By Editor
He is known in the media circle as a versatile broadcaster and anchor of the popular Ajaabale program, a daily news review segment of Ayoba FM, but his second address is in the pulpit as the Pastor in charge of his spirit filled Miracle Christ Apostolic Church, aka, Holiness Citadel, Oke Alaafia. Ado Ekiti.
The No. 10, Olokuta Street, off Matthew in Odo Ado venue of the church was a beehivce of activities yesterday as Pastor Ojo Olabanji celebrated the sixth year of his ordination with a Thanksgiving service.
Narrating his divine call to the Lord’s vineyard, Pastor Ojo Olabanji who left Ado-Ekiti his hometown in the early 90s for Lagos to fend for a living by doing menial jobs until 1995 when according to him: “Two different ministers of God at different places told me that God needed me to work for him. But I ignored the call because as a nominal christian then. I had little regards for men of God with their tattered suits going about the streets in search of money. So I decided to enroll at NIJ Ogba,where I trained as a journalist. This same year, some other people began to see the glory of this divine call in me, but I proved stubborn because I knew withim me that I was neck deep in many youthful exhuberances such as drinking and fornication.
“However the turning point came one day years after I relocated back to Ado from Lagos. There was a hill besides Matthew Street where I was on that fateful day when one of my brothers who had been mounting pressure on me to come and meet a prophet. I called him on phone to come and join me at Matthew Street. The guy took his bike and rushed down to the place where I was already waiting for him. As would be expected, I spotted him from the hillside and I immediately reached a decision that I won’t honour his invitation because already I had a meeting with my drinking partners at a joint in the evening and if I should follow him to the prayer mountain it may take longer time to leave the place. So I ignored his several calls.
“But fortunately enough as God was about to save me, I heard the holy spirit said to me, ‘how old was your father when he died? and how old are you now? ” I responded by giving the accurate answers to that spirit.
Then the voice asked another astonishing question saying “If you subtract the difference, then you have six months to live because this is your last chance. The next thing I heard was that if you don’t leave this spot, you would be carried down”
“I was terrified by this proclamation that I had to jump down from the hill top and ordered my brother to stop. The long and short part of it was that I found myself in Miracle Christ Apostolic Church, Olorunsogo founded by Proghetess Yemisi Ayesoro where I worshipped for the first time and God arrested me. God used the woman for me to observe seven Sundays of Thanksgivings and it was during the encounter that my life experienced a turning around. During the journey, I was sent to the School of Theology for a degree Program fully sponsored by the founder of the church and Revd Dr M. Adeshina and immediately I graduated in 2018 I was ordained and by the special grace of God next year will mark the sixth year I started ministry work as an ordained Pastor.” He concluded.
In his message, Revd Dr. Adeniyi, spiritual soulmate of the celebrant and the guest preacher at the occasion made a clarification between call and curse noting that Pastor Olabanji indeed received a true divine call unlike many of today’s fake men of God who were called by their stomachs.
His words: “I observed certain attributes in our celebrant of the day as described in the book of Psalms chapter 15, walking in righteousness, truthful, not speaking with both sides of the mouth and humility. These are the attributes of men of genuine divine call embedded in Pastor Olabanji and I pray that his call shall not turn to a curse as I celebrate this unique occasion of 5th ordination with him”.
The session ended with testimonies by members of the church reinstating Pastor Olabanji’s roles as spiritual father, role model, mentor and counselor as the elated Pastor with his adorable wife, Evang. Kehinde Ojo Olabanji joined the entire congregation in Thanksgiving and cutting the anniversary cake.
