Prophet P.I.A. Obaseki, is the Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Divine Grace Of Glory Church International, situated at Idunmwungha Town, after Egba Junction, Off Benin-Auchi Road, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. He is well known for his fearlessness and courageous approach to the things of God. He is a quintessential preacher of the undiluted word of God and highly sought after in several christian communities. He is a powerful Prophet, Preacher, Teacher and Prayer Warrior who is spiritually mobile in healing and deliverance with miracles, signs and wonders following his ministrations.
In this special interview with Sir Ralph Okhiria and Bassey O. Bassey, Pastor PIA Obaseki, who spoke on a number of issues including national security, the role of christians in partisan politics, the 2023 general elections, his relationship with the world acclaimed preacher, the late Prophet T.B. Joshua whom he is doing everything possible to keep alive his legacies.
Happy reading:
Sir, may we meet you?
My name is Prophet P.I.A.Obaseki, the founder and general overseer of Divine Grace of Glory Church Int., Benin City, situated along Idunmwungha Town, after Egba Junction, Off Benin-Auchi Road, Benin City, here in Edo State.
There are divergent views as to what should be the roles of the christians as regards partisan politics; what is your take on this issue, especially now that the 2023 general elections are around the corner?
Thank you so much. It’s not actually a good thing for christians to stay out of politics because should christians do so, the unexpected would become the order of the day. The christians should know that God by his words, in the historical biblical days, you see that the kings depended on God to receive Gods wisdom by the revelations from the words of the Prophets of God. And it’s that wisdom that’s needed to rule the people. Also, in the biblical days, you see the kings that rule totally depended on good wisdom were successful.
Though there were some battles and challenges, but they were successful. For example, when King David ruled over Jerusalem, he depended on the wisdom of God and he was successful. Then after him came King Solomon; also he needed wisdom from God and he requested and he too was successful. So, for christians to stay out of politics, in fact before God, it’s a sin and this is the simple truth because when christians do or stay out of politics,who are you leaving the people for?. When you have the words of God. it’s what you’re to use to guide and rule the people.
The Bible say that when the wicked are in power, the righteous mourn but when the righteous are in power, the people rejoice. That’s the summary of it all. And it’s also good for christians to take positions in the rulership of this country and the rulership of the state so that necessary laws can be obeyed by the citizens because when one is a christian, the person will have the fear of God Almighty and will have the character of a born again child of God, fear of God. In whatsoever he or she is doing, he/she will have the the people he/she is leading in mind and also put God into consideration on how it can benefit the people, both the citizens and the country at large. Such a christian would always rule the people in such a way that will lead to a better future for the people. I’m not trying to condemn other religions because it’s always good to balance things up and allow God to have his way.
So, how possible is it for men God ordained to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, to combine church activities with active political activities?
Well it will be a very stressful job. But if a clergy has a call from God to be a politician, there’s nothing bad in it because we’re all saved to serve and it depends on God’s callings on you. I’m a Prophet and I have been a clergy to handle the ministry but if God speaks to me today and says go into politics, I have no option than to go but it will be a very stressful commitment to combine both together. But when God calls you, it’s always for a purpose. When God calls you, you have no option than to obey. When a clergy man has the calling to be a politician and also operates a ministry, just like there are some pastors who are also businessmen. In that case, they operate the ministry and business together. So politics is meant to be structured and ensure that things go well in the society.
Sir, what is your opinion about same faith tickets in our national political life?
Actually we are all stakeholders in the affairs of the country. Therefore, for everything to be in order, its supposed to be balanced and where there is true love and things wouldn’t be one sided. As we have it now, the President and vice president are both from different faiths. So, it’s always good to have it that way so that people can be rubbing minds together and peace and unity. So, it’s good to balance it up ; it’s good to have christians in certain positions and other religious men and women too. It is not good for one religion to be dominating; it won’t go down well with the people of other religions and would begin to react and grumble, and it will definitely lead to sharp divisions in the country but when there’s oneness, love and unity demonstrated, everyone’s heart will agree together to make things work for the good of everyone.
Talking about unity; are the christians really united?
The truth is that, the christians in Nigeria are not united. christians are their number one problem among themselves. christians who read the same Bible judge themselves, criticize themselves, condemn themselves, attack themselves. So, sincerely speaking, christians in this country are not united. But it is very important that christians gets united amongst themselves, just as the gospel says love one another, those that love not do not know God, but he that loveth is of God. So, God’s love is very, very important amongst the christians.
What’s your take about some clergymen forming prayer groups in support of certain politicians gunning for political positions; couldn’t it have been better if they call on God in one strong voice, for God to make known His choicest candidates?
Well, the truth is that not everyone that call himself pastor that’s really Man of God. Anyone can bear the name Pastor, Prophet, Evangelist, Apostle whereas such person is not. I think the christian bodies, most especially the PFN and CAN have some important roles to play being the heads of christian bodies especially when it comes to elections period like this. They should come up, have some meetings, organise and sensitise the various christian people so that there won’t be divisions amongst us. I pray God will give them wisdom and direction so that pastors for this politician, or pastors for that politician will have a rethink and embrace the right thing. I’m not condemning any pastor because it may be that they operate as they’re led by the spirit. But we all have eyes, we have senses, we have wisdom, and we should know and do what is right to save our future. And knowing what we have suffered in this country; everyone is feeling the heat about what has been happening in the country. It’s not good for some of us to take money, take rice or beans and salt and vote for the wrong people without considering the future of our children. Let’s do the right thing by voting the right people into political offices in the 2023 general elections.
What have you seen about the 2023 general elections, as a Prophet of God?
You see, the 2023 election is already in God’s hands. We have been praying for God to bring peace to our dear country. The 2023 election is going to be but with crises. Yes, during the election, even before the election, there’s going to be a lot of hitches and noises everywhere because it’s not what the people expect that would be given but there isn’t going to be much bloodshed; that’s the simple truth but in all, God almighty will work out everything according to the favour of his children. But the will of God has already been approved, no matter the murmurings and wailings, the will of God has already been approved. These are what the heaven has already revealed.
What’s your advice to our politicians and the electorate?
My advice to the politicians is that the politicians should seek that which will benefit the people and not only for themselves and they should not kill because of power and politics. They should not destroy because there’s a better tomorrow and they should also be closer to God and be good politicians. One has to be godly, because it’s God that can make it better and nothing else. And for the people, they should arm themselves with their PVC and secondly, the christians should learn also to be quiet, most christians talk too much. christians expose secrets and themselves too much; they talk and open everything up. They have no secrets and when you have no secrets, you will always fail because what you open your mouth to say can be used against you. Even, our Lord Jesus Christ said it that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. Jesus had secrets; when Jesus Christ was coming from the mountain of transfiguration, he told his disciples to, “tell no one the vision; don’t tell anyone what you saw until the manifestations”, a whole Jesus Christ saying that to his disciples; that, means keeping of secrets can save your future and can also give you a better victory. So, christians have to be very wise.
Sir since the transition to the great beyond about two years ago, of your mentor and spiritual father, Prophet T.B. Joshua, the church he left behind is struggling to settle, what are the problems pulling against his church?
Thank you so much. You see, the people there are all human beings and no human being is perfect as long as we’re in the flesh. Prophet T.B. Joshua of blessed memory, my mentor, my spiritual father, even when he was in the world, most people felt his impacts, he affected billions of lives, even till today, what happen after God called him home is that there were some issues but everything has been settled. Yes everything has been perfectly settled. His wife who is my mother in the Lord, Pastor Evelyn Joshua went to the court and her name was on the Will or church documents as the Assistant General Overseer of the Ministry. So everything was settled, the Will that was prepared by the Prophet T.B.Joshua before his demise and that was what the court used to settled the matter. So those whose names were not in the WILL were asked to step aside and they never wanted to step aside, it was the WILL that settled help settle the matter. Everything is settled, the house is settled, the ministry is moving fine, even going very stronger. When you gets there now, the canopies that were dropped before have been re-erected again for every service day. The mammoth crowd there is awesome, so the glory of the later house is even stronger than the former.
How do you feel that non-christians (court), having to settle the christians; taking their own disputes to the worldly people to settle. Is that biblical?
Sometimes, when there are some issues in the church, some christians who are not born again, who do not have the fear of God become rigid; so when it happens, you have to take the matter to where the law will take its cause.
The death of your mentor, Prophet T.B.Joshua, was undoubtedly a great loss to you; two years without him, how do you feel?
It has been a great loss to me, since God has called him home. I have not recovered. Of a truth, he was a father and a giver. In fact, words are not even enough to describe the loss but it’s Christ that keeps strengthening me and my love for him still remains which you can see all around me. His photographs are everywhere in my office, everywhere in town. I’m the only prophet who still project late Prophet T.B. Joshua in everything I do; even in my yearly almanac, his photographs would still be in my yearly almanac and he’d affected me so much. He still comes to me in my revelations, I still see him. When I’m confused, maybe I want to hold a programme and do not know what to do, he comes in and tells me what to do. I had a case where someone came to me and say like this like this,I will just tell the person don’t worry,I would pray about it, as I’m praying and meditating, God would used Prophet T.B. Joshua’s face to come to me and tell me what to do and once I do it, the person gets answer. That tells you that my intimacy with him was not just physically but also spirituality. I’m not trying to worship him, no, because he’s a human being but the spirit of God in him, that’s what I value and cherish. I’m not worshiping him but the grace and spirit of God in him is so spiritually special.
Flowing from the aforesaid, what are you doing to sustain his legacy ?
Oh my God (laughing), as I said earlier, when you come to my ministries, you will see his godly character in my ministries, I listen to his teachings. During my ministrations, you will hear me quoting him always in my messages because he’s been a source of inspiration to me. Also, like I said, you see him in photographs, almanacs, billboards everywhere, and moreso, when I go for any programme, I must acknowledge and mention his name. And also in the area of giving and love expressions, I emulate him. I have a foundation known as Prophet P.I.A. Obaseki Foundation that takes cares of needy, widows and less privileged persons in the society. We give foodstuffs, paying their rents and paying their children’s school fees and so on and so forth. We also have Emmanuel Orphanage (Home) where we take cares of so many orphans. All these I learnt from my spiritual master, Prophet T. B. Joshua and I’m keeping his legacies by the grace of God Almighty.
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