Bishop Oyedepo at 70 and beyond: The man, his ministry and the big poser, By Gbenga Osinaike

Bishop David Oyedepo

…I think for all admirers of Bishop Oyedepo, positive or negative comments about him should be viewed from the prism of a man who has meant so much to the world. It’s a ‘fruitful’ tree that attracts attention… Although 70 years seems long in the Nigerian social space, it’s a short time for him to have achieved this much. It’s gladdening that he has not appropriated any of the achievements.

It’s hard to do a chronological piece on Bishop David Oyedepo who clocked 70 on 27 September.

This is not because he does not have a linear story from the purview of man. It is simply because, in the last 70 years of his life, he has stirred a movement that will impact many generations yet unborn.

Both his life and ministry will for a long time be talked about. His doctrine will be a subject of debate, his lifestyle will be a focus, and his predilection will always form part of the Christian discourse.

So, I think for all admirers of Bishop Oyedepo, positive or negative comments about him should be viewed from the prism of a man who has meant so much to the world. It’s a ‘fruitful’ tree that attracts attention.

Although 70 years seems long in the Nigerian social space, it’s a short time for him to have achieved this much. It’s gladdening that he has not appropriated any of the achievements.

He is always attributing all to the grace of God and never wanting to take any credit. He has even warned that none of the institutions God used him to establish should be named after him. He understands that it is not in the naming of institutions that immortalises a man but the impact man makes in the lives of people.

Focused Leader

The truth, however, is that in his lifetime, his image has been ingrained in many of his followers. Most of his mentees and church members defer to him effortlessly.

This is so because he does not joke with his assignment. He is so focused to the point that what transpires in other ministries hardly gets his attention. There are clear signs he is a God lover and a God chaser. It is humbling that despite being an instrument of transformation in the lives of many, he has not lost his cool and he is still labouring and aspiring to the mark of the high calling.

His impact is visible and there for all to see. Talking about them here will be repeating what has been written about him. There is hardly any area of life that he has not impacted.

From Ilorin to Kaduna to Lagos and then to Ota, Ogun State, Bishop Oyedepo has left his footprints. His coming to Ota seems to be the high point of his walk with God; even though that may just be a starting point.

Obasanjo’s Attestation

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo captured it appropriately that he could not have achieved what he achieved in Ota if God had not been with him. He acknowledged he got to Ota before Bishop Oyedepo but that when Bishop came, he took the number 1 position.

Indeed, you only need to live in Ota to appreciate the enormous work that has been birthed in the ancient town.

Apart from the multi-billion naira investment in Canaanland, the church has, over the years, impacted the town.

Oyedepo and Adeboye

But while we congratulate the Bishop on his great and impactful life, it’s good to take time to look at his ministry vis-à-vis the traditional understanding of the faith.

There is a lot to say about this global phenomenon. He brought vigour and persuasion to the preaching of the gospel. He was a protégé of the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa.

Not many knew he was ordained by Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian of God, because when Idahosa was alive he seemed to have taken on his boldness and audacity.

It wasn’t until recently I got to know it was Pastor Adeboye who ordained him to ministry.

The beauty of his relationship with Pastor Adeboye is that there are aspects of his understanding of the Bible that don’t tally with that of Pastor Adeboye.

Yet, they remain father and son and have maintained a very cordial relationship for years.

Communion

For instance, Pastor Adeboye does not believe holy communion should be taken in the daytime. He believes it should be taken in a congregation in a worship setting in the evening, because it is called The Lord’s Supper. (This is a matter for another day).

But that is not the case with the Winners Chapel, where the holy communion is taken at random and could be taken any day and by any child of God, irrespective of age.

In RCCG, children are not given communion.

The doctrines in RCCG are to some extent different from those of the Winners, starting from the church curriculum to even the daily messages preached on their pulpits.

Despite these apparent differences, both Adeboye and Oyedepo have mutual respect and they have tagged along for years.

For me, this is worth studying. It is in that light I would like to talk about some of the practices in Winners Chapel, which I find curious.

That, however, does not in any way reduce the respect for this revered man of God.

The question is what example did Jesus lay down for us? What is the entry point to the Christian faith? Is it about solving our material challenges or bringing people out of the misery of sin into a lasting relationship with God?.. Is it that God is not interested in the comfort of His people? Far from it. The point I’m making is that pandering to the material needs of people is not the gospel of Christ. If that is the case, those in the rich oil countries in the Arabian peninsula would have no reason to come to Christ.

It’s just that it makes me wonder at the dimensions of his faith and how they don’t tally with what I understand about the Christian faith.

These are just observations I think we can all ponder about.

The challenge is that such practices may give the wrong perception regarding the gospel of Jesus, from the way I understand the scriptures.

Evangelism in Winners

One strong point about the Winners Chapel is that its members are heavy in the area of evangelism. The zeal is unparalleled.

But each time I get the tract being distributed by the church, I get worried.

For all intents and purposes, I struggle to see where the gospel is in many of those tracts. In one way, the tracts may well be baits to get people to come to the church, so that when they come they will be confronted with the gospel of Jesus.

But the challenge is that some people may never get the opportunity of coming to the church and the tracts would not have conveyed the gospel.

What I see largely is the marketing of Jesus as a jolly good fellow whose business is to fix the material needs of people. I stand to be corrected. A good number of the tracts have testimonies of people who were sick but came out of the sickness because they came to Winners and by extension Jesus. Then an invitation is made on that basis.

Some of the testimonies are largely about people who joined the commission and something good happened to them. It’s either about promotion or abundance. It is on that basis that people are invited to come to Christ. I think that is fundamentally wrong and may lead to soul-gathering and not soul-winning.

The other good side, however, is that those who come to Jesus on that basis may end up having a genuine encounter with Christ as they journey in the faith.

The Jesus’ Example

The question is what example did Jesus lay down for us? What is the entry point to the Christian faith? Is it about solving our material challenges or bringing people out of the misery of sin into a lasting relationship with God?

Is it that God is not interested in the comfort of His people? Far from it. The point I’m making is that pandering to the material needs of people is not the gospel of Christ. If that is the case, those in the rich oil countries in the Arabian peninsula would have no reason to come to Christ.

Bishop Oyedepo is not alone in this. Many Pentecostals and indeed many churches preach the same gospel of material needs.

Their understanding of salvation is that it has a tripartite leg; health, wealth, and deliverance from sin.

They argue that all saved people must experience healing and material prosperity.

The question is; were there no healings and material prosperity before Jesus came?

Healing and Wealth

Theologians have said there are 87 recorded miracles in the Old Testament and 88 in the New Testament. It is also noted that the only miracle in the New Testament that is not in the Old Testament is the miracle of salvation, which came as a result of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The import of that is that Jesus’ death and resurrection have nothing to do with procuring health and material wealth for people.

The popular scripture used to justify healing is: “by his stripe, we are healed.” That healing has nothing to do with physical healing. It is the healing of the soul. Sin is sickness before God. If you read that scripture in Isaiah 53:5 in context, you will see that the Bible is talking about sin all through. It has to do with the healing of the soul, not the body.

And that is why Jesus said we should not be afraid of those who can destroy the body but we should be afraid of the person who can destroy both the body and soul and cast them into hell.

For Jesus, it does not matter if you don’t have physical healing, even though he healed many people while on earth. What matters to him more is the salvation of our souls. That is what he came for. The whole world put together is not worth the soul of a man. Many blind people are genuinely saved and they are not troubling God for the healing of their affliction. A renowned preacher in Nigeria, Timothy Obadare, was blind throughout his life and yet God used him to heal many.

Am I trying to preach to Bishop Oyedepo? Far from it. He knows all these and has, at various times, preached against seeking material wealth. He has said that he had not at any point made material wealth a subject of prayer.

But what the outside world sees are the glamour and glitz. Some undiscerning Christians even want to attain the Oyedepo height without the foundational life of commitment and being sold to God that he exemplifies.

The Validation

The danger signal from the Winners Chapel is that the body language of the church paints a wrong picture of the gospel to the outside world. This is strengthened more by some of the utterances of Bishop Oyedepo, which tend to validate material prosperity.

For instance, Bishop Oyedepo would say, ‘Only fools doubt proof’.” While on the surface it’s a powerful saying that sounds true. But an examination of that line of thought will show that it is flawed to some extent.

He has also preached that Job was attacked by sickness because he was not a tither. That is another troubling utterance coming from the Bishop, which his son, Isaac, has also preached. These are messages that send a wrong signal to the outside world.

We are glad with Bishop Oyedepo. He has pulled many out of poverty. God has used him to heal many. These are great achievements. He has blessed communities and countries. These things should continue with the hope that people don’t see success in material terms as a sign of God’s approval… But we must know that Jesus’ gospel is solely about transforming the human soul.

The Moses Example

The truth is material success and the apparent spiritual success of a man do not validate him before God.

If God had not reprimanded Moses and barred him from getting to the promised land, the Israelites would have taken the proof of water coming out of the rock, which he performed, as a validation of his ministry.

I think the attitude to proofs should be neither here nor there.

And this brings us to the disturbing issue of miracles and the promotion of wealth in the Church. Is there a way we can sound the alarm that health and wealth have no basis in the gospel of Christ?

Does Jesus heal; yes. He has been healing right from the foundation of the world. Does he bless people materially? Yes. He has been doing that right from creation.

Man’s Fall and Material Blessings

All that Adam and Eve needed were already provided in the garden before they were created. They were only to manage and explore what had been created. God in his mercy has blessed the entire human race. And the fall of man did not take those blessings.

What the fall caused is the separation of man from God. And that is what Jesus came to restore through his death and resurrection.

That is why it is sickening when healing and wealth are the focal points of our testimonies.

With all the healing and prosperity messages in the church, the world at large experiences more of them than the church.

God has used doctors to heal more people than pastors. Whether we get healing from church or hospital; it goes back to God. There is nothing in Medicine that is not from God. So why do we make healing and wealth an issue and a point of emphasis in our churches?

Revival

I believe if there will be revival in the Church we must first put a ban on testimonies that have no bearing on the human soul.

I have taken time to dwell extensively on this because it is the root of all misjudgments.

Bishop Oyedepo has done well for the Church. God has used him to bring many to faith. His passion for souls is still very strong. Although he had requested that souls be brought to Christ rather than people sending him gifts for his 70th birthday, some of his mentees have blessed him with material gifts. The gifts are well deserved.

The point, however, is that all the material things surrounding his ministry and indeed all ministries for that matter have no basis and bearing in the gospel of Jesus, other than being tools. Why? Because all these things are what people who don’t know God also have. So we can’t afford to equate them with the gospel.

Money can’t buy what God gives.

The Schools and Others

That said, people have had cause to complain about the schools in Winners being out of the reach of the poor.

It is hard to make a case in that direction because people still have cause to take their children to schools in Winners Chapel. Those who are not at home with the fees should look for other schools. They don’t have to attend the schools in Winners. That is not to justify the cost of those schools. It is not easy to run schools and get their kind of standard without impinging on the pockets of people.

But since those schools were founded with the money donated by members, it is expected that the cost will be highly subsidised.

There are examples of mission schools that are highly subsidised across the country. Those who so desire should look out for such schools. The Bishop of Nnewi of the Anglican Communion is reported to have about 23 secondary schools in his diocese, where those in the hostel pay as low as N65,000 per term. But like I said, Winners Chapel has a target market for its schools, and the patrons of those schools seem to enjoy the billing system.

The Gospel of Jesus

What concerns me more is the gospel of Jesus which I think is getting a new definition from the Winners’ standpoint.

The founder may not have set out for this. What is generally believed is that if you get to winners and your life did not turn around in six months, as Bishop Oyedepo normally puts it, then Winners is not for you.

That turnaround in the minds of people is the material. If truly that is what the church means, then it is not the gospel of Jesus. It’s good news to know that if I attend a church I will get healing and wealth. But it is not the gospel of Jesus. We need to state the difference.

As I stated earlier, the Winner’s perspective is common to many churches.

Need we talk about faith extenders and other doctrines in the church? If the health and wealth gospel is de-emphasised in our churches, other contentious areas will fall into place.

We are glad with Bishop Oyedepo. He has pulled many out of poverty. God has used him to heal many. These are great achievements. He has blessed communities and countries. These things should continue with the hope that people don’t see success in material terms as a sign of God’s approval.

But we must know that Jesus’ gospel is solely about transforming the human soul.

Gbenga Osinaike is publisher/editor-in-chief of Church Times Nigeria.