Promise for the week: - - -- Deuteronomy 33 : 27

“The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms;

He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, 'Destroy!’”

NKJV

News - August 31 - September 6, 2008

“FOCUS ON THE STAR”
…Pastor Taiwo @ Thursday Showers

The Bible declares that “…the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” - Proverbs 4:18. Since the path of the righteous is as described above, it is easier to understand the attraction of the wise men from the East to the Star of Jesus which they diligently trailed as thought their very existence depended on it (Matthew 2:1-16).

Examining this part of scripture last Thursday, Pastor Taiwo told the congregation that Heaven has a star for each believer’s assignment. And just as the wise men diligently trailed the Star of Jesus, so do angels trail the star of every believer, and everybody in the universe will ultimately identify with that star to the extent of its relevance.

He explained that the believer’s physical outlook and location are of no consequence; otherwise, John the Baptist would have been ignored as he screamed all over the wilderness. Pastor Taiwo encouraged his listeners to disregard the limitations before them and forge ahead confidently.

He reminded the church that nobody introduced the Star of Jesus to the wise men. It is, therefore, wrong for any believer to expect any special introduction or recognition.

The other strange feature of the Star of Jesus was the role of Herod who instantly became apprehensive upon realising that a mightier King had arising from within his domain. Herod desperately sought to kill Jesus from the point of that discovery. That, Pastor Taiwo hinted, was to let us be prepared for great opposition even in high quarters as we pursue our visions.

Pastor Taiwo did not fail to point out the joy and passion with which the wise men pursued their divine mission. “Anything that does not make you joyful,” he remarked, “is not worthwhile.” The Star was more important to them than whatever earthly reward. They trudged on in spite of oppositions and the apparent battles inherent at the time. “May you never find the money and forget about the Star,” he prayed.

When the wise men located Jesus after a concerted search, they joyfully offered Him gifts. The implication of this, Pastor Taiwo submitted, is that we must be ready to worship Jesus with everything at every available opportunity. This is essential as worship reveals the believer’s true nature.

“PARENTS, BE RESPONSIBLE”
…Pastor Taiwo on Sunday

The responsibility of parents in children’s upbringing should not be underestimated. After all, had Mary and Joseph been irresponsible, the Lord would never have entrusted the upbringing of Jesus into their care. As the church marked her Family Sunday, Pastor Taiwo sounded this truth to the very many parents who thronged the church.

Prior to his message to the parents, however, Pastor Taiwo demonstrated the activity of angels to all believers, including children. The part of an angel was played by well-built Pastor Babatunde Ladipo who towered over little Oreoluwa Onabanjo, playing the little saint. Pastor Taiwo told the children present that each one of then has been assigned an angel who protects them each way. This, he said, should encourage the children never to be fearful.

Pastor Taiwo then emphasized the premium placed on parental guidance as the home is the model of God’s Kingdom on earth. He reminded fathers of their duties to their wives and children as role models. He stressed the fact that each set of parents constitutes nothing more than caretakers on behalf of the Lord. As such, they must be ready to account for their stewardship over their children before the Lord. Similarly, every pastor must be ready to account for his stewardship over his flock.

He warned parents as well as pastors never to impose their wills over their children and flock as force hardly ever achieves positive results. All the same, parents must be uncompromising on issues of peer pressure on their children, just as pastors must watch out for satanic influences among the flock.

Concerning the necessity for proper marital reltionships, he referred to Ecclesiastes 4:9: “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.” Pastor Taiwo totally condemned lesbianism and sodomy as the worse forms of perversion in our time, and warned believers never to associate with them.

He said that every man must endeavour to appreciate his wife on account of the Biblical fact that “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD. – Proverbs18:22. Love must be transparently shared between couples if the union must last. Just as Jesus first loved the church, the husband must love the wife without conditions while the wife must be completely submitted just as Christ submitted to the father. Submission is however impossible in the absence of the Holy Spirit, he observed.

Pastor Taiwo warned parents to beware of the fact that the easiest route to the destabilization of the body of Christ and the society is through the family, hence parents must be absolutely on the alert. He warned that whatever does not address husband and wife as one must be thrown overboard as ungodly. While marriage remains a struggle for each couple, God, he reminded the congregation, always provides ways of escape as long as the couple are willing.

Pastor Taiwo’s messages are also available on tapes and CDs at The Fountain of Life Church Bookshop.

NEWS IN BRIEF

MORNING GLORY THIS SATURDAY
Morning Glory, the early morning Saturday worship programme, comes up this Saturday at 7.00 am. All members of the church are expected to be in attendance.

GENERAL EVANGILISM IMMEDIATELY AFTER
There will be a general evangelism exercise after the Morning Glory. All members of the church are expected to gather for the exercise.

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