Pastor Babatunde
Sunday first service
Speaking from 1 John 5:4-5, Pastor Babatunde emphasised the many names that Christians are known for, such as winners, redeemed, overcomers, and so on, during the March 27 Sunday first service. According to him, the term “overcome” talks about victory in a fight or a struggle.
Pastor Babatunde went further to say that there are two churches that exist. In Hebrews 12:1, the verse talks about the church in heaven, which is the cloud of witnesses. While the church on earth refers to us, Christians, the Church Triumphant is the church in Heaven, and the Church Militant is the church on Earth.
He continued, “You cannot be triumphant if you have not fought a battle. An overcomer is a person that prevails in the face of difficulties, challenges, and sufferings. You must overcome for you to become an overcomer”.
The clergy further stated from the book of 1 John 16:33 that overcomers fight not for victories but rather, fight from the position of victory. This is because Jesus has overcome the world and believers are sitting in the position of authority with Him. He, however, noted that there is a flaw the devil has, which is consistency; consistency to steal, kill, and destroy. This weakness of consistency, according to Pastor Babtunde, is what Christians should emulate. They should be consistent in defeating the devil’s tricks.
He went further to say that in Colossians 2:15, Jesus publicly destroyed the devil. In Genesis 1:26, God commanded us Christians to subdue and dominate the earth. Positionally, Christians have the victory, but if it is not enforced, they will not be victorious. “Life is not a playfield, but a war field.” From the book of Matthew 11:2, Pastor Babatunde declared that only the violent will take it by force. He warned that the devil is looking for Christians who do not know their authority to devour. However, the only language the devil understands is violence.
Finally, Pastor Babatunde admonished his listeners from the book of Revelation 3:20-2 that God is seeking intimacy and relationships with His children. His counsel for the church on earth is to overcome. “Overcoming is personal and God will reward us individually, not as an entity,” he said.
EVER-INCREASING GLORY
Pastor Moji Awokoya
Sunday Second Service
Pastor Dapo Williams, while sharing the Promise of the Week from Romans 15:13, highlighted the conditional angle of the passage. He mentioned that it was important to note the influence of praying in hope while also hoping for the assurance of hope. He asked the congregation to pray for the abundance of hope through faith in the promises of God.
In addressing the premises of the message titled “Ever-Increasing Glory,” Pastor Moji Awokoya mentioned rightly that God desired every believer to be a priest and worshipper. She supported this statement with the call on Abraham to separate himself from his family, which formed the basis of the relationship he built with God to the end of being promised to become the father of many nations.
Taking her first Bible references from Isaiah 60:1-3 and 2:2, she mentioned that the Gentiles have been empowered to walk in the light and glory of God through the promises of these scriptures. According to her, the laws given by God through Moses were perfect but couldn’t be observed because of the weakness of the people. She argued that acceptance by the people should have been accompanied by cries of mercy since the calling of Abraham was not based on laws.
Pastor Moji Awokoya espoused that going through the history of Israel as a nation, it was obvious that everything that happened to them was based on prophecy. She emphasised that even though the Jews understood the prophesies and the timing, the mystery of the Kingdom was kept secret from them. She referenced Romans 16:25 and Ephesians 3:9 to back up her point that it was in due time through the conversion of Paul, the Apostle, that the mystery became revealed.
She commented on the soundness and solidity of the covenant that God had set with the Jews through the incontrovertible declarations of Jeremiah 31:31–37. She, however, stated that for those of us in the present day as members of the body, Christ brought us much more through His death on the Cross.
Concluding her message, she reiterated that the grace of Christ abounds much more in living a victorious life as a Christian. According to her, the old covenant was good, the New Testament is great, but for us in the new dispensation, there is even much more perfection through the finished work of the Cross.
REVEALING GOD’S GLORY
Pastor Bisoye Okwoli
Thursday showers
After a powerful session of praise and worship by the Grace Levites, at the March 24 Thursday showers, there was the ambience of God’s palpable presence.
The testimonies from Brother Femi Johnson and Sister Bisola Benson further buttressed the tangible presence of God and His intervention in the lives of His children.
Giving the message for the day was Pastor Bisoye Okwoli, who reminded the worshippers about their righteousness in God through Christ Jesus. According to the minister, believers’ right standing with God has no age because the Lamb of God, through whom that righteousness was imputed on them, has no age, as stated in John 1:1.
In her words, “We are saved eternally because this Lamb has no age. So your right standing and ability to fellowship with God are without end. That is why you have the glory that you have.”
The clergy further cited 2 Corinthians 3:7–10 and Romans 5:6–17 to say that works or self-glory are destructive and lead to condemnation because no man can achieve God’s righteousness through works but through the gift of salvation brought by Christ.
“Your righteousness did not qualify you, but God’s. The reason you will reveal God’s unhindered glory this year is not because of what you have done but because of the finished work of Christ. However, with every gift, you have to accept and receive it,” she noted.
She further said that this gift of salvation is not a licence for an immoral lifestyle.
She, therefore, urged her listeners never to underestimate themselves or the things God can do through them, but to see themselves as Christ sees them and reveal His glory as it has been declared to them. “Jesus has come and finished the work so that you and I can reveal His glory. So, this year, you are going to allow more of Jesus’ glory to be revealed than usual. Don’t say that you don’t qualify. It is Jesus who qualifies you, not you,” she urged.
