Islanders Magazine

INTERVIEW OF PASTOR IDAHOSA

 

On Lagos island today Illumination Assembly is one church that is attended regularly by top Nigerian celebrities, society big boys and girls, elites and the average people within and outside Lagos Island. There is no doubt that God’s miracles surely flow within and around the Ministry based on the regular testimonies from the Church members. The renowned man of God and the General overseer of the Church, Bishop Idahosa spoke recently with Islanders Magazine’s Executive editor in Chief, Ola Muhammed in his Multi-million Naira Church at Langbasa-Badore Ado road, Ajah Lagos where the light complexion bishop spent two hours sharing his journey in the clergy world and his survival strategies.

 

Sir, how would you describe the journey so far compared to where you are now?

 

We are sponsored by grace, exercise by faith and realized by his mercies. Every journey leads one to a destination God will not tell you what you have to face on that journey but he will give you the true word. He doesn’t promise you safe journey but safe arrival his grace has been sufficient for us so far so good.

 

Sir, looking at where you started from and where you are now, how do you feel?

 

Through majestic of migration, the handiwork of grace, when God gest involved the devil can only revolves around but he can’t dissolve d the resolved of God. Every day is a plus, the parts of the just is like the shining light that shines brighter and brighter to the perfect day. We may have started small but today the story has changed, God has given us victory on every side but then that’s not to say that everything we are anticipating for is in place but we are not more where  we used to be, God has moved us to a new level.

 

Sir, let’s know the way you’ve been handling the ministerial job sir, a lot of people particularly on the Island talk about your ministry and the God’s miracles, what keeps the Church going in view of this?

Am humbled, am just a pipeline, a channel by which God choses to bless people. Each time these things happened they humbled me and it is a true signature of that wisdom, Ability to arrest situation and make People happy again. People call me concerning the church, the miracles is just a privilege that God choses to use us and we are glad and grateful to God.

 

Sir, When we ask Pastors of their survival strategies, some say it’s through fasting, some attribute theirs to Praise and worship, For you sir what keeps you going as a Man of God?

 

Two things, hearing and doing  my name ‘ Idahosa’ means hearing and being attentive to God, when you hear you do  the word of God says be not hearers alone but doers of the word.Your ability to in sensitize is key in your calling let your antenna be connected to your caller, your source, your maker so you won’t lose your resource. On the  bedrock  of these two that is hearing  and obeying God  doing exactly what he asked us to do each time we obey God there was always an exchange.

 

Sir, how do you juggle your responsibilities as a General Overseer of a Church and as a family man?

 

Sometime it’s quite impossible to juggle both, sometimes one does affect each other ,sometimes  the family suffers, we are trying to adjust and we are trying to create  an equilibrium where we give family the adequate time the family deserves. It is very important that the family come first; it’s your first calling your first ministry before the church ministry as it well. But God is helping us to create an understanding. When God gives you an understanding wife, ability to adjust ability to see what you are seeing, then you move along together.

 

Sir, looking at the name of the church, what inspired the name of the Ministry?

 

The God First Ministry came in twenty three years ago in Minna, Niger state but then illumination assembly is a part of the God First Ministry I was in Paris a couple of years ago, when the Lord asked me to return back home and leave the mainland to the Island to transport and transform light hence the name to go illuminate the Island. So that’s where the name was deduced illumination assembly Lekki life centre it was in Paris the lord gave the name. 

 

Sir, how many branches does the Church have now?

 

The day the numbered Israel he had situation we just believe God to spread .we are the light of the world and we are the carriers of the light we trust God to affect  our conducts and character we trust God to affect lives and bring transformation to human kind we are on TV on daily basis and different stations. We stream our services live round the world only God can tell how many lives have been affected by the word of God.

Sir, how do you feel personally when you see people   testify?

 

Sometimes I shed tears, I was in my friend’s church in Uyo  a woman had a broken spinal cord they rushed her from Onitsha and God gave her a brand new one last week. I shed tears; we’ve seen cases  of madness healed, Fibroids melting, I just got back from Asaba Oracle of God a church attended by the former acting Governor, miracles overflowed in a Church . Above all the miracle of salvation people giving their lives to Jesus in hundreds and thousands. So these things humble us so any man of God that becomes proud by the reason of what God chose him to do will have a problem.

 

Can you recall an unforgettable testimony given by a member of your Ministry?

You need to have some validity, you won’t recover that in a hurry the books are there in the stores. Miracle should be a sign to the world not to the Church. The first time Jesus performed a miracle was at the marriage feast where he turned water into wine. So miracle is when the supernatural turns to natural and suspends the natural for productivity and efficiency. Miracle is the handiwork of God letting humanity to know that God is in charge. Miracle is the answer to the needs of men which is the supernatural and the supernatural is by product of faith. So we don’t pursue miracles, we pursue faith increase so the moment faith get increased by the entrance of the word of God, giving time and attention to the word of God and exercise in engaging the world because what you don’t use you lose as you exercise God you’ll experience God every genuine encounter with God is a bedrock from a relationship and when you have a relationship

with God you have an encounter with God, he will produce a revelation and once there is a revelation there is elevation. So each miracle is a miracle because you can’t perform one. He is the performer of miracle you are just an extension officer (Mark 16 - 18) and this sign shall follow them that believes, in my name they shall speak in new tongues. They shall cast out devils we cast them out because we use his name. The lifestyle of he that cast the devil must be on the right side with God.

 

How can one differentiate the fake from the real Men of God?

You must have the ability to discern and the spirit of God must dwell in you. The bible says, test all spirits. You must have the apparatus ,the first is to have Jesus as your lord and savior, ensure that the lord is with you, get replaced where you lose your peace, one of the greatest commodity Jesus left with us is his peace. So if you get to a place and you don’t have the peace of mind, the peace of God that passeth all understanding then you know that something is wrong.

Secondly the character the conduct of the prophesied vessel must be in line with God’s dictate, by their fruits you shall know them.

Any Activities lined up for the Church?

We shall be having a marriage rededication session on the 4th of November 2012 where we intent to rededicate marriages. We also have a prophetic activity slated for November 14th – 19th 2012 tagged never again, it promises to be an awesome time, and our Annual Convention is also billed to hold in the first week of December 2012

Is your church into Charity?

Yes we cater for the needy and the widows we do this to ensure that the kingdom of God is established here on earth.

What class of People attend the Ministry?

We have all class of People, we don’t segregate, the church is for all.

Sir if you weren’t a pastor what would have been your chosen  profession ?

If I was not a pastor I would have been a pastor.

 Sir please describe your person?

 

am still trying to understand my person for everybody is a plus there are additional fact concerning discovering me  daily because the truth test of research is discovery  am a man of great faith in God. Am a man of great courage, Am a man of  vision am a man of passion who has capacity for people. Am a man who want to see the kingdom of god established .a man who want to be used by god at all cost according to his way. A man who sees beyond the normal in the aspect of his calling. The man who has passion stronger enough than the vision to drag the division. The man who want people happiness.