Bishop David Oyedepo, founder and presiding prelate of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners Chapel), says those insulting him for rejecting the Company and Allied Matters Acts (CAMA) are wasting their time.
Under CAMA, signed into law on August 7, religious bodies and charity organisations will be strictly regulated by the registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and a supervising minister.
Oyedo kicked against the new law over the weekend, saying it is irrational to subject churches to the same laws as companies.
The cleric had said such laws were borne of out the government’s jealousy about the prosperity recorded by the church.
Many Nigerians, particularly on social media, had criticised Oyedepo over his stance on the law.
A presidential aide, Lauretta Onochie taunted the bishop, asking him to manufacture his own country.
Delivering a sermon tagged: “Breaking Limits” on Tuesday, the cleric said negative remarks do not influence his actions.
“If I ever preached a message where there is no laughter, don’t listen to it. I have been laughing like this since I found Matthew 6:33. I have been laughing at the devil and smiling as I serve. You insult me, I enjoy it. You insult me and I stop going to work because you insult me? I will be a big fool. I am going to work,” he said.
“They said, see his legs. Yes, I thank God for my legs. See his nose, yes, He made it and He did it beautifully. See how short he is, that’s the size He made me for so I can save more clothes.
“You know, He that sits in heaven shall laugh. If you are not laughing, you are not seated in heaven. And we are seated in heavenly places, so what should we be doing? Laugh. As they insult you? Laugh. As they mock you? Laugh. As they abuse you? Laugh.
“Anybody insulting me is wasting his time. One, I didn’t hear. Two, even if I heard, it won’t pain me. Anybody praising me is expressing his opinion. One, I didn’t hear. And even if I heard, it won’t blow my head because if you praise anything in me, it is Jesus.”
Oyedepo said no man has powers to determine the number of worshippers in the church.
He said the Living Faith Church Worldwide recorded 520 new parishes as of Sunday, adding that no policy can stop its growth.
“Nobody has the power to determine how many people worship Jesus. No force on earth has the power. When I’m lifted up, I will draw all men to myself. So, get all the facilities ready. The devil is tired. You ask him and he will tell you. I am tired because there are churches today that are just pushing the frontiers of the gospel in spite of the devil,” he said.
“As at last night, we got the report of 520 of our new churches planted. The Lord shall send the rod out of Zion, rule thou in the midst of thou enemies. It’s a divine agenda. No policy under heaven can stop it. 520 churches planted on the 16th of August. If I were the devil, I will start mourning now. Shame on the devil.”