HOW WOULD YOU HAVE HANDLED THIS MATTER???

A TRUE LIFE STORY

Mr. Okafor (not real name) and Mrs. Elizabeth (not real name) were happily married couples, and they were fervent Christians serving the LORD in a ministry known as Zion Peoples Assembly Church (not real name), located in a remote village in the far East (not real location). The name of the pastor was Alfred (not real name).

Mr & Mrs Elizabeth Okafor had a wonderful marriage with 3 children (assumption) and they were very committed to serving the LORD with all their hearts. However, there was a time that some weakness was noticed in the man.

As times goes on, the man exhausted all his strength in fighting this weakness but never told his wife about it. Therefore Satan took advantage of this weakness and tempted the man into adultery, and he felled.

Although he knew that this was not right as a Christian but he still succumbed altogether. But knowing that he had sinned against God and against his wife, as a true believer in Christ he decided to open up to his wife after praying to God for forgiveness.

So, he came to his wife and knelt down and confessed the adultery, asking the wife to please forgive him. The wife accepted by forgiving her husband, (though events later proved that she never forgave him at all). They then continued their marriage and service to God in their local church, and the matter buried between them only.

In the process of time, a minor issue arose between them which was centered on money. Mrs Elizabeth had asked her husband some money for some few things, but because he wasn't buoyant at the time, he couldn't meet his wife's demand in that material time, and the wife became angry for whatever reason known to her. And she took another step.

For failure to provide her the money and the man who was attending to a critical situation at the time that took him from home, the wife concluded that her husband has gone again into sleeping with other women outside, though this was a pure lie. She then went and reported her husband to their pastor accusing him of adultery. Don't forget that this matter has been settled and closed between both of them a long time ago, but she kept it in her heart hence my earlier submission that she didn't actually forgave her husband in the first place.

Armed with the statement of Mrs Elizabeth who accused her husband of adultery, Pastor Alfred summarily invited Mr. Okafor during workers meeting one Sunday morning, and suspended him from any duty or responsibility in the church till further notice.
Part of the punishment was that Mr. Okafor who was a worker in the church should be standing throughout the workers meetings every Sunday, as well as setting a special seat for him in the extreme back of the church. He must as a matter of faithfulness never missed any church service no matter the case.

So, Mr. Okafor started serving his punishment as spelled out by Pastor Alfred.

However after about 3 months that Mr. Okafor was placed under discipline by his pastor and seeing his faithfulness in the execution of his punishment, a member of the church decided to approach the pastor so as to free Mr. Okafor from his punishment. Meanwhile, the Area pastor of that Paris was never briefed by Pastor Alfred all this while. So he refused to listen to the member's plea and instead jumped his Area pastor and went straight to the Zonal pastor and reported the case, just because someone tried to intervene from the Parish. Don't forget that Mr. Okafor has already been placed on discipline for close to 3 at this time. Pastor Alfred thereafter decided that the special seat in which Mr. Okafor was given to be sitting in the church should be brought to the middle of the church whereby every parishioner will be seeing him there in every single church service. Pastor Alfred took this later decision saying that he want Mr. Okafor to be hardened, so that if he eventually became a pastor, he will not take any rubbish.

That is the end of the STORY.


Now, how would you have handled this matter if you were Pastor Alfred?

Use Bible references where necessary to make your decision if you were Pastor Alfred. You can as make your inputs without a bible reference too if you don't have any.

Shalom!

PASTOR PAUL RIKA: AN EMBLEM OF GREED AND COVETOUSNESS

ATTENTION!!!

This post has nothing to do with assassinating the character and personality of Pastor Paul Rika, the Int’l Director of Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide (HOREMOW) in any way, but to draw out his ungodly manner in handling the case of Bro Michael Thomas Sambo, in relation to the divine encounter he received from God in 2003, that Pastor Paul Rika transcribed into a book, after listening to the recorded version of the revelation. This is neither a judgment either as some may conclude, but to as a matter of fact let people know some deep secrets that surrounds the story. Read with understanding and unbiased mind so as to get the message here with clarity. God bless.

TEXT: 1 Timothy 3:1 “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 

2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 

3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 

4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 

5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 

6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 

7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 

8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 

9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.”

The passage above was quoted to highlight what is expected of a true Christian and believer in CHRIST JESUS, whether ordained a pastor, deacon, elder or just an ordinary church member or a church worker and minister. However in the contest of this post, I am sorry to say that Pastor Paul Rika is guilty of what the Bible strongly spoke against in the scripture passages above, especially as it relates to greed and covetousness, hence the citation.

In dealing with the subject matter of this post, it is important to state the meaning of the two words I used in the heading – greed and covetousness. According to the WordWeb dictionary,

GREED is an ‘Excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves’. It is also termed a ‘Reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth (personified as one of the deadly sins)’.

AND

COVETOUSNESS refers to ‘An envious eagerness to possess something’. It means ‘Extreme greed for material wealth’. It also connotes the same meaning as greed hence termed a ‘Reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth (personified as one of the deadly sins)’.

 This post centres on the divine encounter of Bro Michael Thomas Sambo, and how Pastor Paul Rika sold him out of his own inheritance, which he had during an Easter Retreat of Deeper Life Bible Church in Taraba State, in the year 2003. This encounter was the starting point by which Bro Michael Thomas Sambo became a public figure, as churches and ministries started inviting him for ministrations, and it has continued till date to the glory of God. The encounter has indeed opened people’s eyes and understanding on what true Christianity entails, and the knowledge of the unchanging word of God in regards to holiness and righteous living for making it to heaven. And till date, the testimony is still doing wonders in convicting sinners of their sins thereby producing true repentance from sin whenever they come across it either in CDs, book or by listening directly to Bro Michael Thomas Sambo in crusades and conferences wherever he is invited. This testimony has been winning souls for JESUS CHRIST, which the devil has been angry about hence all the troubles Bro Michael has suffered in the process, including the kidnapping orchestrated by the demonic Boko Haram terrorists to terminate his life, but God delivered him safe and sound from their enclave through the mighty hands of Angel Michael. This testimony by the grace of God will continue to win souls until CHRIST returns in the rapture. Amen.

The uniqueness of this divine encounter of Bro Michael Thomas Sambo also attracted the person of Pastor Paul Rika, Int’l Director, Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide (HOREMOW), who was a serving pastor in Deeper Life Church at the time, as a State Overseer. Since Bro Michael was a young Deeper Lifer himself at the time (Campus Youth Leader in University of Maiduguri), it was not difficult for the duo to bond together and friendship kicked off by reason of the encounter which was in a tape record. Meanwhile, prior to this encounter of Bro Michael Thomas Sambo, Pastor Paul Rika never knew anybody like Michael Sambo though they were in the same ministryand from the same Taraba State as a matter of fact. This encounter of Bro Michael was therefore the foundation that brought them together, though they have since parted ways, with each of them facing their individual ministry.

Having listened to the encounter of Bro Michael Thomas Sambo in a recorded tape, Pastor Paul Rika came to Bro Michael to plant the idea of penning the revelation into a book, and with the consent of the visioneer (Michael Thomas Sambo), the book ‘DIVINE REVELATION OF GOD’S HOLINESS AND JUUDGMENT’ By Michael Thomas Sambo, was written and published by Pastor Paul Rika. Don’t forget that Deeper Life Church don’t align with anything revelation or divine encounter, as the church is known as a ‘word’ ministry. So, how will this encounter become a blessing for people around the world, since Deeper Life church don’t accept such a thing, seeing that God decided to use a Deeper Life member to witness this supernatural experience? This was how Pastor Paul Rika took into craftiness the publishing of Michael’s divine encounter into a book and hiding the authorship in Michael Thomas Sambo. So Pastor Paul Rika transcribed the encounter into a book word to word by listening to the audio version, when he has gotten the consent of the visioneer to doing so.

Knowing that the book was going to become a direct confrontation with the leadership of the Deeper Life Church, Pastor Paul Rika who was a State overseer never wanted the authorities of Deeper Life church to know he was the brain behind the book, and then cunningly used Michael Thomas Sambo as the author of the book. This action he devised was to wade off any disciplinary action that might be taken against him by the authorities of the church, but in reality he was playing smart in order to outsmart Michael Thomas Sambo as events later unfolded. So the duo became ally and in process of time, Pasor Paul Rika pulled another smart move to register his greed and somehow took over the ownership of the divine encounter from the visioneer, Brother Michael Thomas Sambo. Here, Pastor Paul Rika played on the innocence of Michael Thomas Sambo, who was only a youth and misled him because Michael never read any personal meaning to all that was happening, but was seeing it as means of propagating the work of the LORD, but never knew Pastor Rika was having a hidden agenda and ulterior motives. Therefore, Ephesians 4:14 aptly played out here. “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” Indeed, Pastor Paul Rika deceived Michael Thomas Sambo, with his cunning craftiness by putting the revelation into a book ahead of the visioneer.

As the book was selling fast with testimonies coming from every quarter from those who genuinely repented after reading the book, Pastor Paul Rika saw an opportunity to make money from the book. His concern was not really about what the book was doing in people’s lives, but on the profit to be earned from more sales of the book. In process of time, he invited Bro Michael Thomas Sambo to sign off every right whatsoever to the book with the help of a lawyer. However Michael Thomas Sambo never realised that Pastor Paul Rika has tricked him in signing the document, until events began to unfold later with a clearer picture of the hidden agenda of Paul Rika. He then discovered that Paul Rika has behaved just like Jacob in Genesis 25:31 when he told Esau his elder brother “Sell me this day thy birthright”. Pastor Paul Rika used a lawyer to take possession of Michael’s own divine revelation after striping him off from every right to the book which he bought with Michael’s signature, even though Michael never knew that Pastor Rika was buying his own birthright with that signature free of charge. This move by Pastor Rika was well calculated as he already bears in his mind that himself and Michael Sambo won’t continue in future in the same ministry (HOREMOW). The heart of man is indeed very deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, nobody except God alone can know it Jeremiah 17:9. This is more so as the ministry, Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide actually came into existence by the revelation of Michael Thomas Sambo. This is an incontestable fact.

As Michael Thomas Sambo continued his education in the University of Maiduguri, he was requesting for copies of the book and remits every single money realised from the sales of the books to the publisher after selling. At a time, he requested for six hundred copies from the publisher for sales in Maiduguri, but instead of the six hundred copies he requested, the publisher sent him nine hundred copies. Discovering that this might have been an error with the additional three hundred copies outside what he requested for, he called the publisher to draw his attention to the error. However upon calling the publisher, instead of receiving a straight forward answer, he was rather directed to call Pastor Paul Rika (who has cunningly taken over the ownership of the book) in respect of the extra three hundred copies. He obliged and called Pastor Paul Rika as directed by the publisher.

In his response, Pastor Rika told Michael Sambo that the extra three hundred copies of the books sent to him was for his upkeep in the school as a student, since he wasn’t working and will be needing money for some things in the school from time to time. He gave those three hundred copies of the book to Michael Sambo to support his educational pursuit and that was how Michael Sambo saw it, but not knowing that Pastor Paul Rika has sold him off completely out of his own personal divine revelation which Pastor Rika only transcribed into a book. Just like Judas Iscariot, who sold his master for 30 pieces of silver Matthew 26:15, Pastor Paul Rika greedily sold Michael Thomas Sambo out of his own inheritance with a mere three hundred copies of the book he only transcribed.

From the foregoing therefore, it is very evident that Pastor Paul Rika, the Int’l Director of HOREMOW is tricky, greedy and covetous. (I will throw some light in this regard as it concerns the DIVINE REVELATION OF GOD’S HOLINESS AND JUDGMENT book later). When it became apparently cleared that Paul Rika has made up his mind to deny Michael Sambo of his right to the book, he began to device anything to ensure that Michael Sambo is silenced from any relevance in HOREMOW. He started finding faults here and there against Michael Sambo, all in an attempt to ensure that the child of God is pushed out of HOREMOW. With flimsy excuses and lying visions and dreams by members of HOREMOW against Michael Sambo, Paul Rika saw a perfect plot to do away with Michael Thomas Sambo out of HOREMOW so that his dubious aim in laying claims of ownership to the book will materialise.  He started finding none existing faults in Michael Sambo and denied him of any ministerial opportunity in HOREMOW, and nailed his plots with a purported indefinite suspension of Michael Thomas Sambo from HOREMOW which he smartly tagged discipline, asking Michael to go and pray. Brethren, all these things were scripts already written by Paul Rika long ago in taking the ungodly ownership of the DIVINE REVELATION OF GOD’S HOLINESS AND JUDGMENT book, which he was desperately looking for a time to unleash. He just succeeded and he is boasting over it to the admiration of his followers, not minding that his actions are ungodly and unchristian.

When Michael Thomas Sambo discovered that his person was no longer welcomed in HOREMOW, despite the purported discipline he was supposedly placed, he humbled himself and never wanted to leave HOREMOW with any grudges even though his personality has been battered by Pastor Paul Rika. He tried to appease Pastor Paul Rika to no avail. Last of all, he went with two people to meet with Pastor Rika in order to fulfil the process of reconciliation as outlined by the Holy Bible Matthew 18:15-17. While kneeling down before him, Michael Sambo told Pastor Rika that he, Michael Sambo, accepted all the accusations and counter accusations levelled against him and asked for forgiveness from Paul Rika, not minding that they were false accusations. For 15 minutes, Michael Thomas Sambo was on his knees begging for forgiveness from Paul Rika. But Pastor Paul Rika never acknowledged his plea, neither utter any word in that 15 minutes that Michael Sambo was on his knees.  Michael Sambo thereafter stood up and left with his compatriots that went with him to appease Pastor Rika, and bid it farewell to HOMEMOW and all that concerns it. The child of God went to pray and God gave him his own non denomination ministry known as GLOBAL REVIVAL OF HOLINESS MINISTRY, based in Abuja, Nigeria. That was how Michael Thomas Sambo left HOREMOW in case you don’t know. And Pastor Rika finally rewrote the book he transcribed word to word from Michael Thomas Sambo divine revelation now bearing Pastor Paul Rika as the author, with a new title bearing ‘ESCAPING HELL FIRE AND ENTERING HEAVEN MADE SIMPLE’and making the divine revelation of Michael Sambo to appear as a partly featured article in the new book. It is well.

Bro Michael Thomas Sambo has left the matter for God to judge, and I commend his level of maturity in handling this matter since he became aware of the dubious and envious moves by Pastor Paul Rika.

TRICKY

To demonstrate that Pastor Paul Rika was envious of the performance of the divine revelation of Michael Sambo in the lives of believers that came to know JESUS CHRIST as a result of reading the book that carried Michael Thomas Sambo as the author, he was no longer comfortable with the rising profile of Michael Sambo in HOREMOW, hence all the tricks he played to get him out by all course. This was further demonstrated by Paul Rika by using Michael Sambo as a cover from the prying eyes of the leadership of Deeper Life churchin the very beginning, by using Michael Sambo as the author of the book. By the way, who is actually the author? Did Paul Rika have any divine revelation in the first place? A man that is tricky cannot be said to be a child of God.

GREED

The greediness of Pastor Paul Rika in this matter was selling Michael Thomas Sambo out of his own inheritance with three hundred (300) copies of DIVINE REVELATION OF GOD’S HOLINESS AND JUDGMENT book, so that all the proceeds from the book can be his and his only. If not for the fact that the book was bringing more money to the vault of Pastor Rika, why was he desperate to ensure that Michael Thomas Sambo was silenced by all means possible in order to become a sole benefactor of the book, a matter he is an outsider? This is the approach of greedy people all over the world. They always want to be the only one to benefit even upon what doesn’t belong to them.

COVETOUSNESS

Pastor Paul Rika showed his covetous nature by trying hard to claim the ownership of the DIVINE REVELATION OF GOD’S HOLINESS AND JUDGMENT book though he knows that he was not actually the owner. By outsmarting Bro Michael Thomas Sambo in taking over the ownership of the book, Paul Rika was saying with such move that ‘how I wish I was the one that got the revelation’ which he puts into practice by renaming the book and changing the original author. God warned us never to covet our neighbour’s goods Exodus 20:17, but Pastor Paul Rika has failed to adhere. A covetous man will ever remained covetous no matter his supposedly level of anointing.

CONCLUSION

To bring this post into conclusion, why has it become very difficult for Pastor Paul Rika to transcribe the several supposedly divine encounter of his wife, prophetess Linda Paul Rika nee Ngaujah into a book? Does he require any legal consent from his wife before her revelations can be penned by her  own husband? Since he (Paul Rika) boasts and prides that his wife Linda is having fresh revelations every day (which are majorly fake anyway), why are these supposedly revelations not qualified for a book to be written by her husband, Pastor Paul Rika? If there were no hidden motives behind the taking over of the book, why did Paul Rika engaged in demonising Michael Sambo and painting him in bad light before the public? In all, it is comfortable to declare that Paul Rika is both greedy of filthy lucre and very cunning and covetous man.

May God be the judge over this matter.

Visit here to read the online version of the original book by Michael Thomas Sambo http://www.divinerevelationonholiness.org/

Lugard Ekhator

08051516844