The World-wide General Overseer
or Cohen Gadol of Holy Sabbath of
Christ the king International, Ben Aaron Chidi Ebene Amakaeze,has launched a
strong appeal to Christendom to stop believing people and rather start
believing the Holy Bible in order to get the best out of life. Cohen Gadol
Amakaeze made the call, last Thursday in Buea, in an exclusive interview with
Recorder Editor Christopher Ambe. The head of the Holy Sabbath Church, which is
headquartered in Nigeria, was in Cameroon to lay the foundation stone of the
“Ben Aaron Scriptural College in Bwiteva-Buea subdivision and to preside
at the dedication service of the new
Holy Sabbath Synagogue in Tiko,Fako Division.
He talks about what
makes the Holy Sabbath different from other Churches, misconceptions about his
church and a lot more. Following are excerpts of the interview:
How do you appreciate the new Holy Sabbath Synagogue
in Tiko that you came to chair its dedication service?
 |
| Cohen Gadol Ben Amakaeze |
RECORDER: How different is the Holy
Sabbath Church from other Christian churches?
COHEN GADOL It is very different, because we believe that none of the
words of God has ever been passed away. Other organizations believe certain
commandments of God are abrogated or nailed to the cross. But these things are
nothing but fallacy. God is everlasting and so is his word; His word is
enshrined to be eternal from generation to generation. Nothing is ever capable
of passing the word of God away. Isaiah was inspired in Isaiah 40:8 and he said
“The grasses wither, the flowers fade but
the word of our God shall remain for ever”. The word ‘forever’ does not
have time limit. So we are different because we believe that the word of God is
same yesterday, today and forever; it can never be altered by any circumstance.
And we do just what the Bible commands.
If you are told that
your church is a minority church, will you be comfortable?
COHEN GADOL:I have no problem being in the minority today. What I am
comfortable with is what will happen tomorrow, because every parable of Jesus
points at a mustard seed, which is a very tiny seed that was planted and over
the years it grew into a majestic tree, upon which many birds came to shelter.
So being in the minority today does not mean we will be in the minority for ever.
We have just begun and we have a mission and a purpose and this will determine
what we will be tomorrow size-wise.
The Holy Sabbath church
seems to lay a lot of emphasis on the 613 commandments in the Holy Bible. What
do these commandments mean to Christians? Which is the strongest commandment?
COHEN GADOL:Let me begin by saying there is nothing as this or that is
the strongest. Every word of God is equal in sterength, because the strength of
the word is measured by the strength of the giver. God spoke to Moses on Mount
Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights. If He only spoke ten words, then he should be
there in 10 words or even less. But he gave more than Ten Commandments. We see
the 10 commandments as the summary of the laws of God. He summarized them and
gave evidence tangible enough for the people he went to represent to see that,
indeed he communicated with God. For the period of 40 days and 40 nights, God
said far more than what you can see in the Ten Commandments and it expands into
613 codified laws. They are commandments because God does not negotitiate when
he speaks; God is not suggesting when He speaks; Every Word of God is a
Commandment. So, all those statements of God are tabulated as commandments,
hence 613 codified laws-commandments of God.
What is the numerical
strength of the Hoy Sabbath Church in Cameroon?
COHEN GADOL:I believe in Cameroon we are striking close to 500,000 people
and yet on the increase. That is yet to be properly evaluated as at today,
because I believe even in this visit we are gaining more members.
You have been here for
several days. What has struck you most about Cameroon?
COHEN GADOLI have been to so many troubled countries .Coming to Cameroon
brings what is lost elsewhere into focus. And that is peace. Cameroon may be
lacking in so many things, but it has peace and unity. The high sense of
patriotism I have seen in Cameroonians, I wish I can steal it and take to my
country. People believe in their country not for the things they see today but what
they believe will happen tomorrow. Cameroon is a blessed country and I pray God
will continue to strengthen its leadership, His Excellency Paul Biya and his
government to continue to foster this great virtue of peace in this part of the
world.
As a frontline
Christian leader, do you have a special message to Christendom?
COHEN GADOLMy message to all Christians and indeed believers of God all
over the world is that this: Please stop
believing people, start believing your Bible.
Christians seem to have forgotten that there is a rule of
faith called the Holy Bible. It is what it says that we must do and not the
opinion of people who try to diversify its interpretation for some selfish
reasons. So I call on Christians to carefully study and understand the word of
God, because at the end of the day what matters ‘are those who did what God
wants.’ The names of denominations will never inherit the kingdom of God; it is
a personal affair and according to Revelation 22:14, “Blessed are those who do
His commandments, for it is they that will have the right to inherit the
kingdom of God”
Please tell us about
the origin of Holy Sabbath Church.
COHEN GADOL:It is a church that I believe started far back in the
memories of the Bible, by the simple command that God worked for six days and
on the seventh day he rested, and commanded humankind that we should all rest
from our work. The word ‘Holy Sabbath’ refers to the day of the Almighty God
which He has commanded us to rest. But that name appears to be misleading in
the sense that people may think that, that is all we believe in; God also
commanded the festivals; He commanded to us the clean and unclean food and so
many other things. So the name has to do more with the primary purpose of
gathering us for the day of worship; but at large it has a lot of connotations
in a believer, believing that the words of God are eternal and he must live by
those words. Jesus said and I remark in the book of Mathew 4:4 compared with
Luke 4:4 that, “Man shall not live on bread alone; but by every word that has
come from the Mouth of God shall a man live”
Is Holy Sabbath a church
of prosperity?
COHEN GADOL:Prosperity has so many dimensions but, unfortunately, we only
look at it from the angle of having enough cash that will make you sick. But we
can prosper in health, in education. Cameroon is prospering in agriculture and
prospering in commerce and many other things. So when we look at prosperity
form the word of God, we see that prosperity belongs to those who obey the
words of God, not only in my church. I do hope that every one who does the will
of God would reap the benefits. Isaiah 1:19-20 says “If you will only obey [my
commandments], you shall eat the good things the land produces. But if you defy
me you are doomed to die. I, the Lord, have spoken”
So if we must prosper it has to be by the word of God
Which are some of the
misconceptions about Holy Sabbath that you have heard that you want to dismiss
here?
COHEN GADOL:Many people think that we are a sacred cult, and that is
quite unfortunate. You know that anybody that is in a sacred cult will not be
going to the media; neither will they be writing literature; neither will they
be holding press conferences; neither will they be holding public lectures.
And so, such things are the handiwork of detractors; they
don’t want people to know the truth about us; for the others, please you tell
me. People would always say things they
don’t know but I believe the taste of the pudding is in the eating. Just as you have come, we
pray many others should come and see us as normal human beings but with a
marked difference. And that difference is that, none of the word of God shall
ever pass away. As he was in the beginning, He is now, ever shall he be. We
cannot modernize God; He is the rock of ages, the ancient of days.
Those misconceptions are just distracting to the people who
want to come closer to us to find out what we are doing and also benefit from
the Word of God.
Reverend Overseer, how
frequently will you be visiting Cameroon?
COHEN GADOL:I am already a Cameroonian. I am a Cameroonian born in
Ngeria.But I hold a Nigerian Pass Port as well as passport of dual citizenship
of America. But Cameroon happens to be in the heart. I love Cameroon-the
cuisine and the people. Cameroon is a place that has great potentials to grow
and I am delighted to contribute in the growth of this country, so that the
world will be envious of this country.
Could you tell us about
yourself (marital status, education etc)?
COHEN GADOL:I am married and have many children. I have biological
children and spiritual ones… I am very well settled in my life and I thank God
for what He has done for me. I am educated up to university level and I am
holder of degrees
(First published in The RECORDER newspaper,Cameroon,of March 10,2015)
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