CHAPTER 8 – BATTLE OF THE BRETHREN

©OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE
AS INSPIRED BY THE CREATIVE ONE

Screenshots and Sub-tweets.

In this generation, even church battles share in your data subscription. You pay for sub to read gist about who is dating who? Who is fighting who? Who is facing the disciplinary committee? And so on….

Well… This particular clip didn’t drain data, because it was short.

The clip didn’t even last one minute.

Just 47 seconds.

But by 10 a.m. the next morning, it had made its way to all the youth department WhatsApp groups, our media team’s Telegram thread, and one anonymous Instagram account that I suspect is run by a certain keyboardist’s ex-girlfriend. Someone in the choir recorded that moment…

T.J., eyes closed.
No mic.
Still singing.
The Still yet vibrating atmosphere like she owned the rights to oxygen.

And the caption? Whew.

“Some carry presence. Others carry protocol. Choose your fighter.”
See Shade! They have picked fighters…T.J…the one with the Presence and Edna with the protocol.

Omo! Oh my Father who art in Heaven! Forgive your children on earth!

Before I could even sip tea that morning, my phone was buzzing. People forwarding, reacting, arguing.

Two camps had formed.

Camp 1 Were the “God-is-raising-her” gang.
These ones were dropping comments like:

“We need this kind of fire abeg.”
“Shey you see why we need new wine? Old wine dey turn belle. Too much deadness in Choir-stand.”
“Grace is not age-based. Leave her alone.”

Camp 2 were the “But-she’s-new-now” squad.
Their comments had a holy-but-hot tone:

“Is she the only one in choir?”
“Clout-chasing in church is now looking spiritual o.”
“Let’s watch and see. Consistency reveals character.”

And me? I just sat and watched everything unfold like soap opera .

Because I knew who posted the video.

Her name won’t be mentioned (my mouth no dey run), but let’s just say she holds soprano line three, has acrylic nails that glow in the dark, and has posted “#NoFilter #JesusGirl” more times than she’s posted actual scriptures. Maybe you will meet her in later chapters…

She wasn’t trying to celebrate T.J.
She was trying to spotlight the division.

And it worked.

---

That Saturday during choir meeting, Edna didn’t raise the video.

But she didn’t have to.

Her topic was “The Danger of Performance Spirit in the House of God.”

Her eyes moved around the room like torchlight, then rested…briefly…on T.J.

“Some of us don’t even know we’re being used by the enemy. It starts with innocent singing. Then comes platform-seeking. Before long, you’ve become the devil’s karaoke.”
Everyone chuckled nervously.

T.J.?
No blink.
No flinch.
Just that same steady peace like she had plugged her heart into the Holy Ghost and thrown away the switch. It seem like you couldn’t turn her off.

That silence was driving people madder than a shout ever could.

---

Later that evening, one of the assistant choir coordinators pulled me aside.

“Mabel, she needs to slow down.”

I asked, “She do anything wrong?”

She hesitated.

“No… but she’s everywhere.”

I smiled and said, “Abi she’s just visible because God decided to shine his spotlight on her?…Any one who is offended by her visibility should go and pray for their own visibility instead of turning themselves to familiar and monitoring agent. Right?”

She no answer me again. ( She couldn’t answer)

---

On Sunday morning, the person in charge of media slides made a little change.

During worship, when they usually display “Worship led by: Holy & Fire Choir”, they added:
“Featuring: Sister Tijesuni A.”

Small thing.

But na small spark dey burn estate.( A small spark can burn an estate down)
But seriously, who added that featuring… There are people who are the ones who makes the anointed to become the subject of hatred. I could tell that Bro Jude too was already been smitten by T.J because tell me why that Featuring was necessary, and tell me why T.J appears on the screen like 10 times in one service.
I believe Bro Jude must have given the Camera guys instructions to always capture T.J during services and he would leave it too long on screen.
In fact she was beginning to have more screen time than Mama herself. Something Mama herself noticed…
“Bro Jude must like the new girl, she is always on the screen like she is the Mummy G.O”

Wahala!
Wahala be like wetin?
Wahala be like camera man wey dey do soft love with church camera.
(Trouble is when a media guy is using church camera to run his love agenda.)

---

Let’s continue with what happened with the Choir Ministration… When T.J steps on the altar.. Grace is Spelt in Capital letters.

Grace be like what?
Grace be like say you dey sing normal worship, but person dey screenshot you for Instagram crusade.
( Grace is when what you meant to be simple turns into viral drama without your consent.)

And from the choir room to the pulpit stairs, one thing was clear:

T.J. didn’t come to chase spotlight.
But the spotlight?
It was chasing her.

To be continued…( TO PAY FOR THE THE FULL ACCESS TO THE E-COPY of this Story, Kindly Chat +234-9069926797 to buy your copy)

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