Part 3
Kenneth Copeland and Bishop David Oyedepo – Grace of Prosperity and Creativity.
Kenneth Copelend is a revered mentor of Bishop David Oyedepo and over the years, their bond has kept waxing stronger by the day.
a) The grace of prosperity:
Kenneth Copeland, a leading Minister of the Gospel and one of the World’s richest Pastors is a man who carries the mantle of prosperity. According to Reverend Chris Oyakhilome during one of his messages, he said Kenneth Copeland had given out 27 aircraft. This is to show that he is indeed a man abundantly blessed by God. This secret was passed on to Bishop Oyedepo in March 1982 after an encounter he had with God through Kenneth and Gloria Copelands books on prosperity. Prior to this time, he had been teaching on prosperity but it wasn’t reflecting in his life. In a quest to get the secret of Kingdom prosperity, he went on a 3 day fast with two books written by Kenneth and his wife, Gloria Copeland titled ‘The Law of Prosperity’ and ‘God’s Will is Prosperity’. As he was meditating, the Lord began to speak to him that His ‘prosperity plan is not a promise. It cannot be claimed by prayer and it has no respect for fasting. It answers to the covenant ie the law of sowing and reaping and until your part is played, He is not committed. He exclaimed, “I have found it” and he shouted, “I can never be poor.” This singular encounter gave him the understanding of how to command supernatural wealth.
At another encounter, while he was worshipping God, the Lord asked him, what did you bring for me? He responded, my car and that was how he gave out his car for the work of the Lord. God then responded, “my son David, even if you don’t want to be rich, it’s too late.” This was to further cement the grace of prosperity in his life. While in America for a program, the Lord said to him, “get back home and make my people rich.” He had to abandon the trip and returned home because of the urgency of the message. So he began Breakthrough Seminars where he taught people the secret to Kingdom wealth. Bishop Oyedepo is not just a man who teaches prosperity. He practices what he teaches. He has given thousands of scholarships through his “David Oyedepo Foundation” platform. It is important to note here that the scholarship is sponsored by his personal money not money from the Church. He has built hundreds of rural Churches with each Church building costing between 20 – 50 million naira depending on the seat capacity. He has purchased over hundreds of buses for Churches that convey members to Church. He also attends to the health needs of people and built a hospital in his hometown. In a fundraising event by his community at Omu Aran some years ago to raise 1 billion naira for building of a ring road, a town Hall and to renovate 4 schools, Bishop Oyedepo stood up and singlehandedly took over the building of the town hall and renovation of the schools. Additionally he provided subsidized transport fare in his hometown and paid for the building and renovation of many churches which are not Living Faith Churches. This is but to mention a few of his benevolent acts.
Among prosperity preachers, Bishop Oyedepo has stood out. He is not in the class of preachers who cajole people into giving nor does he call for financial donations in his meetings. This is why in Winners Chapel, there is only one offering that is taken for every Service excluding the monthly End of Month Thanksgiving Service where thanksgiving offering is taken. Offerings are not taken in the daily morning prayers, ‘Covenant Hour of Prayer,’ Tuesday Liberation Hour Service and Home Cells meeting.
The wealth of Bishop Oyedepo is beyond human understanding as he does not receive pay from the Church he pastors nor does he receive royalties from the over 100 of books he has written. He was estimated to have a worth of $150 million by Forbes which he said was an insult to him. That he is worth Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
The testimony of Bishop David Oyedepo can be likened to that of Abraham when he said to the King of Sodom “I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:” (Genesis 14:23) Indeed, the wealth of Bishop Oyedepo has no bearing in man. It is rooted in God and Him alone. Bishop Oyedepo loves and gives to his family. He once said that he doesn’t give any human as much as he gives to his wife and he doesn’t give his wife as much as he gives to God. Only recently, he gave some of his loved ones in 10 figures.
b) The grace for creativity:
Bishop Oyedepo encountered the grace of creativity in Kenneth Copeland’s life on 6th March, 1990 when he went to minister at Idahosa’s School of Ministry in Benin. Archbishop Benson Idahosa took Bishop Oyedepo to a guest chalet in his house and showed him the room Kenneth Copeland stayed in when he came to Benin. Immediately, he reasoned that, ‘when Elisha died and a dead man was thrown into his grave, the moment the body touched the dried bones, it came to life, how much more Copeland who is very much alive?’ So he said to himself that he wouldn’t sleep on the bed without contacting the anointing on Kenneth Copeland’s life. He prayed that God should connect him with whatever remained in Copeland that he was yet to connect with. As he slept that night, God visited him in a vision where he saw an amputated hand that was decaying and breeding maggots. As he called the name of Jesus, a brand new hand grew out and the Lord said unto him, ‘I have brought you into the creative realm of your ministry today.’ That was the beginning of the manifestation of the creative dimension of the ministry that is being seen today. This grace has launched the ministry into limelight and set the pace for other ministries to follow. This creativity can be evidently seen in the Ark Project, Faith Tabernacle, Covenant University, Landmark University, Dominion Publishing House and many others. Note that Kenneth Copeland was the first to pronounce blessings on the Ark Project in public, long before Bishop Oyedepo announced it to the Church.
Bishop Oyedepo has never downplayed the roles of His Mentors in his life because of the value he places on them. Despite his status, he still submits and honours the graces of his mentors in his life. This is something that is worth emulating especially in this generation where young ministers downplay the roles of mentors in Ministry.
