By Vincent Funaro , Christian Post Reporter
August 10, 2015|12:48 pm
(Photo: Reuters/George Esiri)
Pastor
Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, speaks at his
church's headquarters in southwest Nigeria December 20, 2002. For a
nation where hope is in short supply, an event such as last week's Holy
Ghost Congress in Lagos make people believe that their lives and the
country can be miraculously turned around.
A
Nigerian pastor who is also the general overseer of the Redeemed
Christian Church of God compared himself to billionaire technology
entrepreneur Bill Gates while addressing conference-goers on Saturday.
Pastor
Enoch Adejare Adeboye spoke at the Church's 63rd annual convention in
Nigeria where he said, while discussing his spiritual endowment, that he
is in fact richer than one of the world's wealthiest men, according to a
report from Leadership Newspaper.
"I
have houses in at least 188 countries in the world, where we have our
churches, so I am richer than Bill Gates. Each time I visit these
countries, my children would be struggling and saying daddy, come and
stay with me," said Adeboye.
"If I announce here that
tomorrow morning, I need a car to travel to the new auditorium, how many
cars do you think would be made available to me by you my children?"
added Adeboye. "Those of you that do not have a car of your own, very
soon, God will give you your own cars. So, I am appealing to you to
become an incurable soul winner before you leave this convention ground
and your cup will overflow."
It seemed that Adeboye was referring to the benefits of being part of the family of God.
CP
blog contributor Olabode Ososai described Adeboye's life as a
fulfillment of Zechariah 4:10 which declares, "despise not the days of
small beginnings" in a post titled 'Who Is Pastor E.A. Adeboye' back in 2012.
The
pastor hails from a small town in Southwest Nigeria and has said
various times to his congregation that he never owned a pair of shoes
until he was 18 years old. He also holds several degrees, including a
doctorate degree in applied mathematics and a degree in hydrodynamics
from the University of Lagos in Nigeria.
Adeboye became
a Christian in 1973 and was ordained as a pastor in the RCCG in 1977.
He took over as general overseer for the organization in 1981. He has a
passion for eduction and has gone on to lead many from the upper echelon
of society into a relationship with Christ.
He also
pioneered the Holy Ghost services in the mid-1980s which featured
praise, worship, prayer, soul-winning, deliverance, testimonies and the
Word once a month. These special services, now held in a remote forest
area in Lagos purchased specifically for the events, have been held
consistently for over 20 years.
Adeboye has also
received various national merit awards for his humanitarian efforts and
was even listed as one of the 50 most influential people in the world in
the 2009 Newsweek elite edition.
More recently,
Adeboye said he admired the faithfulness of Christians who are being
persecuted in Northern Nigeria by radical terror groups such as Boko
Haram.
"You are not a tested Christian until you have lived in the North of Nigeria," tweeted Adeboye in May of this year.
Contact: Vincent.funaro@christianpost.com; follow me on Twitter @vinfunaro
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