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BISHOP NICHOLAS Duncan Williams, General Overseer of Action Chapel International, has expressed disquiet over strange things that are happening in the Christian ministry today.
He was speaking to an assembly of Christian believers. Below are the words of the man of God, a pioneer of the Charismatic Movement in Ghana.
“Today ministry is not about souls like it was before. It is all about numbers now. It is about who has the biggest crowd and who fills the biggest auditorium and who has the best building in town.
The whole thing has become image, flesh and numbers. It has become who is better than who; who has been around for a long time than who.
Who cares? I was talking with somebody the other day that even if I have my way, I will remove the Archbishop’. Seriously! Brother Nick, is okay. I don’t care.
Listen, my focus is not on positions and titles; it not about office. I want to be on fire even in my old age. I want to be on fire for the Lord.
I was told about some magazine that did a publication about the richest preachers either in Africa or somewhere else, and one pastor’s name wasn’t mentioned, and he was angry that his name wasn’t mentioned.
And my name wasn’t there either and I said thank God that my name wasn’t there. Why should that anger you. But it just reveals where we are. We are not (concerned) about true riches anymore. It is just about status, image, attention, relevance, how men and women perceive us.
We don’t care about what God thinks about us anymore. It is about what we are seeing and we are handled than we will offend the Holy Spirit of (1:56- 1:58) for the acceptance of men. Something is off.
People want to be everywhere. The other day somebody was telling me about opening branches in some places like Bolgatanga. And I said I will never go there to open a branch. Why should I open a branch at Bolgatanga when I have Pastor Eastwood there?
My son is there doing a good job. What am I going to do at Bolgatanga? To have a church there to show that I have many branches? Listen, Heaven has nothing to do with many branches you have.
If you have branches, it is good. Check your motive; why do I have to go to Bolgatanga to open a branch there so that I will end up having conflict with my own son? What point am I proving?
One of my bishops was talking to me about having a church in one of this African countries that God is giving me a lot of favour there with everybody including those in government.
He continued to say, “Papa the way you are celebrated here, the way they love you, we need to bring Action here and I said you people are a stumbling block to me.”
I said “bishop, I have a problem with that mentality. Do you know how many sons I have in this city who have mega churches in this city? And do you know friends I have in this city?
One of them came to me yesterday, he has over 3000 people and I said you want me to create conflict. You want me to set up a branch here so I can end up having conflict with the brethren.
We have passed from death to life because we love the brethren, not strife among the brethren, division or conflict because I have contacts. I have influence and I can get a land.
That land should be given to another church. There are churches that do not have lands, they can have it. I don’t need a land. What am I trying to prove? I don’t need to be everywhere?
T.L. Osborn didn’t have one building, Oral Robert didn’t have one church, Papa Hagin had a small church, Dr. Sam had one church in Southbourne, Indianapolis and yet these were generals.
When I went to Heaven, they showed me the city of T.L. Osborn. This generation is sick. All we are into is: who is big? Who is huge” Look at the crowd, numbers. That is all we are seeking for.
Forty years ago, my friend, Dr. Michael Basit of blessed memory, said to me, “we want to have a breakfast in Hampstead. He said, “Nick, the name of the game is about numbers.”
It is not about the souls but numbers because the numbers bring the money and the numbers bring recognition, attention, relevance and acceptance.
When you have the numbers, people don’t care about how you got it, everybody runs to you and you become the biggest thing in town.
The name of the game, don’t forget is numbers.”
Why do you want the numbers and they kept pushing me? We have to have a branch here and I said to them, “go build your own branch, give it your own name but don’t attach Action or my name to it.
I don’t need many branches to make it to Heaven. It is not about branches; it is the motive behind the branches. The motive behind why you do what you do. That is why our works would go through fire.
Everybody’s works shall be tested by fire. It is on that day that we will know…”
Transcribed by a CLC staff
