Easter Lessons: Part III

"The Most depressive people I've ever known are Christians..." Oral Roberts (quoting someone, can't quite remember who) in The Miracle of the Seed-Faith.

I was initially shocked when I saw that phrase for the first time. But I can imagine why he said that,
Because of the attitude of many Christians, people think Christianity is synonymous to suffering. Many Christians, wear their belief like a disease - translating into long faces, self-alienation, absence of life and joy. It ought not be so, that was what Pastor Bayode Oyekan, Lead pastor, Noble House Christian Center, spent his time drumming into our ears;

"We are rejoicing spirits!"

Say it with me, 'I'm a rejoicing spirit!'. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of pure Joy, who will keep you afloat all the irregularities of life. You just need to know Him. After salvation many believers just stop and wait for kingdom come. This is wrong, our assignment after believing unto salvation is knowing. Salvation takes a second but a lifetime to know and understand. The more you know God, the more you find yourself in Him and your world will change.

As believers, we are not sin-conscious, because it is belittling, like a prince wallowing in the mud. We are called to a higher life, unto higher things.
Act on the Word of God, irregardless of your feelings. Your feelings can in no way dictate your destiny. Our feelings will always be unstable, Only the Word is settled forever.

Pastor Tosin Adesina, wife to the Host Minister, Pastor Debo Adesina. Down-to earth and very soft-spoken. I find it amazing how she avoids the limelight. In my one-year plus of going for regular programmes, 1/4/18 was the first time I heard her speak on the platform. I had to rush in from the overflow to behold her holding the microphone with my own eyes.

She did a comparative study on two donkeys in the scriptures. The donkey that carried Balaam on a hellish mission until God intervened and the donkey that was set apart for a heavenly calling, who carried the Saviour-King.

The donkey Jesus rode had no mission of itself. Wherever the Master directed it, it went. We must be yielded to follow the Lord wherever He leads even into seasons of suffering. We are partakers of His suffering.

Abraham’s life shows us a journey from babyhood till maturity. In our journey of faith, we begin as a child but we must not remain as one. We must press on to maturity in Christ.

Like she further illustrated if the documents to an inheritance and a bar of chocolate was to be presented to the child. He would chose the bar of chocolate over the documents. If he ever picks up the documents, it will end up in shreds because it is of no value to the child. This is because of the lack of development. So if one is immature, he will not be able to walk in the fullness of his inheritance.

[INTERLUDE] Being a Destiny Helper is when you sit beside a total stranger during a break and in just 30 minutes, you are both talking about interests and life passions. We exchange written articles, read and appraise. At the end of the discussion, someone is encouraged to take her passions beyond her comfort zone. You never exchange numbers, because you were never looking for 'wife'. The fact that you can be a lighthouse to someone you will never meet again is thrilling. I will not forget her very young, gentle face in a hurry though.

[BACK TO STORY]


Pastor Tope Olomola, lecturer at the department of Chemistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife and member of New Covenant Church, Ife was direct, very straightforward.

'Which order are you following? That of the King or that of your rational mind'

Will you do what the Lord commands even if it does not make sense?

Elijah poured water on an altar he was about to call fire on. (Honestly, to the human mind, this is....let's look for a polite word for 'stupid')
David did not use conventional weapons against Goliath.

Will we still follow when we think we know better? 

Also,  note that we cannot partake of the Lord’s Table and the table of demons (1 Corinthians 10:16-17,21). We must ensure that we guard ourselves and refuse to be swept away by the current supply of iniquity in the earth. We must ensure we continue to partake of the table of the Lord. He is the one true bread and we must ensure we don’t continue to partake from any strange table.

Pastor Debo Adesina, Host minister and senior pastor of the Watergate Church. He is advocate for revelational and practical knowledge, he strongly believes if the word can be made flesh in our lives.
He blessed us all thoroughly, of which I will just extract a few points.

As stars in the heaven, we give direction to the earth. In navigation, there is the North Star which is constant and by which ships set their course for sailing. As the star that was seen in the East at the birth of Jesus Christ, our lives must point people to Jesus.

"I am a star-seed!" 

Lights function as God's Governmental rule. As lights in the heavens, we rule and reign in righteousness. Wherever we are planted by God we enforce the rule of God. Just as Joseph ruled in Egypt. Daniel ruled in Babylon and Persia. Esther ruled in Persia.

Their identity was not defined by the garments of Egypt, Babylon and Persia they put on. They lived above the limitations of those systems.
But to achieve this as a believer, one needs to be in constant and consistent fellowship with the Holy Ghost and such life will be powered by the ZOE-LIFE, The Life of God. The only way to press into new dimensions in God is to stay hungry.

However, He warned us, we are not indispensable in God's plan. we can lose our calling by selling our destinies for our desires. Unfaithfulness can remove us from our place.

And lastly, How we live our lives now matters, it will affect our placement in eternity. When our works on earth will be tried by fire and some will be burned to ashes.

We prayed for grace to live this life consistently according to God's pattern, had our lunch and got set to leave return home.

I come back to the conference hall to look for one of my friends. The other one had left for an assignment the previous day

I find him pacing,

"Chineme, Are you not going to eat?"

"No, not yet."

"Why?"

"I want to see Pastor Debo. I just want to shake his hand."

I giggle, Chineme was so shy, he might keep shifting his feet until the pastor got into his car. We wait to see Pastor Debo together. I introduced him to the pastor who doesn't just shake his hands but gives him a hug.

I smile at the beautiful scene. My friend was thoroughly fulfilled.

It will be a reference point for years to come.

Thank you for reading. I hope it blessed you.