'Witness Defeated Gunmen in Her Dream' – Chosen Church Refutes Viral Testimonies

The Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries has responded to viral footage of its church members sharing startling testimonies.

On Monday, the dramatic miracle stories shared by church members in viral videos sparked discussions on social media and an online challenge.

One of the most talked about testimonies of members of Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, founded by Lazarus Muoka in 2002 and headquartered in Lagos, was that of a woman who claimed to have overpowered four armed robbers.

The woman said: “One Friday I was in my shop when my legs suddenly gave out and I couldn’t walk, talk or do anything. I started praying that God would decide where I should go and who would take me home. After praying, I went home and around 1:00 am I fell asleep. In my dream I saw four people with their heads covered, with AK-47 rifles in their hands. They were beating me and saying that they had been looking for me and that someone had paid them to break my legs.

“The people there told me not to talk, but I kept insisting, saying, 'I am a chosen one, I am chosen. You evil men, who are you?' They started shaking. I demanded the gun, grabbed one and slung it over my shoulder, then grabbed the second and did the same, and grabbed the third in my hand.

“When I was holding the gun, a woman said there were no bullets in it, but I saw that there was a bullet in it. They all begged me for forgiveness. I threatened to shoot them, but they begged me. I told them that I would take them to my GO (General Overseer), and my GO said that I could not keep the gun, but take it to the police station. They followed me to the station and I woke up when I started talking. I then prayed, ‘God of the elect, save me,’ and now I am walking.”

Tuesday's Vanguard newspaper report said Chidi Louis, the church's head of Public Relations and Media, has debunked the viral images, labeling them as fabricated.

Vanguard quoted Mr. Louis as saying: “Nigerians should ignore the fake video and visit our church platform to listen to the full testimony for better understanding. The woman’s story was in a dream, not in reality.

“Don’t believe everything you see on the Internet. Bloggers often edit content to ridicule the work of God. Most of these bloggers are evil and devilish.”

In fact, the church debunked the video on its TikTok, noting that the clip was fake. The full clip of the lady’s testimony was also posted on the church’s TikTok account, making it clear that her story was a dream.

Lion Dream and others

PREMIUM TIMES checked the church's TikTok account to verify the reliability of trending videos that are said to be real testimonies.

In one of the videos that went viral, church member Peter Chukwu recounted a dream in which a lion miraculously rescued him from prison.

Mr. Chukwu explained that in his dream he was convicted and imprisoned. Despite the efforts of his lawyer and others to have him released, all efforts were fruitless until he came across the distinctive reflector aprons of the Chosen Church.

He shared the dream and said, “I want to share something. Before they released me, my lawyer told me that I would be released from prison, but that didn’t happen until I had contact with our pastor’s angel. In the dream, I saw myself in church and the pastor was ministering to a congregation. He used Exodus 23:25-27 and then I woke up. When I fell asleep again, I saw handcuffs on my wrists.

“As I was walking, I came across two dirty aprons, but I couldn’t pick them up because of the handcuffs. I bent down to try, and as soon as I touched the aprons, the handcuffs broke. I looked around at the people who had put the handcuffs on me, but I couldn’t see them. Then I heard a voice telling me to go to my pastor. I started walking to my pastor. On the way, I saw a prison open and everyone ran out.

“I didn’t want to follow because I was afraid of what people would say about the church and the pastor. Suddenly I felt something hit my back and lift me up, carrying me like an airplane until it dropped me by the highway. When I turned to see what had carried me, it was a lion. The place where the lion had dropped me was very tight and narrow. He raised one of his paws and motioned me to go in a certain direction. As I left, he said goodbye to me. I was scared and didn’t realize it was a dream until I woke up. At the next trial, they let me go.”

In another trending video obtained by this newspaper, a man recounts how he survived a kidnapping, multiple machete attacks and gunshot wounds, all without sustaining any injuries.

He said: “The other person shouted, 'Kapo, what is he talking about?' Before I knew what was happening, they smashed my head into pieces, but it didn't register. I only heard the sound. Then another person shot me in the head, but it didn't register either. One of them called the commander and said, 'Let's take this one to the bush or outside.' They started pushing us to where the God of the Chosen Ones finally proved His power.

“We all went into the bush and as we were walking, I turned to the commander and asked, ‘Why are you taking me into the bush? My Jesus wants to see me in Ijesha and you are taking me into the bush.’ The one who had hit me was provoked and said, ‘Since you are here, you are disturbing us.’ He wanted to hit me but his hand remained in the air.”

In another video a woman can be seen testified how armed robbers repeatedly shot her husband without wounding him after she ordered him to declare, “I am the chosen one.”

“I told my husband to declare that he was chosen, but he was scared when he realized they were kidnappers. When he finally said, 'I was chosen,' the kidnappers asked, 'Who are you?' They told him they were not there to play, then took an AK-47 and shot him in the chest.

“I kept saying, ‘I am chosen! I am chosen! My pastor’s God, where are you?’ They told me to shut up, but I kept going and called on the power of my pastor’s God. They shot my husband again, and even though they kept shooting, the bullets couldn’t penetrate,” she said.

Similar content in testimonial style

The viral images inspired social media users to produce similar testimonies within hours of publication.

In a video shared on Tunde Ednut's Instagram page, two men who woke up hungry with no food in sight shouted, “I am chosen.” Miraculously, a meal of fried rice and chicken appeared before them.

Later in the same video, their empty refrigerator magically filled with drinks after they repeated the phrase, “I am chosen.”

In another viral post, a screenshot showed a conversation with a sex worker who normally charged N150,000 per night. She agreed to serve her client for free simply because he typed ‘I’m chosen’ during their negotiation.

Since then, countless pieces of content have emerged centered around the viral slogan, “I am the chosen one.”

I am a chosen thread photo.twitter.com/PLlmSqNsaL

— Ay Frosh (@froshay84) September 16, 2024

I AM A CHOSEN ONE.
I AM A CHOSEN ONE.
I AM A CHOSEN ONE.

sporty WHO ARE YOU?. photo.twitter.com/z4ZP0qFN0S

— Neo_officiall (@Neo_officiall) September 17, 2024

We are moving 🔥🔥🔥
I am a Chosen One 😭😭😭😂 photo.twitter.com/xbAjcfk5cw

— BUKOLA🌻 (@iam__bukola) September 17, 2024

Who are you?? I am a chosen one!! photo.twitter.com/Xr517OWxID

— Big zik ✵ (@Bad_boyzik) September 15, 2024

I am a chosen one, WHO ARE YOU?? photo.twitter.com/6K1hhYBVUs

— Drex Davis (@drexdavis_) September 16, 2024