Pastor Chris Fights Pastors Over Masturbation

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

The Christian community in Ghana is divided and apparently confused on whether to believe Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, leader of the Christ Embassy Church, or A postle Alfred Kodua , General Secretary of the Church of Pentecost , as the two continue to disagree on whether or not masturbation is a sin.

Pastor Chris has re-affirmed his position that speaking from a biblical perspective, masturbation is not a sin and has absolutely nothing to do with God so persons involved should stop seeing the act as a sin and enjoy themselves if they really want to.

This is the second time Pastor Chris is making this public statement and he has taken a swipe at pastors and persons who criticised him when he first stated publicly that God was not against persons who hid to use their hands to stimulate their genitals for sexual pleasure.

Though Pastor Chris came under massive criticism for his position on masturbation, the man of God has once again uploaded a video on YouTube in which he reaffirms that masturbation should not be confused with lustful thinking and the fact that lustful thinking is a sin of the heart does not mean that masturbation is also a sin.

Pastor Chris cited an example that one cannot say the eating of bread is a sin simply because someone stole and ate bread.

He explained that just as the stealing of bread is not the same as eating of bread so also is lustful imaginations not the same as masturbation so the two should not be confused.

'You can still imagine lustful things in your mind while you eat food or even read the bible so let us get the difference and proper definition of what is sin,' he added.

In the first tape, Pastor Chris was very categorical that masturbation is very okay in the sight of God:

'The reason you want to stop this is because of what you think it is. If you were in the habit of playing football, you probably would not ask us 'how can I stop playing football?' 

But because you think there is something wrong with this, that is where your problem is coming from. But no matter how wrong it is in your mind, get this straight: (masturbation) in itself, it is not a sin against God. 

There are many Christians who think it is a sin against God and Satan uses this against them, oppressing their minds and making them feel ineffective and inefficient in the things of God.

'But when you get to understand that it has nothing to do with God and that it is all about you and your own body, then Satan loses his power to use it to accuse you. So if you don't like it, stop it but God has got nothing to do with it.

It is your own body, masturbation is about you and your body and God is not offended by it.

He is only offended by any habit that takes a hold of your mind and if this takes a hold of your mind and dominates you then, God is offended by the fact that it takes a hold of your mind' .

But Apostle Alfred Kodua insists masturbation is a sin against the body which, according to the Bible, is the 'Temple of God'.

Apostle Kodua explained further that persons who indulge in masturbation often fantasise about having sex and according to him, any Christian who  thinks lustfully about someone is guilty of the 'sin of the flesh'; therefore persons who masturbate are having sinful sex in their minds.

Back in Nigeria, scores of pastors have challenged Pastor Chris on his stance on masturbation but in Ghana, Apostle Kodua and the Pentecost Church are the ones taking Pastor Chris on.