Despite the regime of fasting and fall-and-die prayers in many Churches, not many Christians have a detailed understanding of the powerlessness of the
Despite the regime of fasting and fall-and-die prayers in many Churches, not many Christians have a detailed understanding of the powerlessness of the so-called witches, principalities and powers.
In this interview, Bishop Joseph Funso Bada, General Overseer, Evangelical People International Church, Lagos Nigeria and Provost of EPIC Theological Seminary and College fielded some questions on witches and the power of the Cross.
He asserted that the people who become witches were created by God but they chose to follow the devil as the fallen angels. He showed copiously from the Bible that Christians have no reason to fear because they are far above them.
Excerpts from an interview he granted Dr. Bola Adewara, editor E-life.
Why do you think people fear witches?
I think that has been in our traditional makeup for a long time. It has become a mindset that witches have the powers to kill people, suck blood, cause accidents, do evils to people. We were born with the belief and were assimilated into it. Even as Christians, some people still find it difficult to change their mindset of fear. They distance themselves from them. The thing witches use over the people is fear and the only way you can overcome that is to realise your position in Christ. Let me give you a testimony about myself.
Those days, when I was a Christian but a young convert, I also suffered the fear of witches. Whenever I travelled home, the fear of witches was there for me so when I was ready to return, I would not tell anyone I would be going tomorrow. When they asked me, I would say till next week, meanwhile, I was leaving the following day. And I would leave very early like 4 am so that before anybody wakes, I would be close to Lagos.
But on a certain day, I was reading the Bible and I got to Colossians 3:3 where it says ‘I am dead, my life is hidden in Christ Jesus.’ So, it means if my life is in Christ Jesus, whoever will kill me will first kill Christ Jesus. That revelation dispelled from me the fear of witches. The next time I went to the village, I became bold to tell anybody the day I was going and would even wait for them till 6:30 or 7 am to bring their messages for their children in Lagos. I would stay in front of the compound to load the foodstuff I got and all the people around would know that I was set to go.
I would even call them to prayer with around my car before leaving right in their presence. Till I got to Lagos, not even a flat tyre would happen! From that time I got and proved the revelation till now, I have never been afraid of such constructs. Even on a crusade, I have preached about this, boasting about the power of Jesus. Let me repeat this: nobody can kill me. No witch can kill me. When we say a witch killed a Christian, there should be a question mark on his Christianity. No witch has the power to kill any Christian.
Another thing the witches create in people is the fear of death. One of the promises of God that would allay that fear of death is in Isaiah 43: 2-3, where the Bible talks about God killing those who want to kill you. If Christians enter into that covenant, they become a beneficiary of it. The covenant is for us and so we should not be afraid of witches. I keep saying anybody who threatens to kill me wants to commit suicide. It is the application of the Bible that brings the blessing of the Bible.
What do we mean by witchcraft in the Church?
Witchcraft in the Church happens when a pastor tends to create fear in the minds of Church members towards him and not to God. Fearing the man of God is to reverence him, respect and love him, obey him out of love not out of fear or threat. So many people cannot do things on their own because they fear their pastors would curse them. That is witchcraft.
Another level of witchcraft can be seen in the Bible. When Samuel was rebuking saul, he linked disobedience, rebellion to witchcraft. These are the different colours of witchcraft in the Church.
Were witches created by God?
Sure. They are one of the fallen angels but they are not the most powerful in the satanic hierarchy. The devil 
manifested himself, came to tempt the woman in the form of a snake. That is why to date when these satanic people would manifest, they always roll on the ground manifesting like snakes, they carry the serpentine manner.
The fact that they are the lowest in rank makes us see them face to face and some of them say they are witches and wizards. Other forces are more powerful than them and they work in the spiritual and heavenly realms. You cannot see them. Only Jesus could and has given us the power. They are all creations of God but it is the devil that empowers them.
Is witchcraft increasing or decreasing? What has been the effect of the Church on them?
We are in the end time. The devil is all out, manifesting in different ways. Look at the cult groups around. One of them is called Eye (bird) Confraternity. The bird, especially the owl is one of the instruments and emblems of witchcraft. Those students were being initiated into witchcraft. In those days, cultism was limited to tertiary institutions, now they are in primary and secondary schools. Those days we identify old women as members, now young girls and boys are there. It is still spreading.
Accolades for Bishop Bada Funso as he clocks
Bishop Bada Funso, Provost, Epic Theological University
The modus operandi of witchcraft was exposed to the Yoruba world when Hubert Ogunde released his films, Aye, Jaiyesimi, Aropin ntenia. The home videos continued when Ogunde passed on and we began to see Koto Aye, Koto Orun, etc. Do you think these films were good or they promoted the power of the witches?
I am happy you asked this question. Recently, I was reading the testimony of the film evangelist, Mike Bamiloye where he said when he was at Ife, Ogunde brought his film Aye to the school. He said by the time he came out of the hall, he was so bitter in his spirit the way Satan and darkness were being glorified that he walked almost eight miles on foot to his house in the town.
He said the second time was at Ilesha where he watched Jaiyesinmi, the same thing happened and when he left, he was walking home when he saw a crusade where they were showing a film, but he was saddened because the person who was interpreting the film in Yoruba was not interpreting exactly what happened in the film. This he said saddened him the more, that he began to ask God when would people be able to watch gospel films in Yoruba.
To worsen the situation, when Koto Aye, Koto Orun came on TV in the Yoruba area, the whole street would be empty, people would be inside watching the TV serials. This burden in him led to Agbara Nla! The Agbara Nla production was to counter the portraiture of some witches as white witches and good witches, using acts like Abija, Iya Osun (Orisabunmi) Oriade as the good powers to counter negative powers.
There is nothing called white witches. A witch is a witch. Today, thank God that the burden Bamiloye had has led to so many things today and we now see that there is a higher power than their ajefunfun, Abija, Oriade, etc and whatever they represent. They are not using godly power to conquer evil in society.
Let us look at people who were deceived into these societies or were already initiated before knowing the full weight of what they did. How do you advise people who want to retrace their steps?
What happens is that in any cult, the threat of death is one of the instruments they use to bind such people. There is what they call an oath of secrecy.
They say if you reveal our secrets, you will die. It is only when the power of God comes mightily upon them that they can confess. One of the verses that assure them is Isaiah 28: Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. … The covenant with the blood of Jesus is superior to any devilish blood used for any covenant. The challenge some of the people coming out of the societies have is that they still entertain fear. They come out with uncertainties.
They do not believe in Jesus wholeheartedly. Some would need the deliverance process because of the depth they have gone with the devil. They decide to leave and face whatever happens. Without faith, you cannot please God. Some of them claim they have left the cults and come to Church but they are still entangled. They still have relics of the cults properties hidden somewhere.
They would throw away some but still keep some saying this is just for protection, they are not using it to fight anybody. The devil will still torment them because his properties are with them. It is easy for the negative powers to attack and kill them because they are not truly in Christ. One leg here, one leg there is not Christianity.
How does the power of the Cross defeat witchcraft?
The power of the cross is effective if only we are aware of the power we carry as Christians. Galatians 2:20 says ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God has given us a clue. We are dead in Christ and the life that we live today is the life of Christ.
The issue now is if you are dead in Christ, must you be afraid of dying again? The moment we remember that whatever life we are living now, it is no more our life. Without us internalising the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we would be living by the letter not the real essence of His death.
Also, Philippians 2:10-11 says that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.…
Ephesians 1:2121 ‘far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.’
We are far above them. They are under our feet and whatever is under our feet cannot overcome us. Our knowledge and ability to know it, accept it, internalise it and act on it are what bring the power we talk about.
How do pastors know that there are negative powers around such that we hear them catching witches, emere, etc in the Church?
Whoever has the discerning spirit can always know. It is just like the woman with the spirit of divination who was shouting after Paul. It wasn’t that she was saying anything negative but Paul knew it was the wrong spirit speaking in her and he cast the spirit away. When you operate in that spirit, it is easy to discern.
A witch who has killed so many people suddenly gives his life to Christ and the Bible assures him of eternal life. Really?
True. This is where I will sound a note of warning through Isaiah 50: 6-7. Those that devour them say they do not offend. This is where the grace of Christ lies. That is the mystery of forgiveness. If the witch kills you, you can go to hell. And if the witch repents later, she will be in heaven.
If Apostle Paul, with all the killings he did, could say he offends no man, who can say he did? He understands what forgiveness and the grace of God are all about. The person who did all the evil is dead and the new person has no sin in his record.
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