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| Prophet S.K. Abiara |
Retired General
Evangelist of Christ Apostolic Church, Worldwide Prophet Samuel K. Abiara, speaks to PUNCH
NEWSPAPER about his love and ministry.
As one of the leaders
of the Christ Apostolic Church Worldwide, what kept you there for that long?
It is the decision of the church that when a leader attains
the age of 75, he will vacate the position for the younger ones. That is the
policy of the church and I love the system because it is unique. Above all, it
was the Lord that kept me for that long.
How did your service
in the ministry impact your life?
I thank God Almighty because I live my life according to the
teachings of the Bible. When you base your life on the word of God and follow
His instructions, He will help you to live right.
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What can you remember
about your time in office before retiring?
I thank God because my time in office was memorable and God
used me to win souls into His kingdom. Through the ministry, I was able to lead
people to Christ. I also thank God for the unity in the church because where
there is unity, things will work smoothly.
When did you decide
to obey the calling to preach the gospel?
I was called in 1963, and God has sustained me and performed
miracles through me. For the past 53 years, I have been under the care of God.
When I was working under a man of God, I was earning 150kobo. It was at that time that God told me that he
wanted me to leave and preach the gospel. I didn’t want to do that at first
because I had seen a lot of prophets going about with their bells and the sight
was not appealing to me. I had already registered my company but God told me
that He would give me anything I wanted in life, if I obeyed His instruction. I
am so grateful that He has never left me till this point.
Was your family in
support of you quitting your job to preach the gospel?
Did you attend any
theology school to learn the rudiments of preaching the gospel?
By the grace of God, I was sent to the Christ Apostolic
Church Seminary School, Lagos, by the church from 1980 to 1982. I was also
honoured by the St John University Bible International College in America.
Prior to that time, I had little education because I had no one to sponsor me.
Many people are even surprised that I can communicate properly in English
language. God told me not to worry about communicating because He is the one
that called me. I was visited by an angel of God who asked me to open my mouth,
and told me to go into the world and spread the gospel. By the grace of God, I
have held meetings with white people and important personalities all over the
world.
How do you feel about
the growth of the church?
I am grateful to God that CAC is all over the world and is
one of the leading Pentecostal churches. The church is moving on. Soon, we will
celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the church. Also, we have quality leaders
who have been able to bring growth into the kingdom.
As a religious
leader, what are your thoughts about the state of the country?
As far as I am concerned, the country is in God’s hands and
the future will be better. We will overcome all these challenges. There is
politics everywhere but in civilised countries, politics is not a do-or-die
affair like we have here. In those climes, they don’t buy the conscience of the
people. They leave the people to vote for whoever they want. However, there is
no need for panic or fear because God is in control. Nigeria will not collapse
because the people of God are praying fervently for the nation.
With all the killings
in the country, what advice do you have for the government on how to fix these
issues?
I thank God Almighty because the Bible does not put us in
darkness at all. The Bible is complete.
The Bible said in the last days, there will be terrible times. These are
terrible times all over the world. It was written in Matthew 24 that in the
last days, all sorts of things will happen. So, these happenings are not
peculiar to Nigeria. Even in Indonesia and other countries, we hear of terrible
things that are happening there. However, that does not mean that the
government shouldn’t try their best to ensure the release of the kidnapped
girls. If those girls were the daughters of high ranking government officials,
they will not treat the matter with levity. They should take the issue more
seriously than their ambition and campaign. I don’t judge them or blame them. I
just want them to reinforce the fight against impunity in the nation.
Do you think it is
right for a clergy to endorse a candidate of any political party?
I am not a politician, neither am I a member of any party,
but I am always in support of any government in power because that is what the
Bible says. The Bible says you should pray for your leaders. If anybody wants
to support a candidate, then the reasons are best known to the person. For me, I pray for all the political parties
and I support the government in power.
What kind of person
do you wish to rule the country?
I want God to choose his own person to rule. A person that
is after God’s own heart; that is the kind of ruler I want.
What can you tell us
about your wife, Grace?
I love her so much. God chose her for me and she is a very
wonderful person. She is very
intelligent and humble. She is also very knowledgeable about the Bible. She
just returned from America where she went to preach. They didn’t even want her
to come back to Nigeria but I told them to allow my ‘honey’ to come back. I
love her so much.
How did you know that
she was the one for you?
God revealed it to me that she is my wife because there were
so many women that wanted to marry me.
Where and when did
you meet her?
We met many years ago in London when her sister brought her
(to me) for prayers. After the prayer, I told her three things and one of them
was that she was going to marry a man of God. By then, my late wife was still
alive. Then, we went our separate ways. However, since we got married, she has
taken special care of me and she enjoys me as well.
How did you make your
intentions known to her?
It was through the Holy Spirit because it is not by her
beauty or the fact that she dresses in a certain way. It was the Spirit of God
and the authority of the word of God she carries that got me interested at
first.
Having advanced in
age, most people would have thought you would marry a younger woman that will
take care of you. What is your take on this?
I didn’t marry a younger woman because the shoes will be too
big for her to wear. I wanted a mature person who can listen and accommodate
people. I am well loved by people.
How do you relax?
Before I got married, I don’t think I did but since I got
married, my wife tells me when it’s time to rest and time to eat, and that why
it is very good to have a partner.