The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is preparing to address mounting concerns regarding a controversial viral testimony from a congregant of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, which involved claims of miraculous intervention during a promotional examination for the Nigerian military.
The testifier, a woman, recounted how, during the exam, she invoked her faith by repeating “I am a Chosen” three times.
She claimed that an old man in white appeared and provided her with the answers to difficult questions.
Suspicion arose among invigilators, who attempted to disrupt her efforts by removing her church apron.
After the apron was returned, she stated the old man reappeared and assisted her in completing the remaining questions.
The testimony concluded with her sharing the answers with another candidate, both of them being the only two to succeed out of 102 participants.
“We all had written our career questions. It then came to these very ten questions, which asked, ‘Mention 10 Francophone countries and their capitals. Brethren, nobody knew this question. So, all I did was to raise the question paper and declare to it: ‘I am a Chosen! I am a chosen!! I am a chosen!!! This question: who are you? Where is the God of my pastor’s power? Then, suddenly, an old man appeared by my right-hand side in white apparel. He told me, ‘My daughter, begin to write.’ And I began to write,” she recounted.
The testimony, which has garnered widespread reactions online, was met with shock and dismay from CAN leaders.
Lagos CAN Chairman, Stephen Adegbite, expressed his disbelief at the allowance of such testimonies in church, calling them “absurd” and “foolish talk.”
“She is entitled to her opinion, as she owns her mouth. But for anyone to say such, we must verify that… There are stories you can only tell to monkeys, not human beings. So, that type of testimony should be served to the monkeys, not human beings. God doesn’t act that way… The God of Chosen will strengthen you to read your books and go for the exams,” Adegbite firmly stated.
In response to the viral uproar, CAN is set to hold a general meeting to address the issue, alongside other inappropriate comments from Pentecostal pastors on social media.
Adegbite emphasized the need for testimonies to be properly vetted before being shared in churches.
The leadership of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, meanwhile, denied the validity of the viral footage.
Chidi Louis, Head of Public Relations and Media, clarified that the testimony had been misrepresented by bloggers and stated that the woman’s account was based on a dream, not reality.
“Nigerians should disregard the fake video… The woman’s story occurred in a dream, not in reality. Don’t believe everything you see on the internet,” he urged.
