AROME OSAYI IS THE RAINMAKER (PART V)

“The Spiritual Elite Problem”

By Akin Ojumu

The problem with Arome Osayi’s statements is larger than a claim about stopping the rain. It is larger than a claim about making asthma go away.

Behind both assertions lies a particular conception of spiritual power—one in which extraordinary abilities may become the possessions of unusually faithful ministers.

And once that idea takes root, Christianity quickly becomes divided between ordinary believers who must ask God and spiritual elites who supposedly possess power.

“IF YOU KEEP HIS LAWS”

Osayi says:

“There are some things he will give you…if it’s true you will keep his laws.”

Christians must obey God. There is no dispute there.

Jesus says:

John 14:15

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Holiness matters. Faithfulness matters. Obedience matters.

But spiritual gifts are called gifts precisely because they arise from grace rather than spiritual achievement.

The Greek word charisma is related to charis—grace.

Paul does not tell the Corinthians:

Develop sufficient obedience and God will reward you with weather control.

He says:

1 Corinthians 12:7

“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

And:

“The Spirit…apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

This matters because Osayi’s formulation can create a spiritual caste system.

The ordinary Christian prays. The spiritually advanced man possesses power.

The ordinary believer asks God to heal. The elite minister says: “If I stand before asthma, the person will be healed.”

The ordinary Christian asks God concerning rain. The powerful missionary says: “Call me. I will stop it.”

That is fertile soil for celebrity supernaturalism.

THE SPIRITUAL ELITE PROBLEM

Whenever ministers begin presenting themselves as possessors of extraordinary divine capabilities, a predictable hierarchy develops.

They become men of unusual access. Men with special authority. Men who have reached dimensions ordinary Christians have not. Men who can command things others can only pray about.

Soon, Christianity becomes organized around spiritual technicians.

Need healing? Find the man with the healing gift.

Need favorable weather? Call the man with atmospheric authority.

Need deliverance? Find the demon slayer.

Need prophecy? Locate the seer.

Need direction? Find someone who hears God more clearly than you do.

The New Testament certainly recognizes diverse gifts. But those gifts are given: 

1 Corinthians 12:7

“…for the common good.”

They are not badges of spiritual rank. They do not create a priestly elite between Christ and His people. And they certainly do not authorize ministers to redirect Christian confidence toward themselves.

“THE AUTHORITY OF A MISSIONARY”

Osayi attempts to ground his assertions in his calling:

“I say it in the authority of a missionary. One that Jesus has sent forth.”

But being a missionary does not grant a person the extraordinary prerogatives Osayi claims.

Jesus gave the Church the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

Missionaries are sent to proclaim Christ. Make disciples. Baptize believers. Teach everything Christ commanded.

Nothing in the Great Commission says: Missionaries possess jurisdiction over weather.

Nothing says: Missionaries receive guaranteed authority over asthma.

And nothing says: Anyone who believes Jesus sent him may claim apostolic supernatural powers.

That last point is especially important.

The Apostles were not simply enthusiastic missionaries. They occupied a foundational redemptive-historical office.

Paul describes the Church as being:

Ephesians 2:20

“…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”

Paul Second Corinthians 12:12 speaks of:

2 Corinthians 12:12

“…the signs of a true apostle.”

One cannot simply announce: “Jesus sent me,” and thereby appropriate every extraordinary feature associated with Christ’s commissioned Apostles.

Missionary calling does not prove supernatural jurisdiction.

THE REAL QUESTION: WHO IS AT THE CENTER?

This is ultimately a question of theological emphasis.

Listen to the repeated first-person language that Arome Osayi uses:

“Call me.”

“I will stop it.”

“I have power over the weather.”

“I have exercised it many times.”

“When you shut the heavens…”

“I have power.”

“I know I have that power.”

“If I stand before asthma, the person will be healed.”

“It is given unto me.”

There is an enormous amount of I in that testimony.

By contrast, Scripture repeatedly redirects attention away from the servant.

Paul says:

1 Corinthians 3:5

“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.”

Then:

1 Corinthians 3:6

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

That is apostolic theology.

Not: Look what I possess.

But: God gave the growth.

Not: My power.

But: His grace.

Not: My ability.

But: His sovereignty.

THERE IS A BETTER WAY TO SPEAK

Imagine if Osayi had said: “I have witnessed God graciously answer prayer concerning weather on several occasions.”

There would be little theological difficulty.

Suppose he had said: “I have prayed for people suffering from asthma and have seen God heal them.”

Again, one may investigate the historical claim, but the theological formulation itself would be defensible.

Suppose he had said: “I believe God has sometimes used me in healing ministry, but all power belongs to Him and every outcome remains subject to His sovereign will.”

That would at least preserve the biblical distinction between the Giver and the instrument.

But: “Call me. I will stop it” and: “If I stand before asthma, the person will be healed” are fundamentally different kinds of statements.

They make the servant sound like the possessor of predictable supernatural capability.

THE BIBLICAL VERDICT

Can God stop rain? Absolutely.

Can God heal asthma? You bet He can.

Can God answer extraordinary prayers? He does all the time.

Can God perform miracles today if He chooses? Yes! Yes!! And Yes!!!

But those truths do not establish Osayi’s assertions. 

Scripture does not teach that a missionary may claim personal, repeatable jurisdiction over weather.

Scripture does not teach that a minister may guarantee that every person with a particular disease who stands before him will be healed.

Scripture does not teach that extraordinary supernatural capacities are rewards handed to spiritually advanced Christians because they have sufficiently “kept His laws.”

And Scripture certainly does not authorize private revelations to become self-authenticating proof of the claimant’s supernatural status.

The biblical pattern remains clear:

God has the power. God gives the gifts. God performs the miracles. God answers prayer. God heals according to His wisdom. The Spirit distributes according to His will. The servant remains the servant.

That final distinction must never be lost.

Because when Christian ministers move from saying: “Look what God has done” to declaring: “I have power. Call me,” the theology has shifted. And the Church should notice.