A social media video post by Pastor Funke Adejumo—during which she described her previous ascetic lifestyle of not wearing jewelry as being under a “yoke of religion”—has come under heavy criticism from some internet users who do not wear make-up and jewelry.
In the short clip, shared on the wall of a social media influencer, monitored by Church Times, Pastor Adejumo recalled her early Christian life.
Funke Adejumo is the co-founder and “Mother” of the Agape Christian Ministries, which she leads alongside her husband, Bishop Felix ’Remi Adejumo. The ministry started in Akure, Ondo State, and has since grown to dozens of branches.
In the controversial message, she said in those early days of her faith, she did not wear make-up or jewelry as she does now.
She noted that she only managed to wear a small earring during her wedding, describing her dress sense then as being under the yoke of religion.
However, a flurry of reactions, mostly by people who do not wear jewelry and make-up, flooded the thread of the post. Many descended on her angrily, saying she was the one in bondage for not being able to do without cosmetic adornment. There was perhaps nobody on the thread of the post who did not denigrate her.
Reactions
Toyosi Aremu, in her response, said: “Different people with different encounters; not wearing jewelry is not a matter of religion to me, it is a level of your encounter with God. Before I stopped wearing them, I used my whole salary for jewelry. Years after my salvation experience, nobody preached to me to stop wearing them; I was convinced personally. All my children (girls) are using jewelry. It is not a matter of religion nor a yoke; it is a level of your spiritual encounter. Please be guided. What is a yoke to you may be a spiritual conviction to another person. Not wearing jewelry is not a religious yoke.”
Another respondent, Oluwayemisi Edun, stated: “I used to wear earrings till I had a dream and heard ‘remove them.’ That was my conviction. God treats everyone differently in His own way. Don’t let humans be your standard after having an encounter with the Most High.”
Favour Amos believes wearing jewelry or not is a matter of conviction and encounter with God. “For me, it’s not all about religion and personality, sometimes it’s your encounter with God. There’s a level you will grow spiritually that will shape everything about you. Anyway, we listen, we don’t judge. Live with discernment.”
Another user, Oyediran Oluwayemisi, counseled Pastor Adejumo not to despise her early Christian life. According to her, that lifestyle must have helped her to have a solid Christian foundation. Her words: “I don’t know the angle you are seeing it from, but I believe those lifestyles and convictions are part of what sharpened you into what you have become today.”
God treats us differently
Esther Atoyebi states: “God doesn’t treat us the same way. John the Baptist didn’t interact with people, neither did he put on beautiful clothes, while Jesus Christ put on the best of clothes, socializing and doing the work of God. Both were sent by God. Those that dress, it is to the glory of God, and those who don’t, also to the glory of God.”
Timbung Florence Yung shared how she used to wear earrings and later stopped. “When I stopped wearing those things, I liberated myself from a lot and felt prettier naturally. From the start it was not easy, but when I was convinced by the Spirit that those things added nothing to me, I needed no further convictions. Till today is 10+ years—no jewelry, no attachments, no makeup—and glowing every day. How can I cover my wonderfully made body with cheap powder for people to see?”
Adewale Popoola Esther Bolanle says: “People always appreciate my glowing chocolate body complexion with tight skin that has not been affected by any chemical tagged as ‘beauty.’ Not wearing jewelry for me is my encounter in the year 2014 when the Lord spoke audibly to me. And it hasn’t become a yoke; it’s a blessing, Ma’am.”
Evang Stella Asisi stated that she used to wear make-up until the Holy Spirit asked her not to wear it again. “With earrings or not, if God says He hates something, let’s obey Him and not try to make people sin.”
Onyegbule Ogechi said she also used to wear earrings, necklaces, and trousers, but when she had an encounter with God, she had to stop. “Try and be convinced by the Holy Spirit in you… you will know that naturally you are beautiful and wonderfully made by God.”
Rapture experience
Sotire Motunrayo Sobo, who also used to wear make-up and jewelry, states: “It depends on your encounter with God. I was using it before, but I dreamed one day that those jewelry items debarred me from meeting a very respectable man of God which so many people have been waiting for. I couldn’t go inside because of the jewelry I had on me. That midnight, I had to remove it and stopped using it since that day.”
Shiphokazi Mangola also shared her experience, stating: “I used to put on makeup and jewelry until I saw a vision. It was the rapture; people were ascending, but as for me, I was left behind. I cried bitterly. It was too late. I was made to know the cause of me being left behind was trousers, makeup, and fake hair. Even though I had the vision, I woke up feeling bad but I never repented. The vision came twice; I ignored it until it came the third time. We were all going up, Jesus was coming, but as for my five-year-old daughter, she was left behind. When I looked at her, she had earrings and braided fake hair. My heart was very painful, and that made me take the decision to repent, and for my kids too.”