Philip Ojealo has weighed in on Apostle Arome Osayi’s statement that Nigeria has a calling to prayer and is experiencing a prayer revival.
In a viral video, Ojealo said he was not opposed to prayer but warned against an approach to Christianity that, in his view, discourages believers from using their intellect and professional abilities.
He argued that Christians in different professions could also use their knowledge to solve problems, rather than believing that every challenge must be addressed through prayer alone.
“I don’t need to belong to your clique to be accepted. You have to stop this rubbish. Do you know there are medical doctors in the church who can develop vaccines of many things? Who do not believe that the Holy Spirit can give them ideas?
And pharmacists, who do not believe the Holy Spirit can give them ideas? Who does believe that all is prayer? Prayer has made most believers to be useless in the church in the name of over-spirituality.
“Am I against prayer? No. But am I against prayer that pours your brain? God did not give you brain for decoration. He gave you brain to also man over.”
Ojealo said believers could become spiritually focused while neglecting practical responsibilities.
“We will be rich in spiritual things and be poor in physical things.”
Calls for issue-based arguments
The clergyman also addressed disagreements within the Christian community, particularly public arguments involving prominent ministers and religious influencers.
He said disagreements should be based on issues rather than personal attacks, warning against insulting people because of their appearance, physical condition or other personal characteristics.
“For me, you don’t abuse people with their deformity. That’s rather too harsh. Let’s argue on issues.
“Issue-based argument, whether it be religious, politics, or otherwise.”
According to him, the Christian community contributes to the problem when ministers use their pulpits to publicly label other pastors as fake or liars.
“Well, you see, we are the ones that cause all this. When we get to our pulpit and we call other pastors fake, we call that man a liar.”
Ojealo condemns attacks on TB Joshua
Ojealo also criticised public attacks on the late Prophet TB Joshua, particularly claims questioning his Christian faith after his death.
He said it was wrong to continue attacking a deceased minister and questioned the effect such comments could have on the minister’s family.
“We went further to call TB Joshua a soothsayer. A man has died. You are taking on him.
“You are running him down. Imagine his children and his wife looking at how you are rubbishing their father, rubbishing the work.”
Ojealo described what he called “selective holiness and selective backup” as one of the problems within the Christian community.
He questioned why some people remain silent when certain ministers are attacked but speak out when the same treatment is directed at people they support.
“You see, this selective holiness and selective backup is one of the problems of the father.”
He also recalled instances where the same group of people allegedly attacked prophets and abused other ministers.
‘Who made you a judge?’
Ojealo urged ministers and believers to exercise humility, particularly those who believe they have been appointed to examine or judge other Christians.
“When you are just young in the Lord, you behave like a child. If you have spent years in the Lord, you know ministry is not the way you think. You don’t sit on your seat like a Lord.
“When you say, I am a custom officer, I’m called to check the body of Christ, who made you a judge? That’s wrong.”
He said Christians should not tear others down simply because they do not understand or agree with their ministry.
“Christ should go. You don’t need to tear people down.”
Ojealo also said he could see bitterness among some Christians involved in such disputes and called on them to reconsider their approach.
‘We know in part and we prophesy in part’
Ojealo urged Christians to recognise that they may not understand another person’s calling or assignment.
He called for greater humility and acceptance of differences within the Christian community.
“Come to a part where you just feel, I don’t understand what my brother is doing because I’m not called to do what he’s doing.
“We know in part and we prophesy in part.”
He also criticised what he described as selective support, noting that some people praise certain ministers for practices they condemn when carried out by others.
“You cannot be selective who to support and who not to support.”
‘This is not about tribalism or clique’
Ojealo said the disagreement should not be viewed through the lens of tribal, denominational or spiritual-group loyalty.
He argued that Christians belong to the same body because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
“This is not about tribalism. It’s not about clique.
“You belong to my spiritual tribe. We are from the same father. We are from the same tree that Jesus is the only tree, not any other tree.”
He again rejected the idea that he needed to belong to a particular group to be accepted.
“I don’t need to belong to your clique to be accepted. You have to stop this rubbish.”
Ojealo accused some people of attacking others publicly in an attempt to present themselves as the only genuine men or women of God.
“When you throw stone, you want people to see you as the only man of God.”
Warns against using people’s pain to build spirituality
He further accused some Christians of using the struggles and pain of other people to strengthen their own spiritual reputation.
“You use people, life and pain to build your spirituality.”
Ojealo said it was wrong for a minister to stand on the altar and publicly declare that another Christian was not born again, clean or righteous.
“A brother doesn’t have anything. You climb your altar and say, you see, he’s not born again. He’s not clean. He’s not righteous.”
He questioned why such public attacks should be allowed to continue when they could give unbelievers an opportunity to criticise Christianity.
“Why we unbelievers not take advantage of it?”
Says older ministers deserve respect
Ojealo also criticised attacks against ministers who had been in ministry before some of their critics became Christians.
“When you can do all these dirty things, tear people down, tear fathers of gospel, people who have laboured before you were born again.
“People that were infected when you are still dancing Makosa in the world. You tear them down. You rubbish them.”
He said those who attack established ministers should consider how their words affect the families of the people they criticise.
“Then you announce that is how it feels. The way you are feeling now, the way your sons and daughters are feeling now. That is how the sons and daughters of the fathers in the Lord, you tear down a feeling, but they did not carry it on their head.”
‘Leave God to judge people’
Ojealo maintained that Christians who believe a minister has done something wrong should approach the person privately instead of using public platforms to destroy their reputation.
“That’s God doesn’t operate like that. Leave God to judge people. If you want to correct any man of God, meet them, correct them.
“Don’t go to the public and tear them down.”
He added that people sometimes understand the seriousness of public attacks only after they themselves become targets.
“And now when somebody tear you down, you can see how it looks like.”
Ojealo also criticised statements in which people publicly declare that others are not born again or are not in the Lord.
“You know, you are not born again. You are not in the Lord. You were born again.
“I’m in the spirit, show me how.”
He subsequently called on those involved in such behaviour to repent.
“I pray this group of people repent.”
Says Christians should accept different callings
Ojealo urged Christians to recognise that people have different assignments and should not be expected to operate in exactly the same way.
“Come to a part where you just feel, I don’t understand what my brother is doing because I’m not called to do what he’s doing.”
He also referred to people who had previously praised certain religious figures but later criticised similar practices when associated with others.
“These same people we praise are supposed to, Baba Lola, who put water in the bell to pray.”
He used the example to reinforce his argument that Christians should avoid selective condemnation and support.
‘We are from the same tree’
Ojealo returned to the issue of spiritual cliques, stressing that Jesus Christ, rather than any particular minister or group, should remain the centre of Christianity.
“We are from the same father. We are from the same tree that Jesus is the only tree, not any other tree.”
He warned against using criticism of other ministers as a means of elevating oneself.
He also questioned the practice of publicly declaring that other believers are not righteous or spiritually genuine.
Ojealo concludes with message on heaven
Towards the end of his remarks, Ojealo said Christians should not assume that those they criticise will be excluded from heaven.
He suggested that believers who spend their time attacking others could eventually be surprised by whom they meet in God’s kingdom.
“This God, ah, this heaven, we will go there. They will be surprised when they enter. They will meet us there.”
Ojealo continued in a humorous tone, imagining the reaction of people who might be surprised to see those they condemned in heaven.
He then emphasised that heaven and the kingdom of God should not become grounds for Christians to condemn one another.
Concluding his message, he said:
“Kingdom is sweet. Heaven is sweet, but tearing people down is wrong.”
Watch the video here…
“Prayer has made most believers us£less in the church in the name of over-spirituality. I’m not against prayer, but I’m against prayer that pauses your brain. God didn’t give you a brain for decoration; He gave you a brain to manoeuvre.”
— Philip Ojealo weighs in on Apostle… pic.twitter.com/PwlI9X1dkH
— CHUKS 🍥 (@ChuksEricE) October 4, 2026
