One black man in a white man’s country

From Europe to America, South Africa to Singapore, anywhere the name Sunday Adelaja is mentioned, it is generally to the fact that, he is the Black man who leads the greatest number of White Europeans in the toughest of all places - Russia. However there is much more to the man Sunday Adelaja than his sudden fame and world acclaimed Church in Kiev, Ukraine.
THE BEGINNING

I was born in a village of about 40 houses and less than 200 inhabitants including
children. The village of Idomila, Ijebu-ode. My first sandals I could remember wearing at about 10-12 years old. I attended a village primary school, St. Paul's Anglican Primary School llese Ijebu-ode. Then I finished high school at Idomila Community High School in my very own village of Idomila.

My encounter with Jesus and the Gospel completely changed my worldviews and redirected my focus. I became a more serious and ambitious person with a determination to succeed in life. I stopped spending away my time playing, partying or running after young girls. The result was amazing; I passed my school certificate examinations and went ahead to win a scholarship to the former Soviet Union. I left the shore of Nigeria on the 12th of September, 1986.

THE EXODUS

Though Russia was an officially atheistic society where faith in God was regarded as ridicule, God helped me to keep my faith and whether away all attacks and persecutions on the way. I finished my Masters degree in Journalism in 1992, after which I entered into full time ministry as a Pastor and a missionary.

In 1994 The Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God For All Nations was started in Kiev, Ukraine. Today The Embassy of God Church is regarded to be the single largest congregation in the whole of Europe. At over 20 thousand membership in a single church, it is even more spectacular that 98% of the members are white Europeans, with Africans been less than 100 people. It is the only organization in the world where a black African or a black man in general is leading dominantly white concessions.

THE UKRANIAN PHENOMENON

This Ukrainian phenomenon of an African leading white Europeans is even more evident when we look into other church plants from the Kiev church in other countries. By the grace of God all the affiliated or branch churches in the U.S.A. comprise of whites, same in countries like Germany, Holland, Spain, Sweden, e.t.c. It is like the era of saying the black man is made to serve the superior white is over. It seems to me it is now our time to lead. This story wouldn't have been remarkable if it only ends up in the four walls of the church. But the influence of this humble Nigerian has since over - crossed church limit. The popular "Orange Revolution" Political change that recently took place in the Ukraine is in part credited to the efforts of the church that is led by this black man. Our efforts were recognized by the president of Ukraine when he issued a certificate of appreciation to me as the head of the church.

The influence God has given me politically has gone beyond Ukraine and Eastern Europe. I have been invited by the prime minister of Israel Ariel Sharon and the former Prime Minister Benjamin Nethanyahu for a governmental round table. The lectures and seminars on the principles of National Transformation have been conducted by me in countries like Ukraine, Jamaica, Latvia, Norway, Israel e.t.c. Principles of National Transformation are lectures I conduct for political, spiritual social and business leaders of various countries. These lectures tell us the reasons for the greatness or failure of Nations and what to do to bring about real life changing and lasting changes in the nations of the world.

I'm sure everybody will like to know what I think about the situation of things in Nigeria. What is responsible for our moral, political and economic decay?

THE ROOT OF A NATIONAL DECAY

First of all Nigerians must stop thinking that the reason for their plight is lack of money or poverty., The fact remains that we are earning more money today than any time in our History. Yet we have never been as poor and destitute as we are today. Meanwhile the budget of Nigeria exceeds that of some European countries, talkless of African and Asian Countries, while those people live better than Nigerians.

The plain truth is that money and even natural or mineral resource don't make people rich or wealthy just as the presence or absence of money is not the reason for poverty. Poverty is simply a thing of the mind. That is why you find abject poverty amidst of abundance e.g. in U.S.A, Japan, Germany, UK, etc.

What determines whether a Nation is going to advance to development or regress in oblivion is in the values, principles and the belief system of its people? In Nigeria we have become poor in integrity, hard work, diligence, excellence, maintenance culture in management first before we became poor physically and materially. The poverty of the soul led us to the devastation of the physical. In a country where people will do anything to gain a position of influence without adequate qualifications, merits or performance, degeneration is inevitable. When power become the goal of both small and great, they'll use that same power to oppress, destroy and corrupt instead of using it to administer justice, strengthen the weak and disadvantaged.

No amount of money or natural resources can help a nation that is addicted to wealth accumulation and possession, instead of hard work, distinction and service. Greed, deception, and corruption would be the other of the day. Our youth bring themselves more in the cheap desire to be popular than in the desire to be distinguished by a noble course. That society will lack excellence, production, or justice. Money and wealth do not build character, they only expose the lack of it. Our nation is a country of pleasure at all cost and at the slightest opportunity, whereas pleasure is supposed to be reserved only to the diligent. No wonder we have all the violence, crime, 419 and robbery in our cities. Plaudit is another root of our national decay. The praise and applause of men is the order of the day in our society, without the accompanying values of heroism, enterprises, industriousness, accomplishments and labor.

THE GREATEST NEED OF NIGERIA

The biggest need of Nigeria today is in National Orientation, we must workout National ideas, virtues, values and principles that we want to see become the prevailing culture and mind-set of our people. Virtues like hard work, faithfulness, excellence, patience, perseverance, diligence, love, honor, order, discipline and service must become the prevailing natural characteristics of our nation. For this to be accomplished, the Government must energize the efforts of various religious movements, social and public organizations to champion this crusade in schools, public institutions, government parastatals. Seminars and symposiums should be organized all over the nation to clean the minds of our people from the philosophy of instant gratification without paying the price, and success without sacrifice is equal to corruption. A country that must be great must get her value system in order.

LEADERSHIP NOT OUR ONLY PROBLEM

Another delusion that Nigerians must get out of their mind is that the root of our national problem is in the wrong leadership. As important as leadership is, I beg to declare that when it comes to running a nation, the role of one or a few don't become the sole determining factor. A country gets the kind of leadership she deserves. This is because the leaders are not imported from the enemy nations. They were born and bred in that society and the value system of that society mould them into who they are either good or bad. That is why no matter how many government leaders you change, their attitudes and behavior remain the same, as long as they are brought up in that particular culture either corrupts or correct.

In a society that the value system is wrong, even when the leaders are taking the right actions and decisions, which causes pain and inconvenience the people will revolt because they are not changed in their minds yet. So even if Jesus becomes the leader of such a nation the people will run him out of office because of his decisions that require change, since change is painful and demands breaking. In my opinion, the biggest problem of Nigeria is not bad leadership but the corrupt mind set of her people or more mildly our corrupt value system is our biggest problem. We need a renewal of the mind as a nation. This will not happen by itself automatically, we need to proactively propose values to the society until our minds are renewed. There is no transformation without renewal of the mind. Likewise, there is no limitation in life but the limitation of the mind.

PRINCIPLES OF NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION

Here are some principles that must be planted in the mind and hearts of our people:

1. Transformation of the nation begins with the transformation of individuals by the values of truth, integrity, justice etc.
2. Every citizen must be taught to respect the land and his neighbor. Your good is my good. I need you, you need me. Mutual responsibilities, duties and rights.
3. The role of foresight in National development because he that sees the future, controls that future and nation in technology, schools, science etc.
4. Unity is a factor of progress, because any divided kingdom cannot stand. Unity must be around, law, justice, freedom, strong leadership etc.
5. We must know that the root of all national problems is sin, so we don't fight people, we fight sin. People are all good and can be saved if correct measures are applied; love, forgiveness, respect, honor etc.
6. A model leadership is essential. It’s created through humility, righteousness, the pursuit of truth, justice and law.
7. We must recognize the role and possibilities of divine power in national issues. Prayer, faith etc are inevitable. By the blessing of the righteous, the nation prospers.

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