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AROME OSAYI IS THE RAINMAKER (PART III)

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“When Experience Becomes Doctrine” By Akin Ojumu Arome Osayi’s outlandish claim that he possesses power over the weather does not rest upon biblical exposition. It rests upon a story. It rained. He spoke. The rain stopped. He preached. He spoke again. The rain returned. From that sequence of events comes the theological conclusion: “I have power over the weather.” But this raises a fundamental question: Can experience establish doctrine? EXPERIENCE CANNOT CREATE DOCTRINE Osayi’s Port Harcourt story may be emotionally compelling. But testimony is not Scripture. Suppose we grant, for the sake of argument, that every detail occurred exactly as Osayi remembers it. It was raining. He spoke. The rain stopped. He preached. Later he spoke again. Rain resumed. What exactly has been proved? At most, we would know there was a sequence of events. We’d still have to establish that: 1. Osayi’s speech caused the rain to stop; 2. God supernaturally intervened because of his speech; 3. God gave him per...
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AROME OSAYI IS THE RAINMAKER (PART II)

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“Call Me. I Will Stop It.” By Akin Ojumu There is a world of difference between saying: “God answered my prayer and stopped the rain.” and declaring: “Call me. I will stop it. I have power over the weather.” The first statement attributes the supernatural intervention to God. The second attributes a standing supernatural ability to the minister. That distinction is not semantic hair-splitting. It goes to the heart of biblical theology concerning divine sovereignty, spiritual gifts, miracles, and the place of the Christian minister. In a remarkable set of comments, Arome Osayi makes the following claims: “Maybe we want to do an outdoor meeting and it’s raining, call me. I will stop it.” He continues: “I have power over the weather. And I have exercised it many times in Africa.” He then recounts an incident at the University of Port Harcourt where, according to him, rain stopped after he addressed it, allowing him to preach. Later that night, Osayi says God spoke to him: “When you shut t...
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AROME OSAYI IS THE RAINMAKER (PART I)

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“When a Mere Man Claims Power Over the Weather” By Akin Ojumu Apparently, we have been grossly underestimating Arome Osayi. Just when you think you have finally reached the outer limits of his reported supernatural résumé, another astonishing credential appears. Evidently, we are still scratching the surface. We already learned of the extraordinary claim that Arome Osayi was apparently important enough in the spiritual realm for Satan to seek his assistance in connection with a critical mission in England. That was impressive enough. But now comes the meteorological department. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Arome Osayi, the Weatherman and Rainmaker. According to his own testimony, this is not merely a man who preaches sermons, conducts meetings, and prays for the sick.  No. Apparently, he also exercises operational control over atmospheric conditions. Rain falling on your outdoor crusade? Call Arome. Clouds refusing to cooperate with the program? Call Arome. Port Harcourt weather beco...
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BABEL WITH BIBLE VERSES

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“When the Abrahamic Covenant Becomes a Personal-Branding Strategy” By Akin Ojumu Apparently, the Church has been reading Genesis 12 incorrectly for thousands of years. The rabbis missed it. The Church Fathers missed it. The Reformers missed it. Biblical scholars missed it. Even the Apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, somehow failed to emphasize the real lesson buried in God’s call of Abraham. Thankfully, Fela Durotoye has come to our rescue. The motivational speaker and branding strategist recently announced what must surely rank among the more creative interpretations of Genesis ever produced: “God was the one who promised the first personal brand when He said to Abraham, ‘I will make your name great.’” There you have it. The mystery is solved. Genesis 12 was not fundamentally about covenant. It was not about redemption. It was not about God creating a people for Himself. It was not about the blessing of the nations. It was not about the promised Seed. It w...
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THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN SUFFERS VIOLENCE (PART V)

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“David Oyedepo Does Violence to Matthew 11:12” This commentary series is an expository voyage into Matthew 11:12. Applying basic principles of biblical hermeneutics, it explores the meaning of a familiar verse that has become one of the most frequently misinterpreted and misapplied passages in contemporary Christianity. Matthew 11:12 “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” As demonstrated in the earlier installments of this series, Matthew 11:12 is one of the more difficult verses in the New Testament to translate with precision. The Greek verb biazō , rendered “ suffers violence” in the King James Version, appears here in the form biazetai . Because of the grammatical possibilities inherent in the form and the semantic range of the verb, interpreters have generally understood the verse along two major lines. Although these interpretations differ significantly, they agree on one crucial point: Neither interpretation presents physical or spiritual vi...
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