Rev. David Kayode Aboderin, Senior Pastor of Faith Family Bible Church, Ojodu Lagos shares with Christian Benefits his rebirth experience among other issues as the Fresh Fire 2022 of Joint Christian Ministers Crusade begins today, Monday 10-Thursday 13, January 2022 at RCCG House of Favour, Redemption camp, Ogun state
Please, can we meet you sir?
I am Rev. David Kayode Aboderin. I got my calling into ministry in September 1986. The ministry was officially commissioned on 5th April 1987 by Dr. Emiko Amotsuka at No. 2 Eric Moore Street, Wemabod Estate; Ikeja after which the Lord led me in October 1986 to Ojodu to start a ground breaking work. Then Ojodu was a no going area spiritually speaking. It was very hard for penetration.
Share with us your rebirth experience before your calling by God into ministry.
Before I gave my life to Christ on July 12 I978, I had health challenges. I was born a sickle. I also had an incurable disease called sinus discharge. It was like a sore that refused to heal for over three years. At the University College Hospital (UHC) Ibadan, I was more or less a research specimen. The UCH doctors operated me three times without result. Most times, I was on wheelchair. In 1977, my mother became so bothered about my health case that she took me to a native doctor, who unfortunately poisoned me. My life became miserable. In 1978, I came to know the Lord but I didn’t get instant healing. In the process of time, as I got exposed to the word of faith through my father in the Lord, Dr. Emiko and the application of the word of God, the Lord eventually healed me. My case was referred to a professor of Hematology who discovered that my genotype had changed from SS to AS.
How did you feel about your miraculous healing when it happened?
It was like once I was blind but now I can see. When you talk about miracles, I’m a living testimony. We call it miracles but it’s just a natural thing to God.
How will you describe your walk with Christ since you gave your life to Him?
It has been great! My life gets better every day since I gave my life to Christ. Most Christians today are only looking for what they want from God. The Bible says “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things shall be added unto you”. Today, it is seek things first then the kingdom of God later.
What were the experiences that boosted your growth in the faith as a young convert?
My initial experience was the in-filling of the Holy Spirit. That turned my life around. Speaking in tongues as evidence of the Holy Spirit was just coming into prominence then. Today, most people pray a lot but without the power of praying in the Holy Spirit (in tongue). You cannot achieve much without the Holy Spirit. What brings the supernatural is the combination of the Holy Spirit and prayer. When people neglect the Holy Spirit, they cannot experience the supernatural.
Have you at any point backslide from the faith?
I don’t think of backsliding. In one of our ministers’ network meeting we addressed dealing with frustration in ministry. There’s no place for frustration to overwhelm any minister that walks with the Lord sincerely. I’ve had some tough experiences in ministry but I don’t stand on tough experiences. I stand on the side of the person that called me. It depends on what you are looking for in ministry. If it is to get fame, crowd, wealth etc you will be frustrated if those things are not forthcoming. Apostle Paul faced them all. But the grace of God is sufficient to carry him on. When we have proper understanding of ministry, we will stay in what God called us to do.
When exactly did you receive the call into ministry?
I’m from a business family. Right from my secondary school days, I had been in business. When I was a student at the University of Ife, I was doing a small scale business. By the time I was doing my youth service with Dr. Emiko, I already had my duplex and workers. But in September 1986, the Lord called me into ministry. I had three types of businesses then. In fact there was a period that Apostle Anselm Madubuko and I had business doing together. He was also not in ministry then. I didn’t want to accept the call but eventually I accepted it. God didn’t only ask me to give up my business completely, He also asked me to move from Ibadan to Lagos where I had vowed never to live. I came fully to Lagos in January 1987 and the ministry was formally inaugurated on April 5, 1987.
How did it feel leaving your successful business to go into full time ministry?
Apostle Paul said he counts it all for joy for the Excellency of Christ. He added that he died daily. Jesus said whoever that would follow Him must deny himself and carry his cross daily. He said no man having put his hand on the plough and look back is fit for the kingdom of God. Many ministers don’t have proper foundation. That is why when some ministers become ‘successful’ they feel they have arrived but forget that it is not about the physical things that they are seeing.
What is the mandate God gave to you for your commission into the ministry?
God’s mandate to us is taken from Ephesians 4:13, “Unto a perfect man”. That is, unto matured-hood. We focus on seeing the lives of the people transformed to reflect Christ -like. God has given me a teaching ministry for the establishment of His people to live the Bible and enjoy the fullness of life in Christ in righteousness, health and prosperity.
Tell us some of the church programme tailored towards this mandate.
We have a monthly outreach programme titled “Change Must Come”. It entails prayer, fasting and teaching the people the word of God to effect possible changes in their lives. My messages always tailor towards total transformation of people. The old generation believers made a specific mistake in being heavenly- minded but earthly useless. Whereas the church as the light and salt of the earth is suppose to transform and impact the world. We should be able to have the combination of the spiritual and physical to make a change and impact the world.
The problem has always been how to strike a balance between being heavenly- conscious and earthly relevant. How can this problem be solved?
The solution is basically being a doer of the word of God. The challenge is we focus more on just one aspect of the Bible; that is holiness. The word of God is not just about holiness. It is a total package. The Bible says, “Beloved, I wish you above all things that you prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers. So it is all about the totality of man. It focuses on your spiritual, physical, social and economic prosperity. I usually make illustrations with the lives of Joseph, Daniel Shedrack, Meshach, Abednego and Apostle Paul. Their situation kept changing but they never lost sight of their walk with the Lord. They consistently walked with God. When you have a proper foundation as a believer and find yourself in any lofty position, anywhere in the world you will remain in the Lord unwavering. Your love for God will be an open display; that you love God and nothing can change that.
As a young convert who were the people you looked up to as your mentors or role models in the faith, and later in ministry?
My main mentor has always been Dr. Emiko. He has really influenced my life from the initial stage of my spiritual growth in ministry. He is one person that has really impacted me. Through him, I had acquaintance with Kenneth Haggins who also greatly impacted me. Also through him, I had association with the Late Archbishop Benson Idahosa who formally ordained me into ministry in 1989.