By SAM PHIRI –

A LUSAKA clergyman has made a shocking revelation of how he paid more than US$1,000 to acquire magical powers to enable him pull crowds, make prophecies and perform miracles in Church.
Ian Chipuka of the now closed Christ of Fire Embassy Ministries in Chilenje said he was prompted to seek spiritual guidance from one Nigerian ‘prophet Andrew Anointed’ of Christ Freedom Ministries after seeing his membership dwindling.
“I approached this man who welcomed me and told me that if I wanted to retain huge crowds and perform miracles, I should first pay him $1,000. After I paid that amount, that was the beginning of shocking revelations,” he said.
Pastor Chipuka said he went to ‘prophet’ Andrew’s house where he was given a tablet of soap called ‘Do as I say’ which he used before being led into a dark room which had a table covered with white, red and black linen, lit candles under it and a Bible.
He said it was in that room that he saw a strange human being emerge from behind the table who asked him specifically what he wanted.
“I told that ‘person’ that I wanted numbers in my church as that was the only sure way of getting a good income to sustain my extravagant lifestyle,” he said.
Pastor Chipuka said to prove that the soap he was given was effective, ‘prophet’ Andrew told him that he was going to find crowds of people at his church the following day, which was a Sunday.
True to the ‘prophet’ Andrew’s prediction, Pastor Chipuka was shocked to find the church jam-packed with people whom he had never seen come to his church before.
He said the people that filled up his church the first time were a demonstration that it was possible to achieve anything with the soap and other media used.
To consolidate the powers that he had acquired and maintain the crowds, Pastor Chipuka said he was told to return to ‘prophet’ Andrew’s house where another concoction was made in a bathtub and he was told to bathe in it.
“When I went into the bathtub, I saw a woman emerge from the water standing in front of me and told me that the conditions to sustain my powers were that I should be sleeping with a woman every time before going to preach but I should not marry them,” he narrated.
He said the other condition was that he had to continue buying the magic soap and oils from Nigeria to sustain his powers at an exorbitant price.
Pastor Chipuka said problems arose between him and the said prophet when he was almost going against the condition of marrying.
He said the ‘prophet’ threatened to take his life if he ever decided to depart from the covenant he made and was warned that a named ‘prophet’ died in a road traffic accident the previous year.
“I have lived with fear for one year eight months and I used to be close to him, fornicate and drink alcohol with him so that he could spare my life, but one day I was very shocked when he addressed me as his wife on a text message which I have kept as evidence,” Pastor Chipuka said
He further stated that he had to involve genuine men of God like pastor Sunday Sinyangwe to get spiritual cover and courage to speak out the truth on the oppression he had suffered at the hands of the alleged Nigerian cultist.
When contacted for a comment, ‘prophet’ Andrew Anointed admitted being a godfather of Pastor Chipuka but disclosed that he excommunicated him because of misconduct.
He accused Pastor Sinyangwe of the famous Standing in the Gap team of being behind the confusion.
He said after Pastor Sinyangwe saw that he (prophet Andrew) was getting more famous than him, he started fighting him through fabrication of false stories against him.
“You can come to my house and you will never see what he is talking about or anything related to cultism. I challenge him to report me to the police if he thinks I am practising Satanism or cultism which is against the laws of Zambia. If not I am ready to face any pastor for deliverance if he says I am not a man of God,” he said.
However, Pastor Chipuka said he had a lot of evidence on his mobile phone’s WhatsApp and Facebook of strange conversations he had with ‘prophet’ Andrew Anointed.