By  JAPHET ALAKAM-INTERVIEW

Rev. Chris Christian is Shepherd of Locust Army International Ministry, one of the fastest growing pentecostal churches in Nigeria. He is a preacher, author and opinion leader.

The soft spoken preacher, who can be described as a fountain of knowledge based on the number of books he has authored is widely respected among his peers for his unique lifestyle as a prolific author of Christian books. He has written over 100 books and is still writing. The Art on Sunday met the Physics graduate turned author and he spoke on a wide range of issues. Excerpts:

I learnt you have written over 100 books. As a minister of God, you are expected to be preaching and reaching out to people. How did you delve into writing?

As a preacher what we do is to teach knowledge. So, writing is part of the ways of disseminating knowledge. So, writing helps me to reach to those I can not go to or opportunities may not allow me to reach, I reach them through books. Just like the Bible came to us, I was not around when Moses was born but I read about him everyday in the books of Genesis, Deuteronomy and Numbers.

After your first book, you went on to write and write many books. In Nigeria where the reading culture is very low. What inspired you to write on and on?

Burden. When I preach to people, I discovered that they don’t know what they’re supposed to learn. I feel burdened in my heart to bring them to light. Knowledge is wealth, knowledge is power and knowledge is everything. When people don’t have it, they’re led in darkness and are exposed to dangers. I used to say that when darkness remains long in people’s lives, it will start hurting them. So, I know that darkness hurts, I mean ignorance. So, my motivation is to make people know what they are supposed to know, to enlighten them. Like Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 1:18, “ That your eyes of understanding be enlightened”.  I know that God dwells in his people by light. The earth is useful because of the sun and the moon and the stars. They are illumination bodies. Knowledge provokes usefulness of people.

• Rev. Chris Christian, with over 110 books and still writing

Considering the numbers of books you have written ; what are the issues that dominate your writing?

My writing is on different areas. I write on vision, on purpose . I write on life and on leadership. So, as I pray and look at what people need, I try to present revelation that can help them in such areas.

Do your books make any difference in people’s lives?

The books are effective even though slow. People can be influenced and everybody at a point in time has somebody he listens to. So, as I keep talking to them on the importance of reading, they read now. The reading culture of Nigeria is gradually changing even though at a slow rate.

I heard that when you left Kano, you did not touch any of your property except your books, why?

It was because of the revelation I heard about the importance of knowledge. Like I used to tell people in the church, that one of the ways to know value is if you enter into a man’s life. Every intelligent man should have a book shelf where we change our ignorant mind to the mind that is enlightened. This is because when we read we buy into higher minds. That is why we read Genesis, when we buy such ideas, we drop what is not real. As every man has a way of looking at things. So, if we don’t read, we can’t buy into higher minds. And somebody is destroying when he sits the way he ought not to sit. What is poverty, it is looking at things in a way you’re not supposed to  look them.

The Bible says in Romans 4:17, he called things that were not existing as if they were there. Everyday new things emerge. God created earth from his imagination, so he can’t stop creating new things through human beings. And it is only the enlightened mind that he can use to create.

Writers always look at the patronage of their books. Do you think yours is encouraging?

As expected , yes. You know I have congregation, I have my people already. So, I write for them first and the other people get from them. Again, lots of bookshops across Nigeria are still selling. So, am getting patronage. For example, when we made attempt to take our books to Alaka bookshop to market, they refused to sell our books earlier, they said no, but we kept going. And over time, they wanted to look at our work. After, they saw and liked what I had written , the quality of the books and the revelation was good and  they have reiterated their interest.

You have authored over 100 books, are you not tired?

Yes, am not tired. It is game of life. I want to make four books before this year ends. I have made 19 books already this year. The first four months I made eight, eleven are here now. I write every night.

As a man of God saddled with other jobs, how do you cope with shepherding a church and writing?

There is priority. I have limited opportunities to go to anywhere. Since I have opportunity of writing, I prefer to sell my knowledge through books instead of traveling around. Books travel farther than my legs. I do more writing. I spend longer time on writing. That’s how I cope. Number two, I preach from my books. I preach what I write.

You read Physics and now you are into writing, how and is there any correlation?

It is about predestination. As God said to Jeremiah, in Jer. 1:5, when you were in the womb, I chose you. Am first of all a writer before physics. I was born a writer and just studied Physics at the University.

Where you into writing before going to the university ?

The inspiration was already there and I started developing it. And you know that Physics is a study of natural law, it encourages a lot of mental work. There is a correlation in studying Physics and writing . When we were in the university studying  physics, we made use of our minds  a lot, so, studying Physics helped prepare me for writing.

You have been writing for the last 20 years, how has it been?

It has been tasking and excruciating and because of that I make use of my mind all the time. So, if I am not praying, then I should be thinking and reading, that is what I do mostly. I don’t travel much. Like this year, I have not gone anywhere though I have some few places to preach, but I don’t stay long. But, majorly, I wasn’t born to travel.

You are celibate, so as an unmarried man, has it got anything to do with your writing?

Wow, that is everything. My emotions are reserved, my moments are not disturbed. I store revelations in my intelligence and I am not disturbed. For instance, if I leave here  and enter my room,from now to the night , I won’t see any other thing until the next day.

Any advise to people that want to go into writing. What are the challenges?

Am thinking that writing is a calling. And I don’t think it is meant for everyone. Because, if somebody is not inspired, he cannot  write. Because, the spirit of inspiration can not just emerge, you have to be born with it. Moses was given to writing, the Apostles also wrote, but Jesus was not able to write, he was just talking. So, writing is a calling from God. It is not something anybody can choose. I have so many sons, when they see my books, they feel like starting.

One of them told me how he started but could not finish it. In fact one of the time they gave me award in Ghana, they invited the Vice Chancellor of Kebbi State University. I wasn’t there, but somebody represented me and when they were reading my profile and came to where it was said that I wrote eight books in three months. So, he asked  my representative that, do you know that your master wrote eight books in three months? The VC told him, I will like to meet him. So, in my profile it is that I am an Eunuch and not married and the wrote eight books in three months, was what  baffled them.

How?

It’s awesome, its just the volume of inspiration.  I don’t only depend on imagination to write, I write what I see. Since morning, I have been here all alone, studying, its a carry over from last night undisturbed. So, I depend on the wealth of the opportunity I have as an unmarried man. And then to be able to allow the river of inspiration to flow.

Intending writers should put in the effort to get what they want. Even though am inspired, at the initial stage, it was not easy, but I stayed until God started helping me. So, those who want to write, the more they confirm that God wants them to write, they should make their own personal efforts. As God will not do for man what man should do for himself.