Spotlight on The Lord’s Chosen  Mgbidi 2024 Lagos Experience

The annual crusade, “Mgbidi Lagos Experience”, held at the headquarters of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries in Ijesha, Lagos, saw Pastor Lazarus Muoka, the General Overseer of the church, and Douye Diri, the Bayelsa State Governor, call for greater Christian participation in politics. Specifically, they urged Christians to become more active in politics rather than remaining passive. MARY NNAH, who covered the event, brings highlights 

At the annual crusade “Mgbidi Lagos Experience”, organised by The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries in Ijesha, Lagos, the General Overseer of the church, Pastor Lazarus Muoka and the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, made a clarion call for Christians to participate more actively in politics rather than staying away. They encouraged intense participation in politics by Christians while also urging Christians to pray for the leaders and the church of God in Nigeria. 

The Governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency, Douye Diri, while addressing journalists during the International crusade titled “What God Has Determined Shall Be Done” at Ijesha, Lagos State, urged Christians in Nigeria to participate actively in politics.

He stated that the challenges facing Nigeria are a result of the loss of family values.

Diri, who was one of the guests at the event, expressed gratitude to God for his victory at the polls despite strong opposition.

In his speech at the crusade, which took place from January 5 to 7, the governor decried the loss of societal values, emphasizing the need for parents to pay attention to raising godly seeds.

The Governor reiterated that the problem with Nigeria is traceable to the loss of family and national values and challenged parents and churches to imbibe the right values in children and members.

“So the moment we can get it right in our families, to bring up our children the way that they should grow, and when you teach them, and you give them that knowledge of God and they grow up in Him, certainly our society would be a better society. We would not have these issues of terrorists; we would not have the issue of people who are groping in the dark, who don’t understand why we are human beings, why they must be assets to the society rather than being liabilities”, he said.

He stressed that the next power after God is the government and called on Christians to participate actively in politics, stating that staying away from politics encourages those who do not know God to become leaders.

Diri maintained that with the right values, issues of terrorism, kidnapping, and people being liabilities to societies would be over.

He further opined that the basic challenge in Nigeria is the character of people, how they bring up their children, and how the church is impacting its members. Speaking on how to improve the nation’s electoral process, Diri noted that Nigerians have good laws but people break them with impunity without any fear of punishment.

“It all boils down to the people and the operators. You see we have good laws governing our electoral process, beginning from party elections, and primaries, but as a people, as politicians, we do not obey our own party rules and regulations, even when they are broken there are no sanctions; people break it with impunity because of the positions they find themselves, who they are or the kind of resources they have in that they can buy over a party or buy over the legal system.”

He called on politicians to obey party rules and regulations, emphasizing the need for sanctions to be imposed when rules are broken.

While Governor Diri explained to journalists the reason he attended the crusade, he said, “It is an annual attendance, not just because of election or that I secured victory in the governorship election last year; I was here last year and the year before last year, I was here. It is my usual way of coming to acknowledge the presence of God in my life and my state.”

Diri has been attending the annual crusade for three consecutive years to acknowledge the presence of God in his life and his state. His call for Christians to join active politics and for the right values to be instilled in children is a clarion call that should not be ignored.

During his sermon, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, the General Overseer of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement, exhorted his congregation to remain steadfast in their devotion to God.

He also urged Christians to intercede on behalf of their leaders and the church of God. Muoka emphasized the need for believers to trust in God, who controls the affairs of all humanity, and to pray with a firm belief that their requests will be granted.

“My message to children of God is that they have God who rules in the affairs of all men because of that at every point in time, they should look into Him and pray for our leaders and the church. And as we pray what we ask God shall come to pass”, he noted.

“I believe that despite the challenges God will see us through because he is the one that’s in charge of everything. I believe throughout the year children of God will triumph and the nation also will enjoy the presence of God.”

Despite the challenges confronting Nigeria, Muoka expressed confidence that God is in control and will see the nation through.

He declared, “I believe that over the course of the year, the faithful will triumph, and Nigeria will experience the presence of God.”

Muoka also hinted that the annual crusade may return to Mgbidi, Imo State, in 2015, where it had traditionally been held before being relocated to Lagos due to security concerns.

“God knows what shall happen there, and I know He will handle the security situation. So I believe that God has a reason for it, and by the grace of God, He has taken care of the challenges. So by God’s grace, we shall be there if Jesus tarries”, Muoka noted.

Muoka recounted that the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement began in 2002 with only a handful of individuals meeting in a small building on Odunaike Street in Ilasamaja, Lagos.

As the congregation grew, they moved to their current location in Ijesha, Lagos, and the church continued to expand to nearby properties.

“The church started on December 24, 2002, with a few individuals in a very small place. God being the owner of His church, started directing people in their hundreds and thousands to a point that the whole street was filled with worshipers. As the number continued to increase landlords/landladies and school owners in the area began to open their gates for worshippers to sit and listen to God’s message.

“However, in that situation, some people were not happy with us and we started searching for a bigger place and not long after, we got here. By God’s grace, we have been here since August 2003. Again, the congregation continued to grow and extended to the express.

“So, we began to look for more land until in a revelation an old man appeared to me and said, ‘Have you considered the portion at the back of the church.’ After this revelation, we looked for the owner of the land, had some discussions and finally bought the land. It was after this that every other person who had a property here began to sell them to us. So, what we are seeing in this ministry is the Finger of God and I want to let you know that The Lord’s Chosen has spread like wildfire.”

Muoka attributed the ministry’s success to God, emphasizing that, “Only God Can Do This.”