Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

My life became brand new after I met him

By Pastor Lazarus Muoka
23 February 2020   |   4:16 am
Acts 9:3-6 says, “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth...

Horse Evangelical Group of the Lord’s Chosen propagating the gospel, during the last international programme, themed: “From Sorrow To Joy.”

Acts 9:3-6 says, “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”

When we read about how the Lord by a light from heaven appeared to Apostle Paul in the Bible days, some people are of the opinion that it was a fictitious narrative. But to prove Doubting Thomases wrong, the Lord has continued to use same appearance of light called Shekinah glory to convince His enemies of His ascension, and to change them from foes to friends.

Recently, our Lord made such a visible manifestation of Himself to convince our brother Hassan, who was in the other side of religion that He is the Messiah and still alive. And same appearance as in the time of Paul produced same result in the life of our brother Yakubu.
Below is the story of his encounter with Jesus Christ:

My name is Bro Hassan (other name withheld), a native of Auchi in Edo State but resident in Akpata, in Magongo Local Government Area, of Kogi State. I was born into the family of Yakubu (other name withheld) in 1968. My father had 39 children from six wives and out of these, I am the only son. My mother had 16 children, including a set of triplet of which I was the only son.

I want to begin by thanking God for granting me salvation and making me to know Him as my Lord and Saviour. Before now, I knew Him only as a messenger of God, as we were not told the message He brought from God. But I thank God for delivering me from gross ignorance. I, therefore, wish to explain how I had encounter with my Lord.

After my primary school, precisely primary three, my father and mother decided to suspend my Western education, and sent me to Ahmadu Bello Arabic School, where I spent 10 years and graduated in 1992. In 1993, I was posted to Ibadan to be in charge of our religious branch in Akpata. I was there for three years before I was posted to Okella in Osun State. From Osun, I was posted in 1999 to Ibilo in Ondo State. And in 2001, I was moved to Kaduna as the Chief of the central religious branch.

It was in Kaduna that I had encounter with God of Chosen, precisely on November 18, 2019.

This is the testimony.

While I was sleeping in my room at about 1a.m, I suddenly woke and behold a light shining in the four corners of my room. In that light was an image of a bearded man covered from waist down, such that you cannot see the legs. And the man called my name three times and said, “Hassan, Hassan, Hassan, go out and join my people.” When I heard this instruction, I tried to cynically look at the image to ensure I was not hypnotised. As I continued looking at the man, he kept mentioning my name and ordering me to go out and join his people.

At that time, I was combining Arubutu called charms in local parlance with my religious duty. So, I quickly inserted my hand into the bucket beside my bed, which contained the Arubutu and threw the charm at the image. But to my chagrin, the charm bounced back at me. And the man in the image said, “Leave those things and go out and join my people.” With that instruction, the light and the image vanished. Three days after that encounter, by 1a.m. the light came again. In the same manner, the man called out my name and instructed that I should go out and join his people.

At that juncture, I told him I didn’t know anything about his people and I wasn’t one of his people. “I am a proud member of another religion, and have been conferred with a title of worship leader and will continue to be there forever.” The man again ordered that I should go out and join his people and that “whatsoever I would ask in His name Jesus Christ He will do it.” The moment I heard that name, Jesus, it dawned on me that I was talking to Isa the messenger, because that is His name in my holy religious book.

So, this time, I became emboldened and thus summoned courage and told Him, “I am not your people and can never be your people, and will rather die than to become one of your people.” And he ordered again that I should go out and join His people and then disappeared.

When the day broke, I carefully placed a tiller (another charm made of wood) each at the four corners of my room, so I would not see the light again. The next day at night and same hour by 1a.m, the light appeared again and as I searched with my eyes to know if the tiller was still there, behold I discovered the four tillers were on the floor. Then the image in the light said, “Leave those things and go out and join my people. And whatsoever you would do in my name I will honour it.”

This time, I was so terrified but managed to tell Him, “Why can’t you leave me alone? I have told you I am not one of your people, I am of another religion, the servant of Almighty. How can I go and join your people that I don’t know anything about?”

At dawn, I went to the general officer at Kaduna and discussed the whole issue with him. And he gave me a special tiller (wooden charm) and instructed I should place it under my pillow and assured that will be the end of the appearance of the strange image. So, when I got home, I did as instructed.

But at the same hour that night, the image appeared again. I quickly put my hand under the pillow to take the special tiller, but behold, the tiller was nowhere to be found. It was in the morning that I saw the Tiller on my pillow. I became so worried, and somehow returned to Kaduna to explain to my boss what happened to his Tiller.

When I got there and narrated my experience, he told me to call my father and explain everything to him. After narrating the whole thing to my father, he said I should visit him in Kogi State. I took permission and went to Okene to meet him. On arrival at Okene on November 25 and presenting my permission letter, I was temporary sent to Igboroke, in Kogi State. Before travelling to Igboroke, I went to my father’s house, and narrated everything afresh to him and he asked I should sleep in his room and let him see if that stubborn image would dare to appear. So, when it was time for every family member to retire to bed, I went to my father’s room. Lo and behold, at 1a.m. that night, the image appeared and said, “It’s now you will go out and join my people, and if you refuse, I will make you blind and after that, you will still obey my instruction.” His voice this time was assertive and frightening. So, when He finished, I ran to my mother.

And that night, I narrated to my mother everything I was experiencing. I then asked her if it would be wise to wait and become blind and yet obey the man’s instruction? I made my mother understand that if the man had said he would cause me to be blind, I wouldn’t be troubled because if I am blind, I can pray and touch my forehead to the ground and still lead people during worship, but he said after the blindness, I would still go and join His people. Then, I categorically told my mother that I would not wait until I’m blind before making a choice. At this point, my father joined us to brainstorm on what next to do. They reasoned that it would be suicidal to contemplate leaving the religion that have given me training and cover of which I have risen to admirable height for 26 years. My mother then suggested I should go and stay with my uncle at Magongo. He was a cobbler and also a renowned sorcerer. Quickly, my father consented to her proposal and I went to Magongo the next day.  I arrived my uncle’s house in the evening and repeated before him the reason I was asked to stay with him. After dinner, as we were watching television, suddenly the image and light appeared again. When I looked around, I didn’t see my uncle, but within few seconds he came into the parlour, while the image was still there talking to me. When the light vanished, I asked him whether he saw the image, he affirmed but added he didn’t hear his voice. Immediately, he called my parents and told them what just happened. And my mother rhetorically asked if the light still pursued me to his house and he affirmed it.

After the phone interaction with my mother, we went to bed. I started pondering what the whole thing was all about. And in my dream that day, I saw a large number of people wearing lemon coloured aprons with different inscriptions that glorified God sitting in a congregation and that gave me joy. When I woke, I shared the revelation with a female co-tenant. I told her I saw some people on aprons with inscriptions that advertised programmes of God. The woman said the people I saw were not Road Safety Corps but the Lord’s Chosen Members, that they are known to wear such aprons. I asked if the aprons were bullet proof and she said no, but the apron is used to advertise Jesus Christ. The woman also told me that she was once a member and even hailed from the same village as the General Overseer of the ministry. She invited me immediately into her apartment and put on the Chosen revival channel of the cable television, and while watching, I saw the man of God and almost all the congregants on aprons.

I pleaded with her to reach the Church on my behalf to help me pray, so that the image will cease to appear to me. But the woman told me she was no longer a member and has returned to Catholic Church, because the church is dangerous. Before I knew it, she had invited the Reverend Father of their parish. But before the priest could say anything, I told him that where I’m coming from is stronger than the Catholic Church, thus there would be no rational moving out from a strong to a weak position.

As we were discussing, another woman joined us in the conversation. And when I shared my revelation with her, she berated the other woman for not assisting me in locating the Chosen branch in the neighbourhood. She scolded her for being jealous of Chosen because she wasn’t a Chosen. Thereafter, she pledged to help me locate a Chosen branch in Magongo community.

True to her promise, on the third day, she informed me she met a woman in apron and had told her to link me up. And the woman has promised to send Okada to take me to the church.

So, it happened on the morning of December 25, 2019, I was at the frontage of my house and a tricycle rider arrived and enquired of me and we rode to the Lord’s Chosen Church, Magongo branch.

As I entered the church, I saw that almost all the members were wearing aprons. After the service, I met with the pastor and requested that he should provide an apron for me. He pulled off his own and gave it to me. So, I went home in apron.

When I got home, I discovered that my co-tenant who counseled me against going to Chosen had sent message to my mother that I have gone to join the dangerous church. Consequently, my mother sent for me to see her, as soon as I got the message. So, immediately I received the message, I set out to see her. To hide my apron or new identity, I put on another cloth on top of the apron.

When I met my mother, she wasted no time and took me to a herbalist in Ekpoma, in Edo State.
TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

0 Comments