General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has by and by relayed the tale of his unassuming beginnings from rural Nigeria, and how a voice called him into chapel leadership from the surrounding bushes.
"I have always loved the bush because I was born in the bush; I went to school in the bush. Even when I was going to the university, it was in the bush because except for the University of Nigeria Nsukka, not many people knew of a place called Nsukka back then," he was cited as saying.
The 79-year-old adds that "when I left the university, I went to teach in a bush (a village in Ondo State); and years later in Lagos, I lived in a little house encompassed by bush."
“I heard a voice speaking to me and the Spirit of God made it so wonderfully different that I didn’t even ask who was speaking.
“My Father-in-the-Lord had traveled, and before he did, a service to send him off was held, at which we sang a song, ‘We will meet again’.
“That voice said that your father has travelled to Jerusalem, and you sang that you will see him again.”
"I confirmed: “Yes.”
"It continued: “What if he doesn’t come back?
“Ha, of course, he will come back!” I said hurriedly.
“‘Well, suppose he doesn’t come back; who will succeed him?’
“I said that there are some big pastors in the church, the people who had been with him since the beginning of the church. I even mentioned names.
“Any name I mentioned, the voice ruled out with reasons — some of them secrets never heard of.
“And after I had presented all the pastors I felt could take over the leadership of the church, the voice asked a scary question, ‘What about you?’
“I said: ‘How can it be me?’”
“I wasn’t even a pastor then – Just a worker.
“But the voice returned, ‘That was how David was picked in the bush.’
“At that point, I suddenly realised that the conversation was taking a dangerous turn, so I said: ‘What is my concern?’
“It was then that I became conscious of the fact that I was alone in the bush.
“Days later, My-father-in-the-Lord returned safely, and I was glad that the voice was wrong. But not long after his return, he came to where I was, pointed at me and said he wanted to see me in his office.
“When I went to see him, he said: ‘I will be ordaining you in two weeks’ time.
“Then, suddenly, I remembered that I said I wasn’t even a pastor and then I knew that I was in trouble.
“My wife and I fasted for two weeks for God to change His mind about what was unfolding, but He didn’t.
“My day came, and it didn’t matter that I was in the bush. God located me.”
Adeboye’s RCCG can be found in every nook and cranny of Nigeria and across the world.
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