The General Overseer of Bible Life Church Worldwide, Bishop (Prof.) Leonard Umunna, discusses life at 70, the church, and the state of the nation in an interview with SEYI SOKOYA.
THE church continues to face challenges, both locally and internationally. What do you think is the solution?
These are the same challenges that the apostles faced, and they are similar to what the Old Testament prophets endured. There are no new problems, only different people facing the same issues. Without God’s protection, I could have been killed in Pakistan. Despite warnings not to go, I went because God told me to. So, there is nothing truly new; it’s just that different people are experiencing similar trials. Should we consider the signs of the end times as a means for clergy to attack each other?
I cannot attack another pastor because scripture instructs that if someone falls, it is to their own master. We are not to pass judgment on another person’s servant. This does not bode well for anyone, as nobody is superior. If you were to go through what he has experienced, you might not even make it through.”
What inspired your new book, “Divine Wealth and Success: Unlocking the Abundance Within”?
The book is based on the belief that we are living in a time when the fulfillment of the gospel, specifically in terms of wealth transfer, is coming to pass. In the Bible, there are seven instances of wealth transfer. The first example is through Abraham, followed by the prosperity of Isaac. There’s also the wealth transfer to Jacob from Laban, and then the transfer from Joseph to Jesus, and ultimately to the church. These instances provide a spiritual foundation for the book, and I believe that encountering it will be spiritually enriching.
It’s no secret that Nigeria is currently facing some challenges. As a religious leader, what do you think is the way forward?
Nigeria is like a plane that took off and crash-landed. Up to this day, they have not been able to get it off the ground. They knew where it was bought from. Perhaps they did not use the right pilots, couldn’t choose the correct paths, and didn’t have enough money to buy a new one. No one can solve Nigeria’s problems except through God’s intervention.
Do you believe that Nigeria will continue as one nation, or do you think it will break up?
At a certain point, even if it breaks, the part that breaks away would be worse than Nigeria. There is nowhere you will take your kind of leadership that will not be corrupted; it will only get worse. Please, tell me the part of Nigeria that cankerworm has not eaten into.”
You recently turned 70, how do you feel?
I am stepping into a new level, with new challenges, and walking by faith. You cannot embark on a journey you don’t know without a good guide. This is my joy: He has been guiding me since October 6, 1963, when I received Him. There is no way I can describe how it feels except that He has been with me in some of my most difficult experiences. But the joy is that God made a covenant with me that I will not experience defeat and that I must not put my hand into what can break His heart. People have their testimonies, but mine is different. I have never failed in any area of my life.
I am grateful to God for the salvation of my soul and for a life of separation that does not entangle me with the things of this world. God has kept me on a narrow path. I just want to follow the Lord in everything.
I feel fulfilled in parts but yet to be fully fulfilled. People are insatiable in their desires, but the spiritual man is beholding his glory and is being transformed from glory to glory. When you achieve one level of glory, God will reveal another level of glory.
If you are not thirsting and seeking His face to get it, you will think that’s the highest, and once you look back, you are out of the race. Once you feel satisfied you can’t go further. You cannot be a strong man again. Now I am preparing like Caleb and his brother, saying give me this mountain, because there must be a land to take. Every year, every day is all perfect blessings, and we learn.
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