The Bible remains an undoubtable living evidence of the almighty God, the creator and owner of the universe. The evidence presented by the Holy Book remains empirical about creation. The birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, his death, resurrection; his coming back and the circumstances of his coming, the generosity of the death of the wages of sin and the atonement of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Those who intend to explain the reality of the existence of God and his work using the only undoubted evidence of the Holy Bible, must be ready to suffer the martyrdom of the challenges created by the devil. These by any standards are temporary, for very many disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ went through and even very many of them paid with happiness and joy the price of death for their refusal to deny their faith in their Master.

Bishop David Oyedepo himself agrees that the devil is a challenge to the work of the Bible in his calling. The Bishop claimed that God said to him. ‘The hour has come to liberate the world from all oppression of the devil though the preaching of faith and I am sending you to undertake the task’.

The task can only be done by reading and providing interpretation appropriate of the Bible, a holy book that was written by 44 writers in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Most of the writers were not well educated and most of them did not know each other, yet the Bible remains a complete comprehensive library of humanity, the most ancient book in the world and a treasure chest of life’s experiences, past, present and future.

The instrument provided by God to Oyedepo to liberate the world, which is the Bible, is a book in history that has suffered such high level of persecution, opposition, hatred and book burning. The Holy Book remains the highest selling book in history. The Bible survived and triumphed over emperors, kings and dictators who sought to silence its message of salvation though the blood of Jesus Christ.

If Oyedepo – who turns 60 today, Saturday, September 27, 2014 – is truly called by God, just like the Bible through which he speaks every day, there must be evidence in his calling and the life of his ministry, of persecution, opposition, hatred and church burning, but like the Bible, those oppressions and hatred must not consume Oyedepo. Rather, he must triumph over emperors, kings, and dictators. These trials and tribulations and the overcoming are very evident in the life and times of Oyedepo and perhaps these are the secret weapons of the Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a Winners Chapel.

If nobody persecutes, oppresses or hates you in the course of your calling for salvation through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, then I can authoritatively say that you are not called by God.

Those who are called by him find their friend in the Bible and those who love the Bible will never find themselves without a faithful friend, a wise counsellor and most efficient comforter of their souls like Oyedepo. Hear him in one of his sermons in those days: “Even the devil knows I love my wife so much and there is no pretence about this, but my wife knows that my love for her is not up to an inch compared with my love for my God and this book (the Bible).”

There is no better way to pay tribute to the Bishop other than to make public my letter to PAPA in the celebration of his work and the attainment of the 60th year of foundation below:

“In all of the good contributions you have made to the body of our Lord Jesus Christ you probably have suffered some martyrdom like your colleagues. See them: Mark – he died in Egypt when he refused to deny Jesus; Peter – hear him, ‘I felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus had died’; Barnabas – he was stoned to death in Salonica; Andrew – he said, ‘I have long desired and expected this happy hour; the cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it’; James – he was beheaded; Apostle Thomas – he was stabbed with a spear in India; Matthias – he was stoned and beheaded; Jude – he was flogged to death with whip; Luke – he was hanged in Greece; Apostle Paul – he was the only one who died peacefully of old age in Turkey. Those enemies of yours and that of Christ only need to know that long before now, your calling has been consecrated in the blood of Jesus.

“The significance of the 60th birthday is better explained in the book of Ezra 6:3: ‘In the first year of Cyrus the king, the same Cyrus, the king made a decree concerning the house of God of Jerusalem, let the house be built, the place where they offer sacrifices, and let the foundation thereof be strongly laid (samek keywood sabal); the height thereof threescore cubits and the breadth thereof threescore cubits.’

“The above provides the empirical evidence of the good work you have been doing over the years and as a son I can only join you as you provide a strong foundation for our tomorrow, both in height and breadth in this celebration, as we all witness the threescore. Thanks for humanity. Sir, thanks for being the living proof of the Bible.”

It only remains for me to congratulate our mother, Pastor Mrs. Faith Oyedepo, a jewel of inestimable value (apology to Chief Obafemi Awolowo), a fantastic hope of any hopeless situation, the joy of our living, a living proof of righteousness, a complete reference material of the Bible, and the light of our homes.

To BABA Adeboye, I know this is another celebration. What joy on that day that you anointed Oyedepo, cementing his calling, as a proof of evidence that our God is real, so also is the work of his hands.

To Bishop Oyedepo, what is left, with a solid foundation in place, a master of support for the foundation and a continuous celebration of the living God? No one knows how to do this better than you! Another 24 hours of continuous dancing! I promise to be there at the service of celebration, let’s see who dances better!

•Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, GMD, Energy Group, writes from Lagos. Photo shows Bishop Oyedepo.

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