The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries has strongly responded to recent online mockery of its members’ testimonies. The church firmly denied allegations of fabricating stories and criticized the deceptive nature of viral videos that have surfaced.
In a statement issued on Monday, the church cautioned Nigerians to be critical of the content they encounter on the internet, warning against taking everything at face value.
The church particularly called out certain bloggers, referring to them as “malicious,” and accusing them of distorting testimonies for sensational purposes by taking them out of context.
This response followed the circulation of videos featuring testimonies from church members, including one highly controversial claim where a member recounted riding on a lion. The church stressed that such testimonies reflect sincere expressions of faith and are not made-up accounts.
The church urged the public to dismiss the negative commentary and exercise discernment when encountering such material.
One testimony featured a member who said, “Something entered my back, lifted me up. It carried me like an airplane to an expressway. When it dropped me, I turned around and saw it was a lion. The lion signaled for me to go left, and as I did, it said goodbye.”
In another viral clip, an elderly woman claimed she fought off robbers and took their AK-47 rifles, describing an encounter with armed assailants.
Additionally, a man testified about surviving a kidnapping, machete attacks, and gunfire without sustaining any injuries.
However, the Lord’s Chosen Church responded by stating that these videos had been manipulated. Pastor Chidi Louis, the church’s Head of Public Relations and Media, called the videos an attempt to undermine the works of God. He urged people to visit the church’s official platforms to view the full testimonies for clarity. According to him, the woman’s story about defeating robbers took place in a dream, but the video was edited to mislead viewers.
The church reiterated that the viral videos were fake and that bloggers had maliciously altered them to tarnish the church’s image. It also posted the unedited version of the woman’s testimony on its TikTok account, clarifying that her experience was a dream.
