HAPPY BIRTHDAY PASTOR AYODEJI JEGEDE

Pastor Ayodeji Jegede holds Bachelors degree in Agriculture at University of Ilorin. He is working on his degree in Theology at the Baptist College of Theology, Lagos. He is the Minister for Students, Youth & Pastoral services at Lagos Central Baptist Conference Lagos State and the Minister coordinating the Youth, Teenage & Children Ministries  at Estate Baptist Church Abesan Estate, Lagos West Baptist Conference. He has served the Nigerian Baptist Convention as a Member, Protocol and Logistics Team during the 2012 Annual Session held in Lagos state. He is an Editor and engage in publication services.

He is a facilitator at Leadership and Management Seminars. Jegede is Chief Executive Officer of Tranformer Multi-Services  and a prolific author of 10 books.

Pastor Ayodeji Jegede, today and always you are CELEBRATED as a COMMITTED and CONSISTENT brother, friend and a follower with foresight. May God fortify you at FORTY in the name of JESUS CHRIST Happy birthday.

From Pastors, Deacons, Associations, members of staff of Lagos Central Baptist Conference;  and indeed my family,  we say Happy birthday. 

Rev..Dr. Kehinde Babarinde

Conference President 

FREEDOM FOR NIGERIA FROM YOKES

VANGUARD NEWSA Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria 

 » The Seven-Fold Yoke And The Cabal That Own Nigeria 

The Seven-Fold Yoke And The Cabal That Own Nigeria ON APRIL 12, 20178:11 AMIN NEWS, VIEWPOINT0 COMMENTS Permit me to share a scholarly, revealing and I daresay disturbing intervention which was sent to me by a friend. The author wishes to remain anonymous. He wrote as follows: "The disruptive power of the Hausa-Fulani cabal is a structural reality and will only get worse, no matter where the President of Nigeria comes from. It is a seven-fold yoke which we must break for the sake of our children. 

1. THE POLITICAL YOKE: Globally, out of the 16 Federal Republics in the world, Nigeria is the only federation where land mass is used as a primary criteria for creating federating units. NO Southern leader (civilian or military) has ever had the guts to create any federating unit; all the federating units have been created by Northern military adventurers. 20 federating units were created from only one region (North), while 17 federating units were created from 3 regions (East, West and Midwest). Competent leaders are easily filtered off by the rigged political structure. At every election, the evil and corrupt Northern cabal needs only a few Southern collaborators to impose any presidential candidate upon the two foremost political parties, only for the electorate to formalize one of the candidates with votes. That's why Nigeria has been having such mediocre leaders as President, in a country awash with extremely capable presidential materials. This also explains why since 1960 no Southerner has ever led Nigeria except by accident. The FIRST coming of ALL 3 Southern leaders – Aguiyi-Ironsi in 1966, Obasanjo in 1976 and Goodluck Jonathan in 2010 – followed the death of Northern incumbents! The fourth and only other Southern leader was Ernest Shonekan and his coming followed the forced "stepping aside" of a northern Head of State in 1993. He lasted for 3 months after which he was toppled and replaced by another northern military Head of State. For 2019 the presidential contest is being set for Atiku vs Buhari- two Fulani representatives of the Cabal. Femi Fani-Kayode

 2. THE ECONOMIC YOKE: Nigeria is the only oil-producing country where oil wells are allocated to individuals. The Hausa-Fulani cabal allocated over 80% of the oil blocks either to the Northerners or to their Southern fronts/allies. The names of these oil block allotees are in the public domain.

 3. THE RELIGIOUS YOKE: No other faith is mentioned in the Nigerian Constitution, except Islam. For instance, in the 1999 Constitution, Christ, Christians and Christianity are not mentioned even once; whereas Islamic signposts are strewn all over the Constitution – Sharia is mentioned 73 times, Grand Khadi 54 times, Islam 28 times , Muslims 10 times, etc.. That Constitution was written SOLELY by one Muslim Fulani Jihadist named Prof. Auwalu Yadudu (Special Adviser to Abacha on Constitutional Matters). While the 1979 Constitution emphasized Nigeria's secularity, the 1999 Constitution of Yadudu is a de facto Islamic Constitution, and the Cabal ensured that Yadudu was there to fight that position at 2014 National Political Conference. Subsequently, during Obasanjo's govt, the same Northern cabal formally adopted Islam as the State Religion in the core Northern States. Obasanjo refused to even discuss the issue, except to state that it would 'fizzle out'. He knew fully well that it would not 'fizzle out' but was afraid of confronting the cabal. 

4. THE CULTURAL YOKE: The Sultanate forms a major pillar of the Hausa-Fulani cabal. As permanent President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) the Sultan is the permanent leader of all Muslims in Nigeria (whether they are Northerners or Southerners). As the Permanent Chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) the Sultan is the permanent leader of all traditional rulers in all 36 States of Nigeria & Abuja. By the way, the current Sultan was the Brigadier-General Commanding 241 Recce Battalion Kaduna. Many public policies are determined only with the tacit approval of the Sultanate of Sokoto and the Emirates. For instance, when the Gender Bill was introduced in the National Assembly, the Sultan 'killed' the Bill simply by criticizing it publicly. Even Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (the world's most revered monarch) would never criticize Parliament publicly, because that would be an abuse of royal privilege. 

5. THE ADMINISTRATIVE YOKE: Nigeria is the only African country that built a new capital from scratch (using resources from the oppressed, deprived and degraded Niger Delta/South East ). The Cabal claimed that the location of Lagos by the ocean was a security risk, but this was just an excuse to Northernize national public service. A careful look at the map of Africa shows that only 2 nations have central capitals. The most common location for African capitals is at the coast. London (United Kingdom) is situated at the edge of England on the River Thames. Washington DC (USA) is located along the Potomac River on the East Coast of USA. Paris (France) is located at the edge of France in the north-bending arc of the river Seine. When Lagos was capital the Governors of Lagos State were from East, West and North. Since the Capital moved to Abuja, NO Nigerian leader has ever had the guts to appoint a Southerner as substantive FCT Minister. The FCT Minister must be a Northerner, preferably a Muslim (the current FCT Minister was appointed while he was Executive Secretary of the Hajj Commission). 

6. THE DIPLOMATIC YOKE: Any Christian leader who questions Nigeria's membership of the two main international Sharia-driven bodies (OIC & D-8) faces the wrath of the Hausa-Fulani Cabal. So far, only Cdr Ebitu Ukiwe has ever had the guts to seriously question Nigeria's involvement in these Islamic bodies and as a result Ukiwe was summarily dismissed from office. 

7. THE MILITARY/SECURITY YOKE: Nigeria is the only Federation in the world where all MAJOR security agencies are headed by only one section of the Federation and only members of one faith. Army – Northern Muslim. National Security Advisor – Northern Muslim. Minister of Defence – Northern Muslim. Minister of Internal Affairs- Northern Muslim. Airforce – Northern Muslim. Police – Northern Muslim. Economic Financial Crimes Commission- Northern Muslim. National Civil Defence Corps – Northern Muslim. Department of State Security – Northern Muslim. Immigration– Northern Muslim. Prisons Service– Northern Muslim. Federal Road Safety Corps – Northern Muslim. Nigerian Customs Service – Northern Muslim. Chief of Defence Intelligence – Northern Muslim. Director of Military Intelligence – Northern Muslim. Fire Service – Northern Muslim. National Emergency Management Agency – Northern Muslim. Nigerian Ports Authority- Northern Muslim. No southerner has been made substantive Comptroller General of Customs in 30 years. Even with all his braggadocio, Olusegun Obasanjo dared not break the jinx in all this years as Nigeria's President. Again no southerner has ever been appointed as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission since the day it was established in 2003. 

Finally the only southerner that was EVER appointed National Security Advisor was killed after he was unceremoniously removed from office by Goodluck Jonathan after the cabal blackmailed and arm-twisted him and told him that if he wanted peace he must appoint a northerner back to that post. The above multi-faceted enslavement to the Hausa-Fulani Cabal is not an accident. Read the book by Harold Wilson which clearly states how and why the British laid the foundation for the Hausa-Fulani hegemony in Nigeria.

 The principle guiding the Cabal was clearly set forth by the cabal's patron saint, Sir Ahmadu Bello who said to the media: "The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our great grandfather Othman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We use the minorities in the north as willing tools and the south as a conquered territory and NEVER ALLOW THEM TO RULE OVER US and NEVER ALLOW THEM TO HAVE CONTROL OVER THEIR OWN FUTURE." – (The Parrot Newspaper, October 12, 1960). Freedom from the Cabal is NOT about "North versus South". In fact, the greatest victims of the Northern cabal are the Northern masses themselves. 

The struggle entails "Northern Cabal versus All of Lovers of Freedom". Nigeria is structurally unworkable and MUST EITHER BE RESTRUCTURED OR BROKEN. The Hausa-Fulani cabal will resist this with their blood, but there is no other way out of the enslavement for us and our children. We cannot continue 'suffering and smiling' in this un-restructured zoo called Nigeria. The words of Harriet Tubman are relevant here. She said, 'I freed a thousand slaves: I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves' ". The author of this brilliant intervention has given us plenty of food for thought. He argued the matter in a detailed, succinct and concise manner and he stated the case very well. Though there were one or two omissions, his research is outstanding and his analysis is factual, insightful and incisive. The truth is that he has said it all. Sadly many in Nigeria do not know that they are slaves to the cabal because they cannot feel the yoke or see their chains. Yet slaves they are and it is time that we opened their eyes, broke their yokes, cut their chains and freed each and every one of them. That is precisely why yours truly, and millions of others, insist on restructuring our country or, failing that, dividing her and going our separate ways. May God deliver us. Happy Easter. (CONCLUDED). 

By Chief Femi Fani-Kayode 

 © 2017 Vanguard Media Limited, Nigeria 

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/04/seven-fold-yoke-cabal-nigeria-fani-kayode/

FREEDOM FOR NIGERIA FROM YOKES

VANGUARD NEWSA Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria 

 » The Seven-Fold Yoke And The Cabal That Own Nigeria 

The Seven-Fold Yoke And The Cabal That Own Nigeria ON APRIL 12, 20178:11 AMIN NEWS, VIEWPOINT0 COMMENTS Permit me to share a scholarly, revealing and I daresay disturbing intervention which was sent to me by a friend. The author wishes to remain anonymous. He wrote as follows: "The disruptive power of the Hausa-Fulani cabal is a structural reality and will only get worse, no matter where the President of Nigeria comes from. It is a seven-fold yoke which we must break for the sake of our children. 

1. THE POLITICAL YOKE: Globally, out of the 16 Federal Republics in the world, Nigeria is the only federation where land mass is used as a primary criteria for creating federating units. NO Southern leader (civilian or military) has ever had the guts to create any federating unit; all the federating units have been created by Northern military adventurers. 20 federating units were created from only one region (North), while 17 federating units were created from 3 regions (East, West and Midwest). Competent leaders are easily filtered off by the rigged political structure. At every election, the evil and corrupt Northern cabal needs only a few Southern collaborators to impose any presidential candidate upon the two foremost political parties, only for the electorate to formalize one of the candidates with votes. That's why Nigeria has been having such mediocre leaders as President, in a country awash with extremely capable presidential materials. This also explains why since 1960 no Southerner has ever led Nigeria except by accident. The FIRST coming of ALL 3 Southern leaders – Aguiyi-Ironsi in 1966, Obasanjo in 1976 and Goodluck Jonathan in 2010 – followed the death of Northern incumbents! The fourth and only other Southern leader was Ernest Shonekan and his coming followed the forced "stepping aside" of a northern Head of State in 1993. He lasted for 3 months after which he was toppled and replaced by another northern military Head of State. For 2019 the presidential contest is being set for Atiku vs Buhari- two Fulani representatives of the Cabal. Femi Fani-Kayode

 2. THE ECONOMIC YOKE: Nigeria is the only oil-producing country where oil wells are allocated to individuals. The Hausa-Fulani cabal allocated over 80% of the oil blocks either to the Northerners or to their Southern fronts/allies. The names of these oil block allotees are in the public domain.

 3. THE RELIGIOUS YOKE: No other faith is mentioned in the Nigerian Constitution, except Islam. For instance, in the 1999 Constitution, Christ, Christians and Christianity are not mentioned even once; whereas Islamic signposts are strewn all over the Constitution – Sharia is mentioned 73 times, Grand Khadi 54 times, Islam 28 times , Muslims 10 times, etc.. That Constitution was written SOLELY by one Muslim Fulani Jihadist named Prof. Auwalu Yadudu (Special Adviser to Abacha on Constitutional Matters). While the 1979 Constitution emphasized Nigeria's secularity, the 1999 Constitution of Yadudu is a de facto Islamic Constitution, and the Cabal ensured that Yadudu was there to fight that position at 2014 National Political Conference. Subsequently, during Obasanjo's govt, the same Northern cabal formally adopted Islam as the State Religion in the core Northern States. Obasanjo refused to even discuss the issue, except to state that it would 'fizzle out'. He knew fully well that it would not 'fizzle out' but was afraid of confronting the cabal. 

4. THE CULTURAL YOKE: The Sultanate forms a major pillar of the Hausa-Fulani cabal. As permanent President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) the Sultan is the permanent leader of all Muslims in Nigeria (whether they are Northerners or Southerners). As the Permanent Chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) the Sultan is the permanent leader of all traditional rulers in all 36 States of Nigeria & Abuja. By the way, the current Sultan was the Brigadier-General Commanding 241 Recce Battalion Kaduna. Many public policies are determined only with the tacit approval of the Sultanate of Sokoto and the Emirates. For instance, when the Gender Bill was introduced in the National Assembly, the Sultan 'killed' the Bill simply by criticizing it publicly. Even Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (the world's most revered monarch) would never criticize Parliament publicly, because that would be an abuse of royal privilege. 

5. THE ADMINISTRATIVE YOKE: Nigeria is the only African country that built a new capital from scratch (using resources from the oppressed, deprived and degraded Niger Delta/South East ). The Cabal claimed that the location of Lagos by the ocean was a security risk, but this was just an excuse to Northernize national public service. A careful look at the map of Africa shows that only 2 nations have central capitals. The most common location for African capitals is at the coast. London (United Kingdom) is situated at the edge of England on the River Thames. Washington DC (USA) is located along the Potomac River on the East Coast of USA. Paris (France) is located at the edge of France in the north-bending arc of the river Seine. When Lagos was capital the Governors of Lagos State were from East, West and North. Since the Capital moved to Abuja, NO Nigerian leader has ever had the guts to appoint a Southerner as substantive FCT Minister. The FCT Minister must be a Northerner, preferably a Muslim (the current FCT Minister was appointed while he was Executive Secretary of the Hajj Commission). 

6. THE DIPLOMATIC YOKE: Any Christian leader who questions Nigeria's membership of the two main international Sharia-driven bodies (OIC & D-8) faces the wrath of the Hausa-Fulani Cabal. So far, only Cdr Ebitu Ukiwe has ever had the guts to seriously question Nigeria's involvement in these Islamic bodies and as a result Ukiwe was summarily dismissed from office. 

7. THE MILITARY/SECURITY YOKE: Nigeria is the only Federation in the world where all MAJOR security agencies are headed by only one section of the Federation and only members of one faith. Army – Northern Muslim. National Security Advisor – Northern Muslim. Minister of Defence – Northern Muslim. Minister of Internal Affairs- Northern Muslim. Airforce – Northern Muslim. Police – Northern Muslim. Economic Financial Crimes Commission- Northern Muslim. National Civil Defence Corps – Northern Muslim. Department of State Security – Northern Muslim. Immigration– Northern Muslim. Prisons Service– Northern Muslim. Federal Road Safety Corps – Northern Muslim. Nigerian Customs Service – Northern Muslim. Chief of Defence Intelligence – Northern Muslim. Director of Military Intelligence – Northern Muslim. Fire Service – Northern Muslim. National Emergency Management Agency – Northern Muslim. Nigerian Ports Authority- Northern Muslim. No southerner has been made substantive Comptroller General of Customs in 30 years. Even with all his braggadocio, Olusegun Obasanjo dared not break the jinx in all this years as Nigeria's President. Again no southerner has ever been appointed as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission since the day it was established in 2003. 

Finally the only southerner that was EVER appointed National Security Advisor was killed after he was unceremoniously removed from office by Goodluck Jonathan after the cabal blackmailed and arm-twisted him and told him that if he wanted peace he must appoint a northerner back to that post. The above multi-faceted enslavement to the Hausa-Fulani Cabal is not an accident. Read the book by Harold Wilson which clearly states how and why the British laid the foundation for the Hausa-Fulani hegemony in Nigeria.

 The principle guiding the Cabal was clearly set forth by the cabal's patron saint, Sir Ahmadu Bello who said to the media: "The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our great grandfather Othman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We use the minorities in the north as willing tools and the south as a conquered territory and NEVER ALLOW THEM TO RULE OVER US and NEVER ALLOW THEM TO HAVE CONTROL OVER THEIR OWN FUTURE." – (The Parrot Newspaper, October 12, 1960). Freedom from the Cabal is NOT about "North versus South". In fact, the greatest victims of the Northern cabal are the Northern masses themselves. 

The struggle entails "Northern Cabal versus All of Lovers of Freedom". Nigeria is structurally unworkable and MUST EITHER BE RESTRUCTURED OR BROKEN. The Hausa-Fulani cabal will resist this with their blood, but there is no other way out of the enslavement for us and our children. We cannot continue 'suffering and smiling' in this un-restructured zoo called Nigeria. The words of Harriet Tubman are relevant here. She said, 'I freed a thousand slaves: I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves' ". The author of this brilliant intervention has given us plenty of food for thought. He argued the matter in a detailed, succinct and concise manner and he stated the case very well. Though there were one or two omissions, his research is outstanding and his analysis is factual, insightful and incisive. The truth is that he has said it all. Sadly many in Nigeria do not know that they are slaves to the cabal because they cannot feel the yoke or see their chains. Yet slaves they are and it is time that we opened their eyes, broke their yokes, cut their chains and freed each and every one of them. That is precisely why yours truly, and millions of others, insist on restructuring our country or, failing that, dividing her and going our separate ways. May God deliver us. Happy Easter. (CONCLUDED). 

By Chief Femi Fani-Kayode 

 © 2017 Vanguard Media Limited, Nigeria 

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/04/seven-fold-yoke-cabal-nigeria-fani-kayode/

LESSONS IN RESURRECTION STORIES

LESSONS IN RESURRECTION STORIES 

The reality of resurrection is  written in the Bible.  Any denial does not reduce the potency of the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead . The specific post crucifixion section being considered here  is contained in John 19:23-24 KJV. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. [24] They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.. The three major lessons are; 

1. Materialism is not the goal of genuine spirituality.  The gospel of health and wealth doesn't capture the true meaning of biblical prosperity. It is suspected that the commitment of the Roman army to the death of Jesus Christ may be remotely connected to the sharing of his garments. By inference,  people engage in acquisition of wealth and possessions without cognizance for the righteousness taught in the scripture. When we acquire wealth without considering the pain others will go through; it is ungodly.   God's judgement is inevitable . Whoever loves money never has enough  money ; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. .

          Paul wrote to Timothy, But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.(1 Timothy 6:4-11). David gave a better conclusion,  We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.(Ps.39:6). Is it clothes that matter or salvation received by the thief on the cross? 

2. Gambling should not be a means to becoming rich. This is a timeless truth  that any believer's genuine love for God must transcend  his or her  love for material gain.  As in gambling and like a trophy of war, the soldiers at the cross of Jesus did "try your luck" to see who would get the last apparel Jesus put on. This is  a process that doesn't represent biblical  approach to get divine power to make wealth. (Deut 8:18). A called minister of the living God would read this section of the casting lot about Jesus' garment with  broken  heart that  the love for His garment blindfolded the army and led to their failure to appropriate  his mercy. We must not gamble or engage in any form of betting. 

3. Avoid Profiting from the problem of others.  One of the real problems with security and law enforcement agencies is intimidation to extort and profit from mistake made.  They capitalise on the fact that the law doesn't excuse ignorance.  Some medical personnels and institutions do use occasions of pain and expediency  for remedy as a catchment for their economic advantage.  Recently,  an Auto Electrician Expert brought computer to rectify the malfunctioning of a CRV. Before doing anything,  he insisted on =N=40,000.00 (Forty Thousand Naira ) They eventually negotiated it to 50% reduction.  It took him 10mins to imput  a secret code.  The suspicion that the job was a syndicate plan to extort cannot be ruled out.  Why do we engage in inhumanity against fellow men.  Pilate,  Herod,  Roman Soldiers etc  are human beings like us.  We must not use people's predicament as platform to promote our ego. We must be helpful to those who enter into problems.

=========

Rev Dr Kehinde Babarinde,  is the President , Lagos Central Baptist Conference.  A Relationship Advisor and an Accredited Management Trainer; Babarinde is a pastoral leader and an ecumenst. 

MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS

MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS

 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11 

Opportunities are divine advantages or privileges, requiring human activation for progress. They are open doors providing access to success for anyone bold enough to confront the imminent challenges. The irony of life is that opportunities are being perceived wrongly. Winston Churchill substantiate this fact when he said that "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." Opportunities are bridges. They link our potentials with possibilities, our skills with success and our competence with excellence. 

Human attitude and aptitude to opportunities will essentially determine their altitude of success in life. Opportunities are timely interventions that demand maximum human response without which they are seconded to another. Remember Judas (Acts 1:20) the pertinent  question to ask is how can we maximize our opportunities for success?

Recognize the goal you intend to achieve through the opportunity.  

Strategize the necessary steps required to maximize your opportunity.

Minimize every thought that diminishes or denigrates opportunities.

Mobilize your faith towards maximization of the opportunity.

Fraternize with people who value opportunities.

Utilize opportunities by taking action.

Actualize your goal by cherishing little opportunities.

It is often said that, opportunities come once in a lifetime. The reality is that opportunities are everywhere around us every day. Dont cry over the split milk of yesterdays failure and blind your eyes with the accumulated tears of a low self esteem. Cheer up and look up, Jesus said, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. John 4:35. This implies endless opportunities awaiting our activation for celebration. 

In conclusion, Martin Luther asserts that "Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." He further opined "If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." This implies that with adequate preparation, proactivity, perseverance and persistence, every opportunity

===============

Pastor Ayodeji Jegede holds Bachelors degree in Agriculture & Theology. He is the Minister for Students, Youth & Pastoral services at Lagos Central Baptist Conference Lagos State and the Pastor coordinating the Youth, Teenage & Children Ministry at Estate Baptist Church Abesan Estate, Lagos . He is a facilitator at Leadership & Management Seminars. The C.E.O of Tranformer Multi-Services  and a prolific author of 10 books.

 pastorwithadifference@gmail.com-08028351583

SEEKING FOR GOD IN A PERVERSE GENERATION

SEEKING FOR GOD IN A PERVERSE GENERATION

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" (Psalm‬ 42:1-2‬ NIV‬‬)

Psalm 42 is the plea of a believer in the midst of unbelievers.

The psalmist seems to be in exile among those who have no faith in the only living and true God. While in exile, the psalmist recalls the times when he was able to go unto the house of God with all those who worshipped. He likened his passion for God as that of the deer for the water brooks.

The deer is noted for craving after the water brooks because of certain reasons which cannot be compromised, as long as the deer is still alive. Three of the reasons are highlighted here below.

1. That is where the deer draws his strength from

2. The deer cannot survive without water

3. The amount of water a deer takes determines how far it can travel.

Similarly, a Christian who wants to travel far in life, maximize his/her potential and live to the full capacity of Gods purpose, is expected to seek after and stay close to Jesus Christ the Living Water, through regular study of Gods word and prayer. The craving for personal communion with God is what defines our spiritual and physical character as Christians. The quality of our character grows in proportion to the time we spend in Gods presence and in His Word. It is a known fact that we cannot spend quality time with God and not be changed.

Jesus exemplified this for us; He was a man of prayer who continually spent hours alone with God.  Accordingly, if we desire to live the life Christ has for us then we must do the same. As we continue to spend time in His Word, we cultivate the very character of Christ. Jesus said it like this, If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you...you shall bear much fruit. (John 15:5 NIV) His presence and His Word are the only two ingredients that can cause us to live as He did. We should allow His presence and His Word to be our greatest priority in our lives today.

Sadly, we are daily confronted with things that are capable of alienating us from God. Our daily struggle with/for position, power, popularity, peer pressure and the likes are part of the things that we are being offered as benefits with the underlying aim of stealing our time and communion with God. An average individual gets carried away with these offers most of the time, and ends up as a captive to them.

In the process, where the balance is not properly stricken, the following become the outcome.

We get sapped of our spiritual strength.

We lose focus of our primary calling to be Christians

We neglect the major and focus on the minor.

We lose divine direction 

We become busy (either for God or for ourselves) but remain guilty.

However, if we can redirect our passion and learn to seek for God  if we can long for Him more than anything else, appearing before Him will not be a challenge in spite of the perversions that we are daily surrounded with. Then we can be able to 

Behold His face

Enjoy His favour

Receive divine direction 

Enjoy restoration to divine agenda 

Enjoy absolute peace while we work with Him and for Him.

=======

Rev Kunle Ayo-Akinjole holds a degree in Theology and a Master in Christian Religious Studies. He is the current Pastor of First Baptist Church Era Odan, Ojo. Lagos State. He was the Anchorman for New Life Baptist Association at its inception and currently serves as Assistant Secretary of the Lagos Central Baptist Conference. PASTOR'S FELLOWSHIP. Akinjole is Youth Friendly and has trainings in Management

MAXIMISING OPPORTUNITIES IN MISSIONS

MAXIMISING OPPORTUNITIES 

IN MISSIONS

Oftentimes we wonder about how to preach the gospel in both a familiar and unfamiliar turf. The truth is; the Lord creates opportunities for us to do this from time to time. Many a times, the opportunity may come in form of meeting financial need, or through an hospital patient asking for prayers, or through sudden emergency on an aircraft or through a seeker who intends to know more about the Christian faith by asking probing questions. Whichever way, the certainty is the Lord Jesus usually creates opportunities of ministry for a willing heart. What matters is for Christians to maximize opportunities that present themselves for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ.This write up looks at the opportunity that Philip had to preach the gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch as found in Acts 8:26-40.

The Eunuch was reading a portion of Isaiah on the surface. Philip heard him read it and simply asked him a question: Do you understand what you are reading? And he said, "How can I unless someone guides me" and he asked Philip to come and sit with him". 

That opportunity afforded Philip the privilege of preaching the gospel to a highly placed government official from Africa that he may not have been privileged to reach ordinarily.  The Bible did not tell us what happens after the disappearance of Philip before this Eunuch, but the scripture was emphatic about the fact that this eunuch "went on his way rejoicing". It can be assumed that the eunuch must have contributed in no small measure to the spread of the gospel in Africa. 

As noted by Craig Keener in IVP Bible Background Commentary, "Christianity especially began to expand in Abyssinia through lay witness in the third century, and that empire was declared "Christian" about the same time as the Roman Empire was". 

Philip maximised the opportunity he had to evangelise the eunuch. When opportunity knocks at your door to declare the good news that a sinner can be delivered by the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus, how do you handle it?  We must note that the greatest miracle is for a sinner to turn to the Lord Jesus. We must continually seek out and maximize every opportunity that comes our way to win a soul for Jesus. We must "make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil". Ephesisans 5:16.

===========

Oluwabukunmi Popoola is the Minister, Missions and Church Development, Lagos Central Baptist Conference. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy; Master of Divinity in Theology  and is about completing a research-based Master of Theology degree in Missiology from the same seminary. A mission-minded pastor, he has participated in local and international mission outreaches. He was a member of the Executive Committee, Lagos State Baptist Conference, and Christian Education Advisory Board, Nigerian Baptist Convention. He is a member of the Executive Council of Lagos Central Baptist Conference and her subcommittees on Missions. He is married to Beatrice Abosede nee Abiola. The marriage is blessed with Precious, Promise and Praise.