GREAT LIGHT MINISTRY GLM was commissioned with the assignment to reach out to villages and remote areas with the gospel of Christ in October 1995. In the last Seventeen years, the vision has expressed itself through:
A PUBLICATION OF GREAT LIGHT MINISTRY
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 8
n Outreaches held in over 95 Villages with signs following and several committing their
lives to Christ n School of the Spirit teaching meetings held in more than Thirty five Institutions of
Higher Learning n Establishment of a Mission School in the remote Village of Iwogia, Yewa South, Ogun
State n Sixteen impactful and fruitful annual Retreats held at the end of each year n A vibrant Church in Lagos, Nigeria
The leadership of the Ministry consists of seven executive members with the Secretary General as the overall Co-ordinator.
MINISTRY MATERIALS n Annual magazines (In His Light Magazine) containing inspiring messages and Mission
reports from the field. n An e-newsletter (Epistles of Light) geared towards inspiring and challenging believers
to hold the fort and keep the fire of the Spirit aglow. n Audio tapes and Video CDs of teachings by the leadership of the ministry are also
FULFILLING GOD'S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE
available on request.
LIVING FOR GOD
Contact Website: www.greatlightministry.org, e-mail : glmhouse@yahoo.com; PO Box 2061 Mushin Lagos Telephone: +2348033237496, +2348033025903
Dr Panam Percy Paul
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‌OF THE DEFENCE OF THE FAITH AND CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
CONTENTS 5 10
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LIVING FOR GOD Dr Panam Percy Paul
…OF THE DEFENCE OF THE FAITH AND CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
IN TIMES LIKE THIS
JOHN G. LAKE
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MARCH 18, 1870 - SEPTEMBER 16, 1935
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FULFILLING GOD'S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE
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HOW TO COPE WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE AT WORK 23
CRITICISM
EDITORIAL SUITE
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u r Fa t h e r wh i c h a r t i n heaven….THY KINGDOM COME! These were the weighty words that dropped from the Lips our Lord, when his disciples asked that he teach them to pray. It was the shriek of his heart and the desire of his father, and it still remains the plea of our Lord. The kingdom was the most emphasized word of our Lord Jesus Christ when he was on the earth; he impressed the concept of the Kingdom of God, with parables, illustration, and teachings. It was the very essence of his ministry “…For unto you it is given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God”. His desire was that all would understand the tangibility and significance of the Kingdom of God. A glimpse into the heart of Christ would show that even till this day his petition unto God remains THY KINGDOM COME! Rev12:10 This Edition of In His Light Magazine is themed THY KINGDOM COME because it is also the desire of our heart in harmony with our masters' that the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ will come upon us- into our lives, our churches, our nation and all that is ours. This will not happen by mere chanting and talking about it, but amongst others by standing on our watch till God's kingdom is established. When his Kingdom comes there will be an extension of the
government and influence of our God to our world, the kingdom of God in our midst will yield a world where the inhabitants possess a lifestyle of heaven on the earth. It is beyond mere religion but bringing the world under the influence of our God. This edition is lined with different articles that will immensely bless your heart, with a lead piece from Pastor Dokun Adebayo, the Secretary General of Great Light Ministry, and your regulars such as Apologetics, Holding the bull's horn, Redemption song, Entrepreneurial Development Skill, and so on. The Martyrdom of Polycarp is a must read for every believer as it epitomize how our fathers in the faith contended for this same faith even unto death. In this edition we also capture an interview with an icon in gospel music Dr Panam Percy Paul, who needs little or no introduction, the life and times of John G Lake, and a review of the book- Why revival tarries, which will encourage you and also stir up an eagerness to live a more effective Christian life We trust that as usual this edition will communicate the burden of our heart as it concerns seeing the Kingdom of God established in our lives, our churches and
our nation, and that you will join us in prayer with the cry- Our Father which hath in heaven…THY KINGDOM COME! We will to hear from you, kindly send your comments, feedback, questions, testimonies, etc to ihl_glm@yahoo.com. God bless you! Deola Okungbaye
PUBLISHER - Great Light Ministry | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Dokun Adebayo | EDITOR - Deola Okungbaye EDITORIAL CONSULTANT - Lolu Okuboyejo | COLUMNISTS - Niyi Akinyemi, Isaac Idowu, Omotayo Alo SUB-EDITORS - Moteniola Oladipo, Oiza Ali | CIRCULATION - Kehinde-Philips Remilekun, Adebayo Ayodele . All correspondence to the editor - IN HIS LIGHT MAGAZINE - P. O. Box 2061 Mushin Lagos, Phone: 08033237496, 08033431647, email : ihl_glm@yahoo.com, glmhouse@yahoo.com; www.greatlightministry.org
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declared the kingdom of heaven is NEAR! Meaning: God is about to extend “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on His kingdom, His power and domain in heaven to the earth. Romans 14:17 earth, as it is in heaven” Luke 11:2 “ For the kingdom of God is not meat and The disciples of Jesus approached the Master with an issue of concern to The birth, death and resurrection of drink; but righteousness, and peace, and them. They had observed the source of Jesus was meant to actually extend joy in the Holy Ghost” the Master's strength and secret of God's kingdom to the Earth. You will productivity; they had observed His notice that He spent a reasonable Meat and Drink: The kingdom of God is consistency and devotion to a life of amount of His time speaking and not about physical things. It is not about prayer; so they asked, 'Teach us to pray'. teaching about the Kingdom: The what you eat or drink, it is not about May be they meant teach us how to pray kingdom of God is near- Mark 1:15; The physical or material acquisitions, it is or teach us to develop a lifestyle of kingdom of heaven is like…- Matt not about things you can hold physically prayer or show us the important 13:31,33; Except a man be born again, in your hands. There seems to be so ingredients of prayer so that we may he cannot see the kingdom of God - John much talk about money and material obtain the same kind of result(s) like 3:3, Seek ye first the kingdom of God- acquisition today among believers; our Matt 6:33; Even the gospel was tagged senses and focus have been really you. the gospel of the kingdom! -Mark 1:14 diverted towards what we can get for ourselves; even our prayer points are Jesus then proceeded to lay before them a guideline to prayer. He said pray like However, it should be noted that the mostly built around material things. this: “Our Father, who art in heaven... thy Kingdom Jesus sought to bring is not of But the kingdom is not about what you kingdom come, thy will be done on this world, it is a spiritual heavenly can get physically. Jesus said, “ My earth”. What exactly is the meaning of kingdom and the plan was that rather kingdom is not of this world” John 18:36. t h a n e x t e n d i n g H i s k i n g d o m Which means that His kingdom is not the phrase: Thy Kingdom come? geographically, God's plan is to extend predominantly about what you can see The word 'kingdom' is a fusion of two His kingdom into the hearts and lives of with your physical eyes. words – King and Domain. Therefore, men. God was not interested in the we can safely say that a kingdom is a geographical land mass, rather, He was Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the King's domain i.e. a King's territory, his interested in the lives of men. Thus, Holy Ghost: The kingdom is about a sphere of influence and power, a whoever accepts Jesus into his life is complete change within you! A change geographical area where his word is law simply allowing the kingdom of God to in your life, lifestyle, values, priorities a n d m u s t b e o b e y e d w i t h o u t be extended into his life. That is why the etc because God extends His kingdom reservation. Remember Ecclesiastes Word says we have been “delivered from into our lives, the order that obtains in 8:4? “Where the word of a king is, there is the powers of darkness and translated heaven must begin to obtain in our lives power: and who can say unto him what into the Kingdom of His dear Son” also. A gospel that does not affect your Colossians 1:13 i.e. our salvation is life inwardly and change your lifestyle is doest thou?” simply a translation into the kingdom of not the gospel of the kingdom of God! So Jesus asked His disciples to pray: 'Thy God! And now that we are part of His There are so many strange gospels Kingdom come!'. Let your dominion kingdom, the words and desires of God being peddled all around us today; come! Let your power come! Let your must become law and final authority in some may be fine sounding from our influence come! Let your word become our lives. We have become partakers of well trained preachers but if it does not law and reality in our lives, churches His kingdom and we can longer live for make you search your soul and compel ourselves. We must now live for the you to turn away from everything that and nation. King that rules in the new Kingdom that does not please God, it is not the gospel of the kingdom. Presently, God's words, desires and we have come into. instruction is law in heaven. That is why Righteousness - A desire to please God the bible went on to say: thy will be done The Nature of the Kingdom in earth, as it is done in heaven! but What is the nature of this new kingdom must fill the heart of anyone who has when John the Baptist appeared, he that we have come into? Let us consider truly come into the kingdom. I N
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Revival, the Moravian Revival, Azusa can see his move and experience his Street Revival and the South Korean Peace, contentment, when you are no power again in our lives churches and Revival. Multitudes encounter Christ l o n g e r d r ive n by w h a t d r ive s nation. and come into a genuine salvation unbelievers. You are now at peace with experience in Christ. Corruption God and His plan for your life because it When His kingdom comes reduces to almost a non-existent state has become clear to you that we are When a kingdom is extended to a place because so many people want to please strangers and pilgrims in this world and or an area, the will and bidding of the God. People no longer demand bribes that our final home which we must do King must be done in such a place. Thus, and kickbacks before they perform everything to secure and keep in when the kingdom of God extends into a their legitimate duties. This is usually perspective is in heaven. “For here, have person's life, a church or a nation, the followed by national growth and we no continuing city, but we seek one to will of God will equally be established in development. Research has shown that come”. Hebrews 13:14. such a place. most countries in the Western world after experiencing major revivals, move Your access into the Kingdom The kingdom of God may come into an into periods of unprecedented national · Jesus said, “verily, verily, I say individual's life, a community, a Church development ; why? because when unto thee, Except a man be born again, or a nation. people come into God's kingdom, they, he cannot see the kingdom of God” John truly desire to please God in all that they 3:3. The issue of salvation must be Individual: When God's kingdom do, even on their jobs. resolved if a man desires to see God extends into an individual's life, the reign in his life. God wants to resign in power of sin, unrighteousness, ungodly What do you think is the solution to the your life and establish His good will and habits is broken. The dominion of the challenges our nation is faced with counsel in your life, but you must be powers of darkness is also broken and today? What we need is a revival! We born again. You must take a decision to destroyed, sicknesses and diseases are need God's kingdom to come into our hand your life over to Jesus and let Him healed because they have no place in nation. Our prayer should be: Lord, thy reign as the king over all your affairs. His kingdom. His good words and Kingdom come! Let me ask you, have you given your life promises also begin to take root and to Jesus or have you simply joined a manifest in such a life. The pitiable, confused, powerless and Church? It may be a good Church with directionless state of the Church can nice people but you cannot experience Church: When the kingdom of God only be remedied by a revival, a new the reign of Jesus in your life until you comes into a church, such a church move of God, a fresh extension of God's hand your life over to him. Consider the experiences what we call a 'revival' - a Kingdom, rulership and dominion upon translation below: “Verily, verily, I say fresh and new move of God. Demonic His church. Let believers pray: Lord, unto you, if anyone may not be born from activities cease, wrong teachings and Thy Kingdom come! above, he is not able to see the reign of wrong doctrines disappear from the God” John 3:3 YLT pulpit, spiritual gifts come into more Maybe your life is surrounded by · It is however possible, that you prominent manifestation, the pure darkness, sin, oppression, failures and are already born again and you desire to word of God takes the chief place, confusion, your solution is not with the experience more of God's reign in your believers grow in grace and wax strong prophets on the mountains. All you life, more of his grace and glory in your in the faith and the assembly grows to need is for God to extend His Kingdom, church or community or even your know God better. His power and dominion into your life. nation. This seems more like what we Seek Him, hold on to Him, cry to Him: call a revival. At such times, much deep, Nation: When the kingdom of God Lord, let thy Kingdom come into my life! concentrated prayer and intercession is comes into a nation, it is usually what required. If we stir up ourselves and we call a 'national revival' like the Welsh Dokun Adebayo hold on to God in serious prayers, we
TEACHINGS, IMPARTATION, EMPOWERMENT AND LOTS MORE
GLM SCHOOL OF THE SPIRIT Want a visit to your campus or community? Call: +2348060854418 or email: glmhouse @yahoo.com
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JOHN G. LAKE MARCH 18, 1870 - SEPTEMBER 16, 1935 in God that he fixed a time to when God would heal his wife informing friends through telegraph messages and at exactly 9:30am April 28 1898, Jennie received healing after her husband laid hands on her.
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or anyone wondering who John Graham Lake was while he was alive and what led to his powerful healing ministry, you must first of all know that Lake was a man that desired God's presence more than anything else. The faith healer also known as John G. Lake, born March 18, 1870 at St. Mary's in Ontario, Canada lived an early life that one can safely call traumatized. However, a turning point in his life was when he encountered the healing power of God under the ministration of John Alexander Dowie. Lake's childhood and early adulthood was filled with memories of someone either dying in the family or suffering from a terrible illness. His 16 siblings took turns on falling ill and dying, causing so much pain and distress for their parents but the story changed when God stepped in. At inception, Lake was not set out for ministry work as he was a successful business man who owned two newspaper organisations, then, a real estate company but his radical decision to save his brother who suffered illness for 22years led him to John Alexander Dowie who prayed and healed his brother. Lake also prayed for his 34 years old sister who was dying of breast cancer and she was completely healed. Dowie's ministry so much influenced Lake that they both prayed to heal another sister who was bleeding to death and then the healing of his wife Jennie. At the time Lake wanted to heal his wife, he had gathered so much faith
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The workings of God's power in Lake was obviously not ordinary, for this was a man that diligently sought the face of God for baptism of the Holy Ghost for 9 months before he got filled, experiencing the great presence of God. He was a man that worked with the understanding of the move of God. When God gave him any power he used it to the glorification of God's name. At some point in Lake's life God took him on a six days fasting and prayer to receive the power to cast out demons and when the opportunity presented itself to test the new anointing, Lake cast out the demon in a violently insane man who was delivered and was later released from the asylum he was confined.
Throughout his life, he continued the healing work of the Father with the Lake's Spokane Divine Healing Institute, where the lame, deaf, halt and blind found Jesus Christ a present day Saviour and Healer. Also, tumours, cancers, tuberculosis, appendicitis, gall-stones and all the multitude of diseases that cause mankind excruciating pain vanished by the touch of Jesus through his son, John G. Lake. Minister Lake's definition for divine healing is “healing by the spirit of God, exercised through the spirit of man”. He belonged to the school of thought that Jesus the Master Healer, not only healed Himself, but empowered His 12 disciples to perform the same ministry. And by implication, he as the son of God had the authority in the name of Jesus to replicate the same power of the God.
With Thomas Hezmalhalch, Lake founded the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa in 1908, which attracted many of the early Zionists led by Pieter God's move and manifestation was so L. le Roux of Wakkerstroom. Le Roux strong in Lake's life that before his call took over the leadership of the into full time ministry Lake didn't mind Apostolic Faith Mission when Lake walking away from a mouth-watering returned to America, and Le Roux led it sum of $50,000 year salary as well as for 30 years. The Apostolic Church his seat on the Chicago Board of Trade developed into two large Churches in when he was going on a mission field South Africa: The Apostolic Faith for a full-time service, working for God. Mission (Which is not part of the He sold all he had; giving the money to Apostolic Faith Church in the United God's work, and embarked on a journey States) and The Zion Christian Church. of full service and great commitment to By 1913, Lake's ministry totaled 1,250 God. He took the work of healing Preachers, 625 Churches, 100,000 judiciously as thousands of people were Converts – and countless miracles. healed; oddly for a man who lost eight From 1915 to 1920, Lake ran "Healing family members to an unexplainable Rooms," a healing center in Spokane, recurring cycle of death before his Washington. In 1920, he moved to encounter with God. Portland, Oregon, for a similar ministry that lasted for a few years. He later on Among other remarkable healing returned to Spokane and practiced his ministrations that Lake manifested was healing ministry. In Spokane alone, a point when he healed some people of 100,000 healings were documented a terminal disease that medical and recorded within five years. This practitioners dreaded because of its was backed up by a report out of highly contagious effect. But when the Washington D.C. that said: Rev. Lake, bacteria got to Lake, instead of causing through divine healing has made harm to the man of God, the bacteria Spokane the healthiest city in the died as it came in contact with the life of world, according to United States God that flowed through him. Statistics.
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Lake's desire was to teach the next generation how to grab onto and skillfully wield the power of God. He said, Successful Christian life rests on three essentials: n
A knowledge of the teaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whose words are the final authority, the bar where every question must be brought for final decision. The words of every other must be measured and their value determined by their statements of Jesus Christ
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Consecration to do the will of God as declared by the Lord Jesus
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Recognition of the Holy Spirit as the revealer, guide, interpreter, teacher and empowerer. For without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, our consecration would be valueless. We would not be able to live it and without a knowledge of the teaching of Jesus, our consecration would be non intelligent
As the years went by, Lake lost his wife Jennie on December 22, 1908 who died of stroke six months after his arrival in South Africa. Then in 1913, he was remarried to his second wife Florence Switzer who had five children making a total of 12 children that he had from his two marriages.
JESUS OUR
DEFENCE
Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grain fields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: “how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also the Lord of the Sabbath. “Luke 6 v 1 – 5 There is an amazing discovery about the Lord Jesus. He is always ready to handle anything. His responses to situations were sharp and accurate such that if you have been following closely on His report, you would think He had preplanned His responses. No. I found out the answer to this in Luke 2 v 52. And Jesus increased in wisdom…. On the other hand, He is also ever ready to defend His own. The scripture above illuminates this thought. It happened that His disciples were questioned or accused, by the Pharisees, of violating the Sabbath, according to their custom. They plucked grains and ate on the Sabbath day. The accusation was not to Jesus directly but to the disciples, even though they wanted to hear what He would say about the matter. Verse 2 states this clearly: And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”
He once said, “I lived on corn meal mush many a period with my family, and we did not growl (complain), and I preached to thousands of people. When my missionaries were on the field existing on corn meal mush, I could not eat pie. My heart was joined to them. 'Them' in this verse refers to the disciples That is the reason we never had splits in because they were the ones who plucked grains. our work in South Africa”. The work of God therefore continued in the life of Lake until his death on September 16 1935 caused by a serious stroke. After Lake's death at age 65, Curry R. Blake was named the General Overseer of the International Apostolic Council, an organization founded by John G. Lake in 1914.
FULFILLING GOD'S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE
Amazingly, none of the disciples responded to the accusation. Our Lord Jesus did not even give them the chance. He chose to defend them and answered the Pharisees. His response went through from verses 3 through 5 and the case was closed. What can we draw from this event? As a Believer, you have an Accuser, the
Devil. The Bible spoke of this in Rev 12 v 10. He will come to you with diverse accusations in form of challenges and difficulties. But many of us have failed to realize that our physical efforts cannot overcome these accusations. It has to be done with a higher force, a higher power, Jesus Christ. We must practically surrender our challenges and difficulties to Jesus Christ whenever he comes accusing. How? I implore you to search your bible for two or three scriptures that addresses your situation and stir them up till it births your liberation. Remember, a matter is established from the mouth of two or more witnesses. Why the Word? John 1 v 1-14 illustrates that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Verse 14 states “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus is the Word. Using the Word, either you confess it and/or pray it, is simply handing over your situation to Jesus for Him to defend you. Even Jesus Christ, from our opening scripture in Luke 6 v 3 – 4, quoted the scripture from Exodus 20 v 10. He used the Word to respond to the accusation brought against His disciples. Beloved, let us practically do this whenever we are faced with life difficulties. Jesus is your defense; the Word is your defense. “…His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” Ps91vs4. Think about it- You shall know the truth and it shall make you free. Get the scriptures that 'defend' your health. Get the scriptures that 'defend' your provision. Jesus is ever with you; the Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. To meditate and speak in tongues is a glorious way of stirring the Word until your miracle is birthed. Let Jesus speak for you. Let the Word defend you. Selah. Anthony Odeyemi
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A CASE STUDY OF KING SAUL Romans 8:19 “For the earnest expectation of more in Evangelism and Missions. How can the creature waits for the manifestation of the we be relevant for God at this critical time in sons of God'' the history of mankind when men's strength are failing and very small number of people To be relevant is to be connected with what is are holding the ground because of the happening, what is going on, to be in condition of the environment, the love for demand. When one is solving problems and God of many people are waxing cold because providing solutions and giving meaning to of sin that is prevalent and the Scripture says people's life and existence, that person is “When the Son of man comes shall he find counted as relevant to those he is affecting. faith on the earth” Luke 18:8.
Friend, what you are passing through, all you are experiencing is for what God is preparing you for. Can God trust you in those experiences? In your quiet moments what thoughts do you fondle with, when door is shut and you are alone what kind of Christian are you. Do your aims, desires and aspirations complement that of God? Note this, everything a man that wants to attain relevance does counts before God.
May I quickly say here that not all achievers a re re l eva n t , o n e t h i n g i s h av i n g achievements, another thing is blessing lives with what you have which makes you relevant.
Attaining relevance is not for the lazy, it is for the diligent, it is for those who have made up their mind to go the whole length with Jesus, and it takes discipline, courage and constant relationship with the Holy Spirit.
(B) Purpose – 1 Samuel 9: 15-16 “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil” –1 John 3:8. The purpose of Jesus
From the scripture above, it is instructive to know that the whole world (living and nonliving things) is waiting for you to affect them. Everyone you come in contact with per day is waiting for you to affect their lives, I mean everyone in your family, in your school, your office, your friends – all are waiting to be positively affected by you. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:13–14, that you are “a city set on a hill which cannot be hid”, you are the salt of the earth – salt of the whole world! Which means the world is your space! You are the light of the world, you are like Jesus “The true light which lights every man that comes into the world” – John 1:9
The relevance we are talking about is not temporal relevance that is short-lived and worldly, we are talking of eternal relevance which is long lasting and godly, “for whatsoever God does shall be forever”
“…and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines – Judges 13:6 Purpose of Samson
The Making of Men of Relevance Let us study the life of some men in the bible that attained relevance and the mistakes/ error they made and how we can learn from them for their experience was an example to us to whom the end of the world has come. SAUL 1 Samuel 9, 10 and 13.
Saul, hunting for donkey certainly was not looking for a chance to become king. He was so politically unaware he didn't even know about the great man Samuel. Similarly Samuel was a small boy when God called him; David was anointed king while tending sheep. The leader God appoints are not You sit inside the Bus/ Taxi with an necessarily those seeking power. unbeliever and you are so comfortable, nothing moves you, don't you think that may (A) Saul's Background – 1 Samuel 9:1-2 be the last opportunity he/ she has to be Just two verses but speaks volume. Saul's saved. Come, how will you be moved when father was a man of standing, a mighty man you are used to it, more than half of your of power an influential man. The bible friends are unbelievers, you sleep in the describes Saul as a choice and goodly young same room with them, you go to the same man; he was the best in all Israel. He was very party and do almost all they do, how will you impressive. When you say someone is good, witness to them, how will you save their it means he is intelligent, he knows what he souls. Don't you think you are becoming like is doing, he is a master of his art, he is a the Lamp that is put under a bowl or better 'material', he is reliable, he gives satisfaction, still you have put yourself under the bowl, he stands out, he is simply a good man. alas! You cannot give light for all to see. Scripture says “come out from among them Saul was the tallest man in all Israel, by and be ye separate” 2 Corinthians 6:17 design, God prepared him for Goliath, but he failed when it matter most, may you not fail Jesus asked us to occupy/ to be busy till he at the core of your assignment in Jesus name. comes; He wants us to occupy in Business, Politics, Academics, Media & Arts and much Friends, may I tell you that if you abandon your responsibility of affecting lives, the sons of the devil will occupy the space (because there can be no vacuum) and do the opposite of what heaven has ordained you to do.
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“The Thief (Devil) comes not but to steal, to kill and to destroy” John 10:10 Purpose of the Devil When purpose of a thing is not known, it will certainly be abused. The reason many people are being abused and are abusing the grace of God upon their lives is because they lack purpose of their existence. Every one God calls, He gives specific assignment, specific purpose. God does not call you to do everything, to reach all people, you have your scope, you have been given a specific thing to do, you must find it out that is your responsibility. From inception, Saul knew the assignment God was giving him (whether he fulfilled it is another thing and we shall know very soon), he knew by Samuel that God designed him to “save my people out of the hand of the Philistines” 1Samuel 9:16b Sir/ Ma, what is your purpose, what are you here to accomplish, what do you do without stress, effortlessly, what consumes your thought, what is always the center of your discussions, what is God showing you in your dreams, in visions of God and silent communications. That may be your purpose. If you want to go far with God and live a fulfilled life you have a duty to search it out. The scripture says “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the honour of a king to search it out” go search out your purpose. (C) The Word of God – 1 Samuel 9:26-27
“Your word have I hid in my heart that I might people to pressure him. not sin against thee” Psalm 119:11 His, was a pathetic story. He had reigned over Let me please remind you that the relevance Israel for 2 years, during this time he fought we are talking about is not one initiated by Philistines a couple of times and won and flesh or competition, it is not worldly and the people started trusting him as their king, does not crave after the things of this world, in short he was fulfilling his destiny, his no not after fame. It is spiritual, it is God purpose, his God ordained will for his life (1 centered. So, if it is centered on God, the Samuel 11 & 12). knowledge of God through His word is very important and its importance cannot be over One day he was told that Philistines were emphasized. Many fine believers fall in to sin ready for battle and they came with 30,000 and error because they do not take heed to Chariots 6,000 horsemen and “armies as the the word of God, they become too busy doing sand of the sea shore in multitude” 1Samuel the work of God thereby neglecting to study 13:5 on the side of Israel was just 3,000 the word of God, they become busy soldiers with only Saul and Jonathan his son preaching, counseling, organizing anointing having sword the rest have no weapon. and breakthrough services without paying attention to refill through the word of God. Naturally, Saul was afraid, so he consulted The moment you stop studying the word of with Samuel and the Prophet told him to wait God, that very moment you start getting stale for him, in 7days he will come to the high and expiring. Friend, let nothing get you off place to make sacrifice before the battle. the word of God. Check out Samuel and Saul During these 7days of waiting, Philistines in Verse 27, they two study the word of God started advancing against them to the extent together to understand more the purpose that the armies of Israel started leaving Saul and the plan of God and to be fresh again running into caves, pits, thickets and inside because “The entrance of the word of God the rock – 1 Samuel 13:6 because they were gives light” Psalm 119:130 afraid and in great distress. Then on the 7th day King Saul offered burnt offering, as soon (D) A New Heart – 1 Samuel 10:9 as he was done, Samuel came in. Read what “And it was so, that when he had turned his the King gave as an excuse in 1 Samuel 13:11 back to go from Samuel God gave him “because I saw that the people were another heart” Verse 9 scattered from me”. Before you start to blame Saul, are your own excuses similar, you find it After the session of sharing the word of God difficult to wait on God, you want things to be with Saul and he turning to leave, he was done now, when answer is delaying you want given a new heart, the difference between a to try an 'alternative', seek help from spiritual man and a carnal man is the state of unbelievers, you don't mind committing their heart. A new heart is the prerequisite of fornication just to pass an exam, you don't receiving anointing from God, for without a mind lying, cheating in the examinations just new heart, there cannot be fresh oil. Little to avoid failure, you succumb to pressure wonder the man of God David prayed “Create from unbelieving friends and relatives, in me a new heart oh God and renew a right pressure to commit sin. spirit within me…” Psalm 51:10-12 The sad news is yet to come. Samuel said in (E) Endowment of God's Spirit – Verse 13, that the Lord has instructed him to 1Samuel 10:10 tell Saul after the sacrifice that He (God) “…and the Spirit of God came upon him” wants to establish his kingdom upon Israel Saul was filled with the Spirit of God and he forever. That was the end of Saul's destiny his became a new man. This is the best thing that destiny was truncated, he spent the next 40 can happen to a man, the great asset any man years as king without relevance, his can have, the privilege to be indwelled by authority was given to another, just because God; carrying God around. he could not wait. May that not be your story in Jesus name. Let us check the sequence again – After studying the word of God, he was given a new THE APOSTLES heart then he became filled with the Holy “And of them he chose twelve, whom also he Spirit his inadequacies, his deficiencies were named Apostles”. These were unschooled, swallowed up and he became a new man. illiterates and uneducated folks, they were mostly Farmers, Fishermen and Labourers, The Mistakes/ Error of Saul except someone like Mathew the Publican I have heard many people say that it was the (Tax Collector). They were people with no sin of disobedience in the matter of influence, no relevance to the scheme of Amalekites that made Saul to miss his things in the City politics and in the Church destiny, Yes that is partly correct. Can you (Synagogue). Perhaps the only relevance please permit me to point an underlying they had was when they acted as protocol thing, an error, something that is not officers of Jesus. They never did miracles nor necessarily a sin but could lead to casted out devils except on one occasion destruction, something probably you are when Jesus lent them his power. Jesus being guilty of – Impatience, Saul could not wait. with them was their influence, he was their He could not wait on God, he could not livelihood. endure, he could not persevere, he allowed
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When Jesus was taken away from them their 'influence' was gone, their life and existence was gone but before Jesus left he instructed them in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4-5 telling them not to leave the City of Jerusalem until he baptized them with Power from heaven. He strongly told them repeating it again that there is no need to hurry into the world without the substance, the real thing, the Power. Jesus needed people to continue what he started, he needed men that will continue the task of destroying the works of the devil which flesh and blood cannot do but he/ she that is filled with the Holy Spirit. The apostles in their state of timidity and confusion can not affect their world. So in Acts 1:8 and Acts 2:1-4 after 50 days of waiting for the promise of the Father, Holy Spirit fell on them in great power. Let us pause a bit and compare scriptures; this issue of waiting on God or waiting for God is pertinent, Saul the King could not wait for full 7 days and that cost him his throne, look at the apostles, they were simply asked to wait for power, no cut-off time was given they were asked to wait endlessly, 50 days seem like forever, it was a test of their patience, please note that during this period they were endangered people, they were at risk of death that was the reason they shut the doors and windows, they were in great fear, their situation was not different from that of Saul, Saul was even given 7days as cut off time, Apostles were told to wait as it were 'endlessly' they later wrote of this experience because they got matured through it “The Lord is not slack in his promises as men count slackness” 2 Peter 3:9. Dear Friend, when you were in similar situation of great desperation and distress, can you honestly share with people what you did, did you patiently wait for God or you sought help from Prophet sharp sharp or Jehovah now now? After the experience of baptism of the Holy Spirit, Power of God came fear left Peter and other Apostles stood before many people and gave witness of Jesus boldly, 3000 people became born again, great and strange wonders and miracles were done through them so much that their handkerchiefs and shadows were working wonders and testimony was given about them in Acts 17:6 “Men that turned the world upside down” what turned the former illiterates, confused and fearful people to superstar and men of great influence is the Holy Spirit. For you to be relevant in your God given calling, you need the power of the Holy Spirit because He is going to make you to stand out and be relevant to your generation. He will keep you from sin and give you extra ordinary ability to be the Best. ‘NIYI AKINYEMI
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W
ondering what social media marketing is? If you are, there are lots of information that you need to know regarding this advertising and marketing approach irrespective of your status. These are days when the internet traffic has been the highest ever, three of every four persons have an internet enabled phone and signed up to at least one social media platform, and there are over one billion users on Facebook. Basically, social media marketing is a technique wherein you advertise your business through the use of social networking sites and search engine., These sites include Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo, Google, MySpace and many more. Before, social networking sites were just used in terms of building relationships to the other people across the world. However because of its very promising benefits in terms of business advertising, business owners are already entering these sites and are marketing their business through it unlimitedly. With all fairness to social media promotions, several businesses have already achieved an increase in their sales in just a given short period of time.
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various sites. Under this kind of training, you will be able to learn in depth strategies of promoting your business through using the social networking sites. In addition to that, the correct approach per site will be learned under such kind of service. Although the sites offering this training is so much available online, it is still important for you to do some careful research so that you can choose the right service provider that you need. It is important to look for the one that offers high class training which can to the success of your business. A Very Powerful Tool Undeniably, social media marketing is a powerful tool in terms of making your business popular and in increasing the sales you will generate in the future. With the use of social marketing trainings present, you will surely make every step of this technique properly. Moreover, these trainings will also provide you with the right strategies needed towards the success of your business. This form of advertising is a proven way of achieving success for your business. Regardless if you are just a newbie or already experienced in business advertising, social media marketing will definitely offer lots of benefits to your business. Social media marketing is undeniably one of the best tactics for the success of your business. www.emarketschool.com will provide you with additional information concerning this kind of advertising strategy Regards, adedolapo, ILELABOYE N.O
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…OF THE DEFENCE OF THE FAITH AND CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE Should we take a stand against wrong teachings or avoid confronting issues?
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t is sad for us in our Generation that once a servant of God starts to set forth the truth of the word of God plainly on any scriptural truth which has been abused, he is quickly seen as an enemy, critic or too puffed up with knowledge by many ignorant people who do not consider it a duty to read and discover the truth of Scripture for personal use but only rely on what their Pastor or sect leader says about such a matter. I am afraid the bones of the reformers like John Wyclife, John Hus, John Calvin, Martin Luther will be turning restlessly in the grave at the error of our generation in not wanting to read the Bible they gave their lives to interpret to native languages so that every man may read and understand the sound Biblical doctrines as handed over to us by the Apostles. It is important for us to know that the Bible is the final authority of a believer over every aspect of our living; in education, finance, marriage, homes etc regardless of whatever anybody claims the Holy Spirit is telling him or her, as a matter of fact, the Bible is the basis for judging whatever anyone says the Spirit is saying as the scripture is written by the same Holy Spirit so why would He contradict himself. So many lazy and gullible fellows on the pews of our Churches will quickly jump to the defense of their erroneous Pastors with the following phrases in order to give them immunity when they err in doctrinal issues: Touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm! Judge not and you will not be judged! Follow peace with all men! Love does not criticize! Some will even argue that Korah, Dathan and Abiram perished for daring to oppose Moses unknown to them however that they were not opposing Moses on matters of the Law but on supremacy in Priesthood. Certainly, It was not about law but about positions and evidently that is a matter of pride and not doctrine. If we carefully and diligently look at the word of God, we would see that these often quoted Scriptures as itemized were either quoted out of context or
misinterpreted and are not even importance to 'touch not' to some applicable in the matter of doctrine for prophets in a special class when God which they are often quoted. even called us all gods in Psalm 82:6 and that we are all children of God. It is only Let us use the rule of contextual meaning those who have been brainwashed by the so called anointed men of God in a to examine the passages below “He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, special class and those to whom the to Israel as an everlasting covenant: word of God has not been revealed that To you I will give the land of Canaan as will see themselves in a lesser class than the portion you will inherit, when they being gods, prophets and children of were but few in number, few indeed, God. and strangers in it, they wandered from nation to nation, from one Judge not! kingdom to another. He allowed no one “Do not judge, or you too will be to oppress them: for their sake he judged. For the same way you judge rebuked kings: Do not touch my others, you will be judged, and with the anointed ones; do my prophets no measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of harm” - (Psalm 105: 10 -15) sawdust in your brother's eye and pay A careful look will shows that “the touch no attention to the plank in your own not my anointed ones and do my prophets eye? How can you say to your brother, no harm” is not only referring to 'Let me take the speck out of your own ministers of God but to the anointed and eye' when all the time there is plank in prophetic generations; I mean the whole your own eye? You hypocrite, first take tribe of Israel when they were moving the plank out of your own eye, and then from one place to another on their way you will see clearly to remove the speck to Canaan. Let us recall the story of from your brother's eye” - (Matthew Balaam the Prophet and Balaak the King 7:1- 5). of Moab and how their attempt to curse the children of Israel was turned to I looked and looked at the above passage b l e s s i n g . U n d e r t h e s t r i c t and all I can say is that God is warning us commandment of God on a particular to be careful of acting as chief judge in occasion, Balaam prophesied that there matters of life and characters of others, is no sorcery against Jacob and no more so that we ourselves may be divination against Israel (Numbers committing other more heinous sins! 23:23). This is supposed to be a The judgment matter does not in any triumphant song for all believers and not way relate to doctrine! for some selected few by name 'men of God'! Thank God I am a called and Follow peace with all men Make every effort to live in peace with ordained minister of God. all men and to be holy; without Some might ask why then did God talk holiness no one will see the Lord. about his Prophets in the passage, to (Hebrew 12:14) them I will reply was Abraham a patriarch yet God referred to him as a I always love to stand on the side of the prophet in the matters of his wife which scripture and from the scripture passage Abimelech the king of Gerar took from above I believe as believers we must never have reason to be at war with him (Genesis 20). anybody, we are called to be at peace Have a look at 1 John 2:20, you have an with all men, every disagreement must anointing from the holy one, and all of be in love, never holding grudge or you know the truth. So we are all bitterness with anyone. Jesus had issues anointed of God as many of us that are of belief with the Pharisees, teachers of born again in the New Testament the law, the tax collectors and the parlance. John was not writing to only Sadducees yet he harbored no guile with men of God in the Chapter but to all persons but principles or doctrines so when Nicodemus came calling, he was children of God. accepted, Zacheus had no issue of Why would anyone attach so much acceptance with Jesus. So look at Paul he
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rebuked Peter in manner of relationship with the gentiles yet he respected and loved him as an apostle and a brother. Love does not mean there will be no difference in opinion; it only means it should be handled in love without bitterness. As a matter of fact Bible says we should rebuke in love. Having considered all the above scriptures, it is important to now look at the Biblical stand on the matters of doctrine. I realize that in matters of doctrine, Jesus pulled no punch back, so did Peter, Paul, Jude and others. After a careful look at the Scriptures, I see that all the Heroes of faith understood that wrong doctrine is the bedrock for all wrong beliefs and wrong beliefs leads to eternal loss. Let us therefore consider the Scriptures below which makes us to know that when it comes to the matters of the faith and doctrine. We must earnestly contend and defend them!
to tell them the error of their messages! God will hold us accountable for them as he will hold them accountable for their own actions. For him that knows how to do good and does not do it for him it is a sin. In balancing It, does it mean we should insult Men of God? The answer is also NO! We owe it to them to respect them, those who labour over us in word and prayer deserve double honor, we can make our observation of such errors known to them in love, the Bible says do not rebuke an elder but entreat him as a father! This is important as we display our zeal for God so that we don't end up like Jehu, nonetheless our stand should be on the side of integrity of God's word not on personality of fallible men!
When it became necessary to correct Peter irrespective of his status, Paul did what was needful. This is a profound lesson for the Church! As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men “When Peter came to Antioch, I not to teach false doctrines any longer. opposed him to his face, because he (1 Timothy 1:3) was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used If we look at the passage above, we can to eat with the Gentiles. But when they see that Paul knowing the danger of false arrived, he began to draw back and doctrines portends for the Church in separate himself from the Gentiles Ephesus left Timothy there to use his because he was afraid of those who authority as a leader to stop certain men belonged to the circumcision group, from teaching false doctrines. I often the other Jews joined him in his wonder what is happening in the hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy present day church that we do not see even Bernabas was led astray. When I our Church leaders confront or defend saw that they were not acting in line the truth against heresy, yet we always with the truth of the gospel, I said to have comments on political issues in our Peter in front of them all, “you are a countries. Even when such matters of Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not doctrines are brought to us we prefer like a Jew. How is it, then that you force docile and lukewarm answers whether Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?” - for the fear of not wanting enemies or for whatever reason, I believe the Scriptures (Galatians 2:11-14) must be defended against heresy by both Wonderful, Peter was an Apostle before Christian Leaders and followers! It is Paul, as a matter of fact he was the leader our responsibility. of the twelve Apostles that Jesus chose, he spoke out the revelation that Jesus is Fight the good fight of the faith. Take 'the Christ'. He dined and lived with the hold of the eternal life to which you master when He was here! Here we see were called when you made your good how the man in him showed up and it confession in the presence of many contradicted the truth of the gospel, Paul witness. (1 Timothy 6:12) the least of the apostles (so to say) had to c o n f r o n t h i m i n h i s e r r o r b y This is one of the few times the Bible admonishes us to fight and it concerns withstanding him face to face. our defense of the faith! Who are we Does respect say we should not correct afraid of? Friends, let us fight the good scriptural errors? The answer is NO! fight of preserving Godly doctrine but Many of us are by nature cowards and see this also Sycophants who profit from flattering men of God to our own disadvantage and Dear friend, although I was very eager to their destruction. We prefer to tell to write to you about the salvation we them the good they are doing but refuse share, I felt I had to write and urge you
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to contend for the faith that once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord (Jude 3-4) There is something noteworthy and important in the passage and that is the fact that the faith has been once and for all handed to us so we can either shipwreck it for the generation to come by laying the foundations of false doctrines or we can heed the warning of Jude by contending for it. But the sure thing is that it has been handed over to us once and for all. Do not forget the heroes of faith who were burnt at stakes, assassinated, driven into hiding, persecuted all over the world because they dared to take a stand against anti scriptural doctrines in the Church of their day and let us not forget that like in those days certain men have secretly crept in among us, they now claim Ÿ we can redeem people with money and thereby deny Jesus our only Sovereign and Lord, Ÿ communion is now a cure for all sickness, they sprinkle coloured w a t e r, t h e y s e l l s o a p s , o i l , handkerchiefs, taking Christian doctrines to the extremes in the border of idolatry etc. The above passages are clear directions of the scriptures that when it comes to doctrines for which the word faith was used, we all have the duty to defend it against erroneous and suggestive messages! Our responsibility as legitimate children is to contend for the faith by silencing such men by making the truth of the gospel known to all as it is. After all, the son who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son to his father! In this time of all manner idolatrous practices in the name of Prophetic instructions, my candid opinion is that it is time for individual christians known as the temple of God to return to the Bible and search the truth of God's word for direction. It is time for reformation! God is going to give the former and the latter rain in the first month meaning the end time Church is going to witness reformation and revival together before the appearing of the Lord Jesus! Be bold, Rise up and be counted among the reformers and revivalists! Isaac Idowu
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a n y t h i n g , w h e t h e r s c i e n t i f i c a l l y, mathematically and philosophically but w i t h my s c i e n t i f i c , s p i r i t u a l a n d philosophical knowledge such wrong arguments are proved otherwise.
LIVING FOR GOD
IHL How many albums do you have to your credit?
Dr Panam Percy Paul
He is a man with exceptional qualities and gifts, widely travelled, with great depth and insight. A man so passionate about the kingdom of God and has carved a niche for himself in the music ministry. He is well-read with six first degrees and three PhDs in three different fields, a father to many. He is no other than Dr Panam Percy Paul, a man with a great desire to impact his generation and the next for Christ. He readily shares with Alo Omotayo and Adeola Okugbaye his life experience, music ministry and also expresses his opinions on burning issues in the music industry. IHL - Can we meet you sir? PPP- My name is Panam Percy Paul, my parent come from Adamawa state, Demsa local government. I was born in Kaduna a little under 60years ago and grew up there under military discipline. I attended Second Baptist primary school, St.Paul College, Technical college and Kaduna Polytechnic within Nigeria before I travelled abroad for other academic and professional pursuit. I am second in the line of four children, two boys and two girls. I had an elder brother who passed on about 15years ago. I am married to my sweetheart, Tina and we are blessed with four children, three girls and one boy and we have six grand children. Of course, I adopted six other children and inherited four from my elder brother. IHL - Can you recount any childhood experience that has an influence on you current personality? PPP - I had serious musical influence from both white and black Americans. To be specific, Sam Cooke, James brown, Everly Brothers amongst others were people I listened to in the 50's and 60's. This people modeled my musical mindset but my father was my first musical teacher. He taught me to play the accordion between 1959 and 1961. In 1963, I started playing the harmonica and by 1967 I started playing the Organ all under the tutelage of my father. By 1970, I perfected my drumming skills in the school band at St. Paul. It was in school that my musical knowledge started opening and advancing, having joined the school band called “swinging cockroaches” where I played the drums in which I was the youngest. In 1964 my father sent me to a music teacher, Mr. Kwon who trained my voice for 5years. He taught me how to read and write music and the knowledge of it
built my confidence. The training for me was a stepping stone to my present exploit. IHL Who was your mentor while growing? PPP- My father was my mentor. He was the one I learnt from and looked up to. My teacher was my instructor he opened my mind to things I didn't know within the profession but I didn't copy him. Interestingly my teacher was not as proficient practically as he was excellently grounded in theory. He was an excellent teacher but he didn't have the kind of voice that I have. My teacher brought out the best in me, so I could still give him some mentor accolade but my father still remains my mentor.
PPP- To be a music minister firstly, you have to be a minister. You are a minister like any other ministers. The error is that we prioritize the music before the minister but the ideal is that you are a minister who uses music, so you are first a minister. Go to bible school like any other minister; study the bible because your ministry depends on it. Let music ministers study the word of God to know the God they are singing about. The difference is that when you are a student of the bible you will be able to write songs within the truth of the word of God that will impact the lives of your listeners.
PPP- Thus far, I have written a little over 3000 songs but I have released just 12 albums. It is not possible to record all my songs. The truth is that songs are not given for recording. Songs are given for seasons; they are given to people so that it can be a message or a source of encouragement to a person. When a song is given to me, I utilize it for that appointed time but if the song is for the future I utilize the song. I have one of the best studios in the world, but then, I don't rush into the studio to record my songs, but I love sitting in the studio to record other people. I think I have come to understand the purpose of music. There is music to a generation and there is music to a person. It is to be used for situations and whenever such occasion arises I use the right kind of music. My music is not just for recording, I love public and personal ministration. I want to be there, sing to the people, and give them the life and walk out of there. When people have a personal encounter with a person who does the song the experience never leaves them. My music has remained ever-green with people because I have always loved to be there and when they listen to me they discover the realness of the song and the power behind it. The CD they have been listening for four to five years, when they listen to it live, they get revived. I love ministering right on the spot than record that is why it takes me 3years minimum interval to record in the studio.
IHL Sir, Aside from music, what other things do you do?
IHL How do you get inspiration to write your lyrics?
PPP- Well, I read mechanical engineering first and when I graduated, I read electrical electronics. Then I read architecture, then after that, I left for England and read acoustic engineering. Later, I went to the US and read music engineering but before then I had read aeronautics in the aviation school of Zaria. Thus far, I have been able to bag three PhD's, one in music, sound engineering and philosophy. I didn't have these degrees for having sake, but it was due to the fact that I loved knowledge. I hate been asked questions and not knowing the answer, so I wanted to be well rounded-up, well grounded in the total education of life, I wanted to know everything . Obviously I cannot know everything but I have made quite some great effort to keep myself balanced. As a minister, I get to meet very learned people who want to philosophically refute the existence of the intelligent being called God. These people can argue out
PPP- I think education really helps. It helps me in communicating my thoughts better than other people. I believe we receive same ideas and same messages but when you do not have the right language to communicate that information then the message itself becomes deficient. My training and exposure has given me the edge to communicate in very simple terms, using very simple sentences but then speaking reality to any given situation. Having been trained in music and song writing, I know that a song is a message and that message has to be a complete message. Every letter must have an introduction, must have a purpose and must have a conclusion, and so that is how I approach my songs. I first give a good intro, then I go to the main purpose of the song and at the end of it I try to add some real stories, things that people can relate with, from the scriptures and personal experiences. People can relate much more to what is real than what is assumed. But
up to be conscious of it and launched myself into it. I never knew that I was going to end up doing music as a profession or going into the ministry. I loved music quite alright but in the beginning it didn't look like I was going to have a profession in music. In my early years I had opportunities to study music abroad but my father refused vehemently and said I should face my studies first before I go into anything music. He said if I had travelled, I wouldn't come back home to study anything else and make music my only focus. There was no motivation from anywhere; it was just my discovery of the huge amount of energy the creator has deposited in me called musical creativity. IHL What does it take to be a music minister?
IHL What motivated you into music? PPP- I was not really motivated into music; I was born a musician. The gift was in me. I grew up and discovered that this was the one thing I could do excellently without anyone coaching me or the smallest instruction that I got made me excel beyond the reasoning of those who gave me the instructions. I remember when I was still in secondary school in 1974; a fellow student also a friend was learning to play the guitar from one of our teachers in Technical school. Every Friday he would go there and I didn't know. So one Friday he informed me about going to the teacher's house and told me to come along not mentioning what we were going there to do. When we got there, the teacher welcomed us and then went straight to his bedroom to bring his guitar for my friend, Samson Para. Later on, my friend brought out his note indicating the points of the notes on the guitar for placing fingers. I watched Para for 20minutes and when his fingers were hurting he took an excuse for using the bathroom. Within the three minutes my friend excused himself to go to the bathroom, I have picked the guitar, learnt the three basic cords; C, F and G by the time he came back I was already playing well and singing. When he came, he stood behind me, watching me sing as I played on with the guitar. My friend on first reaction accused me of been wicked for not teaching him how to play when I knew how to play. Then I corrected his notion that, that day was the first time I was going to touch a guitar. In less than five minutes I learnt to play the major chords by just watching my friend play from his notes. It can only be a gift that God had put in me, and I just woke
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when you tell people that this is what you have gone through and you got through it from the bible or a life story, it makes a lot of sense to them and so they apply it in a similar situation that they are going through. The inspiration comes from experience, study about other people, study of the bible, moment of prayers and deep mediation. The language you know best to communicate with is the language God will use in communicating with you. Since my primary form of communication is tongues and music, I believe that is why God chose to speak to me in that form. To somebody else, it might be art, to another it might be poetry or some form of design, through mathematics. But music is my language of communication and that is the only language I can use to communicate. IHL How were you mentored in ministry? PPP- By 1979, I had gone to Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa who then was a reverend. At that time people were talking a lot about fathers and mentors, so I went to him if he could father me, but he turned me down and said he knew nothing about the music ministry and that he as a Reverend was not mentored by anyone but made his mistakes and grew; so he advised me to do the same. He told me that I was a father myself that I should make my mistakes, correct myself and grow. Although it was not pleasant because I thought I was just going to see somebody who will instruct me on when to and when not to do and how I should go about things but I was told to grow on my own. So I continued, doing what I knew how to do best; went on with outreaches to secondary schools and Universities at least three times every month. The passion we had for Christ was so much but we didn't know how to communicate properly, and we just preached with disrespect for people's feelings. We didn't care whether the people loved the music or not, we just sang that”if they didn't repent they will go to hell”. We were so harsh and brutal with our messages then. And to think of it now, if such songs were marketed today in Alaba, the marketers wouldn't think twice before they say “pack your things and go home”. But then, those were the things I had to learn and out grow. Until I started learning philosophy and learning the psychology of communication, how to deal with people and how to make your communication attractive my communication pattern was harsh. My knowledge made me change my mode of singing, talking and writing. But then, I had three people who actually sat me down and thought me some things. One of them is Uncle Bayo Familore- under whose ministry I accepted Jesus as my lord and savior; he was a youth corper who came to serve in the Technical school where I was. When I got born again, it opened-up a new world of what life was all about. He was my primary influence of walking with God. The
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second influence I had was Prof. Duro Adeboye, he was then the head of Department of Biological Sciences in Ahmadu Bello University, and I met him in 1976, he was the one that taught me how to use music for evangelism. He told me clearly that I had the gift of singing, and I shouldn't use the message to chase people away, “start with the music, even if you don't sing anything I should play the instrumentals, attract the people with the music, take time to tell them Jesus loves them and leave the holy ghost to do the rest of the work”. As simple as it sounds, that was what transformed me. It made me to focus on designing music that is attractive, captivating with sweet melody, so people can be captivated by the sweet melody and then my message goes into their subconscious, and they fall in love with the music not realizing that they have fallen in love with the message. This two people stand out to be the ones that sat me down and taught me the rudiments of how to infuse the word of God into excellent music. Bayo Familore was very emphatic on the excellence of the word of God, while Prof. Adeboye was emphatic on my musical skills. So as I was developing in my knowledge of the word of God, I also was developing in my musical skills. Blending the two things together has made me to stand out and I believe that these ingredients are the ones making my music different. A lot of time we want to give credit to God when great things happen but God works through men and through a process. People just say, God did this, God did that. The question is, how did he do it? The two people I mentioned were those God used to be able to teach me some of the element that I have mentioned. I am saying these to make my brothers, sisters and children in the ministry get to know that even if the Holy Spirit speaks to you, your knowledge of communication helps you to transmit the message to others easily. The extent of your knowledge is the extent to which you can interpret God. If you have only primary school level education, it does not matter the level of revelation that comes from the Holy Spirit, you can only interpret Him with primary school knowledge. IHL What is your opinion about the commercialization of gospel music? PPP- The word commercialization can easily be misunderstood. My personal belief is that any ministry that becomes successful becomes an industry because the book you write was not written with the intention to make money but to communicate the truth or revelation a person has received, but in disseminating this information through a medium that has to be bought an industry has already been birthed. And so people in the need of that necessity will have to pay for the packaging. You can never pay for the messages, you can never pay for the music that I write; it is totally beyond me. When I listen to my own music, I tend to wonder
how I was really able to create it. They are beyond me, the life that they give to people are far beyond my capability. Besides, there is nothing ungodly from eating out of your labour. If the unbeliever is making money and using his money to influence the society in an evil direction; why don't I make my money and use my money to influence the society in a positive way. So when we talk about commercialization it could be misunderstood. This is not to say that we don't have people who go into gospel music solely for the purpose of making money. Even in my own local society, Jos where I live, there are people who come into the studio, and in fact before recording they have already printed the card for the day of launching. And they tell me to produce limited copies that their music is just for the day of the launching, once the CD is released whatever amount of money they make on the launch day is all for them. This is because some already have a backlog of house rent, so they want to pay their rent; some have a dream to buy a car. And so they keep going from one big man to another telling them to come for the launch, and when they get their target amount of money that is the end of the music. This kind of music does not make any impact in the listener's life because the motive was to only make money. To me music goes far beyond the money, it is a powerful force that changes the life of people, spiritually, mentally and physically. It is incredible to study and know that today music is employed in anatomical healing or medicine. It is a professorial degree course today, called music therapy. You can study the power and energy released through music that can cause changes in the lives of people. So music has become commercialized because we have people whose desire is just to make money out of music. When you listen to commercial music, you know it does not have substance. Also the longest duration and life span of commercial music does not last six months. When you play a commercial CD, it doesn't matter whether it has a gospel or secular lyrics, once you play it over and over again, you get tired of it, you take it out of your CD player, and you won't want to play it again. Check out all the great songs that have been released by secular music artist, the longest they have existed in the air playing is six months. But “Bring Down the Glory 1” was recorded in 1986, released in March 1987, today after almost 30years they are still fresh and sung today. That tells you it could never had been commercial because the life and energy that was released into those CD's came from an eternal God and that is the reason it does not have a life span, it will just keep going. The song 'Amazing Grace' was written around 400years ago, and up till today it is still sung, this shows that the purpose of Amazing Grace was not commercial. Today we read the songs of David which we call Psalms, if they were commercially motivated we would have been done with them long ago but they were meant to give life so my music has been
designed to give life that it why it has no life span. Music that is designed to make money and to be famous has a life span; but music designed to give life does not have a life span. In the 60's such music are called Evergreen. IHL What is your opinion on the infusion of Afro, Fuji, juju and Rap into gospel music? PPP- Music by the way is a language of culture. Music was given by God in different societies for cultural identity. When you listen to a music that comes from Igbo land, nobody needs to tell you; It has its signature. When you listen to Juju music nobody needs to tell you, you know Juju came from the Yoruba culture. The person from the north will not play juju music the way a Yoruba man will play it. Music gives you a cultural identity. Music was an instrument designed by God given to each culture for the purpose of worship. The bible was clear when it said “every tribe and tongue will sing and worship the Lord” if every tribe and tongue worships the Lord are we all going to sing English, or pop or rock music, obviously not! so when we appear before God in the place of worship, we are going to have a lot of juju. The name juju may have been used synonymously with voodoo (witchcraft), but who says the name juju was not clean? It was clean when it was originated. But then, whoever made it famous and later called it juju music, just gave it that identity. That does not take away the clean reality of the origin of juju music. Whatever gift God has given is good and perfect gift but unfortunately a good and perfect gift can be misused by anybody. So when God gave the gift of music, the devil perverted it that is even why we have today what is called bad music which was never meant to be. As to my view on the fusion of rap and the rest in gospel music, everybody has a cultural right to express himself in the culture he has been birthed so as to communicate to that locality in the language they can best understand.
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Every time I come to the western part of Nigeria interestingly, with all the English songs that I have written, I always go right back to sing Yoruba songs. And the moment I begin to sing Yoruba songs it lifts the anointing to a much higher dimension, the same thing that happen when I am in the eastern environment. It has given me more advantage because I could enter any culture and communicate well in the language they understand better. I do not find anything wrong in any musical fusion or style. What makes it wrong is the person himself. If the person does not have the right spirit, he obviously has the wrong spirit and he will do, say and sing the wrong things but I have listened to people rap and rap slowly so that what they are rapping does not become a nuisance but an attractive message. For instance if I take Psalm 119 which is the longest verse in the bible, how could you sing a song in a hundred plus verses? It was a chant. The chant in today's parlance is called a rap. But these were chants that were understood because they were chanted slowly and meditatively. The problem is that these generations of rappers do not give room for people to hear what they are saying due to so much speed in delivery. And so if faith comes by hearing, then how can we develop faith when the rap singer is singing too fast. IHL What is your personal worship time like? PPP- My understanding of worship is quite different from other people's understanding. For me, worship goes very far beyond the music. The music just happens to be a physical expression of an inner experience. Worship for me is like a spiritual intercourse between God and myself. When I am worshipping, I am expecting God to release the life that he has into me. God is the husband and I am the wife. And so if God makes love to me, believe
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me I must be pregnant; and that pregnancy can come in form of creativity, ideas and healing. If the gene of God that cannot be sick touches my own sickly gene there has to be healing and change. I do lay flat alone in my room just letting my mind get overwhelmed by my spirit so I get to touch God. Once I contact God in that dimension, I am able to interprete musically my spiritual experience, so what I express in my music carry that same energy. My songs are not more than four chords but they are so energized because I make contact first with God in the place of worship before I do anything. My lifestyle of worship is God first, God first, God first! There is no difference to my musical life to my Christian life. No difference to my Christian life and as an engineering consultant. IHL What major Challenge have you faced in the ministry? PPP- My challenges had been earlier on in ministry. It was that of been accepted by the church because my music was considered to be too good and too clean. When the music is excellent they say some demons are in charge of that inspiration but if it has some elements of error, the church will say you are trying and that you should keep working hard. When such excellence was been shown in my music, I suffered rejection because some persons said I was being possessed by the devil and that my inspiration was coming from Satan. But unfortunately my bible tells me that all good and perfect gifts come from the Lord and the gift of God make rich and add no sorrow. My songs definitely add no sorrow to anyone so my gifting couldn't have been from the devil. Today's world is facing a different challenge which is a little similar to the one I had. The problem is that the church does not know how to accommodate, encourage and build up viable gifts. There is nothing wrong in doing Christian or gospel business in music by promoting the gifted and talented youths to continue in singing gospel songs. We have lost so many youth in the church in the different talent hunts and reality TV shows that are coming up. Our children that used to sing “hallelujah” in the church are made to sing “Baby I love you, Baby I need you”. I believe the bible passage which states that, with every temptation God will make a way of escape. But in the early overwhelming stage of the temptation, brothers in the church who are supposed to warn and correct are the ones that criticize you, so they force you into falling. I have also gone through the challenge of being accepted by my own parent especially my father who thought music was not noble enough as professions like engineering. He loved the title “Engineer” but that was not my destiny. I thank God I went to school and I studied but I wouldn't have found fulfillment in engineering. Although I still practice, interestingly, I am an engineering consultant. I am a lecturer too. Also I am a I N
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visiting professor to five Universities and I have my own college, Panam College. Challenges are a part of life for God sakes. You will always encounter it; even Jesus said so in John 16:33. If you can just cheer up a little bit you will discover that such situation has been surmounted before and then you toe the line of victory and get to win IHL How were you able to overcome the challenges you had? PPP- My total dependence is facing life and looking at things the way God will have looked at them. When I face any challenge I go back to the bible and check if any person has faced a similar challenge and how he or she was able to get out of such. I believe everything has happened in the bible before, and as long as it has happened before; use the same principle and you get the same result. IHL What is your most memorable ministration? PPP- This is difficult to say, but I think the release of the album, 'Bring down the glory 2' that for me was quite memorable. The album was released in Lagos at the national theatre. On the day of release we sold 48,000 copies at the venue on day one. I don't think it has happened before whether secular or gospel. After this we released “Nigeria I Love you” in Jos, and in one venue we sold 36,000 copies. This just goes to show me how influential and acceptable the ministry had come to be. It wasn't like that in the beginning but gradually by resilience and keeping focus one has come to make an impact in people's lives and they have come to see that I am not just a musician but a minister. I am first a child of God and I can never stop being a child of God even if I stop singing, but off course I cannot stop singing because that is what keeps me alive. As long as I am alive, I will keep communicating and music is the strongest form of communication for me. IHL How do you relax and balance your ministry, career and personal life? PPP- It is called time. We have 24hours in one day and you cannot be a lecturer 24hours, neither can you be a father or a husband for 24hours. So there is time that you allocate to various aspect of your life. It is just a matter of planning and when it is time to rest, please rest. My father taught me and said that what a man cannot accomplish before six in the evening he would not accomplish it after 6'o clock. So once it is 6pm I leave the office and start a new life called home; and that is how I live. I live by timing. The things I do early in the morning I go by it. The live by a routine and follow it. Once you have your life well charted it becomes very easy. The things you cannot finish today you continue the following day. Everything was designed to fall into a fashion called times and seasons and that is
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life for you. To everything there is a season, to every life there is a purpose. IHL Sir, what do we expect from you in the nearest future? PPP- Exactly what I am doing now is what I will continue doing. Jesus will always be Jesus, yesterday; today and forever. Panam will be same today and forever. If I change that means I am dead. IHL What is your message to readers and music ministers out there? PPP- I encourage people to study and to be as literate as possible in all things. This way we will never have an end in expressing God, his sovereignty and his awesomeness because he keeps going beyond our comprehension but then if you cannot comprehend to the highest level of intelligence, how then can God be at the highest pedestal. The higher we go the higher God is, and the higher we discover he surpasses all that is in the world. So I encourage my brothers and sister to be very skilled. Let's not be mediocre in the things we do and we should stop handing over our responsibilities to the Holy Spirit, telling him to do everything for us. Unfortunately the Holy Spirit is not a doer, he is a teacher so that you can do what he has taught, and he is an encourager so that you are encouraged to do what he has encouraged you to do, he is an inspirer so that you are inspired to do what he has inspired you to do. The Holy Ghost is not the doer, you are the doer but he inspires you to do what you ought to do. I don't hand over my responsibility to the Holy Spirit. I take responsibility by working to perfect my skills to be able to communicate to my world better. For people who take me as a model, my life is based on the constitution called the bible. In the bible we have a lot of stories; good, bad and terrible ones but then when you hear a thus saith the Lord take it seriously. I take passages that the Lord spoke as a law. I pattern my life according to the word and by no means will I want to give someone an impression of a life I do not live. My advice is that you be yourself; be a child of God.
COMMUNICATION
COURTSHIP & MARRIAGE
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t begins with courtship when the will of God has been revealed to the brother and sister who have received the green light of the Spirit for marriage. Until this conviction comes, courtship cannot begin. Courtship is not a verification of their suitability, rather a period of knowing one another after God's will have been revealed. What immediately follows is the formal introduction of both to their families and afterwards the planning for the celebration of the marriage which is referred to as 'the wedding' commences. Whereas the communication during courtship is limited, the couple, as soon as they become a man and woman and husband and wife through the holy matrimony, enters a life-time of regular communication which is the b e d r o c k o f e ve r y h e a l t hy marriage. Communication between every couple is very crucial to a blissful marriage. Every good, healthy and lasting marriage relies on communication. Most newly married couples start out sincerely wanting to be good partners but as soon as children begin to come and the marriage grows old, this very important ingredient begins to wane. With many other couples, work, career and other issues of life completely take out the time of communion. The result is that such marriages begin to drift. Because it is one of the greatest ingredients of a healthy marriage, pastors have told prospective couples during
pre- wedding counseling to give serious consideration to communication. Research has shown that most marriages collapsed because the husband or the wife was an introvert. They kept quiet in matters in which they would have spoken out. Amos 3:3 asks, "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”
ourselves off from strategic blessings that should be manifesting in the marriage blessings that can only come from fellowshipping with one another. We cannot fellowship without This agreement is not magical but e x p r e s s i n g o u r s e l v e s b y comes over time as couples learn communication as it is with our to walk constantly together. The Heavenly Father. earthly ministry of Jesus was such a great success because He W h e n w e C o m m u n i c a t e communed regularly with His The blessings in a Christian Father. Beginning with the early marriage are many and diverse. a p o s t l e s , eve r y s u c c e s s f u l When we spend tangible time minister and ministry succeeded communicating with one another, because of that communion which the marriage is opened up for the is a result of communication. blessing that God commanded on W h e n t h e r e i s l a c k o f the first couple at Eden. Healthy communication in marriage every and godly children are raised and good and sincere intention by society is blessed. Our marriages each of them is misunderstood become an inspiration and a and misconstrued. Such couples source of encouragement for the use their children or house helps next generation. to communicate to each other. Though they live together and More importantly, the church, the sleep in the same room, they are body of Christ is edified and gets emotionally torn apart and there stronger. is no longer any joy in the So instead of asking why others relationship and they are simply are happily blessed in marriage and wondering why yours is not, going through the motions. why don't you begin now to spend When Communication is Absent tangible time together and with When communication is missing God, the source of every blessed in marriage, the children get marriage and home. I encourage physiologically and emotionally all those planning to enter into disturbed and is harmful for their marriage to prepare their minds future. Cracks are opened to become healthy 'talkers' loving everywhere for the adversaries and enjoying God's presence and it becomes vulnerable to together. different attacks on the marriage attacks in many areas especially in Rev. (Mrs) Gbemi Olaleye finances and on health. We cut 16 I N H I S L I G H T M A G A Z I N E
HOLDING THE BULL'S HORN
HOW TO COPE WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE AT WORK
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orking in the corporate world means you have to interact with many types of personalities and characters. Sometimes you do have unavoidable personality conflicts with a person you have to work with. It is not your choice to be in the same team or same company with such people but you will find yourself working with such people at one point or the other. There are different types of difficult people: People who don't turn their work in as promised, people who don't show up for meetings, people who stick vehemently to their views and refuse to collaborate, people who push back on work that they're responsible for - and more. Types of difficult people: Difficult people can be categorised into five classes: The Tank – loud, pushy people The Sniper – people who undermine others publicly or privately The Know-It-All- People who always punch holes in all you do Mr. Yes - who never says no but never delivers Whiners- Those who complain about tasks assigned to them However, if you have good intentions to build bridges with a co-worker that you are not really keen on, here are some suggestions that might help: 1. Be civil to your coworker and never raise your voice tone despite his/ her unlikeable behavior and attitude. This can be hard since some people may try to get you upset. Remember to breath slowly, and always remember to excuse yourself from any conversation that can upset you. Simply take a breath and say in
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your calmest coolest voice, "If you will excuse me, I just need a moment (away/outside/in the hall) to myself." OR "I would really like to continue this in a more calm and efficient manner." 2. When working together within an area with one another, make yourself available to show that you are diligent in your work. Ask questions like, "is there anything that is top priority I can do/help/assist in?" or "What can I do to help you?" though painful a question it may be, it looks good for you and poor on their previous impression of you.
otherwise? Are they having a rough day/week/month? Are they disgruntled about something having nothing to do with you and you (unfortunately) bear the brunt of their venting? At times we suffer for what we know little or nothing about; infact being in a certain department 3. Remember, we are all human, may automatically brand you as an we are not perfect, no matter how enemy to some people. much we would like to be. Instead of saying "John is so difficult to deal 6. D o n o t e a v e s d r o p o n with!" think of their negative conversations or ask other coattributes as things to build on. Think workers about someone else's about how you can help them be personal business. It will come off as stronger in what would be identified snoopy, scheming, or downright rude. as their weak point. What skills can This will not get you anywhere. The you bring to the table to counteract best way to find out is asking the their destructive or complicated person of interest simple questions"how are you?" "how was your behavior? day/weekend/drive to work?" The 4. Point out what they do right: best way to get information is straight This is another way of building from the horse's mouth. relationships with people. Regardless of your position, giving approval of 7. Escalate to a higher authority someone else's work shows you are for resolution: When all else fails, attentive to other people's strengths. escalate to your manager. This is It may not get a whole-hearted considered the trump card and 'thanks!' or enthusiastic handshake, should not be used unless you've but you will show your co-worker completely exhausted your means. that you have what it takes to be the Sometimes, the only way to get better person. Compliments, showing someone moving is through the topinterest, and open body language are down approach, especially in great starters and may work bureaucratic organizations. Be careful not to exercise this option all wonders. the time as you wouldn't want your 5. Keep an ear to the ground and manager to think that you are listen for any information on the incapable of handling your own person. Is there something personal problems. going on that you may not know about
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THE WONDERS OF GROUNDNUT OIL
Humans' are a product of genetic composition and diet. No wonder God advised Adam to eat plant products Genesis 2:16. There are benefits in consuming natural foods especially plant products. An example is Groundnut oil. As the name implies, it is extracted from groundnut also called peanut. Groundnut oil has light yellow colour with nutty aroma with sweet taste. It has a very good lipid profile; it has saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in healthy proportions. Oils high on saturated fats, predisposes one to obesity, hypertension, coronary heart diseases among others. However, Groundnut is low in saturated fats, free from cholesterol, and contains Omega-6. Being a plant product it contains plant sterols especially b-sitosterol. It has been approved that phytosterols when consumed in diet with low saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. Another beautiful thing about b-sitosterol is that it competitively inhibits the absorption of cholesterol in the gut consequently reducing cholesterol level by about 15%. Groundnut is also rich in monounsaturated fats like Oleic acid that help to prevent coronary artery disease and stroke by favouring healthy blood lipid profile, it also contain Resveratrol which reduces the risk of developing stroke by inhibiting the processes that lead to stroke. It also contains a valuable amount of vitamin E which is good for the skin and enhances fertility. However, few people develop allergic reaction when they consume product of groundnut such as groundnut, peanut butter and groundnut oil. The reactions may include vomiting, dizziness, and painful abdomen, swelling of lips, throat and chest. Such people could take refined groundnut oil. The allergens in the oil are removed during the refining process.
POEM THE ARGUMENTS OF SIN I didn't actually lie, I simply didn't tell all the truth It wasn't as if I stole, he just wasn't around when I took it I didn't really cheat in the exams; I just couldn't help seeing the answers from his book I didn't really gossip, I just had to tell what my eyes had seen That wasn't really backbiting; he just wasn't there when I was talking about him I wasn't really disobedient; I just didn't feel like doing what I was asked to do I don't really hate her; I just can't tolerate the sight of her I am not really selfish; I just have to think of myself first We didn't really fornicate; after all we are still planning to get married It is not actually adultery; I just didn't know she was married I didn't actually take revenge; I only retaliated so she knows how it feels I am not really jealous; I just wish I have what she has It's not as if I always get angry; I only get mad at little things I am not a drunkard as long as I know my limit I only smoke to keep warm It's not as if I like worldly songs, I only use them to train my voice It's not as if I like Pornography, but it teaches me what I need to know before marriage I didn't actually lust over the opposite sex in reality, I only lust over them in my heart, after all, they would never know I have actually forgiven her, it's just that anytime I remember, I feel like killing her.
Vegetable oils have numerous benefits and its use is encouraged.
Ogunleye Olanike
DOYIN OLADEPO
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YOUTHS WITH GREY HAIR Hosea 7:9 says “Strangers have devoured his strength and he knoweth it not: yea grey hairs are here and there upon him yet he knoweth it not” Also the Bible says in Proverbs 20:29 that “The glory of the young men is their strength and the beauty of old men is the grey hair” The foregoing passages show that when you see a young man, you expect to see strength, a young man glories in his ability to move quickly, easily and perform various actions with agility unlike a aging person, but when the strength fades away or is devoured, grey hairs begin to grow, you wonder. Please note that the Bible did not say you have grown old and grey hairs have started growing upon you, but the Bible says strangers devoured his strength and he knows it not, the grey hairs are here and there and he knows it not. That is a very dangerous and pathetic situation, one that is supposed to be strong, agile and versatile, has suddenly grown weak and outdated, outdated in the sense that grey hairs have started growing which is the beauty of old men, very old men. The crux of the matter is that “HE KNOWS NOT”. Just like Samson said in Judges 16:20 “ … I will go out as at other times before and shake myself …” He knew not that his strength has been devoured by a stranger and his glory cut off (his hair). If strength is the hallmark of a youth, why grey hairs?
television has taken so much attention and time of so many that we no longer have time for God and the things of God. The time you are to spend in God's presence to give him pleasure and renew your own strength (Isaiah40: 29-31) are all spent in front of the television. So many have the schedule of T.V programs at their finger tips. I sat down to consider the havoc these satellite channels have caused,( you have a number of channels: News channels, movie channels and so on ) before one program ends, you know the next one and you will want to watch, so before you know it you have spent hours in front of the television, wasting away your time, strength (spiritual strength and grace) and God's resources. This is one of the strangers that can devour your strength and you would not even realize it. Try and do away with T.V for sometime (like observing a fast) and spend it in God's presence and see the result. § Social media: - this is another goodevil that has crept into the lives of Christians, young Christians in particular and has sapped all our strength. I call it a good- evil because of its benefits, you can get any information on the net, connect with friends and the world at large. It has several advantages, but my emphasis here is the time spent on the net. So many Christians spend excessive time browsing and chatting, more especially now that you don't have to leave the comfort of your home to connect to the net, the phone now has a lot of packages, it makes it more subtly dangerous.
Who are these strangers? In this context, am not talking about sin, unrighteousness etc because when you commit sin you know and if you continue in sin, you become weak and eventually loose God's glory. But I want to mention some things that we engage in, that engages our time, and energy and we do not know are energy and strength sappers and grey hair growers.
Anyone that doesn't have a blackberry phone now is outdated because if you meet anyone the first thing he asks you is “what is your BB pin”? and you ping and ping until you ping your spiritual strength away. This chatting takes the whole of your time that you forget that God needs your attention and time.
My focus is on improved Technology – They show up in different ways: § Television sets – It is a good thing to have television sets in our homes. Several programs have been found to be highly informative and educative and can add great value to life. However, watching
If you invest the same time and energy you invest on television and these social media on praying, studying the Bible, propagating the gospel (sharing God's word), fellowship with brethren, you would remain strong, relevant and full of grace. These strangers only come to devour your
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spiritual strength, watch out!! How do you grow grey hairs and you know not? So many people are tired of spiritual activities; you sit and remain on a level. Jude: 20 says you should build up yourself on your most Holy faith. It is old men that sit down in a place for so long due to tiredness and weakness, so when you no longer have flair for the things of God, check it, you have grey hairs already and you know not. Another hallmark of old men is sleep, so when you sleep too much that you hardly pray and do other spiritual activities, you have grown grey hairs and you know not. Also when all you do is talk about your past deeds and experiences, you have your hair full of grey hairs because it is old men that recount their experiences. Phil 3: 12-14 How then do you remain strong, youthful, relevant and full of glory? Isaiah 40: 29-31 Exercise! Exercise!! Exercise!!! Engage in spiritual exercises. Just like physical exercise, when you start to exercise you feel pains, it aches so much that you want to discontinue, but if you continue, you get used to it that it becomes part of you. In the same vein, when you engage in spiritual exercises (praying, studying, service, fasting, evangelism) you might feel some pains at first, until you get used to them. Physical exercise involves schedule, routine, time and discipline. So also spiritual exercise, you have a schedule of what you want to do and keep to it. Then for you to get used to it, it has to be a routine, something you do continuously and you fix the time which is very important. The discipline involved in this context can be to reduce your sleeping time; sleep less, shelve some television programs, limit the time you spend chatting and pinging and do away with those things that share your affection with God. God is calling our attention to these things so that we know the subtle strangers that have crept into Christian fold and tackle them before they age us and render us useless and powerless. Tolulope Ojo
STRIP OFF “Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us “strip off” anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wraps themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us” Hebrews 12:1 (Living Bible) In the Christian journey through to heaven, there are ingredients and victuals that are germane to making a successful entrance into glory. In the same vein there are stuffs that look expedient to our successful pilgrimage but are actually “banana peels” that are lined up by the enemy to cause a slip in our journey. Many have been deceived, swindled and overpowered by the tricks of satan but many others have been able to discern and continually journey triumphantly in the way. For the Christian to walk worthy in the midst of these subtleties, consistent and unbroken sacrifice has to be made to God on the altar of devotion and discipline. The requisite help available in the commands and exhortations for believers; the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 6:22-23), whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), the additives to our faith (1Peter 1:5-7), can only receive fulfillment in our lives when we have unbroken devotion and consistent discipline in Jesus. Devotion is the act of attachment, commitment and loyalty to Jesus. As the attachment of the Christian to his Lord, it is the girdle, belt, loincloth that bonds him to Jesus. Devotion is more than quiet time, church service or fellowship gathering, it represent the outlook of the Christian having Christ as his life source and ruler over his affairs. Devotion is the umbilical cord that ties the “foetal Christian” to the “mother Jesus” and feeds him with nourishment for optimum growth and development. Devotion is absolute and unrivalled commitment to God. There are several lives' matters calling out for our attention, tools of sin by the enemy to divert our focus from the eternal desires of God for us and make us subservient to sin. Devotion is the crucifixion of the Christian to self and a deadening to the old man by having our work cut-out in the service of God. Every thought, motive and aspirations of our hearts must be geared towards the expansion of His will and total annihilation of sin and its products. This kind of commitment calls for unquestioned loyalty to Jesus in both private and public lives. The Christian must endeavor to sincerely ask before making any decision “WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?”
The order should be that of a living sacrifice, holiness and acceptability to God (Roman 12:1). God has done so much to translate us from darkness to light, it's only reasonable for us to stand and pledge our unwavering allegiance to Him alone. Living a life of devotion to God can be a success story for anyone who loves God and has the desire to please Him alone; Job in all his troubles remained true to God (Job 27:1-6) and Daniel administered the regimes of four gentile kings (Daniel 1:21) despite facing numerous oppositions. Joseph journeyed from the warmth of his father's arms into the dry and cold pit, then slavery at Potiphar's hands, prison and then became the Prime minister, and through the highs and lows stayed loyal to the will God without wavering. He did not seek to emancipate himself by breaking devotion at the beckon of Potiphar's wife, rather fulfilled God's eternal purpose of preserving generations yet unborn. Jesus, our prime example conquered sin and the lawful cravings of the flesh when the when tempted in a supposedly susceptible state of hunger and ground-breaking in ministry. One can continue the roll call of those that stood for God, but in the midst of this victories over the evil one, are painful histories of destinies aborted and glories lost on the altar of broken devotion. Samson died with the enemies, Esau lost his birthright as firstborn son and carrier of divine inheritance, Reuben lost the scepter of ruler-ship and Judas had his bishopric taken over by another. Some maintained their commitment and devotion to God while others faltered on the altar of temptations. The pillar to help the monument of godly and unbroken devotion, the strength needed to maintain a track record in God is discipline. To strip off anything that will slow down or cut short our race in Jesus, there is need for us to live a life of utter discipline. Discipline is an act of restraint or control; it represents the hall mark of shedding off “weights”. For a man to start a good work and complete such, he needs to be closely controlled in all his dealings. Where devotion helps a man to hold tightly to God, it is discipline that helps him to cut away everything that will desire to detach him from God. Discipline traverses through every aspect of life, from food to sleep, finance, relationship, manner of speech and most importantly the thoughts and meditations of the heart. It calls for a heart of dedication that cannot be shaken by the desires of the sensual nature, no mater how overt or concealed.
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CRITICISM Apostle Paul's exhortation to “endure hardness” and “not become tied up in worldly affairs” in 2 Timothy 2: 3-4 is not just about abstaining from sin by rule observation but more importantly about living a higher order of life that will continually make us to be enlisted as a soldier in His army. In God's selection process, where all his children are devoted, He considers their level of discipline as criteria to recruit any man for the fulfillment of particular purpose. The selection process in Judges 7 Gideon's army presents us with a perfect picture of this mode of God's selection criteria where only lives of unbroken devotion and consistent discipline. The transformation of thirty thousand to ten thousand is an order premised on men consumed in unreserved devotion, men with no fear or concern for the paltry issues of life, a criteria that excluded the lot that are not willing to commit to battle. The higher order of life for God's choice men is seen with the emergence of the three hundred soldiers that faced the Midian soldiers and raiders. Though all the ten thousand were devoted, willing to battle and ready to sacrifice themselves for the nation, they were not all disciplined enough in order to achieve the great victory God had in His plans. The victory was won with three hundred men who were ready to obey commands without raising questions from personal opinions, experiences or consideration; they were only “those that lap the water with their tongue as a dog”. It is only men of not just utter devotion but also of admirable discipline that can be ordered to a battle with of trumpets, clay torches and shouts of “for God and for Gideon” as the strategies for victory. If a man has devotion but lacks the virtue of discipline, fulfilling the whole purpose of God will be a doubt for such. David (2Samuel 11), though loved and worshipped God without reservation, but was found wanting on the altar of discipline. The young prophet (1 Kings 13) obeyed in his going and delivering God's message to the king Jeroboam but was found wanting when the “old prophet”, a representation of indiscipline appeared on the scene. To live a life of discipline, we must be dead to self and every desire of the flesh, live a life of total consecration as ordered by the revelation of God's word. To strip off, we need a life of devotion and discipline. Dotun Adelusi I N
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t is expected that criticism is a word that should not be strange to most people. That is probably so because at some point in time or the other we either have criticised others of their work (though most people hide under the canopy of oblivion) or worse still have been the target of such criticism. I can imagine that just the mere mention of the word reminds you of an unsavoury experience of being criticised. However, you might be among the fortunate few who have not been criticised (or don't know they have). Let's take a closer look at the subject matter. According to the oxfords advanced learners dictionary (sixth edition), criticism 'is the act of expressing disapproval of subject/something and opinions about their faults or bad qu a li t i es , a s ta te m e n t s h owi n g disapproval'. Our aim is to know how to handle criticisms, therefore, we would not focus our attention on the other definition of criticism in the dictionary which is the work or activity of making fair, careful judgments about the good or bad qualities of something especially books, music etc. this is more so because we are humans. After all, we are not inanimate or abstract in nature like books! Let's try to bring it home. Criticism is that negative sounding comment about the taste of your food as unsavoury, the comment from your colleague at work or school that you dress too much. It could also be that careless comment from a member of your local church of your prayers being too long or accusing you of 'over spirituality' or an uncanny attitude and comments hurled at you just because things 'seem' to be working for you when actually you are going through challenges, unseen to most people. If you have not directly gone through any of the examples cited above I bet by now you understand what we are talking about here. The person or group of persons who criticize are called critics and their behaviour is called being critical. Unfortunately, there is no human shield against criticism. No I N
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matter how nice you are or generous you think you may be you would still face criticism. Interestingly, the better you become, older you grow and more progress you make, criticism also grows along with you. Before taking a closer look at the sources of criticisms, please be informed that even the most perfect person that ever walked the surface of the earth- Jesus Christ had a fair share of criticisms in his day. That tells me that no one is immune to it. Having established what it is, let's take a step further in considering sources of criticisms
Criticisms from the internal sources are known to be the most painful and possibly damaging. This is so because; Most times we don't see it coming, They (critics) (appear to) know so much about us and so their criticisms are usually spot on target, their criticisms are accepted by external people as valid because of the position they hold in our lives; we expect these close associates to either understand us and our actions better than anyone else.
EXTERNAL: This is just the other side of the coin. They emanate from people or groups of people which in politics are known as the 'opposition'. Though they Sources of criticism are not close to use their words usually …in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, carry damaging effects if not properly in perils of robbers, in perils from my handled. External sources could be at countrymen, in perils from the w o r k , c h u r c h e t c . t h e m a j o r Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in distinguishing point is that they are not the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in close to us and most times are known to perils among false brethren; (2 be our adversaries. External criticism is Cor11:26). also difficult to handle because they are well researched and packaged and It is important to know where spread abroad just because the aim is criticisms can emanate from. This is usually to damage. because once you know it, there is a higher chance that you would be able to Effects of Criticisms handle it. Not because you want it but Speak without thinking, and your because you are prepared in your mind words can cut like a knife. Be wise, and for it. I would like to just broadly your words can heal. categorize them into two namely Proverbs 12:18 (ERV) INTERNAL & EXTERNAL SOURCES. Let's consider them closely The effects of criticism irrespective of the source can be immediate, short INTERNAL: Criticisms from the term or lifelong. It depends on how it internal source are those that emanate comes and the level of exposure. Some from those that are close to us. People of the effects are as discussed below who know us or are expected to know us. Friends, leaders in church, mentors, Low Morale: Criticisms has the ability close associates and unfortunately to reduce our morale which is the family members including our spouse amount of confidence and enthusiasm and parents. Jesus was criticised the that a person or group has at a most by the people of his own race- particular time. For instance take the Jews and not even gentiles. Every move instance of a hardworking church he made always appeared to have a flaw worker who gets criticised by older in their estimation. His disciples also members as been too zealous whereas got a fair share for not washing their the formers intention is just to see the hands before eating. If you think their work move forward. Such an individual sense of hygiene made their criticism may just end up seeing his/her efforts valid, how do you explain their criticism as not been appreciated and as such for eating and not fasting! At some become nonchalant and maybe in points he was criticised of working extreme cases backslide. miracles and accused of using demons for deliverance cases (Matthew12:22- Distraction: Every assignment, project 24).
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or activity requires a healthy dose of concentration and the devil knows this. Criticisms can then be used by the devil to distract us. This is so because criticisms have the ability to draw our attention to it thus abandoning our m a j o r a s s i g n m e n t . I f yo u a re wondering how possible this is then ask Nehemiah who was criticised by people who should have supported a noble cause such as rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4:2-3).
come at one point or the other in our earthly sojourn. Weigh It Carefully: In weighing it you intend to know what the aim of the critic was- to discredit or correct? The bible actually encourages us to weigh issues with the intention of holding to what is true about it. Weighing also helps you to know if there are any lessons to learn from it. It is often said that in every rumour is an element of truth and I also think that this sometimes hold true for criticisms. A closer and dispassionate look at the issues being criticised would reveal if there are areas of errors on your own part or points which you need to improve on. Sometimes, the critic didn't mean harm, they just lack the finesse of correcting in love.
Conflict/Crisis: Criticism also has the ability to snowball into a full blown conflict/crisis. This happens when the accused decides to take either a defensive posture to the criticism or also fire back in retaliation. That is exactly what we find on the pages of our newspapers, leaders engaging in a media war. The source? criticism of a p e r s o n' s a c t i o n s , i n a c t i o n s o r For example someone criticised for statements. poor cooking could ask an independent person to taste and comment. You could Reduces Self Esteem: Sometimes be shocked to discover that perhaps people that are criticised could suffer there wasn't enough salt in it. low self esteem. This is common among children, adolescents and females To or Not to Respond: I have heard especially. This is because these differing opinions on whether critics categories of people thrive on positive should be replied to or not. I opine that comments from those around them. some factors need to be considered. Children whose efforts either at school Jesus unequivocally forbade retaliation or the home are constantly criticised as for the Christian. Perhaps a look at how not been good enough grow up he handled his critics could guide us. At believing that they are actually not very few points he replied them, not as good enough and where they are a retaliatory move but a clarification females they could end up in the hand of of the issues been raised. males who appreciate their efforts with the aim to exploit them. Interestingly, And they said unto him, The disciples of many marriages would be saved of John fast often, and make supplications; domestic crisis if some people reduce likewise also the disciples of the the rate of criticism they rain on their Pharisees; but thine eat and drink. And spouses and vice versa. Who says ladies Jesus said unto them, Can ye make the are the worst hit? Men are also. sons of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? But the days Image Destruction: Criticism also has will come; and when the bridegroom the ability to damage the image of the shall be taken away from them, then will criticised especially when it is carried they fast in those days. (Matt 5:39, 44out to other third parties. People most 45). times do not have the luxury of searching out if the criticisms are true, At some points where he had every false or exaggerated and so the right to reply he just either kept quiet or reputation is dented, sometimes walked away. permanently. Handling Criticisms He was oppressed, yet when he was Recommending prayers, miracle afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a handkerchiefs, good behaviour, lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a anointing oil, head washing, face sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so washing, feet washing and the likes as he opened not his mouth -Isa 53:7 the antidote to escaping criticisms In most cases, replying our critics is a would be a deception of a very tall strategy of distraction from the devil as order. However, let's look at some tips we can see in the case of Nehemiah that can help us handle it since it would ( N e h e m i a h 4 : 1 - 2 3 ) . T h e t i m e ,
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resources, focus and energy used there would require we abandon the work at hand to face them. Sometimes this isn't truly worth it. The case of Moses and the internal criticism from his own blood siblings prove a strong lesson to be learnt. And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, hath Jehovah indeed spoken only with Moses? hath he not spoken also with us? And Jehovah heard it. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud removed from over the Tent; and, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. (Num 12:1-2, 9-10) Lesson learnt- ALLOW GOD ANSWER YOUR CRITICS FOR YOU. Criticism is a dangerous weapon used by the devil against the people of God and as seen earlier, has devastating effects on the recipients. It is disheartening that Christians also allow themselves to be used by the devil through the influence of a critical spirit. Such a spirit only sees the wrong in what people do and when the intention is to correct an error, it ends up causing havoc on the recipient. No one likes being criticised but they carry out the very acts they detest- A case of prey becoming predator. Our words should be that of encouragement and correction in love. This is the only way that others would be edified and most importantly see Christ in us. Gbenga Rufai
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PRAYER MARKS SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer." - John Wesley
praying for their people as the apostles were, the sad, dark times of worldliness and apostasy had not marred the history and eclipsed the glory and arrested the advance of the Church. Apostolic praying makes apostolic saints and keeps apostolic times of purity and power in the Church.
THE apostles knew the necessity and worth of prayer to their ministry. They knew that their high commission as apostles, instead of relieving them from the necessity of prayer, committed them to it by a more urgent need; so that they were exceedingly jealous else some other important work should exhaust their time and prevent their praying as they ought; so they appointed laymen to look after the delicate and engrossing duties of ministering to the poor, that they (the apostles) might, unhindered, "give themselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." Prayer is put first, and their relation to prayer is put most strongly -- "give themselves to it," making a business of it, surrendering themselves to p r a y i n g , p u t t i n g f e r v o r, u r g e n c y, perseverance, and time in it.
What loftiness of soul, what purity and elevation of motive, what unselfishness, what self-sacrifice, what exhaustive toil, what ardor of spirit, what divine tact are requisite to be an intercessor for men!
H ow h o ly, a p o s to l i c m e n d evo te d themselves to this divine work of prayer! "Night and day praying exceedingly," says Paul. "We will give ourselves continually to prayer" is the consensus of apostolic devotement. How these New Testament preachers laid themselves out in prayer for God's people! How they put God in full force into their Churches by their praying! These holy apostles did not vainly fancy that they had met their high and solemn duties by delivering faithfully God's word, but their preaching was made to stick and tell by the ardor and insistence of their praying. Apostolic praying was as taxing, toilsome, and imperative as apostolic preaching. They prayed mightily day and night to bring their people to the highest regions of faith and holiness. They prayed mightier still to hold them to this high spiritual altitude. The preacher who has never learned in the school of Christ the high and divine art of intercession for his people will never learn the art of preaching, though homiletics be poured into him by the ton, and though he be the most gifted genius in sermon-making and sermon-delivery. The prayers of apostolic, saintly leaders do much in making saints of those who are not apostles. If the Church leaders in after years had been as particular and fervent in
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The preacher is to lay himself out in prayer for his people; not that they might be saved, simply, but that they be mightily saved. The apostles laid themselves out in prayer that their saints might be perfect; not that they should have a little relish for the things of God, but that they "might be filled with all the fullness of God." Paul did not rely on his apostolic preaching to secure this end, but "for this cause he bowed his knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul's praying carried Paul's converts farther along the highway of sainthood than Paul's preaching did. Epaphras did as much or more by prayer for the Colossian saints than by his preaching. He labored fervently always in prayer for them that "they might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." Preachers are preeminently God's leaders. They are primarily responsible for the condition of the Church. They shape its character, give tone and direction to its life. Much every way depends on these leaders. They shape the times and the institutions. The Church is divine, the treasure it incases is heavenly, but it bears the imprint of the human. The treasure is in earthen vessels, and it smacks of the vessel. The Church of God makes, or is made by, its leaders. Whether it makes them or is made by them, it will be what its leaders are; spiritual if they are so, secular if they are, conglomerate if its leaders are. Israel's kings gave character to Israel's piety. A Church rarely revolts against or rises above the religion of its leaders. Strong spiritual leaders; men of holy might, at the lead, are tokens of God's favor; disaster and weakness follow the wake of feeble or worldly leaders. Israel had fallen low when God gave children to be their princes and babes to rule over them. No happy state is predicted by the prophets when children oppress God's Israel and
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women rule over them. Times of spiritual leadership are times of great spiritual prosperity to the Church. Prayer is one of the eminent characteristics of strong spiritual leadership. Men of mighty prayer are men of might and mold things. Their power with God has the conquering tread. How can a man preach who does not get his message fresh from God in the closet? How can he preach without having his faith quickened, his vision cleared, and his heart warmed by his closeting with God? Alas, for the pulpit lips which are untouched by this closet flame. Dry and unctionless they will ever be, and truths divine will never come with power from such lips. As far as the real interests of religion are concerned, a pulpit without a closet will always be a barren thing. A preacher may preach in an official, entertaining, or learned way without prayer, but between this kind of preaching and sowing God's precious seed with holy hands and prayerful, weeping hearts there is an immeasurable distance. A prayerless ministry is the undertaker for all God's truth and for God's Church. He may have the most costly casket and the most beautiful flowers, but it is a funeral, notwithstanding the charmful array. A prayerless Christian will never learn God's truth; a prayerless ministry will never be able to teach God's truth. Ages of millennial glory have been lost by a prayerless Church. The coming of our Lord has been postponed indefinitely by a prayerless Church. Hell has enlarged herself and filled her dire caves in the presence of the dead service of a prayerless Church. The best, the greatest offering is an offering of prayer. If the preachers of the twentieth century will learn well the lesson of prayer, and use fully the power of prayer, the millennium will come to its noon ere the century closes. "Pray without ceasing" is the trumpet call to the preachers of the twentieth century. If the twentieth century will get their texts, their thoughts, their words, their sermons in their closets, the next century will find a new heaven and a new earth. The old sin-stained and sineclipsed heaven and earth will pass away under the power of a praying ministry. - E.M. Bounds
THE MARTYRDOM OF POLYCARP 'Away with the atheists! let a search be made for Polycarp' shouted the crowd. Now the glorious Polycarp (an apostolic and prophetic teacher in his own time, a bishop of the holy Church of Smyrna) at the first, when he heard it, so far from being dismayed, was desirous of remaining in town; but the brethren persuaded him to withdraw. So he withdrew to a farm not far distant from the city; and there he stayed with a few companions, doing nothing else night and day but praying for all men and for the churches throughout the world; for this was his constant habit. While praying he fell into a trance three days before his apprehension; and he saw his pillow burning with fire. And he turned and said unto those that were with him: 'It must needs be that I shall be burned alive.' And as those that were in search of him persisted, he departed to another farm; and forthwith they that were in search of him came up; and not finding him, they seized two slave lads, one of whom confessed under torture. Coming up in a body late in the evening, they found the man himself in bed in an upper chamber in a certain cottage; and though he might have departed from there to another place, he would not, saying, The will of God be done. So when he heard that they were come, he went down and conversed with them, the bystanders marvelling at his age and his constancy, and wondering how there should be so much eagerness for the apprehension of an old man like him. Thereupon he gave orders that a table should be spread for them to eat and drink at that hour, as much as they desired. And he persuaded them to grant him an hour that he might pray unmolested; and on their consenting, he stood up and prayed, being so full of the grace of God, that for two hours he could not hold his peace, and those that heard were amazed, and many repented that they had come against such a venerable old man. He was met later by Herod the captain of police and his father Nicetes, who also removed him to their carriage and tried to prevail upon him, seating themselves by his side and saying, 'Why, what harm is there in saying, Caesar is Lord, and offering incense and saving yourself?' But he at first gave them no answer. When however they persisted, he said, 'I am not going to do what ye counsel me.' Then they, failing to persuade him, uttered threatening words and made him dismount with speed, so that he bruised his shin, as he got down from the carriage. And without even turning round, he went on his way promptly and with speed, as if nothing had happened to him, being taken to the stadium; there being such a tumult in the stadium that no man's voice could be heard. But as Polycarp entered into the stadium, a voice came to him from heaven saying; 'Be
strong, Polycarp, and play the man.' And no one saw the speaker, but people who were present heard the voice. When then he was brought before him, the proconsul tried to persuade him to a denial saying, 'Have respect to your age,' and other things in accordance therewith, and as they usually say; 'Swear by the genius of Caesar; deny Christ and say, Away with the atheists.' When the magistrate pressed him hard and said, 'Swear the oath, and I will release thee; revile the Christ,' Polycarp said, 'Fourscore and six years (86 years) have I been His servant, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?' Then the proconsul said; 'I have wild beasts here and I will throw you to them, except you deny Christ' But he said, 'Call for them: for the repentance from better to worse is a change not permitted to us; but it is a noble thing to change from wickedness to righteousness' Then he said to him again, 'I will cause you to be consumed by fire, if you despise the wild beasts, unless you deny Christ' But Polycarp said; 'You threaten with that fire which burneth for a season and after a little while is quenched: for you are ignorant of the fire of the future judgment and eternal punishment, which is reserved for the ungodly. Why do you delay? Come, do what you will.' Then the crowd shouted out with one accord that Polycarp should be burned alive. For it must needs be that the matter of the vision should be fulfilled, which was shown him concerning his pillow, when he saw it on fire while praying, and turning round he said prophetically to the faithful who were with him, 'I must needs be burned alive.' The fire, making the appearance of a vault, like the sail of a vessel filled by the wind, made a wall round about the body of the martyr; and it was there in the midst, not like flesh burning, but like [a loaf in the oven or like] gold and silver refined in a furnace. For they perceived such a fragrant smell, as if it were the wafted odour of frankincense or some other precious spice. So when the lawless men, saw that his body could not be consumed by the fire, ordered an executioner to go up to him and stab him with a dagger. And when he had done this, there came forth so much quantity of blood, that it extinguished the fire; and all the multitude marvelled that there should be so great a difference between the unbelievers and the elect. So it befell the blessed Polycarp, who having with those from Philadelphia suffered martyrdom in Smyrna--twelve in all--is especially remembered more than the others by all men, so that he is talked of even by the people in every place: for he showed himself not only a notable teacher, but also a distinguished martyr.
COMPLETE EASE… THE EASIER ROUTE This struggle we call life With all its ups, downs and strife The things we think matter For which we fight Look so trivial at the dawn of light Cos other things soon appear weightier No wonder the holy apostle whined Who will deliver me from this life of mine? If only mortals will realize The race has never been to the swift Nor good fortune to the wise What you know or do never guarantees a lift But there is a God who shows mercy Whose very hands commands blessings His kingdom is not about food or drink Or those other things that drive us to the brink But about righteousness, peace and joy in the comforter No easier life than one laid on the altar None as blessed as him whose heart does not wander Whose only pursuit is the will of the Father Are these not the words of the master? Seek ye first the kingdom, and those things will come later. Thy kingdom come ‘Bunmilofe Aramide
J.B. Lightfoot
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IN TIMES LIKE THIS
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hen Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. – (2kings 1:1-4)
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 1Ki 19:3-4 If such a person does not have people around him/her who would encourage and counsel him/her it might be fatal. People who would bring to our remembrance the promises of God over our lives.
Israel and went to inquire of the god of Ekron. Brethren, there is a God of ISRAEL. The God who answers prayers. The God before whom the heavens and the earth passeth away. The Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God who worketh wonders as of old. The God who ruleth in the affairs of men. The God who parted the Red sea. The God who calleth the things that are not to be. The God who worketh wonders that surpasses the knowledge and understanding of man. The God of Elijah and Elisha. The LORD GOD OF HOST is his name. This same God was disappointed at Ahaziah for not seeking HIM, Jehovah Rapha- The Lord God our healer thus, condemning him to death on his sick bed. Will our God be disappointed at you too?
Ahaziah in the opening scripture fell down and became sick perhaps, for a long period of time. Having sought cure through divers means possible but to no avail and in his pursuit for cure forgot about Elijah, the great There comes a time in the life of a man man of God neither did he remember I challenge you brethren; Is anything when all hope seems to be lost. Times the Lord God of Israel; not to even talk too difficult for God to do? Have you when things are not just working out of calling on him. forgotten so soon that He worketh in in his life. Times when situations and divers strange and mysterious ways, circumstances seem to be on the This is the position of many believers that we (mortals) may learn to fear downward slide. At such times, the today, who have been beaten down Him. Please do not become like natural man seems to be afraid of through the ups and downs of life; Ahaziah who hewn unto himself a what the future holds. At such a time, forgetting that life is not static. Not broken cistern that could hold no he is tempted to lose hope and try any even the 'planet' in which we live. So water. Arise! let's return to God for it available alternative. At such times, many heads are down, hands and feet is time to seek the Lord God of Israel. the man tends to forget the Lord God wearied and the mighty fallen The God of our fathers who rules in of Israel and may even lose interest in because of unexpected development- the affairs of men. Who doeth great the things of God thus becoming less unfulfilled dreams, unrealized and mighty things as of old. Friends, it committed. It is a dangerous stage e x p e c t a t i o n s , j o b l o s s e s , is time to wait on the Lord in the place which any mortal man could unemployment, high cost of living, no of prayer, fasting and the study of His experience if he or she does not watch life partner, high school fees, word. and be still in his spirit. No wonder unexpected death of loved ones and scriptures tells us that there is no benefactors . At such times like this, H A L T ! D o n ' t g i v e - i n t o temptation, (which I could also what have you done or are about discouragement, doubt and defeat. interpret to mean challenge) that is doing? Remember His goodness, show taken us but such that is common (1 gratitude for His blessings and I Cor 10:13). Elijah, the firebrand Listen friends, from where have you believe you will have the confidence prophet of his age also faced such fallen? What are the points of your to face tomorrow. Never you give up moments such that he had to flee at downfall? Are there genuine reasons on God, especially at A TIME SUCH AS the threat of a woman! fo r yo u r d ow n fa l l ? A re yo u r THIS. challenges the making of man? Does it And when he saw that, he arose, make you suffer unjustly for a wrong Abiodun Obadein and went for his life, and came to you did not commit? Do not become Beersheba, which belongeth to like Ahaziah, who forgot the God of Judah, and left his servant there. I N
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IWOGIA MISSION FIELD REPORT What more shall we say to these things…if God be for us, who can be against us?...(Romans 8:31) It has been almost a decade now that Great Light Ministry (GLM) adopted Iwogia as a mission field. Iwogia, located in the interior of Yewa South Local Government of Ogun State, South-West Nigeria also plays host to the missionary school established under the auspices of the ministry (GLM). Looking back at the events of the year validates the scripture which says that as many that appeared in Zion went from strength to strength. The growth of the mission work, testimonies of the conversion of a former idol priest and the village head (Baale) and other testimonies of Gods goodness is what we serve you with in this report For starters, let's kick of this edition of the Iwogia mission field report with updates on the growth and impact of the Great Light Community School (GLCS) in the village. GLCS…a beacon of hope History is clear about the role of education not only in the spread but establishment of the gospel in various parts of the world but especially Africa and Nigeria in particular. GLM believes strongly in the need for education and it is in furtherance of this belief that GLCS now in its 6th year has continued to enhance the access to education by the children of Iwogia village and its surrounding villages. The 2011/2012 Academics Session commenced on the 3rd of October, 2011 and ended on the 27th, July 2012 with seventy one (71) pupils and four (4) missionary teachers. A good number of the pupils attended the GLM, 2011 Annual Retreat and they ministered in s o n g s , B i b l e Re c i t a t i o n s and
on the 27th of July, 2012. GLCS is currently in for another academic session.
choreography. By the 19th of January 2012, Great Light Community School (GLCS) resumed for the second term. Children Evangelism Ministry (CEM), Ilaro chapter, Ogun State visited us on the 28th of May 2012 to celebrate the children's day with GLCS pupils. It was a celebration indeed! Their parents were invited to witness the celebration and every one of them later left for their homes with joy and happiness. The missionary teachers with the belief in both the educational and spiritual well being of the students and villagers held three (3) days open air crusade in the village in conjunction with the two churches on the land between 6th & 8th of June, 2012. A Christian film titled “Olugbala Gba mi” (Saviour Save Me) was showed to the villagers during the crusade. Was it impactful? It definitely was. Many of those who attended gave their lives to Jesus Christ and confessed him as their Lord and saviour. Still in a bid to strengthen the hands of the labourers on the mission field, former teachers of the school returned for a joint prayer meeting with the serving missionaries on the 9th of June, 2012. It was a time they all lifted up their voices to pray for the land, its environs, the children and they also fellowshipped together and discussed about GLCS. To the glory of God, six pupils graduated from GLCS; in 2011/2012 academics session and each of them are now in secondary schools to further their education. They are in various secondary schools doing great. As at date, GLCS have graduated four (4) sets of pupils since its establishment in 2006 and good numbers of them are out of the village to further their education in urban areas. The 2011/2012 academic session ended
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…And the village? Apart from the great job that the Lord is doing through the school especially with regards to the educational development of the children of the village, the light of the gospel is also penetrating deeper into the hearts of the villagers as well as the key leaders. Read on. Maybe in obedience to a Macedonian call, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) came into the village during the Easter period this year (2012) for their, Let's Go a fishing outreach and they also planted a parish of the church. Immediately after the program, many of the villagers who were yet to join the village church joined the new church (RCCG). The village now has two churches (CAC & RCCG).A sign that the Lord of the harvest is still in the business of sending labourers into his vineyard. There is also a marked growth in the spiritual climate of the village. The eyes of the people of the land are now opened to the truth and the word of God and so, idolatry is gradually becoming a thing of the past. One of the key people that used to perform sacrifices to idols at the shrine of the god of iron, denounced the god of iron and he stood by his denouncement. He also confirmed to us during an interview with him. He was invited to the last god of iron (ogun) festival held in the village and refused to be part of it. Let's share some excerpts of the interview with 2 key figures in the village (Akinlade Olanrewaju a.k.a baba steady and the Baale (Village Head) of Iwogia) about their new found faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and their perception of Gods work in the village. Excerpts; IHL: Can we meet you sir B.S: M y n a m e i s M r. A k i n l a d e Olanrewaju aka Baba Steady and I am a native of this village I N
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IHL: What are the visible changes you noticed in your life since you became a Christian ? B.S: Hmmm, you see, before I used to be a very difficult and hard person, I fight at the slightest provocation, even when I first began to attend church it continued, but now as a result of the sermon I listened to everyday, my life has greatly changed. In fact, people use to ask, is this Baba Steady or another person? I thank God today. IHL: What can you say is the impact of Christianity in this village? B.S: We thank God for Christianity in this land because idol worshipping is now a thing of the past. IHL: Thank you for your time sir, B.S: you are welcome. If you think that the testimony of baba steady is remarkable, wait till you hear that of the head of the Iwogia community, the baale. Excerpts; IHL: Can we meet you sir? B.I Sunday is my name, Sunday Akinlade IHL: Are you a native of this land? B.I: Yes I am a native of this land; I was born into this village April 1937 to be precise. IHL: Looking down the memory of this land, did you observe any difference from the past Iwogia and the Iwogia at present? B.I: Hmm! The past years can be referred to as a very dark age, to tell you history a little bit, I was here during the 'Hitler War' I knew the time very well though I was small then, and that was 1941, I was also about 16 years of age when I witnessed another spectacular event, that was when the day turn into darkness (eclipse of the sun). We were coming from the farm then. IHL: In terms of development, what are the differences? B.I: Haaa! There is a remarkable difference in those days our children used to go to school in the neighbouring village
called Ipake. Ipake which is very far had no road, and there is a very big river along the bush path to the village, so when it rains, there will be a declaration of holiday for our children. But thank God for Great Light Ministry that came in to establish a primary school here. A school that can even compete with urban secondary schools (laughs). IHL: Let's talk about religious issues sir, what can you say about the coming of GLM into Iwogia has the ministry benefitted you in anyway? B.I: Hmmm! There is a change with the advent of Christianity in Iwogia. REDEEM (RCCG) and CAC (Christ Apostolic Church) came after GLM arrived. I have even planned to give Redeem another good portion of land, in order to build their Church in an open place, so that GLM morning prayers can be well organized with the villagers in order not to hold it in the classroom any longer. IHL: Baba do you know Jesus, and how is your relationship with Jesus since you have accepted Him? B.I (Laughs) you see this Jesus, we should just say he came to take care of only me, I was bed ridden for 2years and 2 month, but look at me now, gradually I can walk, one step after the other, I keep improving every day. Unlike before, I eat on my bed, I crawl to have my bath but glory be to Jesus, now he has delivered me from that sickness. The faith GLM brought here gladdens my heart because you are different from other people. IHL: Lastly sir, how do people worship in this village before the light of the gospel reached here? B.I We used to worship Esu (the devil), Iroko and Oro but ogun (god of iron) was the chief god then. There use to be mediums in this village oooo! But they are all dead. IHL: Halleluyahhhhhhh B.I Thank God, I am happy that GLM came, you are a light indeed. …a vessel speaks It is important to note that the Iwogia
mission field has as its missionary teachers, members of the ministry, young graduates who have decided to forsake pleasures to stay at an interior location, silently labouring for God. We would like to end this report with the views of a missionary teacher, Ajayi Olufunmilola, who despite the uncomfortable situation of living at a village decided after serving her fatherland through the NYSC to serve her father in heaven through the GLCS. How was she able to convince her parents to release her for the mission field? She had this to say: 'Coming back home after National Youth Service, my folks had great expectations of me but I decided to go to Iwogia mission field on God's instruction. They felt I was been unreasonable but I thank God for His divine intervention.' To her, teaching the pupils of the school was another challenge. 'you know, the environment and other discomforts could drive one away and also you want to understand them (pupils and parents) to be able to communicate life to them both spiritually and physically. Their level of exposure was quite low but the grace of God was available and the Joy of doing what God wants me to do was enough to keep me going.' Though she might not be at Iwogia forever, she spoke on the moments which she cherishes a lot. 'It was encouraging to know that the people cherish every moment spent with them. Moments like the weekly bible study, Morning Prayer meetings and one on one evangelism. Our opinion on every issue matters to them and they can freely tell us what is on their mind. I see Iwogia mission field as a place to be. It is a privilege and I have no regrets at all.' What more shall we say to all of these? God has been good, faithful and true to his word. As we await his return, may his kingdom on earth be established in the hearts of men.
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THE LION OF YOUR OWN JUNGLE
FROM THE FIELD VILLAGE OUTREACH REPORT
Adetutu Wande-Kayode
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n his closet: Christian rises up like a lion in his own jungle to roar. The devil knows he is in trouble again. Like a little animal beholding a lion, he scampers hurriedly for safety. He dares not come near…the feeling of falling like lightening is still fresh. Words well-up in Christian's spirit and the devil cannot bear it. He looks from afar because he knows what will follow next. His knees hit the ground…and the devil begins to cry… Haha! But Christian is not finished. He begins to speak in some strange language that the devil cannot understand. Even as much as he tries to strain his ears; it is a language he has not learnt, one that he can never learn 2 . He doesn't know what would happen next, but he peeps anyway. And then… Plum! Something hits his head. He is in a daze for moments. When he comes to…his cohorts are desperately fanning him. He looks so pale that they are afraid. It isn't the first time it is happening though. The last time, it h a d b e e n i n s i m i l a r circumstances…him peeping and something hitting him. Each time, it always came from Christian's mouth…this Christian...! Gbragbagadaggba! Everything comes tumbling down - all that they had been setting through the night. It isn't as if it is not destroyed already…for this same purpose was the Son made manifest. It is just that they were trying to patch it; to make it look like the works were not destroyed already. But this Christian has something they cannot explain. It always makes manifest. Sush! They all keep quiet. Christian is standing up now….He shakes himself briskly and begins to mutter under his breath, what he had just read. He ponders through it all along as he
prepares for the day. “God said it, so it has been renewed! must be true”, he keeps thinking to himself….Even though the words are Yay! And so… when situations begin to present themselves, he believed and too big for his mind to comprehend. therefore, he speaks … Quick! The devil sends a fiery dart of …That he is not moved by what he fear. “This man cannot believe this thing …,” he cautioned to himself. He sees or feels …That he is never disadvantaged watches as the dart travels through to Christian. It gets to him and then stops by any situation …That he can never be at a loss on abruptly as it needed the permission what to do of Christian to enter into his area. …That he has overcome the world! This was the defining moment… The devil almost has a heart And so, he shines brighter and brighter attack as he waits. No! There is a shield that withstands For the glory of God is risen upon him the dart. Christian is always fully And his light is come! dressed in his armour 3. This morning is not an exception. The shield of faith The little one called the devil doesn't does its work and Christian remains know what to do now…maybe a battle unperturbed. The dart appears to have would be needed at this stage. But even made matters worse for then, Christian finishes it up and opens his mouth yet again… Christian seems to be upset now. Ohhhh! The devil stamps his feet in fear. He knows that the anger of the Christian is better imagined than seen. Faith takes charge and he begins to confess…agreeing with what God had said, with what his mind is yet to accept. It is such a mighty re-echo that thunders through the camp of the enemy. And that thundering is not without effect as the glory of the Word begins to rise in his spirit. It is yet a deeper level this time as he is being transformed. Wow! Was he struggling to believe these things before? Why...they are real to him now! That he is “the express image of the Father as he has His glory” didn't seem incredible anymore; nor that he has “the fullness of Christ”; nor that he had “God's own quality of life”; nor that “all things work together for his good”. They all are truth that he identifies with now. Even his mind nods in agreement…It
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“He hath disappointed the devices of the enemy; his hands cannot perform his enterprise”. At this point, the devil flees like never before. Here is sure one man that knows about his defeat . And did he just say “man”? Christian is more than a man; he actually is “God in a man”! P.S In His Majesty: He nodded, He smiled and then He laughed. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah had just finished watching a perpetual comedy- His son making a mess of the devil. He looked at him and gave him a proud pat. Beholding the Word, he sure had learnt to be the lion of his own jurisdiction…the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person!
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‘Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature' Mark 16:15. Great Light Ministry has yielded to this command of our Lord and has not relented in the past 17 years. Driven by a vision to reach the ends of the earth with the Light of the gospel until the knowledge of the glory of the Lord takes over the earth as the waters cover the sea. It is with great joy in our hearts and gratitude to God for his help through the year that we bring you the reports from the outreach field. AJEGUNLE AND ORITA AJE IFOKANBALE VILLAGES JANUARY 27TH -30TH 2012: The first outreach in the year, we had a glorious time in the village of Ajegunle and Orita Aje Ifokanbale. Members had prayed and trusted God for His Salvation and mighty visitation in the land and everyone got to the village that Friday with high expectations. The crusade began with prayers, praise and worship, Choir Ministration and a film Show. The movie-'Passion of Christ' was interpreted in Yoruba Language to the villagers for easy comprehension. The crusade was well attended on the second night a film show staged before the commencement of the crusade got the attention of the entire village. The Minister prayed for the salvation, healing and progress of the villagers; he also prayed for students and children. We had the largest turn out on the third day, almost the entire village gathered at the crusade ground. Praise, Worship, intercessory prayers, Choir ministrations attended the crusade. We saw several people surrender their lives to Christ. OLORUNLEKE VILLAGE March 30th – April 1st 2012: The village of Olorunleke is located within the axis of Atan, Sango Ota in Ogun State. GLM members arrived at the village on the first night in large numbers. Preparations began with the Prayer group, Choristers, Technical Team and the Kitchen Group simultaneously. Thereafter, the village wide publicity and praise march. Members went round the village singing, preaching the gospel and also inviting the villagers to
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the crusade that they were already aware of. Turnout on the first night of the crusade was really impressive. The word ministration centred on salvation. The minister preached the simple gospel of Christ and eternal life. Several were convicted of their sins and surrendered their lives to Christ. On the afternoon of the second day, members of Great Light Ministry went round the village in pairs on personal evangelism which lasted about two hours. We were particularly encouraged to see several elderly men and women surrender their lives to Christ. ALAPOTI VILLAGE MAY 25th-29th 2012: The outreach for the month of May started with showers of blessings as there was a heavy downpour on our arrival at the village. This however did not deter us from making all the necessary preparations but the downpour affected the turnout of the villagers for the crusade. The gospel was preached in all simplicity and a few of the villagers responded to the altar call for salvation. We had a large turnout of children and our children evangelism team equally spent time to teach them some truths from the Word of God. We do not underestimate the power in the Word to guide these little ones in the way of the Lord. Crusades were held on the second and third nights too with the second night featuring a film show. This got the attention of almost the entire village and boosted the attendance better than the first night.
AJEROGUN AND ORESHA VILLAGES July 27th-29th 2012: Members went out to the villages on mass publicity for the night's crusade inviting all the villagers and also preaching Christ and His Kingdom. The crusade commenced with a film show. This drew the attention of most of the villagers, children, men and
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women alike. We took advantage of this turn out to preach the gospel to them all. Many were convicted of their sins and surrendered their lives to Christ. The prayer chain is a time, usually at night during our outreaches when we pray through the night. Each group for the prayer chain prayed in turn till day break. Prayers were made for the people and villages of Ajerogun and Oresha that God will bring Salvation to the land and establish His Kingdom and His reign in both villages. The final crusades for the outreach took place in Ajerogun and Oresha villages. The people were prayed for and the new converts were encouraged to stand firm in Christ and to call on Jesus' name alone to save them. AGO ATAN AND AGO IBORO VILLAGES September 28th-30th 2012: In the month of September, the village of Ago Iboro in Ogun state hosted the members and leaders of Great Light Ministry, people with a singular purpose to shine the Light on them that sit in darkness. The light indeed shone on them as the powerful word of God illuminated the villages. The turnout of members at this particular outreach was really impressive being the final outreach in the year before the retreat. The first crusade was held in Ago Iboro open field. The film show 'Passion of the Christ' staged on the first day drew the attention of the entire village. – Men, Women, Youths and children were sober to see the pain and anguish Christ suffered for us on the cross of Calvary. This made a lot of them surrender their lives to Christ. One great testimony about this land is that the people were so convicted of their sins that the elders of the village officially prohibited the worship of idols and everyone said yes! to the Lordship of Jesus. What a great way to end the outreach for the year!
WEALTH From the hearts of Godly men
“The fellow that has no money is poor. The fellow that has nothing but money is poorer still.” - Billy Sunday (1862–1935) American Revivalist “Where money is an idol, to be poor is a sin.” - William Stringfellow Episcopal layman, writer “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost”. - Billy Graham “If any prophet, speaking in a trance, says, 'Give me your money (or anything else),' do not listen to him.” -The Didache “Shun, as you would the plague, a cleric who from being poor has become wealthy, or who, from being nobody has become a celebrity.” - Jerome “He that serves God for money will serve the Devil for better wages.” - Sir Roger L'Estrange “I continually find it necessary to guard against that natural love of wealth and grandeur which prompts us always, when we come to apply our general doctrine to our own case, to claim an exception.” - William Wilberforce
Everybody on earth goes to heaven. God comes and says, "I want the men to make two lines. One line for the men that dominated their women on earth and the other line for the men that were dominated by their women. Also, I want all the women to go with St. Peter. "With that said and done, the next time God looked, the women are gone and there are two lines. The line of the men that were dominated by their women was 100 miles long, and in the line of men that dominated their women, there was only one man. God became angry and said, "You men should be ashamed of yourselves. I created you in my image and you were all whipped by your mates. Look at the only one of my sons that stood up and made me proud. Learn from him! Tell them my son, how did you manage to be the only one in this line?" And the man replied, "I don't know, my wife told me to stand here."
STAYING IN TOUCH WITH US HAS BECOME A WHOLE LOT EASIER
“No one is so miserable as the poor person who maintains the appearance of wealth”. - Charles Spurgeon
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Do you desire to reach the abandoned, forsaken and unreached? A platform awaits you at GLM Village Outreaches. For enquiries visit; www.greatlightministry.org OR Call: +2348028269974
“If anyone does not refrain from the love of money, he will be defiled by idolatry and so be judged as if he were one of the heathen. - Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna “If a thief helps a poor man out of the spoils of his thieving, we must not call that charity.” - Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) Italian Poet
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WHY REVIVAL TARRIES
One In Line
“Poverty hath slain a thousand, but riches have slain ten thousand. They are very uncertain, they promise that which they cannot perform, neither can they afford a contented mind.” - Martin Luther
“Riches are long in getting with much pains, hard in keeping with much care, quick in losing with more sorrow. Riches may leave us while we live, we must leave them when we die.” Thomas Fuller “He who bestows his goods upon the poor shall have as much again and ten times more.” - John Bunyan “Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected…. Hoarding is idolatry.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
BOOK REVIEW
For Laffs
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unique feature to the body of Christ is the diversities of gifts yet, one source. The revered Paul the apostle spoke of different ministry gifts and gifts of the Spirit as expounded in his letters to the Ephesians and the brethren at Corinth.
In just 20 chapters, spread over 168 pages, Ravenhill captures through the book, several issues that might be too hard to swallow for the 'babe' but would be a complete diet for the minister of God and any heaven bound Christian. It is clear from the outset of the book, that the writer has a zero tolerance for the cosmetic minister and shallow Christianity that abound in our day as well as of Ravenhill's day. The first three chapters of the book look at the need for unction. The writer challenges Christians with special emphasis on ministers of the gospel on the need for unction in order to be effective. “The tragedy of this late hour is that we have too many dead men in the pulpits giving out too many dead sermons to too many dead people” “What is unction? I hardly know. But I know what it is not or at least I know when it is not upon my soul”, he laments.
Chapter six of the book is devoted to identifying why revival is yet delayed in our days and the wise in heart will do well to pay attention to the issues he raised. They include; evangelism is commercialised, cheapening of the gospel, carelessness, fear, lack of urgency in prayer and stealing the glory of God. At the first reading of the preliminary chapters in the book, one might be tempted to assume that the book is focused on men of the cassock alone. Wa i t t i l l c h a p t e r e i g h t t i t l e d 'unbelieving believers'. There Ravenhill addresses all believers, 'the facts beat ceaselessly into my brain these days that there is a world of difference between knowing the word of God and the God of the word'. In chapter thirteen of the book titled, Wanted- A Prophet to preach to the preachers!, the author looks at a timeless principle of God in the preparation of the vessels he uses. He calls it the University of Silence.
Ravenhill's ability to analyse and explain deep spiritual truths portrays him as someone who not only Leonard Ravenhill is no doubt one of possesses deep insights but also is tired such rare gifts that walked the surface of poor interpretation and application of this earth. His book WHY REVIVAL Prayer, its need and consistency as a of scriptures. One would not but TARRIES, published in 1959 (over 50 crucial requirement for revival wonder how the author would feel if he years ago) still carries with it freshness reverberates all through the book. As if lived in our day. The rate at which he that only Spirit inspired writings carry. laying a foundation for the crux of the brazenly condemns poor revival Ravenhill was more than a preacher; he book, the writer emphasizes the need lacking Christianity of his day would was a gift to the body of Christ. A few for prayer which is the only way to get make the wise muse thus, “if it was that words from the writer of the foreword action in the pews. Ravenhill hits hard bad in his days then it must definitely be to the book, A.W Tozer, another on shallow prayers which according to worse in these modern days”. Hear him; firebrand gift to the Church would him produce no effect. Rather, he 'the moon of revival has not yet risen on perhaps be appropriate to introduce us recommended prayer with tears. He this hell bound, Christ- rejecting, to the writer of the book- Why revival explains further, any minister who speeding to judgment generation. We tarries. This is essential as the shallow doesn't pray for at least two hours daily don't sit at ease in Zion anymore. We minded might not fully understand the is not worth a dime or penny! have gone past that; we just sleep in the i m p o r t o f i t s c o n te n t w i t h o u t church, pillars have given place to discovering the mandate of the writer. Ravenhill is brazen and blunt in his pillows.' The above statement further approach and style of writing, perhaps ratifies the authors' stance as a 'God always has his specialists whose confirming Tozer's description of him hardliner and if we were to borrow a chief concern is the moral breakdown, as a specialist sent to the church. The political parlance- a leftist. His words to the decline in the spiritual health of the writer displays a good sense of poetic the church are not only hard but fierce. nation or the church. Those who know literature in his writings with the use of Leonard Ravenhill will recognize in him a rhyming scheme that adds colour to No true child of the most high would the religious specialist, the man sent the book as well as contributes to its ever go through the 168 pages of the f ro m G o d n o t to ca r r y o n th e reading appeal. Phrases like; mauling book and remain the same. The book conventional work of the church, but to its market, stirring its synagogues, which is in several reprints comes in a beard the priests of Baal on their own penetrating its palaces, jaundiced Jews, simple and yet unassuming packaging. mountain-top, to shame the careless taught the teachers and pitied prison In essence, the content far outweighs priest at the altar, to face the false jailors all dot the pages of the book. the cover. prophet and warn people who are been led astray by him.' I N
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REDEMPTION SONG
SCHOOL OF THE SPIRIT
DELIVERED!
REPORT
– A true life story
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y parents brought me up to be independent , to believe in whatever I chose in life, and my overriding principle being: “whatever makes you happy is best”. My parents were not Christians and I grew up as someone you would least expect to grace the doors of a church. Though both my parents loved me very much, my father was an alcoholic and from a young age I rebelled. To be completely open with you, my life was full of mistakes; from the age of 16, I had begun getting involved in smoking, sniffing of soft drugs and as I write I am only too aware of what a fool I was. One of my most foolish mistakes was at the age of 17; I began to play a game called OUIJA Board; something people believed you could use to talk to dead spirits. As I began playing this game, I realised this was my introduction to the spirit world; and for me , prior to this I thought we were but dust, here today, and gone forever tomorrow. However as I and a couple of friends began playing this game, I gained information about my future, information about friends and relatives, information about exam papers at school etc. It was exciting and began to dominate my life in every respect. After a while we became a little bored and wanted the next high. It is funny in life that things never fully satisfy! We always want the next best thing, the next gadget, the next house, the next promotion. And so we decided the next thing in this game was to ask the spirit if they could enter our bodies. (I told you my life was an unwise story full of mistakes). Initially nothing happened..... Until a few days later when I began hearing strange voices in my head; strange in respect of not being our own. This voices would tell me things that were coming up, information about my school work, where my friends were at any given time etc. On one occasion, I and two of my friends where outside a church causing trouble, throwing stones at the window and being the unpleasant youths that we were. A man came out of the church and was talking to us and I remember being nothing but nasty to that man. At some point he offered to pray for us and I was wondering; “why does this man want to pray for us?” Here we are spiting at his face, throwing stones at his building, he should be calling the police or at least telling us to go! But here he was, offering to pray for us! I couldn't understand! He prayed in the name of Jesus, and as soon as that name was mentioned my body shook. The man realised that there was something more serious going on and
asked us to come back to church to be prayed for. I returned and as people prayed for me, these spirits (or what I now know to be demons), would actually physically take hold of my body and strange voices would come from my mouth. It would take several people to hold me on the floor while I writhed around. The pinnacle for me was the day I was chasing one of my friends down the rail way track when this demon physically took over my body and laid me down on the train track. I had a group of friends who were standing on a foot bridge above me shouting to me 'Get up!' As I laid on that track I had full control of mind but not of my body. There was a train coming towards me and I thought I was going to die. I could just picture the Newspaper stories: “Boy commits suicide on Railway”; that's how it probably would have looked. As the train approached me, it felt like someone or something grabbed me and pulled me bolt upright. I stood on my feet facing the train that now whizzed past the front of my face. You see I believe in that moment God literally pulled me up off that train track. This event enlightened me, I began to see the grave nature of my situation; it was no longer a game, it was now life versus death, good versus evil. “But he demonstrates his own love for us in this; while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) The voices grew in my head, telling me I was going to die, I ran to a friends' house; The man at church had told me I needed help, so he explained to me that he and many at the church had been praying for me, but that I needed to make a decision to turn and surrender my life to Christ. As these people began to explain to me about sin (that we were born sinners), and the good news(how God sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins on the cross), I did not fully understand it, but I just wanted to be free from the demonic oppression. I prayed to Jesus that night and I want to testify that Jesus Christ completely delivered me of those demons that controlled me. I left that night with much peace and a renewed calm. I began to go to church after that experience and a number of my friends decided to give their lives to Christ too. I was saved and set free from the demonic oppression, but Jesus had not been revealed to me personally. I am however ashamed to say that after a few months I stopped going to Church. I began to find it somewhat boring; I felt that church was all about rules, behaving in a
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certain way, taking away fun. I got lured back into the world and soon forgot about my experience. As I grew up and left school, my life was again all about my pleasure and satisfaction. I wasn't horrible to people per say, but I would sacrifice very little for others. The sacrifices I even made were to make me look like a great guy; it was all about me and my happiness. That was all I searched for, happiness. To be honest, that is what most of us really look out for, but until we start desiring to know how we can make God pleased with us, God may not allow us to find true happiness. I looked for happiness in so many things; girlfriends, friendships, money, travelling, drinking, material possession, work, sports etc I always set myself new targets, thinking if I just attained them, then I would be happy. But each time I attained, I was disappointed because that void was still there. After travelling overseas and owning a bar and restaurant, and still not finding satisfaction, I decided to go back to that church I had been to all those years ago thinking in my heart, maybe God does have the answers!. As God would have it, the first message I heard was “The Prodigal son”. As the prodigal son returned home full of the awareness of his wilful turning away from his father, what greeted him was not a scolding, but a compassionate father who ran to him to welcome him. Well, that was me in a nut shell! I guess for the first time I finally understood what the faith was all about and found a love that genuinely said, “I just want you back because you are so special to me”. I cried that day.....as I realised I had come back home! I began getting answers to my many questions, and I cannot believe the grace that God has shown me ever since; the patience and love! Life hasn't been so easy, but that empty feeling is gone; that void has been filled and I have a hope and a future in Christ. I now work as full time evangelist and I get the opportunity to speak in schools, prisons, church events etc. I have a burning passion to tell people the awesome news about being in Jesus Christ and to teach others how to do the same. “....For I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with my unfailing kindness”. Jer. 31:3 Compiled by Teni Oladipo
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There is no doubt in our hearts that the word of God remains the only antidote to the corruption that has filled our land. While as a ministry, we may not hold all the aces in stemming this evil tide, we believe that we hold a crucial one. This is, taking the raw word of God to the younger generation in tertiary institutions, secondary schools and communities across the nation as the lord permits. For over 15 years, the ministry has continued to pursue this vision as part of our core mandate to this generation. This year, the ministry was able to break into some new g r o u n d s . H o w e v e r, u n d e r t h e leadership of the Holy Spirit, we were able to spend quality time in handling teaching sessions with the leadership of the Christian community on the campuses. This was largely because we believe that the quality of the followers cannot be totally separated from that of the leaders. As we gradually draw the curtain on year 2012 we cannot but thank the Lord almighty for his faithfulness to us and to the different doors of ministry and utterance he in his mercy has granted unto us. We serve you with an update of the journey so far. Remain blessed. The year kicked off on a good note with the first School of the Spirit (SOS) meeting held at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomosho, Oyo State and SouthWest Nigeria. The meeting which took place on February 22nd, 2012 had a remarkable record attendance of over a thousand delegates. The programme also had in attendance, key leaders of the ministry. Speaking on the topic 'The spirit and the scripture', the students of the school were fed with the word of God, intense prayers and revelation of God's word. By March 24, 2012, Great Light Ministry (GLM) was again at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta Ogun State, also in South West Nigeria. This I N
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time around it was a leadership meeting for the leaders of the Christian community in the institution. With 86 leaders in attendance excluding the leaders and facilitators from GLM, the meeting was impactful. The leaders were challenged through the word of God on full establishment in Christ. The next day after the Abeokuta meeting, still in Ogun State, the ministry made a home coming of some sorts to the cradle of the ministry, the prestigious Federal Polytechnic Ilaro. Speaking to 62 executives from different fellowships on the campus on the topic 'Christian/Spiritual leadership', the speaker did an exposition on the high standard expected of a Christian leader in spiritual leadership. The meeting did not end without a fervent prayer session. Interestingly yet coincidentally, the new quarter started with the only leadership meeting for the month of April held at Ogun state again. This time, it was the newly established Gateway ICT monotechnic that played host to the ministry. Though the ministry had in previous times held School of the Spirit meetings there, this one was focused on the leaders of fellowships on the campus. The meeting had five leaders of the ministry in attendance. The month of May proved to be a special month. Not because it is the fifth month in the year but because the ministry was at 3 different tertiary institutions on the same day! On the 12th day of the month, GLM was at Kwara State University, Ilorin for a special training session for intending workers in the lords' vineyard. The theme for the training was 'The Man God Uses'. On the same day, the GLM S.O.S team was at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta Ogun State (FUNAAB) formerly known as University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB). The
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meeting which focused basically on soul winning had the students of the campus in attendance. Still on that same day, the ministry took the word of God to the prestigious University of Lagos. This was the third time the ministry would be visiting the school. The meeting which was organized under the auspices of the Unilag Joint Christian fellowship (UJCF) had 250 leaders in attendance. It was indeed a remarkable experience for all the delegates. The day after the three in one outing, the ministry honoured the invitation from the CACYOF at the Yaba College of Technology. The topic was, 'This Great Salvation'. GLM had two more meetings to attend before wrapping off the month of May. The visit was not to any new ground, it was again to the Gateway ICT monotechnic in Ogun State. Making it a total of one, two and three! Meetings held in the tertiary institution this year alone. The second one had the 'Purpose and pursuit of godly leadership' as its theme. The total attendance for the two meetings was put at 53 executives. Apart from the University of Lagos, GLM finally got a break into the state owned Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo campus after several attempts of taking the SOS there proved abortive. The GLM team took the word of God to the citadel of learning on the 24th of June 2012. The meeting proved worthwhile. Just like the three in one occurrence in the month of May, once again, the ministry had to run two teaching sessions on the same day and at the same University but at different campuses. Formerly known as Ogun State University, the Olabisi Onabanjo University hosted the ministry for both a School of the Spirit teaching seminar and a leadership seminar. While the Ayetoro, Ogun state campus of the
University had the SOS, the Ago-Iwoye main campus hosted a leadership seminar. The meeting had the manifest presence of God with teachings, prayer and the prophetic release of the mind of God to his people. The month of September kicked off with an SOS meeting having over 300 people in attendance. Barely 24 days after, the ministry visited the ancient city of Ibadan with the word of God. This time around it was the Polytechnic Ibadan that hosted the ministry. It was a leadership seminar that had the leaders of Christian fellowship in attendance. We shared with the leaders on what true leadership responsibility is all about. Unlike other campuses visited, the Ikire campus of the Osun State University hosted the School of the Spirit for two consecutive days. The meeting had a great move of the Spirit with impartations, prophetic utterances and deliverance. The campus would definitely not remain the same after the programme. A unique feature of the Olabisi Onabanjo University is its multicampus nature. As noted earlier in the report, the ministry had visited its Ayetoro and Ago-Iwoye campus with the word of God. Once again, the ministry was at the University in the month of October. This time around, it was the medical students at its teaching hospital located at Sagamu also within the state that played host to the ministry. A total of about 400 medical students were ministered to. The ministration gave a deep meaning to what salvation truly meant. Another visit was made to the ancient city of Ibadan in the month of November. The privately owned Lead City University was the port of call this time around and the meeting was productive as the students were fed with a balanced diet of the word of God. As noted in the introduction to this report, part of our mandate is to the younger generation who are yet to be infected with the corruption in the society. With this in mind, the School of the Spirit went all the way to the town of Owode in Ogun State. This time around, it was not the tertiary
institution that hosted the ministry. Rather, it was secondary students. Numbering about 300, the students were spoken to about 'Money versus Education' and about the 'internet'. The topics were adopted as a means of speaking the language of that generation while linking it to biblical perspectives on them. It was majorly an enlightening experience for the young minds as they gave all their attention to the ministers and were deeply involved in the participatory approach adopted in the teachings.
For Laffs Time And Money A preacher went into his church and he was praying to God. While he was praying, he asked God, "How long is 10 million years to you?" He replied, "1 second."
The next day the preacher asked Once again, the ministry was invited by God, "God, how much is 10 million the word thirsty brethren at the dollars to you?"
Gateway ICT monotechnic, Ogun state for a meeting that was honoured by the ministry. Two more meetings were held by the ministry before the year came to an end. The first been that at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State. The meeting which was specially packaged for the graduating students on the campus had 'Solution to this generation' as its theme. Not only was the word of God shared on how to be a solution to their generation, there was adequate time of prayer for the students. The last meeting but by in no way the least was the teaching seminar held for the first time at the Michael Otedola College for Primary Education in Lagos state. The campus located at the riverine town of Epe had two of the ministry's top leaders in attendance to minister to the students. The meeting provided a forum for the delivery of the word of God as well as an opportunity to lead the students in prayer. In all, the School of the Spirit arm of Great Light Ministry was able to visit a total of 22 institutions basically in South-West Nigeria. Efforts were and are still being made at expanding the frontiers of the SOS to other regions of the nation and beyond. We are persuaded beyond the shadow of a doubt that he who has begun the good work would definitely perfect it. While we look back with gratitude to God for the open doors, resources and journey mercies, we look forward into the New Year with tremendous optimism of what we know that the lord is set to do. All the glory to the Father.
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BIBLE STUDY
And God replied, "A penny." Then finally the next day the preacher asked God, "God, can I have one of your pennies?" And God replied, "Just wait a sec."
Picture of God The little boy was found by his mother with pencil and paper, making a sketch. When asked what he was doing, he answered promptly, and with considerable pride: "I'm drawing a picture of God." “But," gasped the shocked mother, "you cannot do that. No one has seen God. No one knows how God looks." "Well," the little boy replied, complacently, "when I get through they will."
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drive should be directed towards the establishment of this Kingdom and its values. John 8:36 2. We are strangers here and should think and act as such, we should not live as though this is our resting place, so when treated as an outcast we should remember that we are just passing through, this will guide us in our walk with God and even in our visions and goals in life. Ps 119:19, Heb 11:13 3. Love not the world or the things that are in it for those that love the world do not have the love of the father in them. When we have to make a choice between doing what the world dictates and what heaven expects, we should be careful not to deny our faith thereby denying Christ for the honor and pleasures of the world, “for He has said if you deny me I will deny you before my father in Heaven”. 1John 2:15, John15:19, Mt I0:33 4. We as believer should not just seek to extend the Kingdom of God but must enforce the Kingdom values of righteousness, peace and joy in the HolyGhost. Righteousness exalts a nation sin is a reproach, our inability or lack of concern for the fast deterioration of sound value system in our nation and community will not just be a snare to the righteous but will attract the judgment of God.
THY KINGDOM COME TEXT: MATT 6:25-33,
MEMORY VERSE: Dan 7:27 or Isa 9:7
INTRODUCTION: The word kingdom came from two words. These are: KING and DOMAIN or Dominion (Reign or Rulership). A king is a supreme ruler, sovereign over a nation or a territory. Kingship is usually hereditary not by election. Their words hold sway in the land and anybody who disobeys was made to face the wrath of the king. (Eccl 8:2-5, Prov 16:14-15, 19:12) A kingdom is a country or a region that is ruled by a king or a queen within which his word is law. Every kingdom has its own uniqueness, identity, language, lifestyle, culture, etc. Example is The United Kingdom. WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD? The Kingdom of God is God's domain of authority, power and rule. It is both physical and spiritual. The kingdom of God is a territory or a life where God's will is absolute and prevails over every other. Acceptance and submission to the will of God is the evidence of being in the Kingdom after we have come in through the sanctifying blood of Jesus. In the Kingdom of God, the provisions of God are available to all the subjects and his principles hold sway. (Psalm 103:19-22, Rev 11:15)
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD The kingdom of God: · Is in Righteousness, Peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost— Rom14:17-18 · Is spiritually discerned— 1Cor1:18, 2:11-14 · Is within men (You) — Luke17:20-21 · Grows – Matt13:31-33 · Is in power— 1Cor4:12, Acts 1:8-9 · Is everlasting—Rev 11:15
QUESTION: WHERE IS GOD REIGNING NOW? God is currently reigning in heaven and His words hold sway. It is also the will of God that His kingdom is extended to the ends of the earth and in all the people of the earth. That was why Jesus came to the earth and also taught his disciples to pray that: “…Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is presently done in heaven.”- Matt 6:9-10
WHEN THE KINGDOM COMES… The kingdom can come into the life of an individual, a church and a nation at large. What it means when we say thy kingdom come- It means we want God's reign, rulership, power and/or dominion to come into an individual's life, a church, a community or a nation.
CONSTITUTION OF THE KINGDOM A Constitution is the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determines the powers and duties of the government and guarantees certain rights to the people in it. It is also a set of written rules that guides and determine the way of life (values) of a group of people. It is an established law or customs (ordinance)
Û The kingdom of God into an individual, will bring: i. Conviction of sin, leading to repentance—2Cor7:10, Acts2:3738 ii. Longing for God—Ps 42:1, Phil 3:10 iii. Transformation and spiritual growth—Rom12:1-2, Eph4:1215, 2Pet3:18 iv. Victory over all things (sin, Devil, sicknesses, Poverty, fear etc.) —Luke10:19, 1Jhn5:4-5 Û The kingdom of God into a church, will bring (Revival i.e.): i. Godly teachings ( No more Heresies)— 2Tim 1:13; Tit 1:9, 1 Tim 4:1-3, Matt 15:9 ii. Selfless service (No more selfish gains in ministry) —Tit 1:7, 1John 3:16, 1Tim 6:3-5,John 12:25 iii. God becomes the centre of worship— John 3:30, 1Pet 4:1&2 Û The kingdom of God into a nation will bring: i. An end to corrupt practices in politics and public places— Jer 23:5, Ps 14:3, Isa 1:4, ii. The reign of righteousness—Exo 19:5&6, Prov 14:34, iii. A fast tracked development in all sectors (Prosperity)— (see the reign of king Josiah in Israel – 2King22and 23) iv. An end to idolatry and all forms of ungodliness— (see the reign of king Josiah in Israel – 2King22and 23) Isa 26:9`1` Jer 10:012
The Kingdom of God has its own set or laws and ordinances that guides and determines the way of life of everyone governed by it, the WORD of GOD is the constitution of the Kingdom of God. When the children of God came out of Egypt God gave them a set of ordinances, rules, and laws which were unique and different from that of the rest of the world. This body of rules and regulations was to guide and give them values that distinguished them from the rest of the nation around them. God instructed them not to depart from it to the right or to the left, keeping them attracted blessing and disobeying them attached causes (punishments) Jos 1:7&8, Deut 28:15 The BIBLE (word of God) is the constitution, every believer and citizen of the Kingdom is instructed to study it and live by it, we are to read, study, and meditate on the word of God until we are transformed into his likeness. 2Cor 3:18. The word of God should determine our character, values and lifestyle. We can't say we belong to the Kingdom of God without knowing, imbibing and doing what the bible (constitution) instructs. Ps 119
HOW TO ACCESS THE KINGDOM OF GOD · Give Christ a place in your heart (Be born again!)—Jhn3:3 · Accept the word of god as a little child (Humility) —Matt 19:14, Luk18:17, James 2:5 · Submit to the will of God— James 4:7 · Live and appropriate it by Faith—Heb11:6-7 CONCLUSION: God's desire is that His Will be established and be done in every life, church and in the nations of the earth as it is done in heaven. Hence, every believer should embrace the responsibility of extending the kingdom of God through living godly lives and proclaiming the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the nooks and crannies of the world. Noting that it is only through the preaching of the true gospel that there can be a great revival. Matt24:14, Rev11:15
DEVELOPING A KINGDOM VALUE The kingdom of God is not just about attending church or convention, neither is it just about attending various seminars and events organized by churches, it is in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost. God seeks worshippers that will worship him in Spirit and in Truth. 1. Jesus said my kingdom is not of this world; Jesus gave clear instructions that we should seek first this Kingdom of God and His Righteousness no one seeks that which is readily available, notice Jesus said it not of this world. We should set our minds on the things that are above; this will change our value system. Our passion and
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...sights and events through the year
GLM Communications crew with Dr. Panam Percy Paul
Evangelism at Olorunleke Village
Healing line at Ajegunle Village crusade
Olorunleke Village Crusade
Response to alter call at Ajerogun village
Evangelism at Ago Atan Village
Alapoti village crusade
Response to the alter call during 2011 Retreat
Children class at Ajerogun Village crusade
Choir ministration at Ajerogun Village crusade
Evangelism at Ajerogun Village
GLM Choir at 2011 Retreat ..
Evangelism at Alapoti village
GLM members leading converts to Christ at Ajerogun village crusade
School of the Spirit at University of Lagos
Iwogia Children during 2011 Retreat
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Cross section of attendees during 2011 Retreat
Prayer time during 2011 Retreat
GLM Choir at 2011 Retreat .
Rev (Mrs) Gbemi Olaleye ministering during 2011 Retreat
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Rev Isaac Omolehin Ministering at 2011 Retreat
Evang. (Mrs) Toun Soetan ministering during 2011 retreat
GOCs' families with Bishop & Mrs Abraham Olaleye
GOCs with Rev Isaac Omolehin during 2011 Retreat
LEADERSHIP TEAM
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elcome to the kingdom of God! Every person who gives his life to Christ is introduced into a new home called the Kingdom of God and in this place sin takes no stand or space. The kingdom is characterized by peace, righteousness and godly living.
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hey are from different backgrounds, yet they possess a common passion to see the kingdom of God established in their days. The General Officers Commanding (GOCs) are the seven executive members that steer the affairs of the ministry. Meet them...
NIYI AKINYEMI: Niyi is a chartered accountant. He detests pride and appreciates being trusted. He desires to add value to both life and his generation. His favourite colour is blue. He is married to his amiable wife Oluwayemisi and they are blessed with a son.
DOKUN ADEBAYO: Dokun is a chartered accountant. Known for his tough stand point on issues bordering with contemporary and true Christianity, Dokun detests irresponsibility, appreciates hard work, financial prudence and has an insatiable drive for excellence. He is happily married to his heartthrob, Ayodele, they are blessed with a daughter. He is currently the Secretary-General to the ministry
ISAAC IDOWU: Isaac is a Telecommunications Engineer . Listening to him speak would reveal a lot about his likes and dislikes which according to him are love and selfishness. His desire is to be a blessing anywhere he finds himself. He is happily married to his charming wife, Abaija and they are blessed with children.
TAIWO IBRAHIM: Taiwo is an accountant. He loves the colour blue, appreciates open mindedness and detests deceit. He is happily married to his pretty wife, Stella. SEYI OLUSEYE: Seyi holds his qualifications in Business Administration. He holds integrity and discipline dear to his heart, He appreciates true service and detests deception. He Pastors The Truth House Church and is married to Wunmi his gentle and loving wife. They are blessed with children.
SEYI AYESA: The only female among the GOCs. Seyi holds her qualifications in the sciences. A woman of substance, she works in the sales and marketing department of a leading Foods and Beverages company. She is an expository teacher of the word and holds the purity and integrity of the word of God dear to her heart. Seyi is happily married to her dear Bolarinwa, they are blessed with children. TOPE OJO: Tope is a born leader who never turns back until he accomplishes his objective. He appreciates hard work and commitment to duty. He is happily married to his amiable wife Tolulope and they are blessed with children.
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You will agree with me that many of us have created in our subconscious, how rapture will take place; The blasting of the angel's trumpet, a sudden change of day to night , the mysterious disappearance of the righteous, emergence of the anti-christ, the charade of '666' and many other occurrences that our study of the book of revelation, and pictures that movies have depicted. Some even allocate a time of the year for the coming of Christ. With so much confidence they give themselves to a full dose of sin, believing that Christ would not come until 2050. A sorry case indeed it is. For when people know the truth, it will set them free. The shocking truth is that Christ has confirmed that his second coming will be as a thief in the night; Which means that no one would have the slightest hint of the second, minute or hour that He will arrive. It is high time we stopped believing in false teachers and scoffers because such people are good at leading many to destruction. A school of thought has concluded that rapture would take place when they die, and so they programme their life in a way that, their righteous living begins at their old age, a time they have calculated to be closest to their grave! The excuse most people give for living in sin is that Christianity is boring. This is simply fallacy! If a life of peace and comfort is boring, then what could be exciting about a momental enjoyment that has an end product of eternal condemnation? God is an enemy to sin and so he is not happy when his I N
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children make a practice of sin. Some people are in the act of deception, they come up with schemes on how they think they can out smart God. But this is a rat race! A person who thinks he can live his life as he pleases, and then just before he dies, give his life to Christ; probably on a sick bed, is not too conversant with the person of God. He does not know that the All-knowing God knows the intent of our heart before we even think them. An attitude that does not reverence God is not the best to be emulated. It simply shows gross ingratitude to the one who created us and gave us the breath of life. We should be mindful of taking the grace and love of God for granted.
My dear, the ways of God are not the ways of men. If you have thought of an hospital bed last minute repentance, what happens then if the slave master (devil) takes your life in a fatal accident and deprives you of that last chance. What will be your story? I beg you in God's name; do not take for granted your chance to be saved now. Tomorrow indeed might be too late; a second chance might never come. The devil daily roams about, looking for whom to kill and destroy. Don't be that victim for with salvation you have God's authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, to command the devil and triumph over him. The bible says we are in the world but not of this world. That should tell us that, as Christians we are foreigners of this kingdom called 'world' and our real home is in 'Heaven'. This therefore implies that everything we find in this world would not last with us forever because there is a place that we came from and at an appointed time, we return. So you see, we should not live our life as though there was no tomorrow. A Nigerian living in America does not forget the existence of Nigeria no matter how long he lives in the foreign country. He knows that his citizenship is not in America, and when
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the visiting period is over Nigeria still remains his home. For this reason, m a ny N i g e r i a n s l iv i n g a b ro a d endeavour to make investments in Nigeria because they know that a time of returning to home will surely come. Most of us today have forgotten our home land. We have neglected our source- God, the ruler of the Kingdom we belong to. We should not let the practice of this foreign world corrupt us because in our kingdom we do not make a practice of sin; it is not in our nature to sin. Our king is holy and righteous; His command for us is to remain holy and righteous. Let me remind you of Peter's gospel in 2peter 3:15 which commands that we should make every effort to be 'found' living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight of God. It is not wise to say that the Lord's coming is in 2050. Have you forgotten the scripture that says a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day? You cannot put a time to what God means when he says one day he will come back. It can be ten years or today. Don't waste another day. Salvation would not only stamp your inheritance in heaven but there are even earthly benefits for everyone that gives his life to Christ. Do you know that anyone who is saved is a co-heir with Christ? This person becomes a son of God just like Jesus Christ is. Don't listen to the lies that people cook up about Christianity being boring. There is nothing like living a life so secured and assuring. The kingdom of God is here and has come to stay. Get a life in and with the father, claim the kingdom that belongs to you, and don't let the devil deceive you! The joy and happiness in this kingdom is limitless, but you have to be saved to enjoy its goodness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, he will receive you just as you are, don't postpone your salvation. The kingdom of God is here! Don't miss the flight. By Alo Omotayo