The Bishop of Ilesha Diocese of the Anglican Church, Rt Rev. Prof Dapo Asaju has called on the church to wake up from its slumber and live to its billing as light of the world.
He made the call at the 70th birthday thanksgiving service of Pastor Moses Aransiola on Sunday June 29 at the Gethsemane Ministry in Ibadan.
Aransiola is the founder of Gethsemane Ministry; a prayer ministry. He is a well-known intercessor; who has been in ministry for about five decades. He is prime mover of the Nigeria Prays project instituted by General Yakubu Gowon.
Present at his birthday celebration were church leaders from across many denominations including Pastor Enoch Adeboye and his wife, Pastor Mrs. Folu Adeboye. Also at the event was the President of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Wale Oke and his wife, Tokunbo Oke
In his message, Bishop Asaju who stood in for Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi at the event gave a chronological account of how God through the ages have been intervening in the affairs of men.
He traced how the Lord dealt with the children of Israel right from the time of Noah to Abraham and then to the time Jesus came to save humanity.
According to him “the stories of the Old Testament are meant to inspire us to work according to God’s purpose.”
Asaju however noted that the church in Nigeria is losing relevance. “We are losing our relevance. As the Bishop of Ilesha somebody told me a story that two previous Owa of Ilesha, when they needed to elect them, they found a man of God, a prophet of God and inquired from him what God was saying about a new Owa. But today, when they wanted to elect a new Owa they consulted Ifa. Where are the men of God?”
According to him, “men of God are supposed to be king makers. The coronation of King Charles took place in the church. It was the archbishop of Canterbury who crowned him. The church is supposed to anoint leaders. We are the solution to the problem of the Land. We need to get back to the market place and take full charge. Let us get back to the place of superiority. God has given us an elevated status.”
Asaju said, “God is going to blame the church if Nigeria collapses. He is not going to blame those who don’t know their left from their right.”
Adeboye and Kumiuyi
Talking on the church in Nigeria, he praised Pastor Adeboye and Pastor William Kumuyi for making themselves available to provide leadership for the church in Nigeria.
He however added that “We need a church that will repair the damages in the country. We need them to continue to do what they are doing. We need a church that will replicate the works of our fathers.”
Asaju warned church leaders not to be complacent in their work with God. He cited the example of Moses who though was the greatest man before God that ever lived, still did not make it to the Promised Land.
While euglogising Pastor Adeboye for making himself available to do God’s work, he said he has been following him for over 50 years. He recalled how he was member of the RCCG parish that Pastor Adeboye pastored in Ilorin many years ago when he was yet to become the General Overseer of the church.
He recalled how Pastor Adeboye has been a blessing to his ministry and how he once donated a sum of N20 million to build a chapel at the Lagos State University when he was a lecturer there.
Moses Aransiola
On Aransiola, he said he first met him in 1988 at the holy ghost convention organised by Bishop Wale Oke’s.Sword of the Spirit Ministry.
He said he has since been impacted by the ministry of Pastor Aransiola whom he said has so many children in the faith.
Asaju said, “We are celebrating the life of one of the greatest generals in the silent sector of ministries. In their closet and through the Gethsemane ministry he and his wife have been able to impact the world.
‘He is the Bishop intercessor of the church in Nigeria and Africa. God is the one who is choosing people. He has given us an example in the Aransiola family who has been greatly used of God to bring revival to the church. God has raised the Gethsemane ministry to fight the battle of the moment.”
While appreciating the honour of being allowed to preach at the birthday of Aransiola just the way he preached at the birthday of Pastor Kumuyi he called on believers to live for Christ.
“Wherever we are, we carry God in our body. We are representative of Jesus. We are bearers of the great commission. We should do greater work and spread the gospel,” he said.