It appears the 21st-century pastors have different perspectives of what should be dished out on the pulpit to the children of God, compared to what the old timers preach. The pulpit is fast becoming a place to get motivational sermon, hope for a better life on earth and taking of earthly possessions, with less focus on critical issues like life after death – eternity, holiness, evangelism and the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s Christian may be deficient in spiritual nutrients if he does not thirstily search for truth and spiritually filled pastors who preach the word of God that is sharper than any two-edged sword that pierces and divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, making the heart of the sinful contrite into repentance.
Few of the old timers continue to blaze the trail and preach the undiluted word of God to the starving souls. One of them is Brother Gbile Akanni, a vibrant teacher of the true word of God.
Brother Akanni is one of the very few men of God in Nigeria that have no church, nor pastor any denomination that spreads across the country. His congregation is interdenominational in nature. Every week, he hosts this interdenominational fellowship, “Living Seed,” in Gboko, the headquarters of the Tiv nation in Benue state, that attracts Christians from all works of life.
Gbile Akanni was born on June 22nd into an “Ifa” (idol worship) family, in Masifa, Ogbomosho, Oyo State. He traces his spiritual upbringing to Rev. Dr. DurosinJesu Ayanrinola’s grandmother who came to know him because of his childhood friend, Dr. DurosinJesu and was always interceding for him to be a shining light out of his dark family.
According to brother Gbile Akanni, she always brought him and his bosom friend, DurosinJesu, on her knees every blessed morning between 1970 and 1973, for deep prayer and intercession before and after school sessions. She also encouraged him during the times of persecution, owing to the fact that he wasn’t born into a Christian home.
Brother Akanni is blessed with high understanding of the Bible and he is committed to turning believers into disciples. With his great depth in the word of God, Akanni’s authoritative teaching is deep, challenging and life-changing with his desire to see a mighty visitation of God in this end time.
Due to his love for teaching and evangelism, he has become a high demand speaker and teacher of the undiluted word of God in different parts of the world. He is a mentor for both the older and the younger generation that seek the reintroduction of the kind of fellowship that the Christians of old practiced.
He is also a great writer and author whose books are blessing to the world in darkness and in desperate need for light to see the right path. Some of his published books are: The Dignity of Manhood; Becoming like Jesus; Costly Assumptions; Timely warning; and When God Speaks.
Just as God promised and made Abraham a channel of blessing to the world, Brother Akanni with his teachings of the Word has brought positive spiritual transformation into the lives of many. His style as a Christian leader is unique considering what is obtainable in this part of the world where Church leaders and founders raise funds for the church through offerings. Akanni’s ministry, Peace House Ministry, does not collect or encourage offering. He teaches his disciples to practice absolute reliance on God for divine supply of all needs, both spiritual and material.
He is a man who is in tune with the Spirit and understands God’s handwriting and the message on the wall. During the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic, he sent a message to his workers and disciples all over the world. Making reference to Isaiah 26:20-21, Akanni said, “even now, it is still the word we have to obey both spiritually and physically. While the physical self-confinement is necessary and useful to curb the spread of the virus, we sense it is the will of God for us to shut in and pray concertedly. While it will seem it is the virus that we are praying about, it is much more of God to bring us to the place of travail for the birth of the ‘earth’ in the light of Isaiah 66:7-9 in a move of God that will call the attention of the whole globe to the fear of God.”
He is one of the few ministers of the Word that long for the return of the old-time revival and is worried about the church being overrun by worldly influences. He once said, “Though we are many, things are going wrong. We even have brothers in government and they are afraid of talking because they don’t want to lose their job. But I will not say it is their fault. It is the teachings we have that have produced such men. Our churches are no longer confronting evil in the land. All that matters to them is offering.”
Brother Akanni who is married to a medical doctor, Sade Akanni, said his marriage was delayed for four years because he would not compromise his beliefs and convictions about his standard as a believer. Today, he is happily married with four children.
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