Encomium
For both flocks of the Evangelical Church of Yaweh and INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Sunday, April 10, 2016 was remarkable as founders of the two missions met for the first time.
The meeting of Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele of INRI and the elderly Primate Theophilus Olabayo was significant given that both are prophets renowned for great and controversial prophecies. Yet in his over thirty years as a Christian and delivering missions to mankind, Ayodele said he never met Primate Olabayo in whose frank prophecies he had special interest as a teenager.
“I started leading the church at age 16. I want to confess that a few years after that time; I started hearing about baba (Olabayo) and began taking interest in his prophecies because whatever he said God said; that was what would happen. I have a lot of respect for baba,” Ayodele noted during a special joint service held between the two churches at Olabayo’s Mende, Lagos based church.
According to Primate Ayodele, his surprise visit to Yahweh church was informed by his unavoidable absence at Primate Olabayo’s 70th birthday earlier this year where other top pastors including him were duly invited.
“I was invited, and I saw that as an honour and rare privilege. But I traveled out of the country. If it was possible for me, I could have flown in to honour baba and fly back the next day.”
The importance of the meeting was that both Ayodele’s and Olabayo’s ministries are noted for prophecies, charity and healing miracles.
Addressing the joint worshippers during the occasion, the septuagenarian Olabayo who was visibly excited receiving Ayodele to his church said: “You cannot fully grasp how privileged and happy we are to receive Primate Ayodele as our guest today. We have been hearing of each other for a long time. Though he is younger, he has been doing well as minister of God. We are on the same path. His visit means that God’s glory and grace is being visited on us as Christian leaders because we are ready than we ever are to work together to save mankind.”
Also of note at the august gathering was Primate Olabayo blessing Ayodele “as a great prophet worthy of taking over from people like us.”
In a recent newspaper interview to commemorate his 70th birthday, Primate Olabayo had said, when asked if any of his children was being groomed to succeed him, that; “No. I have children that are doing God’s work. But they are not in charge of my church and they are not going to take over. God did not tell me that.”
Prayers were then offered by both men of God with a note that such kind of unity of purpose is expected among prophets of God and the Church.
Meanwhile, Primate Ayodele has warned that more crises await the Nigeria Football Federation if its leaders do not close ranks in time. Ayodele who warned in his 2015 annual divine prophecies that the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick would face challenges and that he did not foresee the Super Eagles qualifying for the Nation’s Cup, is giving a fresh warning on the crisis. According to him, “Amaju should not sleep with his two eyes closed, because Giwa Amu who is contesting with him is a strong man and is likely to spring surprises, unless Amaju prays and seeks God’s intervention.”
Ayodele is the prophet who warned former Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, of his impending sack. He also predicted other events including the Brussels terror attack, the death of Dr. Tunji Braithwaite and petrol selling at N200 per litre.
- TADE ASIFAT
