The obligation of successful people to write their stories, to share the histories of phenomena they have become, in order to instruct, to admonish, and to inspire, would change the world to a better society, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
Prof. Osinbajo stated this today in Lagos, at the presentation of the biography of the General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor W. F. Kumuyi, jointly written by Banji Ojewale, Segun Babatope, Emeka Ezeze and Tunde Opeibi
According to him, “every person, especially those who succeed in their endeavours in life, owes society three taxes. The first is income taxes – personal income tax, and if you own a company, company, or corporation tax.
“The second is a social tax, another name for that is philanthropy. The obligation of the wealthy to give back to society.
“The third tax is a civic tax; the obligation of the successful to write their stories, to share the histories of the phenomena they have become, in order to instruct, to admonish and to inspire the present and the future.”
In summation of taxes citizens are obligated to pay, the VP added that there is a fourth tax. This he called “the Pentecost Tax,” which he said was for successful preachers of the gospel.
“But for the successful preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is the fourth tax, this is the Pentecost Tax. The obligation of men and women since the day of Pentecost, the day described in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to preach the gospel, to tell the story of their missionary journeys. The miracles, signs, and wonders that God has wrought on that journey, the deprivations, the fastings, and the persecutions. The victories and failures, the mountains and the valleys.”
According to the Vice President, “this is a huge responsibility. But the saints before us discharged that responsibility so we are the beneficiaries of the Acts of the Apostles, the stories of the men and women who carried the gospel first to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
“Their stories have encouraged generations of Christians since, their recorded experiences may seem to make them stars, but they are meant to instruct us in adherence to sound doctrine, to rebuke us and instruct us unto righteousness.”
Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo said the book, “Kumuyi – the Defender of the Faith,” is the continuation of the baton handed down over to our generation since the day of Pentecost.
While unveiling the book, he stated that “the book, Kumuyi the Defender of the Faith, begins the work of discharging the Pentecostal tax obligation of Pastor Kumuyi. The book tells the story of the incredible work of the Holy Spirit in his life and Ministry. How by His grace, he not only preached and continues to preach holiness to a whole generation, but lived and lives it himself daily.
Giving a summary of the book, the Vice President mentioned that, “the book tells the story of how the Holy Spirit worked miracles through him (Kumuyi) and how from a Bible study group of 15 members in 1973, the ministry grew to what is now the Deeper Christian Life Ministry and at one point, with 120,000 members, making it the third-largest single congregation in the world.”
Admiring the General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Prof Osinbajo said, “Pastor Kumuyi has kept faith with the great commission, preaching the gospel to all persons, without compromise or embellishment, keeping his eyes and focus on Jesus, and keeping faith with the words of that Deeper Life anthem – “Jesus is our only message, Jesus all our thence shall be. We will lift up Jesus forever. Jesus only will we see.”
Commending the authors for persuading Pastor Kumuyi to accept writing the book, the Vice President noted that “this is not really a book about Pastor Kumuyi, it is about the grace and mercies of God in the life of His servant, and how by His mercies, his servant Kumuyi has in the words of the Scripture that is said to be on the backdrop of every Deeper Life pulpit the world over, is fulfilling the instruction to “earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints,” according to Jude 1:3.
While delivering his speech, the keynote speaker, Prof. Dapo Asaju, used Chief Obafemi Awolowo and writings about great bible characters such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Acts of the Apostles, as examples, urging Nigerians to write down their experiences for future beneficiaries.
In his address titled “Leadership, Integrity, and Transparency,” Prof. Asaju said the exemplary lives of people like Pastor W. F. Kumuyi, would help change the life of corruption which has ravaged the country.
Also in his remarks, the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, praised Pastor Kumuyi for his leadership, integrity, and holiness in the service to God.
In his response, Pastor Kumuyi, said he did not know about the writing of the book, but he gave his approval when the authors approached him. He also said God called him in 1964 and sent him to preach the gospel of His love to humanity.
▪︎ By Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Office of the Vice President
