READ AND BE BLESSED The General Overseer of Champions Royal Assembly, Prophet Joshua Iginla, is one of the most popular men of God in Abuja. In this interview with REPORTER, Lukmon Akintola, he speaks on why he gave actor, Larry Koldsweat, an Infinity SUV, how he once raised the dead and his relationship with T.B. Joshua. You recently dashed actor Larry Koldsweat an SUV, what inspired this? I know a lot of people would think that it is because I am a show man, but that is not true. Larry is not the only person who got a car gift from me because I also gave some of my Prophet Joshua Iginla aides too. I gave them the cars not as a show off but to appreciate God. I never believed that I could drive a car not to talk of owning one. When people labour with you and they are not blessed, it’s not good. I told them not to thank me but God. It is a joy for me to help people interpret their dreams. I give to those who can’t pay me back. Of what purpose is it when the pastor is rich and his shepherds are poor? If God has lifted me up to this level, it’s my joy to lift others. Can you recount some of the lessons which life has taught you? Of course, life has taught me a lot, especially considering my background. I am a Muslim-turned preacher; a barracks boy turned a clergy. I had an Islamic background with abject poverty, struggle and lack. God took me from such obscurity to limelight. That has taught me a lesson that God can use anybody. He uses foolish things to confound the wise. Did you ever imagined you would find yourself where you are today? I never thought of such. However, based on the prophetic grace and word he gave me, I believed his word will come to pass. I remember the days of trekking from Sango to Ajilete in Owode in Ogun State due to lack of transport fare. I remember staying in a one room apartment for years at Ibadan, Oyo State. After much frustration, God began to speak to me about the next level of my life and how I will be a channel of blessing to people. The situation of my life was not an assurance that things will be okay. What do you mean by the statement ‘the situation of your life was not an assurance that things will be okay’? My current level is a miracle. I can’t boast or brag about it and that is why I prefer living simple because I never felt I could get here. That informed why I have a simple approach to life. It is quite difficult to believe that your ministry actually started in 2006, and in a one room apartment, tell us about it The ministry started in a room apartment at Millionaire’s quarters at Kubwa, Abuja. We didn’t have chair. We used my wife’s Bible as offering bag in our first service. It’s a miracle that God has brought us to this area. My neighbours used to mock and gossip about me in those days. Did you really raise a dead woman during one of your services? Yes, it’s true. I remember the ministry was not growing and our landlord chased us away. We erected a temporary tent on a leased land. Prior to that, I had a ministry which I handled for seven years. It’s called Overcomers Prevailing Evangelical Ministry, it didn’t work. It was a membership of 120 that dropped to 40 and seven pastors left. I was now praying to God for a change. I was on fasting for seven days. On the last day, which was a Sunday, I was preaching a message entitled, “The Power of Resurrection.” It was in the process that a member who came with her mother dropped dead. Her name was Mama Twins. It all lasted 35 minutes. The members brought her to the altar. The two nurses in the church checked her pulse and whispered to me that she was dead. They told me we should quietly take her to the hospital. Meanwhile, some members had gone out spreading the tale in Abuja that someone had dropped dead in the church. Before you realised it, the place was jam-packed with people mocking me. That was when I broke down in tears. I prayed to God that it is not my shame but God’s shame. I was led by the Holy Spirit to slap her and cry out ‘receive the breath of life’. I obeyed and she sneezed back to life. There was wild jubilation all around Abuja, and the following Sunday, there was a surge of worshippers and that was how the breakthrough came. That miracle brought about my turn around. What has been the greatest down side of your life? I remember when I was younger and an old woman was preaching the gospel to me at Plateau State Cantonment. I was a Muslim, but I attended a protestant church. I had a pastor there. When my father got wind of my conversion, he used his army belt to beat me mercilessly and ‘broke’ my head. It was around 12.15 a.m and he pushed me out. I ran down to my pastor’s house. I knocked and explained my plight to him. He smiled and said I can’t sleep there. He just jammed the door. That was the saddest day of my life. I felt like going back to my religion. I wept that night not because of what my father did but the betrayal from my spiritual leader. The betrayal was serious, but what kept you going? God spoke to me that it was a personal race. That is why I put my hope in God and not men of God. It was God’s love that kept me. What is your take on spiritual leaders who now mingle with politicians? This is a very sensitive question. However, one thing I will tell you is that sometimes when some of us say the truth or make predictions they think we are charlatans. I don’t celebrate negative predictions coming to pass but they ignore us. 2015 is around the corner and if they are not careful, they will not live to face 2015. It is high time we spiritual leaders said the truth instead of being their stooges. We should not be following them because we want them to approve our universities, or get oil bloc or nominate our members as political candidates. Those are not part of what God called us up for. We should be neutral. We should give good instructions to our politicians. I have seen pastors following political office holders because of money. You have been linked to Prophet T. B. Joshua, do you admire his ways? I have been asked this question severally. However, if I claim I don’t know him, I would be lying. I have never seen him face to face or spoken with him on phone. It was merely by watching his Emmanuel TV. It will be mad of me to criticise him. I know a lot of pastors sneak to his church but still deny him openly. Personally, I will say this, ‘he is a genuine man of God’. I have warned my members never to run down other men of God. Most criticisms against him were done in envy, bitterness and politics in ministry. For instance, when my mentor, Bishop Idahosa died, some of his people I wanted to make members were demanding for money. What’s your take on Boko Haram and 2015? I predicted that Shekau will be captured alive. Their leader will be captured and their sponsors will run into hiding outside the country. It is not due to foreign intervention but God’s intervention. My fear is not Boko Haram but 2015 which might give birth to a more deadly evil than Boko Haram. If we preachers preach the truth, Nigeria will be sanitised. So many general overseers now turn their programmes to political avenue. They sell the vote of the whole ministry to a politician. A political figure will visit and they will pass a circular to their members to vote for him in exchange for approval of university or oil bloc. They send proposals to government underneath demanding jet, approval and oil bloc for sale of members’ votes. That’s’ why I get angry when they criticise T. B. Joshua. It is because he was not playing ball with them. Where are the true men of God? Those who have money how many less privileged have they touched? How many members have they impacted on? Tell us about the woman who stood by you all through the trying times Our relationship is unique. I married her when I was nobody. She stood by me and shared my vision with me. I am a simple person. Till date, I drive myself and live a simple life.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 10:56:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015