MFM at 35: The surefooted match to glory

The world is again agog as the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) is engrossed in celebration of its Quintriennial (Coral) Jubilee. The expeditious journey of this firebrand Pentecostal ministry, which started from a humble but ambitious beginning some thirty-five years ago at an obscure residence in Old Yaba Road, has fully blossomed into one of the fastest growing Christian ministries worldwide. Operating under the mandate to train believers in the art and science of spiritual warfare; thus making them an aggressive and victorious army for the Lord, the MFM ministry is known for turning the joys of the enemy of Mankind to sorrow.

The MFM is a model of entrepreneurial excellence worthy of note for those who may have plans to build great organisations and structures that contribute to nation building and general emancipation of humanity, from spiritual and physical perspectives. The General Overseer and founding father Dr D.K. Olukoya has continued to demonstrate exemplary leadership worthy of understudy such as is rare in our clime. At a time, he inadvertently revealed to an astonished audience of worshipers how his personal mentor (the Holy Spirit) admonished him for laziness! This is coming from someone whom his followers are already in awe of his tireless work ethic! Truly, we all can do all things through Christ who strengthens. To those who have no power, He gives strength!

The MFM spiritual organisation strongly believes and teaches the do-it-yourself approach to Christianity, whereby members are trained to be self-reliant and self-sufficient in handling life and spiritual challenges, rather than relying on the intervention of leaders. This approach ensures personal commitment of members to their personal spiritual and circular capacities rather than being liabilities. With this approach, the entire congregation develops corporate latency available to be unleashed at all times.

Of course, the strength of this approach relies strongly on another structural pillar of the Church – the comprehensive curriculum of the specialist departments of the ministries under the group. 

Although to outsiders, the MFM basically specialises in deliverance ministration, but nothing can be further from the truth! There is a whole depth and breadth of other specialties and training aspects that more than deserve to be consolidated as a complete University of Christianity. There is The School of Biblical Studies; The School of Ministry; The School of Deliverance; The School of Prayer; The School of The Prophets; The School of Power and Healing; The School of Spiritual Red Cross; The School of Choral Music; The School of Evangelism and Church Planting; etc.

The system is fully poised to equipping the dedicated members and even external Christians with requisite skills and knowledge for personal development, service and effectual Christian living.

Aside from the internal spiritual development structures, the Ministry also birthed a formal tertiary institution, The Mountain Top University, MTU established in 2015 Known for its strictness and enforcement of spiritual activities as well as one of the best music departments in the country, the Institution features a rich and deep faculty in multiple disciplines including science, engineering and the Arts. The scholars’ population is already in excess of two thousand, and many in the diaspora are finding the institution to be a reliable resource for the tertiary education of their children and their wards in Godly patterns and instructions.

The MFM with the imprimatur of the Leader, Dr D.K. Olukoya has a special place for the youths in his policies and agenda. In fact, Dr Olukoya grants the youth arm of the MFM special status and privileges under The MFM Youth Assembly, with branches spread across the major cities in Nigeria.

He has deliberately created structures and facilities for their spiritual, ethical, academic and sporting developments with motivations in terms of scholarships, awards, sponsorships and competitions for healthy dissipation of their youthful energies and validation of their skills. There is an automatic car gift for all graduates in the first class category, a project which has spurred on thousands of the youths to graduating with First Class.

The youths are also given many platforms to develop exquisite musical and choral skills and exceptional abilities in instrument handling. This current year, the MFM Choral Group in an unprecedented performance, picked up two gold medals while representing Nigeria in the Music ‘Olympics’ equivalent tagged World Choral Games, hosted in Auckland, the New Zealand Capital. 

Another strong pillar of the MFM is the charitable foundations through which positive interventions are made in the lives of the indigent in society. The MFM Women Foundation operates under the direct purview of Pastor Mrs Shade Olukoya. The initial objective was to streamline the dispensation of benefits to wives of ministers, but it soon extended to all widows. Now, it covers all activities for the uplift of the womenfolk.

The Church, the founder, Dr Olukoya and his Spouse are strongly but quietly engaged in charitable works too many to itemise here. They have made several endowments to educational institutions with the most recent destined for the Federal University of Technology, where there will be a state-of-the-Art Microbiology Laboratory facility donated for the advancement of knowledge and skills of the academic world.

Annually, The MFM conducts a power-packed spiritual warfare program titled Seventy Days Prayer and Fasting Programme for sharpening the spiritual antenna and physical rejuvenation of its teeming membership. In fact, members of other brands and branches of Christianity across the globe have been known to share testimonies of exceptional results from the programme. 

Perhaps, the most important but non-physical pillar supporting this great ministry, is the leading of the Holy Spirit and the diligent obedience and characteristic discipline of the Leader, D.K. Olukoya and his wife, Dr Shade Olukoya. Since the birthing of the ministry whose nomenclature was spelt out to the Leader by the Holy Spirit, they have managed to sustain and disseminate the vision and mission to a number of dedicated heaven-bound support teams in the area of Administration; Finance; Special Duties; and the Core Ministry.

Although an Academic of sterling qualities, Dr Olukoya successfully subsumed his intellect to the seemingly dictates of the Christian message and methods, which eventually converged unto a higher pedestal of productivity in the service of God and mankind.

In recognition of the Church Leader’s contributions, the American Government recently awarded Dr Olukoya and his wife the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, as the fiftieth recipient worldwide and the first from Africa. So, it is rather curious how a few uncouth, ravenous bloggers have recently carelessly attempted to apply a stain on the carefully nurtured reputation of this spotless servant of the most-high God, all in the hope of gaining followership, without careful consideration for the inevitable fate that would befall those who falsely blame the blameless. Some of these scallywags even expect the Church to refrain from taking legal redress!

At thirty-five, the MFM brand of Pentecostal Christianity and all the positive things it has been known for, have come to stay! The machine-gun prayer style, initially derided by the ignorant has become the best practice today. The Do-It-Yourself approach has become tried and trusted for the serious Christians.

The holiness within and without has become noted for its efficacy. Deliverance has become accepted as God’s Medicine Bottle and the kingdom of darkness has become jittery! Today, most Christians have come to understand that when and whatever the enemy has stolen from them, must be recovered by fire, by force, in the parlance of the adherents.
Congratulations to MFM at thirty-five. The Church keeps marching on, the kingdom of darkness will never prevail.
Aibangbe is a Media and Public Relations Consultant.