Quintessential Pastor Wole Akanmu is an outstanding and prominent man of God. His demonstration of the power of God has enthralled a lot of Christians, astonishingly. Pastor Akanmu was born into a Muslim polygamous family of twelve before an encountered with God transformed him into a Holy Ghost filled Christian.
In this interview with DAVE AGWAZIM, the General Overseer of Vine Habitation Ministry (Solution Place) bares his mind on issues bordering on tithing, his celebrated career in RCCG, commercialization of the gospel and much more. Enjoy the excerpts…
You have an almost peculiar Christian identity, having been born into a Muslim family and now transformed into a devout Holy Spirit-filled Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, what was the turning point?
To the Glory of God, the turning point for me is an encounter with the Holy Spirit, right in a revelation where He showed me an altar and I heard Him say to me Its there. So after that encounter which appeared almost physical, days later, I was on my way from a social outing, Lo and behold I saw and could recognize that same altar I encountered in my revelation and it came to my consciousness immediately that this is the place I have to be.
I was a devoted Muslim before that encounter, surrounded by Muslims both at home, work and my social space, I schooled at Ansa-udeen College, Isolo, have been to Saudi Arabia for studies to be one of the best Imams you can have, likewise my wife, Kudirat. I was born Ismaila, but when the encounter came, it couldnt have been rejected because it was as clear like what Apostle Paul had in the book of Acts 9:4, that was the turning point in my life.
Though it came with huge challenges, especially in my family because my dad really loved me and it broke his heart that I left Island for Christianity. Nobody believed I would change from the family religious norm. It became a noise and source of concern in the family as I was vehemently opposed with my choice to transform into a devoted Christian. That was the toughest period of my life, especially when I was about getting married in 1997.
Of course I and my wife started the journey into our relationship while we were still Muslims, now that Im a Christian, my dad opposed my wedding in strong terms and insisted he wont be at my wedding if I go ahead with my plans unless it have to take place in the Mosque. So it became a huge concern.
Realizing that the Bible enjoins us to obey our parents, I had to pray for wisdom from the Lord on how to navigate around it, eventually I came up with the idea of not having my wedding inside the church but in an event hall for my Engagement. Even at that, my father insisted that his people, the Imams must come and pray and I said why not.
So, the Imams came and prayed for us at the Engagement Ceremony, instructively my in-laws are Muslims too so it was easy for them to have their way with my father. The Imams prayed and my Pastors also prayed, that was how we had a peaceful engagement and thereafter retired to the church for necessary Christian blessings. I thank God for that wisdom from Him, because there was no how I would do away with my parents because I gave my life to Christ.
By my humility I knew they would come to the light of Christ some day and eventually my father gave his life to Christ before he breathed his last. I prayed for him with one of the elders in the church two weeks before his death. There were no messages of Daddy Enoch Adeboye my father did not listen to in his lifetime. Every Sunday morning he would glue to his television set to watch Daddy G.O preach. He would beckon on me to come and see my Pastor whenever I’m around.
Having transitioned from Islam to Christianity, at what point did you hear the call for Pastoral duties, can you share what the encounter was like?
The truth is that immediately I gave my life to Christ, I allowed Him to have His way in my life. I stopped every negative and seemingly sinful life I lived prior to surrendering to God, especially the sharp practices at workplace, I said no, I can’t do certain stuffs again and that became another battle on its own amongst my colleagues.
I immediately joined the workforce in The Redeemed Christian Church of God. I went for baptism, afterwards to Bible College, it was then that everything around became about God. You can’t find me doing anything outside God. I totally dedicated to the life of prayers.
In 1997, my Pastor, Pastor Femi Oyebode said to me in one of our prayer meetings that I am a prayer warrior, I should lead them in prayer for five minutes and when I started he extended it to 20 minutes. After that day, everything in me changed and I began to manifest great signs and wonders through the unction of the Holy Spirit. From thence, I got a calling that the Hour has come, I had to let my job go, because my job began to suffer due to my time demand in Ministry.
In 1998, I told my wife that I want to focus in Ministry that the calling has started to the Glory of God. Though at first it didn’t make meaning to her but we prayed along and eventually she yielded. So I became fully established as a Minister in RCCG.
You had a very eventful Ministerial career while at RCCG traversing through different parishes around Nigeria and outside the shores of the country. At what point did you decide to leave RCCG for your own Ministry and why?
It was an instruction from the Almighty God. I was at the National Headquarters, Ebutte Meta with the Prayer Team, from there I moved to RCCG, Salvation Centre, Adekunle Fajuyi; from there I was moved to Oduduwa Crescent and from there I was moved to Oshodi-Oke to start Revelation Assembly with my Pastor, Pastor Dapo Olanimoye, from there back to Restoration Parish in GRA; from there I was again moved to Good News Parish, Oke-Ira, Ogba.
We started Good News Parish in 2002/2003 with just about five of us. While serving there, I was moved back to Revelation Assembly and from there to Higher Ground Parish and later to Resurrection Assembly, GRA (Police College) to be precise, a fantastic church.
Higher Ground Parish was the turning point of my ministerial assignment, that was where a weekly Thursday program that I initiated Solution Hour got exploded to the glory of God. It was also from there that I traveled to Malaysia for a program. While at Malaysia, I met with the governor of Malacca State in the country, I was invited by the Governor for a prayer meeting and God used me mightily.
Afterwards, I was transferred to Dominion Sanctuary, Lagos Province 14, Ologunfe, Igando; from Dominion Sanctuary I was assigned to go and start Overflowing Mega Sanctuary, Ogba.
By God’s special grace I pastored several churches outside the country, South Africa, Kenya, London, Germany where I started RCCG Overflowing Miracle Parish in Lingam about six years ago, a church that’s doing absolutely well as we speak.
I took you through my postings to see how much I’ve been of service since I gave my life to God, but five years ago, the message came to me directly that now is the time and I responded, which time, time for what? I was coming from an RCCG program when God said it was time for me to go and I just shared it with my wife and she prayed along with me about it; and that was the turning point that led to the establishment of Vine Habitation Ministry (VHM).
What is your relationship with your former church, RCCG since the establishment of VHM?
Fantastic relationship, I was prayed for by Daddy Adeboye, Mummy G.O also prayed for us, not forgetting prayers from my immediate pastor. They sent us prayers from time to time. The relationship has been cordial, we go to the Conventions and God have led it to us that RCCG is our mother church and that is where the Church (VHM) pays her tithe to. All our fathers in faith in RCCG have continued to maintain that same relationship with us. They come from time to time to minister to the church.
The Abuja Regional pastor, Pastor Jide Akinade was with us recently. To us, that’s what practical Christianity should be. We’re striving towards same goal, leading the children of God to salvation through ministration of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Vine Habitation Ministry at Five, what are the challenges so far?Challenges? I would say that God takes over the challenges. Maybe when we were looking for startup space for the ministry, funding more importantly but then God miraculously made it happen almost effortlessly. The first day we came here (referring to the church hall), it was an abandoned studio, so everywhere looked almost dilapidated and unattractive, my team said No! No!!, but I stood there and saw a very tiny light at the extreme corner, and I remembered that the Spirit of God ministered to me in 1 Kings 18:43-44, when Elijah was praying and he said to his disciple to go and check if theres any cloud and he responded that there is something like the hand of a man and Elijah retorted, that is it, and I asked, God what are you saying? and He said, this is the place, and the rest as they say is history.
I came in here with a book by David Oyedepo titled Exploit by Faith. There was no money, one scripture struck me there in Hebrew 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions I said wow. There was no money but by faith I told the Caretaker to give us two weeks to make payment, surprisingly, that very day I got a call from someone and then another call came and that was how miraculously help came to make the first down payment of N4.4m in that same week. The astonished Caretaker was forced to ask but you said you dont have money yet. That was how we started, now look at what that abandoned property is transformed into through provisions made available by God.
Would you say you are fulfilled as a Pastor, haven tested the other side of life in the past where you enjoyed your social freedom?
Glory be to God, I would say that I was suffering before I got born again. Do you know that what you thought you’re deriving joy from might be killing you, but when I came to the light of Christ, the joy of the Lord became my strength and to the glory of God, I am extremely fulfilled. I’ve never for once have any reason to regret, the initial challenges were but training phase. I’m just enjoying God, I’m just basking in the euphoria of His presence at all times.
David said, I would rather be a gatekeeper in the Lord’s Sanctuary than being a king in the world. Seeing lives and destinies transformed gives me unimaginable pleasure and satisfaction in Christ.
Five years after, what is the growth and success rating of Vine Habitation Ministry in terms of Spiritual and numerical strength?
I thank God for what He has been doing in His Church and in the lives of His people. You know there is nothing that gives greater joy than when you see lives that were wasting away being restored, its more than money or any form of mundane acquisitions. We have seen barren women conceive and delivered of their babies; the jobless youths and adults getting miraculous jobs, people under satanic manipulations, strangulations and oppressions being liberated. What more can you ask of?
The first wedding that took place in this Ministry was all the way from Germany. The couple traveled down from Germany to hold their wedding here, it shows that there is something God is doing here. So I will say the high point of this Ministry is God’s mysterious help in transforming lives. It is joyous to imagine the exploits in ministry.
Away from VHM sir, over time now, the social media has been awash with the controversial disagreement between Pastor Able Damina and some select men of God over the doctrine of tithing, I’m sure you are already aware of this, can you share your thoughts on this?
Even from my Islamic background, we were trained with what they called Sadaqah. There are five pillars of Islam, besides offering prayers five times daily, there is Sadaqah which is more stronger and even beyond the tithing you are talking about.
The Bible says 10% of your income while some people are giving 90% without complaining. So when you talk about tithing, I dont want to dwell much on it because I’m of strong believe that the power of God will minister to His people, even as the devil is making frantic efforts to deceive some brethren and deny them of the blessings that accrues with obedience to tithing.
When you obey the word of God you will experience tremendous transformation and blessings. Look at our Daddies in the Lord, the likes of Adeboye and Oyedepo, etc, take a cursory observation of their unquantifiable exploits through their obedience to the word of God. It is beyond Theology. The word of God is not negotiable, the Bible says, Bring ye all the tithe to my storehouse. He says Silver is Mine, Gold is Mine; tithing should not be negotiated by believers.
Who even told you that the church leverages on your tithe to operate, how much is the tithe we are even talking about? Is it the same tithing that transformed my own life when I prayed to God for an upward review of my tithing, the testimonies that accompanied that prayer answered I’m yet to recover from it till date. To answer your question, tithing is Biblical and I will implore every believer who has faith in it to make it a point of duty to pay their tithes in spite of their denominations.
Have you looked at the instructions on tithing in the book of Deuteronomy 16:20-24?
Both in Deuteronomy, Malachi and John, they are all talking about same thing, instructions and benefits of tithing. You don’t debate the word of God. Do you know people who are not Christians do more than tithing? God says Bring ye all the tithes into my storehouse, if you dont want to pay your tithe, you can hold unto it. He further says that I may rebuke devourers for your sake and open the windows of Heaven and pour unto you an abundance of blessings, you can’t beat that.
Elisha was ministering to the governor, and said to him, by this time tomorrow, there will be an abundance in Samaria and a man, like Abel Damina, that was with the governor doubted that, saying that even if God opens the heaven it cannot happen and Elisha said unto him that he would see it happen but will not partake of it, and so it happened. There are things you should never never negotiate, especially when it comes to spiritual matters.
However, when you go into ministry for merchandise purpose, to commercialize the gospel or to build on money and material acquisitions, then you are bound to fail. You might enjoy deceiving people for a while but definitely your doom is waiting for you at the front.
For instance, this church started with 7 days movement of praise and prayers, as we were praising God, people were trooping in to join in His worship. There was no tithe money somewhere that was used to build the church or coax members to join us, just a foundation built on holiness and ideal propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to the glory of God the church is standing firm today.
I could remember a brother that joined his friend to worship with us and after the service he came to me that God instructed him to paint the whole church. In obedience to instruction from God directly to him, he painted the entire church overnight, all-expense paid by him. That’s what only God can do, not by you manipulating people to give; it takes God to touch the heart of man to give. As I speak now, I can’t even recognize the brother if I see him.
Deuteronomy 28:1 says And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord why God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth. There is nothing you can compare to obedience to the word and instructions of God.
The Bible says that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. It depends on the kind of spirit that is in a man. We need to focus on the word of God as Christians. Human rules and Theology does not apply in Heaven, only holiness and spirituality.
What is your take on sales of Holy water and other articles of devotion?
Glory be to God, let me use my ordeal on my way to South Africa sometimes ago as a good illustration. I got to the airport and saw a gathering of people shouting and scrambling over something I couldn’t recognize until after my immigration checks that I got closer and to my dismay they were selling water and purported anointing oil with the picture of a particular man of God on it. The water was as being sprinkled on them by the same clergy.
When I got there I ordered them to excuse me to pass in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, as the man was advancing towards me, instantly as I shouted in the Mighty name of Jesus Christ, he fell under anointing. As the crowd dispersed, they started shouting hailing, Prophet, Prophet. That was the power of God at work. I told them that at the move of the Spirit of God, every knee bows.
It is possible for you to pray for somebody who believes and he receives healing, you can equally pray on water and it works by faith but certainly not for sale or commercial purposes. It is wrong in every sense of the word to commercialize the gospel in whole or any aspect. Jesus Christ never took money from anybody for healing them.
