A roundup of the latest news and analysis on matters of faith and religion in Africa, Nigeria and the world, with stories from codewit.com and Nigeria News
Christians for Ministerial Integrity, an interdenominational network aimed at the establishment of integrity among ministers of the gospel, has just concluded a 3-day Ministers/Church Workers Conference, with a charge by the president, Evangelist Samuel Olutoye on ministers to rise and eliminate the evil of ministerial secrecy.
Evang. Olutoye’s passion is for the enthronement of righteousness, holiness, purity, sanctification and salvation over what he described as ministerial secrecy including immorality, transgressions and anything that has the trappings of worldliness.
To him, salvation is the ultimate in the Christian voyage. It’s over and above all other treasures on earth and to overcome worldliness in the Church, he stressed that the undiluted truth of the gospel must be preached by the men of God to their con-gregation. Theme of the programme: “Who is on the Lord’s side?”
According to him, at the moment there’s spiritual down turn; there is corruption even in the Church, noting that “all those powerful messages we used to hear in those days have been taken away from our altars.”
Continuing, he maintained that today’s churches are full of people but there are no Christians, adding “we have fellowships without love for one another. We often preach about forgiveness but there are some pastors who do not forgive.”
Speaking on “Ministerial secrecy”, Olutoye averred that today’s church is witnessing power without purity, arguing that several herbalists and magicians have all taken up bibles and are now preachers and workers of miracles which is why we have the crisis in the North and over 70 per cent of the nation is against the Church of God.
He also told the congreg-ation of pastors, ministers and other church workers at the Lagos conference that what we have today is a church getting older without corresponding maturity; the higher they go in ministry, the closer they are to hell.
“In Lagos and some other cities of the nation, when you say you are a pastor people hiss, because demons who are not gainfully employed have all become pastors and they are making things difficult for the remnants to survive in ministry,” he stated.
According to the evangelist, there is so much corruption in the Church; “how can a man of God sleep with members of his church and still come to the altar to preach? I have never seen where men of God tell lies like this generation. We have lost integrity. It is evil for men of God to divorce their wives and members celebrate such announcements.
“Immorality has become the order of the day. Homosexuals abound in the church today,” he said, stressing the need for pastors to, first and foremost, embark on a mission to save themselves before thinking of saving others.
He noted that pastors and ministers need to go back to God because of the imminent judgment of God, noting “if God does not judge this generation, He will have to apologise to Annanias and Sapphira. Men of God who make prophecies that never come to pass and as a result Nigerian governments no longer believe that there are pastors in the country.”
Olutoye therefore enjoined pastors and ministers of the gospel in the country to first purge themselves and rise up to eliminate all recognizable evils currently working against the spiritual growth of the Church in Nigeria.
To attain that level is to go back to the old time religion where people preached the truth of the Bible and lived the truth no matter whose ox is gored.
He also urged men of God, especially the fake ones, who have allowed profanity to thrive in Christendom and have sacrificed the true Word God on the altar of sentiments and personal aggrandize-ment, to repent and avoid the judgment.
Earlier, Pastor Taiwo Ishola of Perculiar People’s Ministry, Akowonjo, in his opening message, also urged ministers to retrace their steps from the present rot in the Body of Christ and enthrone right-eousness in all their doings.
He maintained that in this precarious period in the world, there is the urgent need for us all to return to God who only has the capacity to deliver us from the current evil.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The mindless attack of Islamic terrorists or insurgents in the country on His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ado Bayero, the Emir of Kano, has provoked a spate of comments expressing, absolute shock, downright condemnation, and utter dismay. One sees the attack as mindless because the object is one of the most eminent Muslims in the country.
He is the traditional ruler of a predominantly —almost exclusively—Muslim community in the heart of a historically Islamic terrain.
Though the city, all the same, has not been excluded from the scourge of Islamic militancy, or insurgency in the country, the occasions of acts of terrorism in the area had really added to the confused status of the terrorists’ objectives in the estimate of analysts generally.
Some four years ago, the objectives of the Boko Haram attackers were related more to sociological factors, rather than any other sources, especially as the operations were restricted to the Northern part of the country which is far less developed than the South.
But here we are halted by the brick wall of an irony:the terrorist organization, by its very title, is totally against Western education which is undoubtedly the bedrock of modern development.
Experts, who pose to know more about such things than others, were thus emphatic that the attacks had more of a civic reaction to poverty than any other motivation.
The bombing of the Mogadishu Cantonment in 2010 tended to support the view that it was the citizenry in the area moving against the government. But with the bombings and other forms of mayhem which targeted educational institutions and churches, it became apparent that the direction was more focused than that.
No one wanted to admit that it had more than a slight tinge of religious flavour to it against the Christians, especially those in the North. Nigerians fear the devastating impact that a religious war could have on the country.
The country is already virtually partitioned into the Islamic North and the Christian South sectors as it is, projecting a natural line of battle-line confrontation which no reasonable citizen would wish to come alive.
What has prevented that so far, as we all are aware—and a vital fact that may not be violated at that—is the absence of the terrorist activities in the core South, along with the tolerance and accommodation of the affected Southerners who have eschewed reprisals in their reaction to their losses.
It is a great sacrifice that the Christians in the North have had to bear in general. Many of them have been bombed out of church and home. They have lost material possessions at the hands of terrorists simply for being in the right place even at the right time.
The Boko Haram has loomed larger and larger like a dark shadow over the land. It has almost grown to become a “bogey” for frightening the citizens.
The members strike seemingly at will with little respect for their targets. They have bombed buildings of international institutions, media houses, and even military establishments.
While several Christians still threw their lives on the wings of their faith and still worshipped in churches on Sundays, others have stayed at home to pray. How much less could anyone really do when even National Day observances are held, through in military fashion, within barrack walls!
And then along the course of developments, the advice for a “negotiated settlement” began to grow into a demand and acquire a strident tone.
The advisers directed, and are still directing, that nothing short of a dialogue could solve the problem of the Boko Haram. It has been of little use to point out that negotiations with an unknown entity could be fruitless and become counter-productive.
and the boy died
In any case, how could negotiations be conducted with adversaries who demand the rejection of your faith for their own? Those who are seized with the alternative of negotiation, however, appear to wish to drive it down the throats of the citizenry good and hard, without any profound consideration for whatever the achievements might be. And yet they know that there may only be one achievement in that direction, and that is a total capitulation of the Federal Government to the demands of the terrorists.
In the past year, the Boko Haram has stepped out to expose its hand more boldly. It has made no bones about the fact that it is mostly about religion, though the identity of Islam appears to be really no more than a mask for its dastardly acts. One had been misled into thinking that what was implied by that association would be the age-old code of the Jihadists—“Death to the infidels! But, with the attacks on some notable Muslims which have now found a climax with the Emir of Kano, the equation has become somewhat distorted though the outline remains barbaric. And yet, even at this perilous juncture, some people in this country, whom you would expect should know better, are still talking about dialogue. People in Mali are not singing a song so out of tune with their national welfare. They have come face-to-face with a monster that would swallow up their existence as a nation, and they shouted to the four winds for help. But here again, we encounter what may be described as an extension, or a strip, of the irony which features an Islamic sect against the well-being of a Muslim community or personality. And that “in the name of Allah”? All right-thinking Muslims agree that the connection of God’s holy name with the violent propagation of His worship is an abomination.
The Nigerian “rapid response”, if it may be so described, is heart-warming. It is timely and responsible. Since the West African nation appears to be drawn up against forces with the same roots as the Boko Haram, to rout them there is to weaken the assistance they are said to be offering our rampant foes here at home. The experience in Mali should stand us in good stead in formulating grander and more effective strategies to deal with our own domestic problems of terrorism. There is every reason to be confident that our troops will acquit themselves honourably as always.
And so the boy died. Enoch was his name, a five-year old who was naturally the joy of his father’s heart. He had a medical problem which hit a crisis point towards the end of last year. He had earlier enjoyed a lively Christmas, sporting his little Santa Claus outfit and his toys. But the ailment was there with him, and so was a caring father who had put his hopes for the child’s welfare in the glittering medical services provided by the Lagos State Ministry of Health. And so when the crisis came, the doting father, Olufemi Ibirogba, hopefully called out for the facilities promised and displayed by the Ministry.
In particular, these facilities include the much-publicised ambulance service which seemed to have been reliable in some cases during the day-time and in circumstances that exposed its operations to public knowledge —like, usually, cases of road accidents in the city. But crises of a medical nature choose their times of occurrence at will. They thereby demand prompt response in an emergency situation. That has been the promise of the Lagos Ambulance Service, which is some twelve years old, from its inception in keeping with the tradition of such facilities. It is an important element of the general emergency lay-out provided by the government and available, or supposed to be available, through a telephone call to the appropriate number.
The life-threatening distress erupted in little Enoch’s body just after midnight. The nearest hospital was quite a distance away, and his father, Olufemi, had no car. No matter, he thought—the emergency service was there. But getting through to the officials in charge was just the beginning.
After five hours —five hours—without the appearance of the ambulance promised by the officials, the child had to be conveyed to the hospital by the earliest available public transport vehicle. The delay had, of course, taken its toll on the body of the little boy.
The wishy-washy attention provided by the hospital staff, coupled with the faulty state of the equipment available, did not improve the state of affairs. The distraught parent became frantic as he urged the nurses, the doctors, somebody, anybody to do something, all to little avail. And so the boy died.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Alhaji Saidu Buhari, the Chief Imam of Jundulahi Central Mosque in Osogbo, on Thursday urged Muslims to continue to pray for the country’s peaceful existence, security and prosperity.
Buhari, who gave the advice in an interview in Osogbo, also urged Muslim faithful to emulate Prophet Mohammed.
“Mohammed during his lifetime preached and practised a religion anchored on unity, peace and love for his neighbours,’’ he said.
Also, another Muslim cleric, Mohammed Adepoju of Adigun Central Mosque in Osogbo, appealed to all Muslims to serve God wholeheartedly and always help the less privileged.
He condemned the killing of people in the name of religion as all religions of the world preach peace.
“Nigerians must unite in tackling security challenges as Muslims celebrate Eid-el-Maulud,’’ Adepoju said. (NAN)
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Christian Association of Nigeria has reacted to the withdrawal of the Catholic Church in Nigeria to pull out of the association, saying they are free to leave.
Speaking on the Catholics’ withdrawal Wednesday, spokesperson for the 19 Northern chapters of CAN, Sunny Oibe, told journalists in Abuja the Catholics were free to go away, the Punch newspaper is reporting this morning.
He also accused the Christian denomination of arrogance, saying they were merely angry because the presidency of the association had moved to another bloc of the group.
Their exit will not affect the association in any way, the CAN spokesperson said.
Mr. Oibe alleged that Catholics had been sulking since its candidate, John Onaiyekan, lost the presidency of the association to Ayo Oritsejafor. He said, “There are some certain elements in the leadership of CAN led by Cardinal John Onaiyekan because he lost CAN Presidency to Oritsejafor who has a lot of achievements.
“There is no need for anybody to lose sleep over the threat by Catholics to pull out of CAN because without them CAN will still continue. The constitution of CAN makes provision that membership can be terminated by any group that is misbehaving or any group can also terminate their membership.
“Why is it that when Catholics were in the leadership of CAN, every bloc supported them, but now because power has changed hands, they are threatening to pull out and causing confusion?
“They have been agitating that the Presidency of CAN must come from the South. They are appendage of PDP and PDP themselves. They are known for double standards. A man of God should not be double speaking.”
The President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBNC), Ignatius Kaigama had written to CAN President, Ayo Oritsejafor, saying his group was suspending “participation in CAN meetings at the national level until such a time the leadership of CAN reverse back to the original vision, mission and objectives of CAN”.
Expatiating further on its grouse with the Oritsejafor-led leadership of the association, the bishops lamented that CAN had been politicized and was no longer being used to promote peace and unity in the country.
“CAN is being dragged into partisan politics thereby compromising the ability to play its true role as conscience of the nation and the voice of the voiceless,” the bishops said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Catholic Church of Nigeria has withdrawn its membership from Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
However the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, Wednesday, debunked speculations that the conference has pulled out of the National Christian Body, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), over alleged undisclosed issues.
The Diocesan Administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta, Monsignor Christopher Ajala, at a news conference stated that the Catholic church suspended its activities in CAN because it was too close to government.
The Director Communication, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev Fr Raulph Madu, while speaking to a reporter of one of the national dailies maintained that the CBCN did not pull out of CAN, and that, the body was only trying to sought out some issues with National Christian body.
He mentioned that the body only withdrew temporarily from CAN, which will only last for few weeks, adding that, there was no squabble between the two religious bodies.
According to him, “how can we pull out of CAN, we are just trying to iron out some issues with them, which are not palatable to us and its only going to last for few weeks”
“We will always be in support of the National Body; some of our Bishops are head CAN in some states, like, Owerri, among others”.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Most Nigerians are really living in darkness and are constanly scammed, swindled and defrauded by their so called men of God. Please read the sermon of pastor Adeboye as it is been articulated on their website and tell us what is different from what "419 people" and scammers do. See the grouping of people and the amount they are expected to pay every month to be a member of such covenant group. Please make sure you read the whole article and drop your comment for others to read. Try to be polite in your contributions. We need to inform our people in Nigeria to open their eyes. At Codewit, we report and you judge—–
Pastor Adeboye: – Ten years ago, I called for people who will be my covenant partners; and several people volunteered. I said it would be for ten years, the ten years are over now and many of them had asked, what’s happening, are we going to continue? I told them I will ask God.
When I asked God, He said there will be a new set and it will not be for ten years. He said “because those people were in covenant with you for ten years, I had no choice but to keep them alive for ten years”
He said “You tied my hands”. And I remembered all the miracles that happened in the life of my partners, and I thank God for all the miracles,
I thank God for all my partners and I say, thank you for the past ten years.
Now, the Lord says to me, the new set of partners will be for only three years. He said after three years, we can review. So, if you want to be one of my partners, your duties will be as follows:
You will pray for us every day, even if it’s only one minute; very simple prayer ‘Father, strengthen your son, don’t let his anointing run dry, don’t let him fail you, let him finish strong’. Four simple prayers: strengthen him, don’t let his anointing run dry, don’t let him fail you, and let him finish strong. That’s assignment one for my partners even if it’s only one minute a day, please, include us in your prayers.
You’ll fast with us as we used to do; February, July and December. All you need to do is a day at a time but if you can fast day and night continuously then, fourteen days alone will be enough. So, you’ll pray for us, you’ll fast and then you’ll support the work we are doing financially.
The new group, your support will be every month instead of every year and there will be ten groups. So, you’ll be able to join at least one of the ten groups.
1. GROUP ONE: N100 a month. USD Equivalent $1.00
2. GROUP TWO: N500 a month. $5.00
3. GROUP THREE: N1,000 a month. $10.00
4. GROUP FOUR: N5,000 a month. $50.00
5. GROUP FIVE: N10,000 a month. $100.00
6. GROUP SIX: N50,000 a month. $500.00
7. GROUP SEVEN: N100,000 a month. $1,000.00
8. GROUP EIGHT: N500,000 a month. $5,000.00
9. GROUP NINE: N1,000,000 a month. $10,000.00
10. GROUP TEN: N2,000,000 and above a month. $20,000.00
You can send your contributions in Dollars or Pounds. So you can pick whichever group you want to belong to. My advice is, come in at whatever level is convenient for you now, I trust my God that as He begins to bless you, you’ll keep on moving higher and there will be people who will enter in group two or three today before this time next year, they will already be in group ten. So please, take some one minute, you’ll write your name, your address, your phone number, and the group you want to belong to.
When you’re sending the money, when you put it in an envelope, write at the back ‘Covenant Partner’. Write it at the back of the envelope so we’ll know into which account we will direct the money. If you’re writing a cheque, please write it in the name of The Redeemed Christian Church of God and then at the back, put ‘Covenant Partner’. Don’t write the cheque in Pastor E. A. Adeboye's name.
Any cheque written in my name will be used for what? (Response from the congregation: pounded yam) ah! Thank you, it will go for pounded yam straight.
So, write your cheque in the name of The Redeemed Christian Church of God and then at the back of the cheque write ‘Covenant Partner’.
My own duty is that I pray for my partners everyday; not once a month but everyday. And I promise you, my God who had been faithful to me all these years will be faithful to my partners also in Jesus’ name. He made a promise, He said all those who are lifting up my hands, He said as I rise, they will rise. So you will rise with me in Jesus’ name.
So, you’ll write your name, your address, your phone number and the group you want to belong to and
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Pope Benedict XVI has appointed the first papal ambassador to Muslim-majority Malaysia, 18 months after the two sides established diplomatic relations.
The move comes amid continued tensions between Christians and Muslims in the Southeast Asian nation.
"I am delighted by the appointment of Archbishop Joseph Marino as the first Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia," Najib said in a statement.
"Having established diplomatic ties in 2011, Pope Benedict XVI and I vowed to work together to increase understanding between Christians and Muslims. The appointment is a testament to this commitment."
The American archbishop will also serve as an envoy to Malaysia's smaller neighbours East Timor and Brunei, according to a report on the website of the Vatican Insider.
The Vatican and Malaysia established official diplomatic ties after Najib visited the Holy See in July 2011.
The visit came after he met with Malaysian church leaders in a bid to ease religious tensions stirred by a report that alleged Christians wanted to replace Islam as the official religion in the country.
The row is one of a string of religious disputes in recent years that have raised fears among minorities of a growing "Islamisation" of Malaysia.
Several places of worship were attacked in 2010 after the High Court lifted a government ban on non-Muslims using "Allah" when translating "God" into the Malay language.
The government strongly criticised the attacks, but tensions over the issue have continued to simmer.
Religion and language are sensitive issues in multi-racial Malaysia.
More than 60 percent of Malaysia's 29 million people are Muslim ethnic Malays, but it also has sizeable Chinese and Indian minorities. Nine percent of the population are Christians, including 850,000 Catholics.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
We may say we love the Lord because he is our Saviour, but the truth is we don’t like him.
In many respects, the bible is a book of prophecies. God says in the scriptures: “Don’t forget the many times I clearly told you what was going to happen in the future. For I am God- I only- and there is no other like me who can tell you what is going to happen. All I say will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” (Isaiah 46:9-10).
Even some of the historical situations presented in the scriptures are prophetic. Therefore, they are fulfilled again and again. For example, the persecution of Isaac by his brother Ishmael is re-enacted in the persecution of Joseph by his brothers, and repeated in the persecution of David by his brothers, and again replicated in the persecution of Jesus by his brothers. Furthermore, the process continues today in the persecution of true believers by pretender Christians.
Prophetic Christians
Since the true believer is created in the image and likeness of Christ, our identity is in the word of God. All we need to do is search the scriptures in order to determine what manner of men we are and what the future holds. This is because the bible does not merely predict the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It also foretells the birth, growth and development of the church of Christ.
It is the prophetic revelation about Christians that is of particular interest here. The scriptures indicate that Christians will not like Christ. The church in the wilderness rejected Moses. The Israelites rejected the prophets. The Jews rejected Jesus. Christians will reject the word of God.
God said to Ezekiel: “I am sending you to the people of Israel with my messages. I am not sending you to some far-off foreign land where you can’t understand the language- no, not to tribes with strange, difficult tongues. (If I did, they would listen!) I am sending you to the people of Israel, and they won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard, impudent, and stubborn.” (Ezekiel 3:4-7).
Indeed, the scriptures detail not so much how Jesus is hated by men, as how he is hated by his own people. John says: “He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.” (John 1:11). That statement is prophetic. Today, Christians are supposedly the people of God; so the scripture now applies to us. It means Christians will not receive Christ. Jesus himself observes that: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” (Matthew 13:57).
Christian animosity
Most Christians don’t like the Jesus of the bible. We may say we love the Lord because he is our Saviour, but the truth is we don’t like him. “Why don’t you like me?” asks God? “What did I do to drive you away?” “What iniquity did you find in me that turned you against me?” (Jeremiah 2:5). “Hear, O you mountains, the LORD’S complaint, and you strong foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a complaint against his people, and he will contend with Israel. ‘O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me.’” (Micah 6:2-3).
Moses says God created man in his own image. However, George Bernard Shaw was right when he said: “We have decided to return the favor.” We have created God in our own image. God says again prophetically: “These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you.” (Psalm 50:21).
Christians don’t really like the God that is revealed in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we contradict him at every turn. We don’t want the God who insists we should love our enemies. (Matthew 5:44-45). We prefer a God who sends the fire of the Holy Ghost to destroy our enemies. We don’t want the God who says those who use the sword will be killed by the sword. (Matthew 26:52). We prefer a God who will be on our side when we go to war. We do not like the God who says we should turn the other cheek. (Luke 6:29). We prefer the God who gives an eye for an eye. We don’t want the God who desires mercy. (Matthew 9:13). We prefer a God who exacts infinite punishment on limited sin.
The God revealed in Christ is far too demanding for us. He wants everything we have. (Luke 14:33). But Christians prefer a God that only requires a tithe. We don’t like the God in Christ who regards men and women as equals. We prefer the Mountain of Fire and Miracles God who legislates that women must not wear trousers. We don’t like the God in Christ who says we should bless those who curse us. (Matthew 5:44). We prefer the God of David Oyedepo who curses his opponents.
Christians don’t like the Jesus who was born in poor and humble circumstances. We prefer the Jesus of our mega-pastors who flies around in jet-planes and even establishes his own airline. We don’t like the Jesus who did not go to school and get a formal education. (John 7:15-16). We prefer the Jesus of Chris Oyakhilome who boasts of his PhD. We prefer the God who establishes church universities where good money is made by collecting high fees.
New improved Jesus
Indeed, the real Jesus of Nazareth has become so offensive to Christians that we have created a new improved Jesus more to our liking. This new Jesus is no longer poor, meek and lowly. But according to some, including such eminent evangelists as Oral Roberts and John Avanzini, he is a rich man who wears “designer clothes.” Jesse Duplantis and others even claim the donkey Jesus rode in humility into Jerusalem was a brand-new “Continental Donkey;” thereby ascribing to it the same status as today’s Cadillac.
Jesus has been given a spiritual makeover. He is no longer physically ugly according to prophecy: “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2). The modern-day Jesus is very handsome. He is not even Middle-Eastern any longer: he is European and blue-eyed. In effect, we have fulfilled the prophecy which says of the true Jesus: “He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” (Isaiah 53:3).
But even more than the fact that we don’t like Jesus personally, we certainly don’t like his doctrine. We don’t like his insistence that we must deny ourselves and take up our cross in order to follow him. (Matthew 16:24). We don’t like his requirement that we have to lose our life in order to save it. (Mark 8:35). We don’t heed his warning that we should not be worldly but should be hated by the world. (John 15:18-20). We don’t obey his injunction not to have any other father but God. (Matthew 23:9). We don’t agree with him that it is impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:24).
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
She fights me at the slightest opportunity,she is a pest in my life”.
With these words, Pastor Ope Balogun pleaded with an Orile Agege Grade ‘B’ Customary Court, Lagos, to dissolve his three-year-old marriage to his wife, Taiwo, who he accused of troublesome acts and nagging.
The 54-year-old cleric, who lives at 7, Ilupeju Street, Oke-Odo, Agege, testified that he had not known peace since he married his wife.
”My wife, Taiwo, is a troublesome woman. She has driven almost all my church members away”,the petitioner stated
”My children from my previous marriage cannot come to our house because they are afraid of my wife.My family members cannot visit me as well.
”My Bible school students cannot continue their studies because of her incessant troubles and even some pastors working under me left the church.
Balogun also alleged that his wife drove him out of his house on Nov. 2012.
”She pursued me from the house and she still came to damage the windows of where I am taking refuge,”he said.
Meanwhile, Taiwo, 36, denied the allegations.
She said, “I am the ninth wife of Pastor Balogun. Trouble started when I took in and he told me that he did not want a child again but sex.
”He maltreated me during the pregnancy and did not pay my hospital bills when I was delivered of the baby.
”I love and respect everyone around my husband,but what usually causes misunderstanding between us is the issue of money.
”He does not give me and my child money for feeding.
”After the delivery, he told me that I should be eating once a day, so how do you expect the house to be peaceful?”
The defendant told the court that she doesn’t want to leave her husband because of her child.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
General Overseer of Dominion Faith International Church, Ipaja, Lagos, Rev. David Olatona, has urged Nigerians not to lose hope as they pursue their aspirations in 2013.
Addressing newsmen ahead of the 2013 edit-ion of the church annual programme tagged; ‘A night with the King’ scheduled for Friday at the church auditorium, the cleric said Nigerians will see the favour of God in 2013 if they put their faith and hope in God.
“We should see God as our only helper as no man can help you except God. Enough of disa-ppointment from man. Put your trust in God because He only has the key to your success,” he said. Olatona said he foresees a brighter future for Nigeria as God is ready to take the country to greater heights.
“Nigeria will regain its greatness and God will silence all the storm in 2013,” he said, adding that Bishop Mike Okon-kwo of TREM will minister.
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