As God’s Kingdom Citizen Chapel (GKCC) kicks off its yearly programme, 7 Night of Transformation starting from July1-7, 2023, Dr. Paul Ubeku Erezi the senior pastor of the church, shares with Christian Benefits the expectations from this year’s meeting and also addresses some salient issues that include why lots of Christians wallop in abject poverty or suffer terrible sicknesses and the way out of these two horrible conditions. Excerpts
Please, can we meet you?
I am Dr. Paul Erezi. I was born twins in the late 1960s in Lagos. While my father was a Catholic, his younger brother who headed a church called the Zion Church; a white garment church, prophesied that I was born for God’s work and called me Prophet and my twin brother Gospel. But our formal names are Paul and Peter respectively. I was born a Nazzerite; what the Yoruba call Dada and with unusual dentition. My mother also told me that there was a prophecy before my birth that I am a prophet.
How did that prophecy about you working for God eventually come to pass?
I had an unforgettable encounter when I knew Jesus Christ at barely eight years old. My mother attended a branch of the Zion Church in Kaduna state. From age seven I had started fasting and going to Prayer Mountains. Actually, I wanted to avoid the call because of some things that I saw in the church that my father attended. But at that tender age of eight I was already a minister in the church I was attending when our family moved from Kaduna state to Gongola state (now Adamawa state). That church was my first stint with a Pentecostal church. As young as I was then, I was made a minister, prayed in the church and arranged the instruments in the church before every service. From there every church I attended I was given responsibility to work for the Lord.
Aside that prophecy, what other factors confirmed your call to serve the Lord?
One is my willingness to accept any responsibility given to me serve the Lord. I had made some pronouncements to confirm the call and they all came to pass. This particularly encouraged me to surrender myself completely to the Lord. I am certain I will never serve a man-made god no matter the circumstance.
Share with us how you nurtured or groomed your call to serve the Lord
I have a very deep thirst for spiritual power. When the call became too glaring, I told God that I don’t want a call where His power will not manifest. I told God that I don’t want a call where people would come with problems and return home without solutions to the problems. I’m grateful to God that He answered me and endowed me the spiritual power for solutions to problems. Also, I had plans to become a successful and rich entrepreneur. And the Lord said to me riches belong to me; just serve me and I will make you rich.  So, all I wanted to confirm and to nurture the call God has given them to me
When exactly did you formally answer the call into ministry?
As I said, I have been in the ministry from childhood; from the age of seven but gave myself up serve the Lord fully in my adulthood, precisely in 1994. However this particular ministry; God’s kingdom Citizen Chapel (GKCC) is barely 13 years old. From the 1990s I served in other ministries before starting this present work. I served as a worker/assistant fellowship coordinator in the Deeper Life Bible Church in Okokomaiko, Lagos around 1992/93.I served in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). I was of one the RCCG pioneers in Ikotun, Lagos. We started the RCCG (Wisdom Chapel) around 1995 before I moved on to start the GKCC.
What is the exact mandate of your commission by God into ministry?
God specifically told me that many people, especially those that are called by His name perish for lack of knowledge. There are lots of Christians but most are in the lowest level of life. So, God called me out to teach people how to fulfill destinies. God endowed our ministry with the power to assist people fulfill their destinies. When you fulfill destiny you will be able to draw other people unto the Lord. God told me that poverty is not part of His glory. Sickness is not part of His glory. God made me understand that no man that has a purpose that would not be challenged. Even the purpose of life is challenged right from the Garden of Eden till now. We should understand that no man can fight the devil by himself except he uses the knowledge of God. God told me I will give you the grace to teach and impact people with knowledge. Many Christians know the Bible from doctrines to dogmas but do not understand the scriptures in the spiritual realm. Most Christians are not spiritually sensitive. God told me, I’m sending you out there to teach and impact people with divine knowledge and to be spiritually sensitive to the issues of life.
 Tell us about some of the church programmes in line with this mandate
We have held several programmes in line with this mandate. For instance We held a programme, My Case is settled!; an interdenominational service every Saturday but we presently suspend it for a while. We hold Solution Night every last Friday of the month. It is used to prophetically deliver people and also guide them towards riches and blessings. We hold an annual Seven Night of Transformation on the first week of every July. This particular yearly programme is very crucial to our ministry. I have discovered that many pastors who say they now God, do not truly know God, because if they do know God truly, they will have discernment.  When a pastor comes to your church and sees you still using water to pray for people, and says because of that he doesn’t believe you are of God that means God is not speaking to him. I can say confidently that I’m 100% of God. I’m not saying I’m 100% righteous. God’s righteousness is my righteousness. I’m not saying I’m pure. God’s purity is my purity. I can say boldly that I’m a child of God. I serve no one else bur Him. It is God’s word and His inspiration that directs me. I am a prophet. I use water to pray for people. It’s God’s command. God told me, pray with water!
Now, what is the forthcoming seven night of Transformation programme of God’s Kingdom Citizen Chapel (GKCC) all about?
It is seven nights of intense seeking of the face of the Lord for great transformation in the lives of all the participants. It’s an intense time of worship, prayers and prophetic releases. It’s our yearly time of spiritual refreshment whereby we are refreshed in the realm of the spirit and be directed into our blessings. For us it’s like if you don’t taste this food for the year, you’ve lost everything. This is an annual programme of the church on from the Ist-7th of July every year.
What are the expectations from this year’s programme?
As usual, it is our biggest programme always jam-packed with people and miracles because God always comes down in His multitude in term of His angels to this programme. The Book of Hebrew talks about the company of numerous angels.  So, numerous angels of God will be on ground to work at this year’s meeting.  It starts from 10am and closes 3am every night so that the participant can sleep and refresh before going to their respective places of work in the morning. 
