Pastor Gideon O. Oladokun
By Boluwatife Oparinde
With an ardent passion to see the body of Christ measure up to the expectations of the church of Christ ready to be raptured, a comparation has ensued on the contemporary church being the house of prayer and den of thieves.
"The truth is that Jesus is very serious about the type and kind of Church He is coming to rapture. He doesn’t want jest any kind of Church but the one that is built according to His divine pattern. My intention and passion is to see that each local body of Christ is measuring up to His expectation and therefore ready for the rapture," the Superintendent, Christ Apostolic Church, Itire DCC, Lagos, Pastor Dr. Gideon O. Oladokun said.
Speaking on the topic "Your Church: House of Prayer or Den of Thieves?" on Thursday, 16th February, 2023, at the Ministers' Fire Conference which is part of ongoing 2023 Odo Owa Annual Revival, Pastor Oladokun capitalized on the need for ministers to ensure how their local churches must be fit as houses of prayer and not den of thieves.
Describing a house of prayer in the light of Matthew 21:12–13, the cleric expressed that, "Every local Church is meant to be a place of heartfelt worship, dedication to true worship of God, sacred devotion to the Lord. It’s a place of seeking God, seeking His will, listening to His word, feel His awesome presence, honour Him, show adoration and commitment to spiritual things."
He continued that the Church as a house of prayer must demonstrate the following, "Open heaven for answered prayers. Transformation and change center. Blessing and edification of people. Fellowship and encouragement. Presence and power of God. Meeting with God in personal encounters. Meeting individual and corporate needs."
"The doors of the Church should never be shut. People should be able to come in for prayers, fellowship and meeting with God anytime of the day. The fire of the house of the Lord must not be put out (1 Sam. 3:3). Prayer that transforms, changes people and situations must be ever present in the Church. True worship to bring heavens down must be a regular feature of our Church. Jesus desires that His Church will be a true house of worship, devotion and sincere prayers unto Him," the Superintendent said.
Pastor Oladokun identified a den "a hiding place, a black spot for workers of iniquity. It is a foul smelling and odour place meant for goats, reptiles and carnivorous animals," adding that, "lots of leaders have turn the house of prayer into a den today, just like the day of Pharisees, through commercialization, money emphasis and business ventures. The table of bread has become the table of money changers; the Priests seat have become that of them that buy and sell."
He noted that churches that are den of robbers are characterized by "ushers stealing money while counting, Pastors doctoring the books and taking money, breaking of offering and tithe boxes, diverting Church money into personal accounts, organizing robbers to come and rob Church after fund-raising, encouraging get-rich quick schemes and testimonies, inflating and falsifying receipts,failure to pay correct tithes and offerings,short changing Church by diverting donation to private pockets, borrowing money from Church without ever paying back and keeping quiet about the source of income of people."
Having noted the various reasons churches turn into den of thieves today, Pastor Oladokun related several points on turning the church into true house of prayer, which according to him are, "become a godly, spiritual and life-giving Pastor. Repent of decisions and inactions that have turn things back. Solid teaching on values, integrity, right work and legitimate money. Emphasize scripture, prayer, devotion to God and godly issues. Stop bringing secular to spiritual and vice versa. Pray down the transforming power and presence of the Holy Spirit afresh. Model simplicity, integrity and disciplined lifestyle. Fight sin, wickedness and evil with your messages and lifestyle. Discipline those that sinned and reject some gifts that the source is questionable. Evolve a system that rewards commitment, dedication, faithfulness and fruitfulness in life and ministry. Handle money in a plain, honest, and transparent ways, personally and collectively."
"Let the Church be a true house of God with spiritual atmosphere and spiritual issues at the front burner in all meetings," he concluded.