The Nation Newspaper

Category: Worship

  • Accessing God’s plan from his book! (2)

    IN the previous teaching, we saw from scriptures that every child of God is redeemed a Spiritual Lion after the order of Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

    Therefore, to keep the lion in us alive, we must do the following:

    • Feed on strong meat: Just as the natural lion feeds on the wild beasts to sustain its vigour, vitality and dominion, we must also feed on the strong meat of the Word (mysteries) in order to dominate every challenge that may confront us (Hebrew 5:14).
    • Feed on Fresh Meat: Lions thrive on fresh kills; they don’t feed on yesterday’s meal. Similarly, the fresher the revelation we encounter, the more alive the lion in us becomes and the more dominion we will command (Luke 11:3; John 5:30; John 8:28-29).
    • Feed on the Meat in Season: The meat in season here refers to the timely Word from God that deals with the issue at hand. However, we must understand that every lion either hunts for its food or dies of hunger. That simply means, if we are not Word-hunters, the lion in us would be weak and helpless (Isaiah 50:4; Matthew 8:28-32; Matthew 13:54).
    • The second picture from scripture is that every child of God is redeemed a Star: Star, here, means being trailblazers, pacesetters and being at the top of our pursuits.

    Also, we understand from scriptures that Jesus, the Bright and Morning Star, was not ashamed to call us His brethren. Bright and morning star means to shine early in life. For instance, Jesus at the age of 12 was a living wonder. Again, David at the age of 17 slew Goliath. Therefore, every redeemed child of God is ordained to shine early in life (Revelation 22:16; Hebrews 2:11; Luke 2:42-49; 1 Samuel 17:48-51; John 17:18; John 14:12).

    But, what does it take to be a Star in the Kingdom?

    • We must think Like Stars: Our thoughts determine our lot in life. That is why nothing defines destiny like mentality (Proverbs 23:7).
    • We must be Disciplined: Self-discipline is the price for distinction (1 Corinthians 9:25-27).
    • We must be diligent: We must be diligently committed to our task (1 Corinthians 9:24; Proverbs 22: 29).
    • We must be willing to pay the price of Sacrifice: This means commitment to be stretched beyond our best, in order to actualize a given assignment. Remember, there is no star without a scar and the scar of every star is sacrifice (Luke 12:49-50).

    Furthermore, we must understand that every child of God is redeemed and ordained for unending breakthroughs, because the path of the justified is as a shining light that shines more and more until the perfect day. However, our breakthroughs answer only to the level of the Word of God at work in our lives (Jeremiah 1:11-12; Isaiah 60: 1-3, 22). Therefore, we shall examine two factors that accelerate our access to a world of breakthroughs. These include:

    • A burning love for God in our hearts: When our Creator becomes our husband and our love for Him graduates into a spiritual marriage, our breakthroughs become un-checkered, unstoppable, irresistible, ever conquering and ever reigning (1 Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 54: 3-5).
    • The Anointing: David was anointed with oil in 1 Samuel 16:13 and in chapter 17, he killed Goliath. This validates the fact that the anointing confers breakthrough genes on us.

    We must also understand that the time we are in as members of the Body of Christ, also engenders our breakthroughs. We are in:

    • The Golden era of the Church (Zechariah 4:1-7; Haggai 2:3-9).
    • The Era of the Triumphant Church (Psalms 87:5-7; 2 Corinthians 2:14).
    • The Dominion Era of the Church (Psalms 110:1-3; Luke 10:19).
    • The Mountain-Top Era of the Church (Isaiah 2:1-3; Joel 2:21-27).
    • The Heaven-on-Earth Era of the Church (Romans 10:6-10; Ephesians 2:5-6).

    Furthermore, the Bible says that inside every child of God lies a greater potential than all the giants in the Old Testament. That implies that we carry a greater than Abraham, Isaac, Joseph and Daniel’s potentials within us. Therefore, as children of God, we are ordained for unending breakthroughs and the fulfilment of our destinies in grand style (Matthew 12:42; Matthew 11:11; Matthew 13:54; 1 Corinthians 15:8-10; Psalms 16:6). In conclusion, we must understand that we are absolutely responsible for the outcome of our lives; no one is to be blamed. Therefore, we must catch God’s picture of who we are, what we are worth in redemption, what we must do and how to do them, from the Bible and believe in it until it becomes a reality. However, to access God’s plan for our lives from the scriptures, we must submit to the Lordship of the Owner of the Book; the Bible.

    Are you born again? If you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord, you can do so as you say this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of 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: Understanding Vision• Understanding Divine Direction. 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

  • Gospel Baptist Seminary commences affiliated programme with Ajayi Crowther University

    Gospel Baptist Seminary commences affiliated programme with Ajayi Crowther University

    Gospel Baptist Theological Seminary, Awe has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ajayi Crowther University Oyo owned by Anglican Communion for an affiliation programme on theology.

    The MOU, which was signed on May 11, at the university’s premises in Oyo, took immediate effect.

    The affiliation programme allows the seminary to run accredited courses in the Department of Religious Studies for award of Diploma, Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Arts.

    It runs for a year in the first instance subject to three years with an option of another renewal.

    All the affiliated courses are under the Faculty of Humanities.

    Speaking at the signing of the MOU, Archbishop Magnus Atilade, who is the visitor to the seminary, described the feat as historic and a big step in its march to greatness.

    He said with the take-off of the MOU, the seminary was prepared to train sound, qualified and balanced ministers of the gospel.

    “This will help us to do a better job of training ministers for contemporary ministries with all the requisite skills.

    “There is no stopping us again in preparing them for the task of reconciling the world with the Lord,” he stressed.

    The Rector, Prof. David Omole, assured the institution was more than ready to take the world by storms.

    “Academic excellence is our watchword and the Spirit of God will help us to train men for the gospel works,” he stated.

    Vice Chancellor of Ajayi Crowther University, Prof. Dapo Asaju, said such beneficial partnerships were necessary to accelerate global evangelism.

    He said the institutions will complement themselves to offer sound theological education anchored on rigorous academic training and sound biblical application.

  • TCAO celebrates a decade of touching lives

    After a decade of offering hope to the hopeless and uplifting the downtrodden, The Counselling Ambassadors Organisation (TCAO), a faith-based Non- Governmental Organisation(NGO) last Sunday rolled out the drums to thank God.

    Its founder and President, Pastor (Mrs.) Regina Obasa, said only God allowed the organisation to take off and affect so many lives within a short time.

    She said TCAO has been able to offer timely counseling to hundreds of people that have saved from the precipice of despair.

    Obasa said:”We have been able to touch lives by His grace. We have saved many from death and the lure of the world.

    ‘God has helped us and we have nothing to give in return but praises.”

    On what has made the group so successful, she said: “The essence of the counsel we give to people is to remind them that one day we will stand before our maker to give report of what we have done on earth and we would always want you to remember that.

    “Whatever we do on earth, let us remember that one day we won’t be able to wear the clothes we are wearing again.

    “We won’t be able to wear the shoes we are wearing again and somebody will wear it for us and if we were there in the Spirit, we still won’t be able to do those things.”

    The celebration coincided with the 10th edition of its annual praise concert tagged Berachah.

    The concert with the theme praising the ancient of days attracted hundreds with Evangelist Bola Are leading other gospel artistes for the thanksgiving service.

  • Catholic Knights Elect Officers

    Arch. Johnny Ngonadi has been re-elected the Grand Knight of the Order of Knights of St. Mulumba, Lekki Sub-Council. The election which was conducted over the weekend, was supervised by the Chaplain of the Lekki Sub-Council, Rev. Fr. Michael Okonkwo produced Benji Ofodile as the Deputy Grand Knight. Emmanuel Ikazoboh emerged as the Worthy Lecturer, while Tony Chiejina was elected the Public Relations Officer. Dominic Nkwopara returned as the Secretary of the Order and Anthony Bassey was voted as the Worthy Chancellor.

    Rev. Fr. Michael Okonkwo urged all elected officers to work for the spiritual and common good of the church. He noted that leadership is a noble desire and that leaders are guided by virtues that promote peace, humility, meekness, honesty, charity, temperance and above all, service.

    The election produced Peter Iwegbu as Financial Secretary, Chiwetalu Obikwelu as Auditor, Obinna Anyanwu as Treasurer and Felix Aromeh as Assistant Secretary.

    In his acceptance speech, the Grand Knight Johnny Ngonadi implored for cooperation among brothers and sisters in order to enhance the reputation and image of the sub-council.

    “We have to innovate and bring fresh actionable ideas in the various committees set up in the sub council”, said Johnny Ngonadi. He reminded worthy brothers to uphold the tenents of knighthood both in the secular and spiritual spheres and to live out what they preach. As noble knights, “we must leave a timeless legacy in those we come in contact with and constantly evangelise the word of God to the ignorant”, he said.

    In a similar occasion, the Ladies of St. Mulumba, Lekki Sub council elected Lady Nnenne Ukairo as President and Lady Theresa Chiejina as Vice President of LSM Lekki Sub council. Other officers elected are Nkechi Iwegbu (Secretary), Lady Obehi Osifo Ogbebor (Assistant Secretary), Lady Angela Odoemenem (Treasurer), Lady Akunne Obikwelu (Financial Secretary), Lady Tayo Akinyede (Provost 1), Lady AntoinetteNwanoneze (Provost 2) and Tochi Okwor (Physician).

    The LSM President, Lekki Sub-Council, Lady Nnenne Ukairo pledged commitment to work harmoniously with the brother knights to strengthen the Order and make the Lekki Sub-Council a leading light in the Lagos Metropolitan Council.

  • Continue to pray for us, Ambode charges Christians

    Continue to pray for us, Ambode charges Christians

    Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode has urged Church leaders and Christians to continue to intercede for greater peace and prosperity of the State.

    Lagos, he said, has benefitted a lot from the prayers of the church and will perform better with sustained intercessions.

    The governor spoke last Sunday at a special prayer session for the 50th anniversary of the State.

    The session tagged 50 prayer points for Lagos at 50 featured prophetic prayers and thanksgiving for the attainment of the milestone.

    Ambode said: “There is no doubt your prayers have sustained us and helped to facilitate peace and prosperity at a larger scale for our state.

    “Let me ask that you pray even harder as the State moves to the next phase so that we can achieve more for the benefit of our people.”

    The governor, who was represented by former Deputy Governor Femi Pedro, assured that the State was in safe hands with the backing of God.

    According to him: “This is just the beginning of good things. I am seeing a greater Lagos in the next 50 years, a happier population, a prosperous State.

    “I am seeing great things happening to the people of Lagos. I want to promise the youths of today and the generations coming that the leaders of today in Lagos have laid a good foundation for them.”

    In his exhortation, Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Lagos State Chapter, Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, said the state has become a centre for progress and elevation because of the God factor.

    “Lagos is great because of God. Lagos is ahead because of Him. Only Him has made it possible for the State to come this far.

    “He deserves our thanksgiving because He will do much more for us in the years to come,” he explained.

    Lagos CAN Secretary, Dr Israel Akinadewo, urged residents of Lagos to continue to be patriotic and prayerful.

    “When we live as good citizens and pray, we shall be greater than we are because God is ready to help us always,” he stressed.

  • THE FULL ARMOUR OF GOD (10)

    Sub-Theme: The Strong Belt of Truth

    Topic: The word of Truth

    Jesus concluded His Sermon on the Mount of Olives by saying, “Whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall. For it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: “the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.

    What would keep the man’s house from falling? The word of God he hears and obeys. To win any battle in life you have to know God’s word and live by it. His word is written out for us in the Bible.

    Difficult times will surely come to everybody- the times from the above when the rain descended, the floods came and the wind blew. What determines whether one falls or stands strong in the face of these challenges is THE WORD OF GOD YOU KNOW and OBEDIENCE TO THIS WORD.

    If you know and obey the word of God, then you will withstand the storms of life; the challenges of life will not consume you, rather they will make you stronger, you will walk through them and come out better, more matured in your faith. That is what the word of God does for you and me, as we read/study to obey it fully by God’s grace.

    The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abadnego is very relevant in this very difficult time, where those who call on the name Jesus and following in His ways are facing many persecutions.

    They were taken as slaves to serve king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Though being appointed as officials in his government, they maintained their strong faith in their God and obeyed His command rather than the contrary command of the king.

    The king made a gigantic image of gold, and called to gather all his satraps, administrators, governors, counsellors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image, which he has set up. When they had all arrived, and were standing before the monument, a herald shouted out, “O people of all nations and languages, this is the king’s command: that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music. You shall fall down and worship the gold image that the king has set up; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” This sure sounds like where we are today, and where we are going to in this perilous time, where one is forced to compromise one’s faith and go with the wrong crowd.

    Sure enough, all the people did as commanded, except for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abadnego who know the command of God that they should not bow to idols. They were reported to the king and the king was very furious with them for disobeying his orders.  He gave them a second chance, saying, “now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down, and worship the image which I have made, good!, but if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. And who is the God who will deliver you from my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach and Abadnego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up”

    At this, the king who was full of furry commanded that the furnace be heated seven times more than it was usually heated. Then he commanded men who were in his army to bind the boys and cast them into the burning fiery furnace, because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abadnego. The boys were thrown into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

    The king was astonished; he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counsellors, “did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” they answered and said, “True O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”  Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abadnego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then they came out from the midst of the fire. The satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counsellors gathered, and they saw the men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not burnt nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

    Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “ blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abadnego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God.  “ Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach  and Abadnego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”

    Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abadnego in the province of Babylon.

    Hmm, the whole decree changed, the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abadnego is now the one to be worshipped and honoured not the gods and the golden image of the king as originally planned. All this because these men knew their God, trusted Him and obeyed Him even in a foreign land. Choosing to obey the command of their God against the command of such a powerful and influential leader. Note that they were promoted after the battle; this tells us that our great challenge/difficulty comes at the edge of our promotion. Many have aborted their outstanding promotion because of unbelief, lack of trust in God, which give rise to disobedience to God, they have chosen the way of mediocre instead.

    Obeying God, even in battles and storms of life lies the victory. Even if the fire had burnt them to death, they still would have been victorious because their journey to heaven would have been hastened. It would have still been a win- win case, nothing lost at all. It is better over there.

    You and I will definitely face our times of little and great challenges; trials, afflictions, temptations, when our faith is put to test, our resolve should be to stick to God’s word and standard no matter what is at stake. Choose to obey God over the quest for money, fame, positon etc., even unto death.

    The test of our trust and obedience to the God we serve come in diverse ways… God has said to us not to fornicate, not to commit adultery, not to practice homosexuality, and all forms of sexual immorality, not to worship idols, not to lie, not to cheat, steal and the like. Do you trust Jesus to help you live in total obedience to His word? Or you ignore God’s command and live according to the dictates of your flesh and according to the expectations and lifestyles of the society?

    God has given you and me all we need to live godly, fulfilled and a victorious life the choice is ours to make whether to hear and obey Him or not.

    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.

    TEXT: Ephesians 6:10-18, Daniel 3:1- 30, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119:11, 2Timothy 3:16.

     

  • ‘I still have so much to do at over 87’

    ‘I still have so much to do at over 87’

    Fresh from a medical trip, the ever agile and combative General Overseer of Soul Winning Chapel Lagos, Rev Moses Iloh, speaks with Sunday Oguntola on his frustrations and next moves at over 87. Excerpts: 

    You have been off the radar lately. What it anything health-related?

    I wasn’t feeling right and my doctor said I needed to see a specialist. I went through different tests and I said to them ‘I will not pronounce from this mouth what you say is worrying me’. I never called that name.

    As far as I am concerned, it does not exist because I have a God who said to me ‘call upon me in times of trouble and I will answer and show you great and marvelous things’

    So you called upon Him and He showed up?

    He did and the hospital where I was, all the medical people there are unbelievers. So when they do things for me and I turned to them and said ‘God bless you’, they never said amen because they don’t believe but they saw that there is a God.

    How long were you down?

    About seven weeks.

    And you came back stronger?

    I came back stronger. I came back better I am 87 plus.

    At your age a lot of people would have given up, saying what else do I want? Why are you still interested in life at your age?

    Because there is so much to be done.

    At your age?

    Yes.

    What can you do?

    I can talk to you and when you leave me you will not be the same again. I can talk to you and let you know I have the courage to tell the truth. I have no fear of death because if I die now, I didn’t die early.

    There is something in my head that always come to my head. It says my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. So anytime I have a young person by me, I want to talk to them so much. I may not see you again but the time I see you, let me leave certain things in you.

    So you are alive now to impart the younger generation?

    To let them know there is a God whose name is Jehovah, the creator of the entire universe and He’s greater than what He created and you have a God like that and you are a coward and you are defeated and you are confused?

    Something is wrong with you. If you know who God is, creator of the universe, the whole world is in His hands, the earth is His footstool, when He moves, everything give ways.

    He does not desire the death of a sinner yet everybody wants their enemies to die today. We have a list of enemies and we are praying against them and we go to church on Sundays.

    My worry today is that the thing we called church and Christianity have been misunderstood.

    By?

    The Christians themselves

    And the church leaders?

    Of course, I am writing a book which is going to be terrific

    Really?

    Yes, which I have started

    What is the title?

    The title is who is Satan?

    Why did you still bother to write a book at over 87?

    I am writing because people have no knowledge. Why should people hate you? Why should you hate anybody else? What do you get out of it? How can you bury money in the ground when your own people are beggars on the street?

    It shows your lack of knowledge and you are not enjoying the money. How wise can that foolishness be? So it is good to talk out and let people see, let people hear the truth about life because people are so ignorant.

    You have money but don’t even remember you will die. How many rich people in Nigeria believe that there is a God because there are certain things that you will not do if you know that there is a God.

    When you go to funeral, look at that rich man who is dead lying down there. How many biros is he taking with him? How much naira is going with him? Then put yourself in that position and repent and know that there is a limit to what you can do.

    How soon will your book be ready?

    I pray to God it is ready in the next two months.

    Really?

    Yes, I am in a hurry to write because people don’t know who the devil is and I want to expose him.

    And you stand to lose nothing again?

    I have nothing to lose. I am trying to make the book not too big and see how it can be cheap. I want to share the book round the whole world and let everybody read it and tell me if what I have said about Satan is wrong.

    Do you still have any unfulfilled dreams at your age?

    Yes, the unfulfilled dreams I have in my life today is youths have failed to know who He is and it pains me very much indeed. A youth is just a prawn in the hands of the evil ones today.

    Your pain at 87 is youths don’t know God?

    Yes. Do you know when I sit down to pray and meditate if you see what God has pumped into the blessings of youths in Nigeria, the whole world should be after them. But what has happened? Corruption has taken them over. The devil has taken them over and messed them up completely.

    There are youths in so many churches today. We have about 83 million Christians in Nigeria. What have we been able to change? Tell me one thing we have been able to change. That is painful but thank God I am alive to see it and talk about it.

    I don’t know when He would take me but what kind of Christianity is this? Wait until this book comes out.

    If it were up to you, how much more years do you want God to give you on the surface of the earth?

    I say your will be done Lord.

    Anytime?

    Yes, I don’t even expect to be alive up to this time.

    Why?

    Because all my life, I have been very active; I have walked into so much danger. So if God has been able to spare me, let His will be done. I am not afraid of death.

    That is why whatever I am doing now, I am doing it in a hurry, praying and asking Him to help me do it and write this book, which is going to get people crazy and get people annoyed.

    I am going to make people see, there are so many things a young person can do.

    So you are not thinking of slowing down?

    No, I will slow down only physically. I move slowly, I take my time. Anything that will exert me physically, I avoid it because I speak with power and it takes energy.

    So let me reserve that energy for speaking rather than climbing and walking but certainly I am in God’s hands. Whenever He wants me, I am ready to go.

    Whenever He wants you home?

    Yes, that is why I must be careful because Jesus said in my father’s house there are many mansion there, I go to prepare a place for you and I am going to come back and get you so that where I am, there you shall also be.

    I can’t afford to miss that mansion. What am I looking for in this world that I have not seen? So whatever I am doing, I am focusing my mind that won’t let me steal anybody’s money or cheat anybody. So that when Jesus comes He would take me to that mansion.

    That is all my focus in life today. My prayer is Lord, God please don’t let me miss that mansion no matter what I go through here on earth. There is so much to be done here on earth and it is so painful that we have so many Christians and yet the country is being controlled by the devil.

    It pains me. It is one of the greatest things that grieve me. There are things that should not be so.

    It seems you can’t stop getting people angry even at 87 plus and you said that you are not afraid of anybody?

    I am not afraid of anybody. I am only afraid of my father in heaven. I just want to be on the right side when He takes me; that’s all. I believe as you are sitting here, that the Holy Spirit is sitting there and if I lie to you, He will punish me.

    So anytime I am with anybody, I always convince myself that we are not just two. So whatever I am telling you must be inside here because God is hearing. So what am I scared of?

    Are you not ready to retire from preaching?

    No, I will not retire from preaching because I can’t preach for long anymore but I am worried that a lot of people don’t understand what it means to be a child of God.

     

  • Keys to effective Christian leadership, by Lagos CAN

    Effective Christian leadership is anchored on servant hood and accountability, the chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Lagos state chapter, Apostle Alexander Bamgbola has stated.

    Bamgbola said leaders determined in showing Christ to others must be servants and accountable to God and their followers.

    He spoke last Tuesday at a one-day leadership workshop for State and local government officials of the body.

    The CAN official said: “God’s leaders must always remember that they represent God and function in the authority of His Name.

    “They must know that all they are of God. The people who they lead belong to God.

    “Hence all that they do must be as unto God. All of God’s leaders are servants of God.

    “Their will must be surrendered unto God. Their ways must be patterned after God; and their work must be directed by God.”

    Good leaders, he went on, must be accountable to God and their followers.

    Bamgbola explained: “God’s leaders must always remember that they are not only servants of God but also servants of the people they are given by God to lead.

    “Humility is a primary quality of true God’s leaders. Commands do not originate with God’s leaders but from God. They are then transmitted through God’s leaders.”

    Secretary of Lagos CAN, Dr Israel Akinadewo, urged Christian leaders to become anti-corruption crusaders.

    Akinadewo, a forensic accounting expert, spoke on financial integrity and self-independence.

    He challenged leaders never to sacrifice integrity on the altar of financial recklessness.

    He tasked Church leaders to always distinguish between personal and church funds while also ensuring utmost financial discipline and integrity.

    According to him: “We must never desecrate our sacred positions on the altar of financial recklessness.

    “We must be accountable for every kobo of God’s resources in our charge by making sure we do not enrich ourselves.”

    To guard against financial indiscipline, Akinadewo urged them to institute strong system that prevents corruption.

    “The best way to stop corruption is prevention, not prosecution. If we have systems in place, we will be protecting ourselves and the resources God entrust to us,” he stressed.

    He also canvassed for self-independence, saying CAN officials should never depend on government or anyone for sustenance.

    “Financial independence is important to prevent our faith from the shackle of political manipulations,” he submitted.

    Vice chairman of the body, Rev Dr Emmanuel Oguntosin, said leadership in the end time must be proactive and strong.

    He urged the leaders to be strong in God and rededicate themselves to service to beat the dangers of the current days.

    Assistant Secretary, Rev Fr Emmanuel Ogunyade, said Christian leaders must recommit to ecumenism and unity for the good of all.

    He said: “We are not expected to talk of unity rather we must be seen to be doing something about it that is be involved and participate. Oneness comes with a price and we must pay it.

    “To promote fellowship and unity we must reexamine some of our programmes and activities at the levels of the local government and the State so that we may tailor them alongside efforts at uniting Christians.

    “We must shun activities that tend to give us away as sycophants and boot leakers. This will earn us respect from politicians and government as the enviable and unbiased umpire in our locality.

    “We must distinguish between what is our program that requires participation and not invitation, to what is an invitation from government and not participation.”

  • Accessing God’s plan from his book! (1)

    We understand from scriptures that every man’s vision is contained in the Book called the Bible. In other words, the Bible is the custodian of God’s visions, plans and purposes for our lives (Isaiah 29:11-12). For instance, it was said of Jesus that He discovered God’s vision for His life on earth, in the volume of the Book. At another time, Jesus read from the scriptures and said, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. This implies that there are things written about us in the Bible that await our discoveries (Psalms 40:7; Hebrews 10:7; Luke 4:14-21).  Furthermore, this Book of vision shows us who we are in Christ, what we are worth in redemption, what we can do, and how to do them in order to fulfil God’s plan and purpose for our lives (Joshua 1: 8; Deuteronomy 28:1). Here are three illustrations that help us to see the Bible as the custodian of God’s plan for our lives:

    • The Bible is the Creator’s Manual for Living: We recognise from scriptures that God specifically made us in His image and after His likeness. Thus, we are His products; His people and the sheep of His pasture (Joshua 1:8; Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 2:1, Isaiah 14:24; Psalms 100:3). We also discover and pursue His plan and purpose for our lives from His manual; the Bible.
    • The Bible is the Spiritual Water that shows us what we look like: We understand from scriptures that the Word of God is water and reflects our nature in Christ. Just as our reflections appear when we look into a bowl of water, our true identity in Christ is also revealed to us when we study God’s Word. As an illustration, a story was told by Kenneth E. Hagin of a lion cub that was captured and made to grow among sheep. It lost its identity by virtue of the environment it found itself, until the day it saw its reflection on the surface of the water. That day, it regained its identity and confidence, and stood its ground when the other sheep fled from the appearance of a lion. This illustration helps us to understand that when we look into (study) God’s Word and believe what He says about us, He confers us with dominion over every torment of wickedness (Ephesians 5:26; Proverbs 27:19).
    • The Bible is the Spiritual mirror that reveals (shows) the actual worth of the Redeemed: When we behold God’s picture for our lives from the mirror of the Word and take responsibility as contained therein, that picture becomes a reality in us (James 1:22-25; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

    Let’s examine two pictures of who we are from scriptures:

    • From scriptures, we discover that every child of God is Redeemed a Spiritual Lion:

    Before the fall, man was the king of all creation. But after the fall, he was dethroned and became a victim of the wickedness of the devil, until Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, came to restore man to his dominion and Christ-like status. As a result, every child of God is redeemed a spiritual lion, and ordained for dominion over every situation and circumstance (Revelations 5:5; John 17:18; Hebrews 2:11). Furthermore, just as the natural lion was created for dominion in the animal kingdom, so is every child of God created for dominion in the world of the spirit (Proverbs 30:29-30; Genesis 49:8-12).

    But, what does it take to manifest our Lion Nature?

    Firstly, we must understand that the dominion of a lion is a function of its strength, and its strength is a function of the quality of meat that it feeds on. “Meat” here connotes principles from the Word of God (Jeremiah 15:16).

    There are four levels of nutrition in the Word of God:

    • The water level of the Word (Isaiah 55:1, 10-11).
    • The milk level of the Word (1 Peter 2:2).
    • The meat level of the Word (Hebrew 13: 9).
    • Strong meat level of the Word: “Strong meat” here implies scriptural mysteries that confer masteries (dominion) on the redeemed (Hebrew 5:13-14; Psalm 45:3-5; 1Corinthians 2:9).

    However, we must recognize that the Bible is sealed to everyone that is not redeemed. Until we are born again, we cannot access the sealed plan of God from the Bible. This is because, only the redeemed has access to the mysteries of the Kingdom of God (Mark 4:11; John 1:12).

    Are you born again? If you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord, you can do so as you say this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of 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: Understanding Vision• Understanding Divine Direction. 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 empowers Ikorodu residents

    Hundreds of residents in Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos, last week received a new lease of life courtesy Grace to Grace International Church (GGIC).

    The church headquartered in the United Kingdom offered free medical tests and drugs to the residents who thronged its Ikorodu in their hundreds.

    Residents were tested on sugar level, blood pressure and sundry health challenges facing poor neighbourhood.

    They also received appropriate medications for their ailments and referrals for cases that couldn’t be handled.

    The scheme tagged Grace and Mercy Programme (GAMP) also saw the gradation of 21 females from the church’s free tailoring institute.

    The graduands, who endured the rigorous two-year training, also received free sewing machines as well as take-off grants by the church.

    Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Prophet Isa El- Buba, urged the beneficiaries not to disappoint God and the society.

    “This is an investment into your future and destiny. It takes something like this to take one to the next level.

    “This opportunity has showed up and you must seize it by ensuring you improve your lives,” El-Buba stated.

    Many of the graduands praised the church for the training, insisting it has redefined their lives and existence.

    Glory Patrick, said the training has transformed her life and destiny.

    She said had always wanted to learn tailoring but was stopped by the N350, 000 training free.

    Blessing Okoro said she can now sustain her family with the training following years of joblessness.

    “I don’t need to beg to apply again. I have something to do now and my life will never remain the same again,” she stated.

    General Overseer of the church, Pastor (Mrs.) Atinuke Adesanya, said GAMP is the church’s gesture to create a stronger, healthier and richer society.

    “This is never about us but the community. All we are concerned about is to change and transform lives.

    “We just want to see people move from poverty to abundance and whatever it takes to do that, we won’t hesitate to,” she explained.

    Adesanya said she is motivated to continue with GAMP in its eighth year because of her lowly background.

    “I grew up in Fadeyi with 14 children in one room. We had to pray for visitors to leave on time so that we can sleep in their small corners.

    “We ate rice only on Sunday evenings. If visitors show up, we would have to wait till the next weekend. Things were that bad.

    ‘But this is to help others also leave the poverty line. If God can do it for someone like me, He can raise anybody,” she shared.