By Akinwale Kasali
The umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has expressed its embarrassment over the outrage
that has trailed alleged false testimonies by members of Pastor Lazarus Mouka-led Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministry.
The viral video of the Lagos Church has prompted the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, to address the issue and call for an emergency meeting.
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Lagos chapter, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, expressed shock that the Church allowed the testimony, which he described as a fabrication.
He said God would not work supernatural miracles that way, adding that there were no shortcuts to academic success other than hard work and belief in God.
In a viral video, a member of the Church gave a testimony, claiming she received divine assistance during a Federal Government examination and shared her answers with another candidate.
During the testimony, the unnamed member claimed an old man in white apparels appeared to her in the examination hall and gave her answers to some questions.
The woman said the exercise was one of the promotional examinations of the military (Army, Navy, and Air Force) and that there were about 50 questions, of which 40 bordered on career and 10 related to current affairs.
“We all had written our career questions. It then came to these very 10 questions, which asked, ‘Mention 10 Francophone countries and their capitals.’
“Brethren, nobody knew this question. So, all I did was to raise the question paper and declare to it: ‘I am a Chosen! I am a chosen!! I am a chosen!!! This question, who are you? Where is the God of my pastor power?’
“Then, suddenly, an old man appeared by my right-hand side in white apparel. He told me, ‘My daughter, begin to write.’ And I began to write,” she recounted.
She claimed that some of the invigilators, who suspected something was amiss, pulled off her apron, which made “the angel” disappear.
The action, she added, made her angry.
“But when they returned the apron and I wore it back, the old man appeared again and began to tell the rest of the answers. I completed 10 good questions. I wrote them correctly and accurately. To me, it was like a dream.
“Brethren, when I finished writing my questions, a sister who sat by my side was a Mountain of Fire member because of the logo on her clothing. As I took up the answer sheet and was cross-checking my write-up, I signaled to the woman, saying, ‘Sister, do anything you can do humanly possible.
“Any moment from now, I am going to submit my questions.’ While I was cross-checking, the sister quietly copied. And immediately she finished, brethren, I stood up and submitted my questions. Everybody in the hall was looking at me. That was how only two of us out of 102 were able to do this,” she added.
The Church then erupted in celebration as she ended her testimony.
In another testimony, a member of the church narrated how a lion miraculously saved him from kidnappers. In another video, another testifier recounted how bullets did not penetrate his head
This is just one of several testimonies by members of the Church that has gone viral, which seems to be concocted lies.
The unimaginable testimonies from the Church has led to different Skits and Comedies trending on Social Media mimicking the testifies, and making mockery of the mantra of the Church, ‘I am a Chosen”.
Speaking further on the alleged Fabricated Testimonies, the Lagos CAN Chairman said the Christian body would be meeting next Friday to address the controversies raised by the woman’s testimony and several other “unacceptable comments made by Pentecostal pastors on social media.”
The Church through its Head of Public Relations and Media for the church, Pastor Chidi Louis, said the testimony videos were doctored to tarnish the image of the church because some of the incidents happened in the testifiers’ dreams.
He stressed that the church allowed members to share their testimonies the way they wanted without gagging them because it believed that such narrations should not be censored.
“There is no need for us to begin to doubt someone’s testimony. If anybody comes and says he wants to give a testimony, we give that person the opportunity; we don’t guide people on what to say or how to say it. They are free to say it as they like,” Louis stated, adding that the church was unperturbed by social media trolls.
