[UPDATED] $28m pastor declares: Satan making me famous

Third Exodus Assembly pastor Vinworth Dayal, who is under investigation for the source of $28 million he tried to exchange for new $100 bills on Old Year's Day, has declared the devil is trying to “make him famous”, and with the support of heaven his church will not “scatter and fall apart.”

Those were some of the defiant words used by Dayal during a sermon before a packed congregation at the Longdenville-based, Chaguanas church on Friday night even as officers of the Financial Intelligence Branch (FIB) were busy counting money seized from the church. A video of the service was posted on the church's website.

“Good to see all the troops out tonight, Satan trying to make me famous, Amen, but there is more in heaven friends, more with us than with them, there is more with us than with them by the grace of almighty God.”

“You see that is what the devil has tried, the devil try to hit something and think we will scatter and fall apart but that word is planted in you. That’s when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.” “We not in some kind of jokey religion friends, this is an apostolic church with an apostolic faith, this is the bible church.”

Dayal then laid down the basis for his declaration of an apostolic church saying he had seen a vision and had been "cleansed by fire" and not theology.

“I saw a vision friend, I got cleaned by fire, not by theology friend, by fire. We have not followed cunningly devised fables, the word of prophet made more sure.”

“Sometimes it takes crisis, truly all things work together for good, if it takes that to bring everybody out tonight, what a great thing that is friends… people just want some action. But we are here strong as ever, stronger than before.”

But it was during his sermon that he tackled the issue head-on, saying he had never asked, begged or borrowed anything from the congregation. His sermon was titled: The Determinate Counsel and Foreknowledge of God Part 6. Thou Has Kept The Word Of My Patience, and I Will Keep You In The Hour of Temptation.

“Did I ever take anything from you, did I ever ask you, did I ever beg you, did I borrow from you...did I put my hand in your pocket,” he said to which the congregation shouted, “No.”

“In three days, I become famous in Trinidad, everybody knows me in the Caribbean, it reach as far as Africa and India until I start to send it for brothers.”

“I don’t have nothing to hide, I am not ashamed, what I ashamed for, I do something wrong?” he asked as the congregation once again shouted, “No.”

Dayal continued: “If they can’t believe it have $28 million that is them, is you give it to me, if I get lock up is you give it to me.”

“You know when they see bags and bags and bags because it there, I come down all these years, from the time they get that system to the present time and only open up that in the last couple months and the last couple days to discover..."

He then held open his hand as if measuring a pile of paper: "I have so much of cheques still that still dated.”

"I live my life before God, no man can say I handle the word of God deceitfully to advance myself, I am a prisoner to the Word.”

His every word was greeted with smiles, cheers and shouts of Amen with upraised hands as the congregation seemed firmly behind Dayal.

The congregation which packed the spacious auditorium, comprised the old and young with most of the male members wearing ties and long-sleeved shirts while the female members were conservatively dressed in long skirts and blouses or dresses.

The service started as any other with a worship service led by a worship leader and singers who were accompanied by a live band. The church also boasted its own multimedia team with a television camera facing the altar and a roving photographer who took pictures of the congregation in various stages in worship.

The service was also broadcast to nine outposts scattered throughout the country as ever so often the multimedia projector would show streaming images of them.

The outposts seemed to be smaller than the main church with fewer members, but this did not seem to dampen their spirits as they too clapped and waved their hands during the worship service.

During the worship service, the congregation were encouraged to greet one another as well as strangers and visitors to the church.

This aspect of the service was not lost on Dayal who, during his opening remarks, said there were reporters present an encouraged the congregation to welcome them.

“I understand we have some of the nation’s reporters sitting here, I trust you got a nice seat, nice atmosphere and maybe it is one of the first times they come here and it is good when you come to something new, different.”

The in-house camera immediately focused on a person at the back of the room who smiled shyly as those members around him smiled and shook his hand.

Dayal continued: “If you touchable, the Holy Ghost can touch you, then you have something to report.”

Just before the Central Bank closed on December 31, Dayal approached the bank with $28,046,500, in 29 boxes. The money was seized at midnight on Tuesday by the FIB. On Thursday, police searched the home of the pastor’s children in La Romaine and the church on Depot Road, Longdenville.