It is against the scripture to ask GOs to retire —Prophet Ajilore

The presiding pastor of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Atamatase and the president of Living Proof Crusaders International Worldwide, Prophet Isaac Ajilore, in this interview with SEYI SOKOYA, speaks on his sojourn into God’s vineyard.

What has God told you about Nigeria for 2017?

God revealed to me what to expect in 2017 last year, on December 18 to be precise. He said this year is our year of divine solution, just as He revealed to me that the previous year was going to be a year of Isaac, that is, a year of famine. But He established that 2017 will be a year of divine solution and I am confident that things will work well if the nation can seek the face of God. He revealed to me that Christianity in Nigeria will encounter a series of surprises and this revealed itself with the recent happenings of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), and its General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye. It is not only an embarrassment to the cleric, but to Christianity in Nigeria. I have never heard it in my entire life and even in the Bible that GOs retire in the vineyard, except Elijah that said he had failed and God told him to appoint Elisha, and even until he left, Elisha didn’t function. It is not biblical to ask GOs to retire; it is an embarrassment. I won’t be surprised if the church still experiences unforeseen things before the year runs out.

Don’t you think this development will open the eye of the church as a body to address the issue of succession?

This depends on God’s direction. It is possible to have a successor; this is only when it has God’s backing. Personally, I cannot pick anybody as my successor, except God appoints. I think the better way to go about it is to have a disciple and if God likes, the true leader that will take over might surface among the disciples. The disciples in the Bible, even asked Jesus Christ who would be the leader and Jesus replied that ‘it is the person that is ready to serve,’ and Peter and Apostle Paul came up afterwards. People may be interested in occupying such positions,  but may not be the chosen ones, because it is only God that appoints successors.

What do you think can save Christians from the many challenges facing them?

The only solution is fervent prayer and if we don’t take this seriously, Christianity will soon die in Nigeria. If necessary steps are not taken, Christians will no longer have a say in Nigeria. God revealed to me recently that Christians will experience more oppression and threats. To my best of understanding, fervent prayer is the only solution to these problems. We must come together as a body to collectively pray and fight for our right. We must also show love and unity among ourselves. This is what will not give the devil a vacuum to penetrate in our affairs. The door is always for people, including government officials, who are not even Christians, to seek the face of God, but it is sad that these are the set of people that are troubling the church with decrees and formulations that are uncalled for. Leaders of churches are not civil servants who can  be given ultimatum of 20 years of service or 70 years as age limit. Did they appoint the church leaders into the ministry? Are they under their pay role? Are they the owner of the churches? In fact, I classified those that are behind this development as the anti-Christ; those that are against the spread of the gospel of Christ are behind all this and we must all, as Christians, fight against it. Moses was 120 year old when he handed Israelites to Joshua. It is not even realistic to retire in the service of God, because I wonder which service one will continue with. This development is ungodly and I am confident that God is not on their side.

How did you receive your calling and what was the sign that gave you the conviction?

I grew up as a prophet. My story is not different from that of Samuel, who could not differentiate the voice of God from that of man. I grew up receiving revelations about my calling. I prophesied into peoples lives and it came to pass even as a young boy, despite being an Anglican. I later discovered that gift when I was taken to the late Apostle Oluwole Obadare, who is also known as Baba teacher. He was the one that confirmed my gift as a true prophet and cautioned my parents not to see me as a mysterious person. He prayed for me on that fateful day. People started calling me prophet right from my secondary school days. I later went to three Bible schools. I later had an encounter with Baba Babajide of the CAC during my tutelage, who confirmed to me that God had directed me under this doctrine, but I was not convinced enough. However, I ensured I contribute my quota to the work of God wherever I found myself. Afterwards, various clerics on different occasions confirmed that I had a divine call. Above all, I never envisaged that I would dump my job as a print engineer and consultant for the work of God. It was a terrible experience leaving the job that made my life comfortable. But thank God I followed the divine calling. My ministry is peculiar, in the sense that it comprises various denominations under Christianity. My greatest joy is that God has been manifesting Himself through His divine works in the lives of people that come across me. Also, the church has grown in leaps and bounds since it started.

What shape will your upcoming event take?

It is a programme ordained by God. He instructed me to gather people on the anniversary day for a great sign, which was held on February 10, and the other event will hold on March 10 with the theme, God of Our Fathers. The prayer and deliverance programme was held on Friday, while the ceremonial event, which will be graced by great men of God, gospel singers and dignitaries from all works of life, will come up on March 10.