The Nation Newspaper

Category: Worship

  • THEME: THE FULL ARMOUR OF GOD (14)

    Sub-Theme: The Strong Belt of Truth

    Topic: The word of Truth

    As a man thinks in his heart so he is, for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies and these things defile a man. This was the case with the Pharisees and the scribes, their heart was full of evil; hence, their evil actions. They were religious leaders who portrayed themselves as righteous; having an outward appearance of godliness, but they were brood of vipers as Jesus called them; they lived in hypocrisy and much wickedness. Isaiah prophesied of them saying, “These draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men”.

     

    While Jesus sought to make sinners free from the bondage of sin, they sought to punish and kill (as the case may be) those they find guilty of breaking their law. They ostracised from the temple anyone who does not agree with their hypocritical way of life and doctrines.

     

    They organized their followers and saw to the death verdict of Jesus, in whom no guilt was found, one whom God sent to deliver them from their blindness and bondage of sin; they were so blinded by their hatred and envy that they refused the Truth. Although Jesus’ death was God’s plan to put to perpetual death the power of sin over man, but the religious leaders should not have been the ones to mastermind this. Their action showed the true state of their heart despite their deceptive religious outlook.

     

    The Bible makes us to know that “a good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart; for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Therefore, your heart is who you are. The Psalmist knowing this truth, prayed saying, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me”

    No matter how much someone pretends and tries to deceive to be seen as a godly person, in the long run the real person behind the deceit will show. Anyone who wants to bring forth good fruits without pretence must then look seriously on how to keep his/her heart pure; to be full of light, man has a lot of part to play to achieve this.

    No wonder the book of wisdom says, ‘guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life,”.

     

    How then can a believer make his/her heart pure? From my personal experience and other people’s lives and above all from the revelation of God’s word, I know that the only way to make one’s heart pure is by engaging in a deliberate and continuous daily STUDY OF THE WORD OF GOD with the intention to OBEY what God reveals to you. This is when a genuine transformation from within can take place, for The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Only the word of God can truly transform a man from inside out.

    The word of God as written out for us in the Bible renews our minds; it cleanses and transforms a man’s heart. Remember, the whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.

     

    So anyone who studies and obeys God’s word is the man who brings forth good fruits, his/her show of righteousness is never a pretence but from a genuine transformation. God transforms his heart as he yields to God, studying His word daily and living by His teaching. This yields an amazing good result and I am a living proof.  There is NO end to the effect of the Word of Truth in the life of a believer in Christ Jesus.

     

    May the good Lord make us love to study His word, revealing the deep truth therein and helping us obey Him fully, so we can be truly transformed beings, who will do God’s will on earth and cause a true change to come upon this nation Nigeria and the world at large in Jesus name- amen!

     

    TEXT: Ephesians 6:10-18, Luke 6:45, Psalm 51:10, Hebrews 4:12, 2Timothy 3:16, Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 23:7.

     

  • ‘Why God is not interested in megachurches’

    ‘Why God is not interested in megachurches’

    The Pastor-in-Charge of The New Covenant Baptist Church Ojokoro, Lagos, Rev Dr Stephen Bolarinwa, speaks with Sunday Oguntola ahead of the 15th anniversary of the church. Excerpts: 

    What does clocking 15 mean to the church?

    It means a lot to the church because we need to be grateful to God who is the founder. We appreciate the mother church, The New Covenant Baptist Church Agege, which deemed it fit to found this church.

    The Bible and our hymnal ask us to count our blessings and name them one by one. That’s why we are coming up with the theme, celebrating the immeasurable wonders of God.

    In specific terms, what are some of these wonders you will be celebrating?

    Spiritually, the Lord has blessed us through our theological and missionary crusade to have founded four churches in 15 years. Two of the churches have full-time, ordained pastors. All of them have their landed properties, fenced. If not for God on our sides, we wouldn’t have achieved that much.

    If you look at our number, since I joined the church on April 1, 2004, there was never a time all of us were more than 200, children inclusive, except during festive periods.

    Why is that? Isn’t that too small?

    Well, you will realise that some of our members have been relocating and unable to attend services with us again. So, that is a factor responsible for that.

    Then, it shows the God of Gideon is still alive today. So that we wouldn’t be thinking it is because we are many that God is using us. Yes, we are small but we are doing great things for God and His Kingdom.

    If I were to value properties we have, they are in millions. If you compare our number, we shouldn’t be able to do what we do. The working class among us is less than 80.

    But some people will believe the small church membership is due to the conservative nature of the Baptist denomination to evangelism. Is that a possibility?

    To me, it is not, because we are a mobile church. We go to anywhere God wants us to go. In our neighbourhood, we go out at least six times in a year on Sunday mornings as a church. That is minus what our mission organs do on their own.

    We go out to our neighbourhood and even beyond. We are not a conservative but dynamic church. It is the Holy Spirit that is leading us.

    Is it that the church does not have the vision of a mega church?

    I may not want to bother myself really on mega churches. As far as the Bible is concerned, God is not interested in mega churches. I am not against having big auditoriums so that we can have space to use when we converge.

    Other than that, I don’t see what benefit mega churches have to offer God and the Kingdom. To build them is not as expensive as maintaining them. A local church does not need to be a mega church.

    In the Old Testament, God’s directive was for man to go and spread. But in Genesis 11, the people came together and said they were going to build the Tower of Babel. That was clearly against God’s instruction. God didn’t ask them to congregate but spread.

    God came down, acknowledged their unity of purpose but shattered them. If there were not going to scatter by ease, He would do it forcefully. That was how mankind started speaking different languages.

    In the New Testament, the only time costly mistake the early church made was refusing to leave Jerusalem. Before Jesus left, He said they were to receive power and be His witness in Jerusalem, Judea and uttermost parts of the earth.

    As a result of that, God allowed persecution to scatter them. He allowed Stephen to die because immediately he was killed, they all scattered to different nations. Only the twelve disciples remained in Jerusalem. That made room for the spread of the gospel to Africa, Asia and other continents.

    So, God is not interested in building mega churches or cathedrals. I am not against it because they have a purpose to achieve, but God prefers community churches to spread the gospel.

    How much has the church done for its community in 15 years?

    We ventured into repairing the roads because we have been into building structures like offices, church auditorium and pastorium. We had rubbles that we used to fill the roads. When the community road that leads to the church was not yet tarred, we volunteered to get tars that we put on the road.

    We give free water to the community. Water, I believe, is life. We are not against those selling water but the church allows people to fetch water for free from our compound.

    Every August, we run Holiday Bible School free for children. Most children from the community attend and enjoy themselves. During Easter and Christmas, members come with what we call gifts of life that go to orphanages and hospitals nearby.

    Virtually, every other Sunday, we offer gifts to beggars and destitute. We have a policy to give whatever we can as a church, regardless of whether the claims are genuine or not.

    Has the church been able to cast a vision of the next 15 years?

    I can say yes because we have been keeping records from the outset. God has helped us to come up with The First Chronicles of the New Covenant Baptist Church, Ojokoro.

    In the last chapter, there is a discourse of who will write The Second Chronicles, what will be involved, when will it be written and what should be done then.

    We plan to wean the three churches of the four we planted and stabilise them for self-independence. In terms of human capital development, we have trainings for members and leaders.

    In terms of infrastructure, we trust God to have a befitting auditorium because where we are now is temporary as we call it. We are also looking at running a school. We plan to kick off from the current children’s church.

    We have three plots now where we can get educational buildings done. Two of them are for the church and one for educational buildings. Our pastorium needs final finalising too.

    What are some of the distinctive features of the church?

    For example, we don’t use tithing cards as you will find in some orthodox Baptist churches. We believe in teaching the people the Word of God and allowing them to act based on their conviction and faith in God.

    You can see that it is paying off because we wouldn’t have come this far if God has not been touching the hearts and pockets of the people. In a chapter of the book, we captured our uniqueness and peculiarity.

    We don’t believe in voting on anything. We would rather trust God and wait on Him to lead us. We discovered in the scriptures that the only time the early Church voted was when they needed to replace Judas with Mathias.

    That was before the advent of the church. From Chapter 3 when the Holy Spirit came, they never voted again. In the Church in Conference in Chapter 15, they never voted. There were divergent views and arguments but James, the assumed leader of the church, finally said, ‘This is my judgment.’

    So, we don’t vote on anything. In the Baptist Church, the norm is to take issues to the Executive Council and Church in Conference for ratification. But we have had two or more occasions where it was the only Holy Spirit that resolved our issues.

    For example, when we wanted to renovate the pastorium, some people said we shouldn’t renovate it half-way or do it differently. Even before we purchased, some people said we shouldn’t buy it.

    But when God would do it, we didn’t have to take it to the EC or Church in Conference because He provided miraculously and nobody could raise a dust about it. Nobody said anything again because God overruled.

    One day, I asked God why we would decide something in the EC and something else would happen without any dust raised. He then asked me how was Jesus able to get through the crowd that wanted to pull him off without them being able to stop Him?

    He walked through the same people that took Him to the gaol without them being able to hurt Him. The same power, He said, is operational now.

  • Unlocking the supernatural through praise!

    We discover from scriptures that praise is a formidable tool in commanding the supernatural. Therefore, an understanding of its place in manifesting the supernatural will cause us to flow continuously in the miraculous. Looking at Jesus’ ministry, the two most profound miracles he did were as a result of thanksgiving. For instance, it was the mystery of thanksgiving that raised Lazarus to life after being dead for four days. Furthermore, thanksgiving also multiplied a little boy’s lunch to feed five thousand men, excluding women and children. That is an estimate of ten thousand people fed and with leftovers. In other words, at the instance of praise, miracle- working powers are provoked from heaven (Luke 11:40-44; John 6:6-11).

    Let’s examine some miracle powers embedded in Praise:

    • Praise will provoke the flow of divine favour:

    We must recognise that a vital aspect of praise is dancing. As it is written: Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation (Psalm 149:3-4). For instance, Herodias daughter danced so well to please Herod and secured the king’s favour. That earned her an open cheque to ask for anything, even to the half of his kingdom and it would be done. In the same vein, whenever we dance our way into God’s heart in praise, we provoke divine favour (Mark 6:22-23).  Also, David, ‘the praise giant’ danced before the lord with all his might such that he was mocked by Micah his wife and he walked in favour all the days of his life. Expect today that every misfortune around your life will be turned around into divine favour (2Samuel6:14; Psalm 30:5-7).

    • Praising the Lord provokes divine judgment upon our enemies: The Bible says: Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord (Psalm 149:6-9).

    From the above scripture, the “two-edged sword” is the Word of God. Therefore, we must dance with the understanding of what the Word says. As we praise Him in the dance, we execute vengeance upon our enemies. The Bible records that David danced with all his might and as such never lost any battle throughout his reign as king. Therefore, the rougher we dance, the stronger the judgment (2 Samuel 6:14).

    • Praise/Thanksgiving preserves our blessings: Praise/Thanksgiving is simply acknowledging God for what He has done in our lives. When we do so, we insure and secure our blessings from curses. Again, the Bible makes us understand that whatever God does is forever. However, we must engage the mystery of thanksgiving to commit Him to perform. God expects timely thanksgiving from us, because it perfects our blessings (Malachi 2:1-3; see also Jeremiah 13:16-17).
    • It multiplies our blessings: The mystery of praises/thanksgiving guarantees the multiplication of God’s blessings in our lives. For instance, concerning Abraham, the Bible records: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God (Romans 4:20). So if we are Abraham’s seed, we must do the work of Abraham who was strong in faith and gave glory to God before his Isaac came. Let us recognize that the blessing of receiving more and more is God’s agenda for us. As it is written: But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18 see also, Habakkuk 3:17-19). However, it takes engaging in the covenant of thanksgiving to move from one level to another. Until we thank Him for the last, we are not qualified for the next. We have to commit to thanking Him before we can move from one level of glory to another.
    • It entitles us to fresh oil: Speaking on thanksgiving/ praise, David said: It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High. To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. Thereafter, he said: But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil (Psalm 92:1-2, 10).That means thanksgiving and praise are covenant platforms through which we encounter fresh oil from God.

    Again, we see in the Scripture, how David praised God seven times a day and God speaking of him, said: I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him (Psalm 89:20-23; see also Psalm119:164).

    Furthermore, Apostle Paul, whom God anointed to write two-thirds of the New Testament, said: In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

    That means the exploits of Paul recorded in scriptures are traceable to a life of thanksgiving. Therefore, the more addicted we are to thanksgiving, the fresher the oil on our lives. However, it is important to understand that just as thanksgiving guarantees the flow of fresh oil, murmuring and complaining dries up the flow (Joel 1:10-12). In actual fact, murmuring is a weapon used by the devil to destroy lives and many people have fallen victim of this trap. So, challenges are not the reason why people are losing ground to the devil, it is the way they handle the challenges that determines the results.  While some will keep complaining about their challenges, others will keep giving thanks until they experience a turn around.

    I have often said that if you have lost anything in life, God is the reason why you have not lost everything.  So make it a choice today to be an addicted ‘thanksgiver’. As you do, your long awaited breakthroughs will be made manifest today!

     However, to praise God effectively and acceptably, you need to know Him. Are you born again? This means, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord? If you haven’t, you can do so as you say this 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: The Wonders of Praise and Understanding the Power of Praise. 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

  • Potter’s House wealth creation seminar

    The inaugural business seminar of Noble Men of The Potter’s House of Lagos on wealth creation holds on July 29.

    The theme of the seminar tailored to meet the yearnings of professionals, business owners and a craftsman seeking self-determination and financial freedom is “creating wealth in the 21st century”.  a

    Founding President Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, and Executive Secretary, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Akin Oyebode, are speakers

    The seminar will feature role play and/or breakout sessions aimed at helping participants thrive in their professional lives and entrepreneurs.

    A statement by the church explained: “The facilitators will speak to creating gainful employment for self and others, identifying economic and financial opportunities and how take advantage of them as well as the dynamics of translating ideas to wealth by creating businesses and doing it the right way.

    “They will also share strategies for growth and profitability for existing businesses.”

    Resident Pastor of The Potter’s House of Lagos, Pastor Abeke Orhonor, said the church is living up to its purpose of enriching lives, shaping destinies and raising men of substance that will create a future of shared prosperity for Nigeria and Nigerians.

  • Mike Okonkwo essay competition gets winners

    Miss Alexandra Nwigwe of Vivian Fowler Memorial College Lagos is the overall winner of the 2017 Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for secondary school students.

    She scored 90 percent in the first round of the competition and 80 percent in the second round to come first.

    Miss Jesudunta Ipinmoye of Corona Secondary School Agbara took the second position after scoring 80 percent in the first round and 72 percent in the second round.

    Master Akingbade Gbenga of Emerald High School Lagos came third.

    He scored 80 percent in the first round and 70 percent in the second round.

    Other winners included Chinedu Chimezie of Cedar College Ipaja; Adedeji Aderemi of Grange School GRA Ikeja; Atoyebi Israel of Kings College Lagos; Olalere Victor of Deeper Life High School Akure; Okadigbo Juliet of State Senior Grammar School Surulere and Kolawole Oladunni of Reagan Memorial Babtist Girls Secondary School, Yaba.

    The Chief Examiner and Head, Department of English, University of Lagos, Professor Hope Eghagha, said the Mike Okonkwo Essay Competition for secondary school students “received a total of 796 entries.

    ‘’This is after the organisers used their internal control mechanism to ensure that only qualified persons applied or submitted entries.”

    He added: “After applying standard criteria in the assessment, we concluded 27 entries were not original.

    ‘’In other words, they were plagiarised. This was after cross-checking each entry carefully with internet sources to determine their originality.

    ‘’This is one of the problems confronting us in the education sector currently. Some students simply download material from the internet and submit same as their original work.”

    Miss Nwigwe will get a cheque of N100, 000, a laptop, a plaque while the school gets three sets of computer and a printer.

    The second place winner will go home with a cheque of N75, 000, a plaque and the school will get two sets of computer and a printer.

    The third winner will go home with a cheque of N50, 000, a plaque and the school gets a computer set.

    The other winners will get a consolation price of N20, 000 each.

    All of them will receive their prizes at Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture billed for September 5.

    The theme is “Made in Nigeria Products: The vehicle for sustainable development.”

  • Social vices: Cleric charges families, churches to preach moral values

    The Africa West Area Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Elder Kennedy Igwe, has charged parents and churches not to relent in preaching God’s Word for crime reduction.

    Igwe gave the charge recently during the dedication of the church building of the Port Harcourt Nigeria East Stake in Oyigbo, Rivers State.

    He stated that if families and churches could preach the Word undiluted, restiveness would be massively reduced and the society would live in peace.

    Igwe said: “We need to massively decrease the ills boys and girls are doing and bring them back to Christ.

    ‘’The more we take them out from the pool of Satan and bring them to the pool of Jesus Christ, the more we deplete the kingdom of restiveness in the society.’’

    He went on: “The more we take men out from the pool where Satan reigns and bring them to the pool where Jesus Christ reigns, the more we deplete forces of evil; the more we deplete the kingdom of darkness.

    “We will keep preaching, telling them about Jesus Christ, until they come back to God,  I want to  remind  parents that homes play vital role in moulding the child to become useful in the society. “

    Igwe charged religious faithful to make sacrificial contributions to the expansion of God’s work, adding that such commitment attracts God’s unlimited blessings.

    He noted that it was the perseverance and sacrificial contributions of members of Port Harcourt Nigeria East Stake in the face of challenges that transformed into constructing a befitting worship centre for God.

    He charged members not to relent in winning souls for Jesus Christ, stressing that it was the core mandate of the Church and to tell world the truth about the Word of God.

    “Today, there is confusion in the world about miracles and signs.

    ‘’Miracles, signs and wonders are showcased.  It is not the real thing one wants.  Our concern is to preach the true Word of Jesus Christ.

    “You have come to see the box but, maintain the jewel you have seen in the box,” Igwe admonished on soul-winning by members.

    President of the Port Harcourt Nigeria East Stake, Anderson Ukeh, thanked all the members that contributed immeasurably to the success story of the Stake.

    He charged members to render sacrificial services to God always, assuring them of receiving in abundance the blessings attached to their contributions.

  • Odesola: why Nigerians must make sacrifices

    Nigerians must seek what to offer the country instead of scrambling to benefit from its vast resources for personal enrichment, Assistant General Overseer to the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Administration & Personnel, Pastor Johnson Odesola, has stated.

    He called on political leaders and Nigerians to stop using their privileged positions to benefit themselves instead of making meaningful contributions towards nation building.

    Odesola spoke recently at the “Breakfast with the King” by RCCG (Love Assembly) Lagos Province 1 Headquarters.

    He said Nigeria has been bleeding because of the culture of “what can the government offer me?” without the right attitude of ‘’what value can I add to governance to move the nation forward?’’

    He said government officials and citizens must make sacrifices to make the nation successful and vibrant.

    “It has to be give-and-take and if things would get better in this nation, people would have to make sacrifices,” Odesola stressed.

    He added: “It should be no longer what can Nigeria or the government do for me, but what I can do to help the government?’’

    If Nigerians, according to him, can change the attitude of some people building while others are pulling down, the rest of the year would be better.

    He also appealed to Nigerians to continue to pray to God for the quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    ‘I want to assure you that as we keep on praying, our president will get better and will be strong enough to fulfil his ‘change’ mantra programme which are already yielding fruits,’’ Odesola said.

    The Pastor in Charge of Lagos Province 1, Pastor Samuel Olaniyan, said Nigerians must collectively fight corruption to tackle the monstrous nature of the menace.

  • NGO brokers peace in Southern Kaduna

    NGO brokers peace in Southern Kaduna

    A faith-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), The Global Peace Foundation (GPF), has stepped up efforts to ensure reconciliation and peace-building in the troubled Southern Kaduna through engagements with stakeholders.

    The last efforts are sequel to the peace deal brokered in June 2017 between the Fulanis and natives of Kaninkon Chiefdom in Southern Kaduna.

    Tagged Southern Kaduna Peace and Reconciliation Meeting, the parley had leaders and representatives of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MABCAN), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Jema’a Foundation, Local Fulanis and other Southern Kaduna stakeholders in attendance.

    Also violence-affected chiefdoms and communities such as Kaninkon, Godogodo, Numana, Moroa, Atakar, Chawai, Kagoma and Dangoma under Kaninkon Chiefdom were all represented by their leaders.

    The Country Director, Global Peace Foundation Nigeria, John Oko, said: ‘’One point we heard repeatedly was that everyone was tired of the hostilities and wanted it to end.

    ‘’I want to assure you that Global Peace Foundation is committed to supporting you in that process until lasting peace returns to Southern Kaduna.”

    Northern Nigeria Co-Coordinators of Global Peace Foundation, Sheikh Halliru Abdullahi Maraya and Rev. John Joseph Hayab, reminded participants that the crisis has affected every family, calling for the killings to stop and give peace a permanent place.

    President of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU), Solomon Musa, said the group was against killings in the area.

    “We in SOKAPU will not support killing of human beings or animals. We will defend the Hausas, Fulanis, Bajjus, Jabas or any other tribe; we are committed to peace and justice,’’ he stressed.

    Leader of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) delegates, Alhaji Haruna Tugga, urged all to live as brothers and sisters, stressing: “We must forget the past for a brighter future, we must support peace for development.’’

    Jema’a Foundation President, Alhaji Abdullahi Zubairu, said all parties need peace and urged all stakeholders to go back to the olden days when everybody lived peacefully as one.

    Leaders of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), John Bwankwot, and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Audu Barau, urged the people to learn to live together as one to engender love and understanding.

    It was agreed that the NGO should constitute a Southern Kaduna Peace and Reconciliation Committee with membership representing the stakeholders, which will work to resolve all pending issues in the area.

    To signal the end of hostilities, participants embraced themselves in the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation.

  • ‘Nigeria needs real revival again’

    ‘Nigeria needs real revival again’

    Senior Pastor of Faith Impact Church Lekki, Lagos, Rev Inyang Okutinyang, was a prominent player in the campus revival of the 80s.
    He speaks with Sunday Oguntola on the movement and how things have radically changed for the worse in recent times. Excerpts:

    Campus revival days

    I started schooling in UNIBEN where I was for two years before moving over to Ife where I studied Estate Management. God was beginning to do a lot of things on campuses in the 80s. Rev Kenneth Hagins teachings were beginning to have a lot of impact.

    We were young and impressionable. The teachings were quite revolutionary, liberating and impacting. We were actually seeing somebody directing us to the word of God and see it work out in our lives.

    A lot of us were so excited we took the word of God and went to villages for evangelism with healings as well as signs and wonders following. Things were springing up in places like UNILAG, UNIBEN, OAU, UI and campuses all over. I was so much on fire for God I let my academics suffer and my mother took away all my Christian books and bible.

    I was part of Rhema Fellowship that eventually became Christ Love Fellowship. My wife with her friends pioneered the fellowship. I attended for the first time in 84 as a guest minister and became the pastor later that year. Segun Omooba, Bayo Ademiju, Wale Akinyemi, Dara Alabi, Wale Adenuga and Kunle Oluwojure were all raised at the fellowship.

    We had a programme called the Agape celebration. It attracted young people all over the country, like Tunde Bolanta (UI), Chris Oyakhilome (BENSU, Ekpoma), Kola Ewuosho (UNIBEN), Efe Obuke (UNIBEN), Matthew Yusuf (UNIBEN), Yinka Ojo (UI), Nike Adeyemi (UI), Ojei Ohiewere (BENSU, Ekpoma) and Carlton Williams (UNILAG), among others.

    Pastor Chris Oyakilome was introduced to a lot of the people through that programme. You could see God was working through young men. Everyone was on fire. I graduated in 1990 and proceeded to Rhema Bible Training Centre in Tulsa Okhaloma.

    Ministry in Canada

    From there, I was in Canada where we started Victory Life Church in Toronto, Ontario, for 17 years. I left the church in 2011 after handing over to another pastor. You see how we do ministry here is different from what obtains over there.

    The church is not yours but a charity. You have an advisory board that fixes your salary and all of that and when you are done, another person takes over. When I was ready to leave, we merged the church with a smaller one and the pastor took over.

    Meeting a changed home

    From 2008, I moved back home and started with itinerary works till 2013. It was just recently the Lord laid it in my heart to put down roots here. But I came back and realised things have changed radically and negatively from what used to be. The Christianity around now is not what we experienced then.

    The point is we have the trappings of revival with mega assemblies and church growth everywhere. We have the ABC, which means Attendance, Building and Cash. But we lack the essentials of Christian character.

    A bewitched church

    We may have started with revival but the fire has gone down. We are kind of choking in the smoke. Back in those days, the media carried out a secret check on most of us and found we were real. But sadly people have imported African traditions and religion into Christianity and it is very easy to sway people.

    For example, I hear if people need a job, they are told to get sand from a place of prayer. Where is that in the Bible? There is so much enemy mentality as well. We are so focused on enemies, both real and imagined, but Jesus said ‘I give unto you the power to trample upon serpents and scorpions and over all powers of the enemies and nothing shall by any means hurt you.’

    I am an African and I understand witchcraft. But let them come and try, they will meet God. I am a seed of Abraham. The bible says ‘whosoever comes against you comes against me and they will flee seven ways’. Teach people the truth; preach the gospel, the victory on Calvary.

    I heard a pastor say one time ‘your victory and prosperity is in the mouth of your man of God’. That is not the gospel because there are no intermediaries. Everyone has direct access to God.

    Confirming truth

    No minister on earth regardless of how large their ministry is, is as anointed as the twelve disciples of Jesus. When Apostle Paul preached, the people returned to check what he taught. Paul commended them for it.

    When you hear anything preached, check first from the scriptures. It is sad too that black people generally are so largely ignorant of the truth of the New Testament and if you don’t understand the Old Testament, you can’t understand the New Testament because the key to the Old Testament is in the new.

    Paul said let one prophet speak and the other judge. So there is no prophecy that shouldn’t be judged. So there is no such thing as any revelation should not be judged and every minister of the gospel should encourage people to judge because every human being is fallible. That is why everything should be judged by the scriptures.

    Ministers are humans too

    We all have the Spirit of God and the same access. I don’t have any better access to Jesus than you do. We all have the same blood of Jesus. As ministers, we have an anointing but I find out that I can’t even use that anointing to meet my needs. I still have to believe God the same way every child of God waits.

    Let’s face it, we are all from fetish background and so we have transported elements of that into the church and packaged it in different ways and presented it and pushed it on the people and our people, because that is our background as Africans, readily rely on these things. As Africans, we need something to use to be able to hold onto. That is what idolatry is. Go read it in the bible.

    Faith is the substance of things while hope is the evidence of things not seen, not perceived or sensed. It is something you can’t touch. When you give people something they can relate to, that is idolatry. The bible warns against it. It is what Jesus died for.

    Repackaged idolatry 

    This is not about results. The Babalawos also produce results. That is why they are still in business today. So, it is not just for you to say results, because at the end of the day we are going to stand before Jesus. The bible says all our works will be tried by fire. God sees into our hearts. Are we helping to build the Kingdom of God or are we helping to build our own?

    The Catholic Church was criticised for indulgence and all of that but we Pentecostal churches are going down that path. Today, we sow seeds for all manners of things. But have we asked people why they are sowing? Where are they getting the seeds?

    There are times we should not take offerings in church. There are so monies we must never accept. Elemaz offered Peter money for the anointing and we all knew what Peter said. Let’s follow the template of the scripture. Paul, Peter and the rest of them preached the gospel that shook the whole world.

    We preach something that sounds like the gospel but we have not preached the authentic gospel, the one centred on Christ that sets people free. Some of the people I knew who were probably innocent back in those days, I don’t think I am in a position to speak back to them. They have grown so ‘big’ that the truth does not count much again.

    Church, the problem of Nigeria

    As it is with the church, so it is with Nigeria. The church is responsible for the atmosphere of every nation. Paul was teaching in the days of horrible emperors and there was no human rights movement back then.

    He said despite their wickedness, prayers must be offered, first of all, for leaders so that we can lead peaceable lives. Our business is to pray. It is in the atmosphere of well being that the gospel can thrive. If there is chaos, the gospel can’t be moving on the way it’s supposed to be as a church. I don’t see much of these discussions going on among Christians.

    The picture which we don’t realise that we allow the devil to do to our people and the society, we have got our work cut out for us as a church in this country, there is got to be impact in the society.

    The thing is God is not a Nigerian and He is not of any nationality. At the end of the day, we are all going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. If we judge ourselves, He will not have to judge us.

    That is a great deal. In other words, I can look at myself and say ‘Inyang, what you are doing is not good. Repent and change.’ If I judge myself, He won’t have to judge me. But if I don’t judge myself, He won’t have any choice but to judge me.

  • Fear of God will fix Nigeria, Oshoffa assures

    Pastor and spiritual head of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Worldwide, Rev. Emmanuel Oshoffa, has called on Nigerians to fear God to change the nation.

    He said leaders must also stop relying on their intelligence to fix the nation.

    Oshoffa said they must depend on God to move Nigeria out of the woods.

    He spoke last weekend at the Holy Mary Service and Prayer for the Nation as part of activities marking the 70th anniversary of the church in Lagos.

    The prayer session with the theme “Time to rebuild and restore’’ attracted members of the church from Africa, America, Asia and other parts of the world.

    He said the glory of God will radiate in Nigeria and peace will be established when all Nigerians turn to Jesus in humility and obedience to his word.

    He noted that God led the Israelites into slavery when they forsook Him but restored them when they turned to Him in repentance.

    “Nigeria can become the sanctuary of God if we change our ways, fear God, shun sin and wickedness, then peace like a river will flow throughout the country,” he said.

    Oshoffa assured that God has the answer to the nation’s problems, saying the teething socio-economic problems facing Nigerians are only threats from the devil, which cannot undermine the precious promises of God for the country.

    The cleric pointed out that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, saying “wisdom, prosperity, peace, progress and abundance is with God and he can give us in abundance when we look unto him.”

    He added that sustainable peace and development can only be found in Jesus Christ and until Nigerians come to the knowledge of the truth in Jesus, peace may continue to elude us.

    The cleric added that human intelligence brought the nation to the point of poor economy, ethnic crises, kidnapping and other problems, saying it would be compounded except Nigerians return to God.

    He said: “Let us then stand in awe, and sin not. Let us fear and seek God. Let us turn away from our evil practice, hope in his mercy and walk in His commandment.

    “Then national mercy is assured. He will hear our grievances from heaven and restore Nigeria, our country.”

    He explained the Holy Mary day is in commemoration of the divine encounter the founder, the late Mobiyina Oshoffa, had with Holy Mary 39 years ago.

    Owing to it, he recalled the founder set aside every first Friday in July for the celebration.

    Chairman, Organising Committee of the anniversary, Emmanuel Soyemi, said that with fervent prayers and embracing a lifestyle of holiness, the nation’s current challenges would be a thing of the past.

    “The present challenges confronting the nation is for a period but with the right things in place, the problem will not last long,’’ he said.

    The Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria Lagos State Chapter, (Dr.) Israel Akinadewo, who commended the effort of Celestial Church for the prayer for the nation, said prayer and good works practiced by everyone will take Nigeria to greater height.