America Tonight with Kate Delaney features Bishop Donatus C. Okafor, founder, pastor, and overseer of the Divine Touch (Deliverance) Ministries and author of the book Deliverance for the Saved (2009).
Bishop Okafor, trained as an economist and statistician, began his call to the ministry in1999 when he founded Divine Touch (Deliverance) Ministries Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa. From being a small congregation of four members, Divine Touch Ministriesgrew in number and expanded to the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and the United States. Bishop Okafor expanded his ministry as a pastor to paper by publishing the book Deliverance For The Saved, which equips Christians with enlightening spiritual advice and practice tips to face life’s challenges.
From Nigeria to Botswana
“Originally, I am from Nigeria. When I left Nigeria, I went to Botswana,” BishopOkafor told his host Kate Delaney. He then went to talk about the weather in Nigeria, which is in Western Africa, and Botswana, which is in Southern Africa; his journey into the ministry; and meeting his wife, Bernadette, who is involved in his ministry.
Getting into ministry
Prior to becoming a Pentecostal (pastor), the author grew up Catholic and even attended Catholic seminary to become a priest. “Halfway to becoming a priest, God led me out, so I went to university and then studied Economics and Statistics,” he said. The author then went to Botswana, where he met Bernadette and studied to become a pastor. He added that his Catholic background helped contribute to his ministry and entry into the deliverance ministry.
Bishop Okaforalso shared that he dreamed of his wife Bernadette before actually meeting her in person when he came to Botswana in 1997. After spending some time in Europe, he returned and went into training for ministry. He later became a pastor and founded the Divine Touch Ministries.
The biggest struggle among Christians
When asked by Kate Delaney about the biggest common challenge facing all Christians today, Bishop Okafor answered, “The major struggle with Christians is knowing who they are. Many Christians don’t know their identity in Christ. That has been a major problem because when someone loses their identity or doesn’t even know their identity, it becomes catastrophic.
“So, most Christians, when they receive Christ, they don’t do any other thing, so they believe everything is done because Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’That is not having a full understanding of what the statement meant. ‘It is finished’ means ‘It is finished on the Cross,’ not that you will not do anything.
“So, if it is the way people take it – not everybody, but some do –then there would be no need for prayer. No need for healing. No need for deliverance. Because it is said, ‘It is finished,’ then you don’t need to do anything, but that is not what Jesus meant. Because even after the Resurrection, Jesus commanded the Church in the Book of Mark, Chapter 15:17-18, where He gave a command for everyone that believe, ‘Such a person will lay hands on the sick, and the people (will) recover.’”
To sum it all up, Bishop Okaforemphasized that Christians need to do more, pray, and do the work that Christ has given them to do. “A believer should do more than just hearing.”
Learn more about what it means to be a Christian and saved by Jesus Christ. Order Pastor Donatus C. Okafor’s spiritual guide Deliverance for the Saved today on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Deliverance-Saved-Donatus-C-Okafor/dp/1608620220
To know more about Pastor Donatus C. Okafor’s deliverance ministry, visit the website of the Divine Touch (Deliverance) Ministrieshttp://www.divinetouchministries.com/