By Sam Eyoboka & Olayinka Latona
GENERAL Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Enoch Adejare Adeboye, assisted by his wife and other senior pastors of the church, Tuesday ordained over 3,000 tested men and women into the office of assistant pastors to swell the number of ministers in the fastest growing Pentecostal Church.
The APC senator representing Lagos Central constituency and wife of former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was among the 3,406 tested and approved persons anointed on the second day of the ongoing annual convention of the church to assist the leadership in the onerous task of administering the church.
Senator Remi Tinubu, who was accompanied by her husband and the APC leader, was one of the over 100 senators elected in the 8th assembly in 2015; one of six women—-Stella Oduah, Uche Ekwunife, Fatimat Raji Rasaki, Rose Okoji Oko and Binta Garba.
The National Overseer of the Church, Pastor Joseph Obayemi presented the 3,406 candidates to the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye to be ordained to the office of assistant pastors in the church after due examination by relevant authorities.
After the presentation, the General Overseer explained that ordination into the office of assistant pastors of RCCG is done with anointing with oil, laying of hands, proclamation and prayer, saying: “I use to do all of them together, but now with the Almighty God answering our prayers and has been increasing us on a daily basis, I have to delegate my assistants to do the anointing and laying of hands.
“If I were to lay hands on all of you, by the time I finish you may have to lay hands on me too. So, my assistants will come, anoint you with oil and as they are doing that their hands will be touching your heads. When they finish their own assignment, I will make the proclamation and prayer in Jesus name,” he stated.
The entire prayer ground of the Holy Ghost Arena was taken up by the new ministers as they filed out for the anointing which symbolizes the official stamp on them to operate in the office of assistant pastors in the mission which was led by Pastor (Mrs) Foluke Adeboye who turned 70 a few weeks ago.
The G.O. thereafter came on to make the proclamation thus: “We ordain you as assistant pastors in the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” and the large congregation of worshippers and well wishers chorused and a resonding, AMEN!
Prayer for new ordianees
And he prayed for the new ordainees, declaring: “The Holy Spirit will overshadow you, whatever you bind on earth, will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven; whatever you ask to come will come, whatever you ask to go, will go; you will not fall, you will not fail. God will use you for His glory…..”
In continuation of the ordination service, the newly ordained assistant pastors were enjoined to imbibe the basic fundamentals of a high flying eagle, which includes intimacy with Jesus Christ.
Addressing the 3,406 assistant pastors who yesterday assembled at the Old Auditorium of the Redemption Camp for their ordination service, the guest speaker, Rev. Joe Olaiya admonished the new recruits to be above board, declaring that “as Satan could not stop Jesus from rising from the dead, he will not stop you from having dominion.”
Speaking on a theme, ‘Possessing your possession’, the Kaduna-based man of God, averred that all those who have been born of God, have a possession waiting for them. Outlining several nuggets to possessing their possession, the man of God stressed that ignorance has been the bane of Christians who daily cry for possessions which are originally theirs.