By Gbenga Osinaike
A senior lecturer at the Federal University of Technology, Akure and Overseer of Christ Apostolic Church, God of Glory, Dr. James Owoyemi has lampooned Ukraine based Nigerian pastor, Sunday Adelaja for his incessant attack on the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
Adelaja has been consistent on the social media picking holes in the messages of Pastor Adeboye. The one that trends most is the message on ‘Sacrifice Overturns Wrath’ in which Adeboye quotes Psalm 41:1-3, using the Scriptural reference to encourage attendees to financially partner with his ministry.
Adeboye had said, “If you are a giver, when you are sick, God will visit you”, Adeboye is seen stating in the video, while reading out from the Bible.oy
But Adelaja pointed out that Psalm 41 which Adeboye quotes actually states, “Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble”.
He explained that the context refers to giving to the less privileged, not to a church or pastor. The founder of Embassy of God described Adeboye’s interpretation as a “broad daylight lie”.
“He is twisting the Bible just for people to give to him,” he stated derisively while pointing to Adeboye in the U Tube post.
But Owoyemi said in an interview with our correspondent at his Church in Akure that Adelaja had gone too far in criticizing Pastor Adeboye stating that he ought to have made use of established channels to point out what he perceived as errors in Adeboye’s message.
“I think Adelaja is taking his criticism too far. His activities on social media picking hole in what Adeboye preaches and several other men of God is unbecoming and I think he should thread softly. If I have opportunity of talking to him I will advise him to take it easy. Has he not read in1 Tim 5v2 where Paul admonish Timothy not to reprimand and elder harshly? “
He said further that if pastor Adeboye is doing the wrong thing or preaching the wrong message he is answerable to God and not to Adelaja. “We must be careful not to take the place of God in the lives of people. That is the way I see this. Adelaja is taking his criticism too far.”
Owoyemi however noted that the reason why there is so much confusion in the church in Nigeria today is because the Christian Association of Nigeria is not playing its role effectively. There is no order in the church people just behave anyhow. Church leaders do what they like. This should not be. The CAN should be the regulatory body for the church. The CAN should be able to call church leaders together. But that is not what we are experiencing.”
1 comment
It looks like Pastor Sunday Adelaja is too harsh on Pastor Adeboye but the circle of influence of Pastor Adeboye is very wide and his words seems to have more effect a lot of Christians. It is possible that God may have used others in private to correct Pastor Adeboye recent erroneous teachings but he did not listen just like Eli was corrected by the nameless man of God (1 Samuel 2:27) before God used young Samuel. If Adelaja had corrected Pastor Adeboye in private, would Pastor Adeboye have been humbled enough to come to the public and correct this erroneous teaching. I think we should be more concern about the many Christians that may have been influenced by Pastor Adeboye’s teaching than just the man of God alone. It will be very sad for someone to have lived all these years and served God the way Pastor Adeboye had suggested via tithe paying and the person dies and never make heaven. Unfortunately, there is no repentance in the grave. It is a big danger to think you are going to heaven and not make it due to wrong doctrinal teachings. Please everybody should read the bible for themselves and serve God acceptably. Everyone will stand before the judgement throne of Christ individually; no one (G.O, daddy, Papa, Mama, Bishop, Pastor, Apostle and all the various permutation and combination of titles these people have given themselves ) will stand on behalf of anybody, everyone will stand for themselves and by themselves.