Bishop David Abioye, who just retired as VP of the Living Faith Church, has stated that many regard him as a spiritual heir to Bishop David Oyedepo.
Despite Bishop Oyedepo’s retirement, Abioye promised to keep up their 45-year friendship.
In accordance with Living Faith’s operational guideline, The Mandate, Abioye and Bishop Thomas Arema, who had served Oyedepo for more than 40 and 30 years, respectively, retired.
The retirement age was set at 55 instead of 60 in the recently updated Mandate.
“I appreciate My spiritual father whom God has used tremendously in no little way to impact my life, my wife and I till this moment,” Abioye stated during his valedictory service at Goshen Camp in Nasarawa State.
His role as pastor has been to nourish us with God’s word, and his role as a guide has been to lead us down the road of destiny.
His role as a pioneer in seeking out God’s plan has motivated us, and his role as a prophet has ensured that we have enough protection as we’ve traveled through life.
It was like walking into a classroom full of life-altering insights when I met with Oyedepo, a servant of God.
“There is no self-made man in life, even though God is the one who makes people, he does so through the instrumentality of men who we see and relate with. It is with deep humility that I admit this is the narrative of my stewardship while learning from Bishop David Oyedepo.
Being great is not a destination to aim for, but rather a path to take. I have been involved with him since January 1980, with God’s guidance, and I think that this whole affair has been planned by the Holy Spirit to fulfill a Divine purpose from the beginning of time.
Thanks to the grace that fell upon my prophet, pastor, teacher, and mentor Bishop David Oyedepo, I am now held in high esteem by all around me.
For nearly 45 years, across many departments, our nuclear and extended families, and more, my personal relationship has been an integral part of yours. This began before the course of the mandate.
“By God’s grace, we will remain a path of this extensive and deep relationship as we participate in activities following retirement, fully submissive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, just as our fathers and mentors taught us.”