Pastor Rotimi Okpaise @ Sunday First Service
It was another thanksgiving mode for members of The Fountain of Life Church at the January 30
Sunday service, which was the last Sunday in the first month of the year 2022.
After the electrifying praise and worship by the Grace Levite, the Promise of the Week was
shared from John 15: 5 by Pastor Tinu Olasore. She mentioned the importance of the passage
as total dependence on God, who is the only true source.
She then encouraged the members to trust and hold on to God, emphasising the futility of
trusting in things and others.
Pastor Rotimi Okpaise, in the first service, in a message he titled “Prayer Stories from the Bible,”
read from 2 Kings 20: 1–5. He called the attention of the congregation to the well-known event
of King Hezekiah’s encounter with the Prophet Isaiah. Highlighting the king’s good reputation
before God, the clergy challenged that anyone who calls himself a Christian must possess a
good CV documenting the records of his service and commitment to God. This reputation, he
argued, gave Hezekiah the audacity, faith, and courage to approach God in prayer, seeking
intervention over the Prophet’s verdict.
“It is important to know that God wants us to have a dialogue with Him,” he said, noting that
the state of one’s health is immaterial in comparison to the importance of prayer. He
maintained that it is critical to always be strong in prayer.
He went ahead to make reference to the case of Hannah from 1 Samuel 1–6, 10–11. He taught
that Hannah’s vow to God was a demonstration of faith, knowing she was a servant in the
Kingdom. Hannah, he said, emphasised her service to God while praying specifically for a male
child whom she vowed to give to God’s service.
“When you’re stuck, do something out of the ordinary,” he said, referring to Hannah’s vow
concerning her unborn child. He encouraged the congregation to be totally assured of God’s
capacity to deliver answers to prayers if His glory is the end desire.
Reading from Jonah 2: 2 – 9 and 3:1, he mentioned that God gives second chances to His
children. He admonished that it would be dangerous to allow the past to shackle one’s present
and future. Using Jonah as an unusual example of prayer, he highlighted that his prayers were
in the past tense even while he was still in the belly of the fish. He alluded to this as a great
example of trust that God always answers prayers.
TRANSFORMING GLORY OF GOD
Pastor Ronke Aladesuru @ Sunday second service
The second service on January 30 was another awesome time to be grateful to God for His
enduring mercy.
Pastor Tosin Sowemimo, while leading the prayer session for the nation, body of Christ, the
fountain of life church and its Senior Pastor, Taiwo Odukoya and members of the church, she
told the congregation from 1 John 5:14-15 that God hears prayers and answers whenever
believers ask according to His will, stating that God’s will is for believers to pray for their
resident nations, which is their Jerusalem, as well as the body of Christ and its leaders.
She therefore urged them not to get familiar with prayer so much that they speak contrary to
what they pray.
Sharing the promise of the week from John 15:5 was Pastor Yemisi Akindolie. According to her,
when believers abide in Christ, who is the Vine, they will produce much fruit, and their fruits
will abide. In her words, “You are connected to the living God as a believer. Power flows from
the living God to the branches. Power to produce much useful fruit, and pests that destroy
fruits cannot touch you because you are planted in the living God.”
She then urged them to always be thankful and grateful to God for making them connected to
Him.
Sharing the message was Pastor Ronke Aladesuru. While ministering, Pastor Ronke used the life
of Moses to explain the transforming glory of God in the life of a believer.
Reading from Exodus 3, the clergy spoke on the process, progression, and catalyst of the
transforming of God’s glory. She said that God would call His own out from the world for His
glory, just as He called Moses out of shepherding sheep at the burning bush to a glorious
assignment. This, she called the process.
Speaking about the progression, Pastor Ronke read Exodus 19:3-20-24:1-11 to note that there
would be progression into God’s call on His elect. This, she noted, would further reveal God’s
transforming glory in and over them.
She further read Exodus 33:12-16 and 34:10 and vs 29-31 to say that the transforming glory of
God on His elect would cause them to be covered in His glory and radiance just as it caused
Moses to be covered with God’s glory and radiance.
Speaking about the catalysts that cause the transforming glory of God, Pastor Ronke mentioned
that digging and dwelling in the Word of God (2 Timothy 4:2); separating from the world by
coming out of it; praying and presenting oneself to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1); and
avoiding distractions, are all very important. She therefore urged the church to always focus on
Jesus, who can cause the transforming glory to come upon them. “Let your focus be on Jesus
this year,” she urged.
GOD’S GLORY
Pastor Femi Megbope @Thursday Showers
Starting his preaching at the January 27 Thursday showers with the statement, “glory is in
increment,” Pastor Femi Megbope went on to illustrate how Christians can increase in glory,
viewing it from an engineering point of view.
According to the clergy, when an object is needed to take on the exact image of another object,
it is placed right in front of that object. Relating this to the spiritual view, Pastor Megbope said
that reflection happens perfectly when one stands directly in front of what one wants to reflect,
stating that Christians should stand in front of Christ if they want to reflect Him. He said, “If you
don’t want to get easily swayed away from the unadulterated Word of God, you need to always
stand in Him and reflect Him.”
Taking his scripture reading from 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 and James 4:18, the clergy noted that
the glory of God in a believer’s life is evidence of the presence of God in such a life, and that
God cannot be discussed outside of His presence, glory, and Spirit.
In his words, “When we want to see our reflection perfectly in the mirror, we have to stand
right in front of the mirror, as standing farther will not give us an exact picture. So, we have to
stand right in front of the Word to reflect Christ just as He is. The closer we are to the Word, the
more we see ourselves just as we are.”
In conclusion, Pastor Megbope noted that studying the Word of God, being prayerful, and
constantly meditating on the Word of God that has been read are ways to move closer to God.
He concluded, “When reading the Bible, all we get is information, but when we meditate, we
get revelation. You have to constantly read the Word, pray and meditate on God’s Word to
reflect the glory of God. That is what will set you apart from the crowd. You will carry His
presence with you everywhere you go, and people will be drawn to you because of the glory of
God they see in you.”
