The Nation Newspaper

Category: Worship

  • Power for fulfilment of destiny! Enjoying divine visitation!

    Every child of God is accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6). So, we were God’s choice before we were born. We have a glorious destiny in Christ as believers; but that destiny will remain unfulfiled until we are empowered to experience the fulfilment of divine plan.

    God’s empowerment is not theoretical; it is ordained for the fulfilment of our glorious and enviable destiny. Destiny is all about the discovery of divine plan and purpose. The Bible says: According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue (2 Peter 1:3). So, by His divine empowerment, you have access to all things that pertain unto life and godliness.

    The empowerment of the Holy Ghost is all about accomplishment of supernatural feats and fulfilment of our glorious destiny (Isaiah 61:1-4).

    That is why everyone in the body of Christ must be baptized in the Holy Ghost. Otherwise, one may never be able to access God’s plan. However, it is not enough to be baptized in the Holy Ghost, we must strive to grow in power and see other dimensions of His glory.

    Wherever His power is, His glory is. His power is the attractor of His glory. You cannot see His power and miss it. Wandering away from God’s plan equals a life of struggles without end (Proverbs 29:18). Understanding God’s plan and walking in it are the key to the restoration of our total dignity and glory.

    The Holy Ghost is, therefore, the middleman who takes the plan of God for our lives and reveals it to us. Nevertheless, the Holy Ghost accomplishes this through certain channels.

    What then are these channels?

    •Vision: The unveiling of God’s plan as it relates to us is what we call vision. The Holy Ghost is the custodian of God’s plan for us as individuals. He is the one entrusted to unveil the plan of God for us as individuals (Joel 2:28).

    •Revelation: Revelation of the Word empowers the drive of vision to fulfilment. We need the revelation of the Word to drive any plan of God into fulfilment because that is the secret of our authority— because every Word revealed, is Word confirmed (Jeremiah 1:11-12).

    Therefore, visions and revelations are two main spiritual forces that guarantee fulfilment of destiny. But, we cannot experience true fulfilment without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

    How does the Holy Ghost empower us to fulfil destiny?

    •He unveils the plan of God for our lives (John 14:26; 16:13)

    •He sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5)

    •He enforces the restoration of all that the devil may have stolen from us (Joel 2:23-27)

    •He sanctifies us and makes us fit for eternity (1 Corinthians 6:11)

    We cannot fulfil destiny walking outside God’s plan. Nobody ever survives it. No matter the anointing on our lives, we need to be properly positioned in God’s plan to fulfil destiny.

    Friend, the power for the fulfilment of destiny is available, if you are a child of God. You become His child by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. You can be God’s child now by saying this prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I cannot help myself. 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, for saving me! Now, I know I am born again! I will continue with this teaching next week.

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

    From December 10-14, 2013, at Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Idiroko Road, Ota, many destinies will be transformed to higher levels of greatness at SHILOH 2013 tagged, Exceeding Grace. SHILOH is the annual prophetic gathering of the Winners’ family worldwide. Be there!

     

    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

  • Clergyman advices Jonathan on confab

    The Assistant Pastor in Charge of Province, 40 of The Redeemed Christain Church of God, Lagos, Pastor Goke Aniyeloye has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to allow the hope and aspiration of the people to be reflected in the proposed National dialogue.

    Aniyeloye made this known at the press conference organised last week ahead of the Special Anointing Service of me of RCCG, Testimony Chapel; Anwo Bustop, Akute, Ogun State holding on 8th of December, 2013.

    The programme tagged: Wipe my tears away will bring together thousands of Christian faithful and will feature prayers, bible teaching and prophetic ministration.

    According to him, the national conference will only succeed when the hopes, aspiration and needs of the people at the grassroots are reflected and pragmatic frameworks to address them are properly worked upon.

    He said “the national conference is timely as Nigeria have over 250 ethnic groups and we need to come and discuss together at this time on the way toward for our country in crises.”

    Aniyeloye noted that Nigeria was once the giant of Africa but we are now like grasshopper among the nations of the world because of wide spate of corruption, poverty, kidnapping, civil unrest and do or die politics that has drawn back the country in the annals of history.

    He attributed the increasingly spate of insecurity in the north to politicians who have vow to disrupt the peace of the country if they are not given the opportunity to rule which necessitated the need to discuss as Nigeria on how best we want to live together

    “We need to discuss on salient issues on governance, economy, education, human right, and other developmental issues that affect the common man in Nigeria”, he said.

    Aniyeloye noted that the special prayer programmes holds every last Wednesday of the month and is aimed at encouraging Christians to look up to God for divine help and sustenance in the midst of confusion and headache.

    There will also be a special anointing service on the second Sunday in December at the RCCG, Testimony Chapel, Anwo, Akute, Ogun State.

  • Cleric tells Christians to wake up from political slumber

    Christians in Nigeria in general and Lagos State in particular have been challenged to wake up from their political slumber, and take active part in politics if they are really desirous of establishing a government that will care for the generality of the people instead of what is obtained now.

    Rt. Rev. Solomon Gbetoso Kuponu, Bishop of Ijebu North, Anglican Church, stated this at a lecture he delivered last week at St John’s Anglican Church, Iju-Ishaga, during the silver jubilee of the Young Men and Women Christian Association (YMWCA) of the church. He spoke on the theme: Terrorism as it affects social and political life of Nigeria: Christian perspective.

    He described terrorism as an act of violence or threat that is unlawful and has an objective of exacting revenge, intimidating or influencing an audience. “Terrorism is one of the most challenging problems of our time and its effects are global in nature. Each time you take a plane, bus or train, you can’t help wondering whether this could possibly be your last journey,” he said.

    He stated the possible causes of terrorism as poverty, undemocratic government, alienated intelligentsia/intellectual class of people, indoctrination, ethnicity and charity but added that some of these reasons do not hold at all places. On the argument that poverty breeds terrorism, he stated that there are many places around the world where there are no terrorists at all despite the poverty level in these places like some poor countries in South America, Africa and Asia. He pointed out that North Korea and China are not democratic yet they don’t have terrorists, adding that those that kill do not only kill other people but kill even people of their own ethnic group and religion.

    He laid emphasis on religious indoctrination, alienated intelligential/ intellectual class of people and some misapplied charities as fuelling terrorism globally.

    He said Boko Haram has killed thousands of Nigerians and non- Nigerians since 2009, destroyed churches and businesses. Nigeria is a multi-religious country with many problems but that the most worrisome is terror attacks, he said.

    Terrorism as it affects Nigeria is more religion-based, he stated, adding that Islamic extremists are bent on Islamising the whole country except we stand up to stop them.

    Bishop Kuponu said the kind of government that Christ approves of is the type that cares for the people in general, especially the poor and the less-privileged in our society as Christ used to do and not the elitist, self centred and religion-biased government prevalent in Nigeria.

    He said unless Christians rise up as a body politically, evil will continue to reign in Nigeria.

  • Nine steps to effective prayer

    Welcome to your regular column. Today I will be teaching on Confession – Step two of the nine steps to effective prayer series.

    Step Two – Confession

    You must approach the throne of God by confessing, first, who God is to you and, secondly, who you are in Christ.

    Not Confession of Sins

    Confession means a statement or admission of something to someone. When I say confession, I don’t mean confession of sins, provided you are not in sin, if you are, you must confess it, repent of it, ask for forgiveness, believe you have been forgiven, receive it by faith and begin to give thanks to the Lord, and move on. Don’t talk again about confessed sins. Don’t live in sin consciousness. Forgive yourself because sin consciousness will hinder you from God’s presence, besides, God has already forgiven you (Isaiah 43:25).

    Confession of God’s Greatness and Power

    The confession referred to here is the confession of God’s greatness, power and might in your life. For example, after my thanksgiving, I often say, “Father, your mercies are new every day. I come through the blood of Your Son Jesus Christ my savior and Lord. Your Son’s blood is available to lift me up. Now Father, fulfill your promises to me”. And I begin to quote Scriptures regarding God’s promises to hear and answer prayers, such as Zechariah 13:9.

    Reasons for Scripture Quoting

    When you quote scripture and confess His promises in prayer, you are in agreement with God, and it becomes yours because confession brings possession. As you begin to confess the promises of God, you lose sight of self and God Almighty becomes visible to you by faith.

    1. Who is God to you?

    To confess who God is to you is to exalt Him, magnify Him and put Him in number one position on earth because He is the most High. What God desires is to hear you confess His power and greatness. For me, I usually say to God, “You are the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. I am the seed of Abraham”. Thus establishing my covenant right. Then I begin to declare His promises. I say, “God, You are great and your name is gracious. You are the pillar of my life. It is a privilege to be known and called your daughter. God, you are compassionate and you are merciful. There is no one like you. You are beyond comprehension. I worship and bless you all the days of my life. Thank You for the salvation of my soul that came through Jesus Christ. I bless and thank you with all my heart. I am your child, I am a believer, and joint heir with Christ”.As you begin to talk to God in this manner, you feel His presence around you as if the Lord Himself is standing in front of you listening to what you have to say. This is what He spoke to me one day during my prayer, “Though I am absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, enjoying and beholding your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ”.

    Do you know that it was King Hezekiah’s confession of God’s greatness and power that brought God’s divine intervention to a hopeless situation? (Isaiah 37:33-36). The right confession of faith in God will bring deliverance and Total Freedom. What you need is not partial freedom but absolute freedom.

    Write and share your testimony with me through: Pastor Amanda Ogunro, Rivers of Living Water Ministries, 540 Ikorodu Road, Maryland, Lagos P.M.B 2854, Surulere Lagos, Nigeria or call any of these numbers 08023180141, 07064733154 and 08093167675. Email us at info@rlwm.org.

     

  • Engaging the miracle power of Kingdom Stewardship!

    Engaging the miracle power of Kingdom Stewardship!

    Serving God is a most profitable endeavour (Job 36:11). Our rating in the Kingdom of God is a function of the quality of our stewardship.

    What is Kingdom Stewardship?: It is a practical commitment to all forms of Kingdom promotion endeavours. It means being practically committed to the things of God.

    It is an engagement of your spirit, soul and body. It also means being overly excited about the advancement of the Kingdom and investing in it to prove your commitment. That is what Kingdom stewardship is all about. In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury (Proverbs 14:23).

    We can look at stewardship from three perspectives:

    Spiritual Stewardship: It is engaging in soul-winning and Kingdom promotion prayers. You can raise a prayer altar for the church in your home; when you do that, you are investing spiritually in advancing the kingdom of God. Every spiritual investment is recorded for returns (Hebrews 6:10).

    • Physical Stewardship: This involves taking practical steps to ensure things go well in the church. Your little strength is being engaged in doing one thing or another in the church and for the church.

    What do you get from physical stewardship?

    Your strength is renewed because you are investing your little strength in God’s Kingdom, so He multiples it back to you.

    • Material and Financial Stewardship: Financial stewardship involves putting in your finances in the building of churches as God empowers you. You can purchase vehicles, chairs, musical equipments, generators, decoration material and minister to the needs of others as you are given the opportunity.

    We Serve A “Rewarder” God: Recognise that stewardship is a choice, not a gift. Every form of stewardship is highly “rewardable.” God is a “rewarder” of them who diligently seek Him, in whatever area they are involved (Hebrews 11:6). Examples of Supernatural Breakthroughs through Stewardship:

    Job: Job was a businessman and God called him His servant. Job emerged the greatest of all men in his time. Even when he was challenged, he never disconnected. Hence, he was colourfully restored and His star rose.

    Daniel: Daniel was a die-hard servant of God. He was unruffled, standing strong for God and turning many to Righteousness.

    Paul: Paul was the chief of the Apostles. He was shining forth as a star from the platform of stewardship. He was under an oath to serve and he served to the outermost (1 Corinthians 9:16).

    What makes your Stewardship Acceptable to God?:

    Until stewardship is acceptable, it is not “rewardable”. So, it is important to know what makes your stewardship acceptable.

    • Serve God Righteously: Serve God with godliness (Hebrews 12:28).

    • Serve God Cheerfully: Whatever you don’t do joyfully cannot be fruitful, because God loves a cheerful giver (Joel 1:11-12).

    •Serve God willingly: Stewardship without willingness is not acceptable (1 Corinthians 9:17).

    • Serve God Tirelessly: Every reward answers at the end. If you give up before your reward comes, you won’t get it (Galatians 6:9).

    • Serve God Fearfully: All of your investments must be from this platform. (Psalm 111:10).

    • Serve God Diligently: Be productive, don’t just be present (Proverbs 22:29).

    • Serve God Alone: Serving God will only be profitable when you don’t add any other thing alongside your service to God. Because of the pressures of life, a lot of believers seem to get distracted. …thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve (Luke 4:8).

    Friend, the power to benefit from divine guidance is the preserve of those who are connected to God. You get connected by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. If you are set for it, please 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. Today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You, Jesus. Now, I know I am born again!

    From December 10-14, the story of many lives will be re-written at SHILOH 2013 captioned, Exceeding Grace. It is a historic and prophetic gathering of the Winners’ family, coming up at Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Idiroko Road, Ota. Come for a change of status!

    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

  • ‘Integrity key to development’

    The Nation will not move forward until Nigerians embrace the virtue of integrity, the Archbishop of United African Methodist Church Organisation, His Grace Most Rev. Benjamin Amosun, has declared. Amosun spoke last Sunday during the Adult harvest thanksgiving service of the United African Methodist Church, Meiran Lagos. The theme of the service was harvest of integrity. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was represented by his wife, Chief (Mrs.) Bola Obasanjo, bagged a distinguished award for his contributions to the development of the church and the nation during the service. Other awardees include the Onibereko of Iberekoland, Oba Israel Okoya; the Alapa of Egun Awori Kingdom, Oba Adekanbi Ajose; Former Minister for Health, Prince Adelusi Adeluyi and others. Amosun, who was represented by Bishop Ayo Joseph, challenged Nigerians to display total integrity in their relations with others regardless of their circumstances and situations. He attributed the incessant cases of violence, terrorism, injustice and corruption to absence of honesty and integrity among Nigerians. According to him: “These unpalatable indices are consequences of our focusing more on religious differences and religious sentiments which ultimately leads to the neglect of other factors needed for the growth of the country.” The Minister-in-charge of the church, Rev. Sam Bamgbose, admonished Nigerians to be patient with government. He tasked them to deal honestly with one another and be prayerful. “Integrity is essential in the development of both the person and the nation. When a nation or individual lacks integrity, then what follows is destruction because nothing thrives on lies,” he explained.

  • ‘Why clerics, business owners must collaborate’

    The International President of Fellowship Covenant Ministries International (FMCI), Dr. Philip Goudeaux, has canvassed for strategic partnership among church leaders and business owners.

    Such partnership, according to him, will foster the gospel and create mutual benefits for both partners.

    Goudeaux made the call at a two-day regional conference of the body in Lagos.

    He said the body exists to make such synergy work, saying, “It is an international collaboration of pastors, teachers, and businessmen and women created to build and improve the leadership and business management skills of leaders in the body of Christ.”

    The American blamed ignorance on why priests and kings must complement for the rising injustice and corruption in countries.

    He debunked the notion that most preachers in the country are living fat on members.

    According to him: “I don’t believe that pastors should be poor but I hold on to the fact that they must live and lead by examples.

    “The church of Christ was not established to fail but to succeed and for it to succeed, these two must come together.

    “You see, the connection between kings and priests is powered by the anointing. That is why we also refer to FCMI vision as two anointing for one vision.”

    The Senior Regional Director for Nigeria and Africa for FCMI, Prince NnanyereNwachukwu, said the challenge with some pastors is that they do not develop or educate the kings on their responsibilities and anointing.

    He said: “The church of Jesus Christ does not belong to the priests alone or the kings. God’s purpose is that kings and priests work together because if you separate any one from the bond, there will be no church.”

  • Annual convocation ends

    Annual convocation ends

    The week-long Renewal Congress of the Church of Evangelism Cathedral, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos ended last Sunday with a special thanksgiving service.

    Activities marking the largest annual spiritual convocation of the church with the “unstoppable healing” started last Saturday with a football match tagged Lekki Christian Football Championship.

    There was also a rally, deliverance service and evening of praise where many worshippers testified to the overwhelming spiritual bliss.

    The congress, according to the General Overseer of the church, Rev. (Mrs.) Edith Okunbanjo, was targeted “at winning souls and to glorify the name of Jesus through healing of those under the oppression of the devil.”

    She admonished Nigerians not to give up because “God will do a new thing in Nigeria.”

    The wife of the late industrialist and founder of EcoBank Nigeria Plc, Oloye Olarenwaju Okubanjo, said: “For people to enjoy God’s glory, they must not only endeavour but be ready to embrace righteousness in all their acts and deeds.”

  • ‘My 3-point agenda for Lagos West Diocese’

    ‘My 3-point agenda for Lagos West Diocese’

    Six months after his election as Bishop of Lagos West Diocese of the Anglican Church, Rt. Rev. James Odedeji, spoke with select media on how he intends to run the largest Diocese in Nigeria.  Sunday Oguntola was there. Excerpts: 

    Did you feel under pressure considering what your predecessor accomplished?

    He did well but all the jobs he did were not done in one day or one year. He was a bishop of this place for more than 13 years. I just started and what God has done these six months gives me joy that the future is bright because the period has been characterised by achievements.

    There are pressures and you cannot be a leader and run away from pressures because it is part of the package. Because you don’t want to fail, you launch into it so seriously so I don’t think we should be afraid.

    Where do you stand in doctrinal inclinations? Are you Pentecostal or conservative?

    The church I know has heritage and doctrines but I say it is an error of terminology for anybody to say a particular church is Pentecostal. Every church is expected to be Pentecostal because we all trace our origin to the day of Pentecost and so the Anglican Church is Pentecostal because we believe in the practices of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the senior partner in whatever we do in the church.

    So, when you go to any of the Anglican churches today, the new generation churches I don’t have anything against them because they have actually added to us. At a time, the orthodox churches were actually sleeping but I believe with the arrival of the new generation churches, we were already awake.

    What are those things that you will like to do differently?

    I have three major areas that I believe God is asking me to act on. The first one: this Diocese is blessed with human and natural resources but I believe that everything is not naira and kobo. I want to lay serious emphasis on the spiritual growth of the members.

    I don’t want anybody to leave church and go to hell. Spiritual revival will be my major focus because I believe that what it shall not profit a man if he gains the whole earth and loses his soul. I want to pursue that with all seriousness and that we have started.

    The second one is about youths. I want youths to be empowered, not only being able to put food on the table but being godly young men and women for a blessed generation because we are all products of our bad experiences.

    The third one is pragmatic evangelism in aggressive manners. There is no point you being rich and some people are wallowing in poverty. We have crimes everywhere in the country and this is not unconnected to the fact that in the country today, people are angry. When a poor man cannot eat, a rich man cannot also sleep.

    The split in the Anglican Communion became wider at the last conference in Kenya which you attended. What’s your view on the same-sex challenge that the Anglican Communion has been battling?

    That is the trouble, we have some part of the church that believes that should be the order of the day under the auspices of modernisation but the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), what we believe in is the authority of the scripture and that we are not going to bow down for the authority of man.

    It is human madness to say that a man and a man can get married. When God created the world, he created Adam. God could have created another Adam that would have the same features but God created Eve and when the man woke up from his slumber, the man shouted and said ‘this is the bone of my bone and the flesh of my flesh, she shall be called a woman’, not a man.

    In those days when we have some churches of some countries that are wallowing in poverty, we can be carried away. What will any establishment in any advanced country will want to give to the church of Nigeria to buy us?

    I don’t think anybody will bow down. Some of these countries are even more adamant. Persecution has toughened them and it has brought many people close to God. They are very resolute. This same -sex marriage cannot last, the battle may be fierce and dreadful but God will give us victory.

    Where and how did you hear about your election?

    I knew they had gone to the Ibru centre in Delta Delta state and I knew part of the agenda was election of the vacant Dioceses. On the agenda which we printed in this office, the election was to be on Friday so are expecting that after the election, people would come home and our bishop would be announced.

    On this fateful Wednesday, I was in the cathedral for prayer meeting till evening and went early to bed because I was tired. I was in my room when I received a text message on my phone but I ignored it since I was tired. When it came the third time, something told me to open the phone. What if there is important information for you? I thought to myself. Then I saw congratulation, God has done it.

    As of that time I didn’t know what was happening, I thought it was from some people I have prayed for in the church that have received their testimonies. I received the second one and said that might have been a mistake because there is one Bishop called Odejide and I am Odedeji. Sometimes, some of his mails still come to me but the third one was so explicit. It was at that point that it dawned on me.

    I see the election as a service because by God’s grace I have been a man that is blessed with contentment. The news was unexpected because I was never in a hurry. Secondly, I didn’t expect Lagos West. But I won’t tell you that I never expected to be a Bishop in life because I entered the work at a very tender age.

    I was 22 when I entered Emmanuel College and I was ordained at 24 and all the places where I served, God has always been there. I became a Dean at 42 and became a Bishop at 45.

  • Onwenu, Femi Sax to rock worship conference

    Onwenu, Femi Sax to rock worship conference

    Music diva, Onyeka Onwenu, and a host of other gospel artistes will set Lagos agog at the weeklong worship service of The Fountain of Life Church’s (TFOLC).

    Tagged Worship His Majesty, the conference holds from November 26-December 2.

    Nathaniel Bassey, Nosa, Shenwele Jesu and others also will minister at the conference, the Director of Media and Publicity of TFOLC, Pastor Mrs. Oyindamola Soderu, told reporters last week.

    Others, according to her, include Femi Sax and the Mass Choir of the church.

    A pastor in the church, Femi Megbope, emphasised the essence of worship.

    He said: “Praise is marvelous for those who have something to celebrate. For those who don’t think they have something to celebrate, it is important to just maintain the presence of God. It is the first step to getting help and getting solution to any problem.”

    Soderu said worship is a weapon of warfare.

    According to her: “It takes the battles to the forefront of the enemy.”