Pastor Wole Oladiyun is the Senior Pastor at Christ Livingspring Apostolic Ministry (CLAM). He was born and raised in the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) founded by the late Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola. It was at that church he was imparted, early in life, with the raw power of the Holy Spirit. There, too, the seed of Heaven was sown in him for the old-time prayer, evangelistic and deliverance ministry that CLAM is renowned for today.
In this interview below he reveals why CAC members are aggressive in the way they pray. He spoke to Publisher SEYE KEHINDE & Assistant Editor SUNDAY ADIGUN.
You revealed in one of your recent messages on Mercy that you were once a houseboy in Ibadan. What led to it? And what was your experience like?
Yes. But let me put it this way. It was part of God’s plan to take me to where he has brought me to this year.Just like the way Joseph was sold into slavery. He was in a pit and from there to Potiphar’s house. He was forgotten in prison until his gift announced him. When my father died on March 6th, 1971, we were 7 in number. My mother was a Cassava flour (garri) seller. Don’t forget my father was a Goldsmith and a farmer. Continuity for the business was not there. From my father’s maternal side, some people came to express sympathy and show solidarity with my mum. Then, one of my father’s cousins, his name is Mr. Joseph Adewakun came. He was a diplomat, serving in Nigeria’s embassy in Russia. He was so grieved hearing that my father had died, so he travelled from Lagos to Ile-Oluji. On getting to our house, he saw our condition. My mother was in a very despondent position, we the children looked miserable, with no hope. The man was crying. Remember he was my father’s first cousin. He was just busy thinking of how to be of help, and then he looked at everyone and said, is there no one who would follow me to Ibadan? Because he had just been posted to Ibadan. He wanted one of us just to do one or two things to be able to take care of the home, not on the basis to pay me salary, like a housemaid. So, he took me to Ibadan.
He has a younger brother, Engineer Moses Adewakun, Isalaja of Ile-Oluji kingdom, who was living at Odo-Ona area in Ibadan. He was an Engineer with J-Allen Motors. When Baba would be going to work in the morning, he would drop me, his two sons, Tayo and Femi with his younger brother. I would take Tayo and Femi to Chrisbo College at Odo-Ona. After that, I would go back to Engr. Adewakun’s place, awaiting when those young boys would leave school and Baba would pick us. That was the routine. Later, we moved to Iyaganku. Whenever he dropped us there, I would be working on a Lacombe’s ( an arithmetics book). I’ll be working on arithmetics, thinking that one day, I would have an opportunity to go to school. One day Engr. Adewakun asked me a question. Unknown to me, he had been watching me, and he said, “You this young boy, I’ve been looking at you, do you want to go to school”? I said, Yes sir, I want to be an Engr. like you. That was the only remark I made. He didn’t say anything. Unknown to me, he met with his elder brother and another cousin of my dad, Chief M.A Akintomide, Director of IITA then. All I knew later was that, the 3 of them met, gave me a letter to Chief Jawando Adewakun to arrange for Common Entrance Examination for me, I sat for the exam and I passed. After that, I returned to Ibadan. By the grace of God, the 3 of them, Chief Salaj Adewakun, late Engr. Joseph Adewakun and Chief M.A Akintomide contributed money and paid my school fees. I give thanks to God for the Adewakun family and Akintomide family. I’m indebted to them forever
Let’s talk about the significance of Ile-Oluji in Ondo State to your life. I know you are very passionate about your home town?
I’m very passionate about Ile-Oluji because it’s my land of birth. My father was one of the foremost leaders in C.A.C. What he was doing with his prayer group, I didn’t understand until I grew older. My father with the members of his prayer group was interceding for people, requesting God to liberate Ile-Oluji, which I have continued with my group called Ile-Oluji for Christ. So, Ile-Oluji is my place, it’s my land of birth. It’s a land where God has started me in life; I had my primary and secondary school there. And God has prophetically revealed to me that the town would be great. Thank God it’s now manifesting. And God has also revealed to me that I needed to continue from where my father and his group stopped, from where God is continuing His support through our hands. For the past 26 years, we have been running crusades, medical outreach to villages and towns. So, Ile-Oluji is very germane, and very key to my destiny and I bless God for that town.
You are a CAC Pastor. Can you recollect how you became one? Can you recollect some of the moments you had with your parents as a young boy in CAC and how such moments have helped you so far?
It is interesting. All of a sudden, as a young boy, I found myself in C.A.C. As from 4am in the morning, you would wake up, we would chant Psalms until we get to our church. I discovered that I found myself in the midst of people, who would always be jingling the bell, drumming and praying hard. We would go to church early in the morning, bath there before we go to school, and when coming back from school, I’ll pass through my father’s workshop. You must not greet anyone, you will first go and put down your portmanteau. You must pray before you come back to greet my father. I was brought up with that old time religious credo, which I’m still practising till date, and that is why you see sanity in the Christianity I’m practising. I was brought up in such a way that you must have purity in your mind, which is still there. C.A.C is my church. God has brought me forth from C.A.C to break new frontiers in the apostolic spectrum. So, everything you see about me today stems from C.A.C. the Apostolic faith is about the word of God, it’s about prayers, living the life of holiness and having eternity in mind. Over the years, God has added values to us by enabling us to veer into things that would preserve legacies and make humanity better.
My father, Elder Samuel Oladiyun, was the Balogun of C.A.C. He was nominated as a prayer leader for a group of intercessors. His best friend was Pastor Akinmoladun Amos. These people were very zealous for the Lord, and they didn’t compromise their faith at all. In C.A.C then, we abhorred anything that has to do with Occultism. In our town, Ile-Oluji, as at that time, was very fetish, so much that people were running away from the town. I remember a day that the incumbent king sent an emissary to my father, forbidding C.A.C people from holding a crusade because the cult people wanted to hold their festival. My father and his people disobeyed, they prayed and there was a confrontation. The cult people were throwing charms at us, but the charms didn’t or could not wreak havoc on Christians. The charms were bouncing back. I witnessed it and so many other things happened. Healings took place and so many miracles too. Many of the cultists later gave their lives to Christ. That was how I grew up.
I must thank God, I must give glory and honour to Him for giving me the grace to still maintain my apostolic sanity. And I keep thanking God for is having someone like Dr. D.K Olukoya of Mfm as my prayer mentor. In the arena of prayer. I want to say it’s by the Grace of God, by the favour of God, by the help of God and by the Mercy of God.
Why are CAC members aggressive in their prayers? Many people want to understand why Apostolic Church members always pray with aggression.
(Smiles) Let me answer you in a lighter mood. Three weeks ago, I was going to England with my wife for a short vacation. We were at the Virgin Atlantic lounge and I saw corporate ladies streaming in. They started greeting us and one of them said to her child: “You know that tape we normally listen to, that ministration that brought miracles to our house? That is the Pastor”, “You know you always ask me why I always shout whenever I’m praying. This is the shouting Pastor”. (Laughs) It’s our foundation laid by Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola. The Bible says: “Right from the days of John, the Baptist, the kingdom of heaven suffered violence. Only violent Christians shall take it by force. You don’t take anything from the devil in a gentleman’s fashion. So, our father, who was a leading prayer legend in the whole world, laid the foundation of aggressive prayers. We were brought up that way. So, when you see me and my boss, Dr Olukoya, we handle prayer the same way. That is our orientation. Not to take things for granted. We also like worshipping. We like singing praises. But when it comes to prayers, we take it by force.
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