FAITH OF OUR FATHERS AND MOTHERS

Take me back to the old Paths, when Moms were at home.

Dads were at work. 

Brothers went into the army.

And sisters got married BEFORE having  children!

Crime did not pay; Hard work did;

And people knew the difference.

 

Moms could cook; Dads would work; 

Children would behave...

Husbands were loving; Wives were supportive; and children were polite.

 

Women wore the dresses; and Men wore the trousers.

Women looked like ladies;Men looked like gentlemen; and children looked decent.

 

People loved the truth, and hated a lie;

They came to church to get IN, Not to get OUT!

 

Hymns sounded Godly; Sermons sounded helpful;

Rejoicing sounded normal; and crying sounded sincere.

Cursing was wicked; Drinking was evil; and divorce was unthinkable.

 

We read the Bible in public; Prayed in school; 

And preached from house to house.

To be called a Christian was worth living for;

To be called a traitor was a shame!

 

Sex was a personal word. Homosexual was an unheard of word, And abortion was an illegal word.

 

Preachers preached because they had a message; and

Christians rejoiced because they had the VICTORY!

Preachers preached from the Bible; 

Singers sang from the heart; 

Sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!

 

A new birth meant a new life; Salvation meant a changed life; 

Following Christ led to eternal life.

 

Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God;

Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord;

Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus;

And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!

 

Laws were based on the Bible; 

Homes read the Bible;

And churches taught the Bible.

 

Preachers were more interested in new converts than new clothes and new cars.

 

Church was where you found Christians on the Lord's day, rather than being entertained someway.

 

Give me that old time religion!

'Tis good enough for me!

 I still like the "Old Paths" best! Jeremiah! 6:16.

Please will you forward this to your generation maybe it will add meaning to someone.

Faith of our fathers, living still In spite of dungeon, fire and sword, O how our hearts beat high with joy Whene'er we hear that glorious word! Faith of our fathers! holy faith! We will be true to thee till death!
2	Our fathers, chained in prisons dark, Were still in heart and conscience free; And blest would be their children's fate, If they, like them should die for thee: Faith of our fathers! holy faith! We will be true to thee till death!
3	Faith of our fathers, we will strive To win all nations unto thee; And through the truth that comes from God Mankind shall then indeed be free. Faith of our fathers! holy faith! We will be true to thee till death!
4	Faith of our fathers, we will love Both friend and foe in all our strife, And preach thee, too, as love knows how By kindly words and virtuous life. Faith of our fathers! holy faith! We will be true to thee till death!

 Pls Bless a soul today.

YOUR PASTOR NEEDS YOUR ALL

15 TIPS ON GOOD LEADERSHIP IN A LOCAL BAPTIST CHURCH

by Pastor Ayodeji Jegede

1. Be converted. Your salvation experience is the foundation of your testimony as a believer. Without it, you are not qualified to lead.

2. Be consecrated to God wholeheartedly. Your dedication and separation is basis for divine results and rewards. It makes you a vessel of perpetual praise to God.

3. Be convinced of the area of your call to serve God. Start small and grow steadily identifying areas of spiritual giftings through discipleship and service.

4. Be committed to whatever is committed to your hands. Spirituality in God's kingdom is not a function of the size of tasks, what matters is faithfulness. God does not expect what He has not given to you. It is your responsibility to find out what He has given.

5. Be Spirit-filled at all times, not only in the church. This is command that is continuous and requires our conscious obedience. Christian leaders must do only what Jesus would do.

6. Be commissioned for assignment. God delegates power to the local church to act on His behalf through the Holy Spirit by recognizing and approving the giftings of individuals for relevant service within the local church. The local church must ensure that she tastes the competence, tests the convictions and trust the character of the individual before approval for service.

7. Be concerned about matters of the church. Leaders who are functional update themselves with information about the church not for gossip but for actions towards growth. Leaders are the first point of call when issues arise, therefore they must be updated.

8. Be compassionate about fellow workers. Biblical hierarchy is for order not superiority, this makes all workers in the local church partners rather than superiors or surbodinates. Our  work is inextricably interwoven, therefore, one of us cannot truly succeed without the other. We must synergize.

9. Be passionate about the sinners.   Effective administration of the local church is critical to her success. But it must supplant evangelism and discipleship. Our primary aim as a church is to bring sinners to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We must be careful of majoring on the minor.

10. Be exemplary in your character and conduct. Local church leaders are primary representatives of Jesus Christ. They must visibly incarnate His personality and embody His principles for all to acknowledge, approve and imitate.

11. Be friendly with other members and followers of Jesus Christ. Leadership comes with attendant challenges of pride, busyness, and burnout. Don't get involved in leadership without a genuine for God, people and service. Come to church with the aim of loving God by serving people.

12. Be empathetic with people without downplaying their  problems. The leader's ears must be bigger than his mouth, and his heart must be open to identify with the challenges of others. Don't assume you know what people are going through, please hear them out. Listen to all sides before you express your own side.

13. Be available for assignments and errands. Leadership is responsibility and it is not compulsory. Unavailable leaders are unacceptable in a local church where more hands are needed for progress in kingdom business. Work out your schedule to be available during the week. No matter how busy you are, God is more important than your job.

14. Be sacrificial ly-driven to support your local church. Leaders give the best of themselves; their time, money, ideas, and energies to the local church. They often work late, labour to exhaustion, neglect much needed personal matters, pray at odd times and visit members to confirm their consecration to God.

15. Be a learner at the feet of Jesus Christ. Local church leaders must have learnt how to sit, kneel and stand for the Master. Don't sacrifice your relationship for activities. Set your priorities right to get the best of God before you give your best to men. Don't always be at the giving end, also learn how to receive from God and from other Christian leaders or members.

3 Ways You Can Serve Teenagers in Your Church

Jaquelle Crowe

Some think teenagers are precious works in progress, and others are overwhelmed by their messiness. Many church members think serving teenagers is a lot like serving babies: there are those who have the "gift" of youth ministry, and those who simply don't.

And let's be honest—teenagers can be messy. I'm a teenager, and I admit that. We aren't always the easiest to serve. Even those of us following Jesus are still young, inexperienced, and have much to learn. We're in a different stage of life than any other church member, so it can be difficult to relate to our persistent challenges, struggles, and questions.

But whether you know it or not, the teenagers in your church need you. They need the whole church—pastor, stay-at-home mom, single, married, retired—to love and welcome them as fellow members of the family.

Over my 18 years in the church, I've seen three ways every church member can (and should) serve their teenagers: by getting to know us, by not underestimating us, and by teaching us.

1. Get to Know Us

Love can't thrive where stereotypes and misunderstandings reign. If you don't know the teenagers at your church, you can't serve them (Gal. 5:13). Start by pulling them into the life and heartbeat of your church through communication. Walk up to a teen or two this Sunday and ask them about their week, about their studies and hobbies, and what they've recently read in the Bible. Tell them about yourself. Create a meaningful dialogue as the first step to building a relationship. You'll discover fears, insecurities, needs, and desires that will equip you to serve them with an intentionality you wouldn't have otherwise.

Teenagers need adults to be our friends, not just our teachers. That's important to us. It shows us we're welcomed and loved. Too often Christian teenagers can feel like second-class citizens, like we're in limbo between "first class" adult members and "third class" little kids. But investing in us reminds us that we're part of the family. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about members of the church as different parts of the same body—eyes, ears, feet, hands. He paints a picture of unified diversity. In other words, the church needs middle-aged eyes and 20-something ears and senior hands just as much as it needs teenaged feet.

2. Don't Underestimate Us

When considering how to minister to the Christian teenagers at your church, don't stifle us with low expectations. Expect that we're thinking and growing, that we're pursuing truth and holiness, and that we want sound doctrine. Don't perpetuate stereotypes of ignorance or immaturity without foundation. That's unfair. We don't think of the seniors in our churches as inept and senile. We know they're individuals with real personalities and passions. 

Sometimes adults can make faulty and hurtful assumptions about teenagers without even realizing it. It bothers me when I hear negative generalizations about my generation. Yes, there are some immature teenagers. Yes, there are some teenagers who are consistently irresponsible, disrespectful, and disobedient to their parents. But that's not who we all are.

So don't expect the worst from your teenaged church members. Don't underestimate us. Raise your expectations for us to those of any other young and growing Christian.

3 You need to teach Us 

Now I know I said earlier that teenagers need you to be our friends, not just our teachers, but the key word was just. We most definitely need you to teach us too. We're looking for a certain kind of teacher, though. We're looking for those who'll come alongside us and humbly demonstrate what it means to live for Jesus, not instructors who want to lord knowledge over us or stuff rules down our throats. 

I can't tell you how much my church has taught me about compassion, kindness, gentleness, service, speaking the truth in love, and forgiveness. Most of it has come just from watching them live. I watch how they make meals for families in grief. I watch how they resolve conflicts. I watch how they sit with people who sit alone or greet visitors with inviting warmth. I watch how eager they are to learn the truth, how they care for children, and how they pray in public.

Teenagers are watching you, too. I promise you that. We see it all, we think about it all, we learn from it all. The church members who've taught me the most are not the Sunday school teachers and youth leaders. They're the people 10 feet out of the spotlight who've served me by modeling godliness and grace.

*Will You Help?* 

So I get it. Teenaged Christians aren't always the easiest to serve. But here's the thing—we need you. We're at a critical stage in life, coming into our own, piecing together answers to our biggest questions, and forming our lifelong relationship with the church.

To you, church member, I ask: Will you help us? Will you be there for us? Will you get to know us? Will you expect great things from us? And will you teach us what it means to follow Jesus?

We may be different than you, but we're all running this race together. Please serve us, and let us serve you.

Jaquelle Crowe is the author of This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years (Crossway, 2017). She's also the co-founder of The Young Writers Workshop and lives in eastern Canada. You can follow her on Twitter.

BOWEN UNIVERSITY, SOARING HIGHER

BOWEN UNIVERSITY,  SOARING HIGHER

FROM  Prof.Joshua Ogunwole 

Vice-Chancellor, 

Bowen University, Iwo. Nigeria 

 I understand what it means when strong emotions intermix with additional financial burden especially at this economically hard times.

It is on record that the University approved a search into identified rooms after a tip-off and 43 students were approached to submit themselves for dope test. 37 agreed while 6 refused (I will come back to the refusal). Of the 37 that were examined, 24 tested positive to some drug metabolites while some were found to have been in possesion of prohibited substances . Imagine what a statistician will do when interpreting that number against our population. Those who refused to submit themselves for a dope test were in fact on our list of the most notorious- but these ones immediately violated our laws and were charged for insubordination. I will not be a VC that will graduate students who will refuse to obey constituted authorities.

To the reason for the action of the University, may I start with what I have observed within just few months of this administration. From the lens of student discipline, I have observed that there are lots of very young, timid but highly intelligent students (boys and girls) amidst the large section of our student population- I have also observed that there is a few of very experienced students who are hard drug users and suppliers and who have found their way into the institution due to our porous borders in the past and who are now bent on influencing the larger section of students whose primary purpose here is to study in line with what Bowen accepts in her extant regulations. I am a parent and heaven will hold me responsible if any of your ward fails to glorify the Almighty God in Character and Learning.

Bowen through her motto stands for Excellence and Godliness. May I ask what is excellent in drug and what is Godly in dangerous addictions? That stand (in our motto) will not change because of a few students (24 of them) who tested positive to drug metabolites of frightening degree and type and most of whom are behind the moves to cause unrest on campus. Let me assure you that Bowen will be ridden of these ones. We cannot build any meaningful structure on drugs; the structure in a matter of time will collapse and such collapse may not be good for incalculable reasons.

Cherished Parents, please,   you need to bear with us at this time as we take this opportunity to think-through the next phase of this institution painfully, collectively and prayerfully.

I pray for Gods in-exhaustive provision for you.

Thanks and God bless.

 

Oluwabukunmi Popoola
Minister, Missions and Church Development
Lagos Central Baptist Conference
+234-803-374-3808
"I am pressing on" Phil 3:14

CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM WITH AMBODE FOR THE PEACE OF LAGOS STATE

Baba Adinni of Lagos, Sheik Abdul Hafeez Abu (left); Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs) Idiat Adebule; Governor, Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Commissioner of Home Affairs; Dr. AbdulLateef AbdulHakeem; CAN President, Lagos Chapter, Apostle Alexander Bamgbola; Prof. Abdul-Lateef Adetona; Dr. Kehinde Babarinde at the inter-faith parley last Tuesday in Lagos

Development can only come in an atmosphere where peace reigns. This is why many scholars often believe that development and peace are Siamese twins. It is for reason that it is argued that any community and society that seeks development must promote peace within its domain.

The psychology of peace being critical to development also rules the thought flow of Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. This was evident when he hosted an Inter-Faith Parley of Religious Leaders and Organisations in Lagos recently. No wonder, Ambode was excited that two years after he assumed duty at the governor of the Centre of Excellence, there has not been religious crisis in the state. And because there are no religious crises, it has allowed his government to think right which, no doubt, has given room to accomplish some of the developmental strides the state is recording.

The parley, which had clerics from both Christian and Muslim faith in attendance, saw both sitting side by side without any qualms. Entertainers from both sides were also invited to spice the event and the performances raked in wide applause from the congregation.