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| Bishop Tom Samson. |
no idea where he is coming from.When also asked why he refers to all the achievents of the Church as I rather than WE,he said :I said ‘I’ here because it is about vision. The team only carries out what God has laid in my heart. There are people I have raised and they are doing well, but if I didn’t believe in the vision or obey God, these things would not have become a reality. When I say ‘I,’ I refer to the man with the vision. When I came to Egbeda, it was with only chairs and a canopy. I came into Lagos with one shirt and trousers. I came to Lagos by divine direction with a message to teach people how to reign over life’s circumstances. I had no pedigree, but I believed that I could make it. People wonder where we get money from, but I must say that all my financiers today joined this church as nobodies....
On the flamboyant way of dressing this is what he had to say:It is because they don’t know where I am coming from. I am here to make a statement, including the way I build my buildings. Look at this facility, the one in Ikeja, you also need to come to Royal City. The crown on the building alone costs a lot. Even the school I build must spell class, the hospital and so on, the cars I drive, the clothes I wear – they are all a reflection of what God can do. I will never do anything inferior for God. Who says that being flamboyant is satanic? Satan has nothing. The Bible says, “I give you power to get wealth.”
Even if I look expensive, it is more of what I give out than what I wear or have. Between last year and now, I have given out about 20 cars to those who needed them – especially missionaries. Where I live, the people didn’t have electricity supply for four years. I had to intervene with transformer and accessories. I depict and reflect God. My message is that God can lift anyone. I tell the whites that being a Nigerian doesn’t mean one has to beg. In Florida, a man of God wanted to know what needs we had in our church and I said I would rather ask him that question and I gave him $2,000. God’s word says it is more blessed to give than to receive. I finance all my churches abroad.
for more on Bishop Samson's interview see the Punch