Resident Pastor of the Living Faith Church, CanaanLand, David Oluwamakinde Oyedepo Jnr, has opened up on how he was called into ministry, saying God encountered him when he had no hope of preaching the gospel.
Oyedepo Jnr, first son of the founder and President of LFC aka Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, told his congregation at Canaan Land, that he was a reserved person and that one thing he was sure he would not do was the pastoral work until the encounter.
“As a young chap growing up, the one thing that I knew myself that I would not do is that one thing I am doing now. The one thing I was sure that I would not do is the one thing I am doing now.
“And the reason was very simple. My personality, I am a very reserved person. I like my space, I like my time. I am good at being with myself without complaining. I enjoy my company the most.
“There are people who feel trapped when they can’t go anywhere. I feel fine, just me and me, we are okay together. That is the reality of what my personality make-up is. And ministry is people. But me, I am a person. I was very sure that by reason of my make-up, the one thing I will not do, the one thing I cannot do, the one thing I must not do, is to be a minister. But suddenly, I cannot forget, I had an encounter with God and God called me to ministry,” he said.
Oyedepo said when he was called he kept asking God how he would cope.
He said, “Talking is not my strength, interacting is not my strength, accommodating is not my strength, all of them are not my strengths. How will this happen? I never had any clue.”
“But the Lord called me to ministry and I began to wonder, Lord, how am I going to do it? I am supposed to be talking, I don’t talk. I am supposed to be interacting with people everywhere, I don’t interact. I am supposed to be going out, I don’t go out. Everything they say that you should do is what I don’t do,” he added.
He recounted an incident during his secondary days where he said he was going to participate in a debate but his teacher insisted he could not.
According to the preacher, after he took part in the debate, he (Oyedepo) realised it was not his skill.
“When I started, the laughter of both the teacher and a few people who were there, I also agreed that I cannot debate. My debating dream died before it started. I was convinced that this is what I could not do,” he said.
Oyedepo said when he entered into interaction with God, “He began to show me things about myself that I did not know. I didn’t know I could talk till the one who created that tongue opened the tongue. I didn’t know I could talk to people until God began to show me.”
He said God unveiled certain advantages of the way he created him, especially about talking and listening.
“He showed me that you don’t talk too much because you listen a lot. One thing a pastor is to do is counselling. Ninety-nine per cent of counselling is listening. The counsel you are giving is the summary of the matter you are listening to. Anytime I sit down, one thing I do I will listen to you.
“When you talk, everything you have said, both the question, the situation and solution is in your description. I will summarise it and submit it back to you.”
About David Oyedepo Jnr
Born on June 1, 1983, David Oluwamakinde Oyedepo is the resident pastor, Faith Tebernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria, the international headquarters of the LFC. He is also one of the vice presidents of the mega church.
He was the regional pastor of the LFC, European Region where he oversaw the growth of the church and established the first Kingdom Heritage Model School of the commission outside Africa.
Oyedepo Jnr attended the Oral Roberth University (ORU) and Oklahoma Christian University in the United States. He was ordained as a pastor by the renowned American Pentecostal preacher, Kenneth Copeland in May 2007.
He is married to Kemi-Olubu Oyedepo and they are blessed with two children.
