PASTOR ADRIAN

['Touch Not My Anointed And Do My Prophets No Harm']
(1chronicles 16:22)

As a pastor called to the purpose of God, I tend to tow the path of my calling. And yes, I am a real pastor if you were wondering, and that's the truth. Believe me or not, God called me. Yes, he did.

Well....I might sound unsure, but don't get it twisted, I know what I know. He spoke to me, not you!

Early in ministry, I kept getting these ridiculous questions. "How are you sure God called you?"
And I had been quick to fire back at them. " And how are you sure he didn't?"

And like the Red Sea, they were divided into factions, questioning and answering themselves. Over time, nobody bothered to ask me such stupid questions anymore.

I focused my eyes on the mirror in my bathroom smiling. "He called me not you!" I repeated to myself.

I'd said it so much in my church that nobody gave me the evil eye anymore. All the committee of eye-rollers, the Lord, in turn, gave them stiff eyes. And the nay-sayers? He converted them to yea Sayers.

Some members went the extra mile to designate themselves as my armored shield and tanker. But hey, that's okay. Who was I to refuse willing defenders?

And that brings me to the wisdom of Jesus. He was well aware of wolves amid multitudes that followed him, he even appointed twelve rugged guys to shield him from Agbero boys.

Oh believe me when the bible made mention of the devil's devices, Jesus knew this. He was well aware of the crowd that followed him. For in the midst of them, evil was bound to arise.

He was also not ignorant of wolves in sheep's clothing. He knew ahead of time, that finding men who were strong and willing, would help keep things organized.

And honestly, I have tried to follow in the footsteps of our Lord...Maybe, not all of His steps. And not all the time. But, this Scripture comforts me. 2nd Corinthians 12:9a.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

The church was originally started by my friend, Femi Ajiti. He passed it on to me during his battle with cancer. Ten years after he went into remission, the church had grown.

We had even moved to our mega-church campus situated in the heart of MLagos, adding more buildings to the already existing ones. Opened up the church to people of all nations and tribes.

The youth fellowship expanded, increasing the of influx young people from around the city and other states.

The church also created vocational programs for those who needed those skills to make a living.

We leaped from two hundred members to twenty thousand members not even counting our huge family of online members.

Also, the 'Home and Job Success' team designed a 'Help Zone' to assist the men to get jobs and manage their homes successfully.
The church also had planted more than fifteen branches within the country and six others outside the country.

My wife Brenda, helped build a network of strong and successful women creating and supporting businesses. They worked jointly helping each other.
It was in one of those meetings at a construction site of one of their members, that she had the accident that left her a paraplegic. A painful sacrifice that I was yet to come to terms with.

She never gave up, always opening her heart and our home to any who needed peace. The church doesn't borrow from anywhere because the seeds we sowed in people's lives were yielding fruits.

From family units to single units to multi-unit apartments, we made sure our members had a reason to keep coming back.
Our numerous programs in the communities kept people engaged in God and their future. Shelter and feeding ministry have fed far more than we could count.

"We are doing God's work, his blessings pouring in from the doors of heaven not just windows. Hallelujah!" I encouraged myself, ending the self-morale-boosting sermon I gave myself every morning.

And like the wind, Femi, my former pastor reappeared. He had recovered from his ailment and was back to take the church.
I fought like a beast. I came unto him like the old dragon razing down everything on his path. In my dictionary, only sowers could reap. I generated these harvests and I was going to reap it, all alone.

Cancer is a terrible thing to happen to anyone, and I outdid myself helping him. But at the same time, the bible teaches us to 'guide your heart with all diligence'. And this church is my heart.
Handing it over to another will be foolishness. He decided to sign the church over to me and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, but I would always hold on to it.

According to him, the Holy Spirit instructed him to hand the church over to me. I hesitated at first, informing him to give me time to pray about it.
For weeks, he pressured me and I repeatedly asked him if he was sure. At some point, he got mad at me for doubting his open communication with the Holy Spirit.
Then, I was just a junior pastor and his assistant. No one believed I had any level of spirituality.

I later signed the dotted line and the church became mine, While he focused on putting his house in order, concluding he would die from the disease.

Placing my tablet on the sink, I brushed my teeth as I listened to this YouTuber denigrating pastors. To make matters worse, he magnified it with unverified accusations, garnishing it with Insults and rebukes.
As the picture of detachment from reality oozed out of his mouth, I shook my head in disgust.

"Did these people forget we were men before we became men of God?" I asked the phone, as it stared back at me.

After I'd achieved a clean mouth, I made sure to get his profile name. They sure are expecting us to live in holes, pick food from the trash cans, and drive rickety cars.

"Haba! Some people should fear God o!"

After all these insults, lies, and half-truths, these people expect us to stay mute to their character assassinations.
Yes, I know what the bible says, You get slapped on one cheek, position the other cheek to get another resounding slap. Nah, I'm not doing that, definitely not me.

An account from the bible illustrated how Jesus sent those who went to arrest him the first time, sprawling on the floor. I believe he wanted to show his control over that situation and protect his disciples as well.
But you see, things have changed, I am making sure those who speak against me don't get away with it.
Anything that will derail or halt the fulfillment of my ministry would be nipped in the bud.

Today, one of these anti-pastor-shouting bigots made a video about me specifically. Raining insults as he had done to other pastors.
Sleeping dogs will not be lying down today. They would be biting back and deep.
I believe pastors have been bullied enough, both physically and spiritually. And look at me still trying to wiggle out if their bullying holds.

At the mention of spirituality, Unique came to my mind. All the deliverances that return to hurt us resurfaced in my thoughts.
These were all the spiritual issues we had to deal with. Then family, then the church, and then everything else.

But, If other pastors had decided to stay quiet, I sure would fight! This kingdom of God suffers violence and it's been commanded to grab it forcefully!

After trimming my beard, I sent a quick message to my PA, informing him to address the issue right away.
Over the years, many young men had worked for me as PAs, but Bolaji, a mean fighter was the most fowl-mouthed of them all. A spirit-filled muscle who's not afraid of a fight.

He could abuse for a living, yet he thunders in tongues more than anyone I knew.
The Lord knew that a betrayer was among his disciples, yet he placed Judas in charge of the finances. Jesus understood that everyone is useful at one point or another.

That's why Bolaji is still with me. He gets messy business done. And he's got a degree in one of those computer courses, so this job was perfect for him.

Again, my phone buzzed. Femi's name splashed across the screen. A loud hiss escaped my mouth. I swiftly ignored the call and jumped into the shower to take my bath.
Even after the court deemed me the rightful owner of the church, he hadn't stopped calling to ask for one thing or the other.
His numerous requests were beginning to get on my nerves.

I pushed Femi's thoughts to the back of my mind, relishing the warmth of the water on my body. Again, Unique's voice reached my thoughts. "Are you in search of the furnace?"

I temporarily went back to the last time I saw her. She was in a white pajamas and had a gash on her left wrist.
My eyes glanced back at Unique when she mentioned the 'furnace'. She returned my gaze with determination. For one full minute, we balled eyes together until her friend's voice snapped us out of our competition.

"All is well? Pastor?" I nodded and ran out of their apartment. Whatever sent me there sought my destruction.

I shook the water off my head as I wiped my body dry.

"Where could she have hidden it?" I thought as I tried using my spiritual antenna to find the location of one thing that could destroy or make me.

Forcing her out of my mind, I raced downstairs for breakfast.