Reverend Ademola Akinpelu is the General Overseer of His Grace Tabernacle Ministry. In this interview with OLAIDE ALADESANMI, he spoke on the just concluded annual convention of the church as well as other issues. Excerpts:

HOW has it been leading His Grace Tabernacle Ministries?
It has been a wonderful experience. The Bible says he who has begun a good work in us is faithful to bring it into conclusion. God initiated and brought the idea of His Grace Tabernacle Ministry and He has been sustaining the ministry. It is no more a hidden fact that we have gone through enormous challenges but when God raises a man, he gives him endless grace to overcome his hurdles.

What major challenges have you faced in the ministry?
The challenges are endless, because life itself is full of challenges. The challenge of growth, that of managing the affairs of God’s people, which is one  of the most difficult things to manage in life. You can manage property and materials, but when it comes to people, I mean people of different backgrounds, it could be extremely hard. You have so many people to attend to; people will come around for counseling and you know the funny thing about them is that they already have an idea of what they want to do before they come to you for counseling. So, the first thing is to re-orientate them before the proper counseling. I think managing people is a very difficult task, apart from the financial problems which are inevitable, but basically, dealing with people or managing people is a very serious one.

What brought about the theme of this year’s convention?
This year’s convention is themed, “The Rapture before the rapture”. The events that are unfolding these days are clear indications that second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is close. Whether Christians like it or not, Jesus Christ is coming back and the imminent signs of His second coming are all around us; we can see nations rising against another; persecution; tribulations and all manner of afflictions which the Bible talks about are already happening. The theme, ‘Rupture before the rapture’ has to do with how Christians can balance their Christian lives. You must be relevant here on earth first and be fully prepared for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, not just about rapture, but how do you intend to meet Jesus? It is clear that not everybody who calls His name will be raptured. So, we are trying to open their minds towards the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Still on the convention, what has the church achieved through  it?
It has been great; we have received a lot of testimonies, this shows that God is at work. In fact, this year's convention  is a very unique one, God blessed us with a baby, a new house was dedicated by the church members and also God blessed two of the church members with new cars, these are good signs to us that God has been so wonderful to us.
Whenever we hold our convention,  what we do basically is that we try to build on what our invited speakers talk about during the convention. We do meditate and work on them in a way that it will be useful to the growth of the church and aid the lives of the congregation.

What is your take on Christians who run after riches nowadays?
Well, they have their reasons for craving to become rich over night; the Bible says ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and every other things shall be added. If you deviate from the words in the scriptures and believe you can do your things in your own way, by going extra mile to become wealthy, it will fail one day.
Whoever runs after worldly things will end up being worldly, because they are labouring in vain. God’s principle is  clear, many have refused to follow the right part and this has led them to destruction and all manner of afflictions; let them turn from their evil ways and conform to His principles. When you seek His righteousness first, every other good thing will follow.

What  advice do you have for the government?
I believe that at this point, the truth must be told and justice must prevail. The government of Nigeria whether at the national,  state or local government levels should work for the good of the people. This is the desire of God.
When the rights of an average citizen such as good road, power supply, good water to drink are not denied, the nation will be peaceful and free from all forms of disaster that have become the order of the day. There is the need for government to carry everyone along. I think this is the time the government must take it upon itself to make Nigeria a better place to live.

What is your advice to all Christians?
I want to tell all Christians that Jesus Christ is coming very soon; nobody knows the time or the hour He will come. We must ensure we make ourselves available, let us be conscious of Jesus coming. It is of no benefit to gain the whole world and lose your own soul, there is a place where we are going to reign with God, according to the scripture. We are strangers here on earth, but some of us live as if we are not leaving this sinful world, that is the problems with Christians today. I urge Christians to continue to live a holy life and make themselves available because Jesus Christ is coming soon.