Signs and Wonders in Modern Day’s Churches.

By Gabriel Omonhinmin

On weekly days, Itedo Jesu Kristi’s Church, aka (Solution Center), is generally quiet and serene except for Tuesdays when the church holds its activities. The Church is located in a rustic and dusty street, known as Onibejide Close, off Hackullisi, off Giwa Oke-Aro Road-Iju, Ogun State.

Nothing! Absolutely nothing to indicate that a large crowd of worshippers usually gather in the church premises and adjoining neigbhouring streets, week in week out for their Sunday and Tuesday’s spiritual rebirth. Except one witness it.

Once the church activities begin, the entire area becomes a beehive of activities. The church service normally begins at exactly 9 am with praise and worship after which the church Pastors delve into ceaseless prayer sessions.

As the Sunday or weekly church services progresses with melodious Christian songs, an enchanting voice of the 65 years old Prophetess, (Dr.) Efsiba Bukola Aina, the officiating pastor and founder of the church suddenly comes up.

It is constantly held blaring out of the loudspeakers mounted in strategic locations on top of the church’s roofs, saying “Eti soro! Oya gba!! (You are yet to speak! Please receive!!) In unionism, the church members continuously shout, Amen! Amen!! In response.

The way and manner people from all walks of lives troop to the place for worship and salvation every week, arose the interest of the Trumpet Newspaper, who out of curiosity decided to attend one of the church services to witness firsthand the goings in the church and listen to the views of a cross-section of the church members. On one of the Sundays, in January, 2022, at the church service the reporter attended, the church was full to its bream, all positions occupied by worshippers.

After the Pastors of the church led by one Pastor David Adetunji had taken out time to pray for the church members, churches all over the world and the Nigerian nation, the church choir again delved into one of the melodious Christian rendition. This then ushered into the church altar the lady of God, all the people have been waiting to hear speak. She is Prophetess Dr. Efsiba Bukola Aina, who is the officiating Pastor of the church and for the day.

Her topics for that day were “Worshipping of idols is foolish.” And the Virtuous Woman.” Proverbs 31:10-16.

Prophetess Aina, who delivered her message in Yoruba dialect while a female interpreted her messages in English rhetorically, asked the audience while beaming with smiles, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. She continued, “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.”

She went on to emphasize, “The writer of the book of Proverbs tells us, that Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” She again refers the church to the book of Proverbs 31:30 which her Personal Assistant, Pastor Johnson Adesina Oluwafemi promptly reads from the Yoruba bible. She thereafter continued with her sermon, saying “I am here to praise the Lord’s excellent ladies. I am here to celebrate His women of virtue, His women of victory, his women of faith, His women of power.

“Perhaps you are feeling left out just now. Maybe you do not feel like a lady of excellence. You may feel like a victim instead of a victor. You may feel like a woman of failure instead of a woman of faith. I am here to proclaim a new day to your life. I am here to remind you that our Heavenly Father calls you His beloved. He sees you robed in the righteousness of Christ Jesus. He sees that your sins have been paid for. He sings to you and dances over you as he showers you with his love. Reference was made to Zephaniah 3:17, and followed by the congregation.

She continued in a roaring voice, “Those of you who think that excellence has escaped you, that virtue has vanished, it is time to change your mind. To those of you, who are simply surviving, flipping the pages of your calendar without living your life, I say there is more. To those who are coasting comfortably through this present season, there is always room for improvement. Whatever your situation, I invite you to come. Join me for a journey through Proverbs 31 and see the kind of woman God has ordained you to be.

“The Bible tells us that a virtuous woman is more precious than any jewel. As a jeweler admires, examines, and appreciates every facet of a diamond or a ruby, so the lord looks at his daughters, with the same sense of awe and wonder. When a son of God takes a virtuous woman as a wife, she is worth more to him than any treasure. The wealth of her spirit cannot be counted. Her value is beyond appraisal both to her lover and to the Lord.”

At the end of the sermon, the excited congregation, who have been nourished and refreshed by her words, are seen rushing to buy bottled water and anointing oil prayed over by the officiating woman of God.

The Trumpet Newspaper correspondent after the church service asked some members of the church that bought both the anointing oil and water, of what use are the products they bought? They unashamedly proclaimed that the products they bought, cures all manner of ailments, and bring about good luck and general redemption when faithfully applied.

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Who is Prophetess Aina? How did she come about these enormous spiritual powers she now willed? The Trumpet Newspaper Correspondent was privileged to hear her speak about her past, when she celebrated her 65th birthday. On that very day and occasion, she admonished people seeking spiritual powers to be careful the way and manner they go about such things. She stressed that to be called into the Ministry of Our Lord Jesus Christ is not a child’s play. As it required tolerance and extreme perseverance.

She then took time to explain how she was called into the Ministry as one of God’s Ministers. Hear her, “I must confess, doing this job is not easy. You see, I’m not loud. I do not seek publicity in any way, I just concentrate on the job I have been called to do. In my Ministry here, I just do what God directs me to do daily. I wake up daily, not having any agenda or mission of my own. All I do is left for God to direct. And whatever, I am directed to do by God. I just go ahead and do it. I’m therefore, nothing but a simple pencil in the hands of the Almighty.

“I reluctantly came into this Ministry some twenty-five years ago. Initially, I wasn’t ready. As I honestly didn’t know what to do or how to start. But the Lord who called me to do his job, began to perfect things for his own personal glory and honour alone.

“At the inception of this Ministry, things were not only difficult but extremely hard. At some point, I had to constantly go to one of the dustbins in this area, very early in the morning, to pick the stale bread the bakery was regularly dumped in the dustbin. As there was no other way I could survive that day, with my little children then, if I refused out of pride not to do that.

“I also had cause, on several occasions within the period in question, to again go and pick used clothes and shoes from the same dustbin, these items I will wash and iron before putting them on, all for me and my children then not to go naked. While facing these excruciating difficulties, the Lord I served gave me the strength to continue to serve him in truth, spirit and in honesty. During these difficult times, I never cut corners, nor consulted any other gods, except the Almighty God whom I will continue to serve for the rest of my life.

“At some points in this particular struggle, the glory of God began to manifest, just to prove that he sent me. We now began to witness some victory, until we got to where we presently are today.

“When I invariably struggled to buy this land, where this church is erected today, I approached a man who was molding blocks around this area, to help with some molded blocks which I was going to pay for, to commence work in this building. Surprisingly, the man not only despised me but ended up mocking me, saying “you! You can’t afford my blocks.” He virtually drove me away from his presence. In the face of this humiliation, I was not bitter or annoyed because I know that I was only doing the job of the person who sent me, which is God Almighty. At the right or appropriate time, he will vindicate himself. That is why he alone is God.

“My candid advice is that Ministry work even when one is called is not at all easy. Hence, the need for perseverance and continuous prayers. As victory will come. But it is not usually an easy one.

“What we do here, which is, preaching the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The unadulterated word. All in a deliberate effort to win souls for Christ Jesus. Prayers are also part of what God has called me to do. We do not add to the words of God, and we do not subtract from his words. And none of the glory of the church, we take to ourselves as all glory and honour belongs to God alone.”