Pastor Jimmy Odukoya @ Sunday service
The joy in the hearts and faces of members of The Fountain of Life Church at the September 30 Sunday service was palpable as it was the celebration of one year of God’s uncommon grace in the lives Pastors Jimmy Odukoya as the Senior Pastor of the church and pastor Toluwani Odukoya as the Associate Senior Pastor of the church. The last Sunday service in September also doubled as the family Sunday service
According to Pastor Jimmy, Sanctification is one of the packages of salvation enjoyed by the believer. This means that by being sanctified, they are being continually transformed daily to align to the will of God.
Citing Philippians 1:6, the Senior Pastor said that sanctification is the ongoing process by which a believer is made more holy and Christ-like, involving progressive transformation of their character and conduct to align to God’s will. “Sanctification does not begin with you; it begins with God who gives you His righteousness. It happens when God initiates the process and He is faithful to complete it,” he said.
Also citing Philippians 2:12-13, the clergy stated that in as much as God has imputed His righteousness on believers, they also have a role to play by walking in alignment with what He has given them. “God has given you His righteousness, but you must cultivate it by ensuring you continue to make it grow. The more you do it, the more you walk in alignment with God is doing in you,” he said.
Giving the illustration of the importance of soil, water and light in planting a seed and cultivating it, Pastor Jimmy read from Luke 8:5-8 and 11-15; Ezekiel 36:9 and 25-27; James 1:21; and John 7:37 to say that God has given the seed of righteousness, tilled the soil of believers’ heart and planted the seed into the good soil. However, the believer has a role to play in this cultivation process as well. He noted that by adding water, which is the Word of God and light, which is Jesus growth is bound to occur. He said, “You need water and light. The word of God is nonnegotiable. Without the Word, sanctification does not occur. You need the word to moisture the soil of your heart, and to bring light to allow the seed to grow.”
The clergy therefore urged the congregation from Ephesians 5 to keep washing themselves in the Word of God as that is when the seed of righteousness will begin to grow. “The more you wash yourself in the word, the more you begin to become like Him,” he said.
Earlier in the service, Pastor Toluwani Odukoya while encouraging the congregation from Leviticus 26:3-4, which is also the promise for the week, said that aligning with the Holy Spirit brings about the miraculous, adding that obedience to the things of God evokes rain which brings about miracles. “You can evoke God to move on your behalf if you do what He asked you to do,” she said.
The Associate Senior Pastor therefore urged believers to ask for the grace to obey God as this is when they would receive their miracles. In her words, “When you listen to God and obey Him, He aligns you to the right people at the right time.”
The full messages are available on the Church’s YouTube Channel, Fountain TV, and Jimmy Odukoya’s YouTube Channel. The audio messages can be accessed on SoundCloud, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Apple Podcast.
The Grace Story (Zacchaeus)
Pastor Jimmy @ Thursday Showers
The grace story series took another angle, at the September 26 Thursday Showers Service, when Pastor Jimmy Odukoya, reading from Luke 19, explained the salvation story of Zacchaeus, a man who, according to scripture, was a chief tax collector who was hated by many and considered a traitor for taxing his people and enriching himself.
Giving symbolic exegesis of this chapter, the senior pastor pointed out three sterling qualities in the story, which were: Zacchaeus’ wealth, his short stature, and the sycamore tree. In his analysis, pastor J stated how degrading it was for a man of his repute to use the tree, but Zaccheaus put aside his pride and ego to climb in order to access Jesus. The clergy pointed out humility as a prerequisite to attracting grace. He further pointed out that the best way to stay humble is to acknowledge that all we have, we have been freely given.
Characterizing the feature of the sycamore tree, Pastor Jimmy highlighted that the tree has a big appearance, with noticeable low branches, strong enough for access. In his words, he stated that in the grand scheme of grace, God has planted the seed of the sycamore on that spot, though it took years to grow, which Zaccheaus would have passed by overtime, but has been prepared for the salvation and grace of Zacchaeus. The clergy noted that our prayers for the activation of grace, which at times could be in proximity, should sometimes be changed to the prayer of our eyes being unveiled to the things God has made available to us. He narrated that it took only a change in perspective for Zacchaeus to access Jesus, not minding his stature, but knowing that, through the help of the tree, it was attainable.
Defining grace as the advantage God has given us to make up for our shortfalls, the clergy advised on the need for a perspective change by appreciating what God has made available in our live, if we truly want to experience God’s unending grace. Additionally, he stated that whenever we focus on our shortfalls, we only get into resentment, jealousy and unhealthy comparison. Pastor Jimmy further expressed that Zacchaeus took action before Jesus extended grace to him, he therefore urged the congregants to take adequate steps towards what they perceive unattainable and allow God do the rest. God has each life factored and has also supplied grace necessary to navigate every season, he added.
In a comparative but similar analysis, the senior pastor correlated that just as Zacchaeus’ salvation was gotten on a tree, Jesus also paid the price of redemption for the world by being hanged on a tree. Like Jesus had His plans changed for Zacchaeus, so also has He changed His plans for us by recalibrating our justifiable punishment with His grace of pardon whenever we have erred.
Addressing how people sometimes mind the opinion of others when ministering grace to others, he noted that our standards should remain that which Jesus exhibited to Zacchaeus, by showing him grace, salvation and kindness, not minding the opinion of the crowd. Hence, as believers, our light has relevance when it shines in darkness.
In closing, Pastor Jimmy Odukoya reaffirmed that there is availability of grace for all, despite our shortcomings, that introduces us to the will of God for our lives. In as much as God has shown us grace as believers, we must remain a conduit of grace for others.
The full messages are available on the Church’s YouTube Channel, Fountain TV, and Jimmy Odukoya’s YouTube Channel. The audio messages can be accessed on SoundCloud, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Apple Podcast.
