Pastor Taiwo @ Sunday Service
Pastor Taiwo, at the June 4 Sunday service, continued his message on The God of Increase. He stated that change or increase, as we desire it, will never happen if the overriding motive is self or only what we can get. He noted that one of the Kingdom principles is that everyone is important and has something to contribute at every point in time, and that it is through contributing that our own increase comes.
Reading from Ephesians 4:14-16, Pastor Taiwo pointed that if it is God, then there will be growth and increase. “Do not deny people their growth by withholding what you have. When you help or cause others to grow, you also grow and increase,” he said.
He added that in a community, every part is useful and contributes something, thus contributing to the overall growth. This is why, he said, the devil strives to cause disunity in order to hinder growth or increase. But the life of a Christian, according to Pastor Taiwo, is a life sentenced to growth.
IRON SHARPENS IRON: GIVING
Pastor Taiwo @ Thursday Showers
Reading from Ephesians 4:1-17, Pastor Taiwo at the June 1 Thursday Showers service reminded the congregation that everyone has a role to play to ensure the growth of the church, and this is by giving. Every level we have attained in life, he said, is by the help of God and there is nothing we have that has not been given to us by Him. “Everything we have been given is for other people. Appreciate God for them and share; hoarding and selfishness do not glorify God,” he said.
He noted that though it is not easy to give, it becomes easy through the help of the Holy Spirit. “Walking in the flesh will not gain you anything; it takes the Holy Spirit to be able to do the giving,” he stated.
Apart from physical or material things, praying for others, Pastor Taiwo said, is another way of giving, and a lot can be achieved in this regard by praying in the Spirit. “It is natural to pray selfishly but when you pray in the Spirit, you may actually be praying for other people,” he said.
He then urged everyone to master the art of giving so as to become more like Jesus. This, he said, will help us remove our focus from self and put it on the right person—Jesus.
