Youth for Christ

A man of faith, passion and prayer

Dr. Jonathan Oloyede is Pastor of City Chapel in Whitechapel, London. Previously Pastor of Glory Bible Church (Glory House) in East London, he regularly appears on radio and TV, and is a well-known leader, writer and spokesperson within black-majority churches and the Charismatic/Evangelical community. Pastor Jonathan is heavily involved in the Global Day of Prayer and is a speaker at popular events including Spring Harvest, New Wine and Soul Survivor as well as international events. He lives in Kent with his wife and two children.

How did you come to faith?

I was born in England but my family returned to Nigeria in 1970. Our extended family in Nigeria were Muslims so we converted to Islam. I became very devout as I grew up and joined the young Muslim group, the Ahmadiah, in Lagos. Although I was tuned into Islam, as a teenager I started questioning and praying to Allah everyday about the meaning of life. I told him that if he was alive he should talk to me but I never had an answer. I got into medical school to study to become a doctor and it was there I heard the gospel for the first time through some Christian friends. I went to a prayer meeting one Friday night in February 1986, and the moment I walked in I knew that I was in the presence of God and that Jesus was what I was looking for. I gave my life to Christ and was immediately baptised in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues.

That night I went to bed and had an incredible dream that the university hospital had caught fire and that my friends and I had run up to the roof to escape. The nearest roof was a fair distance and a voice said to me: “Jonathan, jump!” I said I couldn’t and again the voice told me to jump. I jumped and landed on the other side. As I looked back I saw my friends almost engulfed by the flames and the voice said: “Pray for your friends” then I woke up. As I awoke three things came very clearly to me: you’ve escaped from the fire, you can do things you couldn’t humanly do before and you must pray for your friends. I began to pray for my friends from that day and one-by-one they got healed and saved.                                   

How did your family react when they found out you’d become a Christian?

 

I couldn’t tell my parents for a long time but it leaked out when I went back home for the summer break from university. It was a real crisis. My Dad threw me out and disowned me.  It was a terrible time but I’m glad to say that my Dad took me back after some time and one-by-one my brothers and sisters became Christians. My Mum became a Christian in 2003 on Mothers’ Day, in my church, in response to an altar call I made. It was a really special gift to see my mother give her life to Christ, and my Dad became a Christian shortly after that, just before he passed away.

 

What is your driving passion?

 

My driving passion was and still is that everyone should know the love of Christ and come into a relationship with Him. I feel if people are told and shown who Jesus is they will unreservedly welcome Him into their life. I long to see the Kingdom of God established and people become Christians.

 

What do you spend your time doing now?

 

I’ve recently left Glory House to plant a new Church called City Chapel in East London. The goal is to unite people from all nations in the Great Commission so we can see society transformed.

 

I am also involved in the Global Day of Prayer which aims to energise young people in London and beyond. On Sunday 23^rd May 2010 we want young people to pray the Lord’s Prayer. We want them to set their mobiles to pray at 12 noon because it will help them to develop a culture of prayer. We’re also hoping to go to Wembley in 2011 and maybe the Olympic stadium to pray and mobilise people for mission.

 

How can we encourage young people to pray?

 

I think young people learn how to pray by praying – prayer is more caught than taught.  No matter how much you read a theory book on how to learn to drive, you actually learn to drive by driving and it’s the same with prayer.

 

We need to encourage young people to pray for issues of justice and salvation. We need young people to see that “coincidences” happen when you pray. When young people start seeing answers to prayer they will become more confident about the power of prayer.

 

 

How do you think we should be praying for young people?

 

I think we should pray that God’s kingdom breaks out amongst our young people. That young people should capture the essence and core values of the faith of previous generations. We want them to have the faith of those who’ve gone before them like William Wilberforce, Elizabeth Fry, Smith Wigglesworth and missionaries like John Wesley and others. When young people capture that faith something will begin to happen.

 

Do you think young people in the UK see church as irrelevant and Christians as hypocrites?

 

I think all is not lost. I think many see church as irrelevant and just plain boring, but when you look at things like Youth Alpha, Soul Survivor and the work of YFC - all the things that are happening to take the good news relevantly to young people in Britain - young people are being given what they need; something to live for! It’s no good having a Harley-Davidson in your backyard, if you don’t have a road to drive it on! We need to pray that our young people have a highway to run. We need to harness their energy and creativity and give them the opportunity to live out their faith in creative and exciting ways.

                                                                                                

Gavin Calver (YFC's National Director) has said that his vision is: "To see a whole generation of young people from every background and culture radically transformed by encountering Jesus Christ and that the generation reached would then in turn, change the world."  Do you agree with this vision'?

 

I couldn’t agree more. Again I think prayer is important but we need action to be coupled with prayer. One of the ways we can have that is to encourage young people to pray and get involved with local mission. When they begin to get on the streets and talk to other young people, their whole faith is energised as they see that the power and grace of God is open to all, young and old. I believe that one-on-one evangelism is a very powerful way for young people to grow in their faith as they spread the Kingdom of God.

 

What do you feel God is saying to our nation at this time?

 

I feel that the Church needs to break out to become more like the Kingdom than an institution. When you have an institution mentality you lose your edge. People see you as irrelevant and compartmentalise church into something they may do on a Sunday. The Kingdom of God is what you live and breathe. Everywhere you go is church, every day is Sunday, every day is a day when God’s grace, power, passion and love can be expressed. I believe the Lord is saying that the UK Church needs to wake up and break out of her cultural baggage and boundaries. I believe the Lord is saying that he hasn’t finished with her yet. I had a vision 7-8 years ago and I saw about a million people piling onto what looked like the M1. They were coming from everywhere; schools, banks, offices, night clubs and as far as the eye could see they were all marching in one direction. All of them were young people. I believe that the Lord is going to move amongst young people and that the church in the UK should begin to affirm and empower them. I believe that there are good days ahead.

 

So do you believe that revival is coming among young people in Britain?

 

I believe transformation and revival is coming. I believe another wave of God is going to hit the Church and this nation, and that God is going to bring about transformation in many ways.

 

 

Today is: 12 March 2010, Friday