The Nation Newspaper

Category: Worship

  • ‘Nigeria suffering leadership, not economic recession’

    ‘Nigeria suffering leadership, not economic recession’

    Senior Pastor of the Chapel of His Glory, Ado Ekiti, Rev Dr Kunle Salami, spoke with Odunayo Ogunmola on leadership failure in Nigeria, among other issues. Excerpts: 

    This is 18th edition of Family Life Conference. What has been the effect of the programme so far?

    The participants are excited. You can see them in the church happy because they know the good impact it has been on their families.

    The Bible says you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. The feedback we have every year is that their homes were liberated.

    What is your reaction to the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) Governance Code, which stipulates general overseers of churches must step aside after twenty years?

    Each church has its succession plan. For some of the general overseers, they would want to leave at the ages of 60 and hand over to some other persons. Some want to leave when they are dead.

    Even in America and Britain where the government supports the churches, they don’t force anybody to retire. They support churches over there because they believe that churches help to reduce crimes.

    Churches in Nigeria are not collecting anything from government but they see churches as money- making ventures. That’s why government is going after churches.

    It is totally uncalled for even whether churches have a succession plan or not. Death is inevitable. Pastors would die so why is government in a hurry? Anybody that steals God’s money would vomit it.

    What’s been done on the issue?

    The problem is that some people have a bad perception about the church. People at times are ignorant or economical about the truth.

    I minister in different parts of the world so I know what happens there. The problem with Nigeria churches is that the enemies are inside the churches.

    They don’t recognise anything that CAN say. They just feel that church pastors are becoming too powerful, forgetting that nobody can be too powerful for God.

    What is your take on Christians going into politics?

    I wholeheartedly support Christians going into politics because if Christians do not go into politics, the soul of politics will not be what it should be.

    In the early 80s in Oyo State, Christians were not joining the civil service because they felt the civil service was corrupt but now you have Christians who are Permanent Secretaries.

    If Christians feel politics is corrupt, it is the people who are there that are playing it. When the person is in politics and he doesn’t have a soul, he has sold his soul to the enemy. He is going to do anything he likes and be corrupt.

    So Christians ought to go there. The fact is that in Nigeria, there is a failure of leadership among the political class. My take is that if a governor does not pay salary, that governor has lost his leadership.

    If a president does not pay salary, he has lost his leadership. If you are president or governor and you are there for hundred days and nothing has changed, you should step aside.

    It’s a failure of leadership but the truth is not being told. Even journalists who have sympathy for a political party paint the picture of the party well.

    There is a failure of leadership in Nigeria. It is a criminal offence for any leader to owe salaries. In other parts of the world, any leader that owes for two weeks would be jailed.

    In Nigeria, people talk based on the type of political divide they belong to.

    With the economic downturn rocking the nation, how possible is peaceful existence in families?

    Men should be proactive. The men must have understanding of the time. The man is the breadwinner of the home. Therefore, he must not rely on one income.

    The main problem today is that people are looking just at the government. So when the salary is not paid by the government, everything is on a stand still.

    The individual does not understand that he’s a multi-talented individual. The average person has so many talents. Some psychologists said the average person has over eight hundred talents.

    A greedy person needs four streams of income to feed. If you are very greedy you need eight while extremely greedy needs sixteen.

    One has to do other things that would bring in money. Every man must feed his family otherwise it’s a failure of leadership. Leadership is making things happen.

    What can you say about the prevailing economic recession?

    It’s a leadership recession, not economic recession. Everybody has to remove the barrier between themselves and money. We like to coin phrases for problems that could be solved.

    Why is Nigeria still grappling with corruption?

    In the United States, Obama has handed over to Trump. He’s going to be earning $290,000 as pension. As American President, Obama was earning $430,000.

    A senator in Nigeria earns N29 million. There would be problem in Nigeria if the greater amount of our money is being used to take care of somebody. Somebody who’s a governor, his salary is permanent till he dies.

    Every four years, a new car must be bought for him. 50 percent of the revenue of this nation is used to take care of capital expenditure. How can the nation move forward?

    We want to borrow $39.9 billion but the greater part of that amount of money would be used to service salaries and some other things. So when are we going to pay the money when it is not used for things that are productive? It’s a failure of leadership so recession will continue.

    Why are there so many evil prophecies around?

    It’s a precarious situation in Nigeria. The Bible has already said people are going to prophesy at the end time. The fact remains that God has not given a prophet the leeway to direct the life of individual.

    Every car going has its head lamp. You don’t need a prophet to tell you the direction of your life. We are the ones giving power to those who want to say evils over us.

    Even the person that is not a prophet claims he’s a prophet during this end time because one of the ways you can feed is to say you are a prophet.  Many of them armchair prophets unfortunately and that is the truth.

  • Why corruption festers, by Abidoye

    Corruption will continue to escalate until looters are promptly prosecuted the Spiritual Head and Chairman Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church Worldwide, the Most Rev Samuel Abidoye, has stated.

    He said the delayed or non-prosecution of corruption cases will continue to encourage looters to strike.

    Abidoye spoke last Sunday at the 10th anniversary, thanksgiving and ordination of Renewal District Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Alagbado Lagos.

    He appealed to the federal government to prosecute looters with dispatch to serve as deterrence to others.

    According to the octogenarian: “People keep stealing from the country because they are not being met with the right justice system.

    “They don’t go to prison and in the eyes of the government they’ve done nothing wrong.”

    Abidoye assured the trend will change the moment prosecution of looters becomes an issue of national priority.

    He also advised government to pump recovered loots into the economy to mitigate the biting recession.

     “Monies realised from looters should be thrown back into the economy of the country so that the poor can have something to lay their hands on because it has gotten to a stage where people die of hunger and not just sickness in the nation while others have so much that they can afford to keep at home,” he lamented.

    The cleric said it does not make sense to keep recovered loots in dedicated accounts without injecting them back into the economy.

    “If you get so much money and you just keep it somewhere, it’s useless. Spend it out. Let people have it rather than go and keep it somewhere again.

    “When you do that, another people will go and steal it again and that will be the end of it,” he reiterated.

    He warned the rich and mighty to desist from oppressing the poor because God will always fight back for the oppressed.

    Abidoye assured God will turn the fortunes of the nation sooner than Nigerians expect or imagine.

    Speaking to the newly ordained ministers, he encouraged them to serve God with all their hearts so that they can be richly rewarded.

    He urged them to cultivate the habit of singing hymns and spirit-filled songs and live right to minister effectively.

  • Be heavenly conscious, Atilade charges

    Chairman South West Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Archbishop Magnus Atilade has called on Christians to always be ready for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

    He spoke at the burial ceremony of the General Secretary and Bishop of Lagos Province of Gospel Baptist Conference of Nigeria and Overseas, Rt Rev Benjamin Odekunle recently.

    The funeral service held at Dr. Akinola Maja Memorial Gospel Baptist Cathedral Mushin, Lagos.

    Atilade said Christians must not lose sight of heaven as their ultimate goal in life.

    He said that no matter the challenges Christians go through in life, they must not give faith and hope in Jesus.

    Jesus, he said, has promised to wipe away all tears “from our eyes and there shall be no more sorrows, famine or pain but the former things shall pass away.”

    He asserted that Christians have sure ground for hope, confidence and joy because Jesus Christ shed his blood for them.

    Atilade, who is also the Archbishop of the GBCN&O, reminisced on his long- time friendship with the deceased.

    According to him: “In a world where most friendship is about what they can get, our friendship was what about what we could give. I will greatly miss him.

    “I am happy he died in the Lord. He has gone to heaven. I know we will meet in heaven together where we will meet to part no more.”

    He added that heaven is real and every Christians must continue to watch and pray so as not to be caught unawares.

    Wife of the deceased, Mrs. Odekunle, thanked God for the life and times of her late husband.

    She said: “On the day of his departure, my husband told me never to mourn or be sorrowful but sing praises to the Most High God irrespective of what happened.”

    This, to her, meant the deceased knew where he was going.

    “His life is an exemplary faith in God. He never altered any negative word even at the point of death rather his words had always been that it is well,” she stressed

  • Commanding the supernatural by the power of the tongue! (3)

    Welcome to another week on your regular column. We have been exploring how our words determine our place in the realms of the supernatural. This week, we will examine what makes our words powerful.

    Firstly, it is important to know that what we say is what we see and what we cannot say, we cannot see. Moreover, what we say can completely devalue the revelation we receive from God and His Word. Thus, the signs we command are the products of our words. Remember, the Bible says: Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof (Proverbs 18:21; See also Mark 11:23).

    Therefore, it is important to know that we command the supernatural by engaging our tongues effectively according to the terms of scriptures. This is because what we declare is what God confirms. Moreover, whatever is too big for our mouths is too big for our lives.

    However, it is important to recognise that it is not just saying the words that make it work, but saying it boldly, openly and unashamedly (Mark 8:38; Psalms 119:46; Romans 1:16). The moment we stop saying what we want to see, we stop seeing it.

    What are the virtues inherent in the words we speak?

    • The words of our mouths are creative after the order of Christ (Genesis 1:1-31; Proverbs 18:21).
    • The words we speak are prophetic: The problem is not the issue; what we say is what determines the happenings in our lives (Isaiah 14:24; Mark 11:23; 2 Peter 1:19).
    • Our words are reproductive: Our words are spiritual seeds sown into our future. What we say today is what we will see tomorrow. Again, we understand that God’s Words are seeds; thus, when we engage same, our future is guaranteed (Genesis 8:22; Luke 8:11; 1 Peter 1:23).

    Therefore, the tongue is a mystery that we engage to be in command of signs. The challenges of our lives are not the issue; it is our declarations that determine whether that situation remains a problem or a solution. This is because God cannot do anything outside what we say. Thus, we must be careful what we say because a misuse of our tongues can lead to disuse of our lives (Psalms 81:10-15; Luke 21:15). Therefore, by the power of your tongue, I decree your long awaited miracles delivered in Jesus’ name!

    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 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: Releasing The Supernatural, Walking In The Miraculous, Commanding The Supernatural.

    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

  • Catholic bishops to FG: end mass suffering now

    Catholic Bishops in Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province have called on the nation’s political leaders to urgently work hard to restore the confidence of the populace in the nation.

    They regretted that Nigerians are suffering the pangs of economic hardship unleashed on them by the prevailing recession.

    According to them: “There is a growing sense of desperation in the general populace that the much expected change has been slowed down. It is no longer news that Nigerians are truly suffering”.

    They noted the unfortunate situation has provoked ill will manifested in the current proliferation of false information, violent clashes, calls for the break-up of Nigeria and pervasive criminality.

    The Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province Catholic bishops’ position was conveyed in a communique  at the end of their meeting.

    It was signed by its President Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin and Secretary, Most Rev. John Oyelola.

    The clerics said Nigerians have not reaped the dividends of change promised by the federal government, saying citizens must be seeing signs that political leaders have the grip of economy and making efforts to ease their suffering.

    They said: “Some of this can be understandable under a recession. However, there ought to be clear signs in national life by now that the government and people of our country are truly working to bring things under control.

    “We condemn the needless loss of life in the Southern Kaduna crisis which has confirmed an impression that government is lackadaisical in responding to the needs of some sections of the nation.

    “This impression should not be allowed to take firm root. Government exists for all and must never be seen to favour any group or ignore the needs of another.

    “We admonish the government to be more proactive in protecting the life and property of Nigerians.

    “We appeal to all men and women of goodwill to succor the needy and all those affected by the crisis.”

    The bishops added: “As things stand, much of the government’s strategies do not seem to be working well.

    “The campaign against corruption seems to be losing steam as convictions are rare and the initial recovery of stolen funds has slowed down.

    “The reform of the power sector is at a standstill with only some parts of Nigeria experiencing better or constant supply of electricity and road infrastructure is not improving much.

    “We appreciate the sacrifice of our security agencies which have helped to keep Nigeria together so far.

    “In spite of the recent unfortunate bombing of the IDP camp where dozens of innocent people were killed, our soldiers and security agencies deserve our support and appreciation.

    “It is our prayer that Nigeria will soon experience the peace for which we have always desired and prayed.”

  • Trump’s America, Africa & America’s Trump

    The emergence of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States of America was a wild card that many did not foresee. His ascension to the American throne could however present Africa with a rare opportunity to shatter the engineered ceilings and limitations of its enslavement heritage.

    Sworn as American president on the 29th of January 2009, 103 years and not quite 300 miles from the Bronx Zoo where Ota Benga the Congolese pygmy was on display in a cage next to monkeys, Barrack Obama was a reluctant African token.

    Through his tenure as president it was impossible to shake the feeling that the thinly veiled disdain of the US State Department towards African was a reflection of his private opinion. His body language towards Nigeria was particularly disrespectful and the bounce in his walk was the only obvious legacy he got from his Kenyan father.

    On the other hand President Donald Trump is a man that the average Nigerian can relate to easily because our system recognize and defer to alpha males. If you can get past his John Wayne swagga and convenient supremacist rhetoric, Trump presents a quantity that is more African than the measured tones of his predecessor.

    The 44th president of America was black on the exterior but white within, while the robust, at times impulsive bravura of the 45th president marks him as a white man with an African core.

    On the campaign trail Trump’s tactics may have surprised Americans but we could recognize its ebullient Nigerian stamp. Shooting from the hip, Donald Trump shook up the black narrative of America when he challenged them openly to show how their traditional loyalty to the Democratic Party had profited the African American cause!

    Woken up from deep slumber our brothers in the United States realized that the institutionalized racist sentiments were a constant on both sides of the fence only that one side had it masked with slick talk and photo finishes. This is where Africa should learn its lesson because our research efforts clearly reveal that the consistent failure of the black portion of the African experience in its 54 nations and 10 dependent territories point to a sublime program.

    With a few exceptions most of the aid packages given to Africa are toxic and have only served to oil the machinery behind the sublime program. In the days ahead there evidently will be strong contentions between Trumps’ America and America’s Trump and this is where the opening will come if the West African titan can muster the courage to take the bull by its horns.

    Nigeria can get a better deal for Africa because Trump has a nose for business opportunities. Instead of the Chinese and Arab invasions Africa might just be better off squaring with an American president that could be persuaded to remove the senseless subsidies that have priced African agriculture out of the global market.

     Trump might even decide to export surplus produce to Africa for a small fee instead of incinerating it annually. To capitalize on the Trump victory we need Nigerian leaders who can comprehend the wide difference between a democracy and a democratic republic, we also need to activate patriots that understand the complexities of Washington and the American lobby system.

    We must seize this opportunity to repair the damages of the past when Hilary Clinton’s State department took advantage of our president’s gullibility and almost destroyed Nigeria because the intelligences that fought against the FTO designation for the Boko Haram by the US government while sponsoring a global restriction on the sales of weapons to the Nigerian Army are still very active in Washington.

    Above all, Africa is more at home with a white US president who knows that fecundity in the goat pen is more prosperous than gender confusion. More so when we barely survived a black US president who spent millions of dollars trying to relabel our exits as entries on the platform of pleasures that Africa can ill afford.

     On a final note Nigeria must move fast to secure some progress for Africa while the sun is still shining because the contentions between America’s Trump and Trump’s America must produce a winner.

    Thompson is initiator of Macedonian Initiatives, a faith-based Non Governmental Organisation (NGO).

  • THEME: THE FULL ARMOUR OF GOD (3)

    Sub-Theme: The Strong Belt of Truth (3)

    Know this: Our weapon of warfare are not carnal but mighty through God for the pulling down of strong holds. Also, know that there are spiritual purposes overriding earthly circumstances, everything that happens on earth has a spiritual dimension to it, the spiritual drives the physical. Therefore, we are not in battle with the physical and should not fight with physical weapons like gun, cutlass, knife, sword, charms, etc. We battle not against flesh and blood; we battle against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, God says, we need His full spiritual armour to be able to win this battle. The armour of God is not what many people want it to be, but they are truly the armour that give complete victory. I pray the Lord opens our hearts to conceive this revelation, so we can begin to battle with the right armour and by so doing be victors and not victims of the devil.

    There are a lot to learn from the story of David and Goliath. Young David fought and defeated the giant Goliath who fights with all kinds of sophisticated armour; he won all battles until he met someone who fights with spiritual armour, then was he defeated.

    Goliath was a giant; he was over 9 feet tall, he wore a bronze helmet, a 200 pound coat of mail, bronze leggings, and carried a bronze javelin several inches thick, tipped with a 25 pound iron spear head, and he had his armour bearer who walks ahead of him in battles with a huge shield. While, David had a close fellowship and a strong relationship with God, and certainly a strong faith in the Almighty. With just his shepherd’s stick, sling, and a stone, he fought and defeated the champion Goliath to the amazement of everyone.

    Prior to the defeat, David said to Goliath, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts. ‘…this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s.” Nothing but David’s strong faith in his God granted him victory over Goliath, not the sling and the stone, he did not depend on physical weapons. He depended on God and trusted Him for victory- oh! That boldness and courage in David strengthen me, they leave me with so much ‘hunger’ for more God. He knew God and had encountered Him personally.

     

    This brings us to the first armour: The Strong belt of Truth.

    Jesus said to some Jews who believed in Him, “If you abide in my word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.”

    They were angry with Jesus, so said to Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, “You will be made free?”

    Jesus answered them saying, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin, and a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

     

    The Son sets free from the bondage of sin. With sin in one’s life, one is already a victim of Satan; sin puts one in captivity of Satan, so such person needs to be set free from sin. God sent His Son to bring about this freedom. Therefore, Jesus is the Truth; He is the Son who sets free from sin.

     

    Jesus is the very beginning of the full armour of God. He is the Way, the Truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Jesus and He is the only way to freedom from sin and eternal death in hell. He is the only way to righteous living and eternal life in heaven.

     

    Those Jews were slaves to sin, and Jesus saw the need for them to be delivered, but they were not true to themselves. They denied their true state of sinfulness, the need to be set free and refused to believe Jesus. These men were murderers, liars, violent, envious, cheats, hypocritical, etc. Those of them that continued to refuse deliverance from their sins were destroyed. The devil’s utmost desire for everyone is to get people into the bondage of sin and then destroy them, this you should fight against by calling on the saviour Jesus whom God sent to set you free from the bondage and slavery of sin. Satan uses all kinds of tricks, schemes, and strategies to get people continue to be in bondage of sin.

     

    Know that everyone needs Jesus, for we were all born as sinners. Hence, the need to be Born- Again; to have another birth

    (A spiritual birth); aside from the physical birth everyone came into this world through. David recognises this fact when he said, “…I was born a sinner-Yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” The people, who lived before God sent Jesus, desired this spiritual rebirth but they did not have it, they struggled to please God by obeying the law but they could not fully obey it. We are so blessed to have this new life through Jesus. The new birth is by choice but it is the will of God for all. God provided the WAY to pleasing Him, which is by faith in Jesus Christ who lives the new life of righteousness through those who believe, accept and follow Him.

    Jesus the Truth came to set you free from your sin. One who commits sin is a slave to sin, being under the devil’s captivity. Fight for your freedom, you have been given all it takes to be free- call on Jesus and Follow Him.

    “If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed!”

     

    TEXT: Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Corinthians 10:4, 1 Samuel 17: 45,47, John 8:31-59, John 3: 1-20, John 14:6, Psalm 51:5.

     

    FROM: FAITH NWACHUKWU.

     

  • ‘How I snubbed law to become a priest’

    ‘How I snubbed law to become a priest’

    Rt Rev Olukayode Adeogun will be installed as Bishop of Methodist Church Diocese of Ereko today. He spoke with Adeola Ogunlade on his ministerial journey and agenda for the diocese. Excerpts:

    When did you decide to become a minister?

    My ambition in life was to be a lawyer. This was because my father wanted me to be a lawyer and my only brother a pastor.  My parents were dedicated and committed Methodists.

    After my secondary school, instead of buying Jamb form and filling law as the course of study as expected by my father, I went to buy a form at a theological seminary as interest in the things of God had consumed me as a child.

    To my surprise, my brother bought Jamb form and filled law as the course of study. Today, he is a respected lawyer.  Each time I’m faced with any challenge, I noticed that God almighty always showed up in a big way.

    After secondary school, I lived with my uncle in Ilorin and I became a member of Methodist Cathedral, Taiwo Road, Ilorin. I became one of the founding members of Methodist church, Olorunsogo, Ilorin.

    Then, I received the call of God into ministry in early 1983. I was ordained at the Synod of Diocese of Ilesa in 1984. I began to work for God.  When I decided to go and study, the Diocese where I was ministering sponsored me through school. I was admitted to Immanuel College for Theology and Christian Education in September 1984 for ministerial training and formation. I graduated in June 1987 with Diploma in Religious Studies at the University of Ibadan and Diploma in Theology.

    I was commissioned a Deacon at Methodist Cathedral, Elekuro, in June 1987. After commissioning, the conference posted me to Trinity Methodist Church, Itesi, Abeokuta, where l served for three years.

    I was ordained a priest on 24th November, 1990 at Methodist Cathedral, Agbeni, Ibadan. My quest to acquire more knowledge took me to the University of Ilorin from 1990 to 1994 where I obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Comparative Religious Studies.

    What are your thoughts on pastoring and challenges of the 21st century?

    Pastors must be in tune with new technology to be able to preach the gospel effectively in today’s world. A pastor must be a model for the church. Christ died to present to God a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle. This ideal every pastor should represent in their places of worship.

    The truth is church is not a business venture or for business men. Pastoral work is a work to serve God and serve humanity. It is sad that some pastors have lost their calling and are busy chasing shadow and mundane things that will not matter in eternity.

    How did your balance theological training with priestly roles?

    Successful pastors in any part of the world are educated and knowledgeable people.  Pastors deal with theories and practical. Theory is academic. The need to read, study, internalise and find better way of interacting with the congregation is very germane.

    Do combining academic and priestly roles help to balance the knowledge in preaching and counselling?

    There is nothing in life that does not warrant training. The early Apostles of Jesus were trained by Jesus for three and half years. Elijah had a school of prophets and Paul leveraged his knowledge as a lawyer, historian and theological education in his pastoral duties.

    Paul’s training made him to write 13 epistles of the scriptures. He wrote the highest number of books in the bible because he married law with theological education. After Paul’s conversion, he learnt Arabic language for three years and was thoroughly trained by Peter, the head of the church. Peter took him through the various experiences and encounter they had with Jesus.

    34 years after in ministry, what have you learnt?

    I have leant the acts of submission to God. I have leant obedience and how to be a disciple. Things may not come the way you want but I have learnt to walk with God and place everything in his hands. God will make everything beautiful in His own time.

     

    What is your take on the Southern Kaduna crisis and possible ways out?

    The craze for money from Saudi Arabia by some state governors in Nigeria has led to some unwholesome development in parts of the north. In their bid to get money from some of the Islamic banks, they place some conditions on the governors.

    The law restricting people from worshipping God privately or publicly in a peaceful atmosphere as enshrined in our constitutions has been eroded in Kaduna State with the bye laws enacted by the El-Rufai government last year.

    During the debate and outcries over the bye laws, the federal government should have called EI-Rufai to order.  It is important to note the Constitution shows that the federation or the state shall not adopt a religion.

    On the other hand, there is provision to the effect that every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and to propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.

    Sections 10 and 38 state that anyone has the right to preach his or her religion without any molestation. The constitution existed before the Kaduna bye law and supersedes the bye-laws. The constitution binds all of us together irrespective of our differences in religion, tribe, language, culture or tradition.

    I appreciate the fact that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has cried against it.  They have said no Christian should approach any state agency to get license to preach within its own four walls.

    There is no state in Nigeria that is independent so long as every state in Nigeria still takes allocation from the federal government.

    However, Christians will be of great influence to their neighbours in northern parts of the country by their lives, attitudes and relationship with them.

    Christianity is not a religion but living like Jesus. Christians have influenced many societies not just with preaching but with their lives truly representing Jesus within their communities.

    What is your agenda for the Diocese?

    God has placed us in a very strategic and peculiar way. We are placed in the market and that certainly is not by accident; it is divine. God is expecting us to instil godliness in men and women that are in the lower cadre of our economy in Nigeria.

    Righteousness and faithfulness remain very strong on my mind as I take up the mantle of leadership in this Diocese. Market evangelism is one of my visions in this Diocese. The Cathedral is in the market.

    We are placed strategically to reach the people with the gospel. The focus of the church is to expand God’s kingdom here on earth.

    My agenda is to increase the number of local churches we have and increase numerical strength of the church. We believe in scriptural holiness and the full gospel.

    With our social ministry to the people within that area, before long, we will have a secondary school because government has stopped moral education and devotions. Moral teaching has a place in our children. Faithful leaders in government are results of their back grounds.

  • Commanding the supernatural by the power of the tongue! (2)

    Last week, we began this teaching series with the understanding that until we catch our real picture from God’s Word, we will be subjected to the hazards in the world. We also learnt that we are heavenly citizens on ambassadorial missions on the earth to reconcile the world to God. As such, what molest others cannot come near us. This week, we will further examine what redemption guarantees us:

    • From scriptures, we understand that we are redeemed to command supernatural breakthroughs: Everyone who is born again is a spirit being and born as a sign to his world. That is, he is born to live the supernatural (struggle-free) life, which is the natural estate of every child of God. As it is written: That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 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 3:6-8). However, we must engage our tongues to command the supernatural. The highlighted scripture above “…And thou hearest the sound thereof….” helps us to understand that it takes “the sound” to command “the signs”. Again, we saw in scriptures how the disciples went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word they spoke (their sounds) with signs following. These help us to know that it is making appropriate sounds (the use of our tongues) that puts us in command of the signs (Mark 16:20).

    However, it is important to know that no matter how anointed an individual, a closed mouth hinders the flow of the supernatural. For instance, when Judas went in the company of men to arrest Jesus, the Bible records: Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground (John 18:4-6).

    In another account, the Bible spoke of Christ in prophecy and the price of redemption from Isaiah 53:7, saying: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. Jesus the most anointed, the living Word of God sent as a sign, was oppressed and afflicted because ‘He opened not His mouth.’ That means no matter our level of anointing, if we do not open our mouths to utter words of authority against our situations and circumstances, we stand the risk of being oppressed and afflicted. But that will not be your portion in Jesus name!

    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 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: Releasing The Supernatural, Walking In The Miraculous, Commanding The Supernatural.

    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

  • Okowa calls for sustained prayers

    DELTA State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged Nigerians to pray hard for the nation.

    He spoke at the Bible Society of Nigeria’s (BSN) 9th Founder’s Day/Awards in Lagos last Wednesday.

    The group was founded on February 8, 1966.

    Okowa, who was represented by Commissioner for Information, Patrick Ukah, said when we put God first in our national life, there would be solutions to the nation’s problems.

    BSN’s General Secretary, Dare Adeboye, announced the completion of the translation of two bibles from English into Okrika and Kalabari languages in Rivers State.

    He canvassed funds to publish them, saying that each costs a minimum of N60million.

    He said this became necessary in view of the fact that the translations had been done in the past two years but has been hampered by funding.

    He appealed to Christians to give the project helping hands.

    The guest lecturer of the theme: Mono-economy: Antithetical to national growth and development, Pastor Bayo Olugbemi, said diversification failed because of lack of discipline among public servants and policy makers.

    He also pointed out there was lack of will among Nigerians.

    Olugbemi, who is Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) First Registrars& Investor Services Nigeria, lamented the overdependence on oil and called on each state to concentrate on their strengths.

    General Overseer, New Testament Assembly Worldwide, Pastor Samson Bamigbayan, and Managing Director of Sidmach Technologies Limited, Elder Lanre Arogundade, were conferred with the society’s awards at the event.