Pastor Paul Obadare is a son to the late founder of the World Soul Winning Evangelistic Ministry, Prophet Timothy Obadare. He talks about ...
Pastor Paul Obadare is a son to the late founder of the World Soul Winning Evangelistic Ministry, Prophet Timothy Obadare. He talks about his father’s life and ministry with GBENGA ADENIJI.
Please introduce yourself.
I am the first child of Apostle Timothy Oluwole Obadare whom God gave the vision of the Christ Apostolic Church World Soul Winning Evangelistic Ministry. We are six children and all in the household of God.
What memories do you have of your father who was a famous evangelist?
There are many memories. He was a man with a lot of passion for winning souls. He did not believe anything was impossible. He went everywhere preaching the world. He prayed very hard and did not relent in his desire to win souls for God. My father loved Nigeria so much and he prayed that it should be a nation that loves God. There was a crusade he held at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos where God performed outstanding miracles in the lives of people. The blind saw and the lame walked. There were many other revival meetings and God did wonderful miracles there. I cannot recall all the miraculous things that God has done. They are innumerable. We thank God for all He did and still doing.
What year was he born?
The year of his birth is April 1925. I will need to cross-check the exact day of the week.
For some time, you were abroad propagating God’s word and returned home after your father’s death to oversee the ministry. How has it been stepping into his shoes?
All I can say is that it has been the grace of God. You know people measure you by the works of your father and expect you to do better. They measure the style of the father and that of the son. This places some responsibilities on one to quickly turn things around as it was during the time of one’s father. But one needs to take one’s time and work gradually to achieve set goals.
Did you join the ministry because of your father’s passion for God?
First of all, with respect to the word of God, the first son of the Levites is dedicated to serve God. This is compulsory whether they like it or not. The process was already done. It was a dedication that I would be for Him and serve Him. I also experienced the call of God even before I went to the Bible School. It took me some years to really understand what it is. The Lord confirmed to me what it was. I thus dedicated myself to God to say this is what I wanted to do. If I want to do it, I need to do it properly and that has been the case since many years ago.
Your father established WOSEM as a member of Christ Apostolic Church. Is WOSEM an arm of CAC?
WOSEM is the evangelistic arm of CAC. When God called my father, God asked him to go out of the church and evangelise for Him. It is a ministry focused on soul winning. When he approached leaders of the church at the time, they said they would release him to go and do what God wanted him to do as they could not force him to do otherwise. That was how he started. Initially, he was bringing the people to the church but he had no choice than to establish the ministry when the church was rejecting them. That was how he established a place of worship. Many people also came to join the ministry to be part of his evangelistic calling.
Are your father’s shoes too big for you?
Every father prays to God to give him someone to step into his shoes. It is not about whether it is a religious ministry or not. There is no father doing something good that will not pray that his child should take over from him someday just like I did in the case of my own father. I am in tune with the vision that God gave to my father.
Are you under pressure to surpass your father’s legacy?
Of course. There are pressures because people expect a lot from me. They expect you do more. In that regard, God has been faithful.
How did he discipline you when you were young?
My father was a no-nonsense man. He would ask us to lie down if we did anything wrong and cane us. He did not matter whether it was in school or at home. As a result, we learnt to behave well. He hardly got angry but whenever he did, we tried to do things correctly.
What was the most important advice he gave you?
One of the things he taught us is that we should not compromise on the word of God no matter what. He urged us to be disciplined in all things. We either have to do things the way our mentor did it or do them better. My father also loved education and he did not relent in admonishing us appropriately. We on our part say ‘so help us God’ for us to do things better than he left them.
Some people attributed your father’s blindness to a disease he suffered from when he was young. How did it happen?
He was in school at the time when smallpox affected many people in his community. He was also affected. The situation later led to his loss of sight. He knew God could do it so he prayed that He should restore his sight. It was then that God told him that He had an assignment for him to do His work. He either regained his sight or accepted the way he was to do His will. He chose the latter.
How was he able to quote Bible passages correctly despite the state of his eyes?
That is divine. Whenever God calls one, he also takes care of one’s limitations. God also ensures that he had a fuller understanding of His word. God did a surgical work on his eyes whenever my father was studying His word and praying.
Tell us about any of the events you witnessed before his death that reinforced his divine calling despite the challenge of his sight.
A man came one day to Akure, Ondo State that he wanted to see him. People told him that there were a lot of people waiting to see the man of God and that he should wait. He persisted and would not heed the advice. My father overheard him and asked what was happening. When he was told that a man insisted on seeing him, he told them to allow him come to him. When the man saw him, he said he heard that even though he could not see, God had been using him mightily. He told him that he wanted him to tell him the type of clothes he wore and the colour. After he spoke, baba said he would oblige him his request so he could know that his God is koseunti (God of possibility). He described exactly what he was wearing even beyond his request. The man was visibly amazed. He also told the man that the fact that he had two eyes did not mean he could see. He said the man’s eyes would only see natural things naturally but the inner eyes, as divinely programmed, could see both inner and outer things. The story stays with me till date. I was particularly moved that day as God further showed His supremacy.
Where were you when your father died?
I was with him in Akure before I travelled to the US for our ministers’ conference. He knew we hold the conference every March. Before I left, our last born was around so I knew my father was in safe hands. I was still in the US when I got the news of his death. I had to quickly arrange my return to the country.
What was your reaction when you heard about his death?
I was shocked because I did not expect that. That was something I never wanted to hear. But God knows the best.
How much of him do you miss?
I miss everything about him from his wise counsel to his passionate care for his children. My father loved his children dearly. He was always calling all of us at every point in time to know what we were doing and where we were. He spoke the truth always and loved everybody. I miss my father so much.
What was his schedule like?
After praying, he would sing and play his accordion. He was a musician. He used to be a choir master. He loved music.
Your father was known to always say, ‘Ogo ni fun oluwa loke orun (Praise be to God in the highest) whenever he was preaching…
It was his way of giving God thanks before requesting anything. He always said that anytime he wanted to pray or start his sermon. That was the spiritual slogan that preceded any of his message or request from God. Whenever he said that, it showed he wanted to praise God before preaching His word.
How has his name opened doors for you?
We thank God for my father’s name. It has really been helpful in any area we want anything done. We do not go out seeking favours with his name though. Like my father told us, we should not go out seeking favours, we should allow favours to seek us. His name has been assisting in the ministry and only God Almighty deserves the praises.
What was his favourite food?
He loved pounded yam.
Did he do any exercises?
He loved taking a walk. He could walk to airports whenever he went overseas for evangelism. We usually ran to catch up with him.
What can you say about the befitting burial he was given?
It was a memorable day. People cried on the day of his burial. It was not a cry per se but cries of joy and many wanted to touch his casket.
What treasured values did you learn from him?
He taught us to be disciplined. Like I said earlier, he encouraged us not to compromise the gospel. He also taught us not to be selfish in sharing whatever God gives us. My father taught us too not to hold on to anything but to be a blessing to others. We also learnt not to allow money blind us in speaking the truth always wherever we may be.
How did you address him?
I called him baba (father). Let me tell you this, my father was my mentor. He was my coach.
What are the challenges you are facing having stepped into your father’s shoes?
My father was talking to one of our ministers sometime ago. He said he was a fisherman who went to catch fish of different species. He added that having completed the fishing assignment, the sorting was left to us to do after his departure. His spiritual analogy captures the tough task of sorting the fishes into different species like mackerel, croaker, tilapia, herring, sardine and so on. But in all, God has been helping us. He has been our pillar and guide.
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