Woman Editor, TEMITOPE DAVID-ADEGBOYE, chronicles the inspiring sermon of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya at the latest edition of Ruth and Boaz Fellowship, an inter-denominational fellowship organised by the Fountain of Life Church in Ilupeju, Lagos
Hard times are not always the best times to know and judge the true character of a person; but this is the time good leaders are revealed, says Senior Pastor, Fountain of Life Church, Taiwo Odukoya.
You may call it an allusion to the famous quote by Martin Luther King, Jr., that “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Odukoya said this at the latest meeting of Ruth and Boaz Fellowship, which holds thrice a year – February, May and October – with the theme ‘Arise, Shine’.
The fellowship is an inter-denominational support group for widows, widowers, single parents, divorcees and matured singles to find practical help in terms of individual and group empowerment spiritually, materially and emotionally.
Odukoya, the convener, said it is in God’s character to command people to rise because human beings are prone to distraction.
He re-stated the plan of God as recorded in Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Circumstances and situations may, however, not allow this promise to come through.
Citing Daniel, Joseph, Esther, Deborah and David who God commanded to arise after their ‘down moments’, the cleric said they knew the purpose of God for their lives, but derailed somehow, and God whipped them into line.
He stated that circumstances and situations may not allow us to shine, but God knows what and who he created.
“Whatever situation that is holding you down will have no choice than to give way. However, until you fall back in line with God’s plans, you cannot shine,” Odukoya said, while positing out that the devil would create situations to hold people down. That is why, he said, God occasionally says “Arise”.
Odukoya said: “You are not defined by your condition. Once you know who you are, the situation will not toss you around again.
“You must understand that your status today cannot and should not stop your destiny. If you allow your status to affect your destiny, you have made a mistake. You cannot say because a man jilted you, so you will not love again. You cannot say because your husband or wife died, then life must come to an end. You must realise that these are distractions and corners. You must learn to realign with God, so that you can shine.
“Some of us believe that the status (single, married, widowed, etc) in forms is who we are, forgetting sometimes that who we are is not defined by this temporary status; that our life is evolving to become who God has created us to be.
“The fact that you had a child as a teenager, your husband packed out to live with another woman or you suddenly became a widow and your needs are not been met right now does not mean it would not be met. There is a time and a season for everything, so your need will be met in Jesus name. Everything about you has been settled in the spiritual, so nothing can stop it from manifesting in the physical. Be patient, trust in the God you serve, He will come through for you. God is Awesome and whatever He does is good and permanent.”
He urged the congregation to obey God, give thanks for who they are, so that their real value can be revealed, adding that they should not stop shinning because of their situations.
“You shouldn’t stop shinning because your husband died, left you or you had a child at 15. You should shine through it because Roms 8:28 says ‘And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose’.
“Your future will be defined by the way you are thinking today. If you think your status today defines your future, then the devil has won; but if you think your status today is a stepping stone into the great future God has planned for you, then the devil has lost the battle. Quit the self-pity, stop defining yourself by the challenges you face today, stir up the gift of God inside of you and walk tall, looking ahead to the great future that lies ahead of you,” Odukoya said.
Members also got the opportunity to express personal views, share problems and get answers to questions that had been bogging their minds.
Before the cleric’s ministration, members had given testimonies of changed lives, God’s intervention in situations and divine provision.
His wife, Pastor Nomthi Odukoya, also appreciated the workers of the fellowship with gifts, while everyone that attended also took something home.
Ruth and Boaz, an outreach of The Fountain of Life Church, was conceived by Odukoya when it dawned on him that in the church and the society at large have an ever increasing percentage of singles of all shades – single parents, divorcees and widows/widowers.
The ministry aims at providing support to both genders, meeting their specific needs – spiritual, emotional and physical – where necessary.
It also provides a conducive environment for all members to freely express their views and share problems, thus giving them a clearer vision of the beauty in their challenges, the opportunities that lie ahead of them and, most importantly, one more reason to keep moving on.
Through its cooperative and vocational training system, the ministry also provides practical help in forms of individual and group empowerment by the leading of the spirit through the word of God, which enables members to be self-sufficient in every area of their lives.
The inaugural fellowship was held in April 2008 at the Church premises in Ilupeju.
