Christian perspectives on news and current events.
The following is a transcription of On the Lord’s Side Podcast presented on GospelBellsRadio on May 11, 2026 by Olufemi Oguntokun. It may not fully match with the audio, but represents a near perfect transcription of the broadcast.
On a Pastor Comparing Himself with Joseph Ayo Babalola
Good morning to you once again. It is Monday the 11th of May 2026. The program 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 Olufemi OG. You can follow Gospel Bells Radio on X at Gospel Bells Radio.
There is a video that has been making the rounds on X in Nigeria, and it is a video of a Nigerian pastor — and as I always love to say on this program, a video of someone who puts himself forward as a pastor — saying certain things that should make people pause and look again.
There are some things that, when they are said, you have to stop and ask yourself who exactly is saying them, because you do not expect to hear such things from someone who claims to be a servant of Christ.
This gentleman in the video was seated with two other men beside him, perhaps assistants, all dressed in white robes. And I wanted people to listen carefully to what he was saying and ask themselves exactly what spirit this man was promoting.
One of the most scandalous things he said was this: that if the late Prophet Joseph Ayo Babalola were alive today, he would be seated at his feet as his disciple.
Of course, he was referring to the famed founder of the Christ Apostolic Church, Prophet Joseph Ayo Babalola, who during his lifetime was reputed to have performed mighty works in the name of the Lord.
We are not sitting in judgment over Babalola, nor even over this man personally. But we can say with certainty that this is not the way a Christian preacher or servant of God speaks.
Just yesterday at the Readers’ Club, we reflected on the first room in the House of the Interpreter in The Pilgrim’s Progress. The Interpreter showed Christian the picture of a godly man and explained the marks of a true minister of Christ. Such a person must have his eyes always lifted up to heaven. He must have the Bible as the finest book in the world. He must have the world behind him. He must always speak the truth concerning Christ.
But once you find people constantly talking about their church, boasting about their ministry, and promoting themselves instead of Christ, you should become cautious.
This man said things like: “If you are looking for the God of 1930, go to the bush. But if you are looking for the God of the universe, He is here.”
And then he suggested that when people come to his church talking about other churches or pastors, they should “keep quiet” and focus only on “the God of the universe.”
But Christianity is not about promoting oneself or one’s church. It is about promoting Jesus Christ.
The moment a preacher begins to compare himself with others and says, “Come here, not there,” “We are greater than them,” “We perform better miracles than them,” then something has gone deeply wrong.
There is no room for that in Christianity.
When the disciples went to Jesus saying they had seen another man performing miracles in His name, Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is for us.”
Again, Christ said, “I have other sheep which are not of this fold.”
The danger begins when people start to think that unless you belong to their church, you cannot belong to Christ. That spirit is not of God.
The only person we are called to exalt is Jesus Christ — not our church, not our ministry, and certainly not ourselves.
So when a man finds it necessary to compare himself with a revered Christian figure in order to establish the credentials of his ministry, that betrays deep spiritual problems.
Where the Spirit of God truly reigns, there is no need for self-promotion.
Many modern church-growth experts now emphasize branding, marketing, billboards, and promotions. I do not begrudge anyone for using those things. But ultimately, the growth of Christ’s church comes from Christ Himself.
The apostles — mostly unlearned men, without worldly influence or wealth — carried the gospel to the ends of the earth. The church grew by the power of the Holy Spirit.
But today many ministries spend enormous energy promoting themselves.
This man was actually addressing a press conference in the video, speaking about miracles in his church, saying the dead had been raised, the deaf healed, and challenging people to “go and verify.”
And then, in effect, he said: “Do not talk to me about those other pastors. I am greater.”
Once you hear language like that, you should immediately realize that this is not the spirit of Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:31 says:
“Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
There is no place for boasting in the ministry of Christ.
One of the clearest signs that a man is truly walking with Christ is humility — not scripted humility, but genuine humility that comes from knowing that everything accomplished was accomplished only by the grace and power of God.
The disciples themselves once argued about who would be greatest among them. When Jesus asked what they had been discussing, they were ashamed to answer Him. Then He told them:
“He who would be greatest among you must be servant of all.”
Unfortunately, we often fail to find that spirit of servanthood among many who lead churches today.
So somebody needs to tell this man plainly: you have no business comparing yourself with any other pastor or Christian.
Your only business is to ensure that you have truly been commissioned by Christ.
Your only business is to proclaim the gospel faithfully.
Your only business is to walk humbly with your Lord.
And if indeed God is using you to perform miracles, that should humble you even more, because you know they are not by your power.
A truly godly man who finds God working through him becomes overwhelmed with gratitude and awe, not pride.
And I pray that the Lord will raise for us more men of God who are fully dependent on Him and therefore humble before both God and men.
On the Billionaires’ Chapel in Lagos
Still on the issue of churches, I came across a post on X that I found very interesting.
Somebody shared a short video of what is said to be a church in Nigeria described as “the billionaires’ church.”
The video showed a magnificently furnished chapel with richly ornamented chairs, marble pillars, expensive chandeliers, luxurious carpets, and all the trappings of extreme affluence.
The person who posted it captioned it: “Billionaires’ church in Nigeria. Money is good.”
Some commenters identified it as “Solomon’s Chapel of Faith,” reportedly located within the residence of Chief Razaq Okoya in Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Chief Okoya is widely known as one of Nigeria’s wealthiest men and also as a philanthropist who supports many Christian causes.
Now, I do not know how this chapel operates. I do not know whether it is open to the public or whether services are held there regularly.
But the larger issue this raises is important.
For those of us on the Lord’s side, we know that God does not accept people simply because they are rich or poor. The issue is whether they worship Him in spirit and in truth.
If sinners gather — whether rich sinners or poor sinners — God is not there merely because they are gathered.
Scripture says the prayer of the wicked is an abomination before God.
But beyond that, I do think there is something deeply troubling about the idea of churches becoming socially segregated.
A church should not become an exclusive club for the wealthy.
Some may say: “Well, these wealthy Christians support missions. They give scholarships. They distribute food. They donate to churches.”
And that may all be true.
But there is something more important than generosity.
There is love.
And generosity is not necessarily the same thing as love.
You can throw money at people and still not love them.
You can give scholarships and donations and still remain distant from the people you claim to help.
Love involves opening your doors, welcoming people, embracing them as brothers and sisters.
James chapter 2 speaks against showing favoritism in the church.
James did not even contemplate separate churches for rich and poor people. Rather, he rebuked churches that gave preferential treatment to the rich within the same congregation.
The issue is not that rich people are unacceptable before God. That is not biblical.
Nor is it that poor people are automatically righteous.
The issue is that Christians should not intentionally create segregated fellowships.
If a church is truly open to everyone — if any ordinary person can walk through its gates and be welcomed — then praise God for that.
But if it exists essentially as an exclusive fellowship of the wealthy, then we should pause and ask serious questions.
Because the Christian faith is built upon love.
And love does not segregate.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:
“Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and have not love, it profits me nothing.”
That verse always makes me pause.
How can somebody give away all his goods and still not have love?
Because generosity and love are not identical.
A person may give out of duty, out of image management, or out of pride.
But love is different.
Love “does not parade itself” and “is not puffed up.”
Love accommodates others.
Love draws near to people.
Love does not isolate itself behind walls of class and privilege.
Poor people do not merely need money. Sometimes they need fellowship, warmth, kindness, and dignity.
Sometimes they value the brother who listens to them, prays with them, hugs them, and shows concern more than the billionaire who merely distributes rice through his servants.
And that is something wealthy Christians must remember.
There is a kind of charity that amounts merely to throwing money at people.
But Christian love goes deeper.
One listener sent in a very important observation. She wrote:
“I’m wondering if the pastor of this exclusive church can truly preach the undeleted Word of God. Can he look those rich and mighty people in the eyes and tell them the truth without fearing the loss of his exalted position?”
That is a profound point.
A pastor who shepherds only billionaires must truly be courageous and wholly surrendered to Christ if he is going to preach the full counsel of God faithfully.
Otherwise, there will always be the temptation to avoid difficult truths.
And that is another reason why churches should not become socially exclusive spaces.
Imagine if those one hundred billionaires worshipped in one hundred ordinary churches across Lagos instead. Imagine the blessing they could be to those congregations.
And more than that, imagine the testimony it would be if unbelievers looked at those wealthy Christians and said:
“Why do these people mingle so freely with everyone?”
And the answer would be:
“Because they are on the Lord’s side.”
Christ Himself said:
“By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another.”
I pray that the Lord will help all of us to understand the true meaning of Christian love — not merely generosity, but genuine love that welcomes, accommodates, and serves others in humility.
And may the Lord grant us grace to walk more closely with Him and to understand Him better.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I want to thank you for joining us this morning, although we came on a bit late today. It is always a pleasure to have you with us.
I look forward to being with you again tomorrow by the grace of God.
Whatever you do today, please remain firmly on the Lord’s side.
God bless you.
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God bless you.
