Article written by Femi Aribisala. Read below
“I have houses in at least 188 countries in the world, so I am richer than Bill Gates.” (Adeboye).
Recently, a friend took me to the jewel-in-the-crown of the Redeemed
Christian Church of God; a glitzy parish called “City of David” in
Victoria Island, Lagos. Displayed resplendently on a wall in the
church-office is a design of their current building project; a 14 storey
architectural extravaganza titled “Trinity Towers.”
Is Redeemed still a church or is it now essentially a business concern?
The Trinity Towers project shows the lines are now totally blurred.
Jesus warns: “No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God
and Money.” (Matthew 6:24).
Nevertheless, this Tower of Babylon being built with church funds is
designed both for the worship of God and for the worship of money.
The project is an appeal to crass commercialism; a blatant celebration
of wealth. In this poverty-stricken Nigeria, the foundation of the
building alone is expected to cost over 2 billion naira. Side-by-side
with a 5,000 seat auditorium for church services are high-brow
restaurants, cafeterias, indoor swimming pools, cinema halls,
gymnasiums, retail shops, games arcades, lawn tennis courts, relaxation
spots, and a helipad as the crowning glory. Of what relevance is all
this “supermarket” in a church?
Anointing for carnality
A church-member, overwhelmed by the grandeur of it all, buttonholed me
in the hallway. I did not know him from Adam, nevertheless, he held me
hostage as he waxed lyrical about how the Redeemed Church was, to use
his words: “taking over.” “We have already got the vice-presidency,” he
said. (The vice-president of Nigeria is now a Redeemed pastor). “Next we
will get the presidency,” he continued; “and then we will get DSTV;” (a
South African satellite television network).
The anointing for this pride of life flows right from the top. The
General Overseer of the Redeemed Church is Pastor Adeboye. A few years
ago, he decided he needed a billion naira without which his “work of
God” could not be done. So he confounded the Christian faith by
establishing a “millionaire’s club.” To be a member, you had to hand
over a million naira to him in Jesus’ name.
Thereafter, he upped the ante by calling for a “billionaire’s club.” He
announced that he would be building an auditorium that can only be
described as “fantabulous.” It would be a ginormous three kilometers in
length and three kilometers in breadth. This project is clearly more
designed to get Adeboye into the Guinness Book of World Records than it
is to get the members of Redeemed into the kingdom of God.
Declared Adeboye on that occasion: “We need 1 billion naira from ten
people. If you are one of them, please see my personal Secretary after
we finish today.” Who are those likely to have this kind of money to
give in the Nigeria of today except those who have cornered public
funds? Thereafter, an announcer sought to know the members of the church
who were “willing to join hands with our Father in the Lord to build a
new auditorium to God’s glory.”
Vanity upon vanity
The proposed auditorium is not to the glory of God. The proposed
auditorium is to the glory of Adeboye. Adeboye’s project is reminiscent
of Saul’s, who built a monument to himself. (1 Samuel 15:12).
Nowhere in the entire New Testament was money ever collected for
putting up a building. Money was only collected for the poor. The temple
of God is no longer a physical building. The temple of God is now Jesus
Christ.
Pastor Adeboye is getting increasingly carried away by vanity. I have a
tape of a question-and-answer session he had with his church-workers a
number of years ago in which he boasted that the time would soon come
when, before anybody could aspire to be president of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, he would first have to talk to Redeemed Church.
Nothing in the scriptures can be construed as suggesting this as one of
the stated objectives of Jesus Christ.
A Redeemed church-member told me of another meeting he attended
captioned: “A Day Out with the G.O.” It was a dinner for financial
sponsors of one of the annual “Holy Ghost Festivals.” Pastor Adeboye
boasted tongue-in-cheek on that occasion that the time would soon come
when the Queen of England would plead to join Redeemed in order to work
as an usherette. The audience reportedly responded with wild applause
and shouts of “Amen.”
Richer than Bill Gates
At the just-concluded 63rd Annual Convention of the Redeemed Church,
Adeboye declared that he is now richer than Bill Gates; widely
acknowledged as the richest man in the world. He said: “I have houses in
at least 188 countries in the world, where we have our churches, so I
am richer than Bill Gates. Each time I visit these countries, my
children would be struggling and saying daddy, come and stay with me.”
These “houses” don’t belong to Adeboye; they belong to Redeemed church.
Knowingly or unknowingly, Adeboye distorts the gospel. Jesus says: “All
who have given up home or brothers and sisters or father and mother or
children or land for me will be given a hundred times as much. They will
also have eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29).
However, Jesus words are spirit. (John 6:63). Therefore, his “houses”
are entirely spiritual, while Adeboye’s are physical. Jesus does not
make his disciples richer than Bill Gates. Instead, he says: “God will
bless you people who are poor. His kingdom belongs to you! But you rich
people are in for trouble. You have already had an easy life!” (Luke
6:20/24).
Adeboye continued: “If I announce here that tomorrow
morning, I need a car to travel to the new auditorium, how many cars do
you think would be made available to me by you my children? Those of
you that do not have a car of your own, very soon, God will give you
your own cars. So, I am appealing to you to become an incurable soul
winner before you leave this convention ground and your cup will
overflow.”
Anathema to Christ
This is nothing but the enticing word of man’s wisdom. Believers don’t
preach the gospel in order to receive cars. We do because God commands
that we do so.
Jesus had neither chariots nor horses. He had no lands and houses.
Indeed, he warned a prospective disciple who wanted to follow him they
would not be staying at the “Sheraton Hotel:” “The foxes have holes, and
the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay
his head.” (Matthew 8:20).
Jesus does not speak like Adeboye. He says: “A disciple is not above his
teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple
that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.” (Matthew
10:24-25). Jesus’ example is anathema to Adeboye’s declaration that he
is now the richest man in the world.
This is the word of Jesus the Adeboyes of this age choose to ignore:
“It’s terribly hard for rich people to get into the kingdom of heaven!
In fact, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rich person to get into God’s kingdom.” (Matthew 19:23-24).
