The City of God 2009

THE CITYof GOD SUMMER 2009 1

2 THE CITYof GOD SUMMER 2009 THE CITYof GOD SUMMER 2009 3

CITYof GODEditor-in-Chief

Pastor Mark Igiehon

EditorIdongesit Umoh

Editorial TeamUche Okorji, Idara Akpan, Friday Aniefiok, Anuli Digwo, Chidinma Oriunuebho,

Uchechi Uche, Solomon Akere, Kenechukwu Njoku, Dolapo Tade, Segun Akinkugbe, Morenikeji Oni, Tosin Emilorun, Lucky Anuopogena

ContributorsAlero Igiehon, Pastor Niyi Adebayo, Dr. Wahabi Giwa-Osagie, Dapo Nurudeen,

Ibiye Iyalla, Ayo Akintomide, Michael Dada, Wale Oni, Samuel & Janet Denis (Hungary), Pastor Jide Odunlami (Nigeria), Modupe Ologunleko (France)

Photography Kush and RCCG Internet Project

Design/Layout/PrintingImaginovation

(www.imaginovation.co.uk 07956 497 376)

Jesus House AberdeenCharity Registered in Scotland SC037926

Worship Centres in Aberdeen

1. City of God Centre, 20 Holburn road, Aberdeen AB10 6BT, Scotland2. Balnagask Community Centre, Balnagask road, Torry, Aberdeen AB11 8HQ, Scotland

Church Office: City of God Centre, 20 Holburn Street, Aberdeen, AB10 6BT, Scotland

Tel: +44 (0)1224 588884 Mobile: +44 (0) 7525 845 560 Fax: +44 (0)1224 588884 Email: [email protected]

www.jesushouseaberdeen.org

The Redeemed Christian Church of Godwww.rccg.org

THE

Carefully check out1 Samuel 17:1-11, 12-22, 23-33, 34-53

FEARSOME GOLIATHGoliath’s description, size, carriage and his armoury to speak mildly, were intimidating, fearsome and fierce. So much so that whenever he appeared as he did for forty days, there was palpable fear. Everything about Goliath was larger than life. His experience as warrior, wins and reputation was outstanding. His reputation started from his youth, so he was no fluke. Perhaps because of that, everyone was afraid of him. Guess what? The Lord used a youth and a sling shot (catapult) to bring down the great giant. There are many lessons to learn from the days of Goliath.

1 No giant is too big to overcome There is no giant, no obstacle too big for us to overcome in the

Lord. So long as I am in the Lord and the Lord is in me, there is no giant or obstacle too great to overcome. The greater the size of the giant, the better he/she/it becomes a bigger target to be brought down and defeated. That giant in your life is so big so that he is an unmissable target. Goliath was so big that the small stone could not miss him. Check out 1Jn 4.4, 3.1

2 Do not become a giant Be careful not to be become a ‘giant’. Without the Lord, I

am nothing. Men who are giants without the Lord are setting themselves up for great falls. No man will share God’s glory. Pharaoh as great as he was ended up in the bottom of the Red Sea together with his great army: check out Exodus 14. King Saul ended his life miserably. King Nebuchadnezzar ended up as an animal for 7 years: Daniel 4. Herod tried to take the glory that belongs only to the Lord and for that he was struck dead. In our own generation, we have seen the end of many giants for example Saddam Hussein. Instead of a giant, become a mighty man or woman of God, the Lord is looking for such.

These are exciting and dangerous times to live in. Exciting to see God’s face and His glory in our midst and dangerous not

to seek the Lord and get the best He has arranged for us. Lord, I pray and seek not to be a giant like Goliath but to be mighty for You, like David, a man after Your heart, a victorious warrior and king and priest unto You.

3 Position and measure yourself carefully Goliath positioned and equated himself with a whole army, the

army of the nation of Israel – pride of the highest order. Be careful how you position and present yourself. Humility is important before the Lord. But no holding-back against those who will want to stop or hinder God’s will or programme, or to rubbish Him or His church. Proverbs 15.33 declares that honour follows humility. Be careful how you measure and see yourself.

4 Be careful with every responsibility particularly high and sensitive positions

The forty (40) days of Goliath’s taunting and boasting were the height of his life and career, and also quickly led to the end of his life, career and achievements. He tormented Israel for 40 days and then met his end or waterloo very quickly. I must not be a tormentor and must be extra careful when working in areas such as policing, teaching, auditing, disciplining, stewardship, leadership, and the like. These are all responsibilities and areas to be handled with care and love and divine wisdom. I must endeavour to be a blessing, rather than a master or tyrant or bully or abuser of power. Exercise discipline in firmness, fairness and love. I must put God first in the matter.

5 The devil’s scholarship never lasts Goliath quickly found out that after 40 days of walking and

working against the Lord and God’s people, destruction came very quickly. It does not pay to work against or contrary to the Lord.

Check out Hebrews 12.

6 Exceed in giving and hospitality Jesse sent David on an errand to deliver gifts and supplies to

his brothers and their army commander. That errand was what placed David divinely to encounter and bring down Goliath. Eventually he became King. David’s father sent him with food not just for his three (3) sons but also for their commander: loaves for the men and cheese for their commander: I Sam.17.17-18. David’s father was sound, hospitable and well brought-up! He sent provisions not just to his sons but also to their commander and in a sense to their unit. Do sound hospitality, give, care and be not selfish. Perhaps it was the practice for families to support their men at war but Jesse did more. Obviously Jesse was a good example to his children for David to have become excellent and exceedingly hospitable. No wonder David became a great giver both to the Lord and to the people. Anyone who will be a blessing and go far in life must be a great giver to the Lord and men: Check out Heb 13.2.

7 Avoidthewrongbattles,fighttherightbattles? Goliath was a worldly champion, fighting worldly battles but who

will fight the Lord’s battles? David was a fighter of God’s battles, a mighty man for the Lord. Too many of us are fighters of men and women not fighting God’s battles, winning souls, advancing against the kingdom of darkness. King Saul spent good part of his reign looking for and seeking to destroy young David. He did not care much about the Lord’s battles or the Ark or the priests. David learned from Goliath and Saul and was a constant fighter of God’s battles. The only battle that that he decided to fight that was not the Lord’s battle became the lowest point and greatest tragedy of his life: the battle to take Beersheba, kill Uriah, etc. He nearly fought another battle that was not the Lord’s earlier in his life when he wanted to kill Nabal. But thank God for Abigail that stopped him and reminded him that he was a fighter of God’s battle and had no business fighting men: check out 1Sam 25.28. Do not fight personal battles, jealousies, battles in the office, battles with spouse, family, etc. Those are the wrong and dangerous battles to fight. David learnt well after Beersheba so that even when Absalom his son committed treachery and organised a coup to overthrow his father, David did not respond directly to the coup or turn it into a personal battle. In all his years in exile as a fugitive from King Saul’s attempts to kill him, David was careful not to turn it into a personal battle between Saul and himself.

Why fight spouse, family, friends, brethren, colleagues, bosses, supervisors, subordinates, flatmates, etc? We must fight only the Lord’ battles. Jehosphaphat went to the Lord with the letter of threat from Sennacherib and turned the threat and battle over to the Lord and the Lord took over. There is someone reading this, who is engaged in many ungodly battles, you must turn away from those battles, drop them immediately. Turn them over to the Lord now or destruction is waiting for you. A word is enough for the wise.

There is a form of lawful warfare … battles for the Lord.

7PRINCIPLES

FROM THE DAYS OF

GOLIATHBY PASTOR MARK IGIEHON

THE

TELL ME ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT THE LORD HAS BEEN DOING

And the king talked with the servant of God saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that the Lord has been doing…

I tell you and it is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and no one can contest it: the Lord has been doing great and marvellous things in our lives, in His Churches, across His kingdom, across the nations. We are overflowing with great reports of God’s greatness: from Scotland, the United Kingdom, Europe and the nations.

When the king saw Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the king was terribly excited and eagerly asked the servant of the man of God for the latest exciting reports of the doings of our great God. Gehazi started with the story of the Shunamite woman (2Kings 4.8-37, 8.1-6); but he did not complete his first report when lo and behold, the Shunamite, the daughter of God herself came into the King’s Palace! Gehazi’s did not have enough time to tell of the other wonderful reports: the prophet’s widow and her little jar of oil with which she filled several containers; the twenty loaves that fed one hundred men.. What about the axehead that floated? And so on and so forth.

Gehazi’s story telling was cut short so the king could go beyond hearing and become a participant in the living miracle that the Shunamite had become. There is somebody reading this who is being promoted from an observer to a partaker of miracles. Also, the Lord added once more to the chains of miracles that had become the hallmark and the lifestyle of the Shunamite woman.

The magazine you carry in your hand is loaded with great reports of what the Lord is doing across His kingdom, across lives, across churches, across the nations. Read it in excitement, read it prayerfully, read it with overflowing joy, read it with expectation, look for others with whom to share the great reports. Become a broadcaster for heaven under the unction of the Lord. I pray that, like the King, you will enter into your own miracles, you will become a participant, a beneficiary of the great goodness of the Lord of the universe and your joy will overflow.

Pastor Mark Igiehon Editor-In-ChiefSenior Pastor, Jesus House @ City of God Aberdeen

editorial

contents

CITYof GOD

THEJ E S U S H O U S E

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9

3 7 Principles From The Days of Goliath by Pastor Mark Igiehon

4 Newsweek Global Elite: Pastor E. A. Adeboye One of The 50 Most Powerful People In The World by Lisa Miller

6 Events Kaleidoscope King of Glory Conference, Madrid, Spain by Janet Denis

7 News Titbits From Around The Globe 8 The Family Corner Essentials For A Successful Marriage by Alero Igiehon

9 History of The Holburn Central Church by Uchechi Uche

10 Dedication of The ‘City of God’ During The First Visit To Scotland By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

by Uche Okorgi 13 Project Nehemiah Phase 2: City of God Building Upgrade by Dapo Otunla

14 Jesus House @ City of God, Aberdeen

15 Open Day Report By Anuli Digwo

16 Countdown To Peniel 2009 – A Recap Of Peniel 2008

17 Jesus House Inverness

18 Watford City of God 19 Jesus House Dyce, Aberdeen 20 Jesus House Torry, Aberdeen 21 Edinburgh Tabernacle

22 Elgin City Tabernacle , Scotland

23 Jesus House Budapest, Hungary

24 Glasgow City of God

25 Jesus House Port Harcourt, Nigeria

26 Kiddies Interview

27 Heavens Business Academy

28 True Stories, Real Stories

30 Interview With Pastor Chris Gbenle, Senior Pastor, Rccg Scotland

31 Socials



A Pentecostal preacher from Nigeria has made big plans to save your soul.BY LISA MILLER

NEWSWEEK From the magazine issue dated Jan 5, 2009

Pastor E. A. Adeboye

The Global Elite

One of The 50 Most Powerful People In The World

You may never have heard of E. A. Adeboye, but the pastor of The Redeemed Christian Church of God is one of the most successful preachers in the world. He boasts that his church has outposts in 110 countries. He has 14,000 branches—claiming 5 million members—in his home country of Nigeria alone. There are 360 RCCG churches in Britain, and about the same number in U.S. cities like Chicago, Dallas, and Tallahassee, Fla. Adeboye says he has sent missionaries to China and such Islamic countries as Pakistan and Malaysia. His aspirations are outsize. He wants to save souls, and he wants to do so by planting churches the way Starbucks used to build coffee shops: everywhere.

“In the developing world we say we want churches to be within five minutes’ walk of every person,” he tells NEWSWEEK. “In the developed world, we say five minutes of driving.” Such a goal may seem outlandish, but Adeboye is a Pentecostal preacher: he believes in miracles. And Pentecostalism is the biggest, fastest-grow-ing Christian movement since the Reformation.

One of the strangest images from the 2008 campaign was the YouTube clip of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in church, head bowed, palms turned up toward heaven, standing silently as Thomas Muthee, a Pentecostal preacher from Kenya, prayed for her freedom from witchcraft. The clip (and a NEWSWEEK article about it) triggered its own little culture skirmish, with secular observers calling Palin a “wack job” and conservative Christians responding “There’s nothing wrong with her church!!!” Few commentators on either side noted how normal that scene was to hundreds of millions of Christians around the globe.

The world now has about 600 million Pentecostals, the largest group of Christians after Roman Catholics. In Asia, the number of Pentecostals has grown from about 10 million to 166 million since 1970, according to the Center for the Study of Global Chris-tianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. In Latin America, Pentecos-tals have expanded from 13 million to 151 million; in North America, from 19 million to 77 million; and in Africa, from 18 million to 156 million. By 2050 most of Africa will be Christian, estimates Grant Wacker, professor of Christian history at Duke University—and most of those Christians will be Pentecostals.

Modern Pentecostalism was born in America in the early 20th century, when a former Methodist minister named Charles Parham began teaching that Christians who were filled with the Holy Spirit could, like the disciples of Jesus, speak in tongues. (The sound, for those who have not heard it, is extraordinary: like crooning or keening or jibber jabber.) From the start, the faith appealed across ethnic lines to the poor and the marginal-ized. Its lack of denomina-tional structure meant “you didn’t have to have a highly trained and educated clergy with a long graduate education,” says Vinson Synan, dean emeritus of the divinity school at Regent University. “Common people [were] pastoring common people.” Televangelist healers like Oral Roberts helped keep the movement growing.

Pentecostals believe that the Holy Spirit is always at work in the world and that certain people possess its gifts: speaking in tongues, the healing touch, the power to cast out demons and witches. An emphasis on prosperity and healing attracts converts without savings accounts or health insurance. The emphasis on Biblical inerrancy and on rigid social rules—no drinking, no smoking, no premarital sex—offers structure for people whose lives have been devastated by addiction or illness. In places like Africa (and indeed, like Palin’s Alaska at the turn of the last century), Pentecostalism finds fertile ground among adherents of

native religions who already believe the world is alive with spirits.By Pentecostal standards, Adeboye is mainstream. Formerly a

mathematics instructor at the University of Lagos, he began working at RCCG translating the previous pastor’s sermons from Yoruba to English. He took over the congregation in 1981. His success, he says, is rooted in his message. “Pentecostals have such an impact because they talk of the here and now, not just the by and by, he says. “We pray for the sick, but we pray for their prosperity, for their overcoming of evil forces and so on. While we have to worry about heaven, there are some things God could do for us in the here and now.” At a recent revival meeting in London, Adeboye and his ministers preached 12 hours straight to a crowd of 30,000. At the altar call, hundreds of people rushed toward the stage from every corner of the arena, visibly filled with euphoria. They call their pastor “Daddy.”

Behind Adeboye’s extraordinary success is his reputation for honesty. While other Pentecostal pastors (including some Nigerians) have been accused of financial misdeeds or faking supernatural powers, Adeboye remains above the fray. Nigerian government leaders seek his input on pressing social issues. He recently made a public-service announcement condemning discrimination against people with HIV. He distributes his message globally through Facebook and MySpace, a self-published magazine called “The Mandate,” and a digital-cable channel called Open Heavens TV. His appearance is straitlaced: he always wears a pinstriped suit, a gleaming white shirt and a bow tie.

Adeboye experienced a miracle recently on a long and dangerous stretch of highway near Lagos, he says. His car was out of gas, and

the gas stations were empty. Then God spoke to him, clearly, and said to keep driving. Adeboye drove 200 miles on empty. Could his gas gauge have been broken? No, he insists, God intervened “because of the need … in a crisis.” Adeboye knows well what some in the West have forgotten: in today’s world, everyone needs a Daddy.

With Rod Nordland in London, Anne Underwood in New York and Abbas Poptani in London URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/176333

He wants to plant churches the way Starbucks used to build coffee shops: everywhere.

PHO

TOG

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USH


EVENTS KALEIDOSCOPE NEWS TITBITS FROM AROUND THE GLOBEChristian candidates pleased with European election performance

The Christian Party and Christian Peoples Alliance say they have made progress at the grassroots with their results for

the European Parliamentary election.Their participation in last week’s election marked the

first time that the electorate have been offered a Christian choice on the ballot paper across the country.

The alliance of parties fielded joint candidate lists in England, but with the Christian Party of Wales running its own list.

The results marked a rise from 2004’s European Parliament election, with a total of 232,755 votes, or 1.7 per cent of the votes cast in England and Wales. With Scotland still to be declared, the alliance came eighth overall.

CPA Federal Executive member, Dr Tom Rogers stood in East Midlands. He said:

“We are grateful to the near quarter of a million people who cast their vote for our alliance and for the progress we have made in just getting on to the ballot paper.

“We do not despise the day of small beginnings and look to our friends across Europe, who better established, have succeeding in returning Christian MEPs to the Parliament.

“The challenge is now to build on our result at grassroots level and begin to make ourselves known.”

Dr Rogers said it was remarkable that the alliance performed as well as it did in the election given that campaigning took place in most places only weeks before polling day and the alliance had next to no media coverage.

“Other small groups like Libertas, No2EU, The Jury Team and Socialist Labour had leaders with national profiles in politics and we outpolled them all,” he said.

The National Results for England and Wales:

Christians still giving to charity amid recession

A new poll by ComRes for Premier Christian Radio has found that most Christians are giving as much to charity as before the recession.

In the poll of 512 Christians, 85 per cent confirmed their charitable giving had stayed the same or increased since the recession began.

Sixteen per cent of those surveyed revealed they had actually increased their charitable donations since the start of the recession, with 69 per cent remaining steady.

Only one per cent of the Christians surveyed said they had stopped giving to charity since the start of the recession.

Anglicans were the most giving denomination with 91 per cent giving more or the same amounts to charity since the start of the recession. They were followed by Catholics at 89 per cent and independent Christians at 86 per cent. Baptists registered at 82 per cent and Methodists at 81 per cent.

Independent Christians have increased their charitable giving the most since the start of the recession, with almost a quarter (24 per cent) finding a way to give more.

“These results are a testament to Christian attitudes across the nation,” Premier Christian Radio’s CEO, Peter Kerridge said. “As Christians we will continue to love our neighbour, even in times of need and financial hardship.

“Many charities around the globe, including Christian charities could not survive without donations from their supporters. I would like to thank all those Christians who continue to give to the causes close to their heart, especially when the UK is in a time of recession.”

North East 7,263 1.20%North West 25,999 1.60%Eastern 24,646 1.54%East Mid 17,907 1.50% West Mid 18,784 1.30%

London 51,336 2.90%South West 21,329 1.40% South East 35,712 1.50%Yorkshire 16,742 1.40%Wales 13,039 1.90%

Iraqi Christians have come under fierce attack from Muslim extremists who they say are intent on driving them out of the country.

(AP) The Bishop of Chichester, the Rt Rev John Hind, says Christians in the Middle East are facing “extreme deprivation”.

Speaking in a debate on religious persecution in the House of Lords, Bishop Hind said, ‘In places where different faiths have coexisted for centuries we see the rapid attrition of the Christian church in its ancestral homelands,’ reports Religious Intelligence.

He continued, ‘In Iraq, Christians have suffered extreme deprivation, sometimes due to sheer religious hatred, sometimes just caught in the cross-fire, sometimes because, amazingly and quite wrongly, they are regarded as representatives of a western faith.

‘So we cannot disown our own particular responsibility and the pressure on Christians in some parts of the world.’

The bishop noted that not all forms of persecution were violent or even illegal. He said, ‘Just across the border from Iraq, in south-east

Turkey... court cases are alleging the theft of land from local villages by monasteries in Tur Abdin which have stood there since the late fourth century.

‘There is a certain degree of ridiculousness about some of this, but that does actually affect the sufferings of those Syriac villagers and others who are suffering so greatly.’

Bishop Hind also commented on what some have dubbed ‘persecution’ within the UK. He said he welcomed the reinstatement of Caroline Petrie, the Christian nurse who was suspended after offering to pray for a patient.

According to the Bishop, a spokesman for a Muslim forum in his diocese described the decision to suspend her as ‘crazy’.

The Bishop described it as ‘a welcome sign of how faith communities can hold together in the face of a growing hostility to faith’.

Middle East Christians Facing ‘Extreme Deprivation’

In six years of coaching, Grant Taylor has never led his Shiloh Eagles to a winning season. After learning that he and his wife Brooke face infertility, Grant discovers that a group of fathers are secretly organizing to have him dismissed as head coach. Devastated by his circumstances, he cries out to God in desperation. When Grant receives a message from an unexpected visitor, he searches for a stronger purpose for his football team. He dares to challenge his players to believe God for the impossible on and off the field. When faced with unbelievable odds, the Eagles must step up to their greatest test of strength and courage.

Outlining the “Seven Habits of Highly Defective Dating” with a realistic outline of how to develop a new attitude to love, purity and singleness from God’s viewpoint showing how to develop a biblical vision of marriage.

Facing the Giants Starring: Erin Bethea, James BlackwellGenre: Drama, Sport

I kissed Dating Goodbye Joshua HarrisGenre: Relationship

CHRISTIAN MEDIA AND INFORMATION CENTRERECOMMENDED VIEWING RECOMMENDED READING

The King of Glory has come back to Europe!Everyone who attended the conference in Madrid from over 18 countries knew from the very first day, that something extraordi-nary would happen that week in our lives; and indeed, in the three days of the conference, we saw the glory of God. The worship was awesome with Ron Kenoly’s dynamic music renditions which got all praising God. There were many exciting activities: Easter dramas, Children’s performances, choreographies, prayers and messages by the speakers.

We are grateful to God for Daddy and Mummy G.O (Pastor & Pastor Mrs. Adeboye) for the Word of God and the revelations and miracles we received from God through them. This program has changed our lives and ministries radically. Sometimes the Almighty spoke through Daddy personally to only one of us. At other times, everyone present received a wonderful miracle in the same moment. By this special meeting many Pastors, church leaders and ministers got new ideas and plans on how to move forward faster, how to use the anointing in their own country and how to keep the glory in Europe.

When the King of Glory enters…As the King of Glory (the LORD God) came into our midst in the auditorium, the working power of God started manifesting: evil covenants were broken, all kinds of sickness and infirmities left the people. All the weapons and limitations against prosperity disappeared. At the end of the convention, being filled with double measure of fire, and encouraged by the words we heard, we became conscious, that we can do everything that the Holy Spirit lays in our hearts to do in our home countries.

More UnderstandingThe various dramatizations of Bible stories (children as well) with vivid scenes and costumes, drove home the message, especially to the

younger Christians. It also made the program more interesting.

Extra anointing…On Saturday, after some delegates had left, those who remained thought the meeting had ended after the thanksgiving session.

However, God inspired Daddy’s heart to share some extra anointing as he prayed for us one by one! Only God knows what we got that Saturday, but we will recognize it, when extraordinary things start happening in our lives. The conference was very enjoyable, in the beautiful city of Madrid, with very clement weather and its warm and kindhearted people. At the end of the conference, we went home empowered, with peace and joy in our hearts.

BY JANET DENIS, Jesus House Budapest Delegate

4TH BI-ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF RCCG MAINLAND EUROPE, MADRID, SPAIN THEME: THE KING OF GLORY 8TH – 11TH APRIL, 2009



FAMILY CORNER

PREPARE FOR MARRIAGE1. Desire to be married. Ask for it and pray about it. It is the Lord

who satisfies your desires with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:5.

2. Only choose under God. Let God choose for you. A prudent wife is from the Lord - Proverbs 19:14. In Genesis 2:21 – 23, Adam received Eve from God. In Genesis 24, Abraham commanded that a wife be chosen for Isaac according to God’s instructions. In Genesis 28, Isaac also commanded Jacob to do likewise.

3. God chooses for those that are upright as He will not withhold any good thing from them – Psalm 84:11.

4. To prepare, submit to God, get busy with and in the Lord’s business, get sanctified and separated unto God. “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart”- Psalm 37:4.

5. Seek godly counsel concerning marriage from the Word of God. Check every counsel received from friends and family against the Word of God. Psalm 119:24 “Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors”.

6. The concept of “opposites attract” goes only as far as gender is concerned. You and your marriage partner should be like-minded – Phil 2:1-5. Therefore, during your period of courtship, discuss areas of interests as well as differences and if these are reconcil-able, aim to improve for God’s sake, for your sakes and for the sake of the rest of the family.

7. Engage in fruitful courtship to understand God’s agenda for marriage and HIS wonderful expectations from marriage. Learn to be great friends with each other, engage in open, honest con-versation and prayerfully lay the right foundation for a successful marriage. As in all things, sin in the form of sexual immorality is not a part of courtship and sets the wrong foundation for marriage. We must flee from fornication and avoid this sin that is against our own body. Our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and therefore we must glorify God in our body, and in our spirit, which are God’s – I Corinthians 6:18-20.

8. The concept of boyfriend/girlfriend or dating is dangerous and deceitful. It is either you are in courtship and this is a commitment to marry, or you are mere friends as with others. In 1 Timothy 5:2, men are instructed to treat the younger women with all purity. If a man obeys this instruction, even though he may be attracted to a woman, there will be no fornication under the guise of a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. In 2 Sam 13: 1-19, the case of David’s son Amnon and his half-sister Tamar is an example of lust disguised as love. In Ecclesiastes 7: 26, Women also are instructed to conduct themselves rightly so as not to be a snare “I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.” Sister, do not be a snare!

9. Be prepared to work at your marriage. It is hard work– Gen 1: 28: God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” This is hard work!

UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLES OF MARRIAGEMarriage is a covenant and a life-long commitment - Mal 2: 14. It is

an agreement – Amos 3:3.Marriage is a demonstration of God’s love for one another. Marriage

is first and foremost for companionship and fellowship, with the added advantage of fruitfulness.

Marriage brings goodness and favour till everlasting! He who finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord -Proverbs 18:22. Surely goodness and mercy (unmerited favour) shall follow us as we obey God’s instructions concerning marriage as in other aspects of our lives.

Marriage brings honor. Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge- Heb. 13: 4. God’s covering over us is lost when we fornicate - 2 Sam 13: 1-19.

Unfaithfulness in marriage attracts rejection and brings dishonor. Mal 2:13-16: “Another thing you do: You flood the LORD’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, ‘Why?’ It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.”

Divorce is not an option. Mal 2:16: God hates divorce! God has given us the ability to choose between good and evil. Therefore do not choose divorce. Love covers all wrongs - Proverbs 10:12b. The Con-temporary English version of the Bible puts it in this manner “love overlooks the wrongs that others do”. Therefore there will always be room for forgiveness in marriage, so that it does not end in divorce. Also, remember, if separated from your spouse, you must remain unmarried, or be reconciled– 1 Corinthians 7:10-11.

Love and Submission are pillars in marriage. Love is as defined in 1 Corinthians 13 and because God is Love, love answers all! Husbands and wives are therefore commanded to love one another; wives to submit to their own husbands, and husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and died for her. With love and submission come openness, trust, honesty and commitment. When there are challenges, remember, that love covers all wrongs.

ENJOY MARRIAGE AND BE FRUITFULGen. 2:18 – God made Eve for Adam, because it was not good

that Adam should be alone. Therefore, marriage is very good as God intended it. Cleave to each other, become one flesh and enjoy each other. In enjoying your marriage, be fruitful and multiply – Gen 1:28, Jeremiah 29:6: “Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number; do not decrease.”

Finally, marriage makes you more vibrant and your youth is renewed like the eagle’s, so that the glory of God is ever increasing in your lives and marriage. To God alone be all the glory, honour and adoration forever and ever, Amen!

BY ALERO IGIEHON

QUARTERLY COUPLES BREAKFAST, ABERDEEN

The former Holburn Central Church Building is now home to the City of God Centre, Aberdeen. This article traces its history which is a testimonial of sacrifice, fervor for the Lord and faith. Little wonder, God did not allow it to be converted into a pub or office block.

BeginningsAberdeen as a city and its people, have always had a thirst for God. Due to the clamour for more places of worship as a result of population growth, In 1835, a meeting was held, and it was decided that a Church be built near Justice Mills on Union Street. Voluntary contributions were made to provide cheap sitting for the poor, and the church which commenced service in 1836 was known as Holburn church. This new church was not a success with the people; and this led to the resignation of its first preacher Mr. James Leslie and the appointment of a new one, the Rev. William T. Mitchell. In those days members could pay for a certain number of pews (seats) for members of their family to use exclusively during church services. It was regarded as a heritable privilege and held in high esteem.

Explosive GrowthDr. McClymont was one minister who made a difference in the 39 years he spent as the minister of the Holburn church till retirement in 1912. Church membership grew from 900 to 1966 members and it became the 3rd largest parish of the Church of Scotland. Extensive improvements were made in the church: a hall (1881) and tower (1891) were built to beautify the church; stained glass windows and electric lights were put in, and he personally bought the church bell. He assigned three districts within Aberdeen: Hardgate, College Street and Ruthrieston for mission service, spreading the gospel to these parts. A memorial tablet in honour of Dr McClymont’s contributions still hangs in the church today. The increase in membership continued with the establishment of some mission churches as separate parishes e.g. Ruthrieston. Furthermore, Rubislaw and Mannorfield were erected as new parishes to draw imaginary boundaries for the Holburn church, but it rather grew in membership reaching a massive 4000. In 1925, the name of the church was changed from Holburn Church to Holburn Central Parish.

The church continued to grow in membership and its influence in the community. One of its ministers, Dr. Knox who became the minister of the church in 1961 went to Nigeria in 1974 to become the director of one of its theological schools dedicated to the training of the ministers of God. The church also held services for the soldiers of the Gordon Highlanders, and became known as “Sojers kirk” (garrison church), especially during the tenure of Rev. Ian Scott, who was the minister from 1975 – 1982.

A New Chapter When Rev. Ian Scott was minister at the church, he raised some concerns over the decline in Church attendance, particularly among the young people. As the town of Aberdeen grew, a lot of Church members moved away from the city centre to the suburbs. City growth also came with many distractions as shops were now open on Sunday mornings, and recreational activities for children such as football practices chose Sundays as meeting days. It became difficult to get the youths interested in church and over the years, the average age of churchgoers could be put at 60 years. Deaths also contributed to the membership decline.

Aberdeen Presbytery under the Church of Scotland constituted a committee to review its churches and their viability for continued existence, and the Holburn Central church was one of the churches to be evaluated. The committee studied the Holburn Central church over a futuristic 10 year span and came to the conclusion that it would be out of use due to declining membership. The Holburn Central church was therefore merged with one of its mission churches, Ruthrieston.

The Holburn Central church building is located in the centre of Aberdeen city, which makes it a prime choice for developers. It was put up for sale with bids coming from different organizations, with various ideas of what they wanted to use the church building for e.g. Pubs, restaurants, shops, apartments, etc. The Redeemed Christian Church of God Jesus House Parish successfully clinched the deal, which meant that the church would continue to be used as a place of worship and service to God. The Church of God is marching on, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18) in Jesus’ name.

BY UCHECHI UCHE



RECEPTIONIndeed it was an august visit in the month of August 2008 as

Pastor Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) made his maiden visit to Scotland. On arrival, he was welcomed at the airport by the children. Also at hand to receive him were several ministers and RCCG brethren from Scotland and beyond, led by Scotland Senior Pastor Chris Gbenle. Daddy G.O. as he is fondly called was escorted by his wife Pastor (Mrs) Folu Adeboye, his sons Dare and Deolu, Pastor Agu Irukwu (Chairman, RCCG UK Executive Council), Pastor Adebayo Oke (National Pastor, RCCG Ireland), Pastor (Mrs) Modupe Afolabi (RCCG UK Administrator) and other senior ministers of the Redemeed Christian Church of God in the UK.

SPECIAL SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE AT AECC ABERDEENA Special Sunday Worship Service in which Pastor

Adeboye ministered in word and prayers was held at the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre (the largest event venue in Aberdeen). A huge crowd of attendees from all over the Scotland and beyond came expectant for a divine encounter in God’s presence. ”The expectations of the righteous shall not be cut off” according to God’s word and the testimonies of that encounter still abound. Another highlight of the event was the singing of a happy birthday song for Pastor Mrs. Folu Adeboye (Mummy G.O.) who turned sixty some weeks before the event.

After the ministration, Daddy G.O. and his entourage were taken to visit two of the RCCG parishes in Aberdeen: Fountain of Love and Jesus House Aberdeen.

DEDICATION OF THE “ CITY OF GOD” DURING THE FIRST VISIT TO SCOTLAND BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE (RCCG’s GENERAL OVERSEER) BY UCHE OKORJI


DEDICATION OF “CITY OF GOD”, ABERDEEN After the acquisition of the former Holburn Central Church from

amongst 21 other bidders, Jesus House Aberdeen moved into her miracle new home the “City of God” building with an inauguration service to commemorate the event. However, It was the earnest heart’s desire of the church that the building should be dedicated by the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E. A. Adeboye (Daddy G.O.).

Solicitations were made and tentative feedback indicated that Pastor Adeboye would most likely come in November 2008 for the dedication of the building. The church planned towards that date, but it came to pass that God fast-forwarded the dedication of the building to August, as the G.O. visited Scotland earlier than scheduled.

On the 17th of August, we were indeed blessed to have Pastor Adeboye dedicate the Church building in person. He came with an eminent entourage which included his wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Adeboye, sons Dare and Deolu, Pastor Agu Irukwu (Chairman, RCCG UK Executive Council), Pastor Adebayo Oke (National Pastor, RCCG Ireland), Pastor (Mrs.) Modupe Afolabi (RCCG UK Administrator) and other senior pastors. He and his entourage toured the building before dedicating the building in a special service. To God be the glory.

PROJECT NEHEMIAH PHASE 2: CITY OF GOD BUILDING UPGRADE BY DAPO OTUNLA (PROJECT DIRECTOR)

Jesus House Aberdeen’s “City of God” building is a 19th century church structure: Therefore, the church building has been undergoing transformative work to achieve

the desired status of a worthy worship edifice and a modern day state-of-the-art church complex. This has been carried out in phases based on its re-design as approved by the building commission. There are two floors in the building: The ground floor comprises the main Church auditorium, a chapel for Bible Study, the administrative office, the bookshop, a private room for nursing mothers and a rest room. Beverage vending and water dispensing machines are situated within the floor for general use. On the top floor is the Pastor’s Office, meeting room, Church Gallery, Children’s Chapel, Toddler’s Chapel, Kitchen, Store rooms and rest rooms. The Church Gallery is booked for events such as conferences, receptions, workshops and seminars by the general public.

Essential work carried out on the building to restore its ambience include lighting, plumbing, heating, security door fixing, granite blasting and an installation of a security monitor (CCTV) to improve the security status of the worship centre. To make the building interior conducive for worship, modern furniture was put in place with up-to-date worship equipment, while the building was carpeted to provide a perfect finish. All these were done to provide a befitting place of worship and a conducive and comforting environment where believers will experience God’s presence and repentant souls will accept the Lord Jesus Christ.



JESUS HOUSE @ CITY OF GOD, ABERDEEN

5TH ANNIVERSARY OF JESUS HOUSE ABERDEENJesus House Aberdeen clocked five on 6th June, 2009. We give God all the glory for his faithfulness. The anniversary was marked by a special service and a dinner on the evening of 7th June.

“A message of joy going out to the world” – Lord Provost of Aberdeen describing Jesus House Aberdeen’s mission

Jesus House @ City of God held its Open Day on Saturday 14th March 2009. This was an initiative to unveil the church and its building to the people of Aberdeen and its environs, and in particular, members of the Church of Scotland from whom

we inherited the church building. In attendance were the political leaders of Aberdeen: The Lord Provost (civic head of Aberdeen), Peter Stephen, councillors Kirsty West of Hilton/Stockethill constituen-cy and Allan Donnelly of Torry/Ferryhill constituency, Deputy Provost, John West ably represented by his P.A. Members of the former Holburn Central parish church [prior to sale of building to Jesus House] were in attendance led by Rev. George Cowie (then minister of the parish, now minister of South Holburn Church).

The event kicked off with a welcome speech by Pastor Mark Igiehon, in which he outlined the mission statement of the church and the fact that it is a community of all nations open to all, despite having its origins in Nigeria. The Lord Provost in his speech expressed delight at the children’s presentation, commending the blend of nice music, smiling faces and happiness radiated. He noted that in this era when churches face stagnation, and church buildings are being converted into pubs and night clubs, it comes as a wonderful revelation to see the growth of Jesus House Aberdeen, and her vision in setting up sister parishes in Edinburgh, Dyce, Torry, Glasgow and other locations.

Rev. Cowie gave some insights on the history of the church and its building and expressed joy that the building was able to remain a place of worship. He reminisced that the building has a long standing relationship with the Gordon Highlanders (an Army Unit). Many years ago people stood in the city centre to watch the soldiers march down to the church for Sunday services. The stained windows upstairs were gifted by the Gordon Highlanders in memory of the deceased soldiers that partook in the South African campaign (early 1900s) and has the inscription “rejoice for God hath given us the city”. This inscription interestingly coincides with the revelation given to our Church [Jesus House Aberdeen] in 2004 for a building to be called the “City of God”. The event was well attended, and everyone attested to having had a wonderful time.

Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament (Psalm 150: 1). The Heavens declared the glory of God; and the firmament shows His mighty work (Psalm 19: 1). The last year has seen Jesus House Aberdeen

moving from glory to glory in all areas. Indeed we saw and testified of God’s mercies, goodness, favour and abundance of blessing on His Church. God moved mightily in all areas of the church: His presence and hand moved in the following areas to mention but a few:

CHURCH GROWTH: Jesus House increased greatly in 2008/2009 and we now run two services. He brought in labourers into His vineyard and His presence can be felt mightily in all the departments: you can sense the increase in His anointing.

CHURCH PLANTING: in 2009, the presence of God was made manifest with the planting of more churches and taking over of more cities for the Lord. The Edinburgh Tabernacle and Jesus House Dyce parishes were started in February 2009, and the Elgin City Tabernacle in March, 2009 - and there are still more cities marked for God’s takeover before 2009 runs out!! To God be all the glory, of all the new churches, none is lacking anything, the Almighty God is meeting all their needs and they are doing very well.

FRUITFULNESS: God fulfilled His word in Exodus 23:5 and Ps 127:3 with the blessings of fruits of the womb (babies) and safety in child birth in the lives of the brethren. Barrenness is out of the question. From January to April 2009 we have had over 10 babies, both boys and girls, and all the babies and parents are doing very well in the Lord - and we are still expectant!!

MARRIAGES: God’s word makes it clear that none shall lack a spouse. He dazed us with marriage galore: Five marriages in the first quarter of 2009!! The singles divinely located themselves, even as our Senior Pastor, Pastor Mark pronounced that the Angel of marriages had been let loose in Jesus House. We are looking forward to more marriages.

WORD ABLAZE: The altar of God at Jesus House Aberdeen can be likened to green pasture that never dries, as great men of God visited to water the altar of God with his unfailing word. God continually dished out meal after meal. Mighty Generals who visited include Pastor Akin George, Pastor Diyi Adeniran, Revd. Lyndsay Mann, Elder Alex Maduekwe and Pastor Gboyega Shittu. Our beloved Pastor Kola Bolanta (Provincial Pastor of Rivers Province 3, Nigeria with head quarters at Jesus House Port Harcourt) had a two-day programme of “Miracles, Signs and Wonders” with us between the 23rd and 24th of March, 2009.

ORDINATION: The Lord blessed the church with more ministers with the ordination of our mummy, Alero Igiehon as Assistant Pastor and several deacons: Segun Akinkugbe, Idongesit Umoh, Michael Dada, Peju Deekae, Iyiola Ogedengbe, Obinna Njoku.

FIRST VISIT OF THE GENERAL OVERSEER TO SCOTLAND AND “CITY OF GOD” DEDICATION: We were blessed to have Pastor Adeboye, our (RCCG) General Overseer, fondly known as Daddy G.O visit Scotland for the very first time on the 17th of August 2008. Highlights of his visit include the historic Sunday Service at the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre and the dedication of our own “City of God” building.

OPEN DAY: Our Open Day was held on the 14th of March 2009 with the Lord Provost of Aberdeen, City Leaders, Minister and members of the former Holburn Church and the citizens of Aberdeen coming in large numbers to see what God is doing in His house.

TESTIMONIES, MIRACLES & BREAKTHROUGHS: According to His word which says “in the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy and in His right hand are pleasures forever more”, the brethren have experienced diverse encounters, breakthroughs and blessings. To God be all the glory.

JOY GOING OUT TO THE WORLD (PRAISE REPORT)BY CHIDINMA ORIUNUEBHO

BY ANULI DIGWO

City of God, Aberdeen Worship Venue: 20 Holburn Street, Union Street, Aberdeen AB10 6BTPastor Mark IgiehonContact No: +44 1224 588884 or +44 7724228905E-mail: [email protected] Worship Time: 9am and 10.30am

14 THE CITYof GOD SUMMER 2009


Peniel is here once again. The flagship program of the Jesus House Europe parishes goes into its third year with more fire and greater testimonies expected. The 2008 program was indeed a glorious one with attendees from all over the UK and beyond. Ministering were Revd

David Osemwingie, Pastor Chris Gbenle, Pastor Mark Igiehon, Revd Lyndsey Mann and Pastor John Holmes (The Flying Pastor). Music ministration by Moji, the Guest artiste added verve to the program, while the various Aberdeen music groups lifted up our hearts with praise, especially the Jah Gosh’pel Reggae Band which got the crowds in an uproar.

Pastor Holmes charged all to dare to be different and tenacious in preaching the word of God. He chronicled his life story and his unconventional methods of preaching which he has pursued with success. He started out as a youth preaching at road junctions to motorists stuck in traffic jams and graduated to more spectacular schemes, with the most daring being the use of a strap-on propeller engine to enable him fly to different towns and preach to the crowds from air with a megaphone.

The program which held at the “City of God” Aberdeen was well attended and all were blessed.

The City of God Aberdeen and Jesus House Inverness organised a Highlands & Islands Prayer

Conference on 22nd and 23rd May 2009 in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands, Scotland, UK. The theme of the conference was “We go yonder...” - Gen 22:5.

This is the first of our prayer retreats to be held annually at Inverness. The conference was attended by delegates, parish ministers and senior pastors from Aberdeen, Dyce, Edinburgh, Elgin, Glasgow and Torry. Ministering were Reverend John Iloegben from Nigeria, Pastor Gbenga Shitta of RCCG Manchester and Pastor Mark Igiehon from City of God, Aberdeen.

The evening meeting on Friday 22nd May started at 8:30pm and as the spirit moved, went on until 4am. The Saturday prayer workshop was held at the Royal Highland Hotel, Inverness. It commenced at 11am and finished at 5:30pm. The attendance was even more than the previous night. Pastor Olawale, the prayer co-ordinator of RCCG Worldwide who was on a revival visit to Scotland, attended the conference with Pastor Lanre Olatunji of RCCG Glasgow. They ministered along with the other three pastors.

The thread that went through the conference is the importance of prayer,

humility, genuine worship, complete obedience to God and total submission to the will of God. Like Abraham “ We go yonder…” We should leave behind all our “baggage” and do whatever it takes to worship God with all our mind ,all our soul and all our heart.

We were admonished by Pastor Olawale to take our prayer life more seriously and to a higher level. This is all or nothing. There is no short cut-”You either pray or you become a Prey”. We must have a set room or place in our house and a set time, preferably every night to be in the presence of the Lord for at least one to two hours and even longer as we grow in the Lord, and as the Spirit leads us. This is apart from any other thanksgiving prayer during the day. We should pray ceaselessly.

A prayer walk was conducted by the Pastors led by Pastor Olawale and Reverend Iloegben for revival in Inverness and Scotland.

The 3rd Anniversary Thanksgiv-ing service of Jesus House Inverness was held on Sunday 24th May at Raigmore Recreation Hall, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. How this became the new worship centre of the Church is a testimony to the glory of God. Reverend Iloegben from Nigeria and Pastor Adeniyi Adebayo of RCCG Dyce officiated during the service which was followed by a celebratory lunch.

COUNTDOWN TO

PENIEL 2009 A Recap Of Peniel 2008

JESUS HOUSE INVERNESSHIGHLANDS & ISLANDS PRAYER CONFERENCE BY DR AIBANGBEE W. GIWA-OSAGIE (Parish Pastor)

The 3rd Anniversary Thanksgiving Service

Jesus House, Inverness Worship Venue: Raigmore Recreation HallOld Perth Road, Inverness, IV2 3UJContact No: + 44 7931881435 or 44 7949558915 Sunday Worship Time: 11.00am – 1.00pm



In obedience to this commission and by the divine arrangement of the Master of destiny, we obeyed His

voice and carried out His leadings in another year of personal relationship and stewardship. We started from a retreat room sometime last year and by the grace of God have now moved to a larger and more conducive place of worship to accommodate our growing membership. Over the year, we have continuously experienced the fellowship of The Blessed Holy Spirit, how He gently and tenderly instructs, corrects, encourages, challenges and teaches us. We have experienced salvation testimonies, special personal miracles, answers to prayers and the joy of the heavenly touch on our soul, spirit and body. Our Christian experiences have moved to a higher level.

We contributed to the spiritual development of the land through several special evangelism programs for the community: developing the ministers of other local ministries and building families, individuals, youth and many more with the gospel of our God. Indeed the city has felt the touch of God’s mightiness and tranquility. The Lord added to us in spiritual might, numerical membership and glorious testimonies.

We have become a standard in commitment among other growing churches around us and this has glorified our Father in heaven and brought the awareness of us to the public. Of a truth we arose and shone, an evidence of the answered prayer to the theme of our last anniversary “Arise And Shine”.

There is now a robust house fellowship scheme which strengthens the bond of fellowship among us. Guest Ministers to our programs have included Pastor Kola Bolanta, Pastor Mark and Pastor (Mrs.) Alero Igiehon, Reverend David Osemwengie, and other local ministers.Our annual anniversary which usually holds in the second week of August is now tagged “BETHEL”, and for this year, we have special activities lined up with Reverend David Osemwengie as the special guest speaker and other ministers of God. We are trusting God, to continue moving us to higher levels. His Church will continue to march on and the gate of hell will never prevail over it.

Join us for worship every Sunday at “The Barn”, 1, Watford House Lane WD17 1BJ between the hours of 12noon and 2p.m. “The Barn” is located at the back of “The Presence”- a Coffee House And Christian gifts shop on the Watford High Street next to TJ Hughes.

INAUGURAL SERVICEOur inaugural (first) service was held in Menzies’ Hotel on the 8th of February, 2009. We have since then had our Sunday services at our God-given ‘Carnegie Hall, at Skene Place, off Victoria road, Dyce, Aberdeen. The phrase “God given” captures the awesome testimony that surrounded the provision of this place of worship. TESTIMONIESGod in His infinite mercies, has shown us favour as a church and as individuals. Testimonies have been recorded in many families including divine healing, journey mercies, job restoration, provision on every side, unmerited favour and lots more.

EVANGELISMWe take out time on Sundays, usually after service to preach the Gospel and invite people in the locality to

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen” - Jesus (Mathew 28:19-20)

“Anyone can sing when it is day, when life is going on quite well, but it takes courage to sing at night, when struggling to survive means hell”- Lady Dove

WATFORD CITY OF GODOUR GROWING GRASSROOT CHURCH (PRAISE REPORT) MICHAEL DADA (Parish Pastor)

JESUS HOUSE DYCE, ABERDEENREACHING THE NEIGHBOURHOOD(PRAISE REPORT) BY WALE ONI

SINGING THROUGH THE NIGHTPASTOR NIYI ADEBAYO (Parish Pastor)

Horatio Spafford, a prosperous lawyer lost his four daughters in a shipwreck. On an Atlantic crossing, the captain of his ship called Horatio to his cabin to tell him that they were passing over the spot

where his four daughters had perished. Horatio wrote the hymn “It is well with my soul” as he passed over their watery grave and that hymn is still sung today. Thomas Edison’s partial deafness might have been considered by some people as a failure of major proportions, but he adapted himself to it and went on to uncover so many of nature’s secrets as a great inventor. Dr Alexander Graham Bell spent years of research looking for the means of creating a mechanical hearing aid for his hard-of-hearing wife. In his original purpose, he failed, but the research yielded the secret of the long-distance telephone.

A night can be a blessing in disguise when we look at it from the proper perspective. Failures often open doors of opportunity and provide one with useful knowledge of realities of life, through the trial and error method. Failure often reveals the methods which will not work and cures vain people of their excessive pride. Singing through the night means you should not allow circumstances around you take charge of your life. Develop a right approach to vicissitudes of life. See a vista of opportunity in every situation. It is your attitude during your period of night that takes you to the divine altitude of testimonies. Take your eyes off difficulties and focus on the Creator of the whole world. Sing, laugh and live.” Though the cherry trees don’t blossom and the strawberries don’t ripen. Though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted. Though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I’m singing joyful praise to God. I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Saviour God” (Habakkuk 3:17-19 The Message Bible).

Your attitude to night can reduce your handicap to a minimum of in-convenience. For example, most men would consider the loss of legs a failure of major proportions, but Franklin D. Roosevelt (American president) so related himself to such a loss that it gave him a determined spirit to get along with braces, and he seemed to have done very well for himself without the use of his legs. I read that the failures of Abraham Lincoln in store-keeping, surveying, soldiering, and the practice of law, turned his talents in a direction which prepared him to become one of the greatest Presidents the United States has ever known.

In times of loss, failure, sickness, trouble, challenge and when nothing makes sense, let us learn to lean on the Creator of the Universe. When troubles seem more than you can bear, remember that God gives strength. He will make you surefooted as a deer across rough and dangerous terrain. I invite you to trust God now in the prison of your circumstances, trust Him in your night. He knows about the economic crunch, that sickness of yours, the marital challenges, mortgage problems, debt concern, unemploy-ment and all other situations of life. Remind yourself faithfully and regularly that you are not in charge –HE IS. Though the night is long, day shall surely break.

church. It has been interesting, especially when the weather is nice for a good discussion and chat, and we have had good feedback. Several neighbours in the locality have promised to join us in worship and we look forward to it with gladness.

ALPHA COURSEWe will be running the popular Alpha Course in June 2009 and trust God for a great impact on attendees.

Jesus House Dyce Worship Venue: Carnegie Hall, Skene place, Dyce AB21 7AJ Sunday Worship Time: 9:30am Contact: +44 7776 441 393

City of God, Watford Worship Venue: The BARN, I Watford House Lane WD17 1BJContact No: +44 7830 527 385E-mail: [email protected] Sunday Worship Time: : 12noon and 2pm



Every blessing will be tested and tried in the course of time. In Matt 7: 24-27, we have the parable of two different foundations for a building – the rock and the sand. The two foundations were

subject to the usual pressures of life and the one on the solid rock stood firm. I have good news for you: Blessings without sorrow is a reality. You can be so blessed and yet be at rest. Not one day of sleepless night or nightmare. What is the means to this type of blessings? -- Tithing.

WhatisaTithe? It is 10% of your wage, income, earnings or profits that belongs to God. This is the portion of God, not your own! In Malachi 3:8, God says when you do not give your tithe, you rob him! Wow, you can only rob somebody of something that is his! You honour God when you give your tithe. God has always loved to be honoured, so that He can honour you in return. When God honours a man, he multiplies His blessings on him. The 90% left will be so blessed that you cannot finish it. I heard the testimony of a man that lives on just 10%. He gives 90% to God and confesses that he cannot finish the leftover.

WhatdoesTithingdo?It opens to you the windows of heaven (Malachi 3:10). This means ideas and inspirations that will open up avenues to abundance. God through tithing gives you ideas which you can use to make money or a marks of distinction. He opens your eyes to what others cannot see. He gives you creative abilities in your job, business and profession that will compel your speedy rise and promotion. Friends, it is time to return to God in tithing so that He can also in return open to us sustainable blessings from the windows of Heaven.

Edinburgh Tabernacle was born by the Holy Spirit upon the passion and burden to reach Scotland for Christ. Edinburgh (pronounced Edinbra) is the capital city of Scotland with

a population of about 470,000. Our vision is to reach at least a tenth of the population for Christ in a year. After about a year of surveying the land; prayers and evangelism, a 4-man team was commissioned to start the Parish. Thus, Edinburgh Tabernacle held her first service on Sunday the 1st of February 2009 with a total of eleven brethren in attendance. More labourers volunteered to join the team after the first church service, in fulfillment of God’s word that says “in the days of His power there shall be a willing troop” (Psalms 110:3).

The church has made significant impact in some lives in the city: A young man attempting to commit suicide by jumping off the North Bridge; and a group of Muslim students from Turkey preparing for their IELTS exams.

Our prayer is that God will continue to touch the people of the land through His word as well as signs & wonders. We therefore desire your prayers for God to prosper the work of His Church. Edinburgh Tabernacle meets every Saturday between 2pm - 4pm for Evangelism and every Sunday at 10am for Church Service.

EDINBURGH TABERNACLECITADEL OF GOD’S PRESENCE (PRAISE REPORT) BY IBIYE IYALLA (Parish Pastor)

GODLY AVENUE TO SUSTAINABLE BLESSINGS BY DAPO NURUDEEN (Parish Pastor)

JESUS HOUSE TORRY, ABERDEEN

Jesus House Torry, Aberdeen: First Year Anniversary

Jesus House TorryWorship Venue: Balnagask Community Centre,Balnagask Road, Torry, AB11 8HX Contact: +44 7737 010 483Sunday Worship Time: 10.30am

Edinburgh TabernacleWorship Venue: George Suite, The George Hotel,19-21 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PBContact: +44 7868 373 402Sunday Worship Time: 10:00am



We thank God for the vision of the Jesus House Prayer Flying Squad which led to the establishment of the parish in Elgin. The Squad was commissioned to go from city to city in

Scotland to pray and evangelize, thereby watering the ground for the fulfillment of God’s plan for these cities in terms of salvation of souls and establishment of new parishes. The first visit of the Prayer Squad to Elgin was in October, 2008 where we found a good spot in the city centre to pray, worship God in praise, dance, and evangelism. A man approached us after we had finished praising and dancing and expressed his admiration, seeing people worshipping God the way we did. He said he would have to travel about 15 miles for an opportunity to have that kind of encounter. We considered his enthusiasm as a confirmation from the Holy Spirit that we should quickly raise an altar where God’s name shall be glorified in the city.

At the first ministers’ meeting in 2009, Pastor Mark indicated that the parish in Elgin must start in the first quarter of the year. We visited the city a couple to times to continue our prayers and to get a convenient location for the parish. God helped us and we were able to secure the community centre and held our first crusade on Saturday March 28, 2009. The crusade was a huge success despite the downpour; we had the full support of the Engineering Team and the workers-in-training as well as Pastor Mark and Pastor Biyi Adeniran from RCCG Kings’ Court, Airdrie in Canada.

The first service in the city was held on Sunday March 29, 2009 with eleven people in attendance including one visitor who God has fully

established in the parish. The visitor on the second Sunday said he was at the crusade and was amazed at seeing people defy the rain to praise God in the open. One other person said he has been to a lot of churches, but he felt more at home when he worshipped with us. God has continued to draw people to himself every Sunday and we pray He will establish them fully. We truly appreciate our God for these testimonies and we know He will do much more than we can ever imagine as we continue to lift His name high. Praise the LORD. We indeed found favour with the Lord in the last year

gone past. Our 1st Anniversary Ceremony held on 6th of September, 2008 with our Senior Pastor, Pastor

Mark Igiehon in attendance from Aberdeen. The Church recorded its first wedding between Pastor Samuel and Janet Denis with a Zonal Pastor, Pastor Samuel Bakare travelling over to officiate. We appreciate the RCCG UK Central Office and Pastor Dupe for this assistance. Our Provincial Pastor, Pastor Kola Bolanta was our Guest Minister at the “Higher Life Conference in March, 2009 and he really encouraged us to move higher. We were blessed to have a delegate, Janet Denis at the glorious RCCG Europe Mainland Conference in Madrid Spain in April, 2008. By divine grace, the Lord provided the Church with a permanent and more conducive place of worship where we can host all our programs and we are ever thankful to Him. Testimonies abound of God’s faithfulness in the lives of the brethren: miracles of healing, breakthroughs in school, career and family; and a deeper walk with God.

On the 19th of June, we will take centre stage in the city of Budapest with an outdoor music outreach in the city square. Our star act will be the Gosh’pel Singers from Jesus House Aberdeen. We are trusting God for a harvest of souls at the program and to glorify His name.

Our regular programs have been pursued with all diligence:Sunday service at 9am.Bible Study at 5.30pm on SaturdaysStreet Evangelism on SaturdaysNew Church AddressNo. 11-13 Ulloi ut budapest 1096, Budapest, HungaryPhone: +363 0737 7543 Email: [email protected]

Kaka, the 2007 World Footballer of the year got me thinking when he

advertised on his inner shirt: “I BELONG TO JESUS”, at the 2007 UEFA Champions League finals, getting the message across to 74,000 fans in the stadium and 200 million viewers across the globe. This was creative evangelism at its best. Evangelism involves reaching the world with the Gospel of Jesus. Jesus said in Mark 16:15 – 17: “go into the world and preach the gospel (evangelism) to every creature, telling them how much I (Jesus) love them”. Traditionally, evangelism has been restricted to “events” such as teams sharing handbills on streets, crusades/outreaches, televangelism, etc. Most Christians are shy about advertising Jesus in their workplace or line of business.

Given the popularity of football (and other sports) all over the world, this presents a huge opportunity to reach millions. I currently play football in Hungary’s professional division II, and advertise Jesus on my inner shirt, following Kaka’s example. If sponsorship could be obtained for team football jerseys to be branded with Christian messages, the effect would be tremendous. The gospel message in sports could be promoted through press interviews (television, etc), stadium billboards, and free branded caps, souvenirs, etc to the crowds, etc. Put on your thinking cap and be creative in evangelizing in your line of business! As you do so, God will in turn advertise you, and make you a star. Today, Kaka is the highest salaried footballer in the world and pays his tithe to the church. So I encourage you, spread the Gospel message and glorify God with your business, career, and anything you do in life.

Jesus House Budapest hosted the “Higher Life Conference” on the 21st and 22nd of March, 2009 and I had the opportunity of being in attendance. It was a joy to meet

the Budapest brethren, to see their thirst for the gospel and passion in their service to God. One thing is clear in the words of the Provincial Pastor, Pastor Kola Bolanta who ministered at the conference, “the land is fertile and very soon the church will impact the city of Budapest in a big way”.

ELGIN CITY TABERNACLE , SCOTLANDOUR TESTIMONY (PRAISE REPORT) BY AYO AKINTOMIDE (Parish Pastor)

HIGHER LIFE CONFERENCEBY DOLAPO TADE (CoG, Aberdeen)

Creative Evangelism BY SAMUEL DENIS (Parish Pastor)

JESUS HOUSE BUDAPEST, HUNGARYHIGHER, HIGHER, HIGHER (PRAISE REPORT)

Music Extravaganza in Budapest City Centre

Elgin City TabernacleWorship Venue: First Floor, Elgin Sports and Community Centre,Trinity Place, Elgin IV30 1UE Contact No: +44 7868 373 402 E-mail: [email protected] Worship Time: 10:30am Celebration Service: 11:00am


The Lord is moving His church forward in Rouen, France. In January, 2009 we moved to a bigger new Church building in the city centre which has now become too small for us

– a good problem which we know the Lord will resolve soon, preferably with a permanent place. Pastor Dapo relocated to Nigeria last year and left the oversight of the parish with Pastor Niyi, aided by the other ministers. The ordination of three members as

deacons at the RCCG Europe Mainland Conference in Spain has been a tremendous blessing to the Church. We have been greatly encouraged by the tremendous love and support shown by Jesus House Paris and especially Pastor Andrew who visits regularly. We thank God (Dieu) for His mercies.

Worship Centre: Hotel de Quebec, 18 – 24, Rue de Quebec, 76000, Rouen, France.Contact: +33643705428

JESUS HOUSE FRANCE (ROUEN)BY MODUPE OLOGUNLEKO


In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:1-3).

From the scripture above and reading through the entire Bible it becomes clear that nothing could be created or accomplished without the Word. That is why the Word had to exist along with God even before what we call the beginning. As accounted in the book of Genesis, everything was created by commandments from God i.e. the spoken Word “let there be light and there was light”.

We also see in the Bible that “the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb 4:12). The Word is extremely potent but this potential can only be unlocked when it is spoken, and spoken with faith and conviction. The spoken Word is the weapon Satan fears more than anything else in this world. The Word is two edged in that it is creative and could be destructive as well, it can create a wall of defense while it can also destroy the strongholds of the enemy. When satan attempted to pull Jesus down and derail His mission and ministry through temptation in the wilderness, Jesus immediately pulled out the two edged sword! He spoke the Word of God from the scriptures to engage satan in battle on three different occasions and defeated him. In many instances during the ministry of Christ He also used the Word to perform many creative miracles e.g. He commanded a man with a withered hand to stretch forth his hand and the hand was immediately restored (Matthew 12:9-14).

Interestingly, satan also knows the scriptures very well and He uses it to try and confuse, deceive and put believers to shame. That is why it is essential to study the Word diligently so that you can rightly discern the truth concerning all situations. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). Without spending adequate time in studying, meditating and memorizing the Word of God it will be impossible to speak it because it is not stored in the heart; if it is not stored in the heart then it cannot be spoken out - “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. - Luke 6:45”. When the devil was tempting Jesus in the wilderness, he actually quoted verses from the Bible, but out of context; using this trick, he easily deceives believers who have not studied and understood the Bible.

In all truth, we cannot succeed without the Word of God: it gives us comfort when we speak the divine promises of God during difficult times, it delivers the captives from the hands of the enemy when spoken with authority, it convicts when spoken with love to sinners and it leads to sustained success in all things. God commanded Joshua thus, after he became the new leader of Israel after Moses’ death, to encourage and assure him of success in his assignment: “This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success”. It is by studying the Word carefully and speaking it by faith that we can overcome and be successful. Take a better grip of your life, start speaking the Word Today and have dominion!

Childhood is KeyWhen children are at their formative stage, parental influence is key to their emotional formation, psyche and habits. At this stage children learn by example and the number one influence they have around them are their parents. This is one reason why Christian parents are advised to ensure that they give their children a lot of attention during these formative years, for this will be the anchor of the child’s sense of morality and faith as he or she develops in life. This is what I believe was responsible for the Prophet Samuel’s sense of purity, though he was surrounded by the evil examples of the sons of Eli who were supposed to know better. His mother must have sown the seeds of righteousness in him as a child before taking him to live in the temple.

The purpose of the youth periodRegarding the Christian youth, the problem of compromise due to peer pressure stems from a lack of self discovery and purpose.Myles Munroe once said “when the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable”. This statement is true of some Christian youth. Youths need to understand that the days of one’s youth is a pivotal period in life. This is the period of discovery, adventure and self actualization. As children, our image and sense of morality is based on what we were told by our parents. However, as children mature into youths, they want to be esteemed by their peers much more than their parents, and that is when peer pressure begins to set in. Youths also come across several young people from different backgrounds, and if they do not know what they are about, they could be misled and miss out on God’s best for their lives.

Dare to be positively differentA story that comes to mind from the Bible is the story of Rehoboam in 1 Kings 12. In this story, Rehoboam rejected wise counsel from elders and listened to his youthful friends and thus lost his kingdom. Christian youths are born to lead, not follow. We set the pace and are not supposed to trail behind. The Bible says we are the head, not the tail, walk the path of God to distinction, not the popular opinion which makes you common. We are not born to be popular; we are born to be powerful: Powerful can be different. Also remember we are described as “peculiar people” not common people. A saying goes like this: “pigeons flock together, eagles fly alone.” Child of God, you are an eagle and when you fly alone others might not say it, but they will respect and admire you. That is the life of a kingdom ambassador.

God bless you.

PEER PRESSURE AND THE CHRISTIAN YOUTHBY SEGUN AKINKUGBE (Parish Pastor)

GLASGOW CITY OF GOD

JESUS HOUSE PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA (Our Mother Parish)THE SPOKEN WORD – WEAPON OF DOMINIONBY PASTOR JIDE ODUNLAMI, Jesus House Port Harcourt, Nigeria


City of God, GlasgowWorship Venue: Park Inn, Glasgow City Centre, 2 Port Dundas Place, Glasgow, G2 3LD Contact No: +44 7931 708 516 E-mail: [email protected] Sunday Worship Time: 9am

Jesus House Port Harcourt Worship Venue: 2b Degema Close, Opposite Shell R.A. Rumuibekwe Estate, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria Contact No: +234-84-612256, 234-84-612020 E-mail: [email protected] Worship Time: 1st Service: 7.30am,2nd Service: 10am, Root of Jesse: 1pm, French Service: 4pm


Three questions come to mind.WhatisGod’spurposeconcerningyourlife?WhatareHispromisesconcerningyourfinances?Wheredoyouobtainfinancialcounsel?

Let us return to the true source of knowledge, wisdom and revelation for Christians.The Bible, the living word of God provides light and understanding and it has a great deal to say about money. Money is to be used to meet our personal needs and support the kingdom business and to be a blessing to others. However, there are conditions for us to be able to access this resource.

PreconditionsMaterial and physical prosperity are dependent upon spiritual prosperity (3 John 1:2).

In Isaiah 1:19, we are promised that, “If ye are willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land”. Carefully notice that God has put a condition before the promise. Deuteronomy 8:18 confirms Him as wealth creator. Psalm 50:10, 12 tells us that everything that was created and the fullness thereof is His.

Once we have an understanding of His promises, there comes the willingness to be obedient to His word and commands. Instructively, this is where we find it most difficult. A lot of compromise is made

when it comes to obeying God’s word. If we have discovered His purpose for our life, we will not be in doubt when the tide seems to turn against us. A typical example is Isaac, who in the time of famine (economic crises of today), obeyed God and sowed in the land and we know for a truth that he reaped a thousand fold. It is our covenant right to be blessed and be a blessing. God’s covenant cannot be broken.

The Keys

• Revelation: through God’s word and the Holy Spirit:. We cannot fulfill the plan of God in our lives without the leading of the Holy Spirit.

• Nothing is more important than being in His will, every step of the way. I like what David Starr wrote, “There is no real excellence in this world which can be separated from right living”. Pastor Mark Igiehon summed it up that “to be in God’s will is success on its own.”

• We tend to succeed in our gifting or ability. Again the Bible confirms this in the verse “a man’s gift will make a way for him”.

• Prayer: Satan may try to besiege us, fence us in and hinder our movements, but he cannot roof us in and prevent us from looking up. Constant prayer is fundamental to overpowering the adversary who will want to keep us down, and to be in constant touch with God all the way.

• Vision: We should always remember that our long-term goals must not be frustrated by short-term failures.

• Obedience: Absolute obedience to the word of God.• Perseverance: Willingness to stay resolute in the face of adversity.

Our ability to align our purpose and stay in God’s will breaks every yoke and creates a steady flow of financial wealth. However It is not enough for God to provide, but for us to also manage it responsibly and this will be covered in the next series. God bless you.

Perhaps you are having a hard time trying to discover the gift God has put in you. You can do a simple test by answering these four questions:

• What comes to you naturally, and what do you do effortlessly? • What are you passionate about? What takes your time and

resources, and you love to discuss and share it with others?• What is lacking around you, or rather, what problem do you

identify within your vicinity that needs a solution?• What intrigues you? What do you hate to quit before you go to

bed?

If your answers to these questions are pointing to a particular interest, then you should pay attention to that attribute in you. That could be the gift God has put in you, to use and bless lives and prosper you too.

You are distinct: God in His magnificent creativity has put a divine uniqueness in everyone, which makes each person distinct. The fact that God created us with different looks and qualities points to this fact. Therefore, everyone has a special gift in the inside of him or her.

Gifts are to be utilised: God is not a wasteful God; for example, the human body has no part that is not useful in a specific and distinct way.

Gifts must be enhanced: Exercising a gift through usage or training moves it from average to excellent.

Gifts must be relevant: You will likely achieve excellence and be outstanding in your gifts where it fits in most. Proverbs 18:16 states that a man’s gift will make a way for him.

Supernatural Gifts are the best gifts: In the Bible, Daniel’s outstanding wisdom and understanding in all visions and dreams made king Nebuchadnezzar to bow down before him and

acknowledge his God, when he interpreted the king’s dream. Furthermore, he was made a great ruler of the kingdom of Babylon. Similarly, Joseph’s life was also transformed due to God’s ability to use the gift in him to provide a divine solution to an imminent problem in Egypt.

There are a lot of treasures God wants to unravel through the multiple talents he has put in man. Ignorance of this fact robs a lot of people of the ability to be successful in life. Have a rethink if you fall into the categories below?

• Some people believe that they are nobody and have nothing to offer to others or to the world. Therefore they do not discover or use their gifts and talents. In Genesis 1:31, God looked at everything He had made, and it was very good. Nobody was born without a good gift from God.

• Another group (most people) are comfortable with conforming to the norm and will not strive to be distinctive. They use existing and established ideas and other people’s ways of doing things - nothing new or original, and their gifts are undiscovered or un-der-utilized.

• Sadly, a large group of people spend their whole lives chasing after the wrong goals, based on worldly standards and strategies. This results in misapplied or undiscovered gifts.

God is the one who gives a man the ability to be fulfilled in life by giving him good success, and He does it by using the gift He has put in him. Hence, you need to discover and build on your unique ability. This is where you’re unchallenged. This is where you are cherished and celebrated. This is your very unique zone and your territory, where you stand out for success. That will be your story. Amen

You can order the complete DVD/CD Series on this teaching “Your Gift Will Make a Way For You” by contacting Aberdeen City of God Parchment Store.

UTILIZING THE GIFTS IN YOU

BY KENECHUKWU NJOKU

HEAVENS BUSINESS ACADEMY

FULFILLING YOUR FINANCIAL DESTINY

BY SOLOMON AKERE

KIDDIE’S INTERVIEW

Heavens Business Academy is outreach ministry devoted to building God’s people into great business people and taking the Gospel into Business. Call City of God Centre for details: +44(0)1224 588884


What is your favourite scripture? Isaiah 60: 1 - Arise. Shine; for the light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. It is my favorite scripture because God says I should shine as light so that the world may see His goodness.

What did you learn from children’s church not to do? I learnt that there are 7 deadly things God hates that I should not do: God hates the proud, a lying tongue, stealing, false witness, trouble makers, those who treat others badly, and those who think evil.

By Vizor

What do you tell your friends about God? I tell my friends that God does miracles, He is more powerful than every other person and He is the creator of everything.

What do you like about coming to church? In Jesus House we have lots of fun like singing, dancing and praying. We get to meet other children as well.

What did you learn from church to do at home? Help mom and dad, take care of my little one, tidy the house and not to do the wrong things.

By Divine

What have you learnt on how to honour your parents? I learnt that I should do what I am asked to do because if I don’t do so, my children would do the same to me. Also if I treat my parents wrongly, God will not be happy with me.

By Bolu

What is your favorite scripture? John 14:6 Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life: no one comes to the Father except by Me.” I like this scripture because it says that Jesus is the way to God: there is no other way.

By Judah

KIDDIES WORDSEARCHCOLOUR ME


My testimony is evidence to all that God is faithful. I have been studying for my qualification exams with my firm since September 2006. I sat the second stage and unfortunately

only passed one of the four papers. The policy for most firms is that you are asked to leave on failing two attempts. After my second attempt, by His grace and mercy, I did not lose my job; instead I got offered a promotional role to move up to Aberdeen from London. I subsequently failed this exam for the third time but my firm remained totally supportive. However, the professional body informed me that I had one final attempt at this paper and if I was not successful, then I would no longer be able to qualify.

I relocated to Aberdeen for my new job role, and my new manager was ever so kind to give me time off to go and study for this re-sit. This is not normal company policy as you have to take study leave out of your annual leave for re-sits. I know that it was God who touched her heart as I had no leave days left. I went on to re-sit the exam for the fourth and final time and I am happy to let you know that I passed this paper with flying colours and I am now a part-qualified professional. Please join me in thanking the Lord for His faithfulness: He always completes what He starts. Zena K, CoG, Aberdeen

I want to bless the name of our Lord God because out of the forty Old Peoples homes in Aberdeen, He granted us an opening in eight homes to exalt His Name through Christmas Carols. It was

a huge success and the inmates were blessed. To His glory, all the homes unanimously requested that we come back the next (Easter) season. I also thank God for restoring my voice miracu-lously. During the ministrations, I completely lost my voice and the enemy wanted to frustrate its use for God’s purpose. However, it was restored and restored for good.Eunice A, CoG, Aberdeen

On a routine check with my GP, doctors informed me that there was a growth in my abdominal area and I was advised to remove it as soon as possible as there was

danger that it may burst. I discussed with my husband who was not comfortable with the thought of an operation. I also was very skeptical of operations, especially since a friend we knew had just died from the after- effects of an anaesthetic in an operation.

Eventually, we were advised by friends in the medical profession that an operation was the only way to go, as the consequences of the burst cyst could lead to death. I made up my mind to go for the operation and my prayer focus was now that the operation should be successful. We applied for a visa for my mum to come over and look after the kids, while I went into hospital, but unfortunately she was refused the visa. I therefore had to cancel the operation: this was the second time I was doing so. The Doctors told me I had to sign a form to show that I had declined an operation twice, and if anything happened they would not be blamed.

During the February Fasting and Prayer, I was able to participate. I remember on a particular day, my stomach was rumbling and I kept running to the toilet despite the fact that I was fasting. On the 4th of March, I went for a routine check to know how big the cyst growth had become and the doctor confirmed that the growth had completely disappeared and there was no trace of a cyst. My pains are gone, surgery cancelled and I have God’s peace. His name be praised forever. MO, Jesus House Dyce, Aberdeen

At the age of 15, I had a dream that I was introduced on stage as the Minister to share the word of God in a crusade. On waking up, I told my mum about the dream and she urged

me to share the dream with our Pastor back in Nigeria. When I did, the interpretation was that I have been called by God to serve Him. Ever since that day I got scared because I did not see myself in that way. However, I still loved going to church and hearing the word but always tried not to take it too seriously because I was scared. While in the University, I was ‘’churchy” and also ‘’worldly’’ as I lived a double-faced life, even though I had given my life to Christ.

When I got to Aberdeen, I liked going to the church at Torry, but was not really interested in working in the church. One Sunday, Pastor Mark requested for volunteers for the ‘’Peniel’’ program and when he pointed at me, I just said I would volunteer without really intending to. I was encouraged to keep coming to church even after ‘’Peniel’’ and doing the work I volunteered for. I did it reluctantly because I did not want to get too involved and did not even bother coming to church sometimes.

Before I knew it I started doing things I would not normally do: going to church regularly, attending programmes and many more . I found willingness and strength in me to always do the work of God. Right now I still attend the Torry church and every time I hear Pastor Dapo preaching, it feels like he is speaking to me. It feels like God sent him just for me, and I have been blessed so much from his messages. I believe God has planned my life till this very moment and I am where I ought to be right now, serving in the house of God. I want to thank God for turning my life around and pray that it will be permanent and He will complete what he has started in me. Praise the LORD. R.A, Jesus House Torry, Aberdeen

I want to appreciate God for healing me. Sometime ago I was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with diabetes. To the glory of God, the Lord healed me after prayers with the pastor. The

hospital did another round of scans and a thorough check and they could not find a trace of diabetes. To God alone be the glory.Regina U, CoG Aberdeen.

Our pastor told members to write down 8 things they would like God to do for them in 2009. We were to bring a copy to the church and keep one copy at home so as to confirm

when God will start doing it. Before 28th January 2009, I got a job interview that was not even up to ten minutes and I was asked by the company how much I wanted as salary. I mentioned a figure, but they responded “No, we are going to give you 30% more than that. Glory be to God I was called to start work the next day.

God granted me favour with the company and at the end of my first day, I was called into the office and told “we have seen that you are a good worker and as a result, we hereby increase your salary further by 30%. Glory be to God because the WORD is WORKING”. Janet D, Jesus House Budapest

A testimony that particularly touched me during the Higher Life Conference was that of a lady who got a flyer of the church through her mail box, and shared that she had been

searching for a vibrant church for quite a while and was almost getting discouraged. She came to church and the pastor prayed with her concerning her husband who was in the hospital. The following week her husband left the hospital and was able to come to church. Also, through the power of God, she has been able to stop smoking and is now on fire for God.Dolapo T., visitor to Jesus House Budapest

A brother (a footballer) was on a football test with a professional clubside in Israel, and after the whole process he was chosen and had a contract signed with the team. However, when he came

back to Budapest, he could not go back again to start the season with the club because of some problems between the club and his football manager. The issue became so problematic that as a result, the club was about to revoke the contract. The footballer was distressed and had practically given up until one day someone told him about RCCG Jesus House, Budapest. He meet with the Pastor and told him his problem, so the pastor invited him to church and he came after some weeks. The pastor prayed for him and said that it was going to be alright. To God be the glory, the issue was settled with club. He attended church in December and by January everything was okay. He was given a visa and the club in Israel sent him an air ticket to come back and continue his career. Right now he is playing with the team in Israel. Glory be to God in the highest. V.L., Jesus House Budapest

My life experience as a student in Budapest has made me know that life is not a schedule of defeats, but a parade of miracles because I’ve encountered so many difficulties, challenges and depressions

in my studies but God has been very faithful mostly concerning my exams.There were times I had major exams and I was very helpless and felt like giving up, but God has been awesome.

Studying in Budapest is very tough I must confess, but during these tough times, God became very real to me, and I came out in all my major exams with flying colours. Wow! “my eyes have seen, my ears have heard, my mouth will talk about the goodness of God in Budapest”Oby A, Jesus House Budapest

A sister had a growth on her hand which medical science could not cure. Our pastor laid his hand on the growth and commanded it to dry and die from the root, and truly the growth is dead and gone for

ever, that you would not even notice that there was a growth on her hand. Glory be to God.Jesus House Budapest

My name is Alicia. I am British, but of Caribbean origin. I want to thank God for His mercy and divine favour upon my life. Before I started fellowshipping with City Of God Watford, I was faced with series of

hardships ranging from spiritual instability, marital uncertainty and restless-ness of the mind. Upon contacting the brethren at the church, I listened to heart touching messages, counselling from the women’s ministry of the church and joint prayers were made for me. To the glory of God, I am experiencing settlement in my walk with God, I have a direction in life, I enjoy peace of mind and the hope of glory is renewed in me each time I fellowship with God and the brethren.Alicia C, CoG, Watford

I came to the UK in August, 2006 to study for my Masters which was due for completion in March, 2007. My plan had been to go back home as soon as my studies were over, but things didn’t work out as planned. I failed a course, and had to re-write it, but only after paying a fee of £2,000. At the time I didn’t have a job and paying my rent and other bills was a struggle. God gave me a job and I was finally able to put together the money to pay for my tuition. I re-applied for a visa extension but this was refused because I had not attached my transcript

TRUE STORIES, REAL STORIESsince the University was on vacation. I therefore had to stop work in August when my visa expired. I was asked to appeal and by the grace of God, I got a favourable verdict from the judge. I finally got my visa back in March, 2009, and by this time, I had not been working for eight months. It was a life changing experience for me. I went through the fire and God Almighty saw me through. He sent me help financially, spiritually and physically.

I want to use this opportunity to encourage everyone out there who is going through a difficult time, please remember that there’s no situation you are going through that is bigger than God Almighty. Remain steadfast, put your trust in God and learn to build your faith level. Some might say “what she has gone through is nothing: Its not such a big deal”. That is their view because if the only thing I gained in my stay in the UK is the transformation of my re-lationship with Christ, then it is the best thing that could ever happen to me. I indeed have overcome by my testimony and the blood of the Lamb.Wakhini A, CoG, Watford

After my second attempt, by His grace and mercy, I did not lose my job; instead I got offered a promotional role to move up to Aberdeen from London.

The hospital did another round of scans and a thorough check and they could not find a trace of diabetes.

...by the grace of God, I got a favourable verdict from the judge. I finally got my visa back in March, 2009, and by this time, I had not been working for eight months. It was a life changing experience for me.


City of God Publications met with Pastor Chris Gbenle who is the Senior Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Scotland. In this short interview he provides insights

to his background and what the Lord is doing in RCCG Scotland under his leadership.

City of God Publications: Sir, we would like you to introduce yourself to us.Pastor Chris: My name is Chris Gbenle. I am married to Nikki, and by the grace of God we are blessed with three children: two teenagers and a young child. I have lived in the UK for a few years now.

CoGP: As a man of God, the history explains the journey. Please can youthrowmorelightonyourbackground?PC: I gave my life to Christ in 1984 at an Assemblies of God church in Nigeria. Since then God has given me a lot of exposure, growing up in various churches and I see it as a preparation for today. Time won’t permit me to go into details, but I started from a village setting in which I was probably the only one with some form of substantial education. Professionally, I trained as a medical doctor and I came to the United Kingdom in 1993 with my family to further my studies as a surgeon in London. We worshipped in another Church previously, and at some point in 1996, we moved on by divine direction to the Redeemed Christian Church of God. I was called to leadership and ordained as a deacon, and that was it. My first trip to Scotland was to Edinburgh in respect of my Fellowship with the Royal College of Surgeons. Incidentally, one of the exams I had to take was in Aberdeen and in God’s time I moved there. By the special grace of God that has been the journey behind my spiritual history.

CoGP: Can you please shed some more light on how the Aberdeen parishes came about.PC: In 1998 …I was still in London at the time.. and the Senior Pastor was Pastor Kola Bamigbade. Then, when we have Area meetings, he would talk about the RCCG parish in Aberdeen which was planted by Sam Iyoma in 1996. When Sam went back to Nigeria, Pastor Kola asked me to travel every weekend to help out with the Aberdeen parish as the growth of the church was in decline. I used to joke then that I was the farthest community pastor as I travel more than 500 miles to church.

We had to start practically from the scratch. We were then meeting in a place called Loris Hotel in Altens area. It was far from town and that was not helping the progress of the church. We decided to look for better accommodation and eventually got the McClymont Hall in Holburn street. We had about 10 members then, but the church started growing a little at a time: In the program of God he started sending in people as workers to build His Church. The ultimate aim of the church is to make it fully local which I believe we are moving towards.

God brought in Pastor Mark Igiehon who is now the pastor of Jesus House Aberdeen. Immediately he came, I asked him into leadership. He took care of the prayer department for many months, which he did very well. Of course, we knew all along that he needed to start a parish because he was given that mandate right from Nigeria; and I said we are definitely going to do this together. In 2004, he started the work in Torry and since then, we have all witnessed the growth of the RCCG Churches.

CoGP: Sir, what impact has the Redeemed Christian Church of God had in Scotland?We know of the socio-cultural activities andwerecently witnessed the large turnout of people for the visit of our Daddy in the Lord, Pastor E.A. Adeboye. PC: I will start with the major landmarks of the forward movements that we have made which I mentioned earlier on: Numerical growth, planting of other parishes, acquiring property. These are all positive impacts or influences in the city.

I remember when I first came here the spiritual atmosphere

was not like this. The prayer initiative that we have every month has resulted in testimonies and even other churches are feeling our impact. In a particular instance, the “Street Pastors” were out on the streets ministering to the people one night and it was quiet. One of the people asked why it was quiet and one of them said that you need to take note that some people are praying right now. This was on the last Friday of the month when the city-wide prayer initiative organised by us was going on. Definitely the city is being covered by prayers.

By the grace of God, a lot has changed. There are various initiatives we are pursuing at Jesus House and here at the Fountain of Love like the Faith Clinic, Thank-God-its-Friday and many other programs. All these things are like seeds being sown. I can assure us, by the grace of God that all the previous efforts have yielded results as we can see today. Similarly, all the current efforts can be banked on to yield results in years to come. So let us not be weary in doing well because in due time we shall reap the results if we faint not (Gal. 6:9).

CoGP: Sir, it is quite obvious that the RCCG is growing in Scotland. Could you provide details on current status and where you are going as a body.PC: Our number is small by RCCG’s standard. At the moment we have about twenty-two (22) fully functional RCCG parishes. We thank God for His help, but we know that this number has to increase very soon because the duty the Lord has given us is more than what we have at the moment. Thank God because every major city in Scotland has got at least two RCCG parishes, and that is noteworthy. Very soon we will be starting a parish in Perth. Edinburgh has four, Glasgow has four and Aberdeen has three. Aberdeenshire has not been left out as well, even Inverurie and far as Inverness. This spread has gladdened my heart because we had the choice of clustering in one place, but we nudged ourselves and said let us spread to fill the spaces in between: that is the kind of vision the Lord has given us and He has been our help thus far.

CoGP: Sir, tonight we celebrate our journey thus far (Jesus House Torry Anniversary), What encouragement do you have for us, your children.PC: Proverbs 4:18, For the path of the just is like a shining sun that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. Let us not forget that once we give our lives to God or start doing anything for Him that our lives become a light that shines forth. It is not like candle light that will burn out. That light is like sunlight. Just at the crack of dawn it starts rising from the horizon and keeps getting brighter and brighter. So Jesus House Aberdeen, with her centre at the City of God Centre, Hear the word of the Lord: this sun will get brighter, it will not get dim. Sometimes when the sun is shining, a little cloud goes over it and it becomes dim, but because the sun is still shining, the cloud disappears. So let’s keep our eyes on Jesus. There might be moments when you will say: what is going on? But don’t worry, the sun is still there, the cloud will clear and very quickly and the sun will shine again, in Jesus name. Amen

INTERVIEW WITH PASTOR

Chris GbenleThe Senior Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Scotland

BY DOTUN ADEGBOTOLU

WATFORD: JESUS TWINS SET THE PACEThe Jesus Twins (Kehinde and Taiwo) in CoG Watford achieved a remarkable academic distinction in school (Westfield College) as the Best Academic Students. They also won the College’s music competition. The twins have been role models to other students in school and are showing forth the glory of God.

BUDAPESTPastor Sam and Janet tied the Knot in October, 2008. We wish them joy unspeakable in their marriage and ministry.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW BABIESCongratulations to several families in Jesus House Aberdeen who have been blessed with the fruit of the womb. Pix shows the dedication of babies by three families.

We thank God for His help, but we know that this number has to increase very soon because the duty the Lord has given us is more than what we have at the moment.

SOCIALS


LIST OF RCCG PASTORS IN SCOTLAND AND THEIR CORRESPONDENCES

PARISH TOWN PASTOR IN- CHARGE PHONE NO E-MAIL ADDRESS

Fountain of Love Aberdeen Pst Chris Gbenle 07786 363 451 [email protected];[email protected]

Fountain of Love Glasgow Pst Omoniyi Makun 07821 686 780 [email protected]

Fountain of Love Fraserburgh Pst Wilfred Emmanuel 07813 674 241 [email protected]

Fountain of Love Inverurie Pst Dotun Faleye 07805 348 302 [email protected]

Jesus House (Cityof God) Aberdeen Pst Mark Igiehon 07868 652 111 [email protected]; jesushouseaberdeen@cityofgod

Jesus House Aberdeen Pst Dapo Nurudeen 07737 010 483 [email protected]

Jesus House Inverness Pst Peju Deekae 01463 221 056, 07931 881435 [email protected]

City of God Glasgow Pst Segun Akinkugbe 07956 091 356 [email protected]

Open Heavens Edinburgh Pst Christianah Longe 07882 223 290, 0131 444 2641 [email protected];[email protected]

Open Heavens Dundee Pst Rufus Aizeboje 07727 682 530 [email protected]

Open Heavens Fife Pst Ibukun Aderibigbe 07985 782 697 [email protected]

Open Heavens Niddrie, Edinburgh Pst Yemisi Lukula 0131 660 4828, 07939 530 467 [email protected]

Open Heavens Edinburgh North pst Patrick Ukonga-Omowa 0131 453 5776, 07931 579 315 [email protected] or [email protected]

Open Heavens Glasgow Pst Richard Abobare 07916 249 080 [email protected]

Beautiful Gate Glasgow Pastor Olanrewaju Olatunji 07954 552 074 [email protected]

Livingston Assembly Livingston Pastor Dapo Awosika 07956 969 030 [email protected]

Spring of the Day Glasgow Pastor Samuel Yerokun 0141 886 5179 [email protected]

Edinburgh Tabernacle Edinburgh Pastor Ibiye Iyalla 07868 373 402 [email protected]

Jesus House Dyce Aberdeen Pastor Niyi Adebayo 07776 441 393 [email protected]

Fountain of Love Stonehaven Pastor Hyacinth Meze 07796 991 115 [email protected]

Light House Parish Clydebank Pastor Ugonna Onyekwere 0141 563 6569, 07983 793 979

City of God Aberdeen | Weekly ServicesSunday Sunrise Service: 9-10.30amSunday Celebration Service: 11-1pmHebrew women prayers: Mondays, 5.30pmHour of prayer: Mondays, 6.30pmDigging deep: Tuesday, 6.30pm

Evangelism: Saturdays @ 1.30pmCounselling: Wednesdays and Saturdays, 5-7pm.Home fellowships - Thursdays at 7pm at various location across the city


Documents

The City of God 2009