‘My life as an African pastor in Malaysia’

April 14, 2024

At the Koinional Experience of the Fair Havens Kingdom Center, The Senior Pastor of the church, Pastor Christian Chukwuekesia spoke to Adeola Ogunlade on his missionary journey to Malaysia, his triumphs and lessons for missionaries in difficult countries.

Journey to Malaysia

Pastor Tunde Bakare is my spiritual father and I was in a service one day, and he began to prophesy that the banks would fail. I was then working in a bank. I asked myself since the pastor had prophesied that banks would fail, what was I doing there? I had a plan to go for my postgraduate studies, and I was concerned about which country I should go to where I would be receiving the same message I have been receiving from Pastor Bakare. I recalled that his best friend was Pastor Jonathan David. That was why I chose Malaysia so that what I could not get because I was away, I could get in Malaysia, and I chose the country. We went there and when it was time, God told us to pioneer something in the capital city. What led me to Malaysia was my postgraduate studies but business opened up there for me because you cannot be idle. From there, the ministry also opened.

13 years in Malaysia as an African pastor, what was it like in a Muslim-dominated country?

It was not easy. The way we serve God freely is not the same in Malaysia. There were some restrictions. You couldn’t go and canvas people, the majority is Muslims. We had the Chinese and India. It was not easy, but God helped us to build something tangible. When we started, the first challenge was to get people out of the street to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives. We started Kingdom Business School to tell them that people can harness good business opportunities instead of getting involved in illegal activities and tarnishing the image of their nation.

As we started, the changes were transformational and we lost most of our members. We did not lose them because they died but we lost them when they heard the gospel message, and we opened their eyes through the grace of God to discover good business opportunities back home, and they left. We raised them, and they disappeared. It was painful but we liked it. It was a strategy from God to scatter them in different locations to make a difference for God. My first Personal Assistant now lives in Australia and is a phone call away. Anything that will be done by grace will take a lot of effort and sacrifice. We slept in church, disciplined the people, and every Friday, we had a meeting called Destiny Night. It was a tough one because Friday in Malaysia is a day when people go to clubs. Some who were supposed to go clubbing would come and attend the programme. These were the strategies God gave us to win souls and change lives so that they could fulfil God’s purpose for their lives.

Through the Kingdom Business School, there were prostitutes whose lives were changed, and destitute taken off the street and were empowered to be self-employed. The Kingdom Business School helped those who did not have skills, empowered and integrated them into the kingdom. We have taken men off the street and made them a voice to reckon with.

What lesson should missionaries learn from missions in difficult countries?

In nations that are so difficult, my candid advice is that you must be sure that God is sending you, and you must have the skills because skills will give access to integrate yourself into society. Missionaries should not go to difficult countries with the aim of planting churches. We must go there as professionals if we are going to make a huge impact in those countries. Paul was able to succeed within the Asia continent because, in every territory that he went to, he mingled with the marketplace. There was a threshold he created for them. If you have a business skill and you are ready to trade with it, it will be easy for them to accept. I am going to Saudi Arabia and as an Engineer; I will be accepted because I am bringing something to help develop their country. Going to the people to give you bread and butter does not make sense. If God is sending you to Asia and you are praying for money, money is not their problem but if you go with the message of the kingdom with requisite skills, your impact will be huge.  

Read Also: Malaysia, Nigeria to close 1.6m tonnes palm oil gap

When God told you to come back home? How was it?

It was a lot of struggle. The first time God told me to come back to Africa, it was not easy but we have learned to obey God. The Bible says to obey is better than sacrifice.  In a bid to be sure we heard from God, we spoke to Pastor Bakare who responded by saying that we had given enough to that nation, it was time to come back home. We also went to meet with his friend in Malaysia, Rev Jonathan who confirmed the leading of God for us to return home. He told us as soon as we got back home, we should pioneer a new work. We are back and we have seen the reasons God said that we should come back home. We are reaching out to an army of youths. We are focusing on disciplining men for greater exploits here on earth and preparing them for heaven.

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