Bishop Tom Samson of Christ Royal Family International Church who recently joined the league of Rolls Royce owners in Nigeria, has now cleared the air on the controversy that the birthday gift sparked (HERE).
See excerpts from his Encomium interview below:
On Sunday, March 27, 2016, a group among your church members
presented you an instrument of comfort, a brand new Rolls Royce as 50th
birthday gift. How does it feel?
You don’t know how much I felt. It makes me feel appreciated. It’s
not in this field, just as Jesus Christ said, he healed 10 and only one
came back to show appreciation. I have been in this ministry for over 30
years, way back to when I was in the university.
My ministry in Lagos is over 24 years, laboring, toiling and
traveling round the world. And if now that I am 50, and a people felt
no, this man has touched our lives. We’re nobody, he has impacted us.
And we felt we want to give him the best.
In fact, it was as if I have never driven a car. I believe they
deemed it fit that I should be rewarded. It’s too amazing. I felt good,
rewarded and appreciated.
What’s the financial worth of the Rolls Royce?
They didn’t disclose the price to me. But being a customized one,
anywhere in the world, the price is the same. We all know it’s worth a
fortune. But it’s a gift to me. Not all the time they give you a gift
you ask the people how much they bought the gift. All I know is that it
costs a fortune.
How does it feel joining the league of Rolls Royce owners in Nigeria now?
For us in Christ Royal Family, God told us that 2016 is a year of
superlative unprecedented glory. Glory is a beauty, glory is a honour
from God. Having that is a mark of glory and honour. I feel good. At
least being among those who own that kind of automobile is a status
symbol.
It’s a mark of success. And to know that we have touched lives, we have come a long way. At the age of 50, I feel good.
How many cars do you have in your garage now?
All I will say is I am blessed. I appreciated God for that. My focus
is on touching peoples’ lives across the globe. I focus on giving back
to society, I focus on being sold out. And I just discovered that it
pays to touch lives.
As I touch lives, I am being touched as well. As I give out, I
receive back not in a measure I give out but in multiples. The Bible
says, “Give and it shall be given on to you”. So, whatever I give out is
coming to me in multiple folds. My life is just about the scripture.
Somebody may not see it that way, but that’s the truth. I give out
and He gives back to me in a greater measure. I appreciate God for that.
After Rolls Royce, we guess what next is private jet. Are you also looking up to that because some pastors have acquired such?
When the need arises for that, God will provide it. For now, I am so
much involved in projecting. And we all know our transport system is so
much bad, there is no doubt about that. I will let you know that I will
not put my money on that. When the need arises, God who always provides
for me will surely make a way for that.
When the story broke via social media that your church
members presented you a Rolls Royce as a gift for your 50th birthday, a
lot of people have commented that it’s likely you’re the one who bought
the wonder on wheels for them to present it to you, while some are even
saying you deserve more than that from your followers. What’s your
comment on this?
You see, people comment because they don’t know the personalities
involved. Let me make it clear to those who may be reading this, I have a
peculiar ministry. I was a downtrodden poor man lifted up by the grace
of God. And God gave me commission to be raising people. If anyone wants
to doubt me, if you believe in the anointing I carry out and the
message I preach, you will know all things are possible by His grace.
I have anointing to lift people. Not only in Nigeria, but all over
the world. I have churches in the US, all over Europe and Nigeria here.
Do you know people come to my church poor? There are many politicians
that have become great through my ministration. Some are directors, some
are in oil and gas who came through my ministration. Some even got
their through ministration on the television, some through my
conferences.
I am happy to tell you that today, they’re lifted. If it’s a jet they
give me today, I think it’s worth it. It’s not an exaggeration. My life
has been impactful. I have impacted so many people home and abroad.
Those who were nobody yesterday, today they’re lifted. So, if a man like
me receives any kind of gift, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone
because of the kind of impact I have made in people’s lives.
In this Nigeria alone, there are many top politicians who got lifted
through my ministry. There are many multi billionaires, who got lifted
through my prayer and ministration, I don’t need to mention names. So,
if by tomorrow, you heard that they give me a jet, it shouldn’t be a
surprise because I have really touched lives spiritually.
A lot of people are also saying that the road leading to your
church camp in Iyesi Ota, Ogun State is not good and that you should
have concentrated on that. Now, using Rolls Royce on that kind of road,
do you see any correlation in that?
That fact remains that you need a strong machine on a bad road. and I
want to also say that those saying that should know that we have
construction equipment which in our own little way, we have been
rehabilitating roads.
People like us are even rehabilitating roads more. Rolls Royce I just
discovered is just a strong machine. You may think because it’s very
expensive. It’s stronger and all the cars I use are strong. So, for our
bad road here, the machines I use are stronger. The fact also remains
that they are not cars I even use every day. And moreover, for routes
that I pass, as much as possible, we even rehabilitate the roads.
Is the Rolls Royce the best birthday gift you ever received?
That’s the best birthday gift I ever received. And I am glad that for
many years of toil and labour, some people appreciated me with that
wonderful gift. Some people may be wondering why I receive that, I have
toiled for over 30 years impacting lives.
So, if some people had to think about me that this man that has been
fasting and praying for us, ministering to us deserves the fruit of his
labour, I don’t think there is anything bad in that. I want to say
people should rejoice with me for reaping the fruit of my labour. If
there’re people out there who have been laboring and have not been
rewarded, I pray for them, theirs will come.
Your prayer for those who gave you the gift?
I pray for them, each day of their lives, good things will locate
them. The Bible says a cup of water given to a prophet will attract
prophet’s reward. For they honouring me, they will also be honoured.
So, can we say being 50 is an additional blessing to you?
Yes, it is. Clocking 50, golden jubilee, all over the world. Oh! I
feel elated. People ride Rolls Royce in their 80s and 70s, even multi
billionaires. But if I as a pastor and I am honoured with it at 50, I
should be very grateful to God.
I am not just looking at Rolls Royce as a car, but the honour. I have
been driving the best of cars, but the honour that at 50, being that
Rolls Royce should do with royalty and this ministry is royal. Even, all
my cars are customized with royal number plates. So, it’s the
attachment, the honour that I feel happy about.
I feel respected. It’s not just about the machine, but the thought
that my members could deem it fit that I am worth. I am grateful to God.