Pastor Emmanuel Aniefiok Iren, the founder of Celebration Church International, has opened up about why he changes his phone number every two years. The clergyman shared the reason during a recent sermon, shedding light on his decision.
A clip from the sermon, shared by TikTok user @williamztv, shows Pastor Iren explaining that some people from his past try to reconnect with him without any genuine intention, sometimes diminishing the significance of what God is doing in his life at present.
He said:
“Some people try to reach out to me, and in doing so, they attempt to trivialize what God is doing in my life now because they knew me back then.”
Pastor Iren recalled a specific experience where a caller from Ikotun Ekpe, whom he hadn’t heard from in years, suddenly reached out.
He said:
“True life story. Just randomly called me. That’s why I started changing my number every two years, because of things like that.”
When he asked the caller if he needed any help, the person simply responded:
“I just called so my friends will know I know you.”
Amused by the response, the pastor humorously concluded:
“Wow! Nice one. Don’t trivialize relationships…”
His comments have sparked debates online about the importance of maintaining boundaries, with some people accusing him of being prideful, while others defend his position.
Social media users had varied reactions:
- @midalaEI wrote: “So disrespectful. Such behavior shouldn’t be tolerated. And then people will call it arrogance.”
- @GT commented: “I disagree, Pastor. You’re mixing too many things together here. There’s nothing wrong with people reaching out, especially if they knew you before. You should relate to them based on where they are now.”
- @oyenekanadebisi said: “What have you become? If Jesus acted this way, no one would have access to Him. This is a story for the Gods.”
Watch the video below…
@williamztv Why I change my number every 2 years #cciglobal #relationship #emmanueliren #gratitude #humility #gospelmessage #shorts #inspiration