by Ayomipo Edinger
In conclusion, the book of revelation has a message to 7 categories of Christianity to which every one of us belongs to. The church is not a place of perfect people. The church is a place of people in pursuit of the passion of the Christ. In the end, salvation is personal.
The damage has already been done. Not to Ese Walter, or Pastor Biodun or even the ministry of COZA, but to the Gospel of Christ. This is my attempt at damage control.
[READ: How I was abused by Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of COZA – Ese Walter, former church member]
When I read Ese’s story, I felt only one thing: sympathy for her. This is because her story is one that I have had first-hand experience with. Unfortunately, Ese’s story is not the exception and I have personally counselled a few girls who have walked in her shoes. I am not a member of COZA and I do not know much about the church; but I am aware that it as dynamic and vibrant as my own ministry, Christ Embassy.
I have been a member of Christ Embassy since 2001 in my university days, and a Christ Embassy church staff between 2005 and 2010. At the moment I am now a member of The Lighthouse Church, although I am still a follower of Pastor Chris and I always participate in the Monthly Communion Service because I believe in the message and the anointing on Pastor Chris’ life. That being said, I will not deny the fact that there are certain methods in Christ Embassy, perhaps in COZA, and definitely in every mega-ministry that will disturb the senses. This is one reason Lighthouse is now my home church, even though Christ Embassy will always be my root church.
If Ese’s story is true, my heart goes out to her and I wish I could give her a giant big hug, and cry with her. From her blog post, It is evident she has risen above all of it and I salute her courage. If Ese’s story is true, I pray for mercy for Pastor Biodun, and his family and I pray for grace for the genuine worshippers at COZA whose faith may falter because of this damage. Scripture has been very clear that in these last days, even the very elect will be attacked.
My article about this alleged affair is not to take sides, but to defend the gospel of Christ. You see, salvation is personal. And God is looking for true worshippers who will worship him in spirit and in truth. My interpretation of this verse of scripture is that true worship transcends the “Man of God” or “the ministry”. We have been called into fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Not a man of God or a ministry of God. Our allegiance should be to the message only.
This has been my balancing strategy to guide between my passion for God and my reverence for the anointing. You see, I have utmost respect for any minister whose message causes my spirit to burn, however, I also have an unction from the Holy One to know that the Scriptures is have the final say in my life. When I resigned from Christ Embassy and stopped attending the church, many pastors who I still respect condemned and castigated my decisions. But I was mature and bold enough to know that the God who sent me to “brook Cherith” and who sustained me at “brook Cherith” could also decide to ask me to leave brook Cherith for “Sidon”. My allegiance is first to the whisper of the Word in my spirit, then the confirmation of a pastor’s prophecy – in that order. That is what Pastor Chris has taught me – to receive Rhema. But this is where it gets complicated because many members of mega-ministry are more invested in the razzmatazz of the ministry and the man, rather than in the word.
I am a product of Pastor Chris and I believe in his anointing. Even though I disagree with a many of the methods of the ministry, I understand like David, that Saul is STILL God’s anointed king, and even when he is obviously trying to kill me I will still serve him, but I will serve him from a distance.
For the Ese Walters of the past, our future can only be protected if we record our history. It is your duty to speak up because your history can save a young convert’s future.
For the Ese Walters of the future, salvation is not about being a worker in church or being your pastor’s pet; salvation is about hungering and thirsting for the Word of God and pressing forward to know this Word through studying, praying and fellowshiping with the Holy Spirit. Salvation should be pursued the same way a player pursues fresh pussy.
For the true worshippers in COZA, Pastor Biodun is still God’s anointed. You can be blessed by him; even if it is from a distance.
For those who have blind faith in any man of God or any mega-ministry, you would do well to remember that many will preach and heal and cast out demons in the name of Christ and will still be unknown by Christ.
For those who will disdain the gospel because of this scandal, I believe that God is not wringing his hands in worry but is sitting back watching how all this will work out for the purpose of his will. I am living testimony because I finally became a member of Christ Embassy in 2001 when it was neck deep in controversy. I do not regret my decision and my faith is rock solid because of the teachings I received in Christ Embassy.
In conclusion, the book of revelation has a message to 7 categories of Christianity to which every one of us belongs to. The church is not a place of perfect people. The church is a place of people in pursuit of the passion of the Christ. In the end, salvation is personal.
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Read this article on Ayo’s Blog
Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.
The lady wasn’t raped. Why is she now making it look like she was manipulated. Is she a mumu? Nonsense!!!
I commend your defence of the gospel and also agree with u dat salvation is personal. Yes,it is. May God help his children ie true worshippers.
These born-again people sef. How can a born-again person write to the whole world made of an audience filled with believers and unbelievers alike that salvation should be pursued like a player pursues fresh pussy. This is a sick statement. This writer is as bad as those who mess up the gospel of Christ. Nonsense.
You need to be objective, its not a mtter of judging or not judging, what is wrong is wrong and you must say it as it is. We are living at a time where the world confuses people by saying good is bad and bad is good and I have come to see that’s one of the subtle trick the devil uses so please be objective. There’s no such thing as being evil yet being good. You need to take a side. God bless you!
You need to be objective, its not a mtter of judging or not judging, what is wrong is wrong and you must say it as it is. We are living at a time and where the world confuses people by saying good is bad and bad is good. There’s no such thing as being evil yet been good. Say need to take a side. God bless you!
As the media and airwaves got filled in the late hours of Thursday to the early hours of Friday , i read and looked through series of comments, abuses, curses, castigation , condemnations and most of all the call and cry for a press briefing as well as disregarding of a pastors ministry and his pulpit. I sank into my black leather couch starring into my 51inch television but obviously not watching the program being aired or should i say i was actually watching what the future really holds for our youths and our faith as Christians and most of all what is the next for Miss. Ese Walter and for every other person in her shoes or with the same mindset and ideology. Because i can see that most or should i be specific and say over 80% of our youths have the same mindset that have always limited them and will continue to limit them. The mindset that says immediately you have erred or failed you shouldn’t stand up again.
I am sure you are wandering where i am heading at or what i am up to, but i am sure if you are not in a hurry and decide to be patient you would be wiser by the time you get to the last words and if by then you still are not wiser then you strongly need to be delivered from the POWER OF DARKNESS (understand that darkness necessarily don’t mean EVIL Spirits or Demons but lack of understanding and enlightenment). At every instance we hear accounts and scandal stories about men of God , the next is an excited crowd ready to condemn, castigate and most times screams of crucify him, crucify him, crucify him….and that only brings memories of the Pharisees and Sadducee who were fast to crucify sinners before and during the era of Jesus Christ our LORD, and when Christ himself says “sinner go and sin no more for I do not condemn you” they get angry and believe proper justice was not taken. Now the question is what is the proper justice????
I chose to pick my enlightenment from the perspective that the allegations about the man of God “Pastor Biodun” are true, at least that’s what most of us are itching to hear, just the same way the hearts and ears of men are always itching to rejoice in evil reports. So i continue let’s accept that Ese and the man of God actually had a relationship after which she confirms it ended after are while (please understand i have not confirmed if the story is true even though i would have loved to meet the man of God and ask him if i knew how and when to get to him. So i as i had said earlier lets accept it was true, i am almost certain the next we will like to hear is that the pastor has come out to accept the story as true and has decided to quit the ministry and step down as a pastor or worst of all go on exile or commit suicide because u believe he is not worthy to preach the gospel of Christ, Like you where the one who called him or gave him the vision. Perhaps i should ask the question
· Was a donkey worthy to deliver a message to Balaam the prophet of God
· Is moses a killer worthy to be used by God to deliver his people
· Is King David a killer and adulterer worthy to be called a man after God’s heart
· Is Abraham the man who followed his wife’s suggestion to sleep with her maid over God’s direction worthy to be called father of Faith and God’s friend
· Is peter the one who denied Jesus Christ 3times worthy to be called father and founder of Christianity
· Is Solomon who was both an adulterer and idolatrous person worthy to be called God’s blessed King
I am still yet to discover one man chosen by God either in the bible or in our time that is perfect, except Christ who had to be perfect for the Art and Act of remission of sin at the cross. And even the perfect Christ was believed and argued to be imperfect and promoter of sin by the so called scholars and wise men like the numerous people and supposed Christians we have today.
I say and will continue to repeat NO ONE IS PERFECT, NO ONE IS PERFECT, NO ONE IS PERFECT, I actually feel like opening your head and sliding it in so you would know that NO ONE IS PERFECT neither is there a perfect church, because if you are perfect then you simply don’t need God’s help. But because we are not perfect does not mean we are not righteous or worthy. And as long as you are righteous or worthy you can be the vessel to carry the vision of God….. hmmm , now i am sure someone’s heard is going hot and perhaps feel like slapping me, well if you have your bible with you then kindly open to Proverbs 24:16 and if you don’t have it then i can tell you what it says “Although a righteous person may FALL SEVEN TIMES, he gets up again, but the wicked will be brought down by calamity”.
Now i am not a pastor but let me explain what that verse means. The person in question was announced to be righteous by God and he wasn’t announced to be righteous by GOD because of his good works nor because he was perfect (for God said let no man say he is perfect except God in heaven), he was actually announced be God because he accepted God (for as many as come to me i will by no means cast out and they shall be called the sons of God), so God made him righteous and the same person is said even if he falls seven times he shall stand again and God still sees him as a righteous man and as such expected to continue his duty, the only advice God gives is sin no more. GOD never says such people should not continue in the duties he has given them. But he says the wicked will be brought down and i know the next question is who is the wicked? But the answer is just right in front of you “The wicked is that person that doesn’t believe in God nor Believes God’s work should continue” God even went ahead to warn in the same bible passage that you should not rejoice or be glad in the fall of your enemy needless of a man of God. But what do we see today??? People ready twit, blog or share the errors of men when the instruction God gave was to go into your room and pray for such people to be stronger in faith and live a better life. What breaks my heart is 90% of those fast to crucify are Christians as well claimed born again believers. No wonder Christ doubted if he will meet faith and love on earth when he comes back, because if you don’t love your fellow brother how do you claim to love God that you don’t see.
The truth is if Pastor Biodun had or decides asked for forgiveness, God would have or will forgive him and it would never be in God’s record that he ever committed such sin (For if you repent i will blot out your sin and i will throw into the sea of forgetfulness), which means if ese by chance goes to meet God and tells god i had sex with Pastor Biodun , HE will say i can’t remember such thing happening (for GOD is not a man that he should lie). So if God has forgiven and forgotten why do we cry for crucifixion? That’s why i say we are not different from the Pharisees and Sadducee that were screaming for the crucifixion of Christ and his followers.
Now to Ese Walter, I sincerely hope you have found peace within yourself now as you stated……… even though i don’t know how you will be at peace every time you see your name or picture on the media attached to sex scandals, perhaps if you want to get married and your fiance’s friends or families bring up the story of the sex scandal, or your children grow older and stumble into an article or book that talks about you and sex scandal that rocked the air waves sometime ago. We all have past but causing uproar with it isn’t the smartest way to show repentance or fight guilt or denial.
Please understand what i have said and not what i did not say, I am not supporting any wrong did neither am i support of sin but all i am saying is you need to learn to allow God direct your every step and decision. I am sure you do not know how many people you might have pushed out of the site of God, church or their faith in God and Christianity if truly you have accepted Christ now.
God bless you Ese, God bless protect his vision @ COZA
I drop my pen here and i am really not expecting any applause or accolade from anyone one on this message, but i have spoken the truth has i know it, left for you to accept it.
Try and pick out the pointers from the message and not focus on the irrelevant. Her words are to inspire us and channel us in the right direction as a lot of people have a wrong perception of Christianity as a whole.
our allegiance should be to God and not message as claimed on this article.
Dis is my verdict:pastor Biodun should be expellled from d church,his position be given to another man,d wife should divorce him and claim all his properties,d children should disown him.I think with that Ese walter’s guilt wl vanish and she will be happy with dat.is dat wot she wants?.then of what gain is all ds to her?.she better give her life to Jesus and pray to make heaven.
@Sola Joseph; Like serious you suggest his wife divorce him and his kids disown him???
It shows how shallow minded you are and some people who am sure will share the same view.
What happened to forgiving people?
David fell and still remained God’s friend.
@Ayo; Well said! As much as I believe in the anointing and calling of my pastor/G.O I totally believe I shud be able to discern too. And sometimes, common sense should apply.
Pastors are humans not God!
balanced write up. may God bless u
"Salvation should be pursued the same way a player pursues fresh pussy" this quoted statement you made, has spoil your whole article that's an ungodly word especially for someone who claims to be a believer, don't you know we have to be holy just like our father in heaven is holy, you are a child of God words like this should not come from you. you are written a Christian article. you should know better, your above statement its just too raw you should have refine it. Just My Opinion (JMO).
Hmmm! Thanks for this exposition. God bless you.To this subject matter,Pls pple dont judge.
Okay!! All dis for one girl?… Let’s not forget that there is an atom of truth in what eva she has said or experienced… Meanwhile there is nothing new under the sun and to evry story there ar 3 sides “your side, their side and the truth” let’s not judge anyone, let’s leave it for God.. Afterall every1 wld still face judgement
Best I have read on this issue. One thing that I have stood by, my relationship with God is between me and him, I don’t need a pastor to validate that but the word that comes out from the pastors, can help build me more depending on how I also understand the bible and what its says. Human will always make mistake, men of who are not God. We are only sad by Ese story because many of us has made men oif God God alike and we expected them to act like one.
I can barely you are saying since it is written in ‘Christianese’ , so to speak. Don’t understand if you wrote to fulfill a personal desire to be published or you wanted it to be heard that it happens in other places.
Ayo you have done a balanced write up. The message we must emphasise today is Knowing God personally and not following a man of God because he can make mistake.
Thank u very much Ese for been bold to reveal your experience.