His Grace Most Rev. Samuel Abidoye
His Grace Most Rev. Samuel Abidoye
By His Grace Most Rev. Dr Prophet S. A. Abidoye
The Church has become so permissive that many distinctly unchristian behaviours and associations are now considered as scriptural and godly. Membership of fraternity and cults are so rampant among Christians that many Christian leaders flaunt their membership without any remorse.
The Ogboni cult is not strange to many so-called church leaders. There was, for instance, the case of Venerable Rev’d T. A. J. Ogunbiyi CBE LTh, who founded the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity INC on 18th December, 1918 at Obun Eko, in Lagos. According to history, the original name of the fraternity was “EGBE OGBONI ONIGBAGBO”, which means, “OGBONI FRATERNITY OF THE CHRISTIANS!”
I remember that when I was in the Railways in the 1940s, I knew many people that relied on membership of Ogboni to get touted special power and privileges. In some churches, Ogboni is recognised doctrinally. I am certain that salvation cannot be found from any other source than Jesus. I became a Christian in 1934 although I was not born into it. However, I was not born into a family that believe in becoming member of a cult. None of my parents ever belonged to any cult, secret or otherwise. History attested to the fact that the Resident Officer in charge of Ilorin Province in 1903 praised my grandfather, Abegunde, for not belonging to Ogboni, when considering who became the Oba Olomu of Omu Aran.
It is understandable for Christians to be members of Ogboni and trust on its power before God sent the Cherubim and Seraphim Church to the world. One of our songs in the Cherubim and Seraphim Church says that Jesus Christ pleaded with God the Father for forty years before He agreed to send Cherubim and Seraphim as a Church to the world. The main reason that the Cherubim and Seraphim Church was sent to the world was to put a stop to the inclination of Christian faithfuls going to witchdoctors for spiritual help. Our church teaches that with faith in God and simple prayers, our problems will be solved. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The only Person with power in heaven and earth is Jesus. The owner of something has authority over it. Since Jesus Christ declared that His Father had given ALL power to Him, nothing is left for the Devil to give his followers.
In 1945, as a Staff Clerk in the Nigerian Railway at Lafenwa, Abeokuta, an elderly man I assisted offered to initiate me into Ogboni for protection, but I told him that I belonged to a more powerful institution than Ogboni. He looked at me as if I was crazy and asked me, “What institution?” I told him that I belonged to the Cherubim and Seraphim Church. He never said anything about the matter again, but henceforth interacted with me with respect.
This leads me to the case of one “Prophet” “Oluwo” Solomon Oladimeji, a 65-year-old member of Saala Ogboni Fellowship of Nigeria (SOFN), and self-acclaimed founder of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Orisun-Ayo in Lagos. In an interview with Saturday Sun, he claimed to be a Christian. I am sorry, but I have to disagree with him because he cannot claim to belong to Ogboni and still claim to be a practicing Christian. Maybe he has not read 1 Corinthians 10:21 - You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. The Bible makes it clear that you cannot belong to God and Satan simultaneously. My God shall never share His glory with any other power.
Has the Pastor Oluwo ever read Luke 16:13 - No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Any Christian that serves another god is an idolater. As I said above, the Cherubim and Seraphim Church was sent by God through St. Moses Orimolade Tunolase to correct the type of Christianity that was existing before it.
In the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, before anybody is ordained into any cadre, he/she must take an oath that he/she will never belong to any secret cult. What I am saying is a member of my church cannot proclaim him/herself a member of a secret cult and be allowed to worship with us. He/she would be counselled, but excommunicated if unrepentant. And although many would choose not to believe this, in my church, we preach Jesus crucified and are born again Christians. Any Church that allows members to believe in Ogboni or any other power is a shrine. None who mixes anything else with his/her belief will enter heaven. Deuteronomy 8:19 says, “Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. Ps 97:7 says "Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods." Do not be deceived only people that confess Jesus Christ crucified would see God.
* His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Prophet S. A. Abidoye is the Spiritual Father and Head of the Cherubim & Seraphim Movement Church Worldwide.
To be continued.