Jesus Holiness

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By Michael Egbejumi-David

Nigeria is a trip!  I used to think that Lagos has too many churches.  I thought that Lagos was the church capital of the world until I happened on Warri.  Per square meter weighted against proportional population, Warri is without doubt number one in terms of churches.

  Actually, the whole of Delta State is church infested.  Nothing is shown on local TV other than news of the State’s governor and his wife, obituary announcements, and then some church programme or the other.  Musical interludes are exclusively church/Christian songs.

Passing through Warri (including Effurun), you are immediately assaulted by two things: Large billboards of Governor Uduaghan informing you that you are in paradise and should therefore vote for him again, and signboards of churches.  I am sure that all the name combinations that could possibly be used for a church assemblage or a place of worship have been used in Warri.  Besides the usual known suspects, there are places with names such as: Great Minds Christian Centre; Church to Heaven Ministries; Outreach International - Point and Kill; Consuming Fire of God; Fresh Fire Ministries; The Carpenter’s Church; Arrow of Redemption; Heroes Family Wonderland; Heartbeat of God Ministries; God is Real Ministries; The Old Path Revival Commission; Voice of Freedom; Living Standard Ministries; Ministry of Perfection International; Chapel of Destiny Restoration; The Testimony Chapel; United Believers Mission; Divine Flow International; God’s Favour Ministries; Christ The First Fruit Ministries; World Community of Yahweh; Life Time Liberation; Answers Worldwide Integrated Ministries; End of Time Ministries; etc, etc, etc.  Almost all of these churches are of course incorporated entities.

Of all of these places, taking the pride of place right at the very top is the one and only “God’s Grace Ministry Incorporated.” - GGM for short.  GGM is led by one affable Urhobo chap who used to be known as Daniel Miyeriaye.  Miyeriaye used to be one of the priests in the Warri Anglican dioceses until he left in a fit of disaffection.  The name, ‘Miyeriaye’ means ‘I praise them.’  But that was in the past.  As soon as he broke lose from the Anglican fold, this chap promptly changed his name to ‘MiyeriJesu’ (I praise Jesus).  His followers then began to affectionately call him DKJ.  But he didn’t stop there.  Soon, he added ‘Osu’ to his name.  Osu means leader.  Then he added ‘Demon Destroyer’ (Double D).  Then came ‘Jesus Holiness.’  Not quite content, he added ‘Saint’ in front of his names and titles.  His followers and the media now refers to him as Saint DKJ.  Still not quite happy, he has recently added ‘Bishop of the Whole World’ to his ever growing names and titles.  You would hate to see his business card.

He never tires of telling people that God actually tapped him on the shoulder one fine day, commended him for his exemplary work, and told him that he was consequently and thenceforth the bishop of the whole world.  Believe me; I am not making any of this up.  This chap features on Delta State TV every other Thursday in the evening.  There is a giant billboard of him at a very busy junction in town where he announced his ordination as bishop of the whole world.  That billboard comes complete with a picture of him kneeling down before a depiction of God with God’s two hands placed affectionately on his head.

DKJ’s usual attire is a wine-coloured Bishop’s robe and a skull cap.  His very many and very energetic dancing pastors wear Catholic priest-like white soutanes.

His first claim to fame was that he went around some Urhobo villages and hamlets and razed to the ground their native shrines and other sundry places of idol worship.  I was surprised to hear that such places still exist in this day and age.  He was also in the habit of going into the bush accompanied by a chainsaw and some burly men.  DKJ would point at a random tree, and the men would cut it down.  Then he would place one leg on the felled tree and proclaim that the tree was inhabited by demons.  But DKJ really made his name when news emerged that he went to one place in Orogun where some people had been worshipping a stranded alligator.  The story was that DKJ slaughtered the poor alligator and used some of its meat to cook Banga Soup which he alone consumed.  After his meal, he proceeded to baptise most of the still stunned villagers.

His sermons have two main themes: Stop the worship of idols (which is fair enough), and nobody should doubt or question his utterances.  If folks believe his words and do as he says, they are sure to prosper; if however they don’t believe him or doubt him in anyway, they stand condemned and would be visited by untold hardship and suffering which would persist until they “repent.”

His pastime, I have since learnt, is the acquisition of properties – especially anything close to his main church in Warri.  He has bought and is in the process of knocking down most of the houses on that road.  God only knows what he is planning to do. 

There was a recent TV documentary where this chap made a “crusading” visit to some places in Isoko and environs.  I have seen a lot but I have never seen anything quite like this!  For several days, the man went around in broad daylight in a very long convoy of vehicles with full headlights and flashing hazard lights – although some of those vehicles had only one functional headlight.  The lead vehicle was always an open truck filled with trumpeters and drummers heralding his motorcade.  He himself was in a Lexus jeep where he stood and stuck his head and shoulders out of the sunroof, waving to the crowd.  About half a dozen blue-uniformed security guards basically clamped themselves to his jeep in a manner that suggested that they were expecting somebody or something to come and attack their principal.  After this, he would go off to a sitdown with the towns’ people including their local government officials, some chiefs and elders.  Invariably, he is presented a gift which his wife prays over and blesses before he himself accepts them.  Then in the evenings, he conducted his services which were largely him singing and dancing for a long time.  Then he repeats his well worn themes:  Say no to idol worship; and recounting his credentials as the bishop of the whole world. 

At some point, he would whip out some papers on which he would say were written 12-point (or so) prayer demands from the town officials.  Towards the end of his services, he would turn and place his mouth against a very large Hollywood-inspired painting of a very blonde Caucasian Jesus.  As he does this, his announcer would ask the crowd for silence, informing them that the Bishop was communicating with God!  It was surreal. 

In Warri, every few minutes or so, an escorted, blackened-out-windows jeep with flashing lights and blaring sirens hurtles down the road.  Yes, it is usually a Pastor going from point A to point B.  They no longer submit their meek and holy selves to regular traffic like the rest of their flocks.

But our God is very patient.  I suppose that is why He is God.  He obviously has an enormous capacity to overlook all kinds of inanities.  I guess the most that can be said for some of these people is that maybe – just maybe – they might manage to win a soul or two for God from the teeming people that daily flock after them.

And oh; then there was the case of the (Nigerian) Chelsea Football fans in Warri who turned up in church for a thanksgiving service complete with an offering-gift because Chelsea won the English Premiership title in 2010!

God help us all sha.  Happy New Year.

demdem@hotmail.co.uk

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He is truly a man of God

In this world many are called but few are chosen.if you insult this man i don,t because he did nothing wrong.if he says he is the bishop of the whole world that is not your problem,if he peform a miracle for you won,t you appreciate.so if today oyakilome says he is the father of benin city will you disagree? No we can,t so let,s call a spard a spard.please juge not so that you will not be juged

ASK FOR FORGIVENESS.

I pray that God should open your eyes to see, and your ears to hear and also touch your heart both the publisher of this article and the readers in Jesus name Amen.pray for forgiveness for you lied against the holy spirit, if you dont know the truth, keep your mouth shut it is better for you than saying what you dont know, may the lord forgives you and cause you to know the truth, how i wish you can come closer to the man you are talking about, but i am very sorry for those of you that have not seen the light,for telling lies and you are judging the man God sent. is your DKJ NOT DIFFERENCE FROM DIKEJI. choose your own way and stop judging people.

ASK FOR FORGIVENESS.

I pray that God should open your eyes to see, and your ears to hear and also touch your heart both the publisher of this article and the readers in Jesus name Amen.pray for forgiveness for you lied against the holy spirit, if you dont know the truth, keep your mouth shut it is better for you than saying what you dont know, may the lord forgives you and cause you to know the truth, how i wish you can come closer to the man you are talking about, but i am very sorry for those of you that have not seen the light,for telling lies and you are judging the man God sent. is your DKJ NOT DIFFERENCE FROM DIKEJI. choose your own way and stop judging people.

The Truth

The write up is correct. You see, I love fellow Nigerians for being religious, but every thing that is 'over' is never good, and Nigeria is over-religious. The answer to this equation is simple; 'read your bible', there lies the blue print and principles of the Christian truth. Many Nigerians are deceived because they don't have time to read their bibles, but have much time going to 'miracle companies', I mean the modern day false churches where miracles are manufactured by any false means available.

Nigeria spirit.

Gud talk & quite hilarious.Hope u open your own church soon.Interested in your guy who went for thanksgiving,what if the pastor is a MANU fan?.

This man DJK is a criminal in the name of God!

See by the time you blackmail a man of God, When things we continue to go wrong in your family by that time you we say it a a witch that is worrying you.

bus

thk

made in niaja

this is the best article l have read this year thus far......which one be point and kill church...na pepe soup joint or abi them dey fell babes there ?......l no overstand o!! dis na 23rd century church.....christ holiness.

Okoro Emmanuel, open your eyes

This is what the charlatan you follow said (on your website) ...

"By virtue of this great mandate, many have been saved spiritually and physically, the blind can now see, the dumb can speak, the deaf can hear, the lame can walk, the dead were brought back to life, just to mention but a few. Till this very moment God is still doing special and undeniable miracles by the hand of His servant, - Jesus Holiness Saint Dikeji MiyeriJesu"

Do you actually belive this crap or you are purely brainwashed. If he actually raised the dead, do you not think he will be the subject of every publication in the world?

He can make such claims and yeye people follow him but in these "enlightened" days, don't expect eveyone to automatically kiss hs behind like you so obviously do.

Hmmmmnnn!

Many are called,but few are chosen.By their fruit,we shall know them.Time will tell.

Sir Peto is an idiot

@sir peto. I do not believe anybody will defend these obviously anti-christ teachings and practices. That you sir peto can do so shows that the world still has a few mad men leaving.

@chi, you need to change your

@chi, you need to change your orientation

dear Reporter.(Michael

dear Reporter.(Michael Egbejumi-David ), i am a fan and lover of saharareporters, but it is quite unfortunate that someone who educated but illiterate is writting this kind of report,

Firs of all i don't know you,and from the look of things you are not an urhobo, that is why you cannot spell his name correctly, his name was change from mimeyeraye to miyerijesu the first is ( i just dey greet them, and the second is i greet Jesus,

In writting about religious issues you have to be very carefully not everything that you just see is what you report without verifying, you just get one or two lies to publish

Am a dedicated member of God's Grace Ministry, and all you have publish is lie and i hope that God will forgive you your sins, Mr publisher

Warri, church capital?

Warri, the church capital? Then you haven't been to Houston, Texas.

its better to listen to

its better to listen to coward pastor who stock in trade is to fool his memebers than listenin violently greedy imam who passes violent doctrines down to the young muslim...remeber Abdulmutallab.

This man DJK is a criminal in the name of God!

"His first claim to fame was that he went around some Urhobo villages and hamlets and razed to the ground their native shrines and other sundry places of idol worship. I was surprised to hear that such places still exist in this day and age. He was also in the habit of going into the bush accompanied by a chainsaw and some burly men. DKJ would point at a random tree, and the men would cut it down. Then he would place one leg on the felled tree and proclaim that the tree was inhabited by demons. But DKJ really made his name when news emerged that he went to one place in Orogun where some people had been worshipping a stranded alligator. The story was that DKJ slaughtered the poor alligator and used some of its meat to cook Banga Soup which he alone consumed. After his meal, he proceeded to baptise most of the still stunned villagers."

This man DJK is simply a criminal in the name of God! Indeed, the government should begin to put these 419 criminals behind bars!

"Caucasian Jesus"! I feel like throwing up! When are we going to free ourselves from this White indoctrination and mental slavery? Just like from the Arabic Islam? ABD!

This is exactly why our people are kept in perpetual bondage! Terrible! Wake up, folks!

Let reason prevail

The earlier africans realise that religious favour and grand standing will lead them to a deep hole the better.This nation and some other west african ones may sooner than later descend into an orgy of self destruction. SR always brings up these fault lines nearly every week hardening booth sides. Very little polite contribution here it is all dominated by hate rantings from mostly diaspora nigerians frustrated in foreign lands. Europeans killed themselves for nearly 300 years in futile sectarina wars of religion between catholics and protestants until they finally realise it futility and ceased , so may be africans want to start their own religious wars now - good luck go on to that path.

Is God in there heart and soul

Lets take religion out of the equation. The question each individual must ask themselves is do they really believe in God ?.
By believing in God means living a Good life, not just by worshiping in churches, mosques, Juju shrines, etc.
Sorry to say not only Nigerians, but most humans that say they believe in God do not practice what God commands and they preach. Unfortunately Nigeria has taken Christianity and made it into a business. God has not forsaken Nigeria, Nigerian's have forsaken God.

The writer makes a couple of

The writer makes a couple of identical assumptions which in my view shows he is not, conceptually so much different from DKJ. The first is that he evinced surprise that 'idol worshipping' 'still exist in this day and age' and he thinks it is 'fair enough' for DKJ to wilfully destroyed other peoples manifestation of faiths. It seems to me therefore that the difference between DKJ and Egbejumi-Michael is a matter of style and not principle. What essentially is the difference between Christians who believe Jesus was conceived without sexual intercourse between Joseph and Mary and those who worship alligator?

NIGERIAN ARE CONSUMING TOO MUCH RELIGIOUS DRUGS

It is sad. The religiousness of Nigerians is being misused by some self-styled "men and women of God" exploiting Jesus or Sharia. In Northern Nigeria Sharia is being misused to SUPPRESS PEOPLE while in SouthernNigerian Christianity is being used to DEFRAUD people.

Nigerian do not need miracles. What they need is EMANCIPATION FROM MENTAL SLAVERY. The pervasive inferiority complex in Nigeria (love for any junk from Abroad like Evangelical Christianity from the USA, Radical Islam from the Middle East, Made in China Junk, E-Waste from Europe and America, etc.) is off-putting.

Wake up Nigeria. We need a RELIGIOUS CRIMES COMMISSION (RCC) NOW to help restore sanity, safeguard secularism and help save people from RELIGIOUS SLAVERY AND FRAUD.

Freedom of worship is no license for hate propaganda, exploitation of the masses and stupidity. NIGERIA'S STATUS AS MODERN PROGRESSIVE SECULAR STATE supersede religious zealotry

Wake up. Join the African Cultural Renaissance by integrating the useful virtues of your pre-Islamic and pre- Christian values into your contemporary plans. The Chines are integrating their non-Christian and non-Muslim CONFUCIANISM into their development agenda of conquering the world.

Nigerians will continue to live in deep shit and mess as long as they continue to kill and cheat each other through borrowed foreign cultures that were and still being imposed on the African Psyche!

HSH PRINCE BUBACARR SANKANU
Germany
Skype-ID: princebasankanu

It is only in Nigeria

 It is only in Nigeria that we see all these wonders, Warri has taken to a new level. The names of the churches are very funny and interesting but only time will tell. God is not mocked. 

...I just wish they will

...I just wish they will listen...God is simply merciful!
..Nevermind the sledge Hammer is about to fall..!!

@peto

@peto

Why don't you pick your pen and write about the Mosque and Mohammed, SR will happily publish it......Fool.....

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha....

I really enjoyed your piece.
Very well said!!

Too many churches,and yet

Too many churches,and yet most of their members are not Christians.They are just follow-follow.They do not want to be righteous.

Selective Analysis

You concentrated mainly on the Urhobo pastor DKJ. I thought you would have mentioned Ayo Oritsejafor in some way. Afterall he is the first one-church pastor to be CAN president

The man is a lunatic

Thank you Michael for saving me the rigours of having to write this piece myself. Good work on the research. Everything is accurate - I say this cos I live in Warri and I've always condemned this megalomaniac/lunatic called Miyerijesu.

So many churches, so little religion

So many Churches,so little religion.I wonder if any of those pastors in Delta State have anything to say about the corruption and lack of development in that state.Of course,the answer is no.All of them are too busy accumulating blessings in this world,but they will do nothing about the souls of men.The problem with Christianity in Nigeria is that we have become so engrossed with obtaining blessings that we have forgotten that we need to be like Christ.

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