In the last few weeks, there has been unending fireworks going on within the Christendom. Doctrines have been contested, the integrity of some high profile pastors have been called to question. And the personality at the center of it is the man of God called Dr. Abel Damina, founder of Power City International Ministry based in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
For several weeks running, the man of God has been calling ouit several clerics, questioning their beliefs and doctrines that he insists are either totally wrong or fraught with inconsistencies. To say the man has drawn the anger of many prominent men of God is saying the obvious. He has embarrassed quite a handful of them and they, in turn, have drawn the battle line with him. Apart from his personal issue with Pastor David Enenche, over claims that he ordained him (David Enenche) Abel Damina is embroiled in several other battles with other popular men of God. This is on account of the fact that he has made several controversial statements that displeased respected clerics such as Bishop Oyedepo, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Bishop Ibiyieomi, Pastor David Enenche, Pastor Jerry Eze, Apostle Joshua Selman and several others.
He was not originally a man on the war path with his colleagues in the vineyard. He also preached prosperity and embraced every other belief that the others propagated. But, suddenly, after what he called a divine encounter, his perspective changed and he became a completely different man of God. He no longer embraced prosperity preaching and contested several other beliefs held by men of God such as tithing and others. And since his much-celebrated change from the prosperity spell, Damina has embraced yet another gospel that seems appealing and sometimes stirs controversies.
Born on August 29, 1960, in the northern part of Nigeria, he spent most of his early life with his parents
His name is prefixed with Dr., an indication that he is well-read.
Speaking on the genesis of his church, Damina said he received a vision for the ministry when God told him to feed the hungry sheep, and in 1992, he started his church, Power City International.
A year after he launched his church, he hosted what happened to be the first apex service in the Apex Cinema Hall, Akwa-Ibom. This helped in the growth of the ministry.
His style of teaching endeared many to him, but this was short-lived as many started seeing his teachings as heretics.
The first set of clerics to fault his style of teachings included the presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church, a.k.a Winners, Bishop David Oyedepo, and Apostle Joshua Selman Founder of Koinonia (Eternity Network International).
Reacting to Damina’s message on internal security, that once saved, forever saved, Oyedepo faulted the claim, saying that once saved is not always saved.
Also faulting Damina, Selman said: “Be careful of these flying doctrines around the world that what you do is immaterial as a Christian.”
In another message, Damina started off questioning the abode of God.
He is not also satisfied with Jesus’ claim of “our father who art in heaven” and feels the believer must make it a duty to know where God lives. He believes that if God created the heavens and the earth he could not possibly live in the heavens that he created.
Then he goes on to tell his ever-egregious followers in another message that a loving God can’t kill.
It was interesting watching him quote scripture after scripture to buttress this point in some of his messages.
He believes that what happened in all the cases where God was alleged to have killed was that God withdrew his presence from those places.
So for him, the destruction of the First World, the killing of the firstborns of Egypt, and several other documented killings in the Old Testament were not with the knowledge of God.
In response to some of his assertions, a Nigerian-born Founder and Senior Pastor of the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations, Ukraine, Sunday Adelaja said it was false teaching to say God does not kill.
Dismissing such teaching in his response to an inquiry, he said. “It is too glaring that it’s a false teaching. Just do some research into the scripture, and write out all the times when God was said to do those things. There is a list of scriptures where God himself gave out the instructions to that effect.”
Adelaja cited various aspects of the scriptures to show that God kills: Deuteronomy 32:39, 1 Samuel 2:6, 2 Kings 5:7, Isaiah 66:16 Exodus 22:24, Psalm 90:5 and Revelation 2:23.
On water Baptism, Damina insisted that the practice of water baptism should be discarded because it does not hold any significance. In arguing his position, he referred to John the Baptist who baptized Jesus Christ.
According to him, the sole purpose of water Baptism was when Jesus was about to begin his ministry and he needed John to announce him to the world through baptism. “We are making reference to John the Baptist because he is the founder and originator of water Baptism. John the Baptist’s purpose of baptism was to announce Jesus. John himself said “I indeed baptize you with water but the mightier than I will baptise you with the Holy Ghost, “Damina said.
He went further to explain the basic significance of water and the Holy Ghost in baptism, saying Jesus Christ has come to replace water with the Holy Ghost. “Today who is baptizing you? Is it John or Jesus? If it is Jesus, He doesn’t use water, Jesus uses the Holy Ghost. And if it is John, he uses water. Water is symbolic of the spirit.”
He went further by quoting the book of John Chapter 7:38 where the concept of the Holy Spirit is explained. “When there was no Holy Ghost, they used water but the moment the Holy Ghost came, water expired.”
But it was Damina’s stance on tithing that made him become hugely popular, especially among the skeptics of the Christian faith. The Senior Pastor of Living Faith Church, Bishop Oyedepo once said: “Tithing is an inescapable covenant obligation. Prosperity is not just wealth, it is impossible without tithing because when you are not paying your tithe, you are under a financial curse.”
Oyedepo further stated that Job as a man described as being without reproach suffered personal losses because he did not pay tithe.
Responding, Damina said that the first thing to settle is, what is the word tithe? It is the tenth?
According to the cleric, never at any time has it ever been that God protected anybody because the person paid tithe, God blesses people because God is generous. “God blesses people because God is a loving father. God blesses people, He makes his sun shine on the good and the bad, and He makes his rain fall on the good and on the bad, that’s God. Job now himself said the reason why he was afflicted was because of fear. In the Book of Job Chapter 3, Job said “The things that I feared have greatly come upon me.”
But in an interview Damina granted in 2020 in Ghana, he said that tithing was a fraud and was prescribed under the law in the Old Testament and God does not bless an individual when he pays his tithes.
Surprisingly, in the same interview after much interrogation, he agreed that tithing could be paid but that it was too small, noting that if 10% was paid under the law of Moses, it was paid with their level of generosity and stinginess, stating that today’s believers should be paying more today and not bound by 10% of their earnings.
Damina on May 1, 2020, in a message, said that Angels and Moses were not to be trusted. He believes God had no hand in the laws of Moses, saying Moses dictated the laws to angels who wrote them on a tablet of stones.
While Abel Damina tries to provide some clarity to the scriptures, the need to avoid unending questions that engender strife and controversies is imperative for the sanctity of the body of Christ.
There is a narrow line between the truth and error and effort must be made to stay on the truth of the gospel message that saves and prepares men for heaven.
Few weeks ago, he was reported to have criticised Pastor Jerry Eze’s miracle and described it as arranged miracle. Many had dismissed his comments as coming from a man who was envious of the young and flourishing Pastor Jerry Eze. Reacting to this, Pastor Damina said “When I talk about arranging miracles, I did’t call anybody’s name. In fact, when I spoke about it, Jerry had not gone to London for anything. I said this quite some time back.
What I said was that the crutches and wheelchairs were all the same brand. I pointed out that the crutches were brought to the crusade by different people with different brand new, and in a sane society. I said these were brand new crutches and wheelchairs, and that some of the miracles are arranged. I didn’t call anybody’s name and I would want to maintain that position.
On his claim that he ordained Pastor David Enenche, he had this to say: “The truth was that I was there when the church started. I was part of the formation of the church and was involved in getting it started. It is not part of my future and has nothing to do for me right now. I wouldn’t want to over-flog this issue. If they say I lied, time will tell.”
“As I said, I really don’t have anything to benefit from this issue and don’t want to waste my energy on it. I did, what I did, and the videos are there to prove it.”
“Videos don’t lie; they are there on social media. I ordained him in February 1997, along with Archbishop Isaac Idahosa, the vice presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
Even the way Pastor Enenche sings, it was Archbishop Idahosa who taught him. Idahosa is still alive, you can ask him.
He had been singing way before Enenche started to sing
Idahosa preached on the ordination day, while Panam Percy Paul, sang. All of these are labouring time, they are for records. I’m not here to force Enenche to be part of what I’m doing. We didn’t have any misunderstanding.
It is just that in the public domain, they keep asking me these questions. And I try to ensure to keep the record straight. Some people think I am lying; I have nothing to lie about. All that I did for him and to support his ministry, I did because of Jesus. And if he fails to see, Jesus is the rewarder at the end of the day.
On his relationship with fathers of faith like Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Pastor William Kumuyi, Bishop David Oyedepo and others: “I don’t have a personal relationship with them but I relate to them as men of God.
-WALE LAWAL
(08037209290)
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