AN ATTITUDE OF JOY, PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING
Pastor Taiwo Odukoya @ Sunday Service
Sunday, December 5, 2021, was Thanksgiving Service at The Fountain of Life Church. In spite of the recent event which came as a sudden blow to the church, the members still found reason to gather together to express their gratitude to God Almighty for His mercy, love, compassion and provision. The Church also used the same opportunity to express their love for their Senior Pastor, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya and appreciate him for being a true father and leader. An overwhelmed Pastor Taiwo who was initially speechless later appreciated the congregation for their love and encouragement. In his words, “There is no reincarnation no doubt, but if God were to repeat this same thing, and He would give me a choice to make, I will choose to pastor Fountain again.”
After leading the church in a powerful worship session, the clergyman reminded his listeners of the need to constantly embrace an attitude of joy, prayer and thanksgiving regardless of their circumstances. Basing his message on 1 Thessalonians 5:18, he urged the congregation to always give thanks in the midst of everything as this is God’s perfect plan for His children. He further stated that the lifestyle of the kingdom is that of rejoicing, thanksgiving and prayer; and a born again child of God is in union with God and should therefore imbibe this lifestyle. “Christ lives in His children and this is what sets them apart and empowers them to live a life characterised by rejoicing, prayerfulness and thankfulness,” he said.
Pastor Taiwo Odukoya gave several instances from the bible in which Jesus Christ gave thanks to God despite the fact that He was faced with unpalatable circumstances.
In closing his sermon, the man of God enjoined the congregation to always be conscious of the presence of God and pray continuously and fervently while at the same time giving thanks to God through verbal expression.
TRUST GOD: HE IS FAITHFUL
Pastors exhort members @ Thursday showers
In continuation of the series of exhortations from different Pastors of The Fountain of Life Church, worshippers at the December 2 Thursday showers were also encouraged from God’s word to always trust Him and judge Him faithful irrespective of their circumstances.
Pastor Biodun Soderu started the exhortation by saying that God never loses grip over any of His creation, noting that even when it doesn’t make sense, God knows what He is doing and it is always good.
Speaking from 1 Corinthians 1:25 and Mark 15:29-30, the clergy said that God’s words and works at times doesn’t make sense to the intellect of men but the foolishness of God is wiser than men and his weakness stronger than men. “It was not by accident that God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we can hear more and speak less,” he said.
He, therefore, urged the worshippers to learn to always trust God and judge Him faithful no matter what happens to and around them. “When we don’t understand, we trust. God has a track record that He never fails. So trust Him,” he urged.
Pastor Mary Fayemi, while speaking on the topic, ‘Shift into the Holy Spirit, said that sad moments would come in the lives of believers and this would cause grief but they must also be ready to connect to the grace God has made available for grieving moments. This connection to the divine grace, she said, can happen when they shift into the Holy Spirit. “No one is saying it’s going to be easy but we must learn to be strong and stay strong,” she said.
She cited Romans 8:26 to say that it is the Holy Spirit that perfectly understands the pain individual is going through and He alone can perfectly soothe every grieving heart beyond what any human being can say preach or encourage. “The best of preachers might not know what to say at this time. We need to be able to get back into the Spirit to be able to receive that word that is personal that will take each of us through,” she said.
Also speaking from John 14:26, the clergy noted that when believers shift into the Holy Spirit in times of trouble or sad moments, He would help, advocate for, comfort, intercede for, strengthen, counsel, and stand by them. She said, “The Holy Spirit that has been sent to us at this time, is not against us. Rather, He is taking our hands and relaying our hearts’ messages to Him appropriately so that we can get the appropriate and best answer and thereby be who God wants us to be.”
She, therefore, urged her listeners to connect to the Holy Spirit to get the best out of Him in whatever situation they find themselves.
Pastor Paul Briggs prophetically announced to the worshippers from Romans 14:17 and Jeremiah 31:10-14 that there shall always be shouts of joy amidst the people of God irrespective of what is happening around them.
In his words, “Don’t let your dance stop. Don’t stop dancing, singing, and shouting. One of the ways to keep up pastor Nomthi’s legacy is to continue to dance because she loved dancing.”
Pastor Fred Ohiani rounded the sessions off by admonishing the worshippers from Ephesians 1:3-4. He urged them never to be ignorant of the devices of the devil and the tool of fear which he uses on Christians to make them afraid. “God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love and sound mind. This is why we need to be strong in times like this,” he said.
He urged them not to be afraid but to trust God in whatever situation. “You can’t understand God by your mental reasoning. Have the mind of Christ because the mind of Christ is constantly in unison with God,” he urged.
