The Nation Newspaper

Category: Worship

  • Love…most excellent way (6)

    • Love for neighbour:

    We need love to reign in our nation Nigeria. The Nigerian motto, “Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress were adopted in 1978. Before that time, the country’s motto was “Peace, Unity, Freedom”. Why should faith and progress be added – without Faith in God, there can’t be unity, peace and progress. For without God we can do nothing, accomplish nothing and be nothing. God is love, He wants us to love Him and love our fellow human being. If we don’t believe in God/Love we can’t be united, there will be no peace and of course no progress. Where there is love there is unity, peace and progress, hence Love is the greatest.

    The great Nigeria we desire will be when we allow LOVE to guide our lives- the genuine love which is only possible by knowing God.

    The rate of crime in our nation today is quite alarming. For some days now I’ve been reading about several cases of criminal activities and the jungle justice meted out to some suspects and criminals- they are being set on fire and burnt to death on the streets while children watched on not mindful of the trauma and effects of these sights on our children- raising them not to have regard for lives; they learn to kill easily, always ready to kill just to have their way. This is causing more harm than good, let us not take laws into our hands, we should rather report criminal cases and take anybody caught in the act to the appropriate authorities.

    There is so much chaos in the land; increasing cases of kidnap of children and adults for money and ritual, rape and child molestation, baby factories and sale of such babies by their parents, stealing, cybercrimes, hatred and murder of persons of different faith/religion, unhealthy rivalry and competition on the part of political party leaders and supporters causing disunity in the land with their words and deeds, speaking words that incite hatred and division among the people of Nigeria. This has to stop, we have to allow God to change our hearts so we can love, appreciate and respect each other, wishing others well so we can succeed- oh! That we all will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, whom God sent to reconcile us Himself, so we can have peace with ourselves and be able to live in peace with our neighbours.

    It is painful to see that majority of the people involved in these crimes are the energetic, intelligent youths of Nigeria who God is looking on to build a nation where peace and justice will reign. The same young people cooperate with Satan to be used to bring Nigeria down, for whatever crime committed, even as one person brings down Nigeria, so also whatever good you do as one person in your little corner builds Nigeria. Let us commit ourselves in building this nation rather than bringing it down like some are doing. It will start with you and me, no one can love and build this nation other than we Nigerians- if we are willing God will give us all we need to accomplish this task of building a great Nigeria. Most importantly, we need a heart full of love for our fellow human being to be able to build Nigeria- a love devoid of any form of hatred, a love that does not discriminate based on tribe whether Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba, living in peace despite our differences, not forcing your religion on anyone but speaking the truth and allowing people to choose freely what to believe. Jesus demonstrated this, He never forced anyone to believe in Him, He would only speak the truth and leave people to make their choices- we need to be like this too. Anything based on force and compulsion will not last.

    We shouldn’t only write, give talks and sing about love, unity and peace, we should act it- love is ACTIVE.  We have to live by what we preach.

    The seed of hatred if not uprooted will grow into other destructive vices and cause more trouble in Nigeria especially for the one who hates.

    I pray that love will sweep across this nation, that we will so love our neighbours such that it will be impossible for us to cause anyone harm, instead will be our brother’s keeper.

     

    SONG: Let there be love shared among us

    Let there be love shared among us
    Let there be love in our hearts
    May now Your love sweep this nation.
    Cause us oh Lord to arise
    Give us a fresh understanding
    Of brotherly love that is real,
    Let there be love shared among us,
    Let there be love.

     

    TEXT: Matthew 5: 43-48

    From: Faith Nwachukwu

  • Understanding the unlimited power of faith! (2)

    Last week, we learnt that resident in the Mystery of Faith is a dynamo that has the capacity to turn any negative situation around and deliver our desired results.  We also established that the mystery of faith is simply doing whatever God instructs, through His Word, to prove that we believe Him to make good His promise. Furthermore, we examined a definition of faith. In today’s edition, we will explore two more definitions of faith, and qualities that make the mystery of faith unique. Let’s begin with what is faith?

    • Faith is partnering with the invisible God in the light of scriptures resulting in the accomplishment of the impossible: From scriptures, we discover that through faith, Moses partnered with the invisible God to rescue the Israelites from the land of captivity. By that partnership, Moses also achieved impossible feats and commanded great exploits such as: parting the Red Sea, feeding of three million people daily, adequate water supply in the desert and none of the people became feeble (Exodus 14:1-30, 16:2-15, 20:1-11; Psalms 105:37; Hebrews 11:24-29).

    In addition, when Moses returned to Egypt, no force could arrest him because of his partnership with God. In fact, Pharaoh was afraid when Moses stood before him. Therefore, it is our active partnership with the invisible God that empowers us to accomplish extraordinary feats in life.

    • It is the power point of destiny: The Bible makes us to understand that when the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of Jesus’ garment in faith, virtue flowed from Him and she was made whole instantly. That means, without faith, we cannot tap into divine virtue that guarantees our desired change of story (Matthew 9:29; Luke 8:40-46).

    Let’s examine some qualities that make the mystery of faith unique. 

    • The mystery of faith manifests its power through the tongue: We must understand that without an open month, we cannot experience the unlimited power of faith. This is because faith demands that whatever we believe must first be declared, before it can be confirmed. Teaching His disciples on faith, Jesus said: …Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you (Matthew 17:20; see also Mark 11:23).

    Until we declare our desires with faith in the Word, God is not committed to confirm it. Moreover, whatever is too big for our mouths is too big for our hands, and our hands can’t touch what our mouths can’t declare. For instance, two months to the dedication of Faith Tabernacle and the roof was yet to be completed, God said to me: “Two months, too much. September 18, 1999 is a reality”, and I declared it. As we declared it, God confirmed it. Declaring what the Word says, believing, no matter who mocks us, is the only way to maximise the unlimited power of faith.

    Speaking of Jesus in prophecy, the Bible says: 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. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken (Isaiah 53:7-8).

    Here, Jesus submitted because that was the price for man’s redemption.  However, when officers from the chief priests and Pharisees came to arrest Jesus at Gethsemane, all He said was, “I am He”, and they all fell backward. No matter how anointed we are, until we declare what God says, we will remain oppressed and afflicted. In other words, destiny is at a risk when our mouths remain closed.

    On the other hand, we must recognise that life and death resides in our tongues, and whatsoever we declare shall be delivered whether positive or negative. Therefore, our words MUST be guided by God’s Word (Proverbs 18:21).

    In addition, let’s understand that God’s Word is only accessible to the redeemed child of God. In other words, until you become born again, you cannot operate in the capacity of faith described above. Being born again simply means to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. If you desire to operate this kind of faith, say this prayer and you will be born again: “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: Unlimited Power of Faith, Born To Win, Breaking The Curse Of life and Winning Invisible Battles.

    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 hosts The Nation correspondent

    The youth wing of Christ Crusaders’ Deliverance Ministries will hold its national summit today.

    This year’s edition with the theme I believe I can fly will feature songs ministrations, poetry performance, talent hunts, career lecture and allied symposia.

    General Overseer of the church, Pastor Festus Adewole, said the annual programme is expected to liberate the youth from the spirit of redundancy.

    “Our God is dynamic. When you see anyone that his/her life is stagnant, the enemy is at work in his or her life.

    “God will visit His children during this programme and set them free from all manner of delay and disappointment,” he said.

    Also ministering at the one-day summit is The Nation Senior Correspondent, Evelyn Osagie, also a performing poet and singer.

    At the event billed to hold at the auditorium of the church national headquarters at Akute, Ogun State, she will also be staging a poetry-performance tagged poetic riddle.

    The youth pastor, YemiAdebisi, spoke of the readiness of the church to invest in the ambitions of the younger generation.

    He said: “We have come to a point in the ministry that leaders should create more time to mentor their youths.

    “The church is determined to train its youth in the ways of the Lord and also concerned about the actualisation of their life ambition because they are the leaders of tomorrow”.

  • Healing, testimonies at Kumuyi’s Lagos crusade

    Healing, testimonies at Kumuyi’s Lagos crusade

    It was testimony galore at the Supernatural Miracle crusade hosted by General Superintendent of The Deeper Life Bible Church Pastor Williams Kumuyi penultimate weekend in Progress College, Agege Lagos.

    Worshippers after worshippers testified of healing, miracles and divine intervention in their lives.

    Bukola Adebisi, a teacher from Agege, who was diagnosed with brain cancer, said the ailment had affected his vision and career.

    Adebisi, a chemistry graduate and examiner with West African Examination Certificate (WAEC), said he was scheduled for surgery the following week but attended the crusade on the invitation of his landlord.

    Speaking on his healing, he said: “I am very grateful to God for visiting me and would be eternally grateful to him”.

    Mrs. TolaOdumosu from Ogba attended the crusade with her 11- year-old son who had never walked nor spoke since birth.

    She said: “Having gone through the challenges of giving birth, my son could not hear or speak but l trusted God that one day he will be healed.

    “Today God visited him.  He can now talk and hear.”

    The son, who spoke like a baby, was full of praise to God with her mother.

    Mrs. Luci Moses from Edo State praised God after seven years of walking with a stick.

    Moses said that she had visited so many places, ate so many concoctions all to no avail.

    She was later moved to Lagos so she could get enough support for her predicaments.

    Moses, who was jumping and leaping for joy, said: “I can now walk with my two legs without any support. God indeed is wonderful”.

    Kumuyi said Jesus is the Kings of Kings who is incomparable.

    According to him: “When the King of Kings glory enters your life, the glory of God overwhelms you.

    “The King of glory is more than the kings in communities, towns and cities.

    “He has all power in heaven and earth, more than the angels as well as what men and women on earth can boast of.”

    He charged Nigerians to abandon idol worship and embrace Jesus, who is so caring, loving and powerful enough to solve all their problems.

    “There is the need to remove the idols: the idols of twins (ere ibeji), idol of making money through fraudulent means, candle burning, incense, worshiping tradition, gambling, marijuana, football as Jesus who died on the cross for mankind has cancelled all these,” Kumuyi stated.

    He pointed out the greatest problem of man was sin and urged those bound by chain of sins to urgently seek forgiveness from God.

    He said: “The Lord does not condemn sinners but to save them. Sinners must boldly take a step by confessing their sins. It is futile to think that it is impossible to live a righteous life.”

  • ‘Murder of Abuja preacher will galvanise gospel’

    The murder of Deaconess Eunice Olawale during her morning evangelism two weeks ago in Kubwa, Abuja was continuation of the age long hostilities Christians have always been subjected to.

    The Pastor-in-Charge Lagos Province 49, Pastor Daniel Balogun, stated this last week.

    Reacting to the gruesome murder of the mother of seven, Balogun said: “It has always been so since the time of Jesus. Christians have always been on the frontline.

    “It is nothing strange or new at all. It is something that happens from time to time across the globe against the children of God.”

    Balogun however said the blood of the 42-year-old Olawale has not been shed in vain.

    “I lived in the north-east for nine years and saw so much throughout that time. Anytime things like these happen, God is up to something huge.

    “You would be shocked that there would be revival of souls and many more will come to the knowledge of Christ.”

    Balogun spoke at a briefing on the weeklong praise summit of the church, which ends today with a thanksgiving service.

    He said the praise week with the theme The great I am is a platform to draw down the hands of God.

    Many Christians, according to him, are familiar with the power of prayers but unmindful of the greater power in praise.

    He said: “When we pray, God sends down His angels to answer us but when we praise, He comes down Himself to attend to our situation.”

  • Okogie seeks review of education curriculum

    Retired Catholic Archbishop of Lagos Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie has charged stakeholders in the educational sector to review existing curriculum to prepare youths for global competitiveness.

    He spoke during a courtesy visit of the African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives to his office in Lagos.

    The Octogenarian said that the current educational curriculum cannot meet the needs and aspiration of youths for greater productivity.

    Okogie lamented tertiary institutions award certificates that are useless to millions of graduates.

    Many of them, he said, are in the labour market without any hope of employments.

    He was of the opinion the sad tales of Nigeria’s graduates can be addressed with new and refined education curricula.

    Such curricula, he said, must prepare youths to solve emerging social problems, reduce poverty and generate jobs.

    President of African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives, Rev Titus Oyeyemi applauded the indelible services by Archbishop to humanity, particularly young Nigerians.

  • RCCG renovates healthcare centre for Ogun community

    As part of its corporate social responsibility, the Lagos province 2 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has started the renovation of Community Health Centre in Magboro, Ogun State.

    Speaking at a Luncheon parley organised by the parish to raise funds for the project, Assistant Pastor- In-Charge of the Province CSR unit, Pastor Tope Abe, said the renovation, which has so far gulped about N7.5 million was done as part of its Access to Quality Health project.

     “Healthcare should not be dispensed under such conditions but we cannot wait for the government to fix this. When we see a need, we take the lead. We have levied ourselves and identified partners to support us,” he said.

    Pastor Abe said RCCG principles has driven the Province over the years to impact on the society and demonstrate the love of God through different social transformation initiatives.

     While delivering a short sermon at the event, Pastor- In-Charge of the Province, Pastor YemiLebi, told the guests that they must all be cheerful givers.

    Reading from 2nd Corinthians 9: 6-7, Lebi said it is important for Christians to give to the less privileged in the society as well as good causes in the church

     “It is important to preach the gospel, but we must also show compassion by donating to projects that would help make life more comfortable for less privilege in the society,” he said.

  • ‘Fetish leaders are not real C&S members’

    ‘Fetish leaders are not real C&S members’

    Prophet (Dr.) Solomon Ayegbusi is District General Leader of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Amazing Grace District, Lagos. He shares his thoughts on leadership and the country in general with Hannah Ojo

    What has been your experience as a leader of the district in the last 21 years?

    It is a lot. As a leader, one needs to be focused on the congregation spiritually and morally. There is also a need to take care of the flocks physically. Also, there have been challenges which one cannot do without but with God’s   power and assistance and prayer, victory is assured.

     Honestly, being a leader is not an easy task either as a small group, a church or a nation but I am grateful God has been sustaining me. I have been the leader of the church from inception. We used to be a branch of the Surulere headquarters and in 2009 we graduated to a district.

    Can you give us a brief history of how the church was founded?

    The church began on the 23rd of February 1995 as a house fellowship and about 15 of us started the fellowship but as God will have it, we grew very fast. Within three years of inception, we had over a 150 members and in 1998, we bought a plot of land and launched it.

    The Surulere district of which we are a branch gave us a letter as a full-fledged branch since a fellowship grows to become a chapel and a chapel to a branch. The church continued to grow fast and in 2009, we were recommended for a district. At the time we became a district, we have got more than 15 branches both in Nigeria and abroad and through the help of God, the church has been growing.

    What would be your message to people regarding the state of the economy?

    The state of the economy is bad and it has been bad before the new dispensation came into power. To me, the government has started a good job because there are many things they have been trying to put right.  They have tried to eradicate corruption and create jobs for school levers and empower youths with ICT skills.

    The Buhari administration has spent over one year in government and it is like people laying foundation for others to follow.  When you lay a solid foundation to erect blocks to build it up would be very simple so if Nigerians could give him a chance, they will do better, especially in this second year.

    I believe this government will move Nigeria forward to a greater height. The present day government is trying to revive the economy which I think everybody will benefit from. Also, regarding the fight against corruption,   if government is able to recover the looted funds from the people who have stolen Nigeria’s money, they would be able to utilise it for the development of the nation.

    What should be the role of the church in alleviating the hardship faced by the majority in this period?

    One thing is sure people need to believe in Christ. Without faith, you cannot get anything. Though the economy is hard, that does mean you cannot give to God.  God said to provide for my house. This provision is not just ordinary food; you need to give unto God.  You need to sow seed; you need to pay your tithe, give offering.

    By doing this, the blessings of God will flow to the givers and from there the church would have to give to the less privileged people. From doing this, the blessing of God will continue to flow in the church. There would be no poverty or hardship.

    The impression about C&S churches is that they engage in some fetish acts which are not biblical. What is your reaction to this assumption?

     In life, you cannot please everybody. Many will form their own idea on any object. Most times when I am interviewed by press men, they always ask me this question.  I will speak about the Movement fold because that is the set I belong to.  I can say that the movement fold is the most progressive and organised. That is why we call ourselves movement.  There is no fetish worship in our fold. We believe in the word of God and the efficacy of prayer.  We study the word of God and we utilise it.

    Coming to the C&S church generally, there is no doubt that there are some people who are fetish. These are the ones that they don’t believe solely in Christ; they still use other things and I cannot call them C&S.

    What I will say is that Jesus said I know my people and my people know me, those who are serving God whole heartedly, Jesus knows them. So it is a general impression of many people but I always say that C&S movement is pure.  Those who are serving God with Mammon, they would have their judgment at the end of the day. The bible says that freely it is given; Jesus didn’t ask people to go and bring money for prayers.

    When Jesus was alive, he laid hands and people were healed.    As an individual, if you believe in God, you will know the God you are serving. Those who are using herbs and asking you to bring things are doing so for their own benefits.  Do we take goats and birds to God?

    Even those who are demanding money for prayers, do they give part of that money to God?  So everyone will have their reward at the end of the day.

  • Cleric tasks Nigerians on family values

    Resident Pastor of Recovery House Lagos Pastor Edwin George has charged Nigerians to return to God and apply His word for survival and wellbeing of their families.

    He spoke at the ongoing seven-week lectures, prayers and deliverance on family life at the church in Festac, Lagos.

    He said the family remains an essential element of the church, businesses, communities and the nation, stating when we have a larger percentage of faulty homes it will rub off on the society negatively.

    He said that the glory of any nation will be dwindling when itsfamilies are undergoing assaults from all sides.

    “Every institution that is set up in a nation will ultimately begin to experience collective damage if the families are not well structure.

    “People will not be at their best in school, offices and religious institutions when they are from dysfunctional homes,” George stated.

    Although he noted that ministry of women affairs and youth development is trying its best in empowering women and youths who are most vulnerable in the society, he said families will continue to be in disarray until Nigerians return to God for His manual.

    “God has the master plan for a sustainable marriages and families and anyone that is humble enough to absorb this plan will not fail,” he stressed.

    He said that as long as government keeps focusing more on economy, defense and issues of budget without attention of family issues, the nation will remain as it is.

  • Nigeria belongs to God, says Obadare

    General Overseer of World Soul Evangelical Ministry (WOSEM) Dr Paul Obadare has stated that no religion can lord it over the others in the nation.

    Nigeria, he said, belongs to God though it remains a secular nation constitutionally.

    He spoke at the weekend in a chat with reporters in Lagos.

    He said despite the religious diversities in the country, Nigeria is God’s own country and any attempt to cause chaos through these diversities would be frustrated by God.

    The eldest son of the renowned late evangelists said: “There’s more to the unity of this country. Those who are planning division through religion will be judged by God.

    “If you are a Muslim or a Christian, practice it well because no leader will be allowed to curtail the religious sentiments of any citizen.”

    He called on Nigerians to continue praying for peaceful coexistence and development despite the religious diversity.

    According to him: “Prayer is the way forward and I urge all Nigerians to love one another to ensure peace and unity among the people, irrespective of their religious inclinations.

    “The peace and prosperity of any nation is tied to the role of the church’’.

    He said Christian and Muslims must join hands and pray for good leadership, stating “it is only in that togetherness that we can build one strong united nation that we all along craved for.”

    Obadare regretted that some leaders exploit the nation’s fault lines of religious, political or ethnic point of views so that they would occupy the top and the rest will be at the base.

    He said: “That type of situation will not promote peace and unity. We need to live in harmony together and respect the rights, dignity and progress of other people.

    “We should not promote ourselves over and above others, for that type of thing can never promote peace.”

    While supporting the efforts of the government to rid the country of corruption, he said President Muhammadu Buhari must do more to correct all the injustices visited on Nigerians over the years.

    He castigated the government for the deplorable state of the economy, especially infrastructures.

    He said the present overdependence on oil as the main stay of the economy will not do Nigeria any good but Nigeria should explore other areas of investment.

    He also advised the federal government to allow states to control their resources to be able to take care of their citizens.