Pastor Yemi Adeoti is the Lead Pastor of Dare to Dream Christian Centre, a church assembly based in Ibadan, Oyo State. In this interview with Olaronke Jaiyeola, he sheds light on his journey into ministry and other issues.
How did you come about the name (Dare to Dream)?
The name Dare to Dream is not a new name. It actually came by inspiration about 10 years ago when I started the Dare to Dream radio programme. The idea behind the name is for people to essentially look to their talents, gifts and potential to fulfill their destinies. Everybody has dream, but the truth is that many people’s dreams don’t get to see the light of the day. It is about giving meaning to people’s dreams. That’s the origin of the name Dare to Dream.
I want people to know me as someone who wants to fulfill a purpose and help others find expression for their dreams in life.
What were your fears starting the ministry?
They were common fears of people -fear of eventualities; fear of tomorrow; fear of failure and fear of the dark. These were questions God had adequately helped me to deal with and which everybody has to deal with. But the major fear was on the issue of timing; knowing the right time to step out to answer the call of God. I really believe I’d come into the fullness of time to the fulfilment of the purpose of God for my life and ministry because it wasn’t that it just came into existence overnight. I had been having dealings with God on this for more than four to five years about stepping out. God’s will is superior to whatever one is feeling or sensing.
What encouraged you to forge ahead?
First and foremost, when I look on the inside, I have peace; the peace of God that passeth all understanding. Peace is one of the major signs of knowing you are at the centre of God’s will and I had such great peace that what I want to do was in line with God’s will. Apart from that, there were several other confirmations even from people had not spoken to about the commission, as well as from people I hold in high regard that I had sought their counsel and opinion. When I put everything together, they were on the same page; they were all positive. So, for me, obeying God in spite of every other thing I was seeing around me was more important to me than whatever the circumstances and words of anybody. That served as a great source of encouragement to me. And also knowing full well that God who called me was able to back me up was one of the greatest encouragements helping me to forge ahead.
What do you want people to know about you?
I want people to know me as someone who wants to fulfill God’s purpose for his life, as well as see other people excel in life and fulfil their destinies.
What makes DDCC different from other churches? What’s its niche?
What makes DDCC different is its sense of calling. Every ministry or commission has been called for a purpose and for us, what singles us out is our unique sense of calling. DDCC is a place where dreams are conceived, nurtured and fulfilled. Basically, the way God wants this to be accomplished is by helping people to excel in life and fulfill their destinies. When people excel in life endeavours and fulfill their destinies, that’s one way you give meaning to their dreams. That’s the distinguishing mark of DDCC.
Can you share your salvation experience?
I actually got born again on January 30, 1987. I was in form 5 in secondary school then. Someone came to our school fellowship to preach; I heard the word of God and was converted. I heeded the altar call and gave my life to Christ on that day. And the next day, which was January 31, I got baptised in the Holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking in tongues. God has helped me to remain in faith since then.
When and how did you receive the call of God?
After my salvation experience, I was very fortunate to be in a Bible-believing church, and was involved in several activities. While I was in the university, I started having impressions that the call of God was upon my life. I could see the handwriting on the wall from experiences I had gone through that God was actually calling me to something greater. And by the time I was in 500Level at the University of Ilorin, Civil Engineering Department, it was very clear to me that God had called me into apostolic kind of ministry and that I wasn’t going to practise as a civil engineer. So, essentially, during my National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC) year in , God used that period to prepare me for full-time ministry because after the youth service, 1993/94, I entered full time ministry. It was based on God’s dealings with me. The commonest way God speaks to people is through the voice of their regenerated human spirit. That was how I got the conviction. Of course, when I sought God in the place of prayers, I had a series of encounter, some of them were revelational; some non-revelational based on what God said to me that He was calling me unto Himself; to an apostolic kind of work that would have a global impact.
How can one know that somebody was sincerely called of God; what does one look out for in such?
I will talk about the major ones. Firstly, there must be a clear sense of mandate/vision. The mandate must have some clear objectives like what to do in terms of what the assignment is all about. Another very important thing about mandate is that He will tell you where to go the place of location, and also when to do it; that is, the timing for the vision. Then, the issue of with whom to do it and how long God wants you to carry out the mandate.
Another thing is the fruits. The Bible says by their fruits, you shall know them. Matt 7:16. The fruits should be evident to confirm God genuinely called a person into ministry. (Isaiah 61:16). You cannot call yourself something you’re not. These are very important.
It is noticeable that many churches’ leadership do not always want ministers under them to leave and start their own church/ministry. Why? How did you handle this?
It’s true. There are several reasons. I think the fear of losing a capable hand is part of the challenge. Also, insecurity can be the reason; not coming to terms with the fact that not everybody will remain in their ministry all your life. It’s just like your children; they start out with you, living with you and when they’re grown, they leave you and start their own families; they start their own lives. For me, what I will say is that one needs to understand and come to terms with the fact that not everybody will be with you forever. Evidently, God has called some people to do some other things for Him and the way I see it is that we must be willing to release other people who have a genuine call of God upon their lives. When you even look at the Bible, there is a provision for such. Some examples we see in the Bible show that leadership, atimes, does not easily want to let go. For instance, Jacob served Laban for 20 years but you could see that when it was time for him to leave, Laban did not want him to go despite the fact that God had told him to go. He left without telling Laban because God had instructed him to go. Leadership need to realise that whatever God has called this person to do is still an extension of God. We are not trying to build an empire for ourselves rather, we are trying to extend the kingdom; to reach more people.
My own experience, it was God’s grace coming to my aid. I want to thank God also for counsel from friends and senior colleagues. I genuinely pursued God’s leading. To me, when it was obvious, after exploring all the available means to seek a way of having a rapport with leadership and it seemed it wasn’t going to happen, I had to follow the leading of God to resign my position which the Constitution provides for in the ministry, where I was serving.
But, all of these things were based on the fact that God was telling me my time was up there. And if God is telling you your time is up somewhere, there’s no point keeping yourself there. I had to obey God’s leading ultimately.
Only a few churches still preach message on rapture these days, why?
The message of the rapture is still relevant to the gospel. To say that only few churches preach it is very difficult to access. I think it is just people’s perception. The message of the rapture is one of the core values of Christianity. It is closely linked to the second coming of the Lord Jesus and that is one of the doctrines of the Bible. For me, it is a message that cannot be wished away. It’s a message that needs to be heard and not limited to a season but must be preached always. Any serious-minded church must always preach about the second coming of the Lord. We need to strike a balance between being heavenly-conscious and earthy relevant
Despite the visible presence of churches all around, why does lawlessness and sin pervade our land?
The reality is we are in the last days. The fact that the church is the light does not mean it’s going to eradicate darkness completely. The reality we have to face is that the church exist and would thrive better in the darkness because the church is the light. The truth of the matter is that the church will not eradicate lawlessness and sin but will help reduce it. It will be an illusion to the scripture to assume there will be no darkness because of the presence of the church. If the whole place was free of evil and darkness, then there’s no need for the church. There’s a place for the fulfilment of the scripture on the endtime and there’s the place of the church shining in the midst of the darkness. Rom 5:20 says where sin abound, grace did much more abound.
How do you think we can address the issue of incessant bloodletting especially in the Northern part of the country?
I believe the ways we can stem the tide is first and foremost, tighten our borders effectively because they are very porous. It has to be addressed effectively. Secondly, our security agencies need to be properly funded, equipped and trained to combat the menace. Also, intelligence gathering must be addressed because these people are not spirits; they live among other people. Fourthly, there has to be justice and equity being meted out to those concerned. Those found guilty be served justice so as to serve as deterrent to others. And victims displaced or bereaved should be adequately compensated.
What is your piece of advice to CAN on this issue?
Apart from praying which is the obvious thing for CAN to do generally, they need to engage the government of the day more, serving as a go-between…be the voice for those people who have suffered injustice so they can be compensated. They need to take proactive role and not passive. They need to be more involved, sensitise and collaborate with other agencies in restoring peace in those areas.
How do you think Christians can participate in politics in Nigeria and not lose their faith?
I believe the way Christians can participate in politics and not lose their faith is by not taking a passive role. They are to be involved in the process…have PVCs, be part of a political party…vote and perform their civic duties.
And for those who think they have genuine sense of call into politics, they should associate with and get involved in the party of their choice. Brethren should also back them up with prayers. They should ensure they are under proper spiritual covering. Politics like they say is a dirty game in Nigeria. So, they need to be on guard spiritually and do everything to constantly renew their relationship with God. The political terrain is very tough and so they need to be spiritually equipped in order to face all the challenges that may come their way.
What’s your advice to youths on general outlook to life and destiny fulfilment?
The youths should first be united back to their maker because you cannot rule out spiritual from issues of our lives. They need to get connection back to God. That done, other things will fall into place…like discovering of their giftings and potentials. That will help them to fulfill purpose and learn core values of life. Principles of diligence, faithfulness. These things will serve them well. Truth is a lot of our youths are not adequately prepared or equipped for life which is not a bed of roses. They should also pursue their God-given destinies. They should devote and channel their energies to such so they can fulfill their purpose in life.
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