Contrary to the common refrain that being born-again is a hallmark of being a bona fide Christian, General Overseer of Ever Increasing Anointing Ministries, Pastor Emmanuel Taiye Olayemi has argued that Christianity was merely a name given to Christians by the world and not by God.
He made the statement from the Egan location of his church in Igando axis of Lagos during which he also called on fellow Christian preachers to move beyond the emphasis on salvation to bringing Christ into the hearts of people.
“The gospel is the kingdom of God. We (preachers) are not called to preach Christianity. Christianity is a name given to us by the world, not by God. It was given to the followers of Christ by the people of Antioch, and not by God,” he clarified.
He maintained that preaching the message of the kingdom of God should be the primary concern of preachers, saying Christianity was not from God but a word coined by people to describe followers of Christ who conducted themselves in Christ-like manner.
Sharing his view on what Christianity should be and on the practice by some churches requiring of members the first fruit offering at the beginning of every year, Olayemi, charged fellow preachers to focus on raising kingdom of God-minded followers in the new year of 2024 instead of laying unnecessary emphasis on doctrines and practices associated with Christianity.
Olayemi, a teacher of the scriptures by calling, further advised fellow preachers to move beyond preaching salvation, saying salvation is not the ultimate goal of the gospel of the kingdom of God.
Salvation, according to him, is not the ultimate goal of the gospel of the kingdom of God nor the end but a process to the end. “We are called to do what Jesus Christ came to do, which was preaching the kingdom of God. Jesus brought the heaven to the earth. He brought the government to the earth. That should be the pattern we follow. It is not about being born again. It is about bringing Christ into the hearts of the people,” he explained further.
Describing other teachings as secondary, Olayemi said the introduction of different doctrines by churches into the gospel had made many preachers focus more on doctrines of their churches than on the gospel of the kingdom, doubting if most preachers of the gospel could come back to the consciousness of the kingdom message except God intervened.
Explaining further he said: “It’s only God that can do that. It’s an encounter that brings consciousness. A preacher will continue preaching the doctrine of his church until he has an encounter. A preacher in a doctrinal church will teach the doctrine of his church. Doctrine is a means of keeping and controlling people instead of preparing them for heaven.
“We are called to preach the kingdom of God. Knowing about eternity requires divine encounter and enlightenment, which has to do with knowledge. Knowledge does not come when you are not informed. You have to be informed to have knowledge, and this takes an encounter with God,”
He also played down the yearly offering of first fruit as insignificant except the first fruits were returned to the givers. “I don’t believe in the way it is offered today. Jesus deserves our first fruit being the first born from the dead. He is the first that seated with God. When you believe in Christ, you have offered your first fruit through him and in him.
“When people come to me with their first fruit, I collect it, pray and give it back to them. I’m not in the ministry to collect first fruits. Abraham demonstrated the practice of first fruit. God collected it from him and gave it back to him. Offering first fruit shouldn’t necessarily be at the beginning of a new year.”
Olayemi who is from Kogi State also dismissed the ritual new year’s resolutions by people as a practice that didn’t work, saying people could not change from their old habits by their own strength except by the grace of God.
He pointed out that making new year resolution always led the people making them to fall into guilt and self-condemnation when they broke such resolutions barely few weeks after.
Admonishing on the practice, he said: “New year resolution doesn’t work. You can’t change by your own strength. It is the grace of God that brings about changes in the lives of people. I don’t encourage people to make new year resolutions so that they don’t fall into guilt or self condemnation when they break it.
What people need is an encounter with God to bring about the changes in their lives. Our teachings alone cannot change people without the grace of God through an encounter with him. I believe in people having an encounter with God into genuine changes in their lives at any time of the year instead of making new year resolutions that don’t work or last.
“A new year can still be an old year. So, instead, people should be passionate about their intimacy with God every day. Their focus shouldn’t be on earthly things but on the things of God year in and year out.”
Olayemi however recognized the importance of the yearly message declarations by pastors to their church members, saying such declarations helped members focus and avoid careless living in the new year.
“It serves as a guide and helps give focus. If you don’t have focus, you will live a careless life. A focused life is one that is disciplined. So, the new year message or prophetic declarations by pastors to their church members help to give focus.
“However, pastors shouldn’t make any declaration except they hear it from God. Don’t make any declaration outside of God because it will never come to pass in the lives of the people,” he charged.
