Renowned gospel music minister, Panam Percy Paul, has made a startling revelation about a lucrative offer he received in 1995 to reduce his references to Jesus in his songs.
“I was offered £24 million pounds, which is equivalent to N7 billion, for a three-year contract,” Panam Percy Paul said in a viral video. “The catch was that I had to reduce the number of times I call the name Jesus in my songs.”
Panam Percy Paul recounted his conversation with the individuals who made the offer, saying, “One of them, the youngest of them, said to me, ‘Actually, you don’t even need to mention His name. You can call Him the greatest lover. You can call Him the righteous one. You can call Him anything, but you see, you don’t have to say Jesus.”
The gospel music legend said he was taken aback by the suggestion, stating, “I thought, ‘There is no other name given in heaven, on earth, beneath the earth by which man can be saved, except the name Jesus.’ So, if I don’t sing Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, what else is there to say?”
Panam Percy Paul said he rejected the offer, declaring, “You can keep your money. I’ll keep the name.”
He explained that his decision was rooted in his conviction that Jesus is the only way to salvation, saying, “I believe that Jesus is the only way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.”
The music minister lamented the state of the gospel music industry, saying, “The extreme is that music ministry has now become music industry, where the industry is now dictating to the ministers what to do, how to sing, what to sing.”
He criticized the practice of prioritizing commercial appeal over spiritual content, saying, “Money is now dictating to the ministers what to do. The marketers are now telling the musicians what to sing, how to sing it, and when to sing it.”
Panam Percy Paul expressed concern that the gospel music industry has lost its spiritual focus, saying, “We’ve lost the essence of ministry. We’ve lost the essence of worship. We’ve lost the essence of evangelism.”
He urged gospel musicians to remain true to their calling, saying, “As ministers of the gospel, we must remain committed to our calling. We must remain committed to the message of salvation. We must remain committed to the name of Jesus.”
Panam Percy Paul’s revelation has sparked widespread discussion and debate within the gospel music industry, with many praising his courage and conviction.