My Dear Pastors, My Church Is Not Bigger Than Yours

My Dear Pastors,
It is very important I write you this open letter.
It is about the report I read in the newspapers in Nigeria over the last miracle crusade of Pastor Benny Hinn in Nigeria.
Before I continue, please read the following report from the Daily Sun of Nigeria.
$4 million crusade: How Benny Hinn embarrassed me – Pastor Adeboye
By FEMI BABAFEMI
Monday, May 23, 2005
First it was controversy over accountability. American evangelist, Benny Hinn said the $4million dollars he spent on the national healing crusade held in Nigeria was money gone down the drain.

But chairman of the committee that handled the programme, Bishop Olarenwaju Obembe said $1million and not $4million was spent on the event.

Now another whiff of controversy has come. Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, whose campground was used for the crusade, says Benny Hinn both ridiculed and embarrassed him.

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The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye has revealed how he was embarrassed by the American evangelist, Dr Benny Hinn on the last day of the controversial national healing crusade held recently in Lagos.

Apparently concerned about the controversy, which has been trailing the crusade, Pastor Adeboye told a large congregation of Pastors and ministers in his church at a special meeting that he gave out the expansive Redemption Campground to the organisers of the crusade free of charge.

“Let me tell all of you that I never collected a naira or dollar from anybody. I don’t know anything about four million dollars, every of our facilities used was given out free,” Pastor Adeboye told the pastors while addressing them at the church’s campground along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where the controversial crusade also took place about four weeks ago.

Dr. Hinn had sparked controversy on the last day of the crusade when he openly expressed regret that the money he pumped into the project could have been put into better use. “Four million dollars down the drain!”, he reportedly shouted during the crusade.

Besides denying knowledge of how much was given and who got what, the highly revered General Overseer also narrated how he felt embarrassed by the way the American preacher treated him during the three-day programme.

While urging the church officials to imbibe the spirit of humility exhibited by Jesus Christ in his lifetime, Pastor Adeboye explained how he and his wife, Pastor Foluke, attended the three day crusade without being given any courtesy or even the honour of addressing the congregation as their host.
As if that was not enough humiliation, the General Overseer said on the last day of the crusade, Dr. Hinn addressed him publicly in a manner, which fell short of simple courtesy.

According to him, the American evangelist called him out to the stage and said;” I don’t know your name, but they say your name is Bro. Enoch, come let me pray for you.”
In spite of the open humiliation, Pastor Adeboye said he took that in good faith, adding that his consolation was that no pastor of his church would have treated a good host who provided a number of facilities for a crusade the way he was treated.

He admonished them that they should learn how to appreciate every little favour granted them by fellow men of God or others because God Himself cherished appreciation.

He urged them to take the message to their various congregations that he never collected or saw a dollar out of Dr. Hinn’s alleged four million dollars, which has become a subject of controversy.

Benny Hinn
Photo: Sun News Publishing
National Index

The calling of God is not a competition among Christians to determine who will impress God more. So, all these pursuits of Guinness Book of World Records for the largest miracle crusade or the largest congregation is not our mission on earth. Jesus Christ has told us to humble ourselves like little children and not be bothered about who is greater in the Kingdom of God. Therefore, please for our common good, stop all these "My Church Is Bigger Than Yours" competitions. And stop counting numbers and figures of the offerings. What matters most is not how many people fill up the pews, but how many are broken hearted to submit and surrender their lives to God. And God is more concerned about saving those who are perishing and wasting away in the world than in your stained glass decorations in man made temples. As my beloved mother of blessed memory taught me a good lesson that the Holy Spirit does not live in the house built with hands, but in clean, pure and true hearts and souls of those who believe in God and love their fellow humanbeings as they love themselves.

God told us to love our one another and not to compete against one another.
So, let us stop all these "My Church Is Bigger Than Yours" competitions.

Lest I forget, once in a while do oblige to visit BoggyWoggy to know all about the weird things going on in the affairs of humans. I will not deny my own temptations and my daily erections. Because, God said that whosoever covereth his transgressions shall not prosper. And since I want God to prosper me more and more, therefore I will continue to confess my sins and tell the truth for others to know that no human is above sin.

God bless you always.

Yours faithfully in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Orikinla Osinachi.