“Why we’re building 80,000-capacity worship arena”   …Bro. Joshua Iginla

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Leading prophetic voice and Shepherd in Charge of Champions Royal Assembly, Brother Joshua Iginla has finally broken the silence on the world record 80,000 sitting capacity auditorium known as City of Wonders he is building in Kubwa, Abuja. During the 9th anniversary of the ministry, the man of God spoke to the editor, FOLORUNSHO HAMSAT on the new 80,000-seater Cathedral, among other issues that affect Christianity. Enjoy…
 
Tell us about your new Cathedral.
The international headquarters of the ministry called Champions City of Wonders at Chikakore, Kubwa, Abuja is a record breaking 80,000 sitting capacity auditorium which will be the biggest in the world when completed. It sits on hectares of land with 350 toilets and four floors. It is a world class ultra-modern auditorium that has 12 escalators, nine electronically operated elevators and three hectares of car park.
 
Your ministry is just nine and you celebrated it in the much-talked about 80,000 sitting capacity that is now adjudged the biggest in the world, when did you start?
We actually started 13 months ago. We started work the very day we acquired this vast land.
 
How did the vision begin?
I was actually given the vision by God in 1996 that I would build for him a mighty worship centre that would be named City of Wonders and that through it, he would shoot me into the limelight. Thus, when we bought this land 13 months ago, I called the architect who designed this place and gave him the sketch of the vision God gave me. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he blew it up and came up with this lofty design. Initially, I was shocked but after prayers, God told me not to change the design that He knew about it all.
 
It’s no doubt a multibillion naira project, I am sure it must have been a loan from banks?
I have always said it that we neither borrowed a dime from any bank nor sought for any form of support from any politician in building this place. Whatever God designs, He makes provision and one thing I have really enjoyed is the grace for speed. That’s why we could have come this far within 13 months.
 
When will it be completed?
We have already roofed it and will soon finish the project.
 
Is it true that it’s 80,000 sitting capacity?
We are only trying to be humble, the sitting arrangement when completed will exceed 80,000 because we will also have an overflow at the roof top. You can’t grasp the enormity of this place until you come here or when we finally finish it. We are not under pressure to complete the new site. What we are praying for is time, not money.
 
We discovered that, as early as 4 a.m, worshippers troop into this ministry and even to overflow. What is the secret of this massive explosion?
Nothing else than God and sometimes, it is so funny when you look at where people park their cars and trek down to be part of the service. They line up at 4.30 a.m to follow all the rigorous procedures. I would always say that where the carcasses are, there the eagles gather because God is actually doing wonders and we should give God the praise for it. Some pastors are looking for members while others are even tired of the ones they have.
 
A group of scholars have monitored Champions TV and discovered that anytime you travel out for crusade and you come back, the following Sunday is always so powerful. What is the secret?
The secret is so simple. Each time I travel by air, I have a reflective moment of life probably that is the best time I have to read and write. That is the only time I have to reflect on my mandate and when I get back, I refresh my memory about my mandate to bring souls back to Him. When I come back, I come with passion. I always say, what will make me to preach the gospel and be a cast out, God should not let it happen and the prosperity He would give to me that would make me lose focus of winning souls which is my primary assignment, my God should not give it to me. If you watch any of our clips, you see the poor and the rich shedding tears because they came to terms with the reality of the message of the day. And the reality of the message is, ‘Whatever you own in this world, you are a temporary owner’ and if I know that, it simply means the life I own now is not my own, it is a borrowed life and I must live to stand out for accountability. Why people are afraid of Ebola virus is that if they die, they do not know where they are going.
 
Champions TV, what gave birth to that vision?
So many people do things because of imitation but the vision of Champions TV was given to me since 1995. God spoke to me that I would lead a big ministry that would go round and affect the world but I did not know it would come in this fashion. What actually gave birth to Champions Television was when God told me, “It is now time to take the message to the world and to make the world know that I can raise anybody to become somebody.” Champions Television is for the end time, making them know about His second coming and making people see the power of God like never before. I have always said that Brother Joshua Iginla is not a photocopy of anybody in the ministry. I am simply designed the way I’m designed to operate the way I am designed. So, when you look at the peculiarity of our ministry, we might have a similarity with other ministries but when you look at it, you will know there are substances that distinguish us to make people know that this is not artificial, but what God has designed me to be.