should not remain in that fallen state. The person should stand up and keep moving, keep loving God. We confess our sins, repent of it and keep moving. But we should not live a life of defeat, which tends to make one keep sinning. That means we never experienced salvation in the first place.”
Anya Victor
Anya Victor recounted to Church Times that he lived a reckless life of alcoholism and immorality before he met Jesus. He said it was a chance encounter with a Bible Romans 8v19- For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be rewarded (NIV)” that opened his eyes. He said he began to think that he was potentially wasting away. “I thought of the consequences of not accepting Jesus as Lord and the potential impact I could have on others. That made me confess my sins and start a new life with God.
Anya
His decision to follow Christ did not come without consequence. He was mocked, insulted and abandoned by friends. His new life did not flow with that of his friends. It became difficult to walk with them. He had to begin to make new friends.”
He noted that many people hold an unrealistic expectation that born-again Christians should be without flaws”.
