Every first week of June is the anniversary of Maranatha Lord Cometh Ministries International, with headquarters in Ibadan, Oyo State. Woman Editor, TEMITOPE DAVID-ADEGBOYE, was at the thanksgiving service for this year’s celebration which theme was ‘Thy Kingdom Come’
Evangelist Tope Alabi (left) and husband, Soji; with Bishop and Rev (Mrs) Alawode
Curtain fell on the week-long activities marking the 20th anniversary of Maranatha Lord Cometh Ministries International last Sunday at the Ibadan headquarters.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, the presiding overseer of the church, Bishop Samuel Alawode, identified two kingdoms that every believer must strive to belong to as kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven. According to him, the kingdom of heaven is unseen, while the kingdom of God is the earthly presence of the kingdom of God, and every believer must strive to carry His presence.
“The kingdom of heaven is where all those who are saved will return to after death, while the kingdom of God is the demonstration of God’s expectations on earth. It is righteous, peace that silences storms, glory, power and Holy Ghost in operation. That is why Jesus said in Matt: 6: 9, ‘…Thy kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven’.”
He continued from another book of the Synoptic Gospels: “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in our midst” (Luke 17:20-21).
According to Alawode, heaven is the headquarters of believers, but it has colonies everywhere. “We are ambassadors of Christ and we must abide and do what the kingdom says, and that can only be gotten from the bible.”
Quoting from Matt 6: 1-10, he said: “The language of the kingdom is the official language for all her colonies, just like English is the official language for the countries Britain colonised. And as we speak the language of our colonial masters, so also must every believer speak the language of God’s kingdom.
“Dress code and tradition of the kingdom also affect the colonies; that is why, as Christians, our dressing must show what God expects of us. Moderation is God’s standard, so when a Christian dresses without restraint, he or she is not portraying the Kingdom of God.”
Rather than strive to make heaven alone or wait until they get to heaven before they can have a feel of it, the assignment of Christians on earth, according to Alawode, is to bring God’s glory into whatever they do and wherever they find themselves.
“It is not all about heaven. We need to act in such a way that those who are not aspiring for heaven will see heaven on earth and come to Him.
He listed areas God wants worshippers to demonstrate His will to include: religion, commerce, education/research, fashion/entertainment, politics and governance. Others are engineering, construction, media/communication and sports.
“His desire is that we bring into place the principles of his kingdom. The kingdom of God is all about purity, love, glory, greatness and that is what we should strive to bring down everywhere we are.
“We will make heaven, but we must demonstrate the kingdom of God on earth in every facet of life. There is no point in a Christian having surplus and his neighbour is poor and hungry and he cannot come to his aid. We must demonstrate love for our neigbours,” he said.
He charged the congregation to be citizens of heaven and possessors of the earth.
The celebrations, which began on Sunday, June 1, had other clerics ministering to the people in the word and in songs. Prominent among them were Bishops Taiwo Adelakun of Victory International Church and Kayode Odulaja of Prevailing Words Bible Church, both in Ibadan. Evangelist Tope Alabi ministered in songs.
It was not all sermons, as children and women took to the pulpit to sing praises to God who has preserved the ministry in the last two decades.
Some children of the ministry were also rewarded with gifts for their participation and outstanding performance in the annual Bishop and Rev. (Mrs.) Alawode’s Annual Essay Competition in three categories. For the primary school pupils, the topic was “The importance of computer”; the secondary students wrote on “Role of internet in national development”, while the tertiary education students sent in essay on: “Military intervention, a curse or blessing.”
Ten-year-old Akanji Samuel came tops in the primary school category, Olanrewaju Bello won the secondary school category, while Happiness Davis won the tertiary school category.
Against next year, the children were also given topics to write on. For the primary school category, pupils are expected to send in a 250-word essay on the topic “It is time for a female president in Nigeria.” Junior Secondary School (JSS) students are to write on “Women are better leaders”, Senior Secondary School (SSS) students are to write on “Nigeria under a female president: What prospect?”, while the tertiary students are to write 400 words essay on “Nigerian female president, how realistic?”
Maranatha Lord Cometh Ministries International is a Bible-believing ministry with branches in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Canada.
Established on December 4, 1994 with a mandate to Sound the Alarm for the Lord’s Second Coming, the ministry has seven arms of the vision including Missions, Crusade, Outreaches, Bible school, Supports, Media and Church planting.
