The Nation Newspaper

Category: Worship

  • Feel people’s pulse, Meduoye urges leaders

    The General Overseer of Foursquare Gospel Church, Rev. Felix Meduoye, has urged leaders in the country to be sensitive to the yearnings of the people.

    Felix spoke at the 70th birthday and valedictory service for Rev Victor Iwala.

    The cleric noted that this would enable them get feedback needed to move the nation forward.

    Meduoye described the celebrator as an Agape pastor, who loves and share with all adding that he’s a minister that brings people together.

    He added that he wished Iwala did not retire but for the church’s constitution, noting that the septuagenarian was “retiring to re-fire”.

    Meduoye said: “I personally don’t wish to let him go because of his active role in the church.

    “He has provided focused leadership at various hierarchies within the church.

    “He has represented the church at national and international levels but He is still agile.

    “But according to the constitution, he has to go. I believe he’s retiring to re-fire. I am sure he will still make himself present in any Foursquare- related activity.”

    Wife of the former general overseer of the church, Rev. (Mrs.) Yinka Badejo, described Iwala as a personification of Christ’s love whose good human relations cuts across all and sundry.

    One of his daughters, Oluwaotoke Iwala, described him as a supportive man, mentor and a man committed to the upbringing of his children.

    She pointed out that he gives himself for the comfort of others.

  • Encounter with destiny via prophetic ministry!

    The destiny of every generation anchors on the ministry of the teaching priests (Prophets) who unfold God’s laws to the people. As it is written: And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved (Hosea 12:13). From the above scripture, we understand that God sends us teaching priests, who receive from God and show us what it takes for our destinies to be preserved.  However, many of us know the true God, but very few bother about the teaching priests. In Isaiah 12:10, God said: I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.

    This means visions are unleashed through the ministry of God ordained prophets. They are vision provokers who help us to see what our natural eyes and minds cannot see or comprehend. Also, Prophets are God’s spokesmen through whom God speaks, to unfold what He wants to do, and when we believe what they say, we simply commit God to perform it in our lives.

    Essentially, engaging Prophetic ministry is not strange to us as it has been like that since the time of old. For instance, the Bible records that through the ministry of Moses, the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt to a land flowing with milk and Honey. Furthermore, Elijah brought supernatural prosperity through divine supplies to the widow of Zarephath. As a result, while others were famished, she flourished in the midst of famine. Another prophet named Elisha changed the financial status of the widow of a prophet, whose creditors came to take away her two sons. Furthermore, God sent Elisha to Naaman, the leper, and he was cleansed of his leprosy (Exodus 12: 31-51; 1 Kings 17:8-16; 2 Kings 4:1-10, 5:1-15).

    From the examples above, there is no doubt that prophets are agents of change through whom God opens new chapters in the lives of His people. This implies that God is committed to what He says and therefore, everything He has spoken prophetically to us this year is already a done deal. All we need to do is to take delivery of them by faith to commit Him to perform.  It is therefore of utmost importance to understand the requirements for connecting with prophetic blessings so as to benefit maximally from their ministry.

    Requirements for Connecting With Prophetic Blessings

    • Receive their person: The prophet we don’t receive can never be a channel of blessings to us (Matthew 10:41). This means that until we receive the person of a prophet, we cannot be beneficiaries of what he carries.
    • Believe them: In actual fact, there are a lot of fake prophets playing games with the destinies of people in the world today. However, the Bible admonishes us that when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord and it comes to pass, we should believe him (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). We must, therefore, believe wholeheartedly in the ministry of prophets, before the blessings can flow into our lives. This is because it is with our hearts that we believe and connect to their blessings (Romans 10:10).

    Importantly, when we mock a prophet, we become a mockery. For instance, in an account of scriptures, Elisha the prophet declared: To morrow about this time [shall] a measure of fine flour [be sold] for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria (2 Kings 7:1). At this point, a lord on whose hand the king leaned, an intellectual, said, even if God opened the windows of heaven, it is not possible. Elisha turned to him and said, “…… Behold, thou shalt see [it] with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof” and it was so.  The Bible records that he saw the miracle happened, but was trampled to death. Also, many years ago, while I was ministering in one of our Churches in Kaduna, a woman, who was a lawyer passed by and hissed at the ministration.  Instantly, God plagued her with a stone in her tummy that made it impossible for her and her husband to have marital affairs. Thereafter, she sought for solution and was told by a prophet that: “You spited a man of God sometimes ago and until the man is willing to lay hands on your tummy and forgive you, this plague will remain.” That was when she remembered what she did and came to the office crying for mercy with her confessional statement; and that day, God removed the stone. The woman despised the prophet in 1987 and carried the plague till 1989. That is why the Bible says: Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm (Psalm 105:15).

    • Honour them: Jesus repeatedly said: …a prophet is without honour except in his

    own country and among his own people (Mark 6:4; see also Ephesians 4:11-13;Luke 4:24-27). This helps us understand that prophets are entitled to honour before what they carry is permitted to flow. This implies that we must receive, believe and honour the prophets God has assigned over our lives, for their virtues to rob off on us.

    • Follow them: From scriptures, we saw how Elisha followed Elijah until the mantle of Elijah dropped for him (2 Kings 2:1-15). I equally followed prophet, Kenneth Copeland, among others, for 30 years before I had the opportunity of sitting one-on-one with him. As a result, I possess his Mantle visibly and practically. That is why the virtues and exploits in the Ministry are undeniable.
    • Obey them: Prophets are divine instructors, because they are the mouthpieces of God. For instance, Naaman was not healed from leprosy, until he obeyed Elisha’s instruction to go and dip himself seven times in River Jordan (2 Kings 5:10-14). Since prophets speak by the Spirit of God, we must obey their instructions. However, we must understand that it is not enough to obey them; but the obedience must be prompt. As recorded in scriptures, if Naaman had delayed his journey to Jordan, he wouldn’t have been healed. Therefore, prompt obedience is key to partaking of our covenant blessings through God’s prophet.

    In conclusion, by redemption, we belong to the top, but only covenant blessings, through the ministry of prophets, can get us there. Nevertheless, prophetic blessings are only reserved for the redeemed. 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: Understanding Vision, Understanding Divine Direction and In Pursuit of Vision. 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., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:20 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

  • ‘Church must do more for children of the Matryrs’

    The Executive Director of Stephen Children International, Abeokuta, Rev Isaac Newton-Wusu, has called on the church to invest more in the education and rehabilitation of children of persecuted saints in the nation.

    Wusu said this at the 14th anniversary/prize-giving day of Stephens Children International’s Abeokuta, Ogun State.

    109 students graduated from nursery, primary and secondary schools during the event.

    Newton-Wusu said investment in education is an investment in the future of the country, which the church must wake up and get involved in.

    He noted that the church would make more sustainable impact in most unreached areas when they invest more in improving the literacy level of those there.

    He asserted that it has been discovered that with improved investment in education, so many areas that seem difficult to penetrate with the gospel of Christ will be positively affected.

    According to him: “We will do the upcoming generation a good deed when we are able to teach them how to read and write and actively engaged with them in productive venture which will ultimately save them from the bondage of religion.”

    He charged the children to take advantage of the education offered them by studying well and obeying school regulations to attain self development.

    Newton-Wusu said:  “I want you to know that because God has deposited great potential in you, it beholds on you to bring out that talents in you to contribute to national development of our nation. It starts from your own immediate environment.”

    Gospel artiste, Buhci Atuonwu, popularly known as Buchi, challenged the church to do more to alleviate the suffering of orphaned and vulnerable children.

    “It is incumbent on everyone to provide shelter, education and spiritual support to vulnerable children around them.

    “The child you train today might be the one who would have turned the trigger on you later in life.

    “Children who are neglected today may become the warriors that will give the state sleepless nights.

    “If we refuse to take care of this defenceless population, they could be breeding a more vicious group of future,” he stressed.

  • Christians urged to criticise govt’s policies

    A CLERIC Pastor Judith Daniel-Imagoro has urged Christians to speak against the ills of the society.

    Speaking against the background of the return of Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) to schools’ curriculum, she said the victory would not have been possible if Christians had remained silent.

    At the Dynamic Conference in Gombe State, where she was the guest speaker, she said: ‘’I don’t comment on politics because I am busy with my Father’s business. But defending My Father’s business is equal to doing the business.

    ‘’Christians in Nigeria must stand up and say no. Nobody has the right to impose anything on anyone.

    “We should speak with one voice because we are one body in Christ; do not try to be diplomatic with your faith.’’

    She continued: “For the government to have left all the educational needs and try to subsume CRK in civil education, it is clear the government is up to something. Their aim is to subtly Islamise the nation.’’

    She said there are some government secondary schools where pupils still sit on classrooms’ floor to write exams, adding that there are many schools without good toilets, qualified teachers. She said instead of the government to solve these problems, it is doing things that would divide the nation.

    “Lend your voice brethren, refuse to be deceived by their deceptive explanation and look into motives.

    “Say no with your voice, say no to their hearing and to God. And Heaven will nullify their plans, earth will reject it,” she stressed.

  • ‘It is not over for Nigeria’

    ‘It is not over for Nigeria’

    Senior Pastor of Ever-Winning Faith Ministries Lagos, Rev Solomon Ojigiri, believes there is still much hope for the nation despite the current recession.  He speaks with Sunday Oguntola on why and how Nigerians, especially Christians, should keep hope alive. Excerpts: 

    A lot of Nigerians are giving up on hope owing to the current recession. What’s your message to them as a minister?

    The Bible says ‘There is hope for a tree even when it is cut down because at the scent of water, it will sprout again’. I believe so much in my heart that it is not over for Nigeria. It might look like we are down and out but we shall rise again.

    I love Nigeria with a passion. That is the only reason I am still here. It is not by accident that I was born and raised in this country. God knows we are here and will intervene sooner than we expect.

    I believe that the naira will still be stronger than the dollar. It used to before and I believe it will be our experience again. It will only take some sacrifices…

    …What kind of sacrifices?

    For instance, when the situation is like this, many people naturally think of relocation. It is as old as the Bible days. Many people are jetting out in droves and it is a natural reaction to this recession.

    But I don’t believe in jetting out just so because things are tough. Some of our people overseas are doing jobs they cannot do back home. Why can’t they stay back and work here? Why do what you can’t do at home overseas?

    I trained as a lawyer and I pastor a church but I had to enrol in the Lagos State Agricultural Services sometime ago to learn new things on agriculture. I run businesses, including a farm. So, that is what I am talking about. People must become tougher with the tough situations. We must think out of the box, instead of picking the next available flight out.

    We need more sacrifices on the part of the leaders. The costs of governance keep increasing and many of them don’t even want pay-cuts. Some of them are collecting allowances as ex-governors and Senators. Our leaders are milking the country dry.

    They shouldn’t expect that to continue if we are to change the country. Let them make sacrifices too because they asked us to bear with increase in fuel prices. I read recently that Nigerians spend N5bn on fuel every year.

    That figure is too conservative. Suppose one million Nigerians spend N1, 000 daily on fuel, which amounts to N1billion daily. And I believe that the fuel consumers in the country are even much more. For example, I have four or five generators with my family. Many people run the same way.

    If we are able to conserve these, Nigeria will be one of the richest in the world. So, we need to make sacrifices to grow this country because we cannot continue the way we are going. If we make sacrifices, we still have hope.

    So, there is still hope for Nigeria despite the parlous state of the economy?

    I believe so strongly that there is still hope. We cannot give up on hope. Tough people don’t last but tough people do. God will do what He alone can do while we must play our parts too.

    For example, as a church, we offer humanitarian help to Nigerians to mitigate the recession. We give foodstuffs and clothing materials to the less-privileged. We then inspire them not to write themselves off.  There is hope for anyone still alive. People just need to change their mindset. They must know that they can make it big in this country.

    With the state of things?

    Yes, with everything. Nothing can be so bad that is irredeemable. You know my story already of how I lost my father even before I was born. My widowed mom had to take care of me right from the womb.

    But I had this determination that God can help me, even though I had no one. There is so much we can do to help ourselves. I offer alms to people but talk more to them to become diligent. Everybody must become diligent to survive and thrive.

    We are talking of recession but Nigeria is still full of opportunities. By the grace of God, we have acquired acres of lands for farming but I believe that many people just want handouts. They don’t want to make a living for themselves.

    Our people should stop complaining without doing anything. There are no hopeless situations, just people who think hopelessly. I know some graduates who learnt vocations and are doing well today.

    They could have complained too but chose to take their destinies in their hands. So, I believe one can survive and even thrive in Nigeria. It will require the help of God, focus, determination and discipline.

    Some people say they have been praying for so long without anything to show for it…

    … Prayer is a powerful force but it will not work alone. Jesus asks us to work and pray. You have to work out things you are praying about. I am writing a book titled Understanding the mystery of faith. You see, there are things we think are faith, which are not.

    I believe if you are doing nothing and just praying, that is not faith. You have to work out your prayers to get results. Prayer must be backed up with being responsible for your life and diligent.

    I tell people not to blame anybody for their situations or even the government. You must never believe anybody, except yourself, is responsible for whatever becomes of you.

    A lot of people blame government for not having goals when they don’t need to consult anyone to form goals. You can keep dreaming and take steps on a daily basis to move ahead.

    Many Christians have what someone described as the enemy mentality; someone being responsible for their miseries. What will you tell such people?

    Why are the enemies only after them and the not-successful people? Any church that has that approach of an enemy pursuing you will have members in droves. But the moment you ask them to take responsibility for their lives, many people will leave.

    The truth of the matter is your destiny is in your hands. I know people who had brighter chances than me but are nowhere today because they felt their fathers were poor. But what about me that had no father?

    He died two months before I was born. They believe there are witches and wizards after them. If you call prayers for 24 hours now, people will show up. But once you ask them to sit down to strategise after the prayers, they move away.

    I remember we had a 30-day prayer and fasting every June in the church. A woman participated but left for a 40-day fasting and prayer in another church after our exercise. I was stunned. I asked: when will you work?  You have fasted and prayed but should work now, not going through another exercise.

    If you pray about anything but do not want to back it up with works, that prayer is hypocritical. The Bible says ‘…. Whatsoever he doeth will prosper’ not whatsoever he prayeth. So, you must be doing something. There is nothing you are doing that cannot be prosperous in the world.

    If you are selling sachet water that gives you N1 profit, all you need to do is to find a way to sell one million pieces and you are already a millionaire.

    In this church, we emphasise all of that and we have people who have moved up without any capital base or support.

    So, there are no enemy anywhere chasing people?

    There are enemies because it will be wrong to say there are no enemies. But like Isaac, you can wear out your enemies by praying and working hard. Successful people also have enemies but they carry on despite them.

    It is so easy to succeed because all you need is to find those who have and ask them, then be willing to pay the price. It is so easy to pray but to follow up with action is tough.

    I remember a friend who was one year my junior in secondary school, who saw me and complained things had been tough for him. I graduated from secondary school in 1985 while he passed out a year later.

    So, I relocated him to Lagos and made him live in the house with my family. I was determined to create jobs for him. I was feeding, clothing and housing him. Then, we started a school and I asked him to come over to teach. He said he would pray about it and later said God was not leading him.

    I was angry but offered him another opportunity when I started a new business. He said he would pray again and later claimed God was not leading him. I told him God would not lead me again to feed and clothe him from that point.

    He was willing to pray but not work. And that is the problem with many of our people. The Nigerians overseas that they envy do two, three menial jobs but they just want to be idle.

    You run businesses while pastoring a church. It is believed that could constitute a distraction

    Not for me because I put people in charge of my businesses while I concentrate on full time ministry. All I need is getting reports. I don’t run the businesses at all myself.

    I have not visited the farm more than once in a year. I trust the people there and they feed me with reports. Besides, I can’t pray all the time or read bible all the time. So, when I have spare time, I visit the businesses but I don’t run them.

    If I want to run a law office, I will just put lawyers there and they run the place. I don’t have to be there. I was running a chamber until I shut it down. It does not mean I cannot handle legal matters. Because people know I am a lawyer, they consult me.

    If I sense it will take time, I simply hand it over to a colleague to do it for them.

     What’s up with branch expansion in the church?

    We started the Ilorin church and it is doing well. The church has built its own facility. The church is also in Abuja. They too have a landed property with auditorium.

    Our church is also in Australia and US. God is helping us and we are sure He will take us higher.

  • Foursquare holds AGMM, medical outreach

    The 37th Annual General Membership Meeting (AGMM) of Foursquare Gospel Church Orile Iganmu 1, Lagos, holds today.

    Venue is the church premises at 39, Nurudeen Street, Orile Iganmu, Lagos.

    The senior pastor, Pastor ‘Femi Akinwande, said the meeting will receive and consider report of various ministries as well as the audited account for 2016/17 church year.

    This he said, in a statement, is with a view to charting a new course for a better performance in the new church year, which has since commenced on July 1.

    He noted that the church is perfecting arrangements under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme to carry out medical outreach for residents of community on Saturday, August 5.

    Akinwande explained that the medical outreach will be carried out in partnership with some leading pharmaceutical companies and volunteer medical personnel.

    According to him: “Much as the church is meant to take care of the spiritual wellness of people, it is necessary for the church to also show more than passing interest in their physical health.

    “It is for this reason that the church is organising the outreach as a means of giving back to the society, noting that only healthy people can make meaningful contribution to the well being of the society.”

  • Engaging the power of faith for the supernatural!

    By redemption, every child of God is ordained to operate naturally in the supernatural, after the order of Christ. That is, we are born-again to live an unexplainable and indescribable life. As it is written: The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit (John 3:8).

    Let us recognize that even though we are ordained for signs and wonders, it takes faith to function in that capacity. This is because faith is the master key to our world of the supernatural. From scriptures every encounter with the supernatural is a function of our faith. For example, concerning the heroes of faith, the Bible records: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens (Hebrews11:33-34, Genesis 22:1-18, Judges 6, 7).

     Hence, life without faith, in the Kingdom, is a miserable adventure because faith defines the quality of every believer’s destiny. Thus, our inheritances in redemption are only deliverable by faith. In actual fact, Christianity is defined as ‘The Faith’ and the Word of God also says: And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness (2 Peter 1:5-6; see also Acts 6:7).This makes faith the very foundation of life in the Kingdom.

    But, what then is faith?

    • Faith is sharing responsibility with God in the light of scriptures so as to have one’s desires delivered. There is always what we must do to see our desires delivered. A man approached Jesus and asked: …Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? (Mark 10:17).Therefore, if we are interested in seeing our desires delivered, we must endeavour to know and do our part of the deal (John 5:1-5, 9:1-8, 21:5-6).
    • Faith is a spiritual treasure of inestimable value: That is, we cannot place value on it because it is far beyond what can be measured. This implies that faith is the answer to every problem of life. Moreover, it is the master key to a world of unlimited possibilities and the answer to clearing the barriers on our paths. The Bible says: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days (Hebrews 11:30; see also Luke 5:3-8).
    • Faith is a living force, drawn from the living Word, to produce living proofs. For instance, when the woman with the issue of blood touched Jesus, the living Word, and drew virtue from Him for her healing, He said: …Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace (Luke 8:40-48). After his encounter, she became a living proof.
    • Faith is being fully persuaded of the truth, the prevailing circumstance notwithstanding until the truth triumphs: Abraham did not doubt God despite his being stricken in age and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. The Bible records: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform (Romans 4:20-21).
    • Faith is the master key to a world of unlimited possibilities: We must recognise that anything promised by God is deliverable by faith. Thus, whatever hurts the world around us cannot hurt us when faith is at work. The Bible says: And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39). The potent force of faith has the power over firmaments, elements, rain and even, over death.

    Therefore, if faith is this important and everything in life answers to it, then we need to grow our faith to meet up with life’s demands.

    Commitment to developing our Faith:

    We must recognise that faith does not jump on people, it is consistently built. It is also a lifetime task and the wisest investment we can make in our spiritual adventure. Remember, Christ said we will do more than He did by faith. To actualize this, we must grow our faith to Jesus’ capacity and even higher. As it is written: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father (John 14:12; see also, Isaiah 53:1; Jude 20). Thus, it is wisdom to commit to building our faith because it is our strength of faith that defines our level of command of the supernatural.  However, it is important to know that faith has unlimited capacity for growth and as such, we must settle down and grow it. For instance, in 1979, I had an encounter from scriptures on my total health heritage in Christ, which empowered me to live a healthy life till date. So, after a medical check- up and the doctor told me my blood pressure was very high.’ I rejected that statement immediately. When he persisted, I told him, ‘I’m not saying I don’t have it, I’m saying I cannot have it. Can I be tested for pregnancy and be bothered about the result? I can only be pregnant with food not with a child.’ I was able to react to the doctor’s statement because I had built faith in the supernatural overtime. Thus, everything that works in the Kingdom answers to faith including salvation, healing and breakthroughs. Therefore, to see the supernatural, our faith must be actively alive.

    In conclusion, building your faith in the supernatural when not born-again is a waste of time because commanding the supernatural is the exclusive right of the children of God. 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. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the Living God. 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: Operating in the Supernatural,  Commanding the Supernatural, Releasing the Supernatural and Walking in the Miraculous.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., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:20 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

  • Stop hate speeches, Abina charges clerics

    General Overseer of the Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT), Pastor Elijah Abina, has charged clerics across the nation to stop hate speeches.

    He warned that the worrisome trend of hate speeches can lead the nation to “avoidable chaos.”

    Instead, Abina told them to promote love speeches that will strengthen the unity and cohesion of the nation.

    He spoke last week with reporters ahead of the 52nd annual convention of the church slated for August 7-13.

    The convention with the theme a new beginning takes place at the new camp ground of the church, the Gospel City, on KM 30 Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogunmakin.

    Abina noted that hate speeches were tearing the nation apart, warning clerics as positive agents to build Nigeria with their words.

    He condemned calls and activities aimed at breaking the nation, saying Nigeria remains better off together.

    According to him: “There is no reason why we should separate. We have lived too long together to throw it all up.

    “We are better together and our strength is in our population. If we separate now, the glory is gone.”

    He noted that every ethnic group in the nation has valid reasons for agitation but called for dialogue to iron our grey areas.

    “If there is a problem, we should sit down and resolve the issues. Let’s settle down and handle the differences that we have,” he stressed.

    Abina said the convention will usher the church into a new beginning with the change of venue from the Igbo-Oloyin camp on Lagos-Oyo Expressway to Ogunmakin.

    “For us and the nation, it is a new beginning. For those who come trusting God, it will be marked with new happenings,” he assured.

  • How to build healthy churches, by Ogbueli

    Church leaders must commit to building strong spiritual foundations and organisational structures for healthy churches, the Senior Pastor of Dominion City Church, Pastor David Ogbueli, has declared.

    Ogbueli said healthy churches must have formidable spiritual roots backed with strategic administrative structures.

    He spoke last week during one of the sessions of the All Nations Congress in Lagos with the theme possessing the seven mountains of the nations.

    The 20th edition of the congress organised by Pastor Ministers Prayer Network-Africa attracted hundreds of gospel ministers from the West African region as well as South Africa and London.

    Ogbueli who spoke on healthy churches said ministers must learn that there is a designed pattern for working for God.

    According to him: “The church was designed because it is not an afterthought. We must mind in the beginning what matters in the end.

    “There is a designed pattern for doing ministry. God will not compromise His standards, no matter what has been done.”

    He warned against following men without minding the established order of God.

    According to him, healthy churches must have spiritual and organisational foundations.

    “Everything was created twice – in the invisible and visible world. When you build in the spirit, you must have structures to keep the blessings,” he stressed.

    Ogbueli pointed out that most churches in the nation have either of the foundations while only a few have both.

    This, he said, was responsible for the unhealthy state of many church organisations.

    “When you pray for revival, prepare for the harvests. Utilise the period of revival to build structures that will keep the people,” he added.

    Spiritual foundations, he went on, have three major components, which are the foundation of Christ, doctrinal foundation and Apostolic foundation.

    He warned that churches that are not building on the foundation of Christ will soon collapse.

  • Inter-faith forum seeks peace in Southern Kaduna

    An interfaith agency, Southern Kaduna Peace Gatherings, has told the federal government to mobilise critical stakeholders for the achievement of peace in the region.

    In a nine-point agenda for sustainable peace in Southern Kaduna, it called on government to “initiate a broad-based development agenda specifically targeted at the victims of violence.”

    The programme, according to the forum, must provide immediate basic needs such as food and shelter; provide psychological and trauma care, as well as socio-economic empowerment.

    The communiqué was signed by Regional Secretary of International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in English and Portugese Africa (IFES-ESPA), Rev Gideon Para-Mallam, and Deputy Chief Imam Kafanchan,  Alhaji Mami Kabir Kassim – (Co-conveners).

    The forum also tasked traditional and religious leaders to demonstrate justice and equity towards all people in their territories/communities without ethno-religious sentiments or favouritism.

    It also requested for the inclusion of Southern Kaduna in all federal government relief efforts as well as establishment of effective monitoring and evaluation system to ensure security agents provide proper and rapid security to communities.

    It further called on government to address wider social justice and inclusiveness issues through “equitable access to land for all people and citizens of Nigeria, not just the wealthy and well-connected.”

    On grazing, the forum canvassed maintenance of all legitimate cattle routes to forestall uncontrolled cattle rearing.

    It further recommended prohibition of under-aged persons from cattle rearing as well as cattle rearing at night.

    The forum tasked all residents and communities in Southern Kaduna to cooperate fully with the STF through factual information sharing and by refraining from taking the law into their own hands.