(Written By EMMANUEL EFFIONG-PRAISE). The death of Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) on the night of Saturday 5th June 2021 came to me as a rude shock! I was on my way to church on the morning of Sunday 6th June when close to the major junction leading to my church, a member and his wife stopped to pick me and drop me right in front of our church facility. As i hopped into the back seat of their car, my natural instinct was to turn on my internet data and check for a few updates on Facebook. Alas, that message from the official page of Emmanuel TV on Mark Zuckerberg's app hit me like a thunderbolt. T.B Joshua:12th June 1963-5th June 2021. 'A time to come to fellowship and a time to go home after the service'.
In 30 years of being within Pentecostal church circles in Nigeria (1991-2021), including about 23 years of being a committed born again Christian (1997), not one single death or call to glory of any preacher within Nigeria has made me shed tears but Joshua's shock passing brought tears to my eyes. When Archbishop Benson Idahosa died in 1998, i was but a little boy and though i had given my life to Christ, i knew very little or nothing about him. I remember on that Sunday morning the week of his passing, our pastor in church at the time asked all of us to observe a minute of silence for the soul of the departed legend of the pentecostal movement in Nigeria. Such was his impact! However, much of what i now know about Idahosa today were from what I read in books or heard from those who knew him while he was alive.
One truth that can never be forgotten is that while he was alive, Idahosa was a larger-than-life figure that was hated and opposed by many, even in Christendom. Today Idahosa is long gone! Yet, virtually every one you meet speaks glowingly about him. The question is, where are all those people who spoke negatively about him while he was alive? Most of those old critics now speak of him in glowing terms. Why? Because what they assumed or thought they knew about Idahosa when he was alive were mere tales by moonlight! The same goes for Prophet TB Joshua! Even in death,his persona,his work, his life and his impact will live forever in the minds of millions of people around the world, despite the controversial nature of his ministry. Not one demise of any pentecostal preacher in Nigeria in the last 30-35 years has shaken the movement to it's very foundation like the passing of Joshua has done in the past few days! There are many notable pentecostal preachers who have passed on in the last 25 years or thereabout.One was Idahosa.Another was Hayford Iloputaife.Idahosa died in 1998. Iloputaife died few years before Idahosa. He was nonetheless an iconic figure in his own right who died at a youthful age. Not many know about him or remember him today even though he made so his own impact. However,not since the departure of the iconic Archbishop Idahosa has anyone's passing shaken the foundation of the pentecostal movement like the death of Joshua. Now that Joshua is gone and with the benefit of hindsight, we must begin to right the wrongs of the past and ensure none of what happened with him gets to happen again. So, in trying to right those wrongs, we must address the root of the issue.
Where did the pentecostal movement in Nigeria get it wrong? Part of my research has proven that there is an unwritten superiority complex amongst pentecostal churches in Nigeria as a result of size, spread and supremacy of doctrine. Where did this battle of supremacy come from? Virtually every large pentecostal denomination in Nigeria that rose in the last 50-70 years has it's root in another denomination, be it pentecostal or Anglican, Methodist, Apostolic or Cherubim & Seraphim. For example, Deeper Life came out of Apostolic Faith while RCCG evolved out of Cherubim & Seraphim. How many members of the RCCG, which is Nigeria largest pentecostal mega church are aware today that their church was once a white garment church? Few! Pa Josiah Akindayomi,the late founder of the church, actually grew out from the Cherubim & Seraphim Movement. Yet, despite these connections to orthodox and unorthodox roots amongst pentecostal churches, many of them actually feel superior to others similar to them or even those of the orthodox orientation. This is both a denominational and cultural issue. So, as a christian here when you meet other christians, the first question you are likely to be asked is, what church do you attend? Or where do you worship? If you don't mention any of the known church names like Deeper Life, RCCG, Foursquare, Assemblies of God, Christ Apostolic, Apostolic Faith, Trem etc you will most likely get a strange look which when interpreted could Imply you are not a strong or grounded Christian. This denominational discrimination and air of superiority is partly what was responsible for alienation of the late TB Joshua and his ministry. The time has therefore come for pentecostal churches in Nigeria to do away with denominational superiority and doctrinal supremacy. Many church clergy and laity do not relate closely with themselves because of doctrinal differences and the perception of denominational superiority. Going forward, it is imperative that these demons must be dealt with accordingly by the christian family in Nigeria. The time has come for the body of Christ to do away with any perceived superiority of denomination and doctrine and to embrace one another. Likewise, we must acknowledge that like the bible says, there is one Spirit but diversities of operations and administrations. TB Joshua was a subject of much persecution even from fellow pentecostals because of diversity of operations especially with reference to the miracle, deliverance and prophetic ministry.Going forward, we can not continue to alienate fellow comrades in the faith and in the body simply because their style of operation differs from ours. So long as they are not in conflict with scriptural patterns, those who don't minister the way we do should not be treated like outcasts.As the second coming of Christ draws nearer, we must endeavour to unite in order to fulfill that heavenly desire 'that they may be one'. May the soul of Prophet T B Joshua rest in peace! Amen! https://www.facebook.com/110346463929902/posts/318623373102209/

Op, Thanks for your write up , i was born a Catholic, I served on the alta for fourteen good years, I am a member of Catholic charistmatic renewal, I started my journey burning for God, one day I woke from wrong side of my bed , I thought Catholic was not good, I left for penticostal, OP, I am not condemning church, 99% percent of this people are not born again, the first church I went was living faith, OP, I started with foundation class, during this class we were force to speak in tongue, I turned back everybody was speaking in tongue, Op, I worship with them I discovered that (1) they have fake teaching, (2) they do eye service, (3) they worship men.(4) They want to rich by all means........ Op, if T.B Joshua is in hell, it means non of DADDY GO will sea the gate of heaven, God never ask you of your church before he uses you, God is after your heart, I am fully back to my Catholic church with peace of mind, the last church I worshiped the founder was causing people who did not pay tithe .....