Pastor Chris Okotie is the founder of Household of Love Church, a unitary church located on a vast expanse of land in Oregun Ikeja in Lagos.
This pastor, whose church is located close to Pastor Chris Oyakhilome's Christ Embassy church, has been enmeshed in controversies believed to be dangerous and injurious to the Christian faith.
This include issues bordering on second failed marriage, abortions and abandonment of a little girl allegedly fathered by him.
Chris Okotie was the first cerebral personality to embrace Christ in the early eighties. His first album ‘I Need Someone’ released in 1980 made him the most celebrated Nigerian pop musician.
Himself and Jide Obi’s album 'K*ll Me With Love' released in 1981 made the duo the most popular young musicians of the eighties.
Therefore, when news went round that the two law students of University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus were now preaching the Bible, it caused a stir and groups gathered to discuss the evil that had descended on the music industry while the church people rejoiced that Jesus had captured a hell bound soul.
At that time parents would prefer a drunkard in the family than a born again, bible believing and bible preaching embarrassment. Chris Okotie, Jide Obi and later Felix Liberty’s repentance opened the door for a lot of young men and women, drowned by life of sex, drinks, dance, clubbing and western culture to begin to consider ‘born againism’ as an alternative lifestyle.
Chris Okotie, after his Law School programme, proceeded to a Bible School in the US, came back and formed the Household of Love Fellowship in 1987. This pastor equally ventured into the terrain of eschatology where he delved into the unfamiliar terrain of explaining the book of Revelation, The Apocalypse, and related topics in his popular television programme, The Apokalupsis.
There is also the Karis Award where he gives One million naira (N1, 000,000) annually to Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in acts of patriotism and national service; the past recipients included late Gani Fawehinmi, Pa Michael Imoudu, Gen Murtala Muhammed, Mallam Aminu Kano, Mrs Magraret Ekpo among others.
Chris Okotie was the first known Pentecostal pastor to venture into the murky waters of Nigerian politics in the order of late Rev Martin Luther King whose foray into U.S politics was instrumental to the eventual liberation of Black Americans of which Barrack Obama was a beneficiary.
This pastor claimed that God told him to vie for the Presidency of Nigeria and went ahead to contest on the platform of Justice Party in 2003 where the ruling party allocated him 119, 547 votes coming eighth out of 20 contestants.
Independent electoral observers believe that if the 2003 elections were to be devoid of rigging the results, the order of number of votes cast would have looked like Buhari, Ojukwu, Obasanjo, Fawehinmi and Okotie plus 15 others. Therefore, Okotie had some level of political followership in Nigeria.
In 2003, he formed Fresh Democratic Party with the intention of infusing fresh ideas into the recycling sickness afflicting Nigerian politics and he came eight out of seventeen contestants with 74,049 votes allocated to him.
Chris Okotie’s entrance into the political turf was an apostolic move aimed at breaking the jinx of the Pentecostal brand of politics which involves a spirit filled Christian hiding inside the comfort of his wardrobe, staircase or rest room and commanding God to fish out leaders that will transform Nigeria while excluding self from being part of the change makers.
Since his foray into politics, a lot of Pentecostals have broken the bondage of timidity and decided to partake in the act of politics and national transformation, a turf earlier controlled by Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, and Presbyterians and their Muslim counterparts.
However, it is obvious that an evil arrow had hit Chris Okotie. The Bible said in Ephesians 6 vs 11-18, "Therefore, put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
"14. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
"15. and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
"16. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
"17. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
"18. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Chris Okotie failed to put on all his armour and now we have a case of failed marriage, abortion and abandoned child hanging on his anointed head. The theory of touch not my anointed does not suffice here because a spiritual icon that made invaluable contribution to the expansion of faith in Nigeria have been seriously found wanting and need to be reclaimed back from darkness.
King David did not know when Bathsheba was planted to rubbish his credentials as a righteous king until he lost four sons, including Amnon, Absalom and Adonijah as a result of the adultery and murder.
Samson did not know how Delilah was planted until he lost his sight and subsequently his life in the hands of the Philistines. Reuben lost the right as a firstborn because he got messed up with his father’s wife.
Therefore, every Christian who has caused a stir to the kingdom of darkness should be very watchful or else the devil will patiently wait to rubbish all your contributions. The bible said that once the shepherd is struck, the sheep will scatter.
Chris Okotie had the honesty to tell his members that his focus on natural beauty was responsible for the failure of the marriage instead of pointing accusing fingers at a witch somewhere.
Other pastors in his shoes would have branded the woman a witch sent from the devil to destroy his church. In fact, that was the story making rounds in the church but the pastor put the blame on himself.
Barely two weeks after the announcement of the dissolution of the four year old second marriage, a lady by name Oluremi Adesola surfaced, claiming to have a child for Chris Okotie.
This Lady claimed thus "I was a young Pastor desperately looking for a good church where I could worship and God led me to the Household of God.
"Then, I had a music ministry, and because he was an ace musician, I took him as my mentor and strongly believed that he would help me one day. Along the line, something happened.
"We started seeing each other and I’ve done ab*rtion for him three times before I decided to leave the last one’’.
It is only God who knows who seduced the other but it is obvious that the girl’s action could break a home and dry up the anointing and spiritual sensibility of an anointed pastor and as such is inexcusable. Every spirit filled Christian knows that abortion is evil.
The Roman Catholic Church condemns it in its entirety and this position had brought the Papacy in conflict with a lot of organisations and occultist groups like freemason etc. Pentecostals condemn it and see it as murder.
Those who had opportunity of being momentarily granted privilege of seeing Heaven and discussing with Jesus Christ like Choo Thomas, Korean American and author of the best-selling novel 'Heaven Is So Real' wrote that in reaction to issue of abortion, Jesus shouted "I do not like abortion."
Therefore, there is nothing to celebrate in abortion and any woman who desecrated her dignity doing it for any man, or pastor or archbishop have committed murder and need to repent. It is only a Christian who does not know the value of his salvation that will be cajoled into this.
Therefore, this Lady is as guilty as the pastor in the act of desecrating the name of God and should equally repent from bitterness and follow to redress the negative image their s*xual flings had brought to the name of the Lord.
If that girl is actually Chris Okotie’s daughter, he should not abandon them in penury.
The Church belongs to Jesus Christ and whosoever destroys his Church, God will destroy no matter who is in involved. Christian women should deliver the devil out of randy pastors by rejecting indecent sexual overtures and refuse to be used to desecrate the work of God.
Pastor Chris Okotie should refute the abortion and paternity claims if it is not true or else he should start the process of repentance as David did to redeem the name of Jesus Christ which has been dragged to the mud.
Chris Okotie should go further, he should like David ask God to help him reclaim his life, soul and that of all the members and followers who have returned to the backslidden state as a result of the dangerous bad news.
Members of Household of Love Church should know that the roaring lion(devil) have struck and while not hiding nor excusing any malfeasance, they should collectively save this man whose humanity is overpowering his divinity so that hell will not have the last laugh.
