Popular cleric and founder of Christ Embassy, pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has claimed that no sector has cheated and exploited the church more than the music industry in the last four to five decades.
In a viral video of his sermon to the congregation, the cleric lamented that many individuals in the music industry began their careers in the church, often as choir members or praise leaders, but eventually used the platform to launch into the secular world.
He noted that rather than contributing meaningfully to the ministry, such individuals only leveraged the church to gain popularity and financial advantage.
He alleged that some even went as far as starting their own ministries or commercial ventures, not out of spiritual conviction, but as a strategy to build influence and income.
Pastor Chris also expressed concern that many of these individuals, once exposed to external influences, returned to the church with behaviours and mindsets that negatively affected others in the congregation.
He warned pastors against entrusting sensitive aspects of ministry, particularly music, to those whose intentions may be self-serving rather than spiritually driven.
He said, “In probably the last 40–50 years, no one has cheated the church like the music industry. What most of them have ever done was to use the church. If you look at history, long before the 50 years I just mentioned, you will see many worldly singers that started in the church.
“They were in the choir, they were leading praise, but ended up in the world. All they ever did was to use the church. They used the church to make themselves popular. Either they start a church with that opportunity, or find a way to use that opportunity to make money. Satan enters into their minds to give them ideas on how to leverage the opportunity given to them in the house of God for financial reasons.
“I have told you, don’t give them any chances anymore, otherwise you will go to hell. I’m trying to save them, many of them who wouldn’t go to church. They don’t know the message. They are exposed to poetic abilities. Most of the things they write, sinners can write them.
”So, when I started seeing the same sign of what was out there, which I was trying to protect many of them from, because once they started going out, they started collecting the same spirit from outside and came back inside to be luring others to behave the same way.
“As I look at the churches, I see and I say pastors don’t give this all-important aspect of the ministry to those whose only desires are to take advantage of the church.”
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