Goodnigga:
Well, let's be practical also in our approach. The HQ normally finances a new local church and they expect growth in all areas: spiritually, financially and in soul winning. So, if they are not living up to expectations, what do you expect? Remember the parable of the Talent. The one Jesus gave 1 and he didn't multiply it, you know his punishment. Even though we would like to reprimand, let's be both objective and realistic.

What expectations exactly?
The fact that the churches the sacked pastors were working didn't raise enough money as expected?
So what's the difference between them and marketers for banks?
Why are they so focused on the financial growth while leaving the most important part of the church...which is spiritual growth

Kobojunkie:
Which Rapture?

The man probably has a 30-year plan in place to ensure continued growth and expansion of his kingdom here on earth.

Or maybe longer like Kenneth Hagin, I think, who believes he will not live a minute less than 120 in his kingdom here on earth.

traeces:
No where in the letter was low income mentioned. They were sacked due to failure to reach their growth index

Hosea 4:6 "My people are destroyed for lack of wisdom"

Growth index according to zaddy C.E.O david oyedepo means what exactly?

insidelife22:
Op change the headline to "CEO sacks 40 brancch managers for not meeting up to Expectations".
I will not remind you again!

if i mistakenly see oyedepo for heaven, aswear angel go hold fight tired...

https://www.nairaland.com/6654300/guide-find-true-church-guide#103775163

A GUIDE TO FIND THE TRUE CHURCH

A Guide To The Old Paths
The world is religiously sick in that one does not know which way to follow (Jeremiah 6:16). Man has, in his efforts to accord God an acceptable service, gone as far as propounding strange doctrines and holding to tenets that have become a complete violation of the teachings of Christ (II John 9-11; Galatians 1:8-9; I Peter 4:11).

The world has also rejected the inspired directives of the One that is vested with "all authority in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). Consequently, this rebellious act in man has supplied him with a strong delusion so that he could not see the need to secure a hopeful relationship with God in the body of Christ, the church.

Today, many have ignorantly grounded their faith in an unscriptural axiom which states that "church is not important." With this religiously bigoted belief, man has gone into a competition with Jesus in the statement "I will build My church" (Matthew 16:18). Those that have his conviction are unabashedly promoting this heretical dogma because they do not know what the Bible says about the word "church."

I reserve no blame for such people because they are unaware of the eternal purpose of God in his plan of salvation. Also I would not hold this against them for the fact that they are offspring of the great harlot and as a result have been trained to drag the church into apostasy.

It is this that the writer has taken the pain to write, without bias, a brief guide to the church of the first century which is the only true church that can survive the gates of hell. It is my plea that you should see the need, after reading through this tract, to become a member of God's saving church where His manifold wisdom is made known.

IDENTIFYING THE TRUE CHURCH
Is it possible to identify the true church in this world of increasing denominationalism? Yes, if only we can allow the Bible to be our guide. Then how can one know which is the church of the Bible? We must go back to the Bible to obtain the identification marks of the first century church and compare them with the existing churches around the world.

Naturally, for instance, if Mr. Brown is missing, the only way his parents can locate him is to gather his marks of identification and then begin to search. It is only after finding the one that matches every mark of identification used in the search that the parents would accept him as the one they were seeking.

Therefore, when one wants to locate the true church that saves, one needs to gather its identification marks. What are the identification marks? Where are they found? The Bible has the answer.


1. ITS BUILDER
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build a church, "and on this rock I will build My church." This indicates that no church can be the spiritual church unless it was founded by Jesus Christ. Therefore, any church founded by someone other than Christ is an apostate church. Many centuries before the promise to establish a church, David announced a great truth when he said, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it" (Psalm 127:1).

The "house of God" is shown in the New Testament to be "the church of the living God" (I Timothy 3:15). In Matthew 15:13 Jesus declared openly that "every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted." This teaches that it is not scriptural for a man to be a member of any spiritual household, religious plant or church which was organized by anyone except Christ: "It shall be uprooted."


2. PLACE OF ESTABLISHMENT
The true church of the Bible was established at Jerusalem. If you are a member of a church that was not first begun at Jerusalem, you are not a member of God's saving family on earth.

In Isaiah 2:2-3 we have a prophecy that Jehovah's house was to be established in Jerusalem; Jehovah's house would be exalted and all nations would flow into it; and the time of fulfillment would be in the latter days. What does Jehovah's house mean? Paul, the Apostle of Christ, speaks of "the house of God, which is the church of the living God ..." (I Timothy 3:15).

Therefore, Jehovah's house in the book of Isaiah is the church, and, from this prophecy, we learn when and where it was to be established.

In Micah 4:1-2 and Zechariah 1:16 it was also prophesied that the Lord's house would be established in Jerusalem. These prophets have, through the Holy Spirit, alerted the world on where the spiritual body of Jesus Christ, the church, would first be established.
These prophecies were fulfilled thus:
*The Holy Spirit was not to come until Jesus had gone away (John 16:7) and the apostles saw Him ascend out of their sight (Acts 1:9).
*The apostles were commanded to tarry in Jerusalem (Luke 24:49), and the apostles, after His ascension, returned to Jerusalem, the appointed place (Acts 1:12).
*The apostles were to be clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49), and this happened on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-4).
*The Word of the Lord was to go forth from Jerusalem in the latter days (Isaiah 2:2-3; Micah 4:1-2). And, on Pentecost Day, a stirring sermon was preached in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14-42). Peter, in his preaching, quoted Joel 12:28-32 and declared this day was the latter days. Repentance and remission of sins started in Jerusalem
*The Lord's house, the church was to be established in Jerusalem in the latter days (Isaiah 2:2-3; Micah 4:12; Zechariah 1:16).
*This prophecy came to pass at Jerusalem with the baptism of three thousand souls (Acts 2:41).
Dear friend, you need to be a member of this same church. There is no importance in church succession. But if the same seed of the kingdom that produced the church of the first century is sown today, I believe it will reproduce the true church in any community. Is that what you are doing?


3. TIME A.D. 33
The church was founded on the first Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. If you are a member of any church not built on the Pentecost day of A.D. 33, then you are not in the church of the Bible, and therefore should seek union with the body of Christ. This date is based on the account of Acts 2.

It is a great privilege to be a member of the church that Christ established and which He is the foundation (I Corinthians 3:11). Notice that the first apostate church started many centuries after the establishment of Christ's church.


4. ITS DESIGNATIONS
The true church has no special name, but it is spoken of in several significant applications. A critical survey of the Bible reveals that the following designations were authorized by the Holy Spirit for the church:

The body of Christ (Colossians 1:18, 24; Ephesians 4:12; 1:22-23);
The kingdom of God's dear Son (Colossians 1:13);
The house of God[/i] (I Timothy 3:15);
The church of God (I Corinthians 1:2);
The church of the firstborn (Hebrews 12:23);
The church of the Lord (Acts 20:28);
The household of faith (Galatians 6:10);
The kingdom of God (Acts 28:23, 31); and
The churches of Christ (Romans 16:16; Matthew 16:18.
[b]Notice that these references are not denominational names with their headquarters somewhere on earth. They do not refer to different churches established by men, but only to God's one true church. In each of these names one can see God and His Son's name being glorified. God has chosen these names for His church. Any term which is not from the Bible is not a scriptural name for the true church. Beloved, if we are professing Christianity with a name or designation that is foreign to the Bible, we are dishonoring God, Christ and the Bible.


5. NAMES FOR ITS MEMBERS
Members of the true church wore the name "Christian" (Acts 11:26(. King Agrippa knew of this name (Acts 26:28), and the first century church was admonished not to suffer any other name than the name "Christian" (I Peter 4:16). This name was the fulfillment of the prophecy that worshipers of God would "be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name" (Isaiah 62:2), when the Gentiles would see the righteousness of God. Along with this name, the Bible also recorded that members of the true church were known by several distinctive and significant names, among which are:

a. Disciples (Acts 20:7);
b. Saints (I Corinthians 1:2);
c. Beloved of God (Romans 1:7);
d. Brethren (I Corinthians 15:6);
e. Sons of God (Romans 8:14);
f. Children of God (I John 3:1);
g. Heirs of God (Romans 8:7); and finally,
h. Royal priesthood or priests (I Peter 2:9).

Members of the church were not called;
~Baptists,
~Methodists,
~Anglicans,
~Catholics,
~Lutherans,
~Pentecostals,
~Jehovah's Witnesses and many religious hyphenated names.

The Bible declares, "nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).


6. ITS HEAD
Paul, in his writings, depicts Christ as the redeemer, the creator, and the head of the church (Colossians 1:14-18; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:15; 5:23; Colossians 2:10). Christ is the source of life to the church. He rules the church with divine authority. These quotations suggest that Christ has a divine head and a divine body (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22-23), a divine authority (Matthew 28:18), a divine practice (Colossians 3:17; I Thessalonians 5:21), a divine perpetuity (Hebrews 13:8 ) and a divine relationship with the church (I Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4:11-15; I Peter 4:8-11). Therefore, if one has developed the desire to have Christ as his head, he must be in the body or church of which Christ is the head and the Savior.


7. ONLY ONE TRUE CHURCH
The Scripture states that "there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling" (Ephesians 4:4). This indicates that the body is one and that God loves oneness. But what does the Bible say is the body? Colossians 1:18 and Ephesians 1:22-23 are proofs that the church and the body are the same.

Therefore, if there is one body and it is the church, then there is but one true church. God does not have pleasure in denominationalism in that He does not give any man the power to duplicate churches in the name of Christianity (John 17:20-21).
The existence of denominations on earth today is the result of our inability to stay in the doctrine of Christ and to recognize Him as the only head of the church.

10,000 churches were planted in2010. Each church has 3 people manning it, head Pastor, Assistant and secretary.
A total of 90,000 people employed into the rural churches. Out of this by the man's account 40 people were sacked for low performance index, that means that 9,960 performed satisfactorily.
Does this not smell like blackmail or is he saying the remaining 9,960 people in village churches are making money? Not in the cities, mind you.
Till date members still give into paying their salaries on a monthly basis.

This is a lie from the pit of he'll. He didn't meet his performance index not in financial terms but attendance and soul won. Both the church and members contribute to pay their salaries. This son of the devil had better say something else

I totally don't believe this. It may be because of theft or other reasons.
Remember how many"not so correct news" you must have heard in your lifetime.

Tirips:


I'm not a scammer

You can call me 08147883102

Ok! Will add you on WhatsApp

Good to know it's free

And i so much admire their GO pastor Adefarasin

richmond500:
its house on the rock.
U will book for seat due to how strict they are on covid19 protocols and doesn't want crowd, booking is totally free

jesusjnr2020:
If praying that the church returned to the ways of the early church where it was all about God, makes me sound like an atheist, then let me be an atheist to you.

Now read what you wrote again by lifting a mere man above God.....Who the hell is Ben Idahosa....?......I took a cue from what you wrote and that part killed your long epistle.

ruggedtimi:
Lately I stopped attending church because I see most of them as a business center....one certain church in pH if you no book seat online you can't gain access to the church on sunday

.


really Them dey share money for the church ni?


.

Lmfao

I needed this laugh this Sunday

So the church is now a business?

I laugh in Swahili

U won't see righteousness here!......hope he is not among

The pastors are just trying to seek the attention of the public. I think they were sacked for cross misconduct or for abusing church funds. No GO will sack any pastor for note generating enough in their branch.

Kobojunkie:
Sure, he is more for winning souls to fill the seats in his auditoriums, who then fill his coffers so he can build some more and expand his kingdom here on earth.

Exactly! That is because Oledepo knows that there is no such thing called heaven, heaven doesn't exist.. all that crap about rewards in heaven are lies and he knows it. The only fools who doesn't know are his gullible worshippers.

jesusjnr2020:
If true, It wouldn't be surprise because this is a sad but true reality of what the church has turn into these days.

Not much different from the world to whom the church was sent.

One man who I had great respect while growing up was Benson Idahosa. If I'd be honest, I respected him more than God. If God says a thing and he says something else, I would easily take what he says over that of God. So when I see many Christians do same today with their church leaders, i understand where they're coming from because i've been there and done that myself.

One day in late Nineties, a bishop in Idahosa's church, when there were just three of them, who was a family member lamented seriously about how it had become about how much money they brought to the headquarters in Benin City where Benson Idahosa was still in charge.

Although I wasn't yet saved at the time, I wasn't very comfortable with that news, as Benson Idahosa was a man i looked up to with great respect, and that didn't sound very nice in my ears.

It was clear that he had drifted from what he used to be, and began to chase the riches and things of this world which Jesus says chokes the Word and make it not to bear fruits to perfection in one's life.

It was that glaring that after his death his church made it a mandate to go back to their founding principles of evangelism being their supreme task.

So when i speak the way i do about the loss of focus of today's church leaders concerning the things of God, that they now prioritize the lesser things like tithing, I am not speaking because I just want to speak, but I know what I'm talking about.

It's the sad reality of what the church has become today.

I pray the church gets back to the ways of the early church where it was all about God.

God bless.

Everyone who speaks know what he his saying. Have you seen a man that say a thing and then say I don't know what I am saying.

We speak from the angle we are viewing from.

pentecostalism has done more harm than good to Christendom

Captain8:
if i mistakenly see oyedepo for heaven, aswear angel go hold fight tired...

That is if him personal bodyguard now remove you from ground

All of them are thieves, from oledepo down to sule man or whatever he calls himself.

Toks2008:


I wrote here some years back of how things play out in Christ Embassy where i was a member of the HAven, a PCF segment of the churcjh.

Haven is made up of rich professionals who love to finance the gospel in the church. Anytime there is any huge project, the burden is on this group to cough out the finance.

But when i had a terrible accident in 2001 that made me totally incapacitated, there was not even one of these group members who gave me a dime pending when i get back on my feet.

Months after i was able to walk again i resumed worshipping at the church and guess what...just a month after i got back to church, we had a meeting to raise money to buy a car for the pastor of that branch at Alakija. I just shook my head and left the church for good.

I hope they have changed. Many churches are all about the money they can get from members and they don't really care about the welfare of same members or even care so much about the primary purpose of soul winning.

This is why i say salvation is a personal thing... Don't look at the churches but focus on Christ Jesus, accept him as lord and saviour and relate with him directly and not through any mortal man like yourself.

I do not claim to know the running arrangements in Christ Embassy as I have only attended their meetings for brief periods. Equally, I can’t gauge the wide of ur story beyond wot I see in ur post. What lackest u yet? It seems to me u did not make spirited effort to reach out to ur group. U assumed they were in the know already, which shud be sufficient to motivate and mobilize them to reach out to u. Most times no be so. U have to ensure their active mobilization. U have to push ur case. Its d way it works. Its for the same reason d church does not assume the gro shud know what is lacking next. They call a meeting and brief them and secure their commitment

Are they doing church business or what?

Church is pure business in Nigeria

AjanleKoko:


Wow, Kobojunkie still dey this lungu�

And you too. Are you still alive ... kidnapped or forced into exile by the barbarian invasion....

Krismas:
I do not claim to know the running arrangements in Christ Embassy as I have only attended their meetings for brief periods. Equally, I can’t gauge the wide of ur story beyond wot I see in ur post. What lackest u yet? It seems to me u did not make spirited effort to reach out to ur group. U assumed they were in the know already, which shud be sufficient to motivate and mobilize them to reach out to u. Most times no be so. U have to ensure their active mobilization. U have to push ur case. Its d way it works. Its for the same reason d church does not assume the gro shud know what is lacking next. They call a meeting and brief them and secure their commitment

Oh I need to push my case and beg them for money right!

Were they not aware I had a spine injury? Did they not visit me to pray and just stopped at that?

Did the pastor push his case or asked them for a car when they chose to buy him a car?

Na wetin cause the two horses run away n d eagle fly away be that oooo

CodeTemplar:

Money matter is a very complex matter. Everybody don't have same perspective about money and don't possess same level of generosity. In a situation as yours, there should be some form of help and even prayer.

Exactly my point.

They came around, prayed with me and that was it.

Common sense depicts thst they should do more than that for an active member who has suddenly become paralysed due to spine injury.

Someone quoted me asking me to push my case as in start doing babiala.

TooMuchStuff:


Very true.
Was a member of the Havens.
It's all about the Moola....for Church and Pastors.
If ya business collapses or u get sacked from work, you are immediately considered a failure. Except u have a huge savings to still float in the Havens

Exactly.

Divert your tithes to your family

This Bible passage will help you, but they probably won't tell you


Deuteronomy 14

25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. 

Let us see a copy of the sack letter with the reasons for the sack clearly showing before I can make any comment.