- by Deborah Longe
- March 5, 2026
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The following is a transcription of On the Lord’s Side Podcast presented on GospelBellsRadio on March 5, 2026 by Olufemi Oguntokun. It may not fully match with the audio, but represents a near perfect transcription of the broadcast.
On the Experience of Attending a Deaf Church in Nigeria
Good morning, and it is good morning to you once again. It’s Thursday, the 5th of March 2026. The programme is On the Lord’s Side: Christian Perspectives on News and Current Events. My name is Olufemi Oguntokun.
You can follow me on X at @OlufemiOguntokun. You can follow GospelBellsRadio on X at @GospelBellsRadio.
To begin with, this fascinating story that I came across on Instagram says: “A lady shares experience after attending a deaf church in Nigeria.”
I wanted you to listen to the experience shared by this lady.
“The teaching on the rich man and Lazarus was very interactive and interesting, as the teacher called on different people to summarise the teaching for the day. It was so fun. I had to interpret all that was going on in the service just so I could follow along.
When it was time for praise and worship, they worshipped and praised with their whole energy, from the choristers to the congregation. It was full of energy.
After the praise session, it was time for the responsive Bible reading and prayer of thanksgiving. There was this particular prayer that touched my heart. It said: ‘We are deaf, but our Father in heaven is not deaf. He can hear us.’
For the deaf to have this kind of assurance, I asked myself: why do I keep complaining to God as if He is deaf, as if He cannot hear me?
I stopped to pray, and it was very interesting. I was introduced as a first-timer and I was asked some questions. After service, I interacted with almost everyone there.
We were given biscuits and chilled water. We bid everyone goodbye, and yes, they were indeed happy to have us around.”
Now hear what the teacher had to say about the experience of attending a deaf church.
“I was shocked. I was surprised in a good way. I felt emotional at some point when they were praising God. They were dancing without sound.
I was like, okay, if they can dance this way, if they can praise God and worship Him this way, who am I?
That was so good to my mind. I wish I could experience something like this again. But then I would have learned how to sign.”
So there you have it: a lady sharing her experience after attending a deaf church.
The church is called Deaf Christian Students Fellowship.
Think about that.
I thank God for you and for the grace God has given you to hear, because you have tuned in to a radio broadcast. Because you can hear. And that is the glory of God.
This is a reminder that you should not take that for granted.
It is also a reminder that God is so wonderful.
That knowledge of sign language, the ability of those who cannot hear to understand what is being said or sung, is a gift from God.
I am looking at this video and seeing the person preaching communicating to the students by sign language. The person singing is also communicating by sign language. They even have a drummer as well.
I am trying to figure out how exactly they communicate songs to themselves, but I see the person leading the praise communicating through sign language, and obviously the people in the congregation understood it.
These ladies who have the gift of hearing, who visited them and worshipped with them, came away from that service saying: “Wow, if these people who are impaired in this way can continue to praise God and worship Him, why shouldn’t you, with all your faculties complete and all your senses working perfectly, praise Him?”
I also look at this video and see that the church building in which they worship is not complete. It lacks a ceiling. It is just a ramshackle, that is the way I am going to describe it.
I truly hope that by releasing this video, some people with means will reach out and build up this place of worship for the glory of God.
There are people who are not deaf, nor blind, nor disabled in any way, who when they face adversity immediately say they have no business praising God.
But here are these deaf Christian students who nevertheless worship God heartily.
One of the prayer points was a thanksgiving where the student said:
“We know we are deaf, but the Lord God Almighty, our Father, is not deaf. He can hear us.”
How amazing. How profound.
The Lord said to Moses in Exodus 4: “Who gave human beings their mouth? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?”
That means there is no infirmity in you that should stop you from doing the will of God.
Above all else, God has called us to worship Him.
“For Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”
So let all things praise Him.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
On the Debate About Women Dominating Church Programmes
Still dwelling on the theme of church programmes, we have just engaged with that story of deaf Christian students worshipping and praising God.
Now I want to share another video I came across on Instagram by a lady who questioned why women dominate church programmes.
The blogger who reported this wrote that a lady sparked conversation online after sharing her observations about the large number of women at church programmes compared to men.
She said that when you attend church programmes, you see far more women than men. She also observed that when prayers about marriage were said, the “Amen” was louder than when prayers about spiritual growth were made.
Now, I am very sure you heard that.
This lady, who appears to be an on-air personality, said she had a problem with the ratio of women to men in church programmes.
She also had an issue with women saying loud “Amen” when prayers about marriage were made.
But when conversations like this arise, we must remember what the Holy Spirit wrote in Titus 3:9:
“Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.”
In 2 Timothy 2:23–24, Paul also wrote:
“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.”
People gather to worship the Lord. Why focus on distractions?
If someone says “Amen” to a prayer that concerns them, let them say “Amen”.
As someone commented wisely:
“Just say amen to the one that concerns you and leave others.”
When people gather to worship the Lord, the important thing is that they come through Jesus Christ and lay their sins at the foot of the cross.
Jesus said:
“Where two or three gather in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
He did not say where equal numbers of men and women gather.
Blessings abound wherever He reigns.
But those blessings are received by hearts that are ready, hearts that are not distracted by cultural arguments or worldly debates.
On the Alleged Attack on a Man Who Renounced Islam
Next, I want to engage with another story that appears to be true.
According to the person who published the video:
A Nigerian man cried out after an alleged attack in his home following his public renunciation of Islam.
He claimed the incident occurred after he publicly announced that he had become a Christian.
If someone who was formerly Christian becomes a Muslim, his Christian relatives may feel hurt.
Likewise, if someone leaves Islam for Christianity, some of his former associates may see it as dishonour to their faith.
But the difference is this: the gospel of Christ is not spread by force.
History shows that at some times people tried to spread Christianity by force, including during the Crusades.
But the Church knows better now.
As the hymn says:
“For not with swords’ loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums,
But with deeds of love and mercy the heavenly kingdom comes.”
Paul wrote that our weapons are not carnal.
We wrestle not against flesh and blood.
If someone leaves the faith, you do not force them back. You pray for them.
Many believers today face persecution—sometimes violent persecution, especially in places like Northern Nigeria.
But persecution also takes other forms: hostility from relatives, bosses, colleagues, or neighbours.
Jesus said:
“Do not fear those who can kill the body and after that can do no more.”
Instead, fear God.
And He also said:
“In this world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
That is my prayer for you today.
Whatever hostility or difficulty you face because of your faith, may you hear the voice of your Lord saying:
“Be of good cheer.”
Thank you for joining us this morning on On the Lord’s Side: Christian Perspectives on News and Current Events on GospelBellsRadio.
By the grace of God, I will be with you again tomorrow.
Whatever you do today, please remain firmly on the Lord’s side.
God bless you.
You are listening to gospelbellsradio.com, the Christian internet radio with a mission to engage the culture with the mind of Christ.
Keep listening and invite others too. God bless you.