Catholic Church Perverts The Gospel Of Jesus Christ - Pastor Chris Okotie

Pastor Chris Okotie

Pastor Chris Okotie of the Household of God Church International Ministries tells GBENRO ADEOYE in this interview why he still wants to run for president despite his three failed attempts and why he splashed over N150m on two luxury cars recently
Has God spoken to you yet about contesting for the election or not?
God spoke to me about my participation in the political process, which was why I took the step in the first place. He has not said anything contrary.

Why do you still want to contest knowing that you have not always secured reasonable votes to become president? Besides, elections in Nigeria have not always been free and fair.
You said it. The elections have always been rigged, everybody knows that and that is why it is incorrect to say I have not always secured the votes required to win.
Why do you think your previous shots at the presidency failed?
 I can sum it up in one word- Rigging by the PDP. Even one of the party’s stalwarts, Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe, told The PUNCH recently that all elections have always been rigged. So that answers the question.
If you are contesting in 2015, what will you be doing differently and what should Nigerians expect?
I don’t want to disclose that now because of my previous experience. Someone out there could steal our strategy.
You recently stirred up controversy when you said Catholics would go to hell. Why did you say that?
 It is because the church perverts the gospel of Jesus Christ and that perversion is located in the leadership. Even as Pope Francis recently announced. However, there are many good Christians within the Catholic Church who are not aware of the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, that has substituted Mary for Jesus, in what is known as the hyperdulia of the Virgin Mary. Salvation for them is not through Jesus alone but in accordance with what Pope Francis recently announced to the world. That, in itself, is a direct violation of the sanctity of the scriptures.
You even described the Pope as “an anti-Christ and a friend of Satan” and that the Catholic Church is a counterfeit church set up by Satan. What made you say this?
The heresies in their doctrine and the recent announcement by Pope Francis corroborate this position.
You seem to be a fashionable man. At a Red Carpet event recently, you showed off your designer outfits, naming Franck Muller and Lois Vuitton as some of the designers. But as a pastor, why are you interested in such things.
Pastors are human beings, right? We could be fashionable like everyone else. King Solomon, the servant of God was the most fashionable icon in his day.
 Some Pentecostal pastors think it is wrong for clerics to have jerry curls, why do you wear curls and how do you respond to misgivings about your curls?
My hair style is part of my fashion statement. I have no misgivings at all. Also, I do not wear jerry curls. It is now old fashioned. There are better innovations in hair styling today.
Some people also criticised you for buying a N120m car recently, they claim pastors should not have such luxury items, particularly in a country with so much poverty and that such money could empower a lot of people. What’s your take on this?
We should not mix up the issues. Buying an expensive car is a choice. In our church, we are involved in a lot of charitable events, like our annual GRACE programme, amongst other charitable things that we do to bless our members. I think the reaction you mentioned is because of the novelty of buying such an expensive automobile. You know I bought those cars for a purpose, which is to celebrate my 30 years as a born again Christian, which actually was in November last year; then, the 27th anniversary of our church which comes up on February 1, 2014. These cars are part of the event; that was why our publicist sent pictures of the new cars, taken by Seyi Body Lawson, our in-house photographer, to some media houses.
 Do you own a jet, if not, are you planning to buy one?
 No, I do not have a jet now. But I will if it becomes necessary in the prosecution of my ecclesiastical responsibilities.
With your love for luxury automobiles, what message are you sending to your church members? Do you think Nigerians would even want to vote for someone with ostentatious lifestyle?
Our faith is predicated on the finished work of the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is vindicated by his resurrection from the dead. And it is crystallised when we personally appropriate his blood through faith.  My life is a trajectory of faith and commitment to divine servitude.  It is proof that the veracity of scripture cannot be impeached, that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. That is why 27 years ago I had nothing, but through a progressive application of the word of God, I have appropriated soul prosperity and material blessings. That is why I was able to pay N33m for the Range Rover Autobiography 2014 Executive and just over N120m for the Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe 2014 bespoke edition; to mark the occasion of 30 years of being a Christian and 27 years of being the pastor of the Household of God Church. 30 years is symbolic because it is reminiscent of the baptism of the lord Jesus at the River Jordan at the age of 30.  Prosperity is an integral part of the gospel. It is not an end in itself. It is the authentication and the validation of the acceptance of the Melchizedek priesthood of our lord Jesus Christ.
People say you go out in a convoy of vehicles with bodyguards. There was also a picture on the internet which showed you on the pulpit surrounded by about five tough-looking guys. Why do you use bodyguards, are you afraid?
Yes, there have been threats. And you know the days are evil, so we need to be more circumspect. The Bible says wisdom is profitable to direct.
 Some people wonder how you are able to cope in a church full of many women more so now that you are divorced, how do you cope? How do you avoid being distracted by these women?
It is by the grace of God. Let me say that I don’t get distracted at all.
We are asking this question because some pastors believe strongly that women are often used by the devil to make them fall. Some don’t even allow women to sit in front or counsel women alone. How do you cope and what is your take on such fears?
Inasmuch as the devil uses some women as vessels of distraction, it has also been established through the word of God and things we have observed that some women are also vessels of honour in the hands of God.
Some people still can’t understand why you divorced twice; they believe it is wrong for pastors to divorce. Why do you always divorce?
I have addressed this issue from the pulpit several times.
But why did you divorce someone you reportedly told your members God asked you to marry?
I don’t want to go into that again.
Are you still planning to remarry?
No.
What do you think about the controversy surrounding pastors with private jets?
When the unusual happens, like I said earlier, people will talk. When I first bought a v-boot Mercedes some years back, it caused a big controversy. It was so with my Hummer jeep. I think the jet issue is still a novelty; that’s why it is controversial.
Punch News.