Posted by By MUYIWA OYINLOLA on
Following the $4 million scandal trailing the recently held Benny Hinn Lagos Healing Crusade, President and Founder of House of Prayer Ministry, Evangelist Sonny Okosuns says if anyone misappropriated money, he should cough it out now or face the wrath of God.
Following the $4 million scandal trailing the recently held Benny Hinn Lagos Healing Crusade, President and Founder of House of Prayer Ministry, Evangelist Sonny Okosuns says if anyone misappropriated money, he should cough it out now or face the wrath of God.
Okosuns who was not in the country when the 3-day crusade was held at the Redemption Camp, Km 47, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, regretted that the report he got on the Internet while in Italy was rather disgusting.
"They printed Benny Hinn's story for me on the Internet and I felt bad about it," he disclosed, adding that, "since then, I've been praying that whoever has a hand in it should return the money, because there is a curse placed on it.
"The curse that is placed on Gehazi in II Kings chapter 5 by his master, Elisha, when he did something like this is on everybody who has a hand in it. I've just returned, I cannot ascertain who and who is involved. It is what they told me that I am saying."
Okosuns believes that the reputation of the church remains intact, in spite of the controversy. To him, Christianity is an individual race, and it would be wrong to judge one servant of God by the deeds of another.
"Whatever Judas did, did not affect the rest of the apostles. It is not a shame on Christianity in our land, rather, it is a shame on the perpetrators of these things. And the time has come to sift the chaff from the wheat.
"If Obembe said Ayo Oritsejafor would not allow him seat next to Benny Hinn at the crusade, that also tells us about the crave for position. There are so many big men of God in Nigeria that do not know the big God of men."
Pastor Adeboye
Okosuns also describes the non-recognition of the revered Pastor E.A Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, in whose domain the crusade was held, as one other shortcoming of the crusade.
He, however, stated that he believes the man of God would not hold it against them. "But I want to say that the organisers may not have told Benny Hinn that he gave them that place for free. But he should not mind, God has already recognised him, and that is what matters. God knows how to pay back His own.
"When Reinhard Bonnke came, his people only gave me N1,500 for the use of my church, but I was able to get close to him. I sang at the crusade, took photograph with him and his wife. And I later visited him in his farm in Hamburg. He was so excited to see me," Okosuns
Getting Benny Hinn back to Nigeria
Whereas Benny Hinn left the country in anger immediately after the crusade, as he allegedly did when he visited in 1990, Okosuns says it is not characteristic of him.
"Nobody would be happy, if he witnessed what happened with the last programme. But I tell you, it will take a long time for a man like Benny Hinn to come back to Nigeria."