The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GKS

  • GKS charges on importance of Feast of Tabernacle

    Christians across the globe has been enjoined to observe the Feast of Tabernacles as commanded by God to partake of the blessings associated with the celebration.

    Station Minister, God’s Kingdom Society, Lagos Zone, Brother Timothy Esimagbele, gave the charge last Sunday in Lagos at the commencement of the annual Feast of Tabernacles.

    The grand finale is slated for today at Salem City, Headquarters of the Church in Warri, Delta State.

    He said many Christians have missed the blessings associated with the Feast due to their little understanding of the scriptures.

    While explaining the importance of the Feast, Esimagbele said there is this erroneous belief that the Feast of Tabernacles is meant only for Jews without anything to do with Christianity.

    Quoting from Leviticus 23: 33-44, Zechariah 14: 16-19 and Romans 3:29-30, he said the Feast of Tabernacles is an important annual feast ordained by the Almighty God for all mankind.

    “God said he would bless the celebrants with ‘rain’ which symbolises His blessings in various ways and protect them from year to year,” he stated.

    Also speaking on the importance of the Feast, the assistant Station Minister, Brother Isaac Ennang, explained that even Jesus Christ-celebrated the Feast as an example to his disciples.

    “There is a definite prophetic instrument that in this age of the last days that the Feast should be celebrated by all peoples irrespective of race or tribe to the glory of God and for their own blessings – Zechariah 14:16-19, and also in the book of Deuteronomy  6:24, 25.”

    He also said Christians are not expected to make sacrifices as the Jews of old since Jesus Christ had fulfilled and put an end to that law by paying the ultimate price.

    Christians, Brother Ennang said, are therefore not bound to keep the letters of the law but observe the spirit and exemplified by Christ the Lord and as stated by his apostles.

    He enjoined all peoples, especially Christians, to observe this important Feast as commanded by God.

    He said members of the God’s Kingdom Society are well informed about this important commandment and have always celebrated it without cease.

  • Christmas a pagan festival, says GKS

    Christmas is a pagan festival because Jesus was not born in December, The God’s Kingdom Society (GKS) has declared.

    The church said the popular December 25th celebration of Jesus birth has nothing to do with Jesus Christ.

    Its Station Minister in Lagos zone, Brother Timothy Esimagbele, stated these last Sunday during GKS freedom day titled ‘There is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed’.

    The service was to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ in October.

    Christmas, he said, was an ancient festival dedicated to the god Saturn, later adopted by early Christian leaders with the motive of converting pagans.

    Esimagbele said GKS through assiduous study of the bible knew the truths about Jesus birth, which he said was found to have happened in October.

    Buttressing the October date with biblical facts, Assistant Station Minister for Lagos zone, Brother Isaac Ennang, said in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s conception (December), the angel Gabriel was sent to a virgin called Mary to give her the message that by the miracle of God, she would conceive and bear a child to be called Jesus.

    “Consequently upon the annunciation, Mary, no doubt, was in high spirit. With haste, she went straight to a city in the upland of Judah to meet Elizabeth,” he stated.

    Ennang said that according to the gospel of Luke 1: 30, 40, and 56, Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months—January to March.

    “The angel appeared to Mary in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s conception and Mary went stayed three months; six plus three equals nine, when Elizabeth gave birth in April.

    “Having been equipped with this knowledge, let us now count Mary’s conception from January as was manifested in Elizabeth declaration. We will arrive at September as the nine month then in the tenth month, October, Jesus was born.”

    He also said the fact that churches observe the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in April confirms his birth could not have been in December.

    “We all agree that Jesus lived for 33 and a half years. Now, let us admit he was born in December as some churches teach, it will mean, therefore, that his 33rdbirthday fell in December and six months later, in June, he was crucified; which is not true.”

    Ennang explained with Jesus 33rd birth anniversary being in October and six months later will be in April, this argument  pointed to the fact that Jesus was born in October, not December.

    In his own message, read by Brother Esimagbele, President of God’s Kingdom Society, Brother Godwin Ifeacho, said those who give themselves to various sinful practices should retrace their steps and repent.

    He said the birth of Jesus Christ was no doubt a world event and the gospels do not leave us in doubt about the universal scope of his mission.

    He advises followers of Christ to serve in sincerity and in truth until the end for their blessings and salvation in the world to come.

  • Shun materialism, GKS tasks Christians

    The Chairman, Executive Board God’s Kingdom Society (GKS), Brother Godwin Ifeacho has called on Christians to shun materialism and remain watchful as the coming of the Lord draws near.

    Ifeacho spoke last Sunday at the one-week long Christian Feast of Tabernacles organised by the church at the St Urhobo Square, Salem City, Warri, Delta State.

    The programme attracted thousands across the country with bible lecture, musical festival, children assembly and Christian possession.

    The high point was when members from Lagos, Oyo, Calabar, Abuja, Kano, Edo, walked from Urhobo town to Sapele, stadium road in Delta State with much fanfare.

    Ifeacho said Christians must not make acquisition of material things their main preoccupation.

    According to him:  “It is the blessings of God that gives true riches which one will enjoy with peace and which most importantly gives one everlasting life in God’s kingdom when fully established by Gods grace. That is what we should seek after.”

    He highlighted the vanity of inordinate and insatiable desire for material things with the erroneous belief that one’s life is secured by abundance.

    “We are not sufficient of ourselves and so we have to acknowledge that it is by the grace of God that our plans, which are according to his will, would bear fruit or be successful,” he stressed.

    He lamented that unbridled quest for materialism has created massive corruption, which is killing the nation.

    “Corruption is the single most critical contemporary threat to development, democracy and human security in Nigeria.

    “It is responsible for most of the conflicts that are presented in ethnic and religious terms,” he said.

    He lamented many church leaders cannot teach their adherents to live godly lives, be diligent and to continue in well doing.

    Instead, he said they make people believe that gain is godliness or evidence of blessing from God.

  • GKS: Keeping God’s Covenant

    Nigerians, from around the world trooped into the God’s Kingdom Society (GKS), Salem City in Warri, Delta State to celebrate the annual Christian Feast of Tabernacle in remembrance of God’s covenant with the Israelites, Adeola Ogunlade reports

    FROM  Sunday, December 13 to Sunday, December 20, last year, Warri, the commercial nerve centre of Delta State, was bubbling with thanksgiving to God. The worshippers stormed major roads in Warri. Mobile police ensured safety.

    Cultural groups sang majestic songs . The God’s Kingdom Society (GKS)  made the people dance to songs in diverse dialects – Urhobo, Isoko, Agbor, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Edo, Efik, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo.

    It was all in remembrance of God’s covenant with the Israelites.

    There were other activities to mark the event: children and women presentations and donation of food items (rice, tubers of yams and gallons of oil and more) to the needy.

    The Chairman, Executive Board, GKS, Brother Godwin Ifeacho, expressed gratitude to God.

    “Glory be to God, Jehovah, creator of the universe, who enabled us to converge to this Feast,” he said.

    Ifeacho, while addressing the congregation on ‘A Man’s Life Consist Not in the Abundance of the things he Possess’, cited Luke 12:15 to campaign again the love of material things.

    He preached on the folly of man and covetousness.

    He said: “Officials of financial institutions corner the deposits of their customers and use them for their personal interest. And when the banks fail, most of the people are left empty-handed.”

    Ifeacho added that some people have taken over other people’s lands, wives, children and houses.

    “While others have made themselves beneficiaries of the inheritance of others leaving the rightful owners with nothing, others use things that are not theirs.”

    Citing Psalm 10:3 and Proverbs 1:10 to 19, he said:  “Unfortunately, many Church leaders today cannot teach their adherents to live godly, be diligent and to patiently continue in well-doing. Instead, they make people believe that gain is godliness or is evidence of blessing from God.”

    However, he reminded participants that they ought to have put aside all their offences before coming for the programme. He wrapped up his gospel with reference to Ecclesiastes 5:11-16. He assured believers that in life, a man’s comfort, happiness or well-being does not depend on affluence.

    From his word: “Is it not true that in several societies people shower underserved honour on anyone who is rich even though they know him to be wicked?

    The Chairperson of the National Women Fellowship, Mrs. Helen Bazunu, said the Sisters’ Assembly day was to educate the women fold on their attitude as peculiar Christians.

    “It is to cater for our homes and our relationship with people outside.”

    She emphasised that they preached on love among themselves, too.

    “Today, being the spiritual aspect – one of the speakers talked on the significance of Ruth and Naomi while the other spoke on ‘Love not the world.”’

    Special Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State on Rural Development and Peace Building and staunch member of GKS, Mr. Emmanuel Ogidi, urged Nigerians to brace up for hard times.

    “Nigerians should brace up for hard times, except the Federal Government removes subsidy and focuses on other sources of energy and the non-oil sector,” he said.

    Speaking further, the former Delta State PDP Chairman said that change had nothing to do with shouting slogans.

    “The real change is beginning in the state’s Peoples Democratic Party’s government as we are focused on making the state an investment destination,” Ogidi said.

    The former Commissioner for Higher Education, Delta State, Prof. Hope Eghagha, said the Federal Government must approach the problems of insurgency and political agitations with the knowledge that a federation was never imposed, but created by the willingness of participating regions, governments, persons, groups and races.

    “There are too many distractions in the polity. The Northeast is still boiling. The Southeast is threatening and there is also the Shiite threat.”