House of Destiny Redeemed Christian Church of God: 2011

Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Chioma Emenike is 2, Praise the Lord.... Abridged Video of Thanksgiving Service at the Church auditorium 4th Dec 2011

Monday, 14 November 2011

Church & the Premise of Discipline

From the Alter

The writer of the Book of Hebrews makes it abundantly clear that God disciplines His children on the basis of His own fatherly love for them (Hebrews 12:4-13). As the church wrestles with the important questions related to the discipline of its members it must consider the truth that love and discipline are inextricably linked together (Revelation 3:19). God disciplines His children because of His infinite love for them. When a believer is experiencing divine discipline it is because their heavenly Father is treating them as “sons.” It is the evidence of a true relationship with God.

Historically, certain confessions of the church have posited three characteristics which identify a church as a true church. These characteristics include the preaching of pure doctrine, the administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and the exercise of church discipline.Unfortunately, the church at large has either given itself over to libertine doctrines or legalism, and in doing so, have either abandoned the third mark by foregoing church discipline altogether or they have gone completely overboard, disciplining their members unnecessarily. Disciplining for the wrong reasons has led one writer to charge, “The church is the only army that shoots its wounded.”

The process and purpose of discipline must necessarily be defined lest the church be torn apart in its dealings with the sins of its people. With the ever increasing problem of lawsuits and litigation it is incumbent upon the church to understand clearly what her role is in this area. Why should we discipline? What offenses should we discipline for? How far should we go in the process?

The Purpose of Discipline

Both Jesus (Matthew 18:15-17) and the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 5:1-13) commanded the discipline of sinning members within the church, because foremost in their minds was the purity of the church of God which is the very bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27). In his writings, the great figure of the protestant reformation, John Calvin, referred to church discipline as the “sinews of the body of Christ,” without which the body would not hold together. In other words, without the chords of discipline holding the churches together, its cohesiveness and its purity could not be ensured. Ironically, the Reformed church of which Calvin was a part has difficulty enforcing this truth because one’s profession of faith is not part of being a member.

Within the church, discipline is designed to restore to the community of believers one who has fallen into heresy, gross immorality, lack of punctuality (late-coming), indecent dressing, disrespect to the Pastors & elders of the church, or a habitual pattern of sin in their life. The word “restore” in the Greek language contains the idea of “mending,” as one would do to a fishing net in order to return it to its functional use (Cf. Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:19). Church discipline was never intended to drive a sinning saint away or to execute judgment on fallen saints. Instead, inherent within its purpose, is the idea of restoring such individuals to the body of Christ in a spirit of gentleness, through repentance and forgiveness, thereby mending the relationships that have been torn within the community of believers. The Apostle Paul made this purpose clearly evident when he said to the churches of Galatia,
“Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).

In this very letter Paul, through divine inspiration, included a list of sins which can be divided into sub-categories (Galatians 5:19-20). A summary may provide clarity in understanding which types of sins require intervention from individuals or the church. These include, but are not limited to, sexual sins (v. 19), false doctrine and worship (20a), sins of anger and related acts (20b), factiousness (20b-21a), and sins related to self-control (21a). These categories are not exhaustive as indicated by the phrase which follows, “and things like these” (21b).

The Process of Discipline

Our Lord left little 'ambiguity' as to the process which He desired the church to follow in restoring a lost sheep to the fold (Matthew 18:12-18). The first step in the process of discipline should involve a private reproof of the offender from an individual (15a). If the offender continues in the sin then the second step should involve a private conference with two or three witnesses (16). This second step mirrors the Old Testament requirement for multiple witnesses for the conviction of a crime (Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15). At this point the sinning saint should recognize the seriousness of their offense. If, after this step, repentance is not demonstrated by the offender, then the third step requires that a public announcement be made to inform the church (17). The church body is then to purse that individual, attempting to convince them to turn from their sin. The church in this context is best understood to mean the local assembly. Finally, if the offender even refuses to listen to the church, the next step is to treat them as a Gentile and a tax collector, placing them outside the circle of God’s people (17). This fourth step involves removal from the membership roster of the church, and discontinuation of fellowship and communion celebrations.

Communication with the wayward sheep should only occur in attempts to call the individual to repentance. Ex-communication may seem harsh and severe on the surface however, the ultimate goal of the process is to bring about such a sense of loss in the sinning individual that they are brought to their senses and led to a desire to walk in fellowship again. The church’s leadership must pray earnestly for the wisdom to know how long to wait in between these four steps as there is no defined protocol. Adequate time should be allowed for repentance and change, knowing that the Lord Himself is slow to anger and patient, abounding in loving-kindness (Exodus 34:6; Numbers14:18). If at any point in the process the offender repents the Scripture says, “You have won him,” and the process should be discontinued.

In summary, the premise of church discipline is founded upon the eternal love of God for His children and His desire that they share in His holiness. The purpose for corrective discipline is the restoration of individuals who have strayed from following Christ and have fallen into such sins as those listed in Galatians 5:19-20. The ultimate goal in corrective discipline is always the restoration of the individual who is entangled in sin, both to God and the church, thereby mending the body of Christ. The process of discipline which the church should follow involves the four steps which our Lord Himself outlined in (Matthew 18:12-18).
These are indeed sobering and serious matters and these waters should not be entered into lightly. However, for the purity of the church and the good of the sinning saint, if the situation calls for it, discipline should be administered without reservation.

Monday, 7 November 2011

The role of the church in Nation Building

From The Alter

Very many years ago, when Africa was simply geographical statistics to Europe; when the land was divided and passed from on european Nation to the next as gifts regardless of the diversity of those who lived in that geographical region, the church stood alone as a body that had a singular role of developing and building the region.

Missionaries from different parts of the developed world stormed the then jungles of Africa bringing with them a message of salvation through Jesus Christ and education as an essential tool for development.

In times when the colonial masters and native government of the African people couldn’t be bothered about the responsibility of education, rather, they were encumbered with acts of milking the land dry of its rich resources and making gains by that, selfless missions started schools to educate Africans and teach them how to read and write.

So focused where these missions, that they shouldered funding almost completely, getting no funds from the colonial masters or the native leaders in the building of the school structures or payment of the teachers who actually doubled as missionaries then.

With time, the schools moved from single class schools to multiple class schools. Curricula were drawn up and very soon, africans started competing on almost level grounds with European students all around the world.

Teaching the African man to read was the first step in the direction of his liberation and that responsibility was taken on by the church.

Now, there are schools everywhere in an african country like Nigeria. Government has gotten involved though on a paralytic level in education. The church has shirked its responsibility and is focused on making profit especially now that churches have millions of naira come in by way of offerings, tithes and other giving vehicles or projects from the upwardly mobile professionals and middle class citizens who must attend church because religion is a culture.

The church now is involved in financial blessing seminars and faith conventions featuring night vigils with prayer requests of financial abundance and prosperity at the expense of National development.

Church members have grown a thick skin against the deep poverty that is eating the land and have turned their face away from other members who are in church to come in contact with their “angel” (who will probably provide their next meal). Loads of young lads and ladies have no one to pay for their education and are stuck as a result at secondary school education and forced to go do manual labour. Some are even jobless

Yet, in most churches in the land, the congregation gathers, enjoy worship with scintillating music and dancing, listen to the word, pray and go home while the Nation regresses in illiteracy and bondage. Pastors now live a “larger than life” life especially in an environment where “God gives the power to get wealth”. A large percentage of them can not give proper account of the monies that they spend as they have an unhindered access to the church account and spend at will.

The church is sleeping is why a Nation’s government is killing innocent citizens in the niger delta and not much noise is being made about it. After all, the vice president dines with the leadership of the church associations regularly and they wouldn’t want to corrupt the goodwill that is between them till date.

Loads of youths have dreams to be successful in the arts (music, graphic arts, dancing etc) and even sports but lack an enabling environment and a platform to launch and the doors of the church are locked from monday during the day to friday during the day with so sort of empowerment going on.

How long shall this neglect and wickedness continue. If this nation, Nigeria must develop, the church must take it’s rightful place again in taking responsibility for the building of this nation academically, spiritually, financially and even politically.

Our values are flawed because the church is sleeping. LET THE CHURCH ARISE AND LET THE ENEMIES OF NIGERIA BE SCATTERED.

Abridged video of Deacon & Mrs Segun Oladejo's Child Dedication (06-11-2011) The Redeemed Christian Church of God, House of Destiny, Plot 1137, Cadastral Zone, Mabushi, Abuja

Sunday, 16 October 2011

House of Destiny Redeemed Christian Church of God Plot 1137, Cadastral Zone, Mabushi, Abuja: Abridged video of Sunday service (16-10-2011)

Pastor Chijoke Emenike is the Parish Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Plot 1137, Cadastral Zone, Mabushi, Abuja. It is one of the Parishes of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Worldwide with Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye as the General Overseer. God bless you all.

Friday, 7 October 2011

Abridged video of Church's thanksgiving service (02-02-2011) The Redeemed Christian Church of God, House of Destiny, Plot 1137, Cadastral Zone, Mabushi, Abuja. The service was presided over by the parish Pastor, Pastor Chijoke Emenike

Major Events Preceding the Second Coming of Christ

By Pastor Chijoke Emenike

The Second Coming of Christ is preceded by a number of world-shaking events that must occur before Christ can return. This is in contrast to the rapture of the church, which is always presented in Scripture as an imminent event. The Second Coming, however, is a climax of what God is doing with the world to prepare it for Christ’s millennial kingdom. Many detailed prophecies relate to this period, and understanding this helps one to analyze current world affairs as shaping up in preparation for these events.
The Revival of the Roman Empire
In Daniel’s presentation of the four great empires in chapter 7, the fourth empire, though not named, is clearly to be identified with the Roman government. In the revelation of Daniel 7, the prophet sees four great beasts, the first being a lion, representing Babylon, the second a bear, representing Medo-Persia, and the third a leopard, representing the empire of Alexander. The student of Daniel’s prophecies does not have to guess at this because Daniel names the second and third empires as that of Medo-Persia and Greece (Daniel 8:20-21). The fourth beast, which follows the Grecian empire, however, is not named but is described as “terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns” (Dan. 7:7). The description here of the fourth empire fits accurately the Roman Empire from God’s point of view.
The Roman legion conquered country after country and carried off able-bodied men as slaves and enforced their rule by leaving contingents of soldiers in each country. It literally “devoured its victims and trampled underfoot” each country. In the explanation given to Daniel concerning the four beasts and the ten kingdoms, he was told: “The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom” (Dan. 7:23-24). The prophecies of the four empires have already been fulfilled in history except that the Roman Empire has never developed into a ten-nation kingdom. Accordingly, many believe that this is a future situation that will take place after the Rapture of the church.
Many prophecies of the Old Testament that deal with the end of the age leap from the first coming of Christ to the second coming of Christ without taking into account the present age. This is true of the feet of the image in Daniel 2, and it is also true of the prophecy concerning the fourth kingdom, which today seemingly has disappeared, but in Scripture will be revived in the ten-nation form preceding the second coming of Christ. As the fourth kingdom is finally terminated by Jesus Christ’s coming from heaven (Dan. 7:13-14), it becomes clear that this form of the kingdom will emerge before the second coming of Christ.
The Emergence of Antichrist
In addition to explaining that the empire will consist of ten kingdoms, Daniel was told that there will be an eleventh horn, an individual who will conquer them all. This is stated in Daniel 7:8, “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.” This eleventh horn, obviously, is another king distinct from the ten kings mentioned earlier. At Daniel’s request, explanation was given to him about it in Daniel 7:24, “After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.” As it is also stated in 7:23, he will eventually conquer the entire world, and it seems clear that he gains control of all these ten kingdoms before he rises to become a world dictator.
In Revelation 13:1-10 another prophetic visions was given concerning this fourth beast. Revelation 13:1 states that it has ten horns and ten crowns. In the final empire, the beast gathers in all of the preceding empires pictured as a lion, a bear, and a leopard. John writes, “The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion” (Rev. 13:2). From Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 it may be concluded that the Bible speaks of a future world empire that will be a revival of the Roman Empire that was in existence when Christ was on earth. The extent of the power of this world empire is given in Revelation 13:5-7:
The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
According to the book of Revelation, this ruler will head the world government for forty-two months. This forty-two month period is the last three-and-a-half years prior to the second coming of Christ. In that period there will be a time of unprecedented trouble. This is described in Daniel 12:1, “There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.”

Christ also spoke of this time of trouble preceding His second coming when He told some of the disciples, “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened” (Matt. 24:21-22). In Matt. 24:29-30 Christ goes on to explain to His disciples that His second coming will bring this time of trouble to a close:
Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
The Covenant with Israel
Christ will deal with the world of the Gentiles pictured in the ten-nation group and the world empire that follows, according to Daniel, in the seven-year period leading up to His second coming. This is part of the “seventy times seven” (490) years of God’s dealing with the people of Israel (Dan. 9:24-27), beginning with the restoration of the city of Jerusalem in 444 B.C.

These 490 years, however, are divided into three periods, with the first two consecutive, but the last seven years will be separated from the preceding period by the present age that intervenes, during which God is calling out His church. Once the rapture of the church takes place, however, it will be possible for God to bring about the fulfillment of the last seven years described in Daniel 9:27, “He [the ruler who will come, v. 26] will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.” The last seven years preceding the Second Coming begin when the covenant is made, probably shortly after the Rapture.

Daniel 9:27 describes the final seven years leading up to the second coming of Christ and divides it into two periods, the first being the three-and-a-half years during which the covenant is observed and the second being the three-and-a-half years when the covenant is broken, resulting in the termination of Jewish sacrifices in their temple. The Jews will make this seven-year covenant with the ruler over the ten kingdoms who later becomes the world dictator. Though the term Antichrist is never applied directly to this world ruler, he will be the ultimate fulfillment of predictions of the Antichrist (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7).
Antichrist is anyone who opposes Christ or who claims to be a substitute for Christ. The apostle John declared that the Antichrist is coming, but that there are many antichrists: “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come” (1 John 2:18). John further defines an antichrist, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22). John further describes an antichrist as one who denies that Christ came in the flesh as God in 1 John 4:3, “but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” The same explanation is given in 2 John 7. The future world ruler who governs ten nations and later becomes dictator over the whole world is the Antichrist because he is against Christ and is a substitute for Christ, as the prefix “anti” means.

Three Periods Between the Rapture and the Second Coming
In a study of all the passages that relate to the end time, it becomes clear that there are three major time periods between the Rapture and the Second Coming. The first is the period of preparation, a relatively short period, in which the ten-nation kingdom emerges. Its leader rises to conquer first three and then all ten kingdoms. When this leader becomes powerful, because of his backing of the ten kingdoms, he is able to make the covenant with Israel for seven years described in Daniel 9:27. This introduces the second period of time, which covers the first half of the seven years mentioned in the covenant. In the middle of the seven years, however, a dramatic change takes place, and the ruler of the ten kingdoms becomes a world dictator, apparently without a war. This sets the stage for the third period, the last three-and-a-half years leading up to the second coming of Christ. Accordingly, there is first a period of preparation leading up to the seven-year period. Then there will be three-and-a-half years of peace, the second period, and this will be followed by the third of great trouble and tribulation. The third period will be followed immediately by the Second Coming.

The War with Russia
In Ezekiel 38-39 a strange war is predicted in which a great nation to the north of Israel, a reference to Russia (Ezek. 36:15; 38:6, 15; 39:2), will be joined by a number of other nations in a sneak attack upon Israel at a time when Israel is at peace (Ezek. 38:11). Though a number of explanations have been given of the prophecy, it seems that this Soviet invasion will come during the first three-and-a-half years leading up to the second coming of Christ. This would correspond to the time of peace described in Ezekiel 38 (see 1 Thess. 5:3). This war turns out to be a disaster for Russia and her other allies (Ezek. 39:3-6, 11-20) as they will be annihilated.

The destruction of the invaders will change the world situation, which apparently then will be much like it is now, with Russia and her allies opposed to the rest of the world. With Russia out of the way as a military power because of the destruction of her army, it will be possible for the ruler of the ten kingdoms to declare himself a world dictator, and apparently, there will be no power great enough to oppose him, and a world empire will be born overnight. At the beginning of his world empire the world will ask the question, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?” (Rev. 13:4). And the answer is that no one will be strong enough to deny the ruler of the ten kingdoms the place of a dictatorship over the entire world.
When this takes place and the world empire suddenly emerges, the Middle East ruler will break his covenant with Israel and become her persecutor instead of her protector, and the final three-and-a-half years leading up to the second coming of Christ will be a time of trouble for Israel and for the entire world. The world ruler of the end time will not only claim political rule over all nations but will also claim to be God (Rev. 13:8).

According to Daniel 11:37, the world ruler “will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.” According to Daniel 11:38, he will worship only the power to make war and gain victory, and he will be engaged in warfare toward the end of that last three-and-a-half years.

The Great Tribulation: Armageddon
As indicated in the breaking of the covenant with Israel, the future world ruler will bring on a terrible time of persecution by the government and judgment of God upon the world. This time of trouble is described graphically in Revelation 6-18. This period will include disasters from God as well as persecution of all those who will not recognize the world ruler as deity.
In his vision recorded in Revelation 6, John is introduced to a scroll with seven seals affixed to the side. As the scroll is unrolled, each seal is broken, signaling a great event on the earth. Some of these are great catastrophies. Seal one refers to the world empire that is brought out at the beginning of the three-and-a-half years. This is indicated by the bow without an arrow (Rev. 6:2), the formation of the world empire without a fight.

Seals two and three refer to warfare and starvation, which will affect many. The fourth seal reveals that one-fourth of the earth’s population will be destroyed, certainly a time of the wrath of God. The fifth seal recognizes that the world ruler will put to death those who do not recognize him as deity, and they are seen in heaven waiting for the time when the world ruler will be judged. In this period, according to the sixth seal, great disturbances will take place in the earth, with the sun darkened, the moon turning blood red, and stars of heaven falling to earth. There will also be a great earthquake, with every mountain and island removed from its place (Rev. 6:12-14).

Out of the seventh seal will come a second series of sevens called trumpets. As each trumpet is sounded, it signals another tremendous judgment on earth, usually extending to one-third of the earth’s area (Rev. 9:7-12),and one-third of the earth’s population will be destroyed (Rev. 9:15). Again, there will be great disturbances in nature, and eventually war.

Out of the seventh trumpet will come a third series of sevens called vials, or bowls, of the wrath of God. Each of these introduces another tremendous judgment on earth, usually extending to the entire earth. The first bowl judgment poured out will cause painful sores on people who have been worshiping the world ruler and the idol of him that was set up in the temple (Rev. 16:1-2). The second bowl pictures judgment on the sea so that every living creature in it dies (Rev. 16:3). The third bowl of the wrath of God will corrupt the springs of water, and they will become blood (Rev. 16:4). The fourth bowl will disturb the ordinary course of the sun, and people will be scorched because of the intense heat (Rev. 16:8). The fifth bowl results in the earth’s being plunged into darkness, because the heavens will be so disturbed that they do not give their normal light (Rev. 16:10). The sixth bowl will dry up the river Euphrates, which will make it possible for a great army from the East to approach the Holy Land and join in the final great war that is described taking place there. The final bowl of wrath will consist of a great earthquake that destroys the cities of the world, causing mountains and islands to disappear, and apparently the topography of the entire earth will be changed (Rev. 16:17-21).

During the three-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation, God protected 144,000 Israelites, 12,000 in each tribe, as described in Revelation 7. They were able to go through the Great Tribulation unscathed and will be on Mount Zion at the end of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 14:1). By contrast, however, Revelation 7:9-17 pictures a great multitude in heaven consisting of those who have been martyred because they would not worship the world ruler and his claim for deity. By putting all these tremendous disasters of the end time together, we are introduced to a world scene where most of the world’s population has been destroyed prior to the second coming of Christ, and many of those who did turn to Christ in that day have become martyrs. In the Great Tribulation the final form of anti-God religion will consist of the atheistic worship of the world ruler and a denial of the true God. When Christ returns, He will judge the wickedness of the earth, rescue those still living in the earth who are saved and bring them into the millennial kingdom, and bring judgment of physical death on all the others (Matt. 24:30-31; 25:31-45).

Pastor Chijoke Emenike is the Parish Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Plot 1137, Cadastral Zone, Mabushi, Abuja. It is one of the Parishes of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Worldwide with Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye as the General Overseer. God bless you all.

Let Somebody Shout 69 Hallelujahs For Adeboye

WHEN 31-year old Dr. Enoch Adejare Adeboye stepped foot into a derelict building housing what was then known as The Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, what was playing in his scientific mind is better imagined. A doctorate degree holder in Applied Mathematics and a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos who was already aspiring to become the youngest vice chancellor in Africa in front of one unlettered priest. How would other lecturers feel? What would he explain to his colleagues, that he was at the church to see his uncle, Rev. Chris Fajemirokun or had gone there to serve God under some-body who cannot even read the English Bible?

Shouldn’t this uncle who had invited a doctorate degree holder to accept any form of preachment from a stack illiterate, have his head examined? The thought of a scientist receiving instructions from one illiterate defies any logic. Like anything, Adeboye-from his controversial conception and birth12 months after, to his 18 years without shoes, involve-ment in gang and his infantile race against high tide to make ends meet right up to his university days and his emergence as the successor of the found-er of a rag tagged indigen-ous church dominated by unlettered old men and women at a tender age of 38 – it’s a circle of quest-ions. Questions! Quest-ions!! Questions!!!

Even, his ancestral home, Ifewara, was said to have shared a history with Israel as it was involved in several wars that scattered the indigenes, many of whom had not returned till today. The ways of the Lord are not the ways of man. Paul, in the Bible, may pass for today’s senior advocate, but when he had an encounter with the Light of God, he was directed to a not too lettered Annanias who restored his sight and taught him what he should know in ministry. Paul was latter to combine his edu-cation with the anointing of God on his life to surpass the accomplishments of the already established apost-les and direct disciples of Jesus Christ.

Such was the story of Pastor Adeboye. Born in a rustic agrarian village of Ifewara, Osun State in South-West Nigeria on March 2, 1942, he fought every mountainous cir-cumstances including even embarking on a hunger strike at tender age to protest his father’s inability to pay his school fees as a result of endemic poverty; to become a major prophet of God being sought after the world over.
Rev. Fajemirokun, an uncle, had actually intro-duced Dr. Adeboye, who was at the time frantically seeking solution to a sickly beloved daughter as well as the plague of a wife who was advised to stop delivery after two caesarian sessions, to the Redeemed Christian Church of God which was then holding services at 9, Willoughby Street, Ebute Metta in Lagos.

The day he stepped foot at that church in 1973, with his wife in tow, Dr. Adeboye had since realised the folly of ever consulting with native doctors and diviners who merely ridiculed him without any solution to his problem. On that Sunday afternoon, he was humbled by the power of God that he didn’t waste any mo-ment to hearken to the altar call by the officiating minister and the General Superintendent, Rev. Josiah Akindayomi and that also marked the end all the crisis in his life which is why he had never looked back since then. The humble mathemati-cian had relished that auspicious moment of his dramatic turn around on Sunday, July 29, 1973, when he made that decision that changed his entire world for good, till this day.

Adeboye was baptized by immersion in September of the same year and was ordained pastor two years later on September 14, 1975, thus beginning an ecclesiastical voyage which culminated into his becoming the General Overseer on January 21, 1981 upon the death of the founder in a London hos-pital two months earlier. He was barely 38 years old. As he marks his 69th birthday today, your best read newspaper dispatch-ed a team to his home town, Ifewara, to find out what was the secret of the entire phenomenal feat credited to his name. The journey to the town was uneventful, though it exposed us to age old story of governmental neglect and inability to tap into possible alternative sources of revenue. In more progressive count-ries, Ifewara would have been turned to a major tourist centre of sort, because of the immense stature of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God; people would be trouping to the place to do researches.

There were talks of certain missionaries, who occasionally visited the place, either for inspiration or for historical purposes, but the road to the place from Ile-Ife is in a state of disrepair. At some points on the road, two vehicles can hardly pass each other.
One would have expected the Osun State government to take advantage of the man recently voted as one of the 50 most influential individuals in the universe to develop certain monu-ments in the town and establish resorts in the place, for the benefit of people on pilgrimage to Ifewara. After the state capital, Osogbo which plays host to Osun Osogbo, Ifewara could be a major revenue source for the Sunshine state. For all intents and pur-poses, Ifewara can be likened to Nazareth and Pastor Adeboye’s individ-ual story can best be des-cribed as divine, because there was nothing in his homestead to suggest that an eminent prophet of God could be raised in that environment. By his own admission, his 18 years of active poverty could have been a distraction rather than the motivation he derived from it, especially as there was no role model to copy.

The Adeboyes, in Ifewara village, knew and lived in abject poverty. They were farmers who often trekked for hours from their mud house to the farm daily, depending solely on the proceeds from the subsistence farmland for livelihood.
Pastor Adeboye’s unfetter-ed faith in God had dev-eloped from his childhood days when he hanged so tightly to the apron strings of the mother who pro-vided needed prayers, soothing counsels and motherly sacrifices to see her son through school. It was not difficult locating Pastor Adeboye’s place in the rustic town which is still very much an agrarian community till today, since his name was in every-body’s lips in Ifewara. “Whenever Baba comes to town, it is always a carnival of sort as everybody troupes out to welcome him in a grand reception and he acknowledges the accolades in his usual humble manner, even sometimes preventing security personnel from preventing the people from touching him,” one of our guides told us, “he is so free with his people because very many of them adore him.”

To lend credence to the fact that Adeboye is one prophet that had defied several theories including Biblical aphorism that prophets are not appre-ciated in their own homes, the head of the Adeboye Family in Ifewara, Pa Gabriel Bababunmi Ade-boye, could not hide his tears while he paid glow-ing tributes to a younger brother who fought all obstacles to become a world beater, saying: “I am extremely glad that God counted me worthy to be alive today to witness this period as the head of the Adeboye Family.”
According to the Baba, it was Pastor Adeboye that God used to keep me alive till today. Speaking to his visitors tearfully, the elder Adeboye said: “It was my corpse that was brought to this family house. When he heard about my condition, he did not relent in his prayers for me and that is why I am still alive today. I would have died but he insisted that no, I will not die just yet, being the one left behind as a father to him.”
Continuing, Pa Adeboye said the General Overseer prayed on four scarves which he sent home “for me to tie on my head, my leg and hand all of which were lifeless at the time. I was unable to sit down like this. I was like a dead log of wood, but after his prayers, that is why you can see me alive like this. Therefore, I am happy that I am still alive and can benefit from Pastor Adeboye’s milk of human kindness without stress. I am happy and grateful to God. But for Pastor Adeboye I would have been long gone to join my ancestors. So, I will always pray that God should uphold him and enable him to do more for humanity worldwide. He prays for us all as our spiritual father, but we will also not cease to pray for him because God had used him to bring light and succour to this family, this community and indeed the whole wide world.”
Pastor Adeboye’s elder sister, Pastor Arawunmi Akinwale who was on a solidarity visit to the elder Adeboye when some media delegation arrived the family house, also spoke glowingly about the gifting of the Almighty God, saying the family was specially privileged. According to the elder sister, the birth of the General Overseer in that family house 69 years ago, was as controversial as it was miraculous which also lend credence to the saying that God uses the base things of the world to confound the wise and the mighty. Mummy Adeboye, who is now an RCCG pastor, presides over the affairs of the womenfolk in the zonal parish of the church in Ifewara. The Redeemed Christian Church of God had established a School of Discipleship and a maternity home in Ifewara which had delivered eight babies this month alone. While the church and the maternity are occupying a space opposite the old house of the General Overseer along Akunomu area, the school of Disci-pleship is located a little distance away.

Asked to comment on the formative years of the General Overseer, the elder sister whose resem-blance to the prophet is striking said everything about him could only be described as divinely determined. There is simply no other way to describe it—from his conception to his prolong-ed stay in the womb, his exceptional brilliance, his miraculous escape from the East when the Niger-ian Civil War broke out and his ascendancy to the leadership of the church. She opined that all that we are seeing today was foretold.

“He was going to meet our father one day in the farm, when an old man appeared to him on a lonely road and naturally, as a child he was very frightened, seeing a man appear from nowhere. The man told him that his stars were shining and that he was going to be great but he would encounter some challenges but God has conquered everything for him. The man, according to Adejare, instructed him to tell his parents to kill a white rooster for him and his mates. He thanked the old man, and when he turned to look at the man to get a proper description of the man, he was nowhere to be found. Adejare became more frightened and im-mediately ran to meet our father at the farm and narrated his experience to him. When the twosome got back home, they in-formed my mother, who immediately obeyed the instructions.”
Commenting further on his early years, the elder sister described her bro-ther as a very quiet type—easy going, humble and respectful since his child-hood and when asked if there was any objection to marrying from neighbour-ing Ilesha, she said there was none. From the old family house the team proceeded to the Palace of the Adimula of Ifewara, His Royal High-ness Hezekiah Adeniyi Owolola who just return-ed from a trip to neigh-bouring Ile Ife, was very enthusiastic about the subject matter, explaining that he was prepared to postpone his late launch to speak to us. The trad-itional ruler, like the biblical King Hezekiah who became at 24, ascend-ed the ancient throne at the youthful age of 23 and half years. He described Pastor Adeboye as his father who contributed immensely to his educa-tion and has remained his main source of inspiration to date.

“Pastor Adeboye has touched our lives in numerous ways. As small as the community may be, we have almost eight branches of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, here in Ifewara and I am not including other villages around us. If I am to include them we will have almost 50,” he stated, adding: “He is my pastor but I think I am qualified to pray for him esp-ecially at this moment of celebration. May God grant him long life and increased anointing to pilot the affairs of the church till his mandate of planting a church in every nation of the world is accomplished.”

Wife of the zonal pastor of the RCCG, Bethlehem Parish and assistant to the chief matron of the Rccg maternity, Mrs. Bosede Grace Clement said: “Baba is a very kind, generous, humble, merciful and prayerful person. “Whenever he comes to Ifewara, nearly everybody in the town will come to welcome him, to the extent that some will be touching his clothes and calling him, “Dejare” which is the abbreviation of his name, Adejare. In return, he will just humbly respond, “Ipele o, Iku ile o” (How are you all? Hope you are fine). He will not turn anybody down even when his security men are trying to shield the people away, he will said: ‘no!’ They should leave them. He is very free with everybody and he is very merciful.” According to her, Daddy G.O. comes homes whenever he is directed by the Holy Spirit. “We will just see him and he will said he just come to say hello us,” he said.

Sunday, 2 October 2011

What Governor Amaechi told Pastor Adeboye at RCCG convention on governance in Nigeria

By Daily Trust (Culled from Church Times newspaper)

Daddy, you may laugh at the deceitful world we find ourselves, at least none of us is worshipping Satan. These were the words of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi at the recently conducted RCCG convention.
The 58th convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God definitely had its own share of memorable events, one of which was the open confession of the Rivers State Governor, Amaechi during the Friday night service. Having been called up just to say a word of greeting to participants, the organizers apparently were not ready for the confessions that he made that night concerning his political affairs and his relationship with God.

Humbly bowing to acknowledge the General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor E. A. Adeboye, whom he referred to as ‘Daddy’, he started by narrating his ordeal at the previous year’s convention of how he left Lagos as early as 6 pm and did not get to the camp until 1:00am in spite of his security retinue, saying that he heard only the last 10minutes of the message. He then told himself, “If it’s only 10minutes let me receive my blessings”.
Still narrating his experience to the mammoth crowd and Adeboye in particular, he said, “I was on the camp ground in 2007, but I must confess to God and the people of God, that in my travails to be the governor, I met you on this camp, Daddy I did not come for prayers. I came to meet you to talk to your friend, the former President Olusegun Obasanjo. You told me then that God had not told you I would be governor, but my story would not end here.

Since I didn’t know what prophesy was back then, I couldn’t say amen. Later on when I was with a Pastor friend of mine in RCCG who came to pray with me in Ghana for about a month, I told him I met you and told him what you said, he exclaimed and I asked him why? He said that is prophecy, then he said we will win our case and you will become governor. So Daddy, today is the testimony of the governorship”, this declaration sent the crowd roaring for joy apparently to God’s faithfulness in bringing His prophecy to pass.
Governor Amaechi then went on further narrating how he has been telling his other colleagues this testimony and how they’ve been sneaking into the camp ground for prayers. “I have a friend who is a governor, but I won’t mention his name. I told him to join me on my plane in Port-Harcourt, he said he was going for a vigil. I asked him where, he said at the camp. I still saw him two days ago and he said, ’election is very close, it is time to fortify ourselves’. Daddy, you may laugh at the deceitful world we find ourselves, at least none of us (referring to his colleagues who call on God), is worshipping Satan.

No one said they were going to see any native doctor. Elaborating further on the conflicts of Christian political office holders, he said by virtue of human nature, when things start getting difficult, we bow our knees to pray. Once they start getting rosy, we tend to struggle with God from time to time.
Daddy, our prayer tonight for those of us who believe in God and visit you from time to time, that God in His infinite mercy would strengthen us, because in our weakness we still desire God and beg him to fight on our behalf.
Continuing with his extemporaneous speech, Governor Amaechi drew a parallel between political leaders such as governors and men of God that people always looked up to both for exemplary leadership. Amaechi however was of the opinion that a man of God who would lead a child of God to hell would find himself in “a double chamber of hell if such exists. I didn’t say these are in the bible, but these are my postulations”.

As an insider in Nigeria’s political terrain and apparently appalled with the nation’s level of development, Amaechi pleaded passionately, “once again Daddy and Mummy, please pray for us. This country is 50 and still we don’t have power, 70% of Nigerians is poor, many cannot afford education, hospitals are empty of drugs something is definitely wrong. We have oil and abundant resources from God and we are not moving forward, please pray for us”. Ending on a very jovial note which had an unmistakable tinge of his political aspiration he said, ”if I decide to run for the second term, I ask for your blessings so we can fight the enemy”.