The Nation Newspaper

Category: Worship

  • Commanding supernatural victory! (3)

    Last week, I told you the devil is not only after your physical and mental well-being to corrupt it; he is also after your spirit. Socially, too the devil is after you. From Job 1:14-18, we see how he devastated Job’s social life – he killed his sons and daughters, his sheep, oxen and servants, his business, etc. Therefore, spiritually, mentally, physically and socially, the devil is all out for you!

    Also, we looked at the Word of God as what it takes, to subdue the enemy, devil.

    This week, I will be teaching on how to process the Word of God to lay hold on your desired victory this new year. The first thing is to discover the appropriate Word of God relevant to your situation. Let God know that you’re really in touch with the actual truth that will guarantee your deliverance. I’m not talking of just one scripture, as it is out of the mouth of two or three witnesses that the truth is established. Until the truth is established, God will not move.

    You establish the truth by scriptural integration – you locate the appropriate Words, weave them together to present to God, as you are presenting your case. He tells us in Isaiah 41:21 to produce our cause, and bring forth our strong reasons. Settle down, take your Bible, listen to anointed tapes that address the issue of concern, take anointed books also, to find what is missing, and in no time, you’ll walk into your freedom!

    The next step is to believe God’s Word. It is your faith that converts God’s Word into power. The Word of God is not power until you believe it, because like Paul said: It is the power of God unto salvation for them that believe (Romans 1:16). Faith has to be there before the profits can be delivered (Hebrews 4:2). Discovery is not the end, it’s just the beginning of the processing. You discover the Word, then you believe it to convert it to power, which compels its profit to be released to you.

    Having found God’s Word and believing it, the next thing to do is to pray it.You then say in prayer: “It is written: You took my infirmities, so it cannot be there. I lay hold on my freedom from this sickness and affliction today, in the name of Jesus!” This is how to pray with the discovery you have made in accordance with your faith. When we ask anything in accordance with what we have discovered in God’s Word, He hears us, and then we know that we have received our petition (1 John 5:14). He that asks receives (Matthew 7:8).

    After you have prayed, believe that you have received what you asked for. Then go with that mentality to confront the situation. Mark 11:23 says: If you shall say to this mountain… Not, “If God shall say to this mountain…” Return to the situation and address it, with an overcomer’s mentality. Why? You have sorted it out with God, you have the backing of heaven, and you are operating in the realm of the supernatural.

    Many people are waiting for God to talk to the mountain for them. When you pray, what God does is to justify you so you can have your victory the way you want it. Then you go to the mountain and address it by yourself. You have to say it first before you can see the victory, for life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Victory and defeat are in the power of the tongue. You must mind what you say. If all you are saying is victory, all you will see is victory.

    Next, begin to act like you have the victory already. Look like you have the victory already and talk victory. Let everything around you begin to reflect that your victory is here. Ensure that your actions are in line with your declarations. Don’t look like nothing has happened, look like something has happened! Your actions either buttress your faith or betray your unbelief. Therefore, don’t only declare it, also demonstrate it. Let your actions fall in line with your declarations. Then, you’re set for supernatural victory.

    The final step is to refuse to quit. The Bible says: Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward (Hebrews 10:35). These are the seven scriptural strategies for supernatural victory: Discover it, Believe it, Pray it, Confront the Opposition, Declare your victory, Demonstrate your victory, and then Refuse to Quit. This is how to process the Word for the victory you desire. Friend, don’t disappoint destiny; accept responsibility, and it will enhance your dignity in life. Stop looking for who can do it for you! If you refuse responsibility, you’ll die a liability.

    Victory is the birthright of children of God. You become a child of God by accepting and confessing Jesus as Lord. If you are not yet a child of God, you can do so by saying this prayer:”Lord Jesus, I come to You today. Forgive me my sins. Wash me with Your blood. From today, I accept You as my Saviour and Lord. Thank You for saving me. Now I know I am born again!” I will conclude this teaching next week.

    Every exploit in life is a product of knowledge. For further reading, you can get my books: Walking In The Miraculous, Exploring The Secrets Of Success and Releasing The Supernatural.

    I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have four services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m. and 10.45 a.m. respectively.

    I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 7747546-8; or E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org

  • 2014 will define the future of Nigeria, says Adeboye

    TWO thousand and fourteen is the defining year for Nigeria, not 2015 as many think, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has declared.

    He charged Nigerians to pray and expect several divine happenings in the New Year.

    Adeboye spoke last Sunday at the thanksgiving and prayer service of the RCCG National Headquarters, Throne of Grace, Ebutte-Metta, Lagos.

    The respected preacher said: “The Lord says that the future of Nigeria will be determined this year, not in 2015 as some think. 2015 will be mere formalities.”

    He warned Nigerians not to jump into conclusion on any matter as the equations at the beginning of the year will be different at the end of the year.

    God, he claimed, told him that divine promise of more than a decade ago will begin to find fulfilment among those who truly trust in Him.

  • Same-sex law: Methodist prelate praises Jonathan

    The Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Samuel Uche, has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for taking the bull by the horn in signing the anti-gay marriage bill into law.

    In a media release by the Church’s Director of Media and Public Relations, Rev. Oladapo Daramola, Uche insisted that gay marriage, homosexuality and lesbianism are “‘Un-African, ungodly, unethical and iniquitous.”

    He also praised the National Assembly for coming up with the bill, saying their action has shown that Nigeria has come of age and cannot be cajoled into supporting practices against its values.

    Uche said Jonathan should ignore the many criticisms that have greeted the law and see to its enforcement to the letter.

    “Now that the law is in place, we must enforce it to make sure we don’t condone such practices that can invoke the wrath of God on us as Nigerians,” he stressed.

    He called on Western forces and powers backing same-sex relations under the guise of fundamental human rights to have a change of heart.

    Disclosing that God loves them, Uche appealed to those practicing same-sex to give God a chance and avoid the perversion of this age.

  • Oba Tejuoso prays for peace

    The Osile of Oke Ona in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, has led other anointed men of God to pray for peace in Africa.

    Pastor Abiodun Ademuyiwa of the Reconciliation Chapel of Christ, Abeokuta, led the session.

    The monarch, whose efforts at providing scholarship for indigent students, was hailed by worshipers at the event.

    He urged worshippers to always pray for the peace of the nation and the continent as a whole.

    This, he said, will ensure faster pace of growth and development of the continent.

  • Cleric bemoans commercial gospel

    The General Superintendent & Supreme Head of the Sacred Cherubim and Seraphim Church of Nigeria and Overseas, His Eminence (Prof) Dr. Solomon Alao, has decried the commercialisation of the gospel by some “dubious characters” in the country.

    Those characters, he alleged, have been enriching themselves at the expense of the gullible public.

    Alao spoke with reporters in Lagos on the eve of the 84th annual General Conference of the church, which started in Lagos.

    “To these groups, the ends justify the means and their weapon of deceit is the emphasis on prosperity.

    “They have conveniently neglected preaching about the kingdom of God. We intend to attack frontally the obvious evils in the seeming rise of the commercialisation of the pulpits which tends to paint some of us black,” he said.

    He called on the mass media to help in spreading the message and rescue many from the paws of mercenaries in God’s gardens.

    On the insecurity and political crisis bedevilling the country, Alao blamed the situation on unemployment, saying the country requires prayers to survive.

    Alao added: “Our priorities are wrong; we must prioritise our needs as a nation and things are going wrong because we invest wrongly.

    “The government needs to make it illegal for political office holders to send their wards to school abroad, ditto for health and other areas. If this law is enforced, our own institutions too will be developed.”

  • Cleric harps on the importance of God’s voice

    Members of the Redemption Glory Assembly, Alagbado, Lagos ended 2013 on a high.

    They smiled as seasoned ministers, choristers and gospel singers blessed their lives.

    It was at the 8th annual Prophetic People’s Gathering of the church.

    The four-day conference had the theme “Voice of the Lord”.

    The general overseer of the church, Pastor Abiodun Emmanuel, stated that hearing and walking in the voice of God is vital to making it big in life.

    He assured that the voice of God that created heaven and earth still speaks mercy, favour and unlimited possibilities into the lives of his children all over the world.

    “Our reality today is a product of the voice that we are hearing and responding to and if those realities are unpleasant, it is time to retune our antennae to hear something else,” he explained.

    His wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Bosede Emmanuel, said hearing God saves one from heartaches and disasters.

    “God wants to deliver us from evil and he has sent his Spirit to lead us through this life so that we will not make tragic mistakes.”

    The high point was the cutting of the convention cake by Bishop Mike Tomomewo of the People of Power Christian Centre, Alakuko, Lagos.

  • ‘Aladura churches will bounce back’

    ‘Aladura churches will bounce back’

    His Eminence, Elder Joseph Otubu, is a retired Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The General Evangelist of Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide spoke with Sunday Oguntola on the challenges and prospects of the movement. Excerpts:

    It’s intriguing to see an eminent professor like you in a Cherubim and Seraphim Church. What bought you this way?

    You know, I get this kind of question every time. Even my colleagues are shocked when they see me in my Aladura garment. They cringe and are like, ‘you mean you attend this church?’ I have come to expect this kind of reaction over the years. But the truth is I don’t know of any church or spiritual heritage other than this. My late father, Baba Aladura Otubu, was a prominent father in the C&S movement. So, this is where I have always been. I have never been to any other church to experience anything else. So, I did not have to come this way. I was born into this way and I must say that I am very proud of my heritage.

    Those reactions you get from colleagues and people must have been triggered by a perception issue. Does that bother you?

    Sure, it does. You see Aladura churches have become the laughing stock, so to say. We are the whipping church. When gospel and secular sectors want to represent fake prophets, you see them using Aladura churches. I don’t blame them altogether because the truth is we have a perception crisis. We have too many mushrooming churches under the movement that are involved in all kinds of charade. So, we can’t completely ignore that. But the movement, as far as I am concerned, has done so much for Christianity in Nigeria.

    Which are?

    Okay, today everyone goes to mountains and retreats almost every year. The C&S movement pioneered this. The late Moses Orimolade was the first to start this practice in Nigeria. I make bold to say that the C&S movement is the first Pentecostal assembly in Nigeria. If Pentecostalism is all about being led by the Holy Spirit, seeing visions and revelations, as well as engaging in intense prayers, then we were the first to do these in Nigeria.

    Our generic name itself, Aladura, suggests that we are a prayerful people. It was borne out of our deep convictions and commitment to prayers as a movement. Prophecy is real and natural to us. Today, every Christian cares to know what the future holds. We spoke in tongues long before it became a popular concept.

    How about infusion of indigenous music into worship? We started this, too, long ago. Our founding fathers dared the odds to plant indigenous churches without foreign subventions in years when nobody wanted to have anything to do with churches.

    You also consider the open air crusades/processions that have become normal today. Our movement started it decades ago with members with colourful garments forming a spectacle. That popularised Christianity at a time when showing up required bravery. So, we have come a long way, really, but the charlatans around have given us a bad image. Nobody seems to recognise how much we have contributed to the body of Christ. Everybody is only on the lookout for our challenges.

    That makes one wonder: why is it difficult to have a central body that scrutinises every church under the movement?

    You see, I have thought about that too. But we must realise these churches have existed for decades without subjection to ext ernal authorities. I don’t think it will be possible at this time to ask them to do it. Besides, we don’t have a central leader or figure to which everyone defers. You must realise our movement thrives on divine revelations. Everyone claims to have seen God in different ways and it’s really tough to claim the other party is wrong. So, we might not have a central control body but I believe we can do self-cleaning and internal regulations.

    What are those practices that churches under the movement should modify to remain relevant again?

    Thank you for that question. I believe the major challenge confronting one is capacity-building. We need a new paradigm. You find that many of our leaders lack education and training. It is difficult, if not impossible, these days, to do church without training and education. So, we need to clean our priesthood of illiteracy.

    Then, you see, I believe there is something wrong with insisting that everybody must come to church in garments. That has turned off many potential converts and members. Why can’t we allow them to come in their attires until a point in time when they are convinced on their own to put on the garments?

    Of course, we also have to regulate how much time we spend in our services. These days, people work on Sundays. Gone are the years when you kept members in Sunday service for hours. If you see a church that delivers in two hours, won’t you want to go as against one that drags service till 4pm?

    Also, one notices youthful elements are leaving the movement in droves. How can this slide be reversed?

    To reverse that, we need to know why they are leaving in the first place. You see, the movement has leaders with moustache and grey hairs. That naturally pisses off young people. They feel out of place and unwanted. They are not involved in leadership or engaged. Young people are restless. Wherever they feel unwelcome, they leave.

    So, we must begin to engage and involve them in leadership. We need them to replicate whatever attracts them to other places. I remember I used to lead the youth fellowship of the movement years back. We’d pay courtesy visits to government officials and top people. Our members enjoyed that. Today, I don’t see much of that again.

    The danger is we might be trading off our future by not involving and engaging them. We need them in the system to guarantee the future of the church. One can only appeal to our fathers to bring these youths together and allow them begin to take leadership in different capacities.

    But some of these youths are looking up to eminent leaders like you. How much have you done to really throw them up?

    I agree with you completely. In my little way, I have been empowering many of them. I gave some of them scholarship because education and training are critical to the future of the church. I remember sponsoring someone to the level of Phd. Unfortunately, the chap died during the study. I wanted someone who could research into our past and lay bare the facts to the public. He was on the verge of doing that before death came knocking. I did that because one of our challenges is none of our own is really telling our stories. I only know of an Anglican priest and a Pentecostal pastor who have written on the movement’s glorious heritage.

    So, I am doing my best. I am available these days for mentoring and consultation. I try to be there for them. But we need to have more people doing the same thing on a larger scale to have a lasting impact in the movement.

    Do you believe the movement has a bright future?

    Of course I do. That is what is keeping me going. We shall bounce back in bigger ways. We only need to take training seriously. We need to engage our youths and we need to modify some of our worship styles to suit the contemporary world. These things are not beyond us. They are within our capacities and bounds. Once we display the will power and determination, we shall get there. God started this movement himself and it will go places despite the little challenges.

  • Cleric seeks more investment in education

    The National Director of Voice of Christian Martyr, Nigeria, Rev. Isaac Newton-Wusu, has charged church leaders to invest more in the education sector to access unreached communities.

    Newton-Wusu spoke with The Nation at a get-together organised for over 300 children of the persecuted saints recently at the Stephen Centre International, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

    He said the church will make more sustainable impact in most unreached areas by investing more in improving literacy level.

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

    “We can bring several millions of bible, tracts and other literature for evangelism and distribute them across the country, but it will become ineffective when the people cannot read or write.”

    Newton-Wusu stressed that investment in education is an investment in the future of the country.

    He lamented the increasing spate of civil unrest in parts of the country which have claimed many lives and property.

  • A walk through the valley of death

    A walk through the valley of death

    When Rev (Mrs.) Folu Achudume started feeling sharp, strange pains sometime last December, she decided to take no chances. Thank God she did. She contacted doctors immediately who detected a malignant growth. She was diagnosed with what is normally referred to as fibroid in women.

    “It was not much but they said the weight was already affecting vital organs. So, they needed to stop the growth,” she recollected. An emergency surgery was to take place. Because of the urgency, the televangelist, already booked for a trip to the US in February 2014, had to undergo the surgery in a private hospital in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.

    Pre-surgery consultations and talks disclosed it should not take more than one to one-and-a-half hours. Everything was going to plan, so it seemed. Her husband, Apostle Lawrence Achudume, general overseer of Victory Life Bible Church (VLBC), even had the confidence to embark on a ministerial trip the same day.

    “It was during our fasting and prayer session and I had somewhere to go. I just went and asked someone to update me on the proceeding,” he noted. Once the surgery started, everything went awry. The patient bled excessively. She bled so much that the medical team couldn’t feel any pulse or life in her.

    Meanwhile, Mrs. Achudume was completely in a different world while the team battled to control the excessive bleeding. “I just discovered that I came out of my body and was being taken up,” she began. “On getting to a particular level, I was told to look down and I saw my three children crying. I saw my husband being consoled by those around him. I saw confusion among the people. Then I saw a group of men praying. I was hearing and seeing everything.”

    She added on the experience: “I felt shocked that they were weeping for me. I made attempts to wake up but I couldn’t. I wanted to raise my hands and declare, ‘no more weeping’. But I couldn’t. I realised the power was no longer there. Then, I had a thunderous voice, saying ‘the power is no longer there.’”

    She was enraptured by the gaiety and joy of her new environment. “I saw people in a white garment praising and worshipping God. They were telling me welcome. The atmosphere was something I had never seen or imagined before. They wanted me to join them but I heard a voice: ‘no, you do not belong here.’’’

    The higher she was taken, the greater the glory. She was so impressed by the rapturous atmosphere that she decided to stay put. But a strong hand kept restraining her. “The hand,” she said, “kept stopping me. A voice kept thundering ‘this is not your place.’’’

    The televangelist was also shown what more she needed to do at the other side of eternity. By the time she managed to open her eyes in the hospital, the team was on the way to reporting her ‘death’. The sudden feeling of pulse shocked everyone in the operating room. Many praised God while others rolled in ecstasy.

    Last Saturday, the crème da-la crème of Christianity gathered in Abeokuta to hear her chilling experience. Her husband said the incident has reinforced his belief that “death is cheap. You can buy death with a panadol.”

  • Commanding supernatural victory! (2)

    Last week, I brought to you the introductory part of this teaching. This week, I will be teaching on the areas of conflict. The areas of conflict cover a person’s three-dimensional existence (spirit, soul and body) and his social life.

    The Bible tells the story of a woman that Satan kept bound with the spirit of infirmity for 18 years, and Jesus commanded that she be loosed (Luke 13:10-13). Today, whatever force is molesting your physical existence, I command deliverance for you right now, in the name of Jesus!

    Recognize that Satan blinds people’s minds (2 Corinthians 4:3). His mind-blinding tactics is the root of all atrocities, confusion and frustration, which eventually graduate into depression and ultimately to oppression. There’s this story of the mad man of Gadara in Mark 5. After Jesus had healed him, verse 15 says the people came down and saw him that was possessed with the devil and had legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind… That means he was in his “wrong mind” before. The devil had turned his mind upside down, making him to live in the grave yard.

    The devil is not only after your physical and mental well-being to corrupt it; he is also after your spirit. The Bible talks about “an unclean spirit.” That is, the spirit that moves a man against the commandments of God. First Corinthians 2:12 talks about the spirit of the world which (as we see in 1 John 2:15-17) produces the activities of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. There’s also the spirit of whoredom Hosea 5:4), and the lying spirit (2 Kings 22:22). These are all the operations of the devil in a man, aimed at eternal destruction of the victim.

    Do you now see why supernatural victory is very vital in the affairs of life? The battles are essentially spiritual. The devil is a spirit and he operates in the spiritual realm. For you to subdue him, you have to take off into that realm.

    Socially, too the devil is after you. From Job 1:14-18, we see how he devastated Job’s social life – he killed his sons and daughters, his sheep, oxen and servants, his business, etc. Therefore, spiritually, mentally, physically and socially, the devil is all out for you! These are the areas of conflict. It is not enough to know the areas of conflict or who the devil (enemy) is; you must know how to handle him. The question now is: What does it take to subdue the enemy?

    Friend, supernatural victory has its root in the Word of God. That is the armour you need to deal with the enemy, the devil. All things are under the command of God’s Word (Hebrews 1:3, Psalm 107:20). In Matthew 8:16, we are told that Jesus was casting out evil spirits with His Word. When the Word of God illuminates you in a particular area, you become more than a conqueror in that area!

    The Bible tells us an encounter Jesus had with a centurion. The servant of the centurion was very sick, so he met Jesus to come and heal him. Jesus said He would come to his house and heal his servant. But the centurion pleaded with Jesus to just speak the Word and his servant would be healed. Jesus marvelling at the great faith of the centurion, told him to go that it would be done according to his belief. That same moment, the servant was healed (Matthew 8:5-13).

    The Word of God only is more than enough to win the war that is tearing your destiny asunder – because He controls all things by the Word of His power. Jesus was teaching and we are told that, the power of God was present to heal…As the Word was coming out of His mouth, the power was going forth (Luke 5:17). When a person believes God’s Word, it becomes power – the virtue in it flows into his situation, thereby ensuring victory at the instance of faith. Faith is a person’s belief in God’s Word. A person can have faith by constantly hearing the Word of God. Faith is a shield that puts you in defence, while the Word of God is the sword that launches you into the offensive.

    The principal strategy for winning the war therefore, is the discovery of the appropriate Word for the challenge you are confronted with. That is your eternal guarantee for supernatural victory. In any area of life that the Word of God has appropriately and adequately entered you, you become victorious in that area.

    For you to enjoy supernatural victory, you have to be saved. This entails accepting and confessing Jesus as Lord. If you are set for it, please say this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today. Forgive me my sins. From today, I accept You as my Saviour and Lord. Thank You for saving me. Now I know I am born again!” Next week, I will show you how to process the Word of God in order to lay hold on your desired victory this new year.

     

    I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have four services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m. and 10.45 a.m. respectively.

    I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 7747546-8; or E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org