Every year since 1999, Shiloh, the yearly congregation of members of the Living Faith Church Worldwide aka Winners Chapel, has been a platform for all denominations to receive spiritual blessings and table their expectations before God for the coming year.
Just like the Israelites went to Shiloh, the ritual has become an avenue for the church’s faithful to have an adventure of blessings as well as get God’s prophetic agenda for the coming year, as a manifestation of their obedience to God.
This year was no exception. It even recorded more graces according to the theme, ‘Exceeding Grace’. It recorded live miracles, healings and a harvest of unique testimonies. It ended on a graceful and glorious note. The most striking miracle was that of a 25-year-old Cameroonian lady, Christelle Abega, who was liberated from six years of paralysis in a most unusual way.
When the usual orgy of praise session, led by the presiding bishop, Dr. David Oyedepo, was going on in one of the days, the lady, who had been confined to her wheelchair, suddenly jumped out. It was such an incredible sight! The congregation erupted into a wild binge of excitement, which momentarily disrupted the service for some time. She danced to the altar unaided.
According to her story, just when she was on the verge of committing suicide, succour came and the grace of God shone upon her. Miss Abega shared her story with The Nation: “I am a final year medical student at the Centre Universitaire des Sciences de Santé (CUSS). My challenge began like someone suffering from ulcer. I went through two major abdominal surgeries from July to September, this year. The ailment worsened as I was diagnosed of kidney problem, appendicitis and everything just went wrong”.
Another couple, Mr and Mrs Samuel Ukpethu, who had been married since 999, had another striking story to tell. The wife had had six miscarriages. The prophesies of the ‘double portion’ (the theme for last year Shiloh) became fulfilled in her life when she was delivered of a child. Barely two months later, she took in again and was delivered of a set of twins this time.
During the period of the event, five babies were born on the camp ground and a total of 670 testimonies were recorded.
Dr. Oyedepo presided at the five-day event, which held from December 10-14 at 50,000-capacity Faith Tabernacle, the Ota, Ogun State, headquarters, reputed to be the largest single church auditorium in the world. He was ably assisted by other highly cerebral speakers, including Bishop David Abioye, Bishop Thomas Aremu, Pastor Abraham Ojeme and the presiding bishop’s first son, Pastor David Oyedepo (Jnr), who was the discovery of the event going by his powerful ministrations.
The mammoth crowd of worshippers who attended this year was unprecedented. Before the end of the five-day event, the church recorded 3.5 million worshippers in 173 countries captured electronically with 64,000 recorded at the Lagos viewing centres. Delegates from 48 nations of the world were also present at the Shiloh ground.
The event also featured a parade of nations as written in Rev 4:9. Foreign delegates from those nations sang and danced to the altar in each county’s traditional dance steps, waving their colourful flags.
Bishop Oyedepo acclaimed this year’s Shiloh as the strangest it has had since inception till date. The bishop was talking about the avalanche of unusual miracles and ‘testimonies’ recorded at the event.
Some of the many striking miracles and ‘testimonies’ included those of a man whose 33-year-old blindness got healed and a 28-year-old lady who also regained her sight after 23 years. A woman came to the podium and told the petrified congregation how she got married for the first time at the age of 55 years! Another woman brought her baby who, according to her, she had at the age of 54 years.
A young guy testified how his telephone rang in the midst of a job interview and the ring tone was the voice of Bishop Oyedepo. The guy was so apologetic but instead of a rebuke, he was there and then offered the job.
There was the case of a 10-year-old mental illness healed and woman whose lungs had virtually collapsed and left for dead got her miraculous healing, among many numerous unusual ‘testimonies’ and miracles recorded at the five-day event.
Here are some of the testimonies: Paul Ogogo said: “I was jobless for about five years. A brother shared a testimony that he gave his house rent as ‘Shiloh sacrifice’. So I did the same. I gave everything I had last year. During the last day of the 21 days of prayer and fasting, Papa (Bishop Oyedepo) said that we should thank God for whatever we were believing God for, that God would make it come to pass in our lives. On that last day, I coincidentally entered into a company that was undergoing an interview which I joined. During the interview, my phone rang which was wrong but because the ring tone was bishop’s voice, the interviewer told me to leave it to ring. That the job was mine, since Bishop David Oyedepo is his bishop.”
Fruitful-Vine Itai shared how she got her miracle child. She said: “I have been married for 16 years and ever since I had believed God for the ‘fruit of the womb’. But last year’s Shiloh, on the 12th of December precisely which was tagged night of settlement, the prophet said that anywhere you have been shamed you will have double honour. I held unto all the prophetic utterances. I have been coming to Shiloh year in year out and prayers were always made for people who needed the ‘fruit of the womb’. I keyed into this prophetic declaration and sometime in January or February, the man of God declared fruit of the womb for all those in need. To God be the glory, I was blessed with a set of twins October this year.”
Amuzie Santa-Mishark’s brother was healed of 33 years of blindness. He said: “33 years ago, my brother became blind. Something had entered his eyes when he was two. He was rushed to the hospital for optical treatment and there was a white spot in his eyes. The spot kept increasing until he could not see with the eyes again. In the process, the other eye was affected. We therefore found that the problem was not ordinary after trying several medications. I came to Shiloh and joined Healing and Deliverance class on his behalf and also gave my mother his picture for prayers. After the Healing and Deliverance class, I used to put his picture upon myself and prayed like I was him. After this, I called and my mother said that my brother has received his sight. I give God all the glory.”
Salahudeen Opeyemi Ahmed who had low sperm count was restored. According to him, “For the past six years, I have been having low sperm count. I came to Shiloh in 2012 and prayed about the issue. Fortunately, January this year, I went to my family hospital to do test. To my great surprise, everything about sperm count was normalised.”
Pastor Simon Oyo testified: “An elder in the church I am privileged to be a pastor in Living Faith, died around eight in the morning and I was called around 4:30pm to start burial arrangements. But after praying with my ‘mantle’ and anointing him with oil, the elder jerked back to life.”
Victoria Pere also testified: “My brother was inflicted with insanity. So I took a step of faith and brought him to Shiloh last year. Immediately he stepped into the gates of Canaanland he received his sanity. Now he is completely healed and whole.”
Mary Okpanachi had a divine visitation. According to her, “Last year’s Shiloh, I came beaten and battered. I was so poor that I borrowed to come for Shiloh. When sacrificial offering was called, God directed me to sacrifice my suit and my shoes, which I did. This year’s Shiloh, I came with my own car and I’m blessed. Last year when I came for Shiloh I had a burden in my heart for a woman who had been barren for 20 years and I prayed and told God to give her set of twins, the woman is presently heavy about to deliver.”
Ogbonna Onyinyechi said she was healed of asthma. “I had been having asthma for the past 26 years, a member of this commission invited me to Shiloh, but by virtue of the spiritual exercise in the healing school, God has taken away the infirmity.”
Tamara-Boukan shared how 10 years of mental illness and 18-year bedwetting were healed. “My friend had been mentally sick for sometime now and was kept in a room for over 10 years. During Shiloh 2012, I made a request that God should heal him and bring him out of that room. Today, she is healed and she came out of the room worship in a church. My younger sister who was bed-wetting for 18 years, after I made request on her behalf, the bedwetting stopped.”
Umeh Arinze got pregnant after 20 years of waiting- “Last year, I came here with my wife. We prayed earnestly for our friends and relatives who were looking for the fruit of the womb, including my aunty who had been married for 20years without any offspring. My wife bought baby items and a mantle for her. And to the glory of God, we are expecting her baby before the end of this month December, 2013.”
Mr & Mrs Samuel Ukpethu came with a story of their set of twins after several miscarriages. “We got married in 2009. I took in immediately but after sometime, my pregnancy disappeared and I started having demonic attacks. I was assigned to Pastor Duru, who is now late. I was having miscarriages anytime I got pregnant. I was accused of ‘eating’ my babies and other unprintable accusations, but I kept on believing God. It was so painful that the pastor declared that ‘when you become pregnant, physical eyes will not be able to see it.’ Throughout the time I was pregnant, I was menstruating. I came for ‘fathers and mothers of nations’ during Shiloh 2011. I walked in reluctantly and the first statement I heard from the Bishop’s wife was: ‘You are too young to be stressed.’
“That was the only word I picked. I wasn’t praying, even heaven knows I wasn’t praying. During the 21days prayer fasting of 2012, I kept declaring: ‘I was too young to be stressed.’ I read the book, “You shall not be barren”. I can tell you the pages of that book as we speak. I waited for about six months and nothing happened. I told God I was coming to Shiloh 2012 with either my baby or the pregnancy. To my greatest surprise, I got pregnant in July that year. I was still menstruating but I noticed changes and the doctor later confirmed it. The baby arrived in April 2012 and two months later, I took in again. I told God it seemed the blessing was getting too much, not it was going to be ‘double portion’.
“I came to Shiloh again with pregnancy. Someone brought words to us one day as regards what the bishop said: ‘Three months, three much, double portion.’ I held on to those words and when I came to Shiloh, I didn’t come with any prayer request but with the words, ‘Three months, three much, double portion.’ I was in my sixth month in pregnancy then and so I added the prophetic ‘Three months, double portion.’ So when it was time to be delivered of my baby, I kept on believing God for two, instead of one baby. During delivery, the first baby came out and everybody started congratulating me but I said ‘Don’t congratulate me yet because there must be another one.’ The doctor asked me to get up to be cleaned up, but I refused, insisting that there was another baby inside because I believed what Papa (Bishop Oyedepo) said and what God said that for my shame He shall give me double. The doctor, in an attempt to prove to me that there was nothing left inside, asked me to push. I did, and lo and behold, the second baby came out”.
