The founder of New Season Prophetic Prayers and Streams of Joy International, Jerry Eze, opened up about why his ministry is rapidly growing despite the presence of similar churches or ministries around him.He made this known in an exclusive interview with Punchng, where he answered various questions about his life and ministry.
Rapid growth
Pastor Jerry Eze revealed that the only secret he has is God. “The secret is that I do what God wants me to do. There has not been any deliberate strategy to get to where I am. My secret is God. I know that it sounds basic, but that is what it is. I have not made any efforts to say this is where I want to be. Whatever has happened in my life has been about me just following God. Between last year and now, there has been so much visibility around me. It looks like every month, something happens. People are asking, ‘How did he get here’? I’m also asking them, ‘How did I get here’? There is no strategy. Sometimes, I even think I am too ‘unstrategic’ for my liking. Sometimes, I feel I should do more, but I tell myself that I did not bring myself here. As a matter of fact, everybody around me knows that if they want me to do something for them, no matter how laudable it is, I would tell them that I need to pray about it and hear from God. That is my motto. No matter how exciting it is, I must pray and hear from God. I have got a lot of ‘blissful’ offers in the past, and I always told them that it was whatever God said to me, that I would do.”
He advised those struggling with getting members of the public to believe in their ministry to let go as it might not be the will of God.
“I did not say that I don’t make plans. I plan, but I am saying that whatever happens, I need to hear from God. The Bible says that there are several devices in a man’s heart, but only the counsel of the Lord will stand. I always put every plan, purpose, and desire side-by-side with what God is saying to me. Whatever does not fit into what God is saying, I trash it. It becomes unimportant in my life. It is only whatever is in sync with what God is saying that I apply.
“My advice for anyone who loves God is to have their plans, desires and purposes, but they should mirror everything with the counsel of the Lord. Some things might look really nice and one would want to take a plunge into it, but, if one looks well, it might not be the will of God, so one would have to let it go.”
He expressed concerns that some of his followers are only excited about his gift than salvation.
“I do not celebrate numbers as much as I celebrate followers of Christ. Every day, there is a surge of people who are fascinated by one’s gifting, who come into the fold. Some of them are not Christians, while some others had not been to church for more than 10 years. However, they like the gift and they come to church (because of that). I do not want to end the relationship with them on the basis of, “Oh, this is what you want. Receive the gifting”. I believe that I was gifted in order to raise disciples for Jesus; not just those who follow my gifting or me personally. I was called in order to raise men for Jesus.”
My mother
Recounting his growing up days, Pastor Jerry said his mother was his anchor before she died.
“I grew up in a local church. It was a place that was all about God, the Holy Spirit and what God was saying. As a little boy, I literally saw God. Some of the people who had the gift of the spirit then actually saw God. It gave me a seeming awareness, and it also opened my eyes to the fact that God could dwell among men. I had core raw experiences of the supernatural. Before my mum passed on, I saw her manifest God in a ‘raw’ manner. It gave me a different appetite from what my generation had. I saw people, such as the blind and mentally-challenged people healed.”
He also stated that apart from spreading the word of God and empowering people , his greatest desire is to build a project in honour of his mother.
“Raising a memoriam for my mum is my biggest aspiration. Raising a home where children will go to school for free and be raised with a very fine standard as my mum taught me is another thing I would love to do.”
My home
On how he strikes balance at home and ministry , Pastor Jerry stated that his marriage is part of his ministry and he must succeed in all.
“Everything has to be in place. My ministry is not different from my life. My church, marriage and business are all together. I cannot separate them from one another. What I am doing is not a vocation; it is a calling. My marriage is a ministry to God. Raising my children is a ministry to God. Living the way God wants me to is a ministry to God. But, if you are talking about pulpit work, that is a different thing. I cannot say that right now, I am done with ministry work, and go back to my marriage. “That marriage I am going back to is a ministry, because it must reflect the ideals of God.
“When it comes to timing (and scheduling), if one is led by God, one will understand that God helps one to do what one needs to do at the right time. There are things that have to do with parenting that God lets one speak into the lives of one’s children, or He helps one to shape things in the lives of one’s children by His instructions that ordinary parenting cannot achieve. God gives one insight. He tells one what to do, and if one does it, it will yield results. The Bible says that children will be taught of the Lord. I am a stickler for supernatural parenting. It helps one to organise oneself, and to speak the right words into the lives of one’s children. All I am saying is that God has directed me. My work takes a lot (from me), but God has been helping me. I love to pray but then, what is ministry if one’s family fails? That will be a total failure.”
He claimed his wife has never complained about his busy schedule. “I do not have a large family and that makes it very easy for us. I have a son and a daughter. My daughter is in secondary school, while my son is in primary school. We are good and doing very well. Most times, my wife has ministrations as well. If I do not go on holiday, my wife should not. It is something that we are intentional about. We are intentional about our home.
That is why I said even one’s family is a ministry. One cannot do well on the pulpit and fail in family. Such pastors need to understand what ministry is all about. Whenever I teach people from the pulpit, I must also create time to teach my family members. If I pray for people to receive healing, I should also be able to pray for my family. One should not concentrate on one part of ministry, and lose sight of the other sides. The narrative that some pastors concentrate more on ministry and leave their families, is very defective. As a cleric, every part of one’s life must bring glory to God. I have also had tough days of my marriage. And, my wife has already written a book about it.”
Speculations and scandals
On his popular daily program, NSSPD, he said the program is to help change lives. “When NSSPD started, I was excited about it. But now, I am tired that I don’t have a life. I cannot go out any more like a normal person. I am sincerely tired. I do not have time for myself. I pray all through the night every day to be able to minister in the morning.
“The ministry is basically done on social media; and, that gives people the right to say whatever they like. Sometimes, I wish they could be where I am and know what it feels like. I am doing this for people. My life is literally gone, because I want to make other people be the best in their own lives.
“The lack of privacy is the major issue I am facing . Whenever people have problems, they come to one, irrespective of where one is. They could meet one at the airport and plead with one to say a word of prayer for them.
“Meanwhile, there are some people who love one genuinely but have decided to stay away from one because one is very busy. However, I am not complaining. I love the fact that my life counts. Even if I die today, I would be able to say to the world, ‘I touched my generation’.
On how he manages controversies and scandals, Pastor Jerry said he is only concerned about how God thinks about him .
“ It is when one has too much free time, that one gets to the place of scandals being created around you. However, that narrative is changing. There are some things we do not have control over. We do not have control over how people perceive us, but we have control over what we do. People can wake up and perceive one in certain ways, but those things don’t bother me.
“What God has called me to do is important. What people perceive about me is not important at all. I don’t consciously try to avoid scandals. It is tedious to live like that. I live for Jesus. I am making sure that I love God, and I am doing what He wants me to do for him. It is a natural escape from everything that is not of God. Once one’s eyes are on Jesus and one is doing what He wants one to do, one cannot be involved in scandals.
“Regardless of one’s past errors, one should just focus and do what God wants one to do. Our purpose is enough to keep us busy and make us refrain from doing evil. When God thought about what to give a man, he gave him a purpose. As far as one pursues one’s purpose, one will not have time for distractions. If a man distracted, there are chances that he is not focused on his purpose.”
On speculations about his net worth social media, Pastor Jerry said that it’s been exaggerated.
“ I am worth what God says I am worth. However, I must add that this net worth stuff is hyped out of proportion. Of course, the good thing is that I am very excited that they did not say I stole. But again, whatever I say or do, they are all sacrifices unto the Lord. So it is either people are hyping it out of proportion. It is not about numbers but impact. Anyways, whatever they say about my net worth, I do not take the time to look at that. The most important thing is what God is doing.
“I do not respond to things. When I got here, I realised that I must be ready for this. People tell lies about people. I realised that if you give a lie a voice, it becomes a force. I realised that those hypes come with the terrain.”
Despite his tight schedules, Pastor Jerry said he does play with his health. “I try to sleep when I can. I am very deliberate. I try to drink as much water as I can. I try to eat right and do exercises. I try to be happy. I am a very happy person. I love the happy atmosphere. I cannot remember the last time I fell sick. The supernatural is at work in me. I drink a lot of water. I am very simple as it comes, because pride is a disease.”
