Heavenly Father, we've come to your presence once again this morning, and we say thank you...." The Pastor stood In front of the pulpit with his eyes closed, praying, with a cooing newborn in his arms and the parents of the child on their knees before him in the small local church of about thirty people. In the presence of the congregation, he blessed the child grinning ear to ear as he flaunts his dashing three-piece modern velvet suit over his round gut. "This child will swim in money, he will be a very rich man, in money, in pounds, in dollars, to the glory of Your Name Lord...." He broke out and started uttering gibberish and the father of the child began shaking his head rapidly, agreeing and saying 'Amen' to the Pastor's prayers as the whole church joined the Pastor in speaking gibberish.
Some even resorted to falling and rolling over on the ground, scattering and breaking the plastic chairs in the church, displaying counterfeit holy ghost manifestation. The Pastor looked up to see the people dirtying themselves on the dusty, un-tiled ground and began to wonder why the people were falling by the power of God on a child dedication ceremony and if they were also posers, faking Holiness like he was. The sight of them breaking the chairs in their pretense immediately grieved him, and with a callous frown, he wanted them to stop breaking things as soon as possible because he did not want to have to spend money on new chairs. "Lalalalalala-la, momomomomo-tah....let us all make an offering to the church, to evoke the power of the Most High....." He grinned as he watched the church do as he said, both the poor and the comfortable were dropping envelopes and cash into the basket that the ushers passed around.
But just then, something happened, as the ushers brought the offering basket closer to the Pastor, his smile dropped and he began to quiver. The baskets were filled to the brim, to the point that the ushers had to gird the basket with their hands to stop the money from falling off, but he still looked troubled. He stood there frozen as sweat slid from the top of his dark bald head to his fat neck folds, he looked horrified, as if he was in a trance, like he could see something that the whole church could not. He then looked down at the beautiful brown baby in his arms and he became twice as terrified to see that the child was looking at him with so much distaste, almost frowning.
The sight of the angry baby frowning at him rendered him completely speechless, he just stood there watching those big dark brown eyes frowning at him with so much loathing, he was dumbfounded. "Pastor? Pastor Job!" the couple called him back to his senses. "What happened sir, I hope no problem?" the bulgy-eyed husband asked as he was handed their child. "Pastor?" He was still staring intensely at the child, but he was fast asleep in his mother's arms.
"Exc-....excuse me." the Pastor said before humbly walking towards his office that was situated at the back of the church like a defeated man with his tail between his legs, shocking the whole church. And after that service, they heard that the church was burned to the ground and Pastor Job went missing.
Five years later, in 2004...
"Today, you shall be delivered, receive your deliverance now, in the name of Jesus!" The Pastor prayed aggressively as he sprayed oil on his small congregation. This church is greater than the previous one, it is more sophisticated. It has better furniture, fancy lights, air conditioning, and two times the congregation. "Receive it now!... Receive it now!... Receive it now!..." The Pastor cried out repeatedly on the microphone, accompanied by the crowd's 'AMEN!'.
"There is a brother here, the Lord is telling me, there is a serpent around his head, He just whispered it to me,... He said that is why that brother has been having problems upon problems..." The Pastor said as he walked down the altar and into the crowd. He stopped before a tall young man and placed his hand on his forehead. "That serpent that was wrapped around your head from the womb of your mother, by the power in the name of Jesus, I cast you out now!" He prayed with both his hands gripped on the young man's head. "Come out, come out...." he said repeatedly while the whole church echoed 'AMEN!'.
And as he prayed, a toddler ran to the Pastor after his mother struggled to stop him, he bumped into the Pastor and interrupted his prayer. The Pastor looks down only to see this beautiful child dimple-smiling at him with so much aspiration. While some members of the church were annoyed by the child's interrupting, the others thought it was adorable, and the Paster stopped praying and happily picked up the child in his arms. "Pastor I am so sorry sir-...."
"No, no, it's alright Mrs. Olusola". He said to the mother of the child as she tried to take her son from him. "Big boy, what's wrong?" He asked.
"What is a serpent?" The child asks innocently, wrapping his arms around the Pastor while staring at a void beside the young man who was being prayed for.
The Pastor chuckled and said. "A serpent is a very big snake. Do you know snake?" He asked ever so caringly.
"Snake?...." He asked looking around. "But there's no snake, it's his brother." the child said pointing at a space beside the man. God opened the Pastor's eyes, and he saw it, a child drenched in blood, standing next to the young man, holding onto his trousers and looking up at the Pastor with pleading eyes. The Paster was lost for words, in all of his years of prayer and ministration he had never seen a vision so clear. He could feel the child's presence, and could also hear him breathing, but no one else except him and the child could see what he was seeing.
"Pelumi!" The child's mother called his name, rebuking him while the church murmured among themselves.
"My brother?" The young man asked snapping the Pastor out of his shocked state. He then put down the child and started praying inaudibly for the man again, he prayed with his eyes shut until he could no longer feel the bloody child's eyes on him.
"Young man, Mrs. Olusola, come with me, and you can bring your son with you." The Pastor said as soon as he finished praying. They obeyed, and another Pastor took charge as they walked to a small room separated by the wall behind the church pulpit. The Pastor invited them into the room and Mrs. Olusola and the young man sat down on the opposite side of the Pastor's table. "Now, Mrs Olusola-..."
"...Pastor, I know what you're about to say, and I can promise you that my child was not gotten through desperate measures, I and my husband prayed earnestly to God and we got him, he's not an evil spawn, he is God-given." Mrs Olusola said almost in tears.
The Pastor chuckled silently. "...Mrs. Olusola, you have nothing to worry about, and you don't need to explain anything to anyone. This child is rare and special. You said it yourself that you prayed to God and you were blessed with him so you have nothing to be scared of, instead, you should be proud." He said before hearing a gentle knock on the door. "Come in." A young lady walked in. She had on a white dress with sunflower petals printed on it with a matching headwrap covering her head. As soon as she walked in she greeted them and the Pastor signalled to her with a nod.
"Oluwapelumi." she called out to the child with a friendly and gentle voice.
"Pelumi, do you want to go with sister Esther for a minute? I want to talk with your mom". the Pastor asked, and he nodded innocently chewing on his fingernails as he stretched his arms for the lady to pick him up and take him out of the room.
"Now, young man, will you be comfortable speaking with her in this room with us?". he asked turning to the man.
"Of course sir, I don't mind". the man answered.
"Good, I would like to first welcome you to our church, we are happy to have you here with us today. I am Pastor Isaiah Edikan and there's no doubt that God has brought you here today, and I pray that you receive what He has brought you here for in Jesus' name....What may we call you, young man?". He asked.
"Michael sir, my name's Michael. Michael Obinna". He answered.
"That's a wonderful name, Brother Michael..." They both chuckled as they were of the same tribe. "...If you don't mind me asking, where is your mother?". He probed further.
"She died last month, Pastor. Cancer took her". Mrs. Olushola almost gasped after hearing what he said, gripping her purse tightly in emotional pain.
"I'm so sorry about that, may her soul rest in Christ... did she tell you anything about a brother?".
"Sir, I am an only child, so I don't have any sibling or brother....but now that you mentioned it, I was supposed to be born with a twin, my mum said while she was still pregnant she was told that there are two babies in her womb, at least that's what I was told. So, on the day of birth, they only had me...". Mrs. Olushola watched quietly as the Pastor and Michael went back and forth, wondering at how focused the men were as they were asking and answering questions.
"Just you?". The Pastor asked in shock.
"Yes sir, at least that's what I was told". He confirmed, shocking both the Pastor and Mrs. Olusola as they turned to look at each other and then back at him.
"Brother Michael....-".
"Yes Pastor?".
"We need to enter the room of prayer". the Pastor said whilst staring at the bloody child who is now visible to the Pastor, standing next to Michael.