Apostle David Tunji Tokede
is the presiding pastor of Churchill City Chapel International. In this
interview by OLAIDE SOKOYA, he speaks on his growing up and how he got
born-again at a tender age.
What was
growing up like?
My dad was a
primary school teacher and my mum was a petty trader. They gave me
quality education. In the course of that, I came in contact with the Lord Jesus
Christ at the age of 13. I gave my life to Jesus at the Deeper Life Bible
Church. I can say I had very good upbringing, morally and spiritually.
You gave
your life to Christ at a very tender age. What are some challenges you have
faced in the course of being in the ministry?
I can only
say I couldn’t join my peers as a teenager. I grew up to find out that such
lifestyle embraced all kinds of immoralities. However, even at such age, I had
to bear the cross. I concentrated on studying the word of God and this
distanced me from my peers who embraced such lifestyle and I was constantly the
subject of ridicule. However, I was able to discipline myself in spite of the
persecution.
How exactly
did you receive your calling?
I received
my calling directly from the Lord Jesus Christ as the same time I gave my life
to Jesus. I didn’t know who Jesus was then, but when a cleric, Pastor Kunle,
was preaching and talking about heaven and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ,
I answered the altar call because I wanted to be raptured. After that, the same
night I surrendered my life to the Lord Jesus Christ, I had this dream in which
I saw the Lord introduce Himself to me as His new friend. He said: ‘I am the
Lord Jesus Christ,’ and he showed me the cross to which He was nailed. He also
told me that his blood had cleansed me from all my sins. He said I would preach
the gospel and that I would work for him. That experience kept recurring in my
memory, until the manifestation of the prophecy and I became a servant of the
Lord. The Lord has been so faithful in his standing by me.
How would
you compare Christianity when you were growing up with what obtains in present
times?
Well, we
first believed it was sincerity; it was so sincere with the gospel and with the
Lord and we were eager to obey the word of God to the letter. We kept ourselves
from worldly things. However, in this time, things are different. The whole
thing has been adulterated. The present gospel was not the gospel we received
those days. People easily compromise now and are not so zealous and dedicated
to the things of the Lord. People find things for themselves and not the things
of the kingdom. When we first believed, we expected rapture to take place any
day, and so, we confessed our sins and asked God for forgiveness every day. We
also kept ourselves away from sins. But today, believers are not even afraid of
the second coming of the Lord even when we preach and remind them of the
coming. It is as if it will never happen and that is what the world is now.
And what do
you think caused that?
It is just
the word of God that is being fulfilled and even I wouldn’t say the word of God
per se. The devil knows judgment is at hand because judgment has been reserved
till the end. So, the devil himself does not want to go to hell alone. He wants
to drag as many humans to hell as possible.
What is your
take on Nigeria’s present economic situation?
I believe
the change that the present government is advocating will take time. From the
onset, the government has been trying to make change and I will say people
don’t respond positively to change anywhere. They prefer to stick to their old
ways. However, if this government had not introduced change into this economy,
Nigeria would have ceased to exist. This government is just trying to save the
country from collapsing. In a short time, there will be dramatic turnaround.
My advice to
the government is that they should try to understand much of what the masses are
going through because those who are at the top may not be able to access the
masses properly and effectively. There must be a forum whereby the government
would have the opportunity to listen to the masses because the people put them
there. The people should be their primary objective. Government should also
introduce workable policies that will tackle hunger and joblessness. If the
government wants to be sincere and appreciate the masses, they should work on
those two things.
You are
running seven Wednesdays on the prayer mountain of solution tagged “Financial
Flames Wednesday.” What prompted the theme of the programme?
The Lord
told me that this period of economic recession, He wants to intervene in the
situation of his people, especially the children of God. Nigeria is going to
experience divine visitation that will turn around and ease the financial
tension of His people. That is why the Lord gave me that message, “the
financial flame.” There will be a revolution in the financial status of the
people of God, beginning from the church, and it will affect the whole nation.
What has
been your greatest testimony in the ministry?
I thank God;
He has been so faithful since I have been in the ministry for 15 years. The
Lord has been confirming His word by signs and wonders with the power of the
Holy Ghost in action. God has delivered so many people; performed different
wonders and we also have many parishes in and outside Nigeria within the pace
of that period. The Lord actually confirmed to me that He,
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