NO MADAM SPEAKER, IT’S ABOUT THE PEOPLE

KPerspective October 6 2007

KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE

With REMI AKANO

e-mail: remiakanosr@believeandrepent.com

The House of Representatives is on recess. The recess, according to House leadership, is to enable the Honourable members consult with their people and do committee assignments. This is as it should be and I sincerely hope they spend the two-week period for those two purposes, especially the first – consultation with their electors.

I say that because if they do, they are likely to discover that the people are so disenchanted that if they have their way the House should stay permanently on recess! I am not exaggerating.

Look at it this way: What has this House really been in about 150 days except on recess? The noblest things they have done is to mourn and bury the dead. The rest of the time has been spent scrambling for committee positions, particularly the so-called juicy ones and stage a legislative pugilist of the year show in defence of due process and anti-corruption. To the eternal ‘credit’ of this present House, the nation celebrated her 47^th National Independence Anniversary with accusation of corruption against the Speaker as an ugly backdrop.

Were I to have the privilege of meeting my representative, I would have drawn her (or is it his?) attention to at least two reports that ought to serve as a wake-up call to our so called legislators.

The first is a “survey on best and worst performing countries in Africa”. According to an Empowered Newswire report, the survey, released as part of activities to mark the 62nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, listed Nigeria as 37th in the continent and among the 12 least-performing countries.

Conducted by Professor Rotberg of Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the index gave Nigeria its best performance in security and safety with 62.8 score, followed by 49.5 in human development, 44.3 in rule of law, transparency and corruption and 44.2 in participation and human rights. Nigeria scored lowest where it mattered most: sustainable economic opportunity.

The survey, according to the professor used 58 indicators of governance, and evaluated each of the 48 sub-Saharan African countries according to five categories of analysis. The categories used were safety and security, rule of law, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunities and human development. He explained: that the premise for designing the categories “is that good governance is the delivery of essential political goods to the people.”

Speaking on Nigeria’s ranking in the survey, Rotberg was quoted as telling Voice of America: “It is quite clear in Nigeria’s case that you lose massive points for conflict; and Nigeria, as everyone knows, has been under turmoil and conflict. Secondly, Nigeria, according to Transparency International, is one of the most corrupt places on the planet, and corruption loses you many points”.

For reasons of comparison, I would have drawn the Honorable legislator’s attention to a part of the report which reads:” Mauritius was named the best performing government, while Somalia, which has not had a government for several years and is considered a ‘failed State,’ was rated the worst….Among the top best-performing countries in the survey are Seychelles, South Africa, Botswana and Cape Verde…”

The second report which would have put the issue in clearer perspective and hopefully show where the legislature comes into the picture glaringly was highlighted by Kayode Komolafe in his The Horizon column in ThisDay newspaper recently. I seek your indulgence to quote the first few paragraphs of the piece he titled, Compare N686m with N628m:

“Compare these two amounts of money: N686 million and N628 million. The first (about Euro 3.9 million) is the amount the European Union is reportedly making available for the provision of clean water and sanitation in 12 towns and communities of Enugu and Jigawa states. The second figure is the alleged value of contracts for renovation official residences and purchase of cars for some officers of the House of Representatives. Spot the difference. Foreign donors are funding water supply and sanitation with N686 million in a country in which N628 million is allegedly to be spent in renovating official residences of two public office holders and purchase of some official cars.

“In arithmetical terms, the difference between N686 million and N628 might appear marginal, but there is a world of difference between the uses to which they are put in the Nigerian socio-economic and political system. It is this huge difference that clearly shows what hundreds of millions of naira could do in improving the quality of lives of hundreds of thousands of people even at current value of the currency…Three Local Government Areas would benefit from the scheme in each of the two states chosen for the implementation. They are Gumel, Tankarkar and Maigatari in Jigawa; and Nkanu East, Udenu and Igbo-Etiti in Enugu State. It is expected that about 410, 000 people would benefit from the scheme out of which about 30, 000 are considered to be in vulnerable situations. The local governments, civil society organisations, artisans and volunteers would also be involved in the implementation…”

I wonder whether these two reports would have meant anything to my representative or not, but, I certainly cannot see any signs that it would pull any string in Madam Speaker’s heart. And I make this statement very regrettably.

As I indicated in this column last week, I did not want to join in pointing fingers because the report of the Honourable Idoko-led investigation panel was being awaited. More importantly, I wanted most desperately for the right Honourable Patricia Olubunmi Etteh to survive and eventually succeed; to continue the great run of success by the “Esthers” at least pending the time that the “Josephs” of our nation will get our acts together.

Well, the report came and although it refrained from recommending sanctions partly because, its terms of reference had been so craftily worded to avoid that; and partly to prevent a kind of “hung jury”; it did identify wrongdoings. Responsibility for some of them lay squarely at the Speaker’s table; while the National Assembly bureaucracy could be fingered for others.

Predictably, reactions came, as the cliché goes, fast and thick. Calls for Madam Speaker’s resignation top the list. One of the most damning came from PUNCH columnist, Azubuike Ishiekwene who in a piece titled,” It’s time to go, Madam” noted among other things that “The Idoko Panel …has said, unanimously, that the process of the award of the contract was marred by serious procedural lapses. Contrary to the requirement of the Public Procurement Act, the contract was neither advertised, nor was a quorum constituted before it was awarded. The bill of quantities and the technical drawings that ought to have informed a rigorous and competitive process were not filed and some of the companies that got the contract were not even registered as required by the law. On top of this, the speaker’s personal aide, Iquo Minima, who gained notoriety in the last House for slapping a fellow legislator, Emmanuel Bwacha, won the N71m to provide the furnishings. The speaker had approved this sweet deal and other contracts for the renovation six days before she hastily constituted another meeting to ratify the decisions. Her defence that she was misguided is not unlikely, but is at best shallow and at worst irresponsible, given the fact that one of her personal aides benefited directly from the contract. The whole thing was a sham by any standards, which the speaker, in her sober moment, would find hard to explain, even if it had been a contract she personally awarded for the renovation of any of the hairdressing salons in her two houses in Abuja…”

But it is Madam Speaker’s reaction to the reactions to the panel report that I find most amazing. It is her reaction that gives me the impression that the speaker thinks this is all about politics, NOT people, NOT principles, NOT morals and certainly NOT about staying with the solemn pledge she made to the Nigerian people in her first few minutes of taking office.

A statement issued from her office disingenuously, not to say shamelessly, spoke about “emotional blackmail” and described calls for her resignation as “unfair, inaccurate and unfortunate". This according to her was because, “the Speaker set up that probe panel along with her colleagues. She was elected by her colleagues. Only her colleagues can decide what happens next”.

Hear Madam Speaker please: “Those championing this curious cause of ‘Etteh-must-resign’ are those aware of the facts of the case and their campaign is beginning to look like a haunt borne out of hatred. The probe panel’s report has been laid on the table and what it contains are conclusions, not recommendations for punishment. One wonders when non-members of the House of Representatives started deciding how 360-members of the lower chamber run their affairs... “If I get her drift, our representatives have a kind of divine right to shut us out of “their affairs”, once elected. Translation: it’s none of your business, noise makers. Apart from the “small matter” of the credibility of the process that brought many of these representatives into office, since when has the people’s sovereignty been annulled by elections?

She continues: "The House of Representatives is made up of people elected by Nigerians to represent them. Those who elected them trust them enough to do the right thing. The House has procedures and rules on every issue and only members can decide how the House is run…What the procedure says is that the report will be debated when the House reconvenes after its two-week recess…” Due process eh? The same that the panel said was not followed?

Next she said: “…It is therefore unfair and misleading for people to stay outside and tell 360 members of this honourable House what to do. It is like telling Nigerians that the people they elected cannot do the job…When non-members start instructing the House how to run their affairs, then there is cause for Nigerians to worry…” There is indeed cause for Nigerians to worry but not about any infringement of the divine right of self-serving legislators, many of whom were rigged into office in the first place. There is cause to worry when popular opinion of the vocal section of the hunger-silenced majority is being so arrogantly disdained in high places.

Then the clincher: “Nothing in the conclusions of the panel report showed that the Speaker in any way has been indicted…” Well, I agree; black is white and chalk is cheese! If Mrs Etteh sometimes reads her bible, she should please read Proverbs 12:19; 16:18 and see whether she doesn’t need a change of heart.

First published in a Nigerian Daily, the Sunday Independent, published in Lagos Nigeria.

IS THE ERA OF ESTHERS ABOUT TO END?

KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE

With REMI AKANO

e-mail: remiakanosr@believeandrepent.com

Somebody please tell me that this is all a nightmare, a bad dream from which I shall soon shake awake! Somebody, please rouse me from this troubled sleep!! How is it that a nation that’s having the wonderful experience of the era of the “Esthers” is, all of a sudden, being told that it’s all over, before the “Josephs” are ready? How distressing.

Many years ago, the late and (according to me) great Dr Edwin Louis Cole, founder of the Christian Men’s Network, was visiting one of the countries of Southern Africa (cannot readily remember which, now). A group of people had been praying fervently, seeking the face of the Lord for change in their land. Finally, the word came. And it went something like this: “there have been the days of the “Esthers”; now is the era of the “Josephs”. Put very simply, even simplistically, there are those moments in the life of a people when deliverance comes through the womenfolk, but it does come to an end and the men take their place, once again at the head of the table.

As I follow, with amazement the tragi-comedy playing out at the Federal House of Representatives over the award of contracts for the official residence of Madam Speaker, the Honourable Mrs Patricia Olubunmi Etteh and her deputy, I found myself musing: Is it all over; is the era of the Esthers over; so soon; so unceremoniously; so prematurely; and most unhappily of all, before the Josephs are ready?

Esther, for those who might need reminding, was the Jewish orphan girl in the Bible who, under the tutelage of Mordecai, her elderly cousin, became Queen at the imperial court of King Darius of Persia. She was the mother of Cyrus, the commander of the Persian armies. She earned her place in history as the brave young queen who risked her life to deliver the Jews from imminent genocide (please read the Book of Esther). Joseph, on the other hand was the dreamer boy who became prime minister of Egypt against great odds (see Genesis Chapter 37, 40 & 41).

As I implied on this page last week, Nigeria is a nation in search of men; men who have grown out of self-centred maleness into strong Christ-like manhood. That is the explanation for the domination of our national space by a certain crop of women who, like Queen Esther, stuck out their dainty necks in the service of fatherland.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala shone like a million stars, managing the finances of this nation with a certain clarity of direction and an eye on international best practices. Were she anything but a lady of integrity, you can guess what her fate would have been when she finally fell out with the “king.” Instead of becoming Nigeria’s first female Foreign Minister, she would have been guest of Nuhu Ribadu and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Not even Chief Gani Fawehinmi, who fought and won a legal battle against her Diaspora-Fund funded dollar denominated salary, has had anything negative against her person and character.

Obiageli Ezekwesili was, for the most part, the woman with all the difficult jobs. Madam Due Process, as she became popularly known, had to step on several, possibly hundreds of giant toes in her foray into the forbidden territory of price monitoring and ensuring value for each contract-Naira. Recall how she repackaged and branded a vibrant and attractive product out of a dull, drab and unproductive, but rich solid mineral sector of our national economy. Brand MSMD will hopefully never return to the bad old pre-Oby years. And even if she did dive into controversial waters at the Ministry of Education, none could doubt her zeal and passion for change; change for development.

Esther (yes one of them was really so named) Nenadi Usman held her own, first as Minister of State under Okonjo-Iweala and later as her own “man” at the Federal Ministry of Finance. Remember the courageous disclosures about increase in foreign exchange transfers as soon as governors received allocations from the federation account. How the governors sought to skin her alive!

Professor Dora Akunyili, easily the long distance runner is still around. Veteran of many battles and winner of all, she stands tall, an Amazon in the battle against one of the best organized crime syndicates in Nigeria - fake and adulterated medicine importers and manufacturers. It is to her integrity that she owes her continued survival in office. For, were she to have a price, this international syndicate of death purveyors would have paid it.

Ifueko Omogui is also still holding sway at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), restructuring, re-orientating and also, building a brand. So is Irene Chigbue whose success has been relatively modest at the Bureau of Public Enterprises. And I dare mention the calmness and relative dignity with which Remi Oyo carried out her task as spokesperson for a boss unknown for civility! She stood out of a crowd of uncouth and acerbic mouthpieces, conveying Obasanjo’s views without denigrating the opposition unnecessarily and assaulting our sensibilities. It was indeed an era of the Esthers and even the men couldn’t but applaud and ask for more.

Clearly, it is to these women, rather than to her two hardly distinguished terms at the House of Representatives that Madam Speaker owes her election, some say selection as presiding officer of the lower house of the National Assembly and Nigeria’s Number Four citizen. And it is therefore in her ability to walk in the same integrity and character that her position’s tenability would generally be appraised.

But see what we have playing out (by the time you read this, it would most probably have played to a kind of dénouement). Madam Speaker, according to her accusers, approved a certain amount of money for the renovation of her official residence and that of her deputy. They put the figure at N628million. The National Assembly bureaucracy says the project was an upgrade, not a renovation, and that the figure was N591million not N628million. Madam Speaker says the figure is far lower at just over N200 million and in any case she and her deputy would have spent that much on hotel expenses were she to be as profligate and unmindful of the ordinary man as her opponents are making her out to be.

Her opponents say the contract award did not follow due process. She says it did. In passing, perhaps Mrs Ezekwesili should be recalled from her desk at the World Bank to decide who’s right on this score. The Honourable Idoko-led panel established to investigate the issue has been inundated with tons of documents and plenty of sometimes sanctimonious or condemnatory; sometimes forthright or evasive verbiage from witnesses at its public sittings. The panel members have also had the privilege of ringside tickets to one of the most thrilling mixed-grill physical combats in recent times. It was a combination of boxing, kick-boxing and wrestling. Fela would have called it “roforofo fight”, I call it legislative madness. They say they have expunged it from their records and so it did not happen! Thank God, that even if they were to, commando-style, have the tapes seized from the various television stations, they cannot expunge it from our memories.

But, I digress. From the belated rebuttals coming from the speaker’s office, Mrs Patricia Etteh obviously thinks this is a fight for her political life and to some extent, it is. But I think it is much more than that. She needs to ask herself a number of soul-searching questions. Is she totally innocent of the crime she’s being accused of? I mean, was she advised by some brilliant do-gooder to save the nation over N200million Naira from hotel expenses and make a bit of it for herself in the process; thus making a name and a nest-egg? Did she make any promises to those who glowingly eulogized her at nomination, and once in office decide it wasn’t the correct thing to do? What bargains did she make to clinch the office?

These questions and many more go to the heart of some of the things I have been saying on this page. One, that every Christian in public office must live their Christianity to the full, not partially. That is to say the Christian must literally wear the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) wristlet, so that in every situation, in taking any decision, the question rings in his or her heart. What would Jesus have done? Yet if the Church leaves her members to be sponsored to office by people who do not share the values of true Christian living, it will come at a price, the price of compromise. And I have also said that the organized bodies of the Church have a pivotal role to play in this.

I shall refrain from making any pronouncements over Madam Speaker’s culpability or innocence, but there are those, like the writer of this joke, who have: “Epitaph: Here lies the remains of an e-speaker, digital hairdresser, analog friend of baba, 3-terms representative of her people and patriot of the next century who saved her country the ordeal of having to pay the statutorily allowed N2.09345794392million per day in a hotel but chose to renovate and upgrade her official residence for only N238,852, 192.90. She came, saw nothing, said nothing, did nothing. There will be two verdicts: the verdict of the House and the verdict of the people (CyberschuulNewsJoke).

Contrast that with this extract from Madam Speaker’s inaugural speeches: “…I solemnly pledge not to disappoint you. I promise, from the bottom of my heart, to serve with God‘s wisdom, the people of Nigeria and ensure a strong House…My vision is to provide leadership for a re-invigorated legislature that will be responsible and responsive to the yearnings of Nigerians… Let us fasten our seat belts as the flight of the sixth House of Representative of the Fourth Republic of the Federal Republic of Nigeria takes off. By the grace of God, we shall arrive safely at an economically prosperous, politically peaceful and progressive destination”

That’s why I am musing: Is the era of the Esthers unraveling so soon?

ARE YOU A MALE OR A MAN?

KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE
with Remi Akano
E-mail: remiakanosr@believeandrepent.com


I can almost hear you counter the headline with a question of your own: what’s the difference? And that is precisely the problem with society today, particularly, the Nigerian nation. Most people do not realize that it takes much more than being male to be a man. Ben Kinchlow, former co-presenter (with Pat Robertson) of the popular 700 Club on Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) it was, who put that truth into a powerful aphorism. Popularized by the late Dr Edwin Louis Cole, it says: being a male is a matter of birth, being a man is a matter of choice. In other words, the fact that you were born with the ’Y’ chromosome simply makes you a male; but you have a choice whether to remain just a male or rise to be a man.

This is a truth that has eluded most men, including Christian men, over the ages. It is a truth which unless the men of any nation become acquainted with and eventually internalize, that nation can never really develop. At best it might experience stunted growth, but real development to the level ordained by God shall remain a mirage.

So what makes the difference between maleness and manhood, you ask. The answer is simply this: Christ-likeness. In fact the Holy Spirit caused a man of God to put it into the maxim: manhood and Christ-likeness are synonymous. That man, Edwin Louis Cole went on to build an international men’s ministry around it and, through that ministry, pioneered what is today known as the international men’s movement.

This is also the truth that some men, including yours sincerely, have, these past few years, been propagating among Christian men in Lagos and some cities of Nigeria.

Operating under the umbrella of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria, this ministry is an affiliate of the Texas, United States-based ministry of Ed Cole, as he is more popularly known. Under the spiritual guidance and leadership of one of Nigeria’s foremost teachers of the word of faith, Rev Dr Chris Tunde Joda, the network has had a number of impressive activities which have sown seeds of critical self awareness in thousands of men in Lagos and across the nation.

CMN Nigeria, then known as Champions for Christ, had its first major outing, the Mighty Man of Valour Conference way back in June and July 2001 in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. The conference featured, apart from Dr Joda, such great men of God as Rev Larry Titus from Ohio, United States of America who had been in ministry for 35 years. There was also Emmanuel Asiedu Appiah, then Executive Director, Leaders International, a body, which had identified Africa’s 21st Century Challenge as that of Developing Godly Leaders. An internationally acclaimed Ghanaian business consultant and CMN representative in his home country, he conducted a series of word-based workshops on leadership and management. Kunle Falola, a minister of songs, who used to be known as Dizzy K, also came in from his London base to minister in anointed and prophetic songs.

At the close of that particular conference, believed to be first ever such gathering of Christian men in Nigeria, a very perceptive communiqué was issued which climaxed with the clarion: Nigerian Men, Arise!

Over the years there had been the quarterly Breakfast with the President events which held mainly at the CCIC Joy Centre Auditorium in Surulere. There was the Mighty Man of Valour Award special event held at a popular eatery in Surulere during which the president, Dr Joda received the network’s Mighty Man of Valour Award. Three of the network’s partners were also honoured with the Man of Valour award at the event which featured Rev Dr Jide Awosedo, Chairman/Chief Executive of Grant Properties Ltd as guest minister. The Ikeja Chapter ran an entrepreneur development seminar series titled Wealthy Place; while its chapters in Ojokoro, Victoria Island/Lekki, and Somolu were also very active.

But permit me to dwell a bit more on the “Luncheon with the President” held on Saturday June 24, last year at the International Conference Hall of Etiebet’s Place in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. I recall that meeting today because as I survey the horizon, it seems that many of CMNN President Joda’s words spoken under the Holy Spirit’s unction can bear repetition today as the network prepares for a series of activities for the last quarter of this year. I recall that some three hundred men drawn from across the kingdom, united in their love for God, hungry for a change in their nation and determined to be instruments of that change, came together. Together they praised and worshipped God; together they soaked in the anointed teaching of the man of God. Together they received impartation and the prophetic marching order to unite across all dividing lines, constantly sharpen one another and thus become God’s threshing instrument in His project of cleansing Nigeria for His end-time use.

The four-hour meeting lasted a bit longer due largely to logistic challenges connected with the venue. As a result the event took off behind schedule. But did that deter the men? No way. Those were men led of the Holy Spirit to abandon any personal agenda to operate with his own. They were men fully persuaded that being a man is a matter of choice and have made their choice irreversibly.

Dr Joda’s ministration was on the theme and topic “the Culture of Christian Manhood” and it was thought-provoking, challenging and “revelational”.

“Culture is the trait that identifies you, the instinct inbred in you”, he began. “People are identified by their culture. That is why the Nigerian, wherever he may be would rather eat with his fingers than with any man-made contrivance. That is why the Chinese cherishes his chopstick. Culture cannot be destroyed; it can only be developed. But a man’s real culture derives from his original heritage! Genesis 1:26 is clear about that! God made man in his image and after his likeness. So a man’s real culture derives from his heavenly heritage.”

But how does that translate to the way he lives during his earthly sojourn? Dr Joda likens that to the Phillip’s request in chapter 14 of the book of John. “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us (verse 8). To which the Lord answered “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? (verse 9)”. So, if man derives his heritage and therefore his culture from God, he only has to look to Jesus whom the bible described as the express image of the Father (see Hebrews 1:30) as his model. That then is the rationale for the truth that manhood and Christ-likeness are synonymous, which Christian Men’s Network International has proclaimed for over 25 years and the Nigerian chapter, for six.

Therefore the culture of Christian manhood takes its root, stem, leaves and fruits from the character of Christ Jesus. The interesting thing, continues Dr Joda, is that that Culture became inbred in every man when he meets Jesus. “When you meet Jesus, you acquire a new gene; a different DNA from what you had before you were saved”

Like Jesus, you are supposed to lose all fears; become courageous; able to resist temptation and reject compromise. Jesus was love personified; he was the epitome of humility; he radiated kindness; he was consistent and never did anything without seeking the counsel and direction of the Father through prayer. He was faithful to the very end. Those are the components of the Christian man’s culture; without which, though he remains a male, he will never become a man.

Dr Joda told his audience characteristically bluntly: “If we are going to change our nation, it will not be because we carry a bible, no matter its size. It will be because we have imbibed the culture of Christian manhood. The culture of the world is sub-standard; it is weak, cowardly. You must resist the temptation to conform to the culture of the world. It doesn’t matter who else is conforming, you must STAND FIRM…”

Those men left the venue rededicated to taking their place as God’s men. Many signed on to join this evolving men’s movement. What about you? My dear brother-in-the Lord, are you living your culture? All things considered the time for Nigerian Christian men to break denominational and other barriers, come together and sharpen one another to take their place is NOW – as our nation grapples with the aftermath of unprecedented electioneering brigandage. The time to stop being just males and stand up to be men is here. The time to learn the ways of Christian manhood is here.

Whether you are a man already or a male desirous of becoming a man, you can begin by finding your way today at 4:00pm to 76 Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja where the local Chapter of the network is holding a “Men at Worship” event. Also watch out for power-packed meetings with Dr Joda and such men of character, insight and experience as Mr Felix Ohiwerei, Dr Chris Kolade and many more in the coming months.

To my female readers, you have a critical role in this. Please encourage the males or men in your lives – husbands, fiancés, fathers, uncles, brothers, cousins, boyfriends, even bosses to be part of this new move of God. Your own lives would be positively affected by the change they’ll experience.
Think about it! Our families, our communities, our nation need real men, Christ-like men; men who know the truth and do the truth; men who go out courageously daily - doubting nothing, compromising nothing. It won’t be easy, but as we come together, iron sharpening iron, we will get there. And our families, our businesses, our communities and our nation will never be the same again.

First published in a Nigerian Daily, the Sunday Independent, published in Lagos Nigeria.

THE UNITY QUESTION (3)

KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE
with Remi Akano
e-mail: remiakanosr@believeandrepent.com


In concluding paragraph of my piece on Church Unity last week, I had pressed into action a wonderful man of God, Pastor Kenneth Copeland by quoting one of his many exhortations on the issue. In it this widely traveled veteran, who runs one of the most efficient ministry machines in the world, pointed out that, standing alone, we would continue to under-perform for God. He showed from the word that the very best of us can only have a measure of faith which though adequate to meet our individual needs is grossly insufficient for the assignment the Lord Jesus gave the church, the Great Commission.

He had then asserted that joining together was the solution. According to him: “ Ephesians 4:13 says that when we all come together in the unity of the faith, we'll have "the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. In other words, when the Body of Christ comes together and begins to function as one, we'll have the Holy Spirit without measure--just like Jesus did! We'll begin to see ministries functioning in the fullness of their callings. We'll begin to see manifestations of the Holy Spirit in full measure. We'll see Jesus in fullness as we've never seen Him before…” I had then urged that we should fix this “disunity thing” before it “destroys everything we profess”. I was quite content to leave the matter like that and move on to other issues. Then I received a book. Lent to me by one of the many wonderful members of my church family, Rev Moses ‘Segun Oyebola, a man with an uncanny ability to select the best, I found myself poring over the 178-page volume over and over again in the last few days. The book, I Dare to Call Him Father, is not new having been first published in 1978; I had heard bits and pieces of the story of the woman whose story it told, but somehow, I never got round to reading the book. Permit me to paraphrase the story of Bilquis Sheikh, the author and character of the book as briefly as possible. She was wealthy, aristocratic and therefore powerful. Wealth and happiness do not necessarily always co-habit. So by the time we meet her in this book, she was already a 46 year-old recluse, hiding away from the larger society in her Pakistani village of Wah. Still smarting from a very bitter divorce from her husband, a Pakistani Army general, with whom she had three children, she spent her time nursing her vast garden and harassing her retinue of servants. Then things started happening. An evil presence in her garden, a mystery illness affecting her four- year-old grandson and a visit by a muezzin to help out the Islamic way led Bilquis into a search for something or someone beyond her. For someone from a family which had some 700 years of Moslem heritage, she naturally began from the Koran. Eventually disillusioned, she started, with the seemingly ”harmless” curiosity of a child began to “meddle” with the Bible. Then she began to dream dreams and have visions of the Christian kind! In one of such dreams she had dinner with the Lord Jesus. It didn’t have much meaning to her at the time, but she found herself pressing on in the direction of finding out more about the Christian God. Then someone suggested to her to see, call and try to relate to God as a father. Though, at first staggered by the whole idea of seeing the creator of heaven and earth as a mere father, much against the belief of her erstwhile faith, she tried it or rather “dared to call him father” and she had a most thrilling experience of his presence in her bedroom.Next, she encountered Jesus. Not long after she was baptised in the Holy Spirit and later still, went for water baptism. For this writer, the core of the Bilquis story was her wonderful continuous experience of the Holy Spirit in her life right through the persecution that followed; her first trip to Singapore; her relocation to the United States of America and her extensive ministry in that country and beyond; through to her subsequent death in 1997 (not covered in this edition of the book). One little step out of the line of good Christian living and she would feel the divine presence leaving her and as she retraced herself she would sense the presence had returned! In case you are, by now, already telling yourself, “what an intriguing story, but what has it got to do with the subject matter of unity in the church, please come with me to this passage in the book’s foreword written by Catherine Marshall: “…The intensity of Madame Sheikh’s passion to witness for her Lord has fulfilled God’s primary condition for bestowing His special gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts, with the unction and authority that come with them are very apparent to all who hear her speak across the country (USA). Yet the fact that she fits no established pattern puzzles many who are more comfortable when any given leader can be tagged. “One Christian leader demanded in a letter that she state whether or not she was Charismatic. She sat at her desk thinking about that question and how even a single word can divide those who love Christ. Playfully, on impulse she picked up a quarter from her purse and said, ‘Well Father, You decide.’ “She flipped the quarter into the air saying, ‘Heads, I’m Charismatic; tails, I’m not. The silver coin spun blithely in the air, then dropped to her carpet. She could hardly believe what she saw. Kneeling down to make certain, she chuckled. What better proof could she have of the Lord’s sense of humor? The quarter had landed on its edge in the thick folds ad was standing straight up.” This is certainly not a usual way to resolve your doubts in things of the Spirit and I certainly do not recommend it what Bilquis was quoted as saying after this tiny episode in her walk with God struck me as key to our understanding what Christians should unite behind… what in contemporary lingo is the “koko”. Continues Marshall in the foreword: “The lesson Bilquis says, is that the important thing is not how we worship or what words we use or what tags we tie on, but do we love our neighbors? Are we guided by His Holy Spirit? Do we obey him implicitly? Do we weep for those who do not know Christ? Do we long to share our knowledge of Him?” Dear reader and respected Church leaders, how do you answer those questions? Those really are the basics of Christianity which qualifies anyone to be our brothers and sisters. But if Bilquis’ method of determining her tag or lack of it blinds you to the truth of her words, perhaps you won’t find Kenneth Copeland’s voice too strident, as I quote an even more recent exhortation of his on Church Unity.
According to him, anyone who knows, “how to listen to the voice of God can hear Him calling throughout the Body of Christ today. He is calling for unity. He is calling us to lay down our disagreements and come together in preparation for Jesus' return.” He admits that even the thought of uniting “scares some believers” and he could hear them saying: ‘How can I unify with someone from another denomination?’ ‘I'm not going to give up my doctrines and agree with theirs just for unity's sake!’ What they don't realize, continues Copeland, is that “scriptural unity isn't based on doctrine. Winds of doctrine, according to Ephesians 4:14, are childish. Winds of doctrine don't unify. They divide and blow people in every direction. The Word doesn't say anything about us coming into the unity of our doctrines. It says we'll come into the unity of the faith”. “In the past”, he said “we've failed to understand that and tried to demand doctrinal unity from each other anyway. ‘If you don't agree with me on the issue of tongues,’ we've said, ‘or on the timing of the rapture...or on the proper depth for baptismal waters, I won't accept you as a brother in the Lord. I'll break fellowship with you”. Brother Copeland decries that attitude as unrepresentative of “God’s way of doing things”. God, he says “doesn't have a long list of doctrinal demands for us to meet. His requirements are simple. First John 3:23 tells us what they are: to believe on the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another.” Copeland recommends that “you and I come to a place where we keep those requirements and quit worrying about the rest” so that, “we'll be able to forget our denominational squabbles and come together in the unity of faith” And as we do ”we'll grow so strong together that the winds of doctrine won't be able to drive us apart. When that happens, the devil's going to panic because the unity of the faith of God's people is a staggering thing. It's the most unlimited, powerful thing on earth.” In concluding this series on church unity, I end with these words of Kenneth Copeland: “Right now all over the world, the Spirit is calling the Church of the living God to unite. Hear Him and obey, and you can be a part of one of the most magnificent moves of God this world has ever seen”. May I add that Nigeria is destined to be in the vanguard of that move.

First published in a Nigerian Daily, the Sunday Independent, published in Lagos Nigeria.

THE UNITY QUESTION.

KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE
with Remi Akano; e-mail: remiakanosr@believeandrepent.com


We were saying that disunity is at the root of the Nigerian Church’s total lack of influence in the social, economic and especially political affairs of our nation. What influence, if any, is hardly commensurate with our size, moral authority or spiritual mandate.

We also identified something that Rev Ladi Thompson, Pastor of Living Waters Unlimited Ministries once described as “Pentecostal arrogance.” This, I might explain is that “I am the real deal” attitude of the average Pentecostal which manifests in condemnation from many pulpits of all non-pentecostal churches as “dead.” By the way, Thompson should know! He is as proudly Pentecostal as anyone could be; but his activities at Macedonian Initiative, a ministry deeply active in relief and rehabilitation works among victims of religious riots in Northern Nigeria, in particular, has, by his own admission, opened his eyes to the zeal of non-pentecostal Christians in that part of our nation.

Anyone who has ever been in certain parts of Northern Nigeria during such crisis – and I have been - would find it easy to concur. The dagger-wielding Moslem fanatic does not ask if you belonged to the Anglican, ECWA or RCCG churches before he strikes! You either denounce Jesus or be cut down. You either shout “Allah Akhbar” or begin to commit your soul to the Lord. It is truly humbling to know that most of these people do not flinch in the face of death. And you wonder how many of us, so-called “spirit-filled, tongue-talking and devil-chasing” Pentecostals can truly stare down a blood-stained machete-brandishing opponent and proclaim Jesus as Lord!

We also spoke about denominational holier-than-thou. Well, you probably have an idea or two about how this manifests. If the music is loud, the songs, I mean hymns, do not conform to certain patterns, then it cannot be of God. If the man of God has not studied theology and acquired degrees in divinity and be at home with homiletics and exegesis; if he dresses in a certain manner or spots a type of hairstyle, then he cannot be a true shepherd and cannot be accepted as a brother. Form equals substance.

Then there is the strange trinity that many of our church leaders worship; “me, myself and I” which translates to “me, my congregation and my church.” That was beautifully illustrated by the late Rev Selwyn Hughes of “Everyday With Jesus” fame in one of his daily devotional messages quoted in the book, “One Church” by this writer. He recalled the true story of the pastor of a small church somewhere in the United States of America who declared: “When I say Christian, I mean Baptist. And when I say Baptist, I mean Bible-believing Baptist. When I say Bible-believing Baptist, I mean born again by the Spirit. And by that I mean to have the Spirit indwelling. And the only place I know you can find people like that is right here in this church” That typifies the average Church leader today. It is ONLY in his church or parish that salvation can be found!

Yet, Jesus set out to build one church, not many churches. That is implicit in his declaration: “…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18). If he wanted to build many churches, he would have said so. And as we noted last week the church is characterized as the body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12:27). It is really amazing therefore that some parts of the same body seem to mutually despise each other so deeply!

Two issues in contemporary Nigerian history demonstrated clearly that weakness is a fruit of disunity. The first is the completion of what used to be known as the National Ecumenical Centre. Those who planned the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja provided for a national place of worship for each of the two major faith groups in the nation, Christianity and Islam. Within a short time, the National mosque was built and completed. Its dome soon became an unmistakable part of the Abuja skyline. In fact I daresay that virtually every aerial film footage of Nigeria’s political capital has the gleaming golden dome almost as a mark of identification.

But what happened to the Christian worship centre? It dragged and dragged until former President Olusegun Obasanjo came along and decided to champion a fund-raiser for its completion. Of course, he had to balance that by holding a similar event for the rehabilitation of the National Mosque, lest he be accused of partisanship! The National Christian Centre, as it is now more correctly called stands today, thanks, not to the Church, but to Obasanjo’s effort.

The other issue that I have never been able to take off my mind, in this respect, is the church’s failure to unite behind the executive anti-gay marriages bill which languished at the National Assembly for more than a year and in the end just managed to get a public hearing at the Senate. Now if it ever gets any look in at the National Assembly, it would have to begin again.

But the failure on this subject began much earlier. Let me explain that assertion. When, more than four years ago, a confirmed homosexual priest, Gene Robinson was ordained as Episcopal (the American arm of the Anglican Church) Bishop of New Hampshire in the United States of America, the Anglican Church’s Primate of all Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Jasper Akinola spearheaded a crusade against the seeming ascendancy of the gay movement in the church. It had been a bruising battle, one in which the enemy, using the international gay movement had fought and continues to fight really dirty. But Akinola had held out firmly, yielding no ground - virtually alone; a lone-ranger of sorts in the thick of battle. The rest of the Church in Nigeria simply looked on unconcerned. Everybody else seemed to have seen it is an Anglican problem.

Then something happened. A certain group suddenly emerged in Nigeria parodied the acronym, CAN (for Christian Association of Nigeria, then also led by Akinola) by calling itself Changing Attitudes in Nigeria and proclaimed itself as a body Christian gays. The group held a kind of gathering in Abuja and got considerable media attention. The strategy was clear. Akinola’s place in the vanguard of the anti-homosexuality campaign was hurting the movement and the enemy decided to open a battlefront here in Nigeria; expanding the theatre of war to the general’s home in a bid to take the his home turf, thereby removing his moral high ground thus destablising him. This was the situation that the Obasanjo government reacted to through the anti-gay marriages bill.

In the widely expressed opinion of this columnist, an early word of support from the rest of the church in Nigeria would not only have strengthened Akinola, it would have sent a strong signal that homosexuality would not be allowed as much as a toe-hold in the Church of God in Nigeria; and we might have been spared the Changing Attitudes in Nigeria nonsense.

The import of all of these is simple: The Nigerian Church is shooting itself on the foot by remaining disunited. It is robbing the nation of the great impact for good that it could have in the socio-economic and political development of our nation. Much more importantly we are robbing the Lord Jesus Christ the opportunity to, through us, “go about doing good” (see Acts 10:38), which was his life’s work which he handed over to us. If you think that is a journalist’s exaggeration, permit me to quote one of my favourite exhortations on Church Unity by one of the world’s best-known leaders of the word of faith movement, Kenneth Copeland. He said in of his ministrations on the subject:
“We are (Christ’s) His Body. Each of us has been given the measure of faith according to Romans 12:1-3. That measure is enough to take care of our own personal needs. However, there is more involved here than just our own personal lives. We have a world to win! We are the end-time generation. We need all the help we can get. But, thank God, we can get all the help we need! How? By joining together. Ephesians 4:13 says that when we all come together in the unity of the faith, we'll have "the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. In other words, when the Body of Christ comes together and begins to function as one, we'll have the Holy Spirit without measure--just like Jesus did! We'll begin to see ministries functioning in the fullness of their callings. We'll begin to see manifestations of the Holy Spirit in full measure. We'll see Jesus in fullness as we've never seen Him before. Then the world will know the Father sent Him...” If you read that with an open mind, you’ll probably see that much more than our role in the Nigerian nation is at stake in this matter of unity; our ability to pursue the Great Commission is vitiated by this disunity thing. Let’s fix it, before it destroys everything we profess.

First published in a Nigerian Daily, the Sunday Independent, published in Lagos Nigeria.

AND NOW, THE UNITY QUESTION.

KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE
with Remi Akano; e-mail: remiakanosr@believeandrepent.com


For many weeks now, I had “threatened” to pose the Unity Question on this page as a follow-up to what turned out to be series: A Wake-Up Call to Church Leaders. Here at last is that “threat” being carried out! My apologies please, to one and all.

We had said at the onset of the “Wake-Up Call” series that one of the major reasons for the Church’s lack of influence is the disunity in the body. Yes the body of Christ is what the Bible calls the church. Anyone with a physical body, I believe, can confirm that any disconnect between any two organs automatically leads to dysfunction, at least, graduating to malfunction and, left unchecked, subsequently to systemic breakdown. Have you ever seen someone who suffers from Parkinson’s? That is, at its most basic explanation the result of a disconnect between the brain and the limbs. You see, it is that simple; so simple you need plenty of “education” to miss it!

Frankly, I am truly exasperated by the attitude of the various arms of the Church to this fundamental commandment of Jesus Christ as to dub it heresy, as in falling away from the truth! No, I am not exaggerating, the teachings and injunctions of the Bible on the oneness of the church, appear to my uneducated mind to be so clear and so direct that the choices we have are either to obey or rebel. Much of the church, not just in Nigeria, but in most parts of the world, seems to have chosen the path of rebellion. Again, I am not exaggerating.

If anything I have said gives you the impression that I am passionate about this subject, you are right. I am so passionate about it because uniting the Church has become one of my ministries. I like to count myself among those you might call church unity activists. Let me explain that; in fact let me explain how the I was tenderly, gingerly led me into an acute awareness of this critical issue.

Five years ago, I felt a leading to put my training and experience in the media and marketing communication to work for the propagation of the gospel. I had been a magazine editor and publisher for years and naturally, I felt the place to start was publish a magazine. After going about it my way by making the magazine a mere mini-mag in what I had styled a multi-mag monthly and it did not work, I went back to God to find out what I was supposed to be doing. Clearly, the instruction was publish a Christian magazine. That for me, as a Pentecostal meant just one thing: publish for the Pentecostal wing of the church. In fact, virtually everybody I interacted with took that fact for granted. But I kept having this check in my spirit that I might not have gotten my brief right. As I prayerfully tried to pursue the vision, the word “kingdom” continually leaped at me and the magazine eventually took the name KINGDOMPeople. Then it dawned on me! If it is a kingdom publication, it is meant for the entire church, not any wing of it!

As one of my pastors would say, please come with me, I am taking you somewhere. I eventually produced a pilot edition and then a maiden edition, about one year apart! The next edition is still being awaited! You know why? Many powerful members of my pentecostal family saw the magazine as a hybrid that cannot contribute much to the growth of the church; church obviously as in the Pentecostal and charismatic wing of it. And what did the “denominationals” think? For some, it was “ah, here comes another poaching tool of the Pentecostals!” For some others, we must protect our congregation from Pentecostal pollution. The result? No patronage of any kind; at least not the kind that sustain a colour gloss monthly. My protests to God after the failure elicited a strong impression in my spirit; I was being called to publish a magazine to propagate the unity of the church, not one to benefit from an existing well-knit readership! In other words, KINGDOMPeople has to be one of Christ’s tools for uniting his body.

In the event, I beat a retreat on the magazine project to await the fullness of time and became active in what I have since discovered is an emerging Church Unity movement. We have set up a One Church Campaign as a project of the magazine. I have written and published a mini-book on the subject which was presented to a multi-denominational audience at a One Church Luncheon over a year ago. The book circulated free. In the emerging movement in the Lagos area alone are Sonship Unity Foundation, One Spirit Club and One Body Ministries. Sonship Unity Foundation is God’s vision to Pastor Paul Adams, the famous actor and producer. The group, with which I have the privilege of being involved with has held a number of unity events and has plans for many pan-Church projects. One Spirit Club is anchored by Kunle Lagunju, a young man whose zeal for things of God is simply amazing. They are also hard at work propagating unity. One Body Ministries is run by Joseph Baiyekusi, whom I have not met but who is doing a great job through his Unity message in his free monthly newspaper format magazine “Ekklesia.”

Now I have said all of that first to explain how I got into the fray, as it were and why this is has become one of my life’s works; the men’s ministry being the other major one. I have also in the course of saying all of that pointed out that God has begun to move in the hearts of many people to take up the challenge of bringing the church back to the path of obedience, ion this very crucial subject.

In spite of this however, the task remains almost daunting. There is what Rev Ladi Thompson, Pastor of Living Waters Unlimited describes as Pentecostal arrogance to deal with. There is denominational holier-than-thou to confront. There is the worship by many top pastors at the altar of a certain kind of trinity known as”my self, my church and I”

Let me share a couple of insights with you from personal experience and observations. A couple of quotations from the mini-book I mentioned earlier should come in useful here. Writing in that book, one attempted a snapshot of the state of the Church in Nigeria today under the title, One Christ; Many Bodies? On distrust for instance, we have this passage: “The distrust is so strong that a respected member of the KINGDOMPeople Commission, a body of Christians from across the denominational divides who have agreed to serve as conduits of God’s wisdom to the vision (of KINGDOMPeople magazine of which this writer is Editor) told the inaugural session of the group that his particular denomination finds it easier to deal with Moslems than Pentecostals. This according to him was because Pentecostals were perceived as deriving pleasure in condemning the orthodox churches in order to poach away their members! Thank God for such forthrightness, which is the rock upon which unity can be built.”

The passage on doctrinal disagreements reads: “Closely related to the issue of distrust is that of disagreement on doctrine, mostly minor ones.

“Many a Pentecostal thinks that the Catholic confessing his/her sin to the priest is misapplying scripture and speaks derisively about it. Many an Anglican thinks speaking in tongue is akin to speaking gibberish and jumps at every opportunity to condemn it.

“Every Saturday morning, one brother from the Seventh Day Adventist Church goes around my neighbourhood proclaiming that day as the Sabbath and assuring all who work that day of dire repercussions. He also never misses the opportunity provided by Sundays to condemn as a waste of time all worship efforts that day.

“Among the Pentecostals there are differences of the pseudo-doctrinal type too. The deliverance minister is dismissed as preying on the people’s ignorance; undertaking long punitive fasting and prayer projects and seeing demons everywhere. The healing minister is a miracle-purveyor who heals at crusades but is unable to disciple the people because he doesn’t have the word-base to do so. He is therefore responsible for most cases of the clean house syndrome that Jesus spoke about in Luke11: 24-26. The teacher is laughed at as lacking in power; teaching the word with no signs and wonders following. The so-called prosperity preacher is branded an unholy filthy lucre-chasing congregation manipulator whose ministry cannot stand the test of scrutiny. And the holiness preacher is seen as hypocritical or ignorant or both.”
Flowing from this total lack of unity which is, at one level, the result of total denominational loyalty, a number of unfortunate manifestations are noteworthy. We’ll examine them together next week, if the Lord tarries.

First published in a Nigerian Daily, the Sunday Independent, published in Lagos Nigeria.

THAT CHAMPIONS MAY NOT BE HOMELESS

KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE
with Remi Akano
e-mail: remiakanosr@believeandrepent.com

As you read this, one event will be opening in far away London, which can rightly be described as momentous. It’s this year’s edition of International Gathering of Champions Conference. It is an annual event of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) founded and run by Nigeria’s Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo. It is epochal even. And I am not being hyperbolic.

You can be forgiven for cynically asking, why? Is it the theme: Open Heavens? Is it the fact that such giants of the faith as Bishop Eddie Long, Tudor Bismark, Pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant, Dr Marcus Lamb, Dr. N. Cindy Trimm, Robb Thompson, Mike Murdock and Bill Winston would be ministering? Or the calibre of anointed music ministers who would be in attendance led by such famous names as Minister Israel Houghton and Pastor Donnie McClurkin and including Psalmist Judy Bailey, Minister Byron Cage and the KICC Mass Choir?

Those would be enough reasons were this a promotional piece. Those would be good enough reasons to urge you to catch the next available flight to London to “be a champion” or at least rub shoulders with the champions. But no, this is NOT a promotional piece. It is a piece meant to be yet another wake-up call to the church.

You see, IGOC 2007 has been styled “The Last One” by its organizers and even the event website is www.thelastone.com. And unless you have been following the drama playing out between KICC and the authorities in London, you might even be tempted to applaud the packaging savvy of KICC event people. But like a beautiful bandage over a wound, the Last One tells the story of battles fought, won and lost; the story of how the enemy has successfully bruised the heal of a flourishing seed of the woman, but thanks to God is blissfully unaware of his exposed head!
This quote from Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo’s welcome message on the lastone.com website introduces the heart of the matter: “…It will also be memorable for another reason - this will be the last IGOC conference to be held on this site in Hackney, because our land has been acquired to use for the 2012 London Olympic Games. So a chapter in our history is drawing to a close. But with an end comes an opportunity for a new beginning, and we bless God for His faithfulness to us over all the preceding years, and trust Him for greater things to come. IGOC will continue, and in due course we will let you know where it will take place next year.”
Allow me to background this a little. For about five years now, KICC had been in a battle to retain the 9.5-acre land upon which its church is built in Hackney due to the authorities’ refusal to grant her zoning permits. They were given until November 2006 to relocate. A spokesperson for the church, Charlotte Coker, had admitted that much last year. Her words: “the church has been trying for several years to get permission to continue religious activities on the site and to build offices, a hotel and a sports arena. The request was denied in 2003 and was upheld on appeal in 2004”.

So, on the face of it, this is a straight case of land use violation for which, were it to be Abuja in the heydays of Obasanjo, Nasir El-Rufai would simply have moved in the bulldozers. But please listen to Pastor Asimolowo’s perspective on the issue back then. Speaking to Charisma magazine, he said: “KICC is facing spiritual warfare in the extreme. Christians around the world need to snap out of the thought that Europe is a Christian continent. It is now post-Christian, and persecution is happening in ever-increasing frequency. Britain carries the same spirit.”

Expatiating on the spiritual angle he continued: ‘The local authority has now deliberately canceled the bus route in front of our church so people will struggle to get to church on Sunday. They are also now wheel-clamping cars of people attending our three services in the surrounding roads to KICC on Sundays which they didn’t do previously. Mosques not far from us are not experiencing the same thing so we know what this is all about….KICC has cooperated with the LDA in trying to find an alternative home. But the four sites the church was shown were inappropriate or will not be available in time. The church researched another 21 locations to no avail. Since then the LDA has been dragging its feet…KICC wants to be a centre of an outreach to athletes, officials, media and spectators who visit London during the Olympics.”

Back then, Pastor Ashimolowo’s concluding statement had caught our attention and in a piece titled, “KICC Versus London: Much More Than the Olympics Park”, we commended it to readers of this column (published elsewhere). The pastor had told Charisma “…We are soliciting the prayers of the body Christ. The bible says in Isaiah 59:19 that ‘when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.”

I do not have any doubt in my mind that many people would have hearkened to the pastor’s request for prayer at the time. I also do not doubt that our prayer answering God did hear and has responded and in his omniscience has decided to open a new chapter for “Europe’s fastest growing church.” That is why they have to move.

The good news is that they have found a place. Pastor Ashimolowo said on thelastone.com website: “A plot at Beam Reach, a brown field industrial site in the London Borough of Havering, has been identified by the London Development Agency as a suitable location for our community complex. With the full support of the Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Development Agency, from whom we are acquiring the Site, we are now seeking to make a permanent new home in Havering.”
But they are a long way away from clinching it. There are several layers of applications and approvals required. London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC), the London Borough of Havering and other stakeholders, including local people will all be involved. In Asimolowo’s words: “The planning authority will assess KICC’s relocation to Beam Reach, based on the type of use proposed and its relationship to national and local policies and other planning issues”.
That is why I say this is a wake-up call. The enemy will do its best to stall the process, so we need to counter him with our prayers. Let me end by paraphrasing my conclusion in the 2006 article. In situations like this the word of God in Isaiah 45:1 is quite reassuring. It reads like this in the Message translation: “GOD's Message to his anointed, to Cyrus, whom he took by the hand To give the task of taming the nations, of terrifying their kings-- He gave him free rein, no restrictions.” Let’s war with the word of God so that cyberspace may host www.newbeginning.com to herald next year’s IGOC Conference.

First published in a Nigerian Daily, the Sunday Independent, published in Lagos Nigeria.