In a recent interview with Punch , pastor Chris Okotie opened up about various controversies surrounding him.
Check out an excerpt from the interview below
You recently stirred up controversy when you said Catholics would go to hell. Why did you say that?
It is because the church perverts the gospel of Jesus Christ and that perversion is located in the leadership. Even as Pope Francis recently announced. However, there are many good Christians within the Catholic Church who are not aware of the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, that has substituted Mary for Jesus, in what is known as the hyperdulia of the Virgin Mary. Salvation for them is not through Jesus alone but in accordance with what Pope Francis recently announced to the world. That, in itself, is a direct violation of the sanctity of the scriptures.
You even described the Pope as “an anti-Christ and a friend of Satan” and that the Catholic Church is a counterfeit church set up by Satan. What made you say this?
The heresies in their doctrine and the recent announcement by Pope Francis corroborate this position.
You were credited to have said that tattooing and plastic surgery were not sins before God; can you explain this to the public because it’s still a controversial issue?
No, I didn’t say that. What I said is that even though it is our body and to an extent we have the liberty to do what we want with it, at the end of the day, everybody will stand before God to give account of how he/she used his/her body.
You seem to be a fashionable man. At a Red Carpet event recently, you showed off your designer outfits, naming Franck Muller and Lois Vuitton as some of the designers. But as a pastor, why are you interested in such things.
Pastors are human beings, right? We could be fashionable like everyone else. King Solomon, the servant of God was the most fashionable icon in his day.
With your love for luxury automobiles, what message are you sending to your church members? Do you think Nigerians would even want to vote for someone with ostentatious lifestyle?
Our faith is predicated on the finished work of the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is vindicated by his resurrection from the dead. And it is crystallised when we personally appropriate his blood through faith. My life is a trajectory of faith and commitment to divine servitude. It is proof that the veracity of scripture cannot be impeached, that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. That is why 27 years ago I had nothing, but through a progressive application of the word of God, I have appropriated soul prosperity and material blessings. That is why I was able to pay N33m for the Range Rover Autobiography 2014 Executive and just over N120m for the Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe 2014 bespoke edition; to mark the occasion of 30 years of being a Christian and 27 years of being the pastor of the Household of God Church. 30 years is symbolic because it is reminiscent of the baptism of the lord Jesus at the River Jordan at the age of 30. Prosperity is an integral part of the gospel. It is not an end in itself. It is the authentication and the validation of the acceptance of the Melchizedek priesthood of our lord Jesus Christ.
Let us assume that you go on to win the election, what is the guarantee that fortunes will not be spent to cater for your luxury lifestyle?
I think I have already made it abundantly clear that for me politics is a sacrifice. I do not stand to acquire any benefits from being in governance. All that I require, I already have. I am already prosperous and famous. That is why political governance is not attractive to me. But, I have subjected my will to the will of the Lord. I believe that the Nigerian dream is unattainable without people like me who are willing to make the necessary sacrifice. The credibility of our political future can only be corroborated by men and women who subscribe to the great inevitable; that is a paradigm shift, which the Chris Okotie philosophy epitomises. The people must come first. Our political mantra must be God first, and then, country. This is the philosophy upon which I have erected the citadel of my confidence.
People say you go out in a convoy of vehicles with bodyguards. There was also a picture on the internet which showed you on the pulpit surrounded by about five tough-looking guys. Why do you use bodyguards, are you afraid?
Yes, there have been threats. And you know the days are evil, so we need to be more circumspect. The Bible says wisdom is profitable to direct.
Some people wonder how you are able to cope in a church full of many women more so now that you are divorced, how do you cope? How do you avoid being distracted by these women?
It is by the grace of God. Let me say that I don’t get distracted at all.
We are asking this question because some pastors believe strongly that women are often used by the devil to make them fall. Some don’t even allow women to sit in front or counsel women alone. How do you cope and what is your take on such fears?
Inasmuch as the devil uses some women as vessels of distraction, it has also been established through the word of God and things we have observed that some women are also vessels of honour in the hands of God.
Some people still can’t understand why you divorced twice; they believe it is wrong for pastors to divorce. Why do you always divorce?
I have addressed this issue from the pulpit several times.
But why did you divorce someone you reportedly told your members God asked you to marry?
I don’t want to go into that again.
Are you still planning to remarry?
No.
What do you think about the controversy surrounding pastors with private jets?
When the unusual happens, like I said earlier, people will talk. When I first bought a v-boot Mercedes some years back, it caused a big controversy. It was so with my Hummer jeep. I think the jet issue is still a novelty; that’s why it is controversial.
Left to the ordinary person on the street, you are a pastor that always speaks ‘big grammar.’ Are you not bothered that the less-educated may not attend your church?
Not everyone can be attending our church regardless of their level of education. At the same time, not all of our members are highly educated. Also, you go to a church as you are directed by the spirit of God.
How do people in your church cope with the ‘big grammar,’ any feedback to know they always understand you?
They do. We have a ‘Question and Answer’ session which we hold during some services to enable people to ask follow-up questions on what I have taught, or seek clarification on general theological issues. Through this medium you could see that there is no communication gap.
Culled from Punch
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