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.”

 

AS “BAD MEAT” GOES HOME…

"About an hour later, he and Segun were seeing me off, when he told me he had a testimony. He then told me how as he was seeking the Holy Spirit’s leading concerning his driver’s licence, he felt led to go to a pile of books right inside his office. He obeyed, took the one right under the pile, opened it and lo and behold, his licence stared back at him! His boyish face lighting up in a smile, he said: “I wish I could live my life this way.'”
 

I was still home on the morning of March 5, when I got a call from my friend, Tunde Fagbenle, the political activist, now of the Kick Out Siddon Look campaign, columnist and entrepreneur. Have you heard, he asked and before I could respond, he told me how that “Bad Meat” was dead; that he died in a flood that resulted from the heavy downpour of the night before; and how it happened virtually in his own car on his way home, right there on Agege Motor Road, a mere ten minutes’ drive to the warmth of home and the embrace of his waiting wife.

My heart almost stopped. “Bad Meat”, as Dele Odegbami, elder brother of Segun, had been known since his days as a no-nonsense, hard-tackling defender on the football pitch, was not just my friend’s brother, he was my friend.

Yes, I know there are a thousand and one others across the length and breadth of Nigeria who have better claim to that title, but that is the nature of the man. Whenever you were with him, he made you feel special. That explains why those who’ll miss him are legion.
 

Let me tell you just one of the many things that I would never forget about this man, who died prematurely that Monday night in Lagos. When I was ordained a pastor many years ago, Dele was the ONLY one of my friends who did not ostracise me! Although, I have since been restored, virtually all else simply stopped calling me; stopped inviting me to even family events. It was as if I had contacted leprosy! Although, I now understand the spiritual import of the development, I didn’t then and it hurt!

Dele didn’t just kept in touch, he responded to my invitation to the many Christian Men’s Network Nigeria events, which had become my passion, he would send me the Thursday Showers newsletter of his church, Fountain of Life Church and materials from Radio Bible Class. He was an encourager then and he remained one till the very end.
 

Our last two one-on-one interactions would remain evergreen in my memory. The very last one was about two weeks before his sudden departure. We sat in his office as he told me about his experience at the Pastors and Leaders retreat of Fountain of Life Church, where he had become a strong member of the Abraham and Sarah fellowship and a respected leader. He was humbled, he said, by what he learnt. He spoke about being better able to understand what it meant to be a pastor and how much better he now appreciated pastors.

A month or so earlier, on one of my visits to the Oweh Street office of Worldwide Sports, where he operated from, he, as he wont to do, told me how he had been stopped by a traffic officer the day before and asked for his driver’s licence. He looked everywhere in his car and couldn’t find it. It took the officer’s grace at recognising the Odegbami name to let him off.
 

As a result of that he had spent several hours since then looking for the license.  As we spoke, he said he had sent his car to the car wash with instructions to turn it inside out and, if necessary upside down, all in search of the licence. Innocently, I asked: “have you asked the Holy Spirit?” No, he replied and proceeded to do so, immediately. I left him to meet with Segun.

About an hour later, he and Segun were seeing me off, when he told me he had a testimony. He then told me how as he was seeking the Holy Spirit’s leading concerning his driver’s licence, he felt led to go to a pile of books right inside his office. He obeyed, took the one right under the pile, opened it and lo and behold, his licence stared back at him!
 

His boyish face lighting up in a smile, he said: “I wish I could live my life this way.”

This brings me to my puzzle about the manner of his death. As Segun put it in his beautiful tribute to him, “Only God, his creator, actually knows what happened” when he found himself in that flood-induced traffic jam. “Through the ordeal of that night he was first on the phone with Otunba, his friend. After that, several times, he ran the ‘commentary’ of what was happening to him inside the car particularly how the water level was rising and the flooded environment. At one point during their conversation she screamed at him to abandon the car and get out to save himself.  For some reason he assured her to stop worrying, that he would be fine, and remained in the car.”  

 

Then he gave this poser: “Why did he not get out of his car and wade through the floods to safety?  Why did he not break the windshield of the car if he was trapped and could not open the door of the car due to the pressure of rushing water outside? Why did he not do any one of several possible things that everyone that hears the story thinks he should have done?” 

 

And I am wondering, did he ask the Holy Spirit? I know there’s nothing he would have wanted at that moment better than to hear God’s voice at that critical moment. Did he? My guess is he did and he must have heard Him say “come home, son.” He obeyed and some of us are the lonelier for it.  As his body is laid to rest this Friday at Wasimi, all I can say is thanks, “Bad Meat”, for being an exemplar in more ways than one.

PRESENTING…THE TELEIOS MAN

"The book published in the United States is set for release across the West coast of Africa in May. It will, in fact, be formally presented during the Kingdom Global Ministries African convention slated for Port Harcourt." 

You are forgiven if your reaction to the headline is: “The Teleios Man; what’s that?” So, let’s start this way. Teleios is a Greek word and it means “finished”. No, not finished as in ended etc. It is finished as in “finishing” school. You know, as in perfect, complete, the ultimate. It’s the same word that the Lord Jesus used on the cross when he proclaimed, “it is finished!”

The Teleios Man is therefore, the perfect man, the man of excellence and it is the title of a book for men who cherish Christlikeness. It is the title of a book by Larry Titus, pastor of Kingdom Global Ministries and quintessential minister to men and mentor directly to hundreds of men across the globe and thousands of others indirectly.

The book published in the United States is set for release across the West coast of Africa in May. It will, in fact, be formally presented during the Kingdom Global Ministries African convention slated for Port Harcourt. 

The West African edition is being published by KP Books  (www.kpbooksnigeria.com), an outfit of KINGDOMPeople where yours sincerely is a steward. I have read many books written to men and many of them are so good you’ll wonder what anyone else can add; until you read this! 

Put simply,  The Teleios Man is the most comprehensive single-volume to men available.

With foreword by no less a veteran as Pastor Jack Hayford, former International President of Foursquare Church Worldwide, Chancellor of The King’s University and Seminary and Founding Pastor, The Church On the Way, the book has received ringing endorsement across all denominational boundaries in the Church.

Dr Hayford’s had this to say about Teleios Man:

“It’s been twenty years since I heard one of my favorite quotes. Its appeal to me is the way it cuts to the core—being more than just clever, it’s Christ-like: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing!”

“I hope it doesn’t offend anyone that it isn’t a quote from the Bible, especially since I said I see it as very much “like” Jesus. But I’ll stand by it, because what Jesus modeled in the way he spent his time indicates “the main thing” as he saw it. Jesus’s ministry spent more time on “discipling men” than anything else.

“That’s what this book is about—discipleship. It’s about shaping, growing, mentoring, teaching, nurturing guys in ways that they become very real though not “very religious.” It’s about precisely the same thing Jesus did in laying the groundwork for establishing his church.

·         Yes, he died to provide salvation for humankind and birthed the possibility for his church.

·         Yes, he rose from the dead, and in verifying his cross did achieve #1; he gave the church a life-giving message.

·         Yes, he sent his Spirit, pouring out “power from on high” to enable the church—his people—to effectively “go into all the world” with his works as well as his Word (Luke 24:49, Mark 16:15).

“But Jesus focused on discipling men. There’s no reason to apologize for that as though he was or is indifferent to women. His ministry not only elevated the place of women in his day, but also timelessly opened doors of purpose and ministry for women, overthrowing ancient traditions of male chauvinism. But nonetheless, his first priority was discipling men. He invested an incredible amount of time enabling a group of men to find their way past the habits, syndromes, preoccupations, and patterns that tend to trap guys.

“This is the pattern the living church has employed from that day to this, and where leaders “get” this, they always welcome resources that help cultivate effective ministry to men. That’s why I’m so happy to intro­duce this book by Larry Titus.

“Larry has a plan for “springing the traps,” and I’ve seen the evidence of what happens when men open to the kind of “male liberation” his resources provide. Whether as a writer, as a pastor, as a teacher, as a one-to-one mentor, as a small-group or large-crowd speaker, as a counselor, or as an apostolic missionary to nations, Larry effectively communicates with and helps men become what real discipleship in Christ can make them.

This handbook may be his best condensation of those principles—a dynamic handbook you can use, sir—as a leader with others, as a buddy teaming with another to move forward in Christ together, or simply as a discipling plan to get started on your own.

“So make “the main thing the main thing.” Get into discipling men — beginning with the man God can bring you to be yourself. This book will help you use The Book to get there: It’s ‘the right stuff.’”

I particularly like Dr Hayford’s concluding declaration in the Foreword: “The Teleios Man is for God and for guys, because when husbands grow, wives win; and as men grow, women are freed.”  

May I add: our nation needs men, men, like Joseph, prime minister of ancient Egypt; this book will be of immense help in raising real men. I consider it a privilege to be used of God to bring it to our shores. Get ready.

AFROGUARD...OF WHOM THE WORLD WAS NOT WORTHY...

Tunde Agbabiaka...a  day
 before  he slipped into a coma.

"In later life, he embraced Christianity and was a kind of associate member of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria, which I coordinate. In our various informal Bible studies, Tunde would return again and again to the theme of Christ’s meekness and humility. He would wonder how many of our leaders, church leaders not exempted, would tolerate their followers talk to them the way Jesus’ disciples did on at least two recorded occasions..."

I have been doing my very best to celebrate rather than mourn the sudden departure of one of the best friends any one can have, Tunde Agbabiaka, who passed on in the early hours of Monday December 17 last year. Yet, the plain truth is that I sorely miss him. He was one of my closest collaborators in the current phase of life.

...HIS Remains...going...

His voice still rings in my ears as he spoke down the scratchy line of the Airtel network on Wednesday, December 12. To my “hello Tunde”, I still can hear him say: “Remington! Are you out of the woods yet?” And when I answered, “not quite” and told him what part of an on-going KINGDOMPeople project was still being expected from him , he was quick to reply, ‘I’ll see you on Friday.”

He never did, and never will! Instead, I got a “call to prayer” from a mutual friend in the UK. Tunde, he was told, had slipped into a coma and even as efforts were afoot to get him to the hospital, I was requested to join in praying for his recovery.

Now, it is when it happens close to home, as in this case, that the state of affairs in our nation hits you beyond the momentary shock you get from reading newspaper reports. Arrangements were made to transport Tunde to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital at Idi-Araba not too far from his Falolu Road, Surulere residence. But, lo and behold, LUTH doctors were “on strike!” His minders were advised to head for the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital LASUTH in Ikeja. For those who know anything about the gridlock of December traffic in Lagos, that was like a death sentence!

...Going...

Head for Ikeja the party did. The siren of an ambulance notwithstanding the journey to Ikeja took quite a while. As they were making their way towards the hospital some family members and friends were not just praying, they were working the phones to see who knows who that can facilitate speedy attention to him, at what was now anticipated to be an overstretched facility. No dice! The one name that came up belonged to a soft-spoken doctor who was on vacation far away from base!

As was expected LASUTH was already a bedlam of sorts and patients were being directed to the Federal Medical Centre at Apapa Road, Ebute Metta. It took another hour or so to get Tunde to what was to be his last place abode on terra firma. Some 60 hours later, he passed on. He was buried two days ago.

I met Tunde in 1973 at the Times Journalism Institute (then Times Newspaper Training Centre). Although he was born into Islam, he was then an adherent of the Baha’i faith. He was always in search of man’s deeper essence and spirituality, a subject about which most of us, his colleagues were at best lukewarm. At our very best, most of us were humanists and anchored our journalism on its shifting ethics. Tunde operated at a different, deeper level. So while most of us were as concerned about the essence of governance vis-à-vis the human condition and the ends of justice and equity, as Tunde was, he seemed propelled by a higher force.

gone...going night, Afroguard

In later life, he embraced Christianity and was a kind of associate member of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria, which I coordinate. In our various informal Bible studies, Tunde would return again and again to the theme of Christ’s meekness and humility. He would wonder how many of our leaders, church leaders not exempted, would tolerate their followers talk to them the way Jesus’ disciples did on at least two recorded occasions. One was at the scene of the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, where Jesus asked the question, “who touched me?” The disciples’ retort was akin to: Haba, master, in this crowd? (see Luke 8:45). The other was at the calming of the storm.  

The other was at the calming of the storm in Mark 4. The sharp rebuke by his disciples: “Master, carest thou not that we perish? (verse 38) Tunde would contend would have earned the speaker a suspension or sack from work from many of today’s leaders.

It is a tribute to the “nothing by half” lifestyle of the man that he was at a deliverance service at the Cornelius House Christian Centre the day before he went into a coma. He was also deeply committed to the vision of publishing for the Kingdom of God, which found outlet in KINGDOMPeople magazine of which he was not just a Contributing Editor but a great source of encouragement.

All of that is in the past now. I must accept your departure as a reality! I must accept that this is not a nightmare from which I would wake up. I must live with the fact that you have translated to the other side of the divide, with all those lofty visions and missions interred with your bones.

That someone with your pedigree; someone with your nobility of heart, and acuity of mind; one irreversibly committed to not join the multitude to do evil and who did not let pass any opportunity to fight against it as often as was possible…that you could slip into anonymity and simply fizzle out, like the coma from which you never recovered, speak volumes about the depth of our socio-economic and moral abyss.

 As I reflect upon your activities, especially in the last five years, a Biblical passage in the book of Hebrews kept coming strongly to my mind. It’s from the chapter widely accepted as the Faith Hall of Fame or, if you like, the Gallery of Faith Heroes. It reads thus:

 “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:36-38; emphasise added). 

Nigeria is not worthy of you, Tunde. Rest now, Afroguard. Rest, my friend, my brother, my collaborator, my associate, my chief cheer-leader; till we meet again.

CELEBRATING KOLADE @ EIGHTY

 "I am personally grateful to God for granting me the privilege of interacting relatively closely with Dr Kolade in the recent past. My prayer and I know it’s that of so many others, is that his godly deposits in me, such as they are, through his words and actions will continue to bear fruits in my life; the selfsame fruits that have stood him  out as an exemplary leader"

Yesterday, Dr Christopher Agbolade Kolade, a Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) turned eighty. Appropriately, a birthday seminar held in honour of the cerebral, technocrat, boardroom icon, man of integrity and an exemplary witness of Christ. Professor (Pastor) Yemi Osinbajo, a former Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice spoke on the topic, “Teach Us To Number Our Days – A Legacy of Accountability” at the strictly by invitation event. Venue was Freedom Park on Lagos Island.

Yes indeed, his is a legacy of accountability. His character, his integrity, as I have had occasion to say before, is one of the very few consensuses among us Nigerians. That is a feat, given the paucity of trust in our land caused by the almost hourly incidences of betrayal of trust by leaders who turned out to be clay-footed giants.

I join members of his nuclear family, the Managing Business For Christ (MBFC) and his many other families to wish this man of God all the joy that his heart can carry, continued peace and rest in God and continued excellent health, physical and spiritual as he begins the last third of the Biblically promised minimum of 120 years on this side – if the Lord tarries.

I am personally grateful to God for granting me the privilege of interacting relatively closely with Dr Kolade in the recent past. My prayer and I know it’s that of so many others, is that his godly deposits in me, such as they are, through his words and actions will continue to bear fruits in my life; the selfsame fruits that have stood him  out as an exemplary leader.

Incidentally, one of the things I have learnt from this great man of God is his total and complete dependence on the Holy Spirit. That is what all Christians ought to do, but because we’ve had year and years of self-dependence through secular education, we not only fail to do it; we virtually deny that it is possible. To those of that school of thought, here are a few examples from the book, “He Made The Difference, The Dynamic Story of Ambassador Christopher Kolade in Britain” written by Pamela Chinekwe and published in Nigeria by KP Books.

Why he allowed the book to be written

“I walked into the large office and the first thing that struck me was how a room can tell so much about the person who inhabits it. The simple, neat and elegant furnishing carefully devoid of any frills, stated a lot about my host.

“‘Welcome Pamela, what do you have to show me?’…I dug into my folder and came up with it. Taking a deep breath, I placed it in his hands, and then waited in anticipation. He looked at the contents of the folder I had given him.  As he glanced up at me, my heart lurched wickedly in my chest. What is he going to say? His face had this look of total disbelief. He said nothing for a moment. The quiet humming of the computer on his desk sounded louder than my grandma’s old clock in my tense mind. I wanted this so much... He finally spoke, ‘I do not think I should be allowing this. Everything I have done here has been my job, nothing out of the ordinary. ‘

“‘No, it is not.’  I looked around for where that had come from and saw no one. Somehow, I had opened my mouth to speak my thought out loud!

“‘I beg your pardon?’  he asked. I am sure he could not imagine he had heard right as well.

“I cleared my throat, took a gasp of air and blurted with all the passion I could muster, ‘Sir, if I may say so, you did your job. But your job is a job no one was ready to do. You did something no one had dared to, until now. This is not something we should just brush under the carpet, but something that must be documented so that others can learn from your experiences and techniques. I have carried out my research, all I need is your approval to publish the truth, and I hope you will let me…’ I waited for him to say something and finally after two minutes he looked at me again and said, ‘Go ahead and do it, let me know if you need anything from me.’ My jaw actually dropped wide open. No words could come out of my mouth.

“He continued by way of explaining his change of mind, saying, ‘I asked the Holy Spirit what to tell you and He said to me, if she says she wants to do this, let her. Although I would never have approved this ordinarily, you can go ahead. Only stick to the facts.’”

Why he accepted the job as High Commissioner to Britain

“When I asked him what had been running through his mind during this period (when he was appointed), the High Commissioner answered, ‘Well, I told myself that if there are truly problems of this magnitude happening in our High Commission, someone had to try to solve it. If the Lord has called us to go there, we might as well obey.’”

Dichotomy between his work and his faith?

“…I asked him how he managed to balance his faith and life as a man of God with his secular job as a High Commissioner. He gave me that smile that I had now gotten quite accustomed to and he replied and said, ‘My starting position is that there is nothing that I am involved in that God didn’t lead me into. I took up this role as High Commissioner because God indicated to me that he wanted me to take it… He would give me an assignment or permit me to take it because He knows that I will do my best to be faithful to him. In my day to day decision making, my day opens with the conviction that whatever opportunities come to me that day must be used to serve God. I must not assume that there are certain times of the day that I work for myself or I am working for someone else because God is interested in everything I do; He can give me an opportunity to serve Him through anything.’”

Happy Birthday sir.

PS: I seize this opportunity to say Happy Birthday tom y wife,  my Treasure, whose day it is today. LOVE YOU LOADS.