STOP COMPLAINING, BRETHREN!



Preston Humphries,
Pastor, Riverside Church, Oklahoma

"Larry Titus personified all that and much more. And the Holy Spirit seems to have had him replicated in his ministry staffers and leaders of churches and ministries he is discipling. You see it in Felipe Hasegawa, with whom I had corresponded for about a year, but whom I met for the first time last week. His warmth made you feel like he had known you all of his life, as he bounced from one assignment to the other. There was Paul Zinn! Consummate media person that he is, he was bedecked in cameras, he was all humour as he darted around the hall and everywhere else for that vantage position to get the very best of shots..."

I was at the Kingdom Global Ministries’ African Leadership Summit in Port Harcourt as I had prayed and planned to be. And it lived up to its billing in every respect. Leaders came from such African countries as Ghana, Mali, Togo, Sierra Leone, Angola and Uganda, apart from host country, Nigeria.

The West African edition of the book, The Teleios Man by Dr Larry Titus, International President of the ministry was laid on the altar; prayer was said for it to get into the hands and the hearts of millions of men in this region of the world, towards raising an army of perfect, Christlike men. It was then formally presented to the gathering by Rev Mrs Devi Titus, the author’s wife and ministry partner.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Jesus joy” before when a minister of ceremony says, “with Jesus joy, let’s welcome to the pulpit...” Like me, you might have wondered what that might feel like. I now know what true ‘Jesus joy” feels like! It saw it, first hand in the midst of this KGM people. It is a permanent smile on the face; a glint in the eye, unfeigned love and deep interest in other people, a kind word for each person, an endless flow of humour – all at the same time!

Larry Titus personified all that and much more. And the Holy Spirit seems to have had him replicated in his ministry staffers and leaders of churches and ministries he is discipling. You see it in Felipe Hasegawa, with whom I had corresponded for about a year, but whom I met for the first time last week. His warmth made you feel like he had known you all of his life, as he bounced from one assignment to the other. There was Paul Zinn! Consummate media person that he is, he was bedecked in cameras, he was all humour as he darted around the hall and everywhere else for that vantage position to get the very best of shots. That guy was something else.

Host pastor, Frank Aikins, manifested the same “Jesus joy” all through, whether wielding the microphone or interacting with the children as I saw him do shortly after I arrived on Thursday evening. He seemed to know by name and had a personal connection with each child - and there were many of them. He also had a way of making light of every situation, no matter how seemingly serious you might think it was.

One of the highlights of the five-day conference was the ordination and release into the apostolic ministry of Pastor Frank, who pastors Rehoboth Church in Port Harcourt after 13 years of discipleship under Larry Titus. Twelve other leaders were also ordained as KGM pastors at a Saturday morning service, which can safely be said, was presided over by the Holy Ghost, as His tangible presence showed.

Of course, there was the word! I attend a church widely recognised for the depth of teaching and the pervasiveness of the word of faith. So, with all humility I should recognise deep teaching, when I come across it. I did in Port Harcourt. Space and the nature of this column will not allow me go too deep into this aspect of the conference here. Yet a few nuggets from some of the ministrations must find place here and now.

Preston Humphries, Senior Pastor at Riverside Church, Oklahoma  city, was one of the eleven members of the Titus’ team. On Friday morning, he ministered from chapter one of the book of Luke; verses 68-75.

Majoring on verse 75, he pointed out that our deliverance from the hand of the enemy was intended to free us to serve God without fear and in holiness and purity. He explained that deliverance from fear was very important because fear it is that leads to compromise and the jettisoning of faith. Embracing the truth that we have already been delivered from fear is therefore crucial to a successful fulfillment of our assignment which is to bring the lost to God through the Lord Jesus.

To fulfill our responsibility, we need to model, like Jesus did during his earthly ministry, a life of faith, not fear, of righteousness, not compromise; of victory, not defeat. If we do, it will be easier to bring more people to the saving grace of Jesus.

Holding aloft a can of Coke, he asked, how do you the world of this ubiquitous product from the market? With no correct answer coming from the congregation, he answered it himself: “produce a better product.” Continuing, he said, if you want to rid the world of sin, create a better you; live differently.

How to live differently? Pastor Preston went on to chapter 12 of the first book of Corinthians, which is where the meat of the message, for this forum is. (TO BE CONTINUED)

LARRY TITUS TO "IMPART AND RELEASE"

"...Yes, I owe my initial involvement in this ministry to my then pastor at CCIC Ikeja Centre, Rev Ajibola Oluyede who identified a potential and then to my senior pastor and coach without whom the potential may never have had a platform to grow. Of course, there was the ubiquitous Ed Cole late founder of Christian Men’s Network, whose teachings and books laid the foundation for me. Pastor Larry, however, unknown to him, helped to deepen that interest and shape it."

Kingdom Covenant Ministries’ Rehoboth Christian Centre in Port Harcourt is the venue of this year’s Kingdom Global Ministries’ second Africa Conference opening on Wednesday. Also styled as Leadership Summit 2013 with Larry Titus, the five-day gathering of ministers from various churches and ministries affiliated with KGM all over the continent and leaders otherwise interested, has the theme, Impart and Release.

Yours sincerely plans to be there, by the grace of God, for two reasons. First, the conference has been offered to us as a platform to formally present the book, The Teleios Man, written by the International President of KGM and lead speaker at the conference and published for West Africa by KP Books, which I have the privilege of serving.

Second, it will be an opportunity for me to hear one of the most respected pastors in the United States and several parts of the world, talk about and demonstrate a topic that many a leader in Christendom has found difficult to deal with. I’ll come back to it presently.

Let me tell you a bit about Larry Titus, the one many in many people, particularly men in several countries including Nigeria like to call “Dad Larry.”  I became acquainted with him in 2001, when on the invitation of my senior pastor, Rev Dr Tunde Joda, he was one of the lead speakers at the Christ Chapel International Churches’ (CCIC)  International Men’s Conference.  The conference, which held in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, was the very first, to my knowledge, of its kind in the country. The theme was Mighty Man of Valour. It held under the auspices of CCIC’s men’s fellowship then known as Champions For Christ (CFC) and I had the honour of chairing the organising team.

The simplicity of the man, his lack of theatrics, the profundity of his message all helped to deepen my interest in men’s ministry. Yes, I owe my initial involvement in this ministry to my then pastor at CCIC Ikeja Centre, Rev Ajibola Oluyede who identified a potential and then to my senior pastor and coach without whom the potential may never have had a platform to grow. Of course, there was the ubiquitous Ed Cole late founder of Christian Men’s Network, whose teachings and books laid the foundation for me. Pastor Larry, however, unknown to him, helped to deepen that interest and shape it.

It took the whole of ten years before I ever got to meet him again, thanks to a post on the Facebook wall of Rev Rotimi Osoba, an erstwhile CCIC pastor who went on to found and runs Heaven on Earth Ministries. One thing led to the other and I came face-to-face again with this wonderful man of God, two years ago.

But all of that is my story, not his! Now his:

Last year Larry Titus celebrated his 50^th year in full time ministry. He spent the first 34 of those years in what has been widely accepted as effective and innovative pastoral ministry in the US states of Washington, Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio, some of those through Foursquare Gospel Mission International. He left in 2001 to devote himself to the mission of Kingdom Global Ministries, an organization he had founded nine years earlier.

KGM, as I have since found out is a unique ministry targeted at leaders, globally. It seeks to “relationally recognize, resource, and release the vision of global leaders”; combining “discipleship principles with kingdom priorities so the Gospel can be proclaimed with power and effectiveness throughout the world”.

Through the ministry and even prior to it, Larry Titus has trained thousands of men and women to become godly leaders in every aspects of life and living including marriages, and ministries. He uses what he calls the “Teleios” principle, making Jesus the pattern for all leadership training, to produce in men the qualities that ensure fruitfulness in their families and effectiveness in their lives.

Larry has influenced and equipped leaders in dozens of nations. His commitment to global missions has also resulted in thousands of churches, schools, orphanages, and Bible schools being established and sustained on every continent.

KGM and Larry sponsor two events: Teleios Men’s Summit, a relational gathering of men to edify them with teachings and testimonies in an atmosphere of worship, which holds annually and; KGM World Connect, which brings global leaders and business people together every two years for the purpose of networking and resourcing their visions.  

Larry Titus’ imprint wherever he goes is Love. Within a short time of meeting him, you feel loved by him - somehow, he makes that evident. And once you know him, you get to love him. It’s uncanny.

Now that is the man, who, with support from Pastor Frank Aikins, KGM’s Africa President and his wife, Dr Elfleda Aikins, is gathering leaders from across the continent with a view to imparting and releasing them into their destiny. You can be sure the conference cannot but have a salutary impact on the Kingdom of God on earth. Add to that the official launch of the Teleios Man, the most comprehensive single volume book for men ever and the very first to be published in Nigeria for the West African market. Men’s ministry will never be the same again.

MESSAGE FROM BEYOND…CHOOSE LOVE

"Now stop imagining! That was the setting at Anchor Events Place, on Lateef Jakande Way, Agidingbi, Ikeja  on Thursday May 2, 2013 when “Me Football and More”, a selection of the media writings of ex-football international, Segun Odegbami was launched.  The audio book I have been talking about is in fact a version of an A4-sized, 368-page, matt-laminated hard-cover book published by KP Books."

 

“My angels (for that's what you all are), this is another of my messages to you. Many of you have been wondering where I have been or why l allowed all the 'terrible' events going on around you take place, particularly, the recent events in America and Nigeria. It may shock you to know that I have been with you all the time. I have always been with you; it is you who never remembers. Most of you profess to know me, yet you do allow the worries and concerns of life, distractions all, to take you from me. You have also failed to recognize and receive several messages I have been sending you through Messengers who are amongst you. So, here I am sending you another one…” (Message From Beyond, MFM Page 340).

Jimi Solanke, in case there are babies reading this page today, is the ageless actor, singer, keyboardist and storyteller, who might be credited for bringing the one-man band phenomenon to these parts. Dejumo Lewis was Kabiyesi, Oloja of Oja in the famous sit-com Village Headmaster. Joke Silva Jacob has been on stage and on screen for several decades and is not about to give up. Ronke Ayuba was one of the most glamorous newsreaders on Nigerian Television. She wasn’t just excellent  in her presentation, the media loved to call her Ronke ‘Darling”, not just as a play on her maiden name, but also to reflect how the TV viewing world liked to see her.

Bimbo (Roberts) Oloyede was also a superlative newsreader; she still is! Throw into that her incursion into acting and you’ll get the picture – she’s versatile! Patrick Oke? Wow, newsreader per excellence too then and still very active in the production of documentaries, his unmistakable voice featuring in narrations of perhaps hundreds of them. Soni Irabor is another of the veterans who just won’t go away. From his days on radio at Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria through to his Soni Irabor Live television show on African Independent Television, AIT and his current assignment as CEO at Inspiration FM the only thing that competes with his excellence is his zeal.

Femi Sowoolu may not have gone as way back as all of the others on this list, but he is no less a respected on-air personality. Then there is Taiwo Solanke, whose place on this least has nothing to do with the fact that he is Jimi’s son. He’s earned a place in this roll of honour by dint of hardwork and creativity. Yinka Davies, always in your face, reminding you of that dynamite comes in small packages whether singing or dancing (remember her in that celebrity dance competition) or serving as a judge in singing competitions.

Imagine an event where all of these accomplished ladies and gentlemen are seated on the same table! Imagine the camaraderie. Imagine what glitter their presence would add to such an event.

Let’s take it a bit further. Imagine an audio book in which all of these “voices” are readers. Imagine that as they read the book, sound effects come in to transport you to the scenes they are reading about, ranging from the magic of old Oshodi to the Eden of our Time, Lagos, to a letter from God, manifesting as Love.

Now imagine that the event at which this unique audio book is presented had corporate icon and one-time presidential aspirant, the impeccable (in integrity, language and appearance) Mr Gamaliel Onosode as chairman.  And then to cap it all, imagine that Babatunde Raji Fashola, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria who runs, possibly, the most accountable, most efficient and very successful state government in Nigeria is also the Special Guest of Honour at that event.

Now stop imagining! That was the setting at Anchor Events Place, on Lateef Jakande Way, Agidingbi, Ikeja  on Thursday May 2, 2013 when “Me Football and More”, a selection of the media writings of ex-football international, Segun Odegbami was launched.  The audio book I have been talking about is in fact a version of an A4-sized, 368-page, matt-laminated hard-cover book published by KP Books.

The opening quote of this piece is extracted from “Message from Beyond”, the epilogue to the book and it testifies to the large swathe of areas covered in the book. That piece climaxes this way:

“My name is Love. So, my only instructions to you were to love me and to love one another (that is to only do to another what you want for yourself). Period!

“My love is free, limitless and unconditional. Were it not so, who amongst you would survive? My standards are not your standards so you ignorantly underestimate the capacity of my love.

“You have to understand that I am always with you and in you, that's why your holy books describe your body as my temple. You are all special and unique, yet you are all the same. That is a divine mystery that you can understand if you examine it closely.”