From newsroom to pulpit: The story of Prophet Oke

By Our ReporterJul 27, 2021, 10:13 am 1

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Prophet Charles Ariyo Oke is the founder of Mystery of Godliness Mission International with headquarters in Abuja that celebrated it’s 14th anniversary.

Oke, a former journalist, used the occasion to to open up to newdawnngr on how God called him and what He has been using him to do in the kingdom.

What has been the challenges and triumph these past 14 years?

Anything that is good will always have challenges,; challenges in the realm of the spirit , physical challenges and challenges of people you would think should live in line with the gospel. I am talking of preachers who do not consider one as anybody when you are rising . Trials you gone through, sacrifices you have made, they are there to give you bad names. Bad name that you are using this and that to deceive people. The challenge of those that come to church only for miracles. You pray, fast that things may change for them for the better and when their story changes for good, instead of them to use the resources to be a blessing to others who they met, they run to big churches and flaunt their newly acquired wealth. I remember that there was a man I used to buy engine oil for, give him a lot of things, we prayed things changed. He got a job worth billions and his profit was N900 million. We had gotten plots of land to develop the church, build charlet so that when people come to the church they won’t need to go to hotel, that was the last day we saw him in the church. You would have gotten a kind of assurance so that builders would be around and he decides to go with the money and a lot of things you had done in anticipation that he is coming. You ended up taking loans to fulfill the gospel and they would go to the church that never laboured for them, flaunt their wealth so that they will be in the inner circle of the new church and get recognition. There is also the challenge of the people around who call themselves Christians, ministers who uses charms to carry your crowd when you have followers that is bigger than theirs; there is the tendency for them to look down on you by saying what is this guy doing? But anybody that knows the scripture well, knows that Jesus Christ in John chapter six provided food for thousands of people and yet all of them left because of the truth he told them. If you know the truth, if it is 100 people you have, give glory to God and keep saying the truth because it is not the lie and falsehood that will take them to heaven, it is the truth. The truth that you speak. They will say this has gotten this, that has gotten that .It never bothers me because I was brought up a journalist. I won National Merit Award in the early 1990s, got automatic employment in media houses, came to Lagos , joined TheNews Magazine, went to Abuja and worked with media houses. I have lived all my life on moderation and it is still a part of me till date. Even when things increase, I give out to people. They give me cars, I give to people. I do not sell them. I have learnt to be humbled and moderate in everything I do. But many that do not have such background and training in Jesus Christ, you see their aircraft they are flying about in. Ask them how people are in that church. They are many who are poor and need to be cared for. If there is no money, there is nothing you can do but we thank God that the little we have we have been able to address the widows, orphans? It may not have gone round, but it is better than not giving at all.

You were in the newsroom. Can you tell us how the call came?

Well, the call has been there since 1980s. I got born again in 1987 in a Christmatic Renewal Movement, Ogbomosho, my hometown. I just finished hé my A’Level studies as at that time. I began to feel within me the call of God véry strongly. By the time it was 1989, I had a deep encounters with God. Jesus came into my room, intially, I was born a sick person, that they said will not live to see 29 years. One sickness upon the other till I finished my advanced level schooling, even though, I was brilliant,, the sickness took a toll on me. When people say they saw Jesus Christ, they never saw Jesus Christ. He told me, 98% of ministers and their members are on their way to hell and I asked a question, how can you, the almighty and powerful allow these people to go to hell? He told me that he didn’t create us a robot; that we are created free moral thinking agents. That he created and placed before us, left and right. He told us to choose from this and that and that the consequences of choosing from this and that. So, the call came since that time and I have been nurturing it and living by it. I have been in different places. I was under Pastor Kumuyi of Deeper Life Bible Church , I was under Rev. Kunle Adesina and many, many great men if God. I was under the second in command of CAC founder, Aoostle Babalola David Olulana Oyesile

who passed on in 2012, under Baba Oyelana of CAC Ikire who died in 2014. These men where in their 100s; l learnt a lot of things from them , which shaped my life in the ministry and I have been a journalist all the while that even my colleagues in TheNews, Mr. Bamidele Temitope Johnson , Funso Aina among others, know that I spent my December annual leave on the mountain praying. I don’t joke with my annual leave, I go to the mountain to pray and this has shapen me up too. You learn driving by driving. I do not compromise in obeying God and by 2007, God told me to open a church, which is an international church, all over the world. You see that the big, big churches we have that are as old as 20, 13 years when we started are still in Africa but by our fourth year we we were already in the U.S., we had incorporated a church there. 2011 we incorporated a church in the U.S. . We are in Asia, you can see our massive crusade in India among the Hindus that is well dreaded that nobody goes for crusade. After that we have gone to Europe . We have seen the blind see, the dumb talk and salvation preached from sin to righteousness.

It seems you are called for crusade where the sick are healed. Recently you held one in Ogbomosho just after a-seven-day one you held in Lagos; now you are in Abuja for another seven days one to mark the 14 anniversary of your mission. How do you cope and where do you get the energy from?

Yes. You cope because it is God’s work. You heal the blind , the lame and the deaf. it is not you that did it, it is God . And having a relationship with Him is the key. Ability to obey God when it is convenient and when it is not convenient. Obeying the word of God to the later whether it pleases you or not. When you do this you are just like any other person. You will see that power flows from you. That what you say brings life so you are encouraged ; it is not a burden , it is lîke a hobby that you enjoy doing. It is just like I enjoy writing story as a journalist. It is not like something like load on you. So it is not of you, it is Him that is working. It is not by might. It is not by power but by His spirit.

Why the choice of Ogbomosho for the crusade. Is it because you are from there or what?

Yeah, Ogbomosho crusade six years ago. To be candid in 2007. I was in the U.S. when one of my niece , in the A’Level days, we were not born again in those days, saw what I was doing in America and called me saying ‘ please come to Ogbomosho and do a crusade ‘ and I told him but you know I do not go to where God has not sent me.’ That was in 2007. Then about six years later, he called me again and at that time God told me before he called again ‘ you are going to have a programme annually in your home town ‘ and I remember asking God that the bible said ‘ a prophet has no honour among his people and God said ‘ yours is not like that. You are going to have honour all over the world, including. your home town, Ogbomosho.’ I remember I called the man, he is a lawyer now, he was asking for three days but God told me to do a seven days crusade and that it will be annually and to fall on same date annually. Even last year when the pandemic came, they banned movement; before then, I used to leave on Monday, the programme day, I left on Sunday; they did not believe. There was a year I was in Germany for a programme, left for Greece, they didn’t believe I will be in Nigeria. I flew into the country; I remember when I entered the hall, everybody was clapping. I said for what,? And they said they did not believe somebody will leave a place where there is money to come to a place where there is no money. But the good thing is God’s voice. If you are moved by money, you will not achieve God’s purpose in your life. If you obey God, He will raise people to be of help. I left government work nine years ago ; I resigned. My juniors are directors today in the ministries. I do not collect salary. It is like I do something as humanitarian service because Jesus died for me. He did not collect money . Why should I work for him and be collecting money? I no house of my own. I live in rented apartments anywhere I am but I use my money to help people who are building. I have helped widows and orphans. it gives me joy that the less privileged are being helped. So Ogbomosho is a direct instruction from God that every year between the last days of June and the first days in July, I must be there. Before we left for Ogbomosho, God told me, ‘ you are going to plant a church there and that he is going to give me land. And to the glory of God, we have gotten a place. We told the people of Ogbomosho that we want land for our church and they said how many hectares. We said 100; an hectare is 8+ plots and they said they are going to hold a meeting and tell us the outcome. You can imagine that many wanted half a plot but did not get but because God is involved, they gave us 100 hectares. So Ogbomosho crusade is a direct instruction from God and, secondly, I came from there.

Nine years after, how will you describe the Ogbomosho experience?

No, it is six years. We just did sixth year crusade. The response has been so great. We have seen People that were sick healed, deaf and dumb hear and speak, barrens of over 20 years bear children. This year alone, they told us that like last year, that they are not going to stand in gap for people who are barren because people that have stopped child bearing that stood in gap for others conceived and bear children even with family planning. Those they stood for bore children too. So you can see the grace. God has touched them . After the first, second, we prophesied that there will be changes in the town, the federal government announced the establishment of Fed Poly Ogbomosho and many other things began to take place . The road construction that was abandoned. The spiritual climate too. Many churches are now springing up today in the city.

You have been to Europe, Asia, America and other African countries. How would you compare the continents in terms of spiritualities?

You know America and Europe brought Christianity to us and we are taking it back to them because there was a prophesy in the 1960s that God will raise people here that will take the gospel back to where it came from. The gospel there has being mixed with too much coldness, too much fanfare, the consecration life is no more there. Many are busy with other things of life.

,But in Nigeria, before you get water you pray but it is not like that there. They no longer see any need for prayer. it is like a free life . The challenge that brings us closer to God here, is not there, So, Christianity seem to be a bit on the decline there. I mean quality Christianity. And if you compare Europe, America and Asia. They poor people in Asia in America, even in Europe. But I have never seen people giving their resources out for the gospel more than America. Americans are generous,; much more when they see you as a true man of God. Even when you are not there, they send things to you to share to the poor. Americans are extremely generous, Europe is like that but not like Amerca. UK is very sting. Anybody that is in the ministry with the aim of making money will go to America instead of Europe but for me even if in America, I go to small, small churches that seem as If they cannot rise. So, I believe in helping the small ministries to grow. That is what God is using me to do while the Ministers of the big churches tend to fight me for not coming to their churches. They keep telling me ‘ come to our church, you will get more money. Why are you about these small churches,?, but in all the areas, Nigeria is more of God than those places.

Though, some Nigerian pastors copy from those places, because prosperity preaching is taking over so much that they don’t even tell people that Jesus said ‘ carry your cross and follow me.” Bring N1000 and get N10m is what they are saying and that is magic not miracle. Even Christianity in Europe is declining. Many people have been swindled to the point that they no longer go to church. Church buildings in those places have been turned into Cinema places because people no longer go to churches because of what they preach to them. I was preaching in Germany and white women were coming to the altar weeping that they committed abortions. Why is it that, that time was when it dawned on them that it was a sin? It was because of our preaching. Those that have been preaching to them before did not tell them that it was a sin but when we preached to them, they repented. Others just preached about money . I was in Anthens, where they wrote many things about Apostle Paul preaching, it was a great joy for me to know that Paul was in his 70s when he did all was written about him there, I am just about in my 50s, God has taken me to all those places. It is a great honour, blessing and I kneeled down some years ago and cried to God and said,’ thanks for the honour, give me more grace to serve you till the end. So in all things, the culture and social mellieu, civilisation have coloured the preaching over there but here , poverty has made us to sit down and look up to God. We have people in the church that a worse criminals, who go to establishment and steal the establishment’s money. It was not like that in the 1980s but prosperity has brought about this; people steal,

embezzle government money and pastors will not preach against it or rebuke them because they give the pastors their own commission/percentage too. I remember some years ago around 2004/2005/2006 somebody called me from Lagos. I was in Abuja and he said I should pray for him. And I said I cannot pray for you and he said why? And I told him ‘you are a 419. You should go and meet those who sent you.’ He said ,’ how did you know that I am a ,419?’ And I told him that God told me. I then asked him if they did not tell him that I am a prophet. He said they told him . He then added that they said when I pray , God answers my prayer and I told him not like that . I asked of those collecting his money and praying for him and why did they stopped. He said they prayed and nothing happened. I asked him what work is he doing, he said ‘ yahoo, yahoo. And he was the governor of those fraudsters. On phone I told him that I won’t pray for him that rather I will pray for his arrest if he is not going to change. Then on the third day his wife called me to say he has changed and I asked her ‘how did you know?’ And she said’ he is even telling his boys to accept my God.’

He later asked for the address of my church in Ikeja. I gave him and when he came, I led him to Christ. He confessed that anytime he stole money from the bank or Internet, he gives a percentage to those pastors and they collect. He was shocked that I that has never met him before told him to repent. Though, those pastors will tell him to repent but when they collect money from him, he knows they are same thing.

But he was shocked when I said I cannot pray for him or that I will pray for government to arrest him. And when he came to the church and when members heard his story, they were asking for his accounts details and started sending money to him. It was amazing that his wife is a lawyer. So, there is a difference between preaching prosperity and preaching Christ the resurrected.

How did come about the title prophet. While others are bearing titles like bishop, pastor, apostle, you choose an archaic sort of title- Prophet?

You may look at it like this, Jesus said in the church he set up apostles, prophet or pastors or teachers or bishops that one comes from heaven. it is at the discretion of God but when they go to meeting, they say all bishops should seat in the front because of what they will collect and it is very sad. Now, Adeboye, Kumuyi are Pastors but they have trained many prophets, apostles. When they go to that meeting where do you want them to seat? To go and seat at the back because they are not bishops. These are aberrations when you mix Canality with Christianity. Let me give you an instance. We were in the church, a woman brought a sister to the church for the first time. As I was ministering, I said woman stand up, you fought a woman 10 years ago that sowed cloth for you. She had forgotten and said there was nothing like that. And I said before we finish service you will recollect. Later she said she heard the voice of God and God told her the name of the person and that it happened in Port Harcourt 10 years ago. Then she sent to them in Port Harcourt because she has family there that they should look for that sister because they know her, but they told her that the woman is no longer in Port Harcourt. It was someone else she told that now told her that she saw the woman in question in Port Harcourt that week. That was how they went in search of the woman, met her on behalf of the sister that came to the church, to apologise to her. The emissary now met the woman and asked her if she knew so and so woman. , the lady now said that ‘useless woman did not pay me for the cloth I sowed for her 10 years ago. The seamstress remembered but the sister had forgotten. That sister is now in Lagos , she now said that from the look of things ‘na’ God go settle them when they get to heaven. The sister, before coming to me, had gone to many churches but nobody could see that for her. Prophet means a seer. Let me take you to my Facebook page, at the end of 2019 December, check the prophesy I made that month. I mentioned the pandemic, it started here in March. Six years before that time when there was Ebola, I told people that there is going to be a pandemic that will rock the world. There are people I told that once they see that, they should start buying sanitizes from America. And they went importing container load of sanitizers to Nigeria from America. I was on a prayer mountain in January, God said I should start a zoom programme, nobody knew that they will close down churches and many establishment’s. We started zoom worshipping since February last year and we have been reaching many people. It may look archaic but that is how God raised Moses, Isiah, Jeremiah, Joseph, Abraham and many others.

My last question. You were a journalist and now you are a man of God. How would you compare the two?

I will just say that the training I got as a journalist has helped me because in journalism I related with people. In my time as a journalist I interviewed many people including the former president of Nigeria, Yakubu Gowon and was taught the art of being punctual. That if you have an appointment with people for ,7 be there by 6. Secondly I can stand before anybody to the gospel without intimidation. All of these are working for me now in the kingdom.