Founder of the World Assembly Ministries and seasoned evangelist, Rev Isaac Omolehin, has apologised over his controversial statement condemning three Nigeria’s mega churches and their members.
In a sermon he delivered recently, Omolehin said he pitied those who attend the Living Faith Church (aka Winners) founded by Bishop David Oyedepo, Believers Loveworld Ministries (aka Christ Embassy) founded by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) founded by Rev. Biodun Fatoyinbo.
“People need to see you without thinking this Baba Omolehin son. People will see you and recognise that these are World Assembly members. There are others you will see, once you see them, you readily know these are winners’ members, these are COZA members.
“Once you see these other churches, their members those of Pastor Oyakhilome you will know this is where they are from. You know this is where these ones are from. And I pity people who attend such churches because when the founders are gone, it’s that same legacy of all sorts that they will be following after.
“If you bring all of us together in Nigeria, I have no leader among them. Ask them, when did you start preaching. I started preaching 50 years ago and we are still counting. I have a goodly heritage. I did not meet it in the hands of my predecessors. I have never seen Baba Obadare’s wife. I have never seen Pa Ariye’s wife…. And you see them everywhere, all these adulterous women. Those who taught us ……you can’t find them in immorality. We have a goodly heritage,” he said during the service.
However, following the backlash in Nigeria’s Christian community, the 74-year-old cleric, on Thursday August 21, tendered an apology for speaking harshly against the churches and about the certain developments in Christendom, including the alleged commercialisation of Christianity.
“On this account, the Word of God is the base, it is the foundation of all of our faith. I now looked back at some of the things that I have said and the kind of hurting that has been made. It brought pain even to a lot of my own friends and the hurting are so deep and they are also very painful even to me. So, I’m using this opportunity to apologise to my friends and apologise to the different churches that have been hurt.
“I want to apologise to the CAC, when our Church was burnt, CAC sent a delegation to come and commiserate with us and gave us money. That’s not the kind of church you want to hurt no matter what you feel is going wrong somewhere. I apologise to my friend Funso Akande in Ede who was also very hurt. When I preached for him and he heard that our church got burnt, he gave us money. That is not the type of person you want to hurt. I apologise to Prophet Hezekiah, he came here and he had visited me sometimes. He came to visit me. Again, that’s not the kind of friend you want to hurt no matter how you feel.
“I also saw a video that was sent to me about what I said about Winners Chapel; that I sympathise (with), I pity people who go to Winners Chapel. I saw it. Winners Chapel, COZA, Christ Embassy. There are just these churches that I just don’t like the way they’re doing Christianity but you see? They’re entitled to their brand. We have our brand so others can have their brand and our interpretations of our brand and the Scriptures must not now become offensive to some other brands. So, I ask for forgiveness from them all and I will ask all of you to stand up and pray that God will heal the Church.
“This apology I’m giving, please hear me well. What is on ground is there! It’s on ground! The filthiness, the immoralities and dirtiness, different kinds of illicit acts among the elders and the amount of cultism in the church has gone to the level that is outrageous. May God forgive us! May God clean the church!” he said during the sermon.
Omolehin, 74, who has been preaching the gospel for 50 years, also raised some prayer points for the churches and some preachers, who he said had assisted the World Assembly in the past.
Read Rev. Omolehin’s full speech
I want to make a special recording of what I’m about to say. So, please let our audio… I have spent many years on the job and I have seen so much and the more we go, the more I see. But there is so much corruption in the Church of God. There are so much immoralities in the Church of God and there is so much commercialisation of the Gospel and the Gospel has been set aside and much of the conversation in the Church is about money!! And the Lord is not happy about this and it is this I saw, all of this.
I also see that the coming of our Lord is very close, it’s so close. And I feared that if He met us like this, more so a growing population of the world. The people in the world are growing, so also when judgement comes, the crowd will be going to where they are going. So, in my attempt to address these problems, I spoke harshly and hard and I know you here know about that, that I don’t spare these things. But in the process of trying to correct these things, I spoke very hard.
A lot of people became offended and they are showing it that they are offended. I have had to also review the whole situation. Matthew 5:23. The core issue here is that Jesus said: ‘If you brought a gift, if you brought an offering or if you came to pray and while you are there at the altar praying, you remember that a brother has something against you – he’s not even saying you have something against him, he said the brother has something against you’ – Our Lord Jesus said, He’s not interested in the offering you’re trying to give. He said you should leave it there. Now, the reason He asked you to leave it there is because of the fact that He knows and wants and desires that you come back to it. He didn’t ask you to carry it away, He said ‘leave it there and then go and make peace with the person who has something against you.’ He said ‘after that you can come and continue your prayer.’
On this account, the Word of God is the base, it is the foundation of all of our faith. I now looked back at some of the things that I have said and the kind of hurting that has been made. It brought pain even to a lot of my own friends and the hurting are so deep and they are also very painful even to me. So, I’m using this opportunity to apologise to my friends and apologise to the different churches that have been hurt. I want to apologize to the CAC, when our Church was burnt, CAC sent a delegation to come and commiserate with us and gave us money. That’s not the kind of church you want to hurt no matter what you feel is going wrong somewhere. I apologise to my friend Funso Akande in Ede who was also very hurt. When I preached for him and he heard that our church got burnt, he gave us money. That is not the type of person you want to hurt. I apologize to Prophet Hezekiah, he came here and he had visited me sometimes. He came to visit me. Again, that’s not the kind of friend you want to hurt no matter how you feel.
I also saw a video that was sent to me about what I said about Winners Chapel; that I sympathise (with), I pity people who go to Winners Chapel. I saw it. Winners Chapel, COZA, Christ Embassy. There are just these churches that I just don’t like the way they’re doing Christianity but you see? They’re entitled to their brand. We have our brand so others can have their brand and our interpretations of our brand and the Scriptures must not now become offensive to some other brands. So, I ask for forgiveness from them all and I will ask all of you to stand up and pray that God will heal the Church.
This apology I’m giving, please hear me well. What is on ground is there! It’s on ground! The filthiness, the immoralities and dirtiness, different kinds of illicit acts among the elders and the amount of cultism in the church has gone to the level that is outrageous. May God forgive us! May God clean the Church.
So, I want all of you to come to the Altar and help me pray that God will heal our own! All of you come!
(Calling for prayers) The Bible talks about confession in James 5. I need you to spread your hands to Heaven and open your eyes and ask God to heal the Church because that’s the main issue; that Jesus will not come and meet the Church the way it is. Please open your mouth and pray
(Prayers) -Lord! I pray for forgiveness. I pray for our friends. I pray for Prophet Funso Akande in Ede to whom I have apologised. Lord, I pray you will heal his wound. I pray for CAC to whom I have apologised, to heal their wound! I pray for PFN, they also have their issues with Isaac Omolehin. I pray for COZA, I pray for Christ Embassy, Winners Chapel. Oh Lord heal our wounds and bring us to fellowship again. That the Gospel be not hindered. I pray that the work of God will advance in Jesus’ name! Amen!
We’re going to say one big Amen for Prophet Funso Akande, Amen! I need you to say a big Amen for Prophet Hezekiah, Amen! I need you to say a big Amen for CAC, Amen! I need you to say a big Amen for Winners Chapel, Amen! I need you to say a big Amen for Christ Embassy, Amen! I need you to say a big Amen for COZA, Amen! Many of you might not know that COZA is from Kwara! I think it’s from Erokun. I pray that all people from Kwara who are outside, that they will succeed!