by Adekoya Naomi

The fact that he was playing mind games with her, and telling her not to expose him was the breaking point for me as a reader. If the story remains refuted, I will be inclined to believe that Ese was ‘jazzed’ she didn’t sleep with the pastor with clear eyes as my Warri people will say.

I have been seeing and reading all manner of comments and rejoinders about the lady who came public about her escapades with the popular pastor of a new generation church.

The subject matter is highly sensationalised and I was opportuned to read the original story from Ese Walter’s blog. Now, I am a firm believer in the school of thought of three sides to a story. My side, your side and the truth.

The Bible says let everyone who calls the name of God depart from iniquity. So in my humble opinion the fact that the pastor in question has not refuted the story makes it the truth, albeit ugly. The most amazing or should I say annoying are the attack dogs who have taken it upon themselves to comment and not just comment but also insult the lady who came all out to wash her conscience.

The fact that people from this side of the world work extra hard to bury the truth or even blatantly refuse to accept it is a very confusing phenomenon. In all my years on earth, I have not been able to comprehend it. Light is very difficult to hide in a very dark room.

I am not saying Ese Walter is lying or saying the truth but what I am saying is that the die hard critics should ask themselves what she stands to gain by lying or by saying the truth. As far as I am concerned she stands to gain nothing from lying to the world or falsely accusing the pastor. But she has succeeded in purging herself and getting some kind of closure by telling the world. And bear it in mind that closure is something that many of us in this side of the world don’t understand and there fore we don’t seek it.

When I was reading her story I emphatised with her and felt her pain. Imagining the enormity of the confusion that must have besieged her.

I was appalled and dazed at the same time when I read that she asked the pastor how he manages the two personality and He said and I quote ” I will teach you a level of grace that you don’t understand” haaaa! That is what I call sin with the highest order of impunity.

Ki lo de! Men and people of God depart from iniquity.

The fact that he was playing mind games with her, and telling her not to expose him was the breaking point for me as a reader. If the story remains refuted, I will be inclined to believe that Ese was ‘jazzed’ she didn’t sleep with the pastor with clear eyes as my Warri people will say.

The fact that all the people she confided in couldn’t address the issue with the pastor was most un becoming and also the Lagos Branch pastor who made light of the situation sent a wrong message across. What is bad is bad, no sugar-coating or trivialising it can ever change it. Make una fear God!

This story sounds very familiar, I have heard accounts of the ordeal that close relatives and friends suffered in the hands of “men of God” and trust me it’s not just in new generation churches, it cuts across. You will be amazed when I recant them to you my dear readers.

A friend to a close friend was taken to a pastor by her grandparents who asked the pastor to pray for her so she can get a husband and better her luck generally. This lady told my close friend that at the point of prayer this pastor told her that she can’t receive her miracle if he doesn’t have intercourse with her. Long and short of the story is that he had sex with her and she didn’t have the temerity nor courage to tell her grandparents,she confided in my close friend. I was bitter when I heard because a close relative experienced almost same with a twist some years back. An anointed prophet in Ogun state was having sex with my cousins mother, a widow and even told her that god said he should marry her. The prophet in question was married with four children and this was after his first wife died o! It was my mum and sister that rescued the woman and her family.

Also, I had the privilege of been under a certain pastor of a very popular faith and miracles ministry I attended in Ogun state. The assistant pastor who was “anointed” and charismatic on the pulpit was seriously on the case of the Vice president of the fellowship arm of that church. The lady is my sister’s friend so I saw first-hand, text messages and also listened to telephone conversations asking her to be his lady. This pastor is married with kids. In fact, in the process of carrying out her welfare duties to the pastor he almost raped her. I almost ran mad juxtaposing who this man was on the pulpit and behind closed doors when I heard him preach, this is because he was very anointed and charismatic. Then I remembered the scripture that says the gifts and calling of God are without repentance meaning that a man can be called by God, and while he is busy seriously messing up, God will still be honouring His word by backing this erring pastor with signs and wonders. This is for the people who gather to truly worship God and not for the pastor’s sake.

I am not saying that all pastors are randy, but what I am driving at is that as Christians we should not idolize our pastors. They are men before they are men of God. We should seek to know the truth for ourselves, know God for ourselves so that we won’t buy into lies of certain miscreants who call themselves men of God.

I was shocked when my boss told me that an air hostess friend of his told him that one of the jet-owning pastors tried ‘fingering’ her when she was on board his jet. She was too shocked to say no until the other air hostess who was accustomed to this occurrence rescued her and apologised to the Man of God and called my the other lady a novice. It was a gist unconfirmed but you and I know that there is no smoke without fire.

To men of God who have refused to depart from iniquity, bear it in mind that the mercy of God is forever but not His grace. Don’t get it twisted, God will judge us all and judgement will start from God’s house. If you refuse to be accountable to your church members at least respect God and the office you hold.

To blind followers who call themselves church members, don’t be slothful Christians, know God and His words, refuse to be confused. Stand up for the truth, seek the truth and be liberated.

And when people like Ese Walter decide to talk don’t shut them up. Please too many people are dying in silence, that’s one of the problems we have in Nigeria today.

I know that by virtue of Ese’s openness, many true stories will soon flood the internet. I am on the look out. The silence on the evil trend must be broken.

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Adekoya Naomi is a Lagos based legal practitioner. She tweets from @naomidgreatest

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.