Dr David Oyedepo
Dr David Oyedepo is a highly enterprising man in many respects. In a
little over three decades, he has risen from a modest background to
become one of the most visible men in the Nigerian religious scene.
As a skilful entrepreneur, Dr Oyedepo has built a vast network of
business interests, providing employment to thousands of Nigerians
across several sectors of the economy. Read more after the cut....
He is an astute, vocal, and
influential motivator of millions of people. In the course of his
enterprise, he has made many of the men around him wealthy.
He certainly
has made himself extremely wealthy, ranking as one of the wealthiest
pastors in the world. None of these accolades, and much more, can be
denied to this eminent man on the business/economic side of life.
However, it is when we step into the religious credentials of Dr
Oyedepo that the picture becomes rapidly blurry. (It is from this
religious sector that he sourced most of his wealth). But even in spite
of the blur, there is an element in his character that is highly
admirable – HIS SINCERITY. He is a man that OPENLY follows his religious
conviction.
In this conviction, Dr Oyedepo has not made any
pretence that he is a TRUE follower of the precepts and examples of
Jesus Christ. In other words, Dr Oyedepo has been an avid practitioner
of a philosophy called DOMINIONISM, not genuine Christianity.
The gulf that exists between Christianity and Dominionism is as wide as
the difference between light and darkness, between heaven and hell.
Let’s go a bit deeper in exploring this difference.
In Christianity, THE
CROSS at the heart of the faith crucifies the believer in Jesus Christ.
In doing so, the cross takes away the rights of the believer – his
ambition, his desires, his wants, his opinions, his possessions, his
EVERYTHING.
It REPLACES the believer’s former life with the life
that Jesus Christ lived here on earth (Galatians 1:20) – a life of
purpose, persecution, power, suffering, rejection, vilification,
tribulation, etc. A life of complete dependence on provision from God, a
life of compassion for the masses.
This compassion uses the miraculous
power of God to set men free from the captivity of sin, and the devil.
In the way of the cross of Christ, the new life that God imparts at
salvation focusses PRIMARILY on eternity, and minimises man’s stake in
the present world system.
The abundant life that Jesus promises in John
10:10, manifests itself in the mystery of the cross that turns the
carnal expectation of humanity upside down – reigning by serving,
strength through weakness, living through dying, etc.
It is a CRUCIFIED
LIFE that manifests in a complete surrender – up to the point of death. A
life that recognises “… that godliness is NOT a means of gain…” because
“… those WHO DESIRE TO BE RICH fall into temptation, into a snare, into
many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and
destruction” (1 Timothy 6:6-10).
In relation to this, Apostle
Paul’s counsel to Timothy was unequivocal – “But as for you, O man of
God, FLEE THESE THINGS….” (verse 11). Flee these things because the
Christian life is a COMPLETELY SURRENDERED life where God regulates and
moderates our desires – according to His own will, NOT according to what
we want, or what we desire.
This is what it means to lose our lives so
that we can keep it to life eternal as Jesus taught in John 12:25, Luke
17:33, Mark 8:35, etc. This is Christianity. (For more on this line of
thinking, please see the article titled, ‘A CALL TO JESUS CHRIST IS A
DIRECT CALL TO SUFFERING….’ A link to the article is provided at the
bottom of the page).
On the other hand, and completely opposite
to genuine Christianity, Dominionism places a huge emphasis on the HERE
AND NOW. An emphasis on what YOU can get from God for YOUR life.
It is
about man’s life, NOT Christ’s life – the evidence of carnality.
Deceitfully, Dominionism imports into here and now, most of the promises
that are reserved for the believers in the world to come.
Dominionism
wants to rule over everybody NOW. It wants to control all resources and
wealth NOW. It wants all others to bow to it NOW. It wants to display
and exercise a high level of superiority over others NOW.
The focus on
NOW automatically minimises the focus on eternity – for no man can look
down and look up at the same time! Dr Oyedepo has always been an
unapologetic practitioner of this Dominionsim, and he makes no secret of
this.
Anybody that understands why believers are described as
STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS on earth (1 Peter 2:11), will readily understand
why the gap that exists between Christianity and Dominionism can NEVER,
EVER be bridged. To make it easier, a close study of the life of Jesus
Christ – from His humble birth to His ignoble death – will give us an
overview of the genuine meaning of Christianity. For we are called to
follow Him (Luke 9:23), walking just AS HE WALKED (1 John 2:6).
This is EXACTLY how the apostles of Christ walked, as well as the
disciples in the early church. The dominion they exercised, just like
that of Jesus, had its focus FIRMLY ON ETERNITY. Even at the height of
their amazing power, they walked as strangers and pilgrims on earth.
In
Philippians 3:18-19, Apostle Paul had some very uncharitable things to
say about believers that have a focus on this earthly realm. He
described them as the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose God is their
belly.
A few recent examples will illustrate how Dr Oyedepo has
been consistent in his practice of Dominionism, instead of Christianity.
A couple of years ago, he physically assaulted a young girl during a
‘deliverance’ church service.
He slapped her on the face because she
dared to call herself ‘a witch for Jesus’ (whatever that means!). Please
race you mind through the entire Bible and see if you can picture ANY
apostle of Jesus Christ doing a thing like this after the Holy Spirit
had come upon them at Pentecost. Does any example come to mind?
Obviously not!
Now, let us explore the Dominionism side of this
slapping episode. For, let’s be fair to Dr Oyedepo, anybody could have
made a similar mistake in the heat of the moment. We are all still on
the road to perfection.
But, when a true child of God commits a sin of
passion like that, the common experience is that the Spirit of God that
indwells him will bring conviction upon his heart, either immediately or
in his more sober moment.
And the result is that he’ll see his error,
repent before God, pray for forgiveness, AND apologise to the person he
wronged. This was the path of humility that a lot of people thought Dr
Oyedepo would follow after the incident. But he didn’t….
Rather,
sometime after the incident, another video was released where he openly
boasted, during another church service, that THE GIRL HE SLAPPED HAD
COME TO BEG HIM!!! She came to beg him because she had been told that
his slap could have resulted in her death! So, to prevent an untimely
death, the victim had been told to go and apologise to her oppressor.
It
is quite interesting that in the whole of that huge church, nobody saw
that what Dr Oyedepo did was clearly ungodly, and could prevail on him
to do the right thing. The video of that episode went viral, and sparked
an outrage beyond the shores of the country.
In any sane,
civilised environment, Dr Oyedepo would have been arrested for that
public assault and may have been prosecuted, if the girl had chosen to
go down that route. But in our culture, a child barely has such rights
before such a ‘big man’, and an assault like that is permissible.
Permissible in that culture, but DEFINITELY ABHORRENT to the high
standard of morality, fairness, and servanthood that Jesus IMPOSES as
part of the criteria for those that will lead men in His name.
This is
why the Bible specifically states the qualities of a bishop in 1 Timothy
3:1-7. And stipulates that NO SHEPHERD should act as a lord over God’s
heritage (1 Peter 5:3) . Genuine Christian leaders are NOT bosses, they
are servants.
Dominionism does not seem to be peculiar to Dr
Oyedepo alone. It is evidently a house culture in the church.
A few
years ago, five government officials that visited the church’s premises
to demand tax payment for a school run by the church were beaten up,
injured, and detained for several hours; with one of them requiring
hospitalisation as a result of the assault. Reportedly, the school had
not paid tax for seven years, and had completely ignored all requests to
make the payment.
Two days later, in yet another incident, a TV crew
that also went to the church premises to cover the serving of building
inspection notices by government officials were also beaten up by the
church office staff. This second assault took place in the presence of
the most senior pastor in the church, Mr Timothy Oyedepo.
Even after the two assault cases became public knowledge, the church
NEVER openly apologised for the despicable conduct.
Rather, a former
head of state was approached by the church to calm the enraged governor
of Ogun State, who accused the church of placing itself above the laws
of the land. Obviously, the conduct of the church was NOT the way of
Jesus Christ.
That is the way of Dominionism, for it has the inherent
tendency to see itself above the law, and above lesser mortals.
One more public incident underscores and amplifies this trend. At the
height of a period of tension triggered by a fear of terrorist attack on
his premises, Dr Oyedepo, in yet another church service, made this
statement (quoted verbatim): "If you see anybody here, kill him, kill
him and spill his blood on the ground". A few minutes later, he repeated
this for emphasis, "You catch anyone that looks like them, kill him.
There is no reporting to anybody.
Kill him, pull out his neck, I will
spill his blood on the ground. What nonsense?" In the culture of the
impunity of that era, barely did anybody challenge his call for jungle
justice and blood letting.
Till date, neither Dr Oyedepo nor the church
has made a retraction of that blood-spilling outburst. Which means they
still stand by those comments.
Dr Oyedepo has a legendary
inclination to rain threats, curses and invectives on those that dare to
cross his path or oppose his plans.
In the latest episode in this
trend, he urged people to desist from criticising the fees charged by
his university, lest they incur the wrath of God. He cited the example
of a man that was plagued with chronic mouth odour because he dared to
speak against the fees. (After the man confessed that ‘sin’, Dr Oyedepo
said he prayed for his healing).
If all this culture of holy
imperialism can be traced to any of the apostles/disciples of Jesus
Christ, then the way of Dr Oyedepo would be understandable.
But all
these are the EXACT OPPOSITE of the direct admonition that Jesus gave to
His followers to be ‘wise as serpents, and GENTLE AS DOVES (Matthew
10:16). Dominionism has no place for the docile imagery of ‘sheep’ and
‘dove’ that Jesus extolled as virtues for his followers to pursue.
In addition to this imagery, the Bible places a premium value on
believers living as ‘strangers and pilgrims’ on earth. Pilgrims that
walk softly on earth, but carry a big stick in the heavenly realm from
where they influence and shape the events that unfold on earth.
Pilgrims
whose warfare is not carnal (2 Corinthians 10:4-5), and whose
citizenship is not of this world (Philippians 3:20). This is the
‘turn-the-other-cheek’, ‘pray-for-your-enemy’ philosophy that underpins
the fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount.
Does this fit the public profile of Dr Oyedepo, or his teaching? Yet,
Jesus warned us that ‘by their fruits’ shall we evaluate and know His
genuine servants.
Dr Oyedepo has been able to attract a massive
followership for his philosophy of ruling the world physically NOW,
exercising dominion over his fellow men, pursuing and cornering the
world’s resources, and becoming stupendously wealthy to showcase
ourselves as the children of God.
His huge followership is a sign of the
success of his philosophy. For it is a philosophy that appeals directly
to the carnality in the heart of man – the desire to rule, the desire
to control, the desire to own, the desire to tower above everybody else.
Yet this is the same carnality that Jesus came to ERADICATE from the
heart of man, teaching mankind that humility, simplicity, and
servanthood are the paths to greatness and rulership in the world to
come.
So, Jesus focusses the attention of mankind PRIMARILY on
eternity, while Dominionism focusses the attention of mankind PRIMARILY
on the here and now.
These are two COMPLETELY IRRECONCILABLE
philosophies, though Dominionism quotes Bible verses out of context to
mask its heresy and crass carnality. This is why a lot of its focus is
usually in Old Testament precepts, a lot of precepts Jesus Christ has
turned upside down (raining fire down on our enemies, etc).
Now,
let’s get to the main point of this article. Dr Oyedepo has been at the
vanguard of this Dominionism movement for decades, YET it is fair to
estimate that over 80% - 90% of believers in Nigeria believe that he is a
preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!! A more discerning minority in
that number hold him as A TRUE MAN OF GOD that just teaches a few
things that are wrong!
The fact that such a high percentage of
believers in Nigeria esteem Dr Oyedepo as a preacher of the genuine
Gospel of Christ is a clear evidence that there is VERY LITTLE
understanding of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ in Nigeria.
Deception
(and probably the allure of the wealth that he promises) have clouded
our minds about the true message of Jesus Christ. In other words,
GENUINE CHRISTIANITY BARELY EXISTS IN NIGERIA.
Most believers are NOT
following Jesus Christ today – they are FOLLOWING MEN that have ensnared
their hearts AWAY FROM Jesus through perverted teachings.
This is how
Apostle Paul warned us against such men in Acts 20: 30, “ALSO OF YOUR
OWN SELVES SHALL MEN ARISE, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them.
Therefore watch…”. A solemn warning from an
apostle that understood the danger. Obviously, the Body of Christ in
Nigeria has NOT been watchful, and today, most believers have been drawn
away. This explains why churches and iniquity are multiplying at the
same rate in the country.
Apart from our collective liability,
there is also an individual element to this crisis. So, let’s apply this
message to ourselves directly. Whoever you are – man or woman, young or
old, rich or poor, new convert or old disciple – if you hold men like
Dr Oyedepo as TRUE MEN OF GOD, it is an indication that you may need to
re-evaluate your understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You may
need to re-visit Calvary and pray earnestly that God opens your eyes to
the Person of Jesus Christ afresh – His ways, His teachings, His life.
This step may require a great deal of humility, especially for those
that have been born again for a long period. But it is ONLY to the
humble heart that God reveals the mysteries of Christ. These are the
mysteries that guarantee our passage to God’s Kingdom, both here on
earth and in eternity. What you do with this message, ultimately, is
between you and God.
Dr Oyedepo is NOT alone in this category. It
is just that he is the most visible proponent of the Dominionism
mentality. There is hardly anything that has been said about him that
cannot be said about ALMOST ALL our ‘top’ men of God in Nigeria. Albeit,
a lot of them are more subtle in the manifestation of their carnal
messages and pursuits.
Please open your eyes, for the hood does not make
the monk. And Jesus made it crystal clear that it is not all that call
Him Lord, Lord that shall enter His Kingdom. His greatest rebuke in the
passage in Matthew 7:21-23 was reserved for the ministers that
prophesied IN HIS NAME, cast out devils IN HIS NAME, and performed many
miracles IN HIS NAME.
Yet, He said He NEVER KNEW THEM – though they used
His power, and were celebrated as mighty men of God on earth. This is
very, very sobering, for all that can reflect deeply.
Please be
wise. There are no sentiments or sentimentality in following Jesus
Christ. For He is NOT a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Please open
your eyes, watch and pray.
And, in addition to everything else,
please let us remember all these men in our earnest prayers. There is no
single heart that the love of Christ cannot touch, heal, and deliver.
In some ways (or perhaps, in many ways), God may have used them to
minister to us in the past.
It is now our turn to minister to them on
the altar of prayer. And on the altar of God’s love. Let us lift up our
voices that they, as well as the rest of us, may find the mercy of the
Lord on the Last Day.
Please THINK DEEPLY about these things. And
please PRAY DEEPLY about these things. May the love of Christ burn
passionately in our hearts as we await His imminent return in glory.
Amen.
Thanks for reading, God bless you.
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