The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, criticized a viral testimony of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministry.
In the testimony, a member of the Church claimed she received divine assistance during a government exam has sparked widespread outrage.
In the viral video, the woman testified during a church service that an old man in white appeared in the exam hall and gave her answers to several questions.
The woman explained that the exam was part of a military promotion exercise, including 50 questions—40 on career-related topics and 10 on current affairs. One of the questions asked for the names of 10 Francophone countries and their capitals, which she claimed no one in the hall knew.
She said, “Brethren, nobody knew this question. So, all I did was raise the question paper and declare, ‘I am a Chosen! I am a chosen!! I am a chosen!!!’ Then, suddenly, an old man appeared by my right-hand side in white apparel. He told me, ‘My daughter, begin to write,’ and I began to write.”
According to her, invigilators who grew suspicious removed her church apron, causing the “angel” to disappear, but when she put the apron back on, the old man reappeared and continued helping her answer the remaining questions. She even claimed to have helped another candidate during the exam by letting her copy the answers.
The church congregation cheered as she concluded her testimony, but the video has caused widespread controversy, especially after it was shared online.
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, expressed shock that the church allowed such a testimony, calling it a fabrication. He criticized the church for not screening testimonies, saying, “There are testimonies you don’t allow to be given in the church. If you know that the story they are telling can only be told to monkeys, you should ask the person to go and face the monkeys and say that, not in the church.”
He added, “God doesn’t act that way. The God of Chosen will give you strength to read your books and go for the exams. There is no shortcut to success in life other than hard work and belief in God.”
In response to the controversy, Pastor Chidi Louis, the Head of Public Relations and Media for the church, said that the video had been doctored to damage the church’s reputation. He explained that some of the testimonies, including the one in the video, were based on dreams and not real-life events.
“There is no need for us to begin to doubt someone’s testimony. If anybody comes and says he wants to give a testimony, we give that person the opportunity; we don’t guide people on what to say or how to say it,” Louis stated.
The church maintained that it would not censor members’ testimonies and was not concerned with social media backlash.
Bishop Adegbite revealed that the Christian body would hold a meeting the following Friday to address not only this incident but also several other controversial statements made by Pentecostal pastors. “We will be meeting probably next Friday… and we are going to address it. We will speak about the madness going on among Pentecostal pastors,” he added.
