Pastor (Mrs.) Roseline Livingstone is the head of a ministry that operate a number of spiritual and care-giver organizations: The Praying Sisters International, The Praying Brothers International, The Praying Singles International, and Upper Room Prayer Network, all established on November 21, 2020. While most missionaries struggle with scriptural standard to survive plying the strait road to the heavenly kingdom, the journey to her is a normal, easy course of life making no difference even if she’s eventually faced with the possibility that there’s no heaven after her earthly sojourn. In this interview, she speaks about her many Christian platforms, challenges of growing the ministry, the chaos of malpractices in church leadership, and what to do to navigate temptations and make heaven. Excerpts:
You mentioned the issue of some ministers of God seeing missionary work as competition, how is that? And how are you affected by it?
The issue is that I don’t have a venue for my ministry’s activities and therefore will sometimes need church auditorium for them. But making use of their auditorium is always the trouble. The first experience of it that I had was somehow embarrassing. The woman whose auditorium I want use suddenly changed, despite being part of promotion of the event by helping distribute hand bills, pamphlets, banners etc. It was a shame anyway. The second experience was also similar and I then decided not to use any of their auditoriums and begin to find better alternative because it’s like they don’t want me to use their auditoriums or hold conferences for people to come and get to know about the ministry. People – the politicians and influential persons – from every part of the country and from some parts of the world really want to come and were even asking where my church is, where to come to and all that. But if there is facility they can always come around for programmes. And one thing with the ministry is that when they come they look around and don’t see fans, air conditioners etc they move. That’s what I’ve been facing. But supposing I have a church or a gathering facility and I’m getting tithe, donations or offerings to produce fliers, scripture pamphlets, handbills etc to promote the ministry and at the end of the day I’m not getting the result, I can say alright, you can be going to your churches.
Going by biblical standard, do you think engaging in your kind of spiritual activities, being a woman, is scriptural? Remember that Apostle Paul admonished women to remain silent and under subjection of men in cleric matters.
Well, I’ve read and heard about people saying women should not lead and all that. But then, what happens or what are you going to do when you have that calling, the oil and anointing on you? I remember God telling me when I left school not take up secular job and I’ve never tried it. The only time I tried was when I was doing my youth service at Sapele around 1999 and 2000. I was then doing this tutorial lecture thing. If Apostle Paul said women should go back to their husbands’ homes and not participate in the work of the clergy, what of those men that have been coming to me for my programmes and have been expressing appreciation of the impact of the programmes upon their lives? Should we then say it doesn’t even if people are turning to God through the ministration of women? There was not another man who called and thanked me for what God did in his life through me and said he would be coming to do thanksgiving. Even my father would called me and testified to what God was doing in his life and would also blessed God for my anointing which he would say God had been using to bless men. Why then would somebody come and say Paul said women should not be active in cleric work. Paul himself said heard from God with regard to his ministry. This thing is a personal thing and I also heard from God about my spiritual activities. If I’m given anointing, will I allow it to waste because of the sentiment of another man? No! God gave it to me and I’m using it. What of women that God is using mightily? Although some of them have their weaknesses just their men folk. But if God decides to use me, who am I to decide otherwise.
What do you make out of the proliferation of churches and with it the ever increasing rate of evils in the society? Will you say the church is of any relevance in advancing the cause of salvation Jesus Christ died for?
First, we must all know that this is end-time the Bible spoke about. And another issue about it is the kind of people starting churches, who I usually refer to as unrepaired repairer. Many of them are not even born-again, but because they were born into it, they went to Bible school etc they feel they are qualified to run churches. Some of them have not even tasted the real power of God. Unlike me, I know the rules, I’ve tasted the real, original power God and no one came to me to preach all that to me because God himself revealed Himself to and how I should go about the mission and the signs and wonders keep pouring to me. And if you come to me and present anything contrary to that, then we cannot be friends. I used to tell them that when they come to me that we can be friends but don’t bring any contrary to the table. If you do, we will quarrel. There are some many of them with operating under compromised standards. Many of them do sleep with their choristers and even members of their congregation. How will people like that give their lives to Christ? When I tell them that as vessel of God you should truly be born-again, be holy, experience genuine salvation, sanctification and keep your body, they look at and think in their mind that what’s this woman saying. And there’s nothing you can do about that and that’s why I said it’s a personal thing. Immorality will continue to increase day by day because it’s written in the Bible. It’s the fulfillment of the scripture and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The only thing one can do is to be careful about the kind of church one goes and the person that lays hand on you. God assures true believers that He would give them a shepherd after His own heart. God can give and lead you to a pastor after His own heart; a person that will mentor, mould and make you be like Jesus. But many go to church without taking this into consideration.
There are billions of people across the world that belong to other faiths than Christianity, but the Bible says no one can make heaven without believing in Christ. Does that then mean all the people of other faiths are going to hell?
Let go by what the Bible says: that whosoever call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You must confess. The Muslims too believe they are going to heaven and I’ve met a few of them that their lives are truly challenging. The live to the standard of their own scripture and what they say. A Muslim woman once told us that if two people are in conflict and they keep malice because of it, she said when they get to heaven the malice would have caused their bellies to be protruded to make God know they’re keeping malice. I also once lived in area and I got to know a particular Muslim woman who in dressing, attitude and interaction with people was very decent and polite. So are many other Muslims who are of good moral and religious commitment and fear of God. They cover well their bodies, very committed in act of worship to God and so on, whereas you see some Christians who are neither ashamed in manner of dressing, exposing their bodies and even dressing to church indecently. So, who am I to say this one is going to heaven and this one to hell. Just let me leave the way it is, when we get to heaven we will understand by and by.
What is your advice to people in this chaotic world if they care to live well and make heaven?
My first advice is for you to know God first. Honestly when you have encounter with God there are things you will not do. I used to tell people that it’s too late for me and will be an act of betrayal to do things contrary to the will of God, because the Lord has been too good to me. The Bible is my standard of living even though many Christians neither read nor study it these days. And for me to do anything contrary to what God is saying means I’m ungrateful. And how dare me to be ungrateful to that Man that has been grateful to me. I don’t even wait for anyone to teach me how righteously to relate with my God. The Bible says the prayer of a sinner is an abomination in the sight of GOD. If you want God to answer your prayer you need to be obedient to Him. Like me, honestly all I know is Bible, prayers, I don’t know how to cut corners, I don’t give bribe, I don’t know how to bend things. I don’t even belong there. When people have the kind of understanding I have, they will live a righteous life. A pastor will not be involved in unholy things and be hiding under grace. What grace are we talking about? Do we continue in sin for grace to abide, God forbid! Even let’s look at it this way: after everything and we die and there’s no heaven, I have nothing to lose anything because I refused to live a wayward life, I didn’t date a married man, I didn’t dupe anybody, I have peace, I don’t club, I don’t drink and I’m living happily all around me. And so if there is no heaven, I have lived a kind of heaven on earth, and there’s heaven it’s a plus for me. The Bible says whosoever commits fornication or adultery sins to his own body. Whatever the Bible teaches is for our own good. If you disobey and start carrying women here and there, when you start treating gonorrhea or AIDS who suffers the pain and the shame? God will not be there, when you’re dying because of disobedience, God will not be there to suffer it with you. But if you follow the laws of God and obey them you’re sure to live a beautiful life and also make heaven.
