The Nation Newspaper

Category: Worship

  • Engaging power for conquest!

    As it is in the military, we have the ground force, which engages auto weapons, tanks, etc. Also, we have the ground power with the nuclear power being the ultimate military might. In the same vein, the Blood Covenant is God’s ultimate source of power! It is the spiritual nuclear force that destroys all barriers, resistances and oppositions.

    The plague stated in Exodus 11:1 was brought about by engaging the mystery of the Passover, which is a dimension of the mystery of the Blood Covenant.

    The Place Of The Blood Covenant In The Battles Of Life:

    For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one (1 John 5:7-8).

    These include the Spirit, which is the Holy Ghost, the water, which represents the Word of God according to Ephesians 5:26, and then the Blood. These three represent God’s seal of dominion for the believer on the earth. When we engage the anointing, the Word, and the blood, no devil can stand!

    The Blood Covenant occupies the highest and most powerful position in the battles of life. There is the Spirit power, there is the Word power and there is the Blood power.

    Unfortunately, the Church has ignored the power in the Blood, because they lack understanding of what it is. The Church has been blinded to the point that all we use the Blood for is the remission of our sins. Whereas, it is a mighty weapon of war; it is God’s last card against all satanic assaults. Therefore, it is time to wake up to the reality of the efficacy of the power in the Blood, by engaging it in spiritual warfare.

    How Do We Engage The Blood Covenant In Warfare?

    •Through prayers: Anything not good in our lives or around our lives is not of God, because His redemption entitles us to freedom indeed. Understand that the devil is behind your woes. But we can plead the Blood of Jesus to overcome him in battle. We can draw the Blood line to define the boundaries that the enemy cannot cross, for we overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb (Revelations 12:11).

    •Through the Communion Table: The Blood of Jesus that we serve through the communion, empowers us to live like Jesus (John 6:53-57). Not only that, it destroys every weakness in our system, uproots every sickness from our body and sets a seal of longevity on our lives (1 Corinthians 11:23-30).

    •Through the Blood of sprinkling: This is our stronghold in battle. It is the ultimate of God’s power. There is the Blood warfare power, there is the communion power and there is the super level power of the Blood of sprinkling, which is the highest of God’s power.

    Whatever, therefore, escapes the spirit, will the dagger of the Word bring down, and whatever escapes the dagger of the Word, must be brought down by the dagger of the Blood (Hebrews 9:19-21).

    What Is In The Blood Of Sprinkling?

    It invokes vengeance (Exodus 12:12). It invokes divine judgment against our captors, including the agents of the devil in the flesh- witches and wizards that harass our destiny.

    Supernatural Restoration: The aftermath of the blood of sprinkling brought about supernatural restoration for the Israelites. There was supernatural transfer of wealth. Their human dignity was colourfully restored (Exodus 12:35-36).

    It is our defence against the Accuser of the Brethren. The devil specializes in accusing us before God, but when the blood is seen on us, every point of accusation against us is thrown out. So the blood is our covering against the activities of the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10-11).

    Friend, the power to engage the Blood covenant is available if you are connected to God. You get connected by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour. If you are set, please say this prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. Today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Now, I know I am born again!

    Every exploit in life is a product of knowledge. For further reading, you can get my books: Anointing For Breakthrough, Understanding The Anointing and Anointing For Exploits.

    In a few days time, we shall be celebrating the New Year on January 1, 2014. It is a time for us to make a solid resolution to obey and serve the Almighty God faithfully. God is faithful! I wish you and your family A Prosperous Happy 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

     

  • CAC moves to end crisis

    Strong indications have emerged that an end is imminent to the long-time internal feud within the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Worldwide as key stakeholders and thousands of church members converged recently at the Babalola International Miracle Camp to pray for God’s intervention in ending the lingering crisis in the church.

    The church has been battling leadership tussle for close to 23 years now, a situation that needs to be addressed for her progress.

    In his welcome address at the prayer meeting, the new president of CAC Worldwide, Pastor Abraham Olukunle Akinosun, likened the crisis in the church to what happened during the reign of David when the servants of his predecessor refused to submit to his leadership and thus led to bloodshed in the nation.

    The clergyman questioned the rationale behind the protracted legal battles between the various factions in the church and called for a ceasefire. According to him, “ we dragged ourselves to court, we fight ourselves, we use police against ourselves and we slander as well as assassinate the characters of ourselves; whose glory are we seeking in all these? Are they for our own glory or God’s?”

    He said the battle for the throne during David’s time may seem tenable, but he described such action in the dispensation of the New Testament as unjustifiable.

    He enjoined the congregation to embrace the New Testament principles of peaceful co-existence which Jesus epitomises. “Jesus Christ has brought a new wine which can be expressed in terms of unconditional love, tolerance, forgiveness, and suffering on behalf of others,” he said.

    Elaborating on the reason for the prayer meeting, the General Secretary, Pastor Gideon Ogekwemeh, noted that it was a move towards obeying the voice of God who has earlier directed the new president to call the prayer meeting as the solution to the CAC crisis is beyond human initiatives. He recalled that the church leaders had taken “human steps” in the past by setting up reconciliation committees, but the problems couldn’t be fixed.

    Other ministers at the well-attended meeting included Pastor M.O Agbaje, the General Superintendent, Prophet S.K Abiara, the General Evangelist, and Pastor S.O Oladele, Chairman of Oke Ado DCC.

  • Fun, frills at Rhema Christmas carol

    Fun, frills at Rhema Christmas carol

    The lights suddenly went off. Some worshippers hissed while others expressed disgust. In the midst of the confusion and anger, the presiding Bishop of Rhema Christian Church, Ota, Ogun State, Bishop Taiwo Akinola, stepped in.

    “Put on your light,” he started. “You don’t fight darkness by complaining or getting angry. You fight it by bringing on your light. Put on your candles and dispel the darkness.”

    It suddenly hit the worshippers. The candles they held were saved for a moment like this. They lit up the expansive cathedral and shouts of joy rent the air as the darkness gave way.

    This was the drama that played out at the Great Carol Service of the church penultimate Sunday.

    The service also featured presentation of gift items to children and indigent families in the neighbourhood.

    There were also colourful carol presentations by different singing groups and bible readings.

    Ministering at the service, Akinola said Christ was born to dispel darkness in lives and the world.

    “Jesus is the only antidote against sins, darkness, sickness and all the challenges of life. If you have Him in your life, you are saved and preserved for eternity,” he stressed.

    Members exuded great joy, as they sang the various carol songs carefully and professionally delivered by the Rhema Voices.

  • Bishop Jefferson feeds the poor at Christmas

    Bishop Jefferson feeds the poor at Christmas

    Bishop Bankole Jefferson, the overseer of Mercy Tabernacle Church, Lagos, led its annual outreach, tagged, “Help from above on Tuesday at the church premises in Ogba, Lagos.

    When the knowledge of God comes, Jefferson assured the crowd of beneficiaries who thronged the church premises that they would not suffer again. “We are giving you physical and spiritual food, the physical you would carry home today but the spiritual would guarantee that God would change your story.“

    He said the masses are suffering “not because the enemy is too strong. It is because of the lack of knowledge.”

    Jefferson goes down memory lane to reveal how the programme originated about fifteen years ago. “Sometime ago, I was waiting for help and I was hungry. One woman, Mrs. Bashorun, in our neighbourhood cooked food and sent to me. That Christmas I was very hungry and there was nothing in my house and my child was hungry. As I was eating the food, I thanked God and he spoke to me saying that I should be feeding the poor, promising to turn my life around.”

    Jefferson also used the opportunity to give Nigerians his revelations about the New Year. “The Lord said it is going to be a year of celebration for His children. So it would be great for Christians to stand together while the rich churches stand for the poor. By this time next year, we want more lives to be transformed.”

    As far as the political class is concerned, Jefferson said that there is so much that needs to be done by those in authority. “It seems like the political class is not serious, they are busy writing letters when they should be working. The nation is bleeding and they need to take the people out of the shadows.”

    Jefferson came to Lagos in September 89 to start the first branch of Winners’ Chapel for Bishop Oyedepo in Iyana Ipaja.

     

  • Chime unfair to us, MFM cries out

    The Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) has accused Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, of deliberating working to hamper its operations.

    It said the governor’s failure to pay the N250million compensation demanded following the unlawful demolition of its South East regional headquarters in the Enugu metropolis on October 9 is in bad faith and a breach of trust.

    The 5,000-seater auditorium was demolished on the order of Chime for allegedly violating environmental regulations despite a court order restraining the action.

    The head of the church’s legal team, Barrister Bolaji Onilenla, told reporters that the church accepted to move to a new location on 5, Emeka Ebila Street when the governor made an overture.

    The development, he said, made them withdraw the case from court to give way for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

    Onilenla lamented that the governor and his team only provided a new land, which has been a source of contention between two communities.

    The situation boiled over on December 1 when some hoodlums allegedly led by a notorious land thug, Ike Ani, stormed and vandalised the temporary structure on the new land.

    He accused the governor of insincerity and victimisation, wondering why the lingering tussle over the land was not resolved before it was allocated to the church.

    Onilenla said: “The church has not been able to settle on the land. We did our best to bring the warring communities together but they would not be pacified.

    “If the state government had handled the issue, we won’t be here. The governor pretended to be peace-loving, which was why we withdrew the case but he had left us on our own to handle the two communities.”

    The Regional Overseer of South East I MFM, Pastor Rotimi Olugbule, said the situation has left the worshippers in perpetual fear and disarray.

    “It is affecting them because everyone wants to worship in a safe, peaceful environment. The worshippers are frightened and scared,” he reiterated.

    Onilenla said payment of the compensation will enable the church meet the high demands of the warring communities.

    He warned that the church might be left with no choice but to press for contempt charges based on a court order over the demolition.

  • Gay marriage in Europe is political, says Russian missionary

    Gay marriage in Europe is political, says Russian missionary

    The Senior Pastor of International Gospel Centre, Berlin, Germany, Pastor Ivannik Valeriy is one whose ministry has spanned over two decades with over 120 churches in Europe. He spoke to Adeola Ogunlade about his ministry, christianity in Europe, gay marriage and other sundry issues at the 20th anniversary of World Evangelical Bible Church in Lagos

    Tell us about your ministry

    I am a Russian, born in the city of Etovia. I married in Ukraine. I have my background in broadcasting journalism. In 1989, I started my ministry, a year after I gave my life to Christ. My encounter with Jesus brought a drastic change to my life. I went everywhere In Ukraine teaching and encouraging people around me and they gladly embraced the gospel and within a year of my encounter with Jesus, we had 400 people who always come to me to learn more about Jesus. We were living in a communist state and the people were tired and were looking for a way out. The people were predominantly Catholic; they gave their lives to Jesus Christ which led to the establishment of our ministry with over 120 churches across Europe, Russia, Ukraine, and Israel. Our vision is moving to different countries and planting more churches and our main message in all of our churches is love God and love your neighbour as yourself  irrespective of your nationalities, colour and do all you can to help other people.

    We are glad that we have different nationalities which include Africans, Germans, and we now working on the nationals in India, Philippines.

    Why is your message centred on love?

    It is disturbing when people because of different ethnic, tribal and language differences are always in conflict with each other. When we see conflict anywhere, we must understand that somebody is somewhere making profit out of the conflict. Most times politicians force people to fight for their own interest and it could be connected with crude oil, diamond or any other mineral resources. And we see war because of conflict. All these are results of lack of love. We tell people that politicians should not put us into war and religious people should stop fighting each other. Jesus calls us into love and peace.

    God commanded us to love each other. Pastor and other ministers read the same bible which is love one another but we find excuse not to love one another. I know there is peace but people always want to fight each other. I want to love everyone and I wish peace and prosperity are visible in Nigeria.

    Your evaluation of the state of the Church in Europe?

    I have been living in Germany for 10 years. We have the ruling party which is called Christian Democratic Party and this party has moved the country to one of the leading countries in Europe with their social service programmes for the people. No country in the world that takes cares of its people like the German government. It is always the reverse when the people in government are far away from God. Even they may seem to know God or are associated with any church but the country will continue to face hardship when they are far away from God. Meanwhile, what is worrisome is that In Germany, the churches are small and weak because the God of the people is their government and they don’t need to pray because when they need food, the government is there to feed them. But in Africa, it’s different as there are lots of problems and we believe that they can all be overcome by faith in Jesus.

    In Germany, you may be leaving with your neighbour for years and you don’t know who he is and as a result, they suffer downward depression. Germany spends over $9 million annually to fight depression. We have everything such as foods, houses, cloth, and children up to 27 years of age get kingdom support from the government and you want to believe that the people should be happy but the sad story is that they have neglected God.  Although Africans need God too, they are better off because common problems bring us together to pray to God and am very happy to be associated with Africans.

    Why the death of the gospel in Europe?

    Sowing and reaping will never cease. European brought the gospel to Africa and now it’s time that the African churches need to take the gospel back to Europe. There is a time when some countries are rich and they feed other cities and there are other times when they have problem and they become poor and thus countries that have benefited from their support should look back and support these countries. I was preached to by a Georgian and I did not ask God why a Georgian was preaching to me. Israel took the gospel to Europe but now Europeans are taking the gospel back to Israel. I believe it is a normal trend and now the time has come for Africans to give spiritual food to the world. We should learn to support one another.

    What is your take on the wide acceptance of gay marriage across Europe?

    My view is that anything that is happening here on earth, somebody is losing and somebody else is gaining.  The gospel cannot travel itself as somebody is always behind everything. I believe that there are some spiritual things behind it because the plan of the kingdom of darkness and the inward beast within the earth is to communicate with people who have committed themselves to them. To some of them, they believe that the earth is over populated and very soon, there will not be enough space or mineral resources to go round everyone. They also believe that the wall in the North Pole is melting, the lines are getting smaller and there is no place to dump refuse anymore. Let’s destroy some souls so that we would have enough space and they pay billions of dollars to encourage abortion. Sadly, they are ignorant that the only blessings of any nation are the people. It is not gold, money, durable metals and not even crude oil. Little people will always have a weak government. The influence of the enemy in using them to destroy the world‘s population through viruses, sicknesses and diseases spreading to different parts of the world is just to cut off a certain number of the world population. Evil has taken over and that is why they will tell some African nations that if you want money, give support to gay marriage and it is unfortunate that some nations are bowing down to these kinds of conditions. It is politics. I speak against it because it is evil as it written in the bible in Romans that those who partake in it are worthy of death and not those who do it but those who support or are liberal about it. We have a strict policy against gay marriage in my church. We have programmes on love against gay. We have love for normal families.

  • Association celebrates Mandela

    The chamber of all churches, World Christian Council Association has bemoaned the death of ex-President and anti-apartheid hero, Dr. Nelson Mandela.

    The chairman of the association, Primate Ayoola Omonigbehin, during his speech honored the late icon, eulogise his life and achievement.

    Omonigbehin noted that no matter what resentment incitement giving to Madiba, “Great this – Great that” by the world leaders is not incentive rather to bring economic equality of social living to all to show the fear of god is his advocating.

    “Mandela, the African’s greatest leader, he is example of services of light, wise with blessed spiritual wisdom is gone but not dead!” he remarked

    Omonigbehin disclosed that Mandela did not sell-out all the Public properties he inherited from the “whites” he said.

    Omonigbehin enjoined Prominent Nigerians and opinion leaders to tackled corruption with great measures in every facet of the nation’s life, especially in the economic as a lesson learnt in the life of Mandela.

    “High level of corruption in the economy looks a clog in the wheel of national progress” he said

    The world Christian council advised churches, missionary, religion organization to reduce the act of malfeasance particularly in religion churches and encourage the church leaders who had been sold to the world, to repent and practice the religion according to the teaching of Jesus Christ.

  • CCN campaigns for corruption-free Nigeria

    The Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN) and the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in West Africa (FECCIWA) have called on Nigerians, especially the ruling class, to shun corruption.

    The President of CCN, Most Rev. Emmanuel Udofia, made this call at the International Anti-Corruption day to mark the 2013 Churches Week of Action on Zero-Tolerance towards corrupt practices.

    Udofia lamented that corruption has assumed an alarming proportion, saying that concerted efforts must be made to combat the menace.

    He pointed out that the educational sector considered as the pivot of the socio-economic development of the society is gradually being destroyed by corruption.

    Udofia said: “This campaign against corruption targets educational institutions because of the strategic roles they play in the socio-economic development of the country.

    “Therefore, we seek to educate all stakeholders in the sector, particularly pupils, students, teachers, administrators and parents on the dangers of entrenched corruption and the need to come together to combat it.”

    He explained that it is imperative to raise awareness in schools and churches in the council on the negative impact of corruption through organisation of corruption-free clubs aimed at bringing together student activists in the crusade.

    Udofia said church leaders too must play active roles in the fight, stating that their lives should be worthy of emulation.

    He said churches need to appeal to the moral sense of members on the need to shun corruption and preach against ill-gotten riches.

    The General Secretary of FECCIWA, Rev Dr. Tolbert Jallah, said the campaign’s intention is to create stability and trust in Nigeria through total eradication of all forms of corrupt practices in educational institutions and the society at large.

    He also added that the council will monitor government’s compliance with anti-corruption conventions by engaging church leaders and the Christian community to take concrete actions.

    The General Secretary of CCN, Rev Dr. Yusuf Wushishi, explained the campaign on zero-tolerance towards corrupt practices targets schools because of their importance in the development of youths.

  • Power for fulfilment of destiny! (3)

    Last week, I showed you what God does, when we are in pursuit of His plan. I also commented on how we can know when we are in the centre of God’s plan. This week, I will be teaching on how to engage the Power of Sanctification for Fulfilment of Destiny!

    A sanctified life is a fundamental requirement for the fulfilment of destiny. But how glorious is our destiny? Recognize that every child of God is ordained a mountaintop global citizen (Matthew 5:14; Deuteronomy 28:1). That means you are ordained to bless your world, and not to be a burden to your world (Galatians 3:29).

    However, to fulfil that glorious destiny, certain things must be in place. Among these things is sanctification—living to please God. Please understand that Sanctification is a spiritual catalyst for fulfilment of destiny. That means it takes sanctification to go up and to stay up (Proverbs 14:34). Samson went up by sanctification; but he came down by desecration (Judges 13: 3-5; 16: 1-30). Also, think of Solomon: he loved many strange women and he ended up in a shrine (1 Kings 11:1-6). That establishes the fact that, destiny is at risk without sanctification.

    Note that from 1Thessalonians 4:3-4, sanctification is the will of God. That means there must be a way to live a sanctified life.

    Why Do We Need Sanctification?

    •It is Required for Answered Prayers: It is important for us to know that we need sanctification to qualify for answered prayers. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: (Psalm 66:18)

    However, one interesting thing about our God is that, any time we repent of our sins, He forgives us as if we never did it (Psalm 66:19-20).

    •It enhances our access to Revelations: The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant (Psalm 25:14). Revelation is buying into the heart of God on the issues of the hour. Joseph had access to the secrets of God and it was said of him, “Forasmuch as God has shown you all these things, you are in another class” (Genesis 41:37-40). And he said, “But I fear God” (Genesis 39: 7-9; 42:18). So, access to revelation requires sanctification, otherwise, you will be limited to information that anybody can have.

    •For Next-Levels of Anointing: Not every anointed man is impactful. It takes fresh oil to command fresh impact (Psalm 92:10 Luke 5:37-38). If you don’t change the oil in your car, the engine will soon knock down. It is walking in the newness of life that guarantees access to fresh oil (Proverbs 1: 23; Psalm 45:7).

    •For Security of Destiny: Many great destinies in scriptures crashed for lack of sanctification. Think of Achan who saw a wedge of gold and coveted it. He took it into his tent, dug the ground and kept it there; and that ended his destiny and that of his entire family (Joshua 7:19-26).

    Channels Through Which The Holy Ghost Sanctifies Us:

    •By the Impartation of the Spirit of Holiness: This impartation could come to us directly, as we crave and thirst for Him (Luke 11:13). We can also access impartation of that Spirit through apostolic and prophetic ministries (Romans 1:11).

    •By the Revelation of the Truth: Revelation empowers for sanctification and the Holy Ghost is our access to revelation. That means He enhances our access to sanctification (John 17:17; Psalm 19:7-9; Psalm 119:9-11).

    •The Holy Ghost Releases the Spirit of Prayer and Supplications; so we can overcome all Temptations: Prayer is a channel for overcoming temptations. In Matthew 26:41, the disciples could not pray because their flesh were weak. So, the Holy Ghost empowers us on the prayer altar, so we can overcome temptations, day and night. And He also empowers us to pray the transfiguration prayer (Matthew 26:41-44; Ephesians 6: 18; Romans 8:26-27).

    Friend, the power to live a sanctified life is the preserve of those saved. You get saved by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. If you are set, please say this prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. Today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You, Jesus for saving me!

    Every exploit in life is a product of knowledge. For further reading, you can get my books: Anointing For Breakthrough, Understanding The Anointing and Anointing For Exploits.

    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

  • CASON inducts new members

    The first foremost church administrators in Nigeria have been inducted.

    It was at the induction ceremony of the Church Administrator Society of Nigeria (CASON) in Lagos.

    Season administrators and church leaders were at the ceremony where adherence to global ethical standards in Church Organisational Management was reiterated.

    CASON’s President, Pastor Seyi Oladimeji, who is also the Chief Responsibility Officer of Church Management Consult (CMC), explained that the vision of the society is to be the foremost regulatory body for church administration and management in Nigeria and Africa.

    He stated that CASON is out to teach trustees, leaders and staff how to administer church professionally while communicating biblical management principles to church leaders and managers.

    He opined that there is need to promote the practice of administrative ethical standards in churches and para-church organisations to facilitate order, sustainable growth and impact in the body of Christ.

    Addressing the new inducted members, the Vice President, Pastor Steve Akoni, encouraged them to serve God with knowledge.

    According to him: “We must know we are professionals and thus must carry out our duties in a professional manner, while adding value to our various church organisations.

    “We may never be able to maximise our calling if we do not know the intricacies of our calling.”