UNWITTING VESSELS (sequel To Vessels Unknown)

ONE

PASTOR ADRIAN

['Touch Not My Anointed And Do My Prophets No Harm']
(1chronicles 16:22)

As a pastor called to the purpose of God, I tend to tow the path of my calling. And yes, I am a real pastor if you were wondering, and that's the truth. Believe me or not, God called me. Yes he did.
Well....I might sound unsure, but don't get it twisted, I know what I know. He spoke to me, not you!

Early in ministry, I kept getting this ridiculous questions. "How are you sure God called you?"
And I had been quick to fire back at them. " And how are you sure he didn't? "
And like the red sea, they divided into factions, questioning and answering themselves. Overtime, nobody bothered to ask me such stupid questions anymore.

I focused my eyes on the mirror in my bathroom smiling. "He called me not you!" I repeated to myself.
I'd said it so much in my church that nobody gave me the evil eye anymore. All the committee of eye rollers, the Lord, in turn gave them stiff eyes. And the nay sayers? He converted them to yea Sayers.

Some members went extra mile to designate themselves as my armored shield and tanker. But hey, that's okay. Who was I to refuse willing defenders?

And that brings me to the wisdom of Jesus. He was well aware of wolves in the midst of multitudes that followed him, he even appointed twelve rugged guys to shield him from Agbero boys.

Oh believe me when the bible made mention of the devils devices, Jesus knew this. He was well aware of the crowd that followed him. For in the midst of them, evil was bound to arise.

He was also not ignorant of wolves in sheep's clothing. He knew ahead of time, that finding men who were strong and willing, would help keep things organized.
And honestly, I have tried to follow the footsteps of our Lord...Maybe, not all of His steps. And not all the time. But, this Scripture comforts me. 2nd Corinthians 12:9a.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

The church was originally started by my friend, Femi Ajiti. He passed it on to me during his battle with cancer. Ten years after he went into remission, the church had grown.
We had even moved to our mega church campus situated in the heart of MLagos, added more buildings to the already existing ones. Opened up the church to people of all nations and tribes.

The youth fellowship expanded, increasing the of influx young people from around the city and other states.
The church also created vocational programs for those who needed those skills to make a living.

We leaped from two hundred members to twenty thousand members and not even counting our huge family of online members.

Also, 'Home and job success' team designed a 'Help Zone' to assist the men to get jobs, and manage their homes successfully.
The church also had planted more than fifteen branches within the country and six others outside the country.

My wife Brenda, helped build a network of strong and successful women creating and supporting businesses. They worked jointly helping each other.
It was in one of those meetings at a construction site of one of their members, that she had the accident that left her a paraplegic. A painful sacrifice that I was yet to come to terms with.

She never gave up, always opening her heart and our home to any who needed peace. The church doesn't borrow from anywhere because the seeds we sowed in peoples lives were yielding fruits.