The SCOAN Sunday service of July 2, 2016 brought the children of God together to witness and share in the demonstration of God’s power and majesty above every other thing. Guided by His Word as well as the inspirational songs of the choir, congregants expressed their gratitude to God through testimonies. Knowing that God is the only dependable solution to every problem, they affirmed their faith in Him.
PROPHET T.B. JOSHUA
In his word of counsel, Prophet T.B. Joshua reminded Christians all over the world of the need to accept the challenges of life as part of their journey to greatness. According to the man of God, those who are destined for greatness in life must first face rejection, persecution and all sorts of trials in order to prepare themselves for new and higher levels in life. He said, “Challenges, sickness, disease and disappointments are normal; it is a way of life, you will get over them. Setback is normal, so far as you get over it. It is part of our way, everyday life. Persecution is normal, if you are alive and there is no persecution, etc., you need to ask yourself, ‘I am not noticed?’ If you are somebody or if in your future you are going to be somebody – persecution, crisis, etc. will come because satan sees where you are going – the only thing he can do is frustrate you, injure you so that you abandon your post.”
In his conclusion, he re-assured Christians that their trials will never be like those of unbelievers, noting that the travails of the believer would always make him or her a stronger person. But such a privilege, he reckoned, is only available to those who have a special relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ – “If you are not a Christian those things will impair you, destroy you or cost you your life. Because of the relationship you have with Jesus, He will not leave you. Once you have that relationship, He will always be aware of where you go, what you are doing, what is coming your way and will always be there to see you through. But if there is no relationship, your power cannot help you, you have no power to get you out of this. For others it may cost them their life. Your struggle is not like others.”
In her earlier message titled, THE WAY YOU RESPOND, Evangelist Ruth talked about a very significant cancer that has eaten deep into all fabrics of the society, including Christendom. She admonished Christians on the need to align with the ideals of Jesus, especially His attitude to unpleasant situations.
EVANGELIST RUTH
She called on them to desist from rash decisions and responses whenever they are provoked or put under pressure. She summed her message up with the following words – “One of the hardest things to do is to pause and reflect when you are provoked. When the truth was ignored, Jesus was silent, (Luke 23:3). Jesus’ response was never dictated by the emergency, pressure or tension of others. How would you respond if you were tempted with injustice? But many believers today live as common men. They allow their senses to rule their responses instead of the Spirit of God and because of that, the voice of the flesh grows louder in their hearts. Think about your response when you are wrongly accused, provoked, cheated, – does anyone need to teach you to insult, fight, lie, hold offence or take revenge? Your response determines your future”.