Principles Of Love And Not Self Centredness Will Reduce Insecurity
OpenLife Nigeria reports that Dr Femi Lanre Oke, a transformational leader, teacher of the word, strategic mentor and President, Jesus Praise Evangelical Ministries International, has added his voice to the disturbing security situation in Nigeria.
As a remedy, the respected man of God said that loving one another instead of self centredness would help to reduce insecurity in the country.
In this interview with OpenLife Senior Staff Writer, Isaac Ngumah, Dr. Oke offers deeper insights into his ministry as well as societal issues
There have been lot of kidnappings.
Does it worry you?
It is quite unfortunate. Everyone should take the role of security by reporting activities that are suspicious within and around neighborhoods.
Everyone of us should take that role to secure lives.
We don’t need the law enforcement agencies alone.
The law enforcement agencts cannot cover everywhere.
So, should play our own role have a better safe environment to live in.
I sympathize with the parents of those children that were kidnapped in Oyo State.
We are praying that God will intervene as quickly as possible to rescue them.
There was Chibok kidnap and many others.
These are not good things.
But we are believing God that those in power will take strategic steps different from what is taken in the past to rescue victims.
The Introduction of state police will change things.
It is quite unfortunate.
I admonish the security agents to do more.
I appreciate what they are doing, they need to do more, citizens should also play their parts.
Some people have accused Christian leaders of not doing enough because they get favour from government?
Do you agree to that?
I don’t think so that Christians leaders are silent.
Religious leaders may not come to the public to criticize.
Most of them are in prayers but the fact that they are not talking to the media doesn’t mean that they are silent.
Most of them are in prayers and in dialogue with the people that are relevant to security issues.
The PFN leads protest with fasting and prayers consistently.
The Christian leaders are not keeping quiet, they are also making effort in their own little ways, more of prayers and also bringing the issues to the table of the government.
However, those that go to government houses
know what they are looking for.
If they are truly of God, they need to be led by God well.
Those who do so know what they are looking for.
God has not sent us to do such things.
Campaigns for election are starting.
What do you advise the politicians?
Well, somehow, most of them are more interested in their personal affairs not having the masses mindset.
Christ came with the principal of love, “love your neighbor as yourself.”
When we have the principle of love which is Christ in nature, everybody will look for another person and care for the security of another person and we will have more secure nation.
when people are self-centered only in their own affairs and they don’t care about others because they are self-greedy and self-centered, then, insecurity will continue.
Security is critical even though other sectors are equally important.
What are church expansion plans?
We have so many outreaches and there are many other things we are doing.
For instance, we just ended widow empowerments where we gathered over 200 widows, feed them with the word of God, give them food and provided them monetary funds for support.
We go to hospitals and pay bills for those who cannot afford hospital bills.
We go to schools assist those who cannot pay school fees give them scholarships.
We do some of these empowerments to encourage people.
Clothing, shoes and bags are also distributed as well.
What inspired you to plant a church?
It is a divine mandate. God has called me as end time leader so the church is a platform to fulfil that mandate.
It has nothing to do with monetary things.
How old is the church?
The church is ten years this year.
Have there been signs and wonders?
Well there have been so many signs and wonders through God’s grace.
The dead has been raised severally.
The barren have conceived severally.
Wehave seen dimension of interventions that speak beyond the natural.
So, we have seen the move of God of signs and wonders.
God has raised the dead heal the sick and also opened the wombs.
People who have been stagnated and the yokes have been destroyed.
So, there are many things the Lord has done.
Is your your ministry structured?
We have the medical outreach where we do free medical outreach to win souls.
At times, we have football outreaches mostly weekends where we play ball in neighbouring communities and use that to evangelize.
We have breakfast Sunday whereby people come to church to eat breakfast for free and we use that to evangelize.
Tell us more.
We penetrate communities and provide them with basic amenities and at the same time we bring
them to Christ.
We go to communities to map out some major landmark projects and we execute them in a way to bring them to Christ.
When is you marking your anniversary?
It is going to be October 12 in this 2026 and the focus would be centred on coming up high because it is time for believers to come to a higher level.
God is calling them to operate at higher levels.
How were you called into the ministry?
From my childhood, I have had different encounters, revelations and visions confirmed with prophecy including different night visions, different encounters like dreams, trance, visions.
They cummulated into what guided me.
What can you say about high cost of living especially food?
Government should encourage local farmers, seedlings and crops that can help to improve food security
Pastors have been accused of the being fake, corrupt as well as sexual abuse of female members?
Sexual assault among men of God could be truth or false.
The devil is really attacking the pulpit bringing in false accusations.
The truth is that in such case there is need for precautions particularly when these allegations are false.
Those who deliberately do this to tarnish these ministers of God should stop or face God’s wrath.
Again, these accusations depend on the parameters that are used to determine if somebody is fake or not.
Do they have a yardstick to measure if their activities do not align with biblical standard and if their lifestyle contradict that of Christ?
One can easily presume that these are fake but then it will be a good step in another way if they are sure they are really dealing with the fake people.
There are lot of scandals, corruption in government circles. How do you feel about these?
The real reason why we are in the problem we are in today is because the law are not being implemented.
As far as there are no
implementations, we will just be dreaming of a greater Nigeria.
We will never have a great country until we deal with that monster.
Corruption is everywhere but people need to come to the understanding that they need to deal with such to have a better Nigeria.
Government has recruited more hands into Forest Guard to mitigate insecurity in the forests. Do you subscribe to that?
It is the right step.
It is a good thing and should be implemented fully.
If they do it well, it will yield positive results.
We are passing through a phase and we will soon be out of that phase.
There is Xenophobic challenge in South Africa and wars amongst USA, Iran and Israel. Does it bother you?
First, Xenophobic attacks in South Africa is very wrong and I don’t support such.
I encourage South Africa to have a rethink and to also understand that South Africans are living in other parts of the world.
If other parts of the world accommodate South Africans, they
should also be willing to accommodate other nationals.
On the Iran war with US and Israel, ee pray that God intervenes.
The destructions are enough.
The war should come to an end.
There is economic hardship.Is the church doing anything to solve the challenges?
That’s truth.
The president said it is a process so let’s hope for relieve and lets be patient with the situation.
The President’s economic recovery plans are good steps and we believe that they will yield positive results.
As a church, we are teaching people on how to adapt and maximize with this season and how to trust God living with the wisdom and revelation of God to solve problems and be stabilized.
Your views on 2027 election and possibilities of rigging?
2027 general election is going to be peaceful. God will prevail.
But they should consider more better ways to conduct the election like electronic voting.
Such model of voting is good but rigging should be discouraged at all levels.
People should vote for their choice of candidates.
Leaders should not force or impose themselves on people.
Your advice for President Tinubu
He has good plans and agenda and I pray that God will give him great advisers to guide him into executions of such Ideas.
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