I suppose my background helps me to achieve that. My father died December 12, 1948 when I was barely five years old; my mother never went to any school, and so when I left primary school in 1959 there was no one to even pay my fees to go to secondary school. I was on my own then, struggling through life to get to where I am today. From time to time I ask myself: ‘Peter, who do you think you are?’ and I remind myself of who I know I am. As we say in my country, I have been ‘hewed out of the rocks’. I have no claim whatsoever to glory, to glamour, to superstar syndrome – I’m not into such things – and so I have no choice but to be humble. Let me be blunt with you: I’m a nobody, all right?
Look at Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour, whom I serve, who has called me to serve him, who has made me whom he has made me! Look at the pattern of his life! He stooped to conquer. He had the power to turn the nails on the cross into common thread, but he didn’t do it. He had the power to bring down soldiers from heaven to destroy his enemies. He didn’t do it. Rather, he subjected himself to inhuman treatment. But then on the third day God raised him from the dead and gave him his name that is above every name.
The essence of humility is honesty, and Mr. Akinola is an honest man.
Don
Jesus is clearly not a stranger to ++Akinola. Jesus is clearly ++Akinola’s Saviour. ++Akinola is clearly following Jesus in the power of the Spirit to the glory of God. Gloria in excelsis Deo!
He entered the narrow gate and is walking the narrow path, God Bless.
Wow! What a man of God! And what clarity and simplicity — no fudging, no layers of nuance to try to get through — he can preach a powerful sermon in a newpaper interview without even having to think about what he’s going to say —