A new book has been released on the life of the General Overseer Worldwide of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Enoch Adeboye.
Compiled to read like a biography by an author and journalist, Bisi Daniels, ‘Stories of Pastor E. A. Adeboye’ is the story of the amazing transformation of the man fondly called Daddy G.O. from poverty into a man revered by millions of people across the world.
The 350-page book, which shows for the first time the house in which Mr. Adeboye was born and the primary school he attended in Ifewara, Osun State, was released last week to mark his 75th birthday.
Mr. Adeboye is a great believer in the power of testimony and is considered a living testimony of the power of God. His sermons always contain stories about how people have experienced the power of Jesus Christ in their lives. This book is a collection of those testimonies, which reads like his biography right from his birth in Ifewara in strange circumstances to the present moment.
According to Mr. Daniels, the story of Mr. Adeboye is a compelling read, revealing how he broke free from poverty in his family to become a university lecturer living in a palatial home, and then abandoned all that for a one-bedroom apartment in Mushin, Lagos, when he accepted to become the General Overseer of RCCG.
Daddy G.O. confesses that at that point he was scared but God assured him of his support. Instructively, it was at that point that God promised him a city, which has turned out to be the now famous Redemption Camp along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State.
“God’s response to me was, ‘Son, don’t ask for house because I have decided to build you a city’,’’ he said.
“That response was beyond what I could comprehend. After this encounter, I began to dream of a city where everybody would be a Christian; a city where there would be no molestation; a city where there would be no power failure or water shortages. God began to stretch my mind to see a city where His praises would fill every mouth.”
The church had only 40 parishes when Mr. Adeboye assumed its leadership but now has over 32,000 parishes in Nigeria, over 700 parishes in the United Kingdom, and many more spread across over 196 countries, including Samoa, Fiji, Serbia, Pakistan, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.
The subjects covered in the book dedicated to Mr. Adeboye and his wife, Folu Adeboye, who stood by him during his most difficult times, include: The RCCG and testimonies on faith, Salvation, Miracles, Marriage, Fruit of the womb, Temptation, Unforgiveness, the dark world of power and principalities amongst many others. Mixed in with these is the fascinating story of how, having been born again, Mr. Adeboye rose from debilitating deprivation to become the famous leader of the RCCG.
In a testimony about Mrs. Adeboye, fondly called Mummy G.O, Mr. Adeboye revealed how he won her love, even when he was her least qualified suitor.
“There were many of us contesting for the hand of my wife. I wanted to marry a beautiful princess but I was the least qualified among the many suitors. Out of the number, three of us were in the forefront. But I was a student, while one of us was a lawyer who owned a car. All I had was a “foot wagon” (move around on foot). I decided to let her know my financial status
“I said to her, ‘Please listen. I have nothing, no money, no house, no influence, nothing’. I told her that if I had anything at all, it was the little brain God gave to me.
“I have nothing to offer you except myself. If you will marry me, you will have me to yourself completely,” I said.
Surprisingly, she replied, “Because you are so honest, I will marry you.”
Mr. Daniels feels privileged and honoured “to work on this great book of a very great man of God; a rare person of our times, who so many people around the world are grateful to be alive to see at work for God.”
He adds: “I have written many books but this is the most important and most impactful of them all, with the promise to touch lives of many people around the world.
“Sometimes I get the sense that I was specifically prepared by the circumstances of my life in the last nine years to write this particular book.”
He says working on the book has transformed him, gotten him closer to God, and equipped him with greater understanding of the spiritual realm, particularly the less understood dark part, where mothers kill children they carried nine months in their own womb, and cried in the labour room to deliver, to drink their blood and eat their flesh; where some mothers make their daughters barren or make it impossible for them to be married; where fathers cause their sons to lose jobs, and where wives gleefully turn their husbands to destitute and husbands use their wives for rituals.
In the foreword of the book he wrote just before he was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo recommended the book highly.
He noted that, “the sharing of what he calls ‘stories’ is an integral part of the sermons of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
“Most of Daddy’s ‘stories’ are indeed miracles, used to illustrate his sermons and show the power of God, rather than his own achievements.
“Having been a member of the church for many years and now a pastor, I have seen the efficacy of this style of preaching.
“Testimonies not only enhance the faith of others but also honour God. This book of some of the testimonies of one of the greatest servants of God in this generation is worth reading and learning from,” he said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A graduate of the University of Ghana, Mr. Daniels started work as a trained teacher before switching to journalism. He was the Business Editor of two of Nigeria’s most influential newspapers, The Guardian and THISDAY, between 1993 and 1996. For some time within this period, he worked briefly as a Speech Writer in Aso Rock to the Head of State.
He joined Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited in 1996 as Media Relations Manager. A year later, he moved to Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria as Corporate Communications Manager. His job included media relations and speech writing.
After some 12 years in the oil industry, he returned to journalism. Until recently he was the Chairman of the Editorial Board of THISDAY Newspapers and was also the Executive Editor, Business Desk.
He has written over 20 books, including 5 children books; seven novels; a textbook on economics for secondary schools; inspirational books; and plays. Three of his novels were published in London, and one of his inspirational books in the United States. In the last two years, he has written eight literacy story books on finance, road safety, and the oil industry for schools.
He is also a columnist with ThisDay and The Sun Newspapers.
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