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TB JOSHUA AT 47

Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua (morepopularly known as T.B. Joshua) is arguablythe most contentious religious leader in thenation today. There's no fence-sitting; it's

either you love him or you hate him with apassion - and there's no shortage of numbers on either side. Born onWednesday, June 12, 1963, in the sleepyvillage of Arigidi in present-day Ondo State,

T.B. Joshua (TBJ) once led the ScriptureUnion (SU) at St. Stephen's Anglican PrimarySchool in Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State, wherethe gifts of healing and prophecy began tomanifest themselves at a very early age.

After dropping out of secondary school in hisfirst year, the young TBJ eked a livingwashing dusty feet on the streets of Lagos,prior to landing the job of evacuatingchicken waste in a poultry farm. Married tothe delectable Evelyn, TBJ founded theSynagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in 1987. His ministry broadcastsChristian televangelism both through a Christian television outfit calledEmmanuel TV and the Internet via The Streaming Faith portal.

Is TBJ a saint or sinner? Not a few people are ready to swear that he's an agentof the Devil, if not the Antichrist himself. His critics aver that he employs ademonic healing technique they dub "remote control." TBJ usually standsseveral feet away from the person in the healing line. Whenever he scoots hishand or finger in a particular direction, the person seems irresistibly drawn tothat same direction. Sometimes, he can send the person into a spin simply bycircling his hand, until he or she spirals out of control, crumpling into a dazedheap on the floor.

But as unorthodox as this may appear, I don't see anything significantlydifferent between it and, say, Jesus spitting into wed mud and pasting it on ablind man's eye for his sight to be restored, or sick people scrambling to fallunder Apostle Peter's shadow, or handkerchiefs distributed to the sick aftertouching Apostle Paul's body, or present-day ministers waving their hands orshooting breeze through pouted lips in fixed directions to make people fall'under the anointing.' My take on the matter is that critics are wrong in placingmore emphasis on the methods than the source; the message is moreimportant than the messenger.

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) seems to have weighed in on oneside of the divide by insisting that TBJ must furnish it with details of hisconversion experience, the preparatory Bible schools he attended, and theidentity of his pastor/mentor, prior to being accorded official recognition - and

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TBJ has absolutely refused to comply. I can understand the desire by PFN tocurb the rising incidence of impostors fleecing and misleading worshippers. Butin the final analysis it is God's approval, and not man's, that matters. If PFN'sconditionalities were the litmus test for ministry work, great men of God likeMoses and Apostle Paul would've been disqualified outright!

Before misconceptions crystallize and insinuations and speculations run riot, letme hasten to state that I am not a member of SCOAN. I've neither met TBJ inperson nor participated in any of SCOAN's activities. I must confess that myinitial alienation had a lot to do with the obnoxious tales about him swirling inChristian circles. When I read the bit about Nicodemus faulting the Jews seekingto kill Jesus for unfairly rushing to judgment, I concluded that it was wrong to

judge any man on hearsay, just as it is inappropriate to judge a book simply byits cover.

When the Jews accused Jesus of being a blasphemer, for 'desecrating' theSabbath and claiming equality with God, He countered by outlining fourwitnesses authenticating his ministry: John the Baptist, the miracles He wasperforming, the Father who sent Him, and the Scriptures. Amazingly, there arevery close parallels between the testimony of TBJ and that of Jesus. OneProphet Akin Adewole reportedly prophesied in 1995 that "a young man fromNigeria would be highly anointed, such that all the nations of the world wouldembrace the mighty God through him." He later affirmed that he was speakingabout TBJ. During ministrations by TBJ both at home and abroad, the blindregain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the deadare raised. The importance of 'signs and wonder' in ministry work isunderscored not only by the fact that Jesus said that "By their fruits you shallknow them," but also by His appeal to disbelieving Jews to take the works(miracles) He was performing as a necessary and sufficient condition forconfirming his calling (John 10:38).

For every one person that questions the genuineness of the man at theSynagogue there are ten or more - including the likes of Goodwill ZwelithinikaBhekuzulu, king of the Zulu tribe in South Africa, whose daughter was healedof epilepsy, ex-Zambian President Frederick Chiluba, Ghanaian President JohnEvans Attah Mills, Botswana Justice and Security minister and South African

Rugby star Jaco van der Westhuyzer - holding true to their convictions that TBJis a saint whose prayers are always answered by God.

While we need to checkmate false prophets by testing the spirits, we know thatno one can pray in the name of Jesus or acknowledge Him as having come inthe flesh unless the Spirit of God resides in such a person. The few times I'vewatched TBJ preach on Emmanuel TV he's done exactly that, so what else canbe said? Yes, not all who say "Lord! Lord!!" will enter heaven, but it's for God todecide on Judgment Day. None of us is called into a ministry of criticism. This iswhy there's a great need for closing of ranks among Christian ministers; an

overwhelming sectarian tendency currently exists in the Church, contrary toGod's plan.

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Some have said that TBJ is like the proverbial prophet - widely acclaimedabroad and demeaned within. His ongoing Haiti earthquake relief operationsare doing more to positively polish Nigeria's image than the government canever hope to achieve with its extravagantly expensive re-branding projects.

This nation is yet to fully come to grips with exploiting the huge nation-buildingpotentials of her heroes in all walks of life.

Here's wishing T.B. Joshua - great man of God, a meek and humble man in themold of Moses, a philanthropist per excellence, an author and media guru -happy birthday wishes as he turns 47 in a couple of days. As his years increase,so shall his strength, and the anointing of God upon his life. May he continue todiscountenance distractions from professional critics while remaining focusedon the vision God has given him.

SOURCE: All Africa - http://allafrica.com/stories/201006090681.html

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