IT IS GOING TO END IN PRAISE
Pastor Gbenga Onabanjo @ Sunday first service
Christians have been enjoined not to lose faith irrespective of what they are going through, explaining that how a person handles challenges defines them. In his sermon during the first service on Sunday, January 16, 2022, at The Fountain of Life Church headquarters, Ilupeju, Lagos, Pastor Gbenga Onabanjo made this remark. He also noted that life happens to all, but to the extent of how one relates to what life brings along one’s way is what makes one who he is. “How do you react to adversities? When adversities come, do you deny God and lose faith? Do you wear a sombre and sorrowful look and then turn it into a pity party? ”
The preacher, while making reference to Genesis 37:3, said Joseph never denied God and continued to show love to his family in spite of what he was passing through. “I want us to learn from the attitude of Joseph,” the preacher said, pointing out that challenges are inevitable in the life of a believer. “At one point in time in life, we are all going to go through this,” he noted, but buttressed that God won’t leave them stranded.”
Citing Isaiah 43:2, Pastor Onabanjo admonished his listeners to be careful when they pass through difficult times, as it could be a test from God. “Church, we’ve got to be careful. Sometimes, when we are going through these challenges, God is testing us. He is preparing you; strengthening you and making you better so that you will be able to perform well when you get to that place of assignment that He is preparing for you.”
Pastor Onabanjo went ahead to advise the worshippers that irrespective of their challenges, they mustn’t lose sight of the need to help others. According to him, having compassion, no matter the situation, opens up doors for breakthroughs. “Are you always concerned when you see your brothers in a [bad] state? Do you just shrug your shoulders and walk away? When you attend to the needs of your brother, God will attend to your needs,” he said.
GOD’S REVEALING GLORY
Pastor Kunle Osukunle @ Sunday second service
At the Sunday, January 16 second service, Pastor Kunle Osukunle said that it is important for believers to be sensitive whenever they’re in the presence of God, noting that they must cooperate with God in the affairs of their lives.
Speaking on the theme of the year, which is God’s Revealing Glory, pastor Osukunle said that God is specific and has something peculiar to each individual, urging them to get into the word to discover God’s word of His revealing glory to them.
Speaking from 2 Corinthians 3:18, he said there are great and mighty things God wants to show His own if they would develop deep fellowship with Him. “When you carry God’s weight, you are unstoppable,” he said.
Also speaking from 2 Corinthians 4:4, the clergy continued by saying that the glory of God is the weight, value, and significance of God which already resides in believers. According to him, “As you continue to be transformed into God’s glory, people see God in and through you, and then they experience God.” So you are changing from glory to glory through the image of God.”
He also noted that for believers to manifest God’s revealing glory, the veil over their faces must be lifted, they must keep beholding Christ, and they must continue to be transformed. “Your life, family, ministry, and profession must have the image of God for you to have a meaningful life,” he stated.
According to him, the veil hinders a believer from seeing clearly, and this would make him or her vulnerable to deceit and time wastage. He also emphasised the need for believers to be careful of what they behold as they become what or who they behold.
He also noted from Psalm 119:18 that when believers turn to God and keep their focus on Him, their veils will be torn and they will see clearly. In his words, “Your accomplishments in life can only be discovered as you behold Him. So, you need to keep your face turned to the Lord this year for your veil to be removed. Don’t give God too little attention to the impact of your life. When you’re beholding, you see clearly.”
In rounding off his message, the clergy noted that one of the ways God’s glory can be revealed in a believer’s life is by praying in the Spirit; noting that praying in the Spirit increases a believer’s net worth, reduces their liabilities, and empowers them, as stated in Ephesians 3:19-20.
According to him, “There are many things that can be accessed in the Spirit. God wants you to be changed in the place of prayer. So, pray in the Spirit all the time. If you want God to do exceedingly abundantly in your life, then pray in the spirit.”
He concluded his sermon by leading the congregation into a prayer session.
BEHOLDING GOD’S GLORY THROUGH THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Pastor Biodun Soderu @ Thursday Showers
Pastor Biodun Soderu has said the Holy Spirit is the principal-agent that helps the believer experience God’s glory. He made the comment during his sermon at the Thursday Showers on January 13, held at The Fountain of Life Church in Ilupeju, Lagos State.
The preacher, who took his main Bible passage from the church’s theme scripture for the year (II Corinthians 3:18), noted that it is only with the aid of the Holy Spirit that Christians can appropriate their privileges in Christ. “All these things I have said about beholding God’s glory are only by the Spirit of God,” Pastor Soderu added.
According to him, the Holy Spirit is multifaceted in nature and operates in many ways in the life of the believer. “He guides, leads, and directs,” he told the congregation during the sermon, where he also referenced Acts 19:1-3 to further drive home his point about the importance of the Holy Spirit in the Christian race.
Pastor Soderu equally noted that the Holy Spirit comes with several gifts, including the ability to speak in other tongues and the gift of prophecy.
Aside from the role of the Holy Spirit in living a glorious life, the clergyman also explained that moving from glory to glory means that the believer is expected to get better as he draws closer to God. “It means I am more powerful spiritually than I was last year,” he added.
While using the analogy of a couple looking more like each other to explain the concept of beholding God’s glory, he explained that as believers continually behold God, they become like Him.
Pastor Soderu’s sermon also touched on three key ingredients for a seamless life. He told the congregation to adopt a lifestyle of prayer. This, in addition to evangelising and “enjoying their lives,” are essentials for a victorious Christian life. In his words, “A prayer-less Christian is powerless and an easy prey for the devil,” he noted.
