Apostle Explains Why People Warned Him against Following Pastor Chris Oyakhilome
- A Nigerian apostle has recounted how some people advised him not to be like Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, the founder of Christ Embassy
- According to him, a number of people had approached him in the past, warning him not to end up like the popular pastor
- However, the young man narrated what happened in the end and expressed satisfaction that he didn't take their advice
A Nigerian apostle has spoken about his early years in ministry, recalling how several individuals once cautioned him against following the path of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, the founder of Christ Embassy.
He explained that these warnings surfaced shortly after he began full-time pastoral work in his early twenties, a period when he was still learning and forming his leadership identity.
Source: Twitter
Apostle advised not to imitate Chris Oyakhilome
At the time, he confessed that he listened quietly, unsure how to interpret the concerns being raised.
In a lengthy post shared on X, the apostle, identified as @Apostle Harrison Ayintete, recounted one particular encounter with an older businessman in Akure who requested to see him urgently.
According to him, the man claimed to have received a spiritual message urging the young pastor not to become like Pastor Chris.
Though uncomfortable about the meeting, the apostle stated that he neither embraced nor fully dismissed the warning, choosing instead to continue with his work.
As the years passed, the apostle said similar advice came from at least three other men, all repeating the same caution.
Source: Twitter
With time and maturity, he explained that he began to notice a similarity among those who approached him.
He observed that each of them had previously separated from their own churches and harboured resentment towards established church leadership, including resistance to authority.
The apostle said he later concluded that these individuals were uncomfortable with strong, decisive leadership and may have recognised those traits developing in him.
He believed their warnings were attempts to influence him while he was still young, rather than sincere guidance rooted in goodwill.
In his post, he emphasised that advice shaped by unresolved bitterness could not be considered spiritually sound.
Apostle reiterates his respect for Chris Oyakhilome
He went on to clarify that he never saw himself as a replica of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and did not aspire to become him.
However, he acknowledged that the senior pastor's boldness and leadership style remained a source of motivation for him.
The apostle expressed satisfaction that he chose not to accept counsel from those he viewed as disillusioned former followers, stressing that leadership lessons, in his view, could not come from offence-driven perspectives.
In his words:
"DO NOT BE LIKE PASTOR CHRIS. He called me on phone, I was about 23 years old then, I had just started full time pastoring, he said he had an urgent word for me and he would be waiting for me at the junction of my church, South Gate, Futa. I was younger and quite impressionable so I hurried to see him. He was an entrepreneur in the city of Akure, in his 30s I presume and his message was that God told him to warn me not become like Pastor Chris. He said he saw Pastor Chris in a vision and he went on to say some really unnerving things. Well, I didn’t know what to make of it so I left it.
"Years later, I will meet at least three other men like him say exactly the same words ‘do not be like Pastor Chris’. As I developed, I wondered what was consistent with these men bringing me this message. I figured it out at last, they all left their churches in bitterness against the pastors claiming they didn’t like pasrotal control (or so they call it), they, seeing how strong willed I am or my kind of leadership strength, could tell that I was heading the way of a personality like Pastor Chris, his audacity and leadership strength, they didn’t like the imagination of that so they felt they could manipulate me whilst I was still young. Godly visions never come from bitter souls. Write this down!
"Well, if you are reading this, any of you who said those words because I know you read my posts in secret, I AM NOT PASTOR CHRIS, I CAN NEVER BE PASTOR CHRIS BUT PASTOR CHRIS’ EXAMPLE OF LEADERSHIP STRENGHT REMAINS AN INSPIRATION TO ME ALWAYS! This is me saying, I didn’t take your advice and I will never take advice on leadership from church deserters no matter how old you are. You cannot be an offended follower and give advise on leadership! Blessed."
See the post below:
Pastor speaks about Chris Oyakhilome
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian pastor shared a post on the X app about his experience with popular pastor Chris Oyakhilome.
In the viral post, he talked about what he knew about his colleague and what he had observed over the years.
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
