Former pastor of the City of David parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Idowu Iluyomade, has announced that his newly established ministry, The Family Fellowship, has acquired a permanent site at Eko Atlantic.

Speaking during the church’s second service at Civic Centre, Pastor Iluyomade revealed that the land was donated by a member of the church. He used the occasion to encourage Christians to embrace the act of giving, both to their fellow humans and to support God’s work. According to him, many believers struggle with the principle of giving, which he described as a sacrificial act that brings God’s blessings.

In his sermon, titled “Giving,” Pastor Iluyomade emphasized the importance of understanding biblical principles on offerings and tithes. He said:

“As believers, you have to be very careful because there are all kinds of doctrines flying around today. I want us to reason together because there have been many teachings concerning giving. If you are not careful, you will miss it in this area, and that is the gospel truth.”

He continued: “Your giving begins with your offering. Tithe belongs to God—10 percent of your income belongs to Him. And God knows mathematics. Many people avoid reading Malachi 3, where God complains about people robbing Him in tithes and offerings.”

“We need to repent. If God calls us robbers, we should ask ourselves: will any robber enter heaven? And how much is this 10 percent that God is asking for? If I were God, maybe I would ask for more, but He only asks for 10 percent to bless the remaining. Let’s reflect on that.”

Pastor Iluyomade also urged worshippers not to adopt a lackadaisical attitude towards paying their tithes. However, he stressed the equal importance of helping the poor and needy, particularly in challenging times.

“Ministry costs money—that’s why God said we should bring tithes so the needs of His house are met. Concerning offerings, God said everyone should give according to how He has blessed them. Naturally, the rich should give more than those with less. We must give in proportion to our prosperity,” he added.

The cleric further encouraged Christians to live holy and righteous lives, warning against neglecting these foundational aspects of faith.

During the service, two members of the church contributed ₦4 million to Bethesda Home & School for the Blind, demonstrating the spirit of generosity Pastor Iluyomade highlighted in his sermon.

The National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Archbishop Wale Oke, may not be reelected as some senior leaders of the body, among others, are accusing him of non-performance.

Oke, who was first elected into office in 2023 for a two-year term, is due for reelection in February 2025 during the biennial conference of the body.

But those who are dissatisfied with his administration say the PFN has lost the vibrancy it was noted for under the previous leadership, especially under Archbishop Benson Idahosa, Bishop Mike Okonkwo and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, among others, and believe he should not be reelected.

PFN is the umbrella body for Pentecostal Christians in Nigeria and its members include the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) led by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, Word of Life Bible Church led by Oritsejafor, Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) led by Archbishop David Oyedepo, Deeper Life Church led by Rev Kumuyi, Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries (MFM) led by Pastor Olukoya, The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) led by Okonkwo, Church of Mission led by the late Idahosa but is now led by his widow, Margaret, Christian Pentecostal Mission (CPM) led by Rev (Mrs) Mercy Ezekiel, House on the Rock led by Pastor Paul Adefarasin, and the Sword of the Spirit led by Oke.

The Fellowship is arguable the largest Christian body in Nigeria and one of the bodies that make up the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

In fact, some analysts say 60 per cent of Nigerian Christians belong to the PFN even though CAN is made up of about five groups.

Discontent

Discontent against the PFN leader blew open recently after one of the senior leaders of the Fellowship, Mama Margaret Idahosa, openly alleged that Oke failed to keep to promise although she said she had forgiven him.

The occasion was the 70th birthday of Oyedepo, held recently at Winners Chapel, where the Archbishop of the Church of God Mission described Oyedepo in glowing terms but ended her tribute by accusing Oke, who was seated there alongside Adeboye and wife, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, among others, of not keeping to promise.

In concluding the tribute in which she called Oyedepo an oak tree, a big elephant and a promise keeper, having fulfilled the covenant he made with her husband about 26 years ago, Mama Idahosa said: “Happy birthday to you sir, happy birthday to you ma, and happy birthday to all of us. Baba Adeboye (RCCG General Overseer), I thank you very much. Okonkwo (TREM Archbishop), I thank you very much, and Wale Oke, I have forgiven everything because he promised me and he did not come … but he is all under the lamb”.

“How much contribution of the PFN to national discourse have you heard in the last two years of the Wale Oke administration? This is a critical time in the life of Nigeria, and a crucial body like the PFN should be seen to be contributing its quota. But what have we seen?” one of the leaders said.

“When Bishop Oke took over the leadership, the PFN was vibrant. And Bishop Oke did promise to keep it vibrant as we had witnessed under Idahosa, Okonkwo, Oritsejafor.

“Today, nobody reckons with the PFN anymore because we have a leadership that is not pulling its weight. How many press statements have you seen from the PFN in two years? How many media appearances have you seen of our leadership? How many newspaper interviews? Everything about us just went into voicemail.

“Even our programmes, who attends now? Before the rot set in, high profile government were always willing to attend”.

The PFN leader cited the case of the Lagos branch of the Fellowship which operated without leadership for about one year because the national leadership appeared to have lost control.

Meanwhile it could not be ascertained if those seeking to stop the PFN National President’s second term have zeroed-in on a particular candidate.

Source: Vanguard News

In light of the recent controversial predictions made by certain Nigerian pastors and prophets, who have purportedly issued unfounded proclamations that malign the government, Oke Johnson, a clergy member originally from Nigeria residing in Luxembourg, has urged his fellow pastors to refrain from disseminating false forecasts about governmental matters and policies.

Instead, he emphasized the importance of praying for the nation and its leaders, advocating for guidance that aligns with the best interests of all citizens.

The pastor in residence at ‘Seek Thy Kingdom Church in Luxembourg expressed the view that many prophetic declarations made by Nigerian pastors and prophets can be understood as reflections of current circumstances and insights from political analysis.

It appears that some of these declarations may utilize statistical trends from sporting events to inform their predictions. This perspective invites a deeper examination of the methods used in prophetic practices and encourages a dialogue about the value of combining spiritual insights with analytical approaches.

His words:

“Too many prophecies, some are even waiting for others to predict before using synonyms to predict them but they are saying both things. It is only in Nigeria that you see PDP pastors predicting more doom for the APC government. APC pastor will be predicting what the Nigerians will like to hear. All these things are false and misleading. We have turned prophecies into betting. It is also in this country that a so-called pastor predicted football matches using the name of God but he failed at the end of the day. How could you have done that as a pastor? Those prophets criticizing Tinubu’s government have not been reached out to. Only a few pastors in the country have synergy with God and those people are not speaking openly, they call the concerned person to reveal things. Others are making advertisements for patronage and if care is not taken some prophecies and pastors will be jailed at the end of 2025 for false prophecies.

“Politicians have corrupted pastors and prophets in the country because if a Senator or Governor sent you bags of money and the road leading to your church is in bad condition and people in your community are complaining and suffering from infrastructures, would you tell the Senator or governor to return the money and development the community? They won’t because they tag such opportunity as an ‘undiluted blessing’ whereas you are eating from other’s people benefit, yet, you call yourself a man of God. Are you sure you are?

“Prophecies in Nigeria are betting odds for so-called prophets. Some pastors have betting apps on their phones that is why they predict football in the name of God, beware!” 

“Tinubu’s emergence as President of Nigeria is not a prediction of any of these pastors, none of them wanted him as President, they all played religious roles during the campaign and beyond. The pastors and prophets who knew Tinubu would become the president of this country are still alive and because they don’t need traffic on their YouTube and Facebook pages you don’t see them making Sportybet predictions. The pastors predicting doom and toughness in the country have their own children schooling in other countries. Where were they getting the money to fund their children’s school fees abroad?

A recent statement by Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has generated a lot of buzz on social media. In his comments, Jesus Christ is the only one who can save humanity.

According to PUNCH, Adeboye made these remarks during the RCCG’s annual ‘Let’s Go A-Fishing’ program, titled ‘Good News’, which has been a cornerstone of the church’s mission to spread the gospel across Nigeria for over two decades.

Adeboye explained that Jesus Christ came to earth, took on humanity’s sins, and offered salvation and eternal life to all who believe.

He said, “Jesus Christ’s mission is to save humanity. Christ came to earth, bore humanity’s sins, and offered salvation and eternal life to all who will believe.”

The statement highlighted that his message strongly connected with the audience, leading to altar calls where thousands of participants dedicated their lives to Christ.

Pastor Adeboye’s remarks received a lot of reactions from netizens. While some agreed with him, others argued that his claims were false. Here are some reactions:

Somone wrote, “Jesus Christ is not God. He is only a messenger.”

In the context of ongoing economic challenges in Nigeria, Venerable Superior Evangelist James Aso, the leader of the Celestial Church of Christ, Liberation Parish in Lagos, has called upon Nigerians to offer their prayers in support of the current administration under President Bola Tinubu.

He emphasised the importance of unity in the face of potential influences from various vested interests.

During a special service held on the final Sunday of the year, Aso led the congregation in prayers aimed at restoring peace and fostering harmony throughout Nigeria, as well as for the well-being of the president, despite the existing economic difficulties.

He said: “We should all pray for the good health of our president even though things are hard, he is our president and God should give him good health to lead us away from this hardship and fulfill his dreams for the country. And God should touch the hearts of cabals around him who do not want this country’s progress. 2025 shall be the year of our blessings as a country and individuals in Jesus’ name.”

The congregation proceeded to pray for an abundance of blessings that would transform hardship into a surplus of food, ultimately eradicating hunger in the land.

Aso is renowned for his passionate advocacy of discipline, often called ‘Every Living Soul’.

Despite Christmas being one of the most widely celebrated holidays worldwide, not all Christian denominations observe it.

Some churches decision to refrain from celebrating Christmas is based on historical concerns or a desire to adhere strictly to biblical teachings.

A gathering like  Jehovah’s Witnesses have historically avoided celebrating Christmas since 1928.

They argue that the holiday’s origins are rooted in pagan practices, particularly the Roman festival of Saturnalia, and that the Bible does not command Christians to observe Christ’s birth.

The group believes that if Christmas were significant to Christianity, it would be explicitly mentioned in scripture.

In the case of Seventh-Day Adventists, they don’t  observe Christmas, partly because it does not align with their interpretation of the Bible.

Seventh-Day Adventists maintain that Jesus was not born in December and that there is no biblical mandate to celebrate His birth.

They also view Christmas as a commercialized event with pagan origins. Some members may privately celebrate the holiday, but the church does not officially endorse it.

In Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, announced in 2013 that the church does not celebrate Christmas.

The church’s stance is based on the belief that Christmas has idolatrous origins tied to pagan sun god worship.

Deeper Life prefers to commemorate Christ’s birth during an event called Freedom Day in October, arguing that traditional Christmas customs are not grounded in the Bible.

God’s Kingdom Society (GKS)

The GKS, founded in 1934 by St. Gideon Meriodere Urhobo, also rejects the December celebration of Christmas, citing its pagan roots.

The church observes Christ’s birth in October, in line with their interpretation of historical and biblical facts.

They argue that Christmas is a continuation of the Roman Saturnalia festival.

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM)

Founded by Dr. Daniel Olukoya, MFM does not celebrate Christmas, seeing it as a holiday with pagan origins that is not supported by Christian teachings.

Instead, the church focuses on spiritual activities such as the annual “Power Must Change Hands” ceremony to usher in the New Year.

These churches choose to forgo Christmas in favor of what they consider more biblically consistent practices.