The Nation Newspaper

Category: Worship

  • ‘Nigeria must restructure now or else…’

    ‘Nigeria must restructure now or else…’

    The Senior Pastor of Foundation of Truth Assembly Lagos, Rev Yomi Kasali speaks with Sunday Oguntola on the restructuring debate and how Christians can save the nation. Excerpts:

    Giant Killers Conference has just ended. What have you been trying to achieve with it?

    It is our convention and a platform to celebrate our anniversary. We also try to stimulate our members to renew their commitment to the local church and the body of Christ globally. We bond, fellowship and deal with issues that are very apparent in the body of Christ.

    This year, we thrashed the theme gladiators to remind ourselves that we are soldiers for Christ. The bible says we are fighters and warriors. It is to fight the recession spirit out there. Believers are beginning to give up. Marriages are breaking and ritual killers are increasing.

    You see many vices out there today in response to people’s attempts to beat the recession spirit. People are really tired and giving up. Many believers are becoming depressed and giving in. So, we tried to tell people to fight back. You can’t just give up. We must fight recession out of our lives and nation.

    We are gladiators, we are more than conquerors. It is to revive the gladiatorial spirit among Christians. The church should never give up. We should fight spiritually and morally to ensure we uphold the faith. We must fight back.

    Many are saying Christians should fight back the several attacks against them. Is that the kind of fighting back you have in mind?

    Obviously, the bible tells us that our weapons of warfare are not carnal. We are not to fight human beings. We are into spiritual warfare. The moment you become a child of God, you become an enemy to some spirits. You are to fight back against them, defending the faith you have.

    Our fight is a good fight. It is about defending the faith, defending the family and our value systems. It is not about focusing on human tools distracting us. We have been involved in money and mammon that are distracting us. We have become too civilians than most soldiers. That is why we are depressed.

    So, we are fighters and we must understand that. It is not about running after human elements but values and ethics of our faith. Divorce is rising and you must know that it is never the mind of God. Even when Eve misled Adam, God didn’t ask him to divorce her. It is never on the agenda. So, we must fight back for our families.

    In the last 15-20 years, church leaders have been pretty much raising what I call Aje butter Christians-lily-livered believers. Those are not strong, expecting any challenge or tribulation. At the sight of any pain, they go back and feel God has deserted them. They backslide and return to their vomits.

    So, we need to change our messages and let people know that there would be tribulations and challenges. We are to stand strong, not shrink when they show up. That is what the bible tells us-it is about surviving the arena. So, it is not about cursing anybody or mounting pressures but standing tall.

    Some Christians believe in waging wars against those hurting or cursing them so much so that there is a growing doctrine on this. What is your position on cursing one’s ‘enemies’?

    It is absolutely unscriptural and I have been speaking against it for years. Jesus said we should bless those who curse us. It is very simple and easy to understand. As a Christian, when they curse you, you must bless them.

    We have physical enemies because of who we are. It could be because we are from affluent families. The bible says we should love and bless them. We have spiritual enemies because of what we stand for. If I am a Christian, they would fight me because we operate a different value system.

    The bible says we should fight them spiritually. We should not ‘kill’ them physically as we want to believe but we are to pray that God glorifies us above them. If you ‘kill’ 20, they would raise another 100 and the killing won’t stop.

    I was a Muslim some years ago. Imagine if they have ‘killed’ me, I wouldn’t be in faith today. I wouldn’t have been a preacher. All these fall-down-and-die prayer is absolute nonsense. In fact the person that the bible says should fall down and die is you. You are the one to die, not your ‘enemies’.

    It is down for us to fall down in the spirit and die to flesh so that we can become productive as Christians. I see such prayers as emotional therapy.

    Frankly speaking, they don’t expect results when they say such prayers. It has never yielded results. The churches into such prayers should point out those who have died in the last 20 years from the prayers. It is just emotional therapy. You feel someone hates you and wants God to kill them. But God isn’t going to kill anybody. He is not in the business of killing people.

    It makes people feel good, gives them a therapeutic feeling of venting your anger but the truth is the prayers do not go beyond the ceilings.

    What do you say to the clamour for restructuring?

    I am 110 percent in support of restructuring. This country cannot continue as it is going.  I can guarantee you if we don’t restructure peacefully, it would be violently down. I feel it is the lawmakers that are basically against it. I hope they can recall as many of them as possible as they are doing to one of them now.

    I think restructuring is the only way forward. To what? I prefer back to the regional government we had in 1957-1966. Those were the best moments of Nigeria. It didn’t last long because of the coup but this country developed a lot then.

    The centre is just too strong and overloaded now. We need to devolve powers to the federating units. We are messing up and flip-flogging. We cannot practise the Presidential system well because we are not mature enough.

    That is why we have agitations everywhere. We need to act fast because we are losing this country. The National Assembly doesn’t have a choice than to listen to us. We need a referendum to go back to what works. We go abroad and see what they have done. We come back and feel ashamed of what we have here. We have too many politicians than patriots.

    Politicians build their parties and empires but patriots build the nations. We need more of them within the church and even in the political arena.

  • Christian authors make case for virtual evangelism

    Less than 30 percent of gospel ministers in the country use social media to evangelise, the national president of Association of Nigeria Christian Authors and Publishers (ANCAPS), Wole Adedoyin, has stated.

    He also revealed over 60 percent of them lack computer/ internet literacy, affecting their ability to engage in virtual evangelism.

    Adedoyin spoke last Wednesday in Ibadan while unveiling the 2017 winners of Nigerian Christian literature award.

    He tasked gospel ministers to avail themselves of the new media to boost their reach.

    Adedoyin, who is also National Coordinator of the Computer Guild of Nigeria (CGN), said: “New media and specifically websites, blogs, and social networking tools such as twitter and face book allow us ‘to cast wide our nets’ like never before.

    “Never in the history of mankind have we had a greater opportunity to evangelise to so many so quickly.

    “Let us “be not afraid to lower our nets through the use of new media and trust in the immense “catch” that God will provide”.

    He went on:

    “Presently only 30 percent of ministers of God are using social media to evangelise.

    “Millions of people use social media every day, many of who are sinners. Many of them post pornography videos and pictures, post hate speeches, gossips and perpetrate many other devilish acts.”

    On the award, he said over 15 published Christian books and 7 Christian books in manuscripts were received.

    Only four books won different awards this year.

    The winners, according to him, are: Mrs. Mbadugha Chigozie Anuli; Samuel Ajayi Crowther Writers Award.

    She won with her book Beyond the trial.

    Miss Akalonu Onyinyechukwu won the Mathew Ashimolowo Christian writers award with Not easy but gainful waiting.

    Udedike Chigozie emerged 2017 Young writer award with Voice of a Suicide and other stories while Saint Jimoh is winner of John Bunyan prize for best essay.

  • 26 years after, CAC crisis nears end

    Hope is rising on the final reconciliation of the 26-year old crisis in the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) fold.

    The warring factions that had been at logger heads with the mainstream General Executive Council (GEC) met at the Pastors’ conference recently.

    The Pentecostal Church had been in crisis since 1990 when its leadership dismissed some Pastors including late Prophet Timothy Obadare, Pastors J.O Adegoroye N.E Udofia, J.A Akintola and P. Alayo over alleged anti-church activities.

    The aggrieved factions went to court for resolution of the disputes, the last of which favoured the GEC adjudged as the authentic ruling body of the church.

    Also, the criminal case against its leaders was resolved in their favour when the Federal High Court, Ibadan dismissed the suit.

    However, a delegation of the Supreme Council led by Pastor Henry Ojo visited Ikeji-Akeji conference for a solidarity re-union where he delivered the message of their leaders to the GEC.

    Among those in the delegation are Pastors Henry Ojo from Port- Harcourt, James Onagwa and Matthew Olaseinde while another team was led by Pastor Paul Obadare of World Soul Winning Evangelistic Ministry (WOSEM).

    Ojo appreciated the rousing welcome accorded them at the confence, stressing the delegation acted on directives of the Supreme Council faction.

    He said it was high time the CAC put an end to the protracted crisis, pleading for reciprocal visit by the GEC to Supreme Council Pastors’ conference at Alasepe Camp Ground, Ikire.

    Obadare urged all factions to reconcile to fulfill the CAC’s motto “one fold and one shepherd”.

    Akinosun expressed happiness for the visit by the other factions, stressing the crisis was a sad commentary on the church.

    According to him: “I have always believed that court cannot be the best alternative to solve the problems within the CAC.

    “All human efforts to unite the church using human wisdom had failed but God had resolved to end the crisis in His own time.”

    Akinosun promised the delegations if the church finally reconciled, no one would lose its status or ranking.

  • Impact of recession will soon be over, cleric assures

    Nigerians will soon stop feeling the impact of recession, Senior Pastor of Praise Arena, Jummy Adetoyese-Olagunju, has stated.

    He asked them to be optimistic and sustain prayers for President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said the recent data by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics on the nation’s exit from recession is an indication of answered prayer.

    Speaking with our correspondent in his office, Adetoyese-Olagunju noted recent developments have clearly shown God was bent on fixing the recession fever.

    According to him: “OPEC took considerations of our peculiar situation. Nigeria and Libya were given unrestricted production, which is indeed an uncommon favour.

    “That implies that our dollar will become stronger, the economic that was just thriving to survive will now have a better leverage.”

    The cleric, a energy expert, said if the nation succeeds in attracting new investors to the oil sector, things would take a turn for the best.

    He pointed out the agriculture, tourism, mining, transportation, manufacturing and arts sector offer the nation’s best opportunities to increase Gross Domestic Products (GDP).

    He supported calls for diversification of the economic while pleading oil-producing communities should be included in development plans.

     

  • Why Nigeria must diversify, by Akinosun

    President of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Worldwide, Pastor Abraham Akinosun has reiterated needs for diversification of the economy.

    This, he said, becomes more imperative because from 2030, the world will phase out petrol and diesel- powered vehicles, drastically reducing demands for oil.

    He warned this would negatively affect the economy if it is not diversified.

    Akinosun spoke at the 2017 Pastors’ conference at the Babalola Memorial Camp, Ikeji-Arakeji in Osun State.

    He urged economic experts and planners to devise methods to cushion the effects of the glut of crude oil in the international market.

  • The Power of Training in Fulfilling Destiny!

    From scriptures, we understand that we have a glorious destiny in Christ. However, training is one of the vital keys in fulfilling that glorious destiny. As children of God, we should be committed to effective and tireless training if we must see our glorious destinies fulfilled. By training, we mean engaging ‘the know-how factor’ in our field of endeavours.  People have great visions but, they lack the know-how. However, it is the know-how that drives our vision to fulfilment.

    It is also important to recognise that our impact in life will only answer to the qualitative training we have acquired over time. For instance, I studied Architecture but when Jesus called me into ministry, I had to train myself for it because I had seen a professor fail in ministry. That means my academic capacity was not relevant because ministry is a profession with its own unique skills that must be acquired. So, I selected and studied 39 biographies of great ministries to be relevant in ministry.  By the time I came into full time ministry, I was 39 years ahead and more matured than my colleagues because I have bought into the minds of 39 great ministries which accelerated my success over the years. Therefore, it was an easy flight for me because there was the know-how. When we check through the biography of great leaders, we discover that they sustained their leadership through sustainable readership in their field. Erroneously, there are people in ministry today who have never read any book on ministry. In fact, there are some with a vision of a big church, but they will never learn how a big church is built.  This is because they are using common sense to build an uncommon church. There are some business men who know next to nothing in their businesses. No doubt, many people have great callings but they see little or no results. It is not that their callings are not genuine, but they lack the know-how, which cannot be impacted but acquired.

    Furthermore, it is important to understand that schooling is not the same thing as training. Schooling is periodic but training is for life. This is one of the reasons there are many certified but uneducated people in the world. They have degrees but cannot deliver because they are not trained to do so. The account of David in the cave of Abdullam paints a graphic picture of the benefits of training in the life of any man. We saw how David gathered riffraffs under his tutelage and they became the mighty men of David. Although, they were men of no value i.e. human trash, training brought out the treasure in them.  Remember, it is one thing to know where we are going, and yet another to know what it takes to get there (I Samuel 23:8; Ecclesiastes 10:15).

    No doubt, many of us know the city but we do not know what it takes to get there. That is where training comes in.

    What are the requirements to get to the city?

    • Learning: Everyone at the top is a committed learner of arts and skills in his or her field. Don’t be deceived, an endowment is not a substitute for the demand of study. No matter the wisdom endowment we have, it is not a substitute for learning the know-how in our field of endeavours.
    • Discipline: This represents maintaining an orderly life. It is operating as demanded not as convenient. We need self-discipline to make any progress in life. Therefore let’s discipline ourselves so much that people would identify us only with our divine assignment on earth. In other words, go the extra mile, pay the extra price, take the extra steps and we will see ourselves at the top in no time.
    • Diligence: This means hard work. Many years ago, I saw in my Bible: Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men Proverbs (22:29).  From that scripture, I understood that how much we invest, in terms of time, energy and resources in our destinies today, would determine to a large extent where we stand tomorrow. In other words, it is the quality of our work that defines our ultimate worth. This is because there is no future for the idle man in the Kingdom. This is why the Bible says: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7). Therefore, the harder we work, the greater our level of delivery. If we are not hard workers, we would live hard lives.
    • Sacrifice: Sacrifice is going the extra mile, taking the extra steps and paying the extra price to deliver our vision. However, if it doesn’t cost us anything, then it is not a sacrifice. David said: …Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing… (2 Samuel 24:24).

    As we all know, there is no star without a scar. It takes the key of sacrifice, to gain access into the realm of sweat-less success. We must always remember that the benefits of sacrifice always outweigh its cost. Many want the success, but they don’t like the sacrifice because they forget that the cost is never greater than the glory. That’s why whenever it’s time to sacrifice, we must ignore the present and look to the future. For instance, Jesus for the joy that was set before Him endured the inconveniences of the cross, the beatings and the pains, so that we can be partakers of His glory (Hebrews 12:1-2).

    In conclusion, I like you to understand therefore, that while everyone is a potential leader, only those who are willing to pay the price ever emerge a leaders. Thus, if we must actualise the destiny that God has ordained for us, we must be committed to effective and tireless training

    Nevertheless, one step to successful living is being born-again. If you are not born-again, you are not entitled to it. Are you born again? If you are not, this is an opportunity to do so. Simply say the following prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now I know I am born again!”  For further reading, please get my books: Success Strategies, Success Systems, Maximising Destiny, Exploring the Secrets of Success. I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have five services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:50 a.m., 9:40 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. respectively. I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 01-4548070, 01-4548280; or E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org

  • Baptist Church opens new auditorium at 20

    The Fellowship Baptist Church in Agungi, Lekki Lagos, a member of Nigeria Baptist Convention, has dedicated an ultra-modern 900-seater auditorium to commemorate its 20th anniversary.

    The edifice was dedicated by President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Dr Olasupo Ayokunle.

    Ayokunle, who is also the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, urged the church to raise faithful followers of Christ.

    Ministering on the theme Christ’s desire for His church today, Ayokunle challenged leaders to be task- oriented.

    He also called on citizens to obey law and order, adding that the church must not worship affluence as it’s a temple of God.

    Ayokunle said: “We must rise to build our nation together if we don’t build it angels will not build it for us.

    “Those developed nations were built by people. They were jungles before but human beings transformed them.

    “Leaders must be task- oriented, must not be looters and followers must be effective by obeying obey law and order and it will be better for our nation.

    “If we love one another it will be better for us. All the violence and blood shedding will stop. We need to know that we don’t have another nation.”

    The Special guest of honour, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, said the church must be committed to God.

    Obasanjo, who was represented by Deacon Victor Durodola, said: “This is an area given to idol and to have a church here is a testimony of God’s wonderful deeds.

  • BSN opens Ibadan translation centre

    The Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) has opened its Deaf translation centre and 110 Chronological Bible Stories for the Deaf in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

    BSN’s General Secretary Rev Dare Ajiboye said the organisation’s mission is to meet the scriptural needs of every Nigerian.

    He expressed joy the deaf in Nigeria could now have access to the word of God in local sign language, adding that the centre would be continue to translate the Bible.

    The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, represented by the Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan Diocese, Most Rev. Leke Abegunrin, condemned the attitude of the government and the society to the physically challenged.

    He said the neglect of the physically challenged was unacceptable.

    He charged Nigerians to see them as gifts from God, urging them to express the love of God to them.

    He praised BSN for her initiative in building the centre.

  • Jehovah witnesses meet in Ibadan

    Thousands of delegates from Oyo, Ogun and Osun states in the ongoing regional convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses have arrived Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, for the third in the nine series of the annual gathering.

    The convention with the theme “Don’t give up!” starts on Friday.

    It ends at the Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s witnesses Ifatumo village along Lalupon, Ejioku road, Ibadan.

    Spokesperson of the convention, Olayinka Dada, in a statement explained the three- day programme is divided into 52 parts.

    He said it will be presented in a variety of formats, including brief discourses, interviews and short videos.

    “The convention pro-gramme will feature content that will empower individuals not only to keep enduring but also to cope with challenges productively,” he added.

    According to the spokesperson, each day’s programme starts by 8:20am and end on Friday and Saturday by 3:50pm and by 2:45pm on Sunday.

    He added that admission to each event is free and no collections are taken.

  • Baptist Church opens new auditorium at 20

    The Fellowship Baptist Church in Agungi, Lekki Lagos, a member of Nigeria Baptist Convention, has dedicated an ultra-modern 900-seater auditorium to commemorate its 20th anniversary.

    The edifice was dedicated by President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Dr Olasupo Ayokunle.

    Ayokunle, who is also the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, urged the church to raise faithful followers of Christ.

    Ministering on the theme Christ’s desire for His church today, Ayokunle challenged leaders to be task- oriented.

    He also called on citizens to obey law and order, adding that the church must not worship affluence as it’s a temple of God.

    Ayokunle said: “We must rise to build our nation together if we don’t build it angels will not build it for us.

    “Those developed nations were built by people. They were jungles before but human beings transformed them.

    “Leaders must be task- oriented, must not be looters and followers must be effective by obeying obey law and order and it will be better for our nation.

    “If we love one another it will be better for us. All the violence and blood shedding will stop. We need to know that we don’t have another nation.”

    The Special guest of honour, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, said the church must be committed to God.

    Obasanjo, who was represented by Deacon Victor Durodola, said: “This is an area given to idol and to have a church here is a testimony of God’s wonderful deeds.