Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, at the first service held on Sunday, December 11, enjoined the congregation at The Fountain of Life Church never to get comfortable with each new level of victory they achieve because there’s always more! Referring his listeners to Revelations 4:1-2, the clergy explained that the apostle John was able to do so much for God because he was in the spirit despite his terrible ordeal on the island of Patmos.
Giving a background history of how John the apostle came to be on the island of Patmos, he explained that John had been tortured and persecuted to the extent of being boiled in hot oil, but his persecutors weren’t able to kill him. John was then banished to the island of Patmos to die.
The minister said that even though John was in a terrible situation, his relationship with God was still so strong that he was able to get deep revelations from God; even though his body was broken, his spirit was still very much alive as he continued to have a great time with the Master; and because he was very sensitive in the spirit, he was able to look up, see an open door in heaven, and then hear a voice.
Drawing from John’s experience on the island of Patmos, Pastor Taiwo admonished the congregation to always remain strong in their spirits, irrespective of how terrible and hopeless their situations are. He noted that God’s children can only see what God has in store for them with the help of the Holy Spirit.
The man of God continued his message by emphasising the fact that the least expected of Christians is to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, because there’s always more in store for them. According to him, John was spiritually sound and had a great relationship with God, judging by the depth of revelation God made available to him, yet God still told him to come up, implying that there’s more to be done!
He went on to encourage them to make Ephesians 3:16 their daily prayer in order to be strengthened with might through the Spirit in their inner man, because Christians are only as strong as their spirit man.
“There’s always a new level for God’s children, irrespective of past temptations, struggles, trials, and victories experienced; the extent to which this new level is attained, however, is dependent on the strength of our Spirit man,” he said.
SEASON OF JOY
Pastor Amaka Maduneme | Sunday Second Service
Pastor Amaka Maduneme, before commencing her message for the second service, first led the congregation in praying for the senior pastor of the Fountain of Life Church, Taiwo Odukoya, declaring that God will continually reinforce and keep everything concerning him. She praised the man of God’s consistency and honesty for always being true to himself.
Addressing her message, which she titled “The Season of Joy,” the minister taught the congregation that joy may mean many things to different people. But she defined joy as a feeling of goodness and happiness that is dependent on a Christian’s relationship with Jesus.
She spoke passionately about the irrelevance of worldly riches, activities, and pleasures as determinants of the type of joy she was addressing. She reiterated that the type of joy in focus is derived through the Spirit of God and lasts forever. She went on to say that this joy comes from believing in God and His Word, which is very different from the fleeting realities of the other temporary things.
Quoting from Psalm 16:11, she exhorted that true joy comes from abiding in the presence of God. She, however, warned that it is dangerous to be empty of joy, as there are negative things happening every day, with people dying of depression and desperation.
Pressing further, she read from John 15:11, declaring that the joy that each Christian should aspire to have is the one from Jesus. According to her, “this is the only joy that is true and worthwhile.” She encouraged everyone to go for this with the understanding that everyone should see themselves as the happiest person in the world because of the reality and significance of salvation.
Pastor Maduneme admonished that it is important to know that only the joy of God gives strength. This joy, according to her, is a covenantal one and derives from fellowship with the Spirit. She stated that this joy is always present, regardless of the situations, circumstances, or unpleasant situations that a Christian may be facing.
Bringing her message to a close, she read from Galatians 5:22–23, declaring that the joy from God is limitless, creative, constant, and derivable only from the Holy Spirit. She prophesied that there would be an abundance of testimonies even before the end of the year.
FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
Pastor Taiwo Odukoya | Thursday Showers
Pastor Dapo Williams, during the opening prayers of the first Thursday Showers for the month on December 8, shared from Luke 22:31-32 and also a saying from a friend of his, “Until sin becomes bitter to you, grace cannot be sweet.”Pastor Femi Megbope, while calling on the testifiers, advised, “Don’t keep your eyes on what you don’t see; be expectant.”And the various summaries of the testimonies go thus:Sister Amaka was led by the Spirit to drop all the cash in her purse at the last Thursday Showers while believing God to come through for her in settling her children’s school fees, and God surprised her with the fees the very next day.
Brother Gbemiro thanked God for giving him life, even though he was thought to be dead for nine hours after a car accident. Sister Eno, a member of the Grace Levites, thanked God for perfecting the healing of her mother and her niece’s admission into school.
Other witnesses thanked God for all the good things He had done in their lives, like keeping them from getting hurt, helping a child regain the ability to speak, helping them get a job, or helping them start a new business.
In his message for the day, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya admonished all believers to fight the good fight of faith. While sharing from 1 Timothy 6:12, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 11:12, he said that every man and woman mentioned in the chapter did something great, and that what they did because of their faith showed what kind of faith they had.He said, “The just shall keep on fighting because the just shall live by faith; when it comes to faith, it is a fight you fight; just because it is finished does not leave you without a responsibility, and the responsibility of a Christian life is that you live by faith.”
Pastor Odukoya went further to share how Paul advised Timothy to fight the good fight of faith and that “the path of faith is a path of fight, otherwise the destination will not be achieved.”He stated, “The area of your greatest calling, the area of your greatest assignment, is where you are going to fight your fiercest battles.”He added, “Let the word of God richly dwell in you; if you don’t have anything, have the word because that is what you are going to fight with.”As a result, he urged the congregation to start acting out their faith: “When you begin to do it, you begin to see it; when you begin to see it, you say it; that is the battle,” he concluded.
