HOW IS THE GOLD BECOME DIM! - FOREWORD AND PREFACE

 

FOREWORD

 

I am impressed to write the Foreword to this book. As already noted by the author who is a Professor of Physics, he was born into the Cherubim and Seraphim Church just as I was also born therein. By the time I was at the then Ife University now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, God used me to start the Students’ wing of the Church which was the first of its kind in the world in the year 1980 when I was about to graduate. While I was doing my post graduate studies in the same university I met the author. We both had the same sympathy I will say for the Church. We did all we needed to do explaining things and researching into others. After about fourteen years of leading the group God told me to leave same and that was the division the author referred to in this book.

 For twenty six years I was outside same thinking I would have nothing to do with same again. But God is not man. He does whatsoever He wants to do at His own time and place. He is sovereign and that is why I have found myself back into the fold right now doing all I can to return same to the true path of righteousness.

 This year we are celebrating our centenary existence and my greatest wonder is that the Professor is still heart to heart interested in the tenets and doctrines of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church. This gladdens my mind beyond description and confirms my earlier suspicion that deep within him, he still loves the Church and although physically out of same now, he is nonetheless interested in its good and is as committed as any true born Seraph in establishing the righteousness of Christ in the Church.

 Sometimes ago, the Pastor of my Church in London who is Ghanaian by birth wondered why I am in the Church; for according to him members of the Church have no good reputation in Ghana. I asked what the population was, conservatively, and he said about five million. Then I said “if you were God would you sit back and see five million of your creation go to hell fire?”  He said “No”. Then I told him that we (and I mean my Church) have a divine responsibility to teach Christ righteousness into the Cherubim and Seraphim Church. And that is our own mission. Anything and all things that is unrighteousness, whether doctrine or liturgy, we have the responsibility to come against. 

 I am not saying we are the only lot chosen for this by God, no I am not saying that. All I am saying is that I know we are chosen for this great task. Now I also know and acknowledge that the author is also chosen. Why not join us in bringing back to the Church the righteousness of Christ Jesus? This is the point where this book is of primary importance to us all.

 God blesses us all, Amen.

 

Prophet Moses Olusegun Rufai

Baba Aladura

Zion Missions of MORWorld Outreach Aladura Cherubim and Seraphim

Lagos, 27^th March, 2025

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Preface

 This work is extracted from an original thesis presented to the Zion Missions Theological College (ZMTC), Ipaja, Lagos, in September 1995.  The significant contributions from sundry friends and associates were duly acknowledged in that thesis write-up.  I also wish to acknowledge here, the significant editorial support from my son, Fisola Taiwo, without which this book might not have been written. Likewise, I gratefully appreciate the large-heartedness of Baba Aladura, Prophet Moses Olusegun Rufai, for kindly agreeing to write the Foreword to the book.

 I was born and bred in the C&S Society and I had the priviledge of seeing great men like Prophet Gabriel Fakeye and Baba Elijah Akinrele (who could literally quote the entire Bible from memory) hosted in our home Church. I joined the C&S Unification Ministries on enrolment at University in 1981/82 and grew steadily as I partook of various ministry opportunities, including as member of the Omo-Ogun Band, Secretary to the Aaron band, and Financial Secretary to the Steering Committee of our local Chapter.  Later, I had the privilege of serving on the Central Working Committee (CENWORCOM), and was appointed as Zonal Supervisor, first of Kwara Zone, and later of the Ondo-Ekiti Zone of the Ministries. Each of these Zones comprised about a dozen Chapters set in Institutions of higher learning.

 I was about traveling to the United States on a postdoc fellowship late 1994 when the “New Dispensation” moves broke out within the Unification Ministries.  The terminology referred to proposals, initiated from the highest leadership level, for radical changes to norms, doctrines, and practices within the Ministries. While these proposals were celebrated by some, others felt they went too far, and could strip the Organization of its C&S-ness.  Due to my unavailability, physically, I chose to put down my contribution to the ensuing hot debate in writing as a Memorandum.  This is what I later expanded for my PGD thesis at the ZMTC, and is now reproduced in a revised form, in this book.  On my return to Nigeria after 6 months, I met two thoroughly polarized groups, and it is not surprising that I could not fit in with either for too long.  I was however pleasantly surprised to learn later, that the Church I was led to join (in 1997), the Redeemed Christian Church of God, actually had her roots in the C&S Society.  In fact, at least in my candid opinion, she represents the vision of the founding fathers of the C&S, which the Unification ministries sought to re-create.

 It is gratifying to note that today, thirty years after, most of the key players in the then Unification Ministries are now closer to this original vision - embracing the values of holiness, righteousness, purity, and power - even if doing so in different Christian traditions. That is exactly how it was in the beginning of the C&S Society.  That is how it was meant to be.

 Ipile ti Jesu fi lele l’eyi,

ti Baba Aladura nto,

k’eda mase ro pe, o ye kuro n’ibe,

O duro l’ori Krist’ Apata!

 

Joshua Ojo

Ile-Ife, 24^th March, 2025