TRANSPORTATION “R” US
Terry Auto Services Domestic & International
✓ Car Sales ✓ Shipping ✓ Clearing ✓ Forwarding ✓ Towing Our Contact Information 1302 Fort Worth Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75203 Tel: (214) 878-7453 , Fax: (972) 240-1976 Email: terryautos1@gmail.com, taiwoigbinyemi@yahoo.com
Terry Auto Services Congratulates Bread of Life on its 15th Anniversary Mr. Taiwo Igbinyemi
CONTENTS Redefining Marriage: Legal and Spiritual Implications of the Supreme Court Decision . . . . . 6 5 Things Churches Should Do ASAP Regarding The Same-Sex Marriage Law . 8 Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? 10 Interview With Desmond Ikegwuonu . . 12 Surgeon Seeks To Help Women Navigate Breast Cancer Treatment . . . . 14
Our Immanuel by Ayotunde Oladimeji . . . . . . . . . . 4 Our Emmanuel by Dcn Layo Ayeni . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 God Is With Us by Bola Olaleye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Immanuel by Bread of Life Young Adults & Singles Ministry (YASM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The Importance of Fasting . . . . . . . . 16 Pressing On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Discover Jesus: From Genesis Through Revelation . . . . 23 You Have An Accent. So What?! . . . . . 28
God’s Unwavering Love by Layo Oyewo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Emmanuel (God Is With Us) by Abayomi Dada. . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
BOL Welfare: The Journey so Far . . . . . 30 The One Time You Should Not Drink Lemon Water . . . . . . . . . . . 35
SERVICES Redeemed Christian Church of God — Bread of Life 2700 Broadway Blvd Garland, TX 75041 Tel: 972-675-8827 Fax: 972-278-1705
Sundays: Sunday School Main Service
9am – 10am 10am – 12pm
Wednesdays: Digging Deep
7pm – 8.30pm
Thursdays: Prayer Teleconference First Friday of Every Month: Holy Communin Service Tuesdays and Thursdays: Counselling Days
6am – 7am 9pm – 10pm 4pm – 6pm
Greetings from the Pastor Great is the faithfulness of God almighty for bringing its church this far in the fulfillment of his commission. I am personally stunned but grateful at the same time to God who has seen us through these fifteen years which was like yesterday. What started as a fellowship of brethren in a living room is now an established worship center for all nations. The church started precisely on October 25, 2000 and was inaugurated on September 1, 2001. BOL has grown to reproduce itself. Several other churches within and outside the United States of America have been planted. Diverse testimonies of healings, miracles, provisions, fruitfulness and protection have been a daily occurrence from year to year. Spiritual growth and numeric expansion have also been recorded yearly. Many who have surrendered their lives to Christ were absorbed into the church work force after attending our doctrinal classes and other leadership courses. The Master said in John 17:12 ‘While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. Above scripture indeed is our story in this assembly. Covenant of life and good health it has been and will remain our testimony. Every attempt to count God’s manifold blessings towards this assembly has always been a challenge. This is in fulfillment to the word of God which says, Psalms 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. THE JOURNEY SO FAR If it has not been the Lord who had been on our side we could not have survived and overcome the attendant year to year challenges of the ministry over the last fifteen years but God is faithful.
God moved us from a rental property to our own church building in 2007 when we began to experience accommodation issues due to growth expansion. The church has continued to grow and expand. Through community initiatives programs, Food Bank programs and other organized church programs the church have made some impact in our community and plans are underway to further intensify our influence in years ahead. DUNAMIS Dunamis is our major program of the year aimed at reaching out to Christians of other denominations and associations within our community and beyond. Testimonies of the past Dunamis has made the program to be longed for by our members and outside attendees. The sacrifices and efforts of the past and present Dunamis committee for excellent planning and perfect execution of the program each year is worth commending at this juncture. The great Rewarder will reward their labor. As we look forward to another glorious event this year, may your expectations and desires receive divine attention and solution in Jesus’ precious name. Our Immanuel, God with us, will perfect all that concerns you this season. If God be for us, who can resist us, reaching our goal and fulfilling our destiny? Welcome to DUNAMIS 2015. Pastor Chris Adetoro
The Bielonwu family congratulates RCCG Bread of Life on its 15th anniversary DUNAMIS conference
JMK Couture Tel: 571-420-0030 Email: jmkcouture@yahoo.com
congratulates RCCG Bread of Life on its 15th anniversary DUNAMIS celebration 3
Ayotunde Oladimeji
OUR
IMMANUEL
“Emmanuel God is with us Blessed Redeemer Living Word Mighty God Everlasting Father Rock of my salvation Beginning and The End Chorus: Jesus I love you/2x King of all the earth I adore you Jesus I love you/2x Bright and Morning Star Jesus I love you” Phil Driscoll The lyrics to the song above; an adaptation of Isaiah 9:6, have been with me since I got to know the Lord and His calling upon my life, well over twenty years ago. The only thing missing here is the sound of the trumpet accompanying the song. It always makes me feel like I can hear the glorious trumpet sounds of Heaven. Awesomeness!!! 4
"OUR IMMANUEL” or “EMMANUEL".... Where do I begin? "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign...and shall call his name Immanuel..." (Is.7:14). Describing Jesus as 'Our Emmanuel', the author, C. S. Lewis, aptly put it this way.... “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.” Emmanuel means "God with us"....always present, ever faithful, always available. Alleluia! Just as He told Moses to introduce He that sent him to Pharaoh as the 'I AM THAT I AM' ....omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient God. Same way Jesus is being introduced and revealed to us through his name, Immanuel. 'God (is) with us' in trying times. 'God (is) with us' when the going is good. 'God (is) with us' when our prayers seem unanswered. When success seems unattainable, 'God (is) with us. When the dream, the vision or goal seem too big or too hard to accomplish, 'God (is still) with us'. Put on your thinking cap for a second and consider possible thoughts that could have gone through Abraham's mind when he heard God tell him in Genesis 22 to go sacrifice his only son whom he loved (v.2). I believe this was specifically to let him know God was not referring to Ishmael in any way. So, here's a nugget for you: GOD'S PROMISE TO YOU WILL ALWAYS BE TESTED. It's not just going to fall into your hands like a bag of cherries, as they say. However, it is how you respond that determines the outcome....the Result. God always wants and does deserve our best, at all times. He's always with us to ensure we never run out of 'bests' in every situation. That is why Psalm 23:23 declares that "He makes me to lie down in green pastures......He restores my soul"(paraphrased). Also at the marriage in Cana of Galilee, Jesus turned bitterness to sweet; the ordinary became extraordinary when he turned their water into wine (John 2:1-11). The shame and despair of the man who had been 38 years by the pool of Bethesda in John 5:1-18, turned to fame and fanfare when Jesus....Emmanuel...'God with us'....got with him. Awesomeness!!! Abraham believed that God was with him and Isaac as they journeyed to go make the sacrifice at the place indicated by God himself because he told his son that "the Lord himself will provide a lamb for the sacrifice" (Gen. 22:8). Careful what you say, you just might have it! Whatever you are going through, have this assurance that God (is) with you. Believe His word. Trust Him and obey his instructions. "Whatsoever he saith unto you (to do), (just) do it" (John 2:5). This is what activates the manifestation of HIS presence in, and with us. IMMANUEL.... GOD (IS) WITH US...WITH YOU AND ME....Be encouraged. Ayotunde Oladimeji, Minister
OUR EMMANUEL Life is a journey that begins at conception and ends when the last breath is taken. This journey is not devoid of ups and downs, which are sometimes referred to as seasons of life. No wonder the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 alluded to the importance of time and seasons. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal,…”. Children of God, as a matter of fact, are not exempted from these two extremes of life experiences; however, it is crucial to understand that whichever phase of life you are passing through, there is someone, “Our Emmanuel”, that is there with you. There is a promise for safe landing but no guarantee that the journey will be turbulence free. As a people bought with a price, there is the consolation knowing fully-well that whatever we are going through, we are not alone. There is always light at the end of the tunnel. According to Isaiah 43:2, the word of God says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze”. This scripture was fulfilled in the lives of the three Hebrew boys: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who refused to worship the god of Nebuchadnezzar and were thrown to the flaming fire as a result. The story ended with the forth man (Emmanuel) showing up in the fire with them and the rest was good news for the boys as well as the kingdom contrary to the agenda of men. Daniel experienced the same miracle when the devouring lions became play mates after he was dropped into the lion’s den. As the Lord lives, all your predicaments shall turn to testimonies in Jesus’ name. That fourth man is still alive and forever he will be. A major issue facing believers of today is not acknowledging or realizing that Jesus is still with us. Many have allowed their present condition or situation to cloud their mind to the extent that they sought for alternative solutions all around. Jacob, after he woke up from his sleep, said in Genesis 28:16, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it”. Why is Jesus so near to us and we know it not? Could it be that our human wisdom, knowledge, and judgment are getting in the way? Could it be that we all too often focus on our circumstances in the here and now, rather than focusing on
Dcn Layo Ayeni the eternal God – our Creator and Sustainer? Could it be that our relationship with Jesus needs to be checked? Or perhaps we don’t even have the relationship that we profess to have? The good news is that our God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Once we realize our faults – even our sin – and make amendments, confessions and repent, he is closer to us than we ever thought. In a nutshell, as children of God, looking unto Jesus, relying on him for strength and grace to run the race to the end should be our desire and focus no matter the situation. Jesus admonishing the disciples in John 16:33 said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world". No matter the situation that one is facing, it is about time you acknowledge God, without HIM, you can do nothing. If you are enjoying peace all around today, be reminded that “Emmanuel” is with you. On the other hand, and in times of challenges and tribulations, please note for a fact that “Emmanuel” is with you. “…Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). It is an assurance for every child of God that He will never leave us or forsake us. What is demanded of us is absolute trust in, submission to and dependence on Him. Fulfill your part of the contract and wait to see if “Emmanuel” will not prove once again that He is with us. God bless you. 5
By way of background, the lead plaintiff in Obergefell v. Hodges is Ohio resident Jim Obergefell, who wanted to be listed as the surviving spouse on his husband’s death certificate. In 2013, Obergefell married his partner of two decades, John Arthur, who suffered from ALS. Arthur passed away in October of that year, three months after the couple filed their lawsuit. Obergefell was joined by several dozen other gay plaintiffs from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee who were fighting to be able to marry and to have their marriage recognized in every state in the country.
Redefining Marriage Legal and Spiritual Implications of the Supreme Court Decision by Nike Ladapo
The US Supreme Court on June 26, 2015 held through the landmark case of Oberfell v Hodges, that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license marriages of same-sex couples, stating that “the fundamental right to marry is now manifest” and that same-sex couples are entitled to that right in the same manner as traditional couples. In other words, effective July 26, 2015, same-sex marriage has been legalized nationwide. The Supreme Court ruled that the denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples and the refusal to recognize those marriages performed in other jurisdictions violates the Due Process and the Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution 6
The implications of this landmark decision are staggering and have permeated and changed the landscape of life in our nation and will for generations to come. Those of us who are bible believing Christians, heard and read the news with shock, disgust and unbelief. On the other hand, the supporters of this landmark decision jubilated, danced in the streets and the shouts of celebration, resounded from shore to shore. The question on our minds ranged from how did we get to this point to what did we do as Christians to prevent this and how will this affect us as Christians. Undoubtedly, the spriritual implications for our nation and the church are enormous, however we know that regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on this issue, God is in absolute control. The first question we have is how this landmark decision affects our lives as Christians and the church at large. Some of the areas that will be impacted as a result of this decision are as follows:
Family: Children of same-sex couples will have a different ideology about the biblical foundations of family plus will be denied the God-given benefit of a mother and father. Additionally, the younger generation of children, youth and young adults may have the tendency to accept the complete departure from the biblical definition of family.
1.
Elimination of Faith based Social Agencies: These agencies will be pressured to close their doors when faced with laws requiring them to violate their religious beliefs.
2.
Christian Businesses: Christian businesses such as photographers, bakers, hotels keepers, florists and others who take a stance not to participate in providing services in same-sex wedding ceremonies will experience persecution, threats of litigation and civil penalties.
3.
Parental Rights: Parents who want a say in what their young children are being taught in public schools about homosexuality will no longer have a voice.
4. 5.
Tax-Exempt Status: Pastors and churches will eventually face pressure to perform and celebrate same-sex marriages or face government retribution, such as the loss of tax-exempt status, or possibly be prosecuted for discrimination. Faith based organizations may ultimately be denied government benefits such as grants that help futher their religious missions and purposes. Accrediting/Licensing: Private religious school accreditation, professional licenses and even employment criteria will increasingly require affirmation of homosexuality and same-sex marriage as a condition for approval.
6.
Counseling: There will be a continued push to ban counseling for teenagers who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions, and who desire therapy to address this.
7. 8.
Endangered Freedoms: Freedom of speech will become endangered as the government passes regulatory and even criminal laws punishing Christian views of marriage, deeming it as “hate speech” in any type of media, including radio, print, television, and the Web. This is already the case in Canada and the U.K. Additionally, it is worthy to note that the federal government’s Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 2004 stated that more than 1,138 rights and protections are conferred to U.S. citizens upon marriage by the federal government; areas affected include Social Security benefits, veterans’ benefits, health insurance, Medicaid, hospital visitation, estate taxes, retirement savings, pensions, family leave, and immigration law. Without a doubt, these areas will be impacted by this landmark legislation. In spite of this disheartening decision and impact on our society as a whole, we know as Christians
that the inerrant word of God contained in the Bible undoubtedly condemns same sex marriage. There are several scripture references that provide us with a solid basis for our stance against this decision. In the Old Testament, the Lord was clearly against this lifestyle according to the account of Sodom and Gomorrah in the book of Genesis chapter 19. Also in Genesis 1: 26-28 it is stated that God made humanity in His image, male and female. Finally, in Genesis 2:15; 21-25, God clearly stated that He created man for woman and instituted marriage. The bible clearly states that … Because we are to always read our bible with the whole counsel of God in view, we can also see in Romans 1: 26-27, God’s heart regarding this issue. The final and most important question is what are we to do as Christians in light of the issue of the governmental endorsement of homosexuality in our nation. As Christians, we are told to pray. Prayer does change times, seasons and circumstances. We are to pray that the Kingdom of God comes to this earth and rule and reign through us. We are also to speak boldly and unashamedly about our Christian beliefs regarding same sex marriage. We must be prepared to be persecuted for our unwavering beliefs in the face of the pervasive acceptance of same sex marriage. Finally, we must love those who have chosen this lifestyle. It is through our love, which is not acceptance, that will provide the opportunity to share our faith.
Nike Ladapo is a Dallas attorney in private practice focusing in ADR, business, family, immigration and juvenile law.
7
5 THINGS REGARDING THE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LAW CHURCHES SHOULD DO ASAP
Five things churches should immediately do to protect themselves from the Supreme Court same-sex marriage law The Supreme Court ruling making same sex marriage the law of the land likely means eventual legal issues for bible confessing churches. This is because it is only a matter of time before activist Judges, politicians and the like, attempt to legally force all pastors and churches to perform gay weddings. This is because refusing to perform SSM ceremonies is now officially considered discrimination –on a level equal to other human rights violations such as racism. (a comparison many African Americans do not agree with) The following are some things pastors and leaders of biblically based churches should immediately do to protect themselves
1
Have something in the church by laws that state that your church will not perform same sex weddings for members and non-members but will conduct wedding ceremonies for one man and one woman as biologically designed by birth (to protect against having to perform “transgender weddings” between those identifying themselves as a man and a woman)
2
Have a stipulation in your church by laws that say something like “ if their congregation is ever legally forced to perform same sex weddings, all clergy in their congregation will opt out of performing civil ceremonies and will only perform biblically based “covenant ceremo-
nies” that bless the union between one man and one woman as biologically defined by their natural birth
3
Every church needs to have clear criteria regarding who qualifies to be a church member –based on the biblical standards of morality and ethics as well as a process for membership termination. Once written, this section of the by laws should be given and signed off by each person before they are accepted as official church members
4
The church should have a written policy that disallows non-members and non-attendees and or outsiders to rent and or use any of their facilities for same sex weddings and or any civil ceremonies related to marriage
5
If all else fails, and the courts eventually override church by laws – then the only alternative left will be for biblically based clergy to engage in civil disobedience and refuse to comply with the law- irrespective of the penalties, consequences and cultural stigma they will receive.
This law certainly has the potential of separating the “chaff from the wheat” related to revealing which churches and clergy will stand up for biblical ethics and which ones will capitulate to culture more then to Christ.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR JOSEPH MATTERA Joseph Mattera has been in full-time church ministry since 1980 and is currently the Presiding Bishop of Christ Covenant Coalition and Overseeing Bishop of Resurrection Church in New York. He is also serving as the United States Ambassador for the International Coalition of Apostles, and as one of the founding presiding bishops of the International Communion of Evangelical Churches.
8
GOD IS WITH US As I write this, two scriptures come speedily to mind amongst many, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us — Matthew 1:23 (KJV),”as well as, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth — John 1:14 (KJV).” I slowly realize that all around me is a representation of who He is and a reminder for me that He is always with me no matter what. I have never really been alone even when I close the door to my room to-be-alone, I am not. When I gave my life to Jesus Christ, I started looking for a bible believing church that I would get to know more about God because our family at that time, we were attending a Protestant Church which did not walk a lot with speaking in tongues and men sat on one side and women on the other side, funny what memory can recall. I was able to locate a fellowship within our Residential Estate Lead by Reverend Doctor Uma Ukpai and a campus fellowship which both opened me up to the move of the Holy Spirit and a heart for others around me. I began to read books by Kathryn Kuhlman, Paul Yungi Cho, Kenneth Hagin (Sr), T.L Osborn and others, listened to a lot of various cassette tapes from Reinhard Bonnke, Frederick K.C Price, Benny Hinn and I began to experience GOD in such a way that you know what you know is real and no one can tell you otherwise. There is such a tenacity and boldness that comes upon you when you have acquired knowledge or revelation in a certain area, it is empowering yet humbling because you see no strength of your own in it but GOD. Going through life and learning that GOD is always available to me, causes me to pause many times and just say thank you LORD because with You, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26 — paraphrased). I do not know how things are going to come together, work out or settle but I trust You to see me through and GOD is with me to protect, preserve, provide, empower, build and save. Looking at all these, I really do not have to do much, just believe in and develop a relationship with Him, knowing that He loves me so much, His word says, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me — Isaiah 49:16 (KJV).”
The world is currently filled with a lot more, “whys,” now than ever before but GOD is ever more present than we can understand or know but it begs the questions, “In this time, knowing He is with us, are we ready to be with GOD no matter what? Not just in the areas we feel it matter most to us but in everything? Everything that is happening both personally and globally, does it take away from GOD being with us? “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you — Joshua 1:5 (NKJV).” No matter what we think or what is happening, He will not leave or forsake us and we just have to understand that we will change but those words never will. As women and all that this word connotes, mothers, companions, friends, advocates, pillars of our various homes, shapers/molders of destinies, intercessors not just in prayer but relationships, we rely so much on GOD’s daily wisdom to pilot our lives and homes according to His will. Our various families can be viewed as a mini-church with specific members that get to learn who GOD is and if He is truly with us through our life style. Knowing that God is with us organizing, structuring, guiding and keeping in perspective what is important with the help of the Holy Spirit, is paramount. GOD has everything planned out for us and when we walk in His set plan, we experience His peace and we begin to appreciate our frailty as humans and our weaknesses knowing “If GOD be for us, who can be against us – Romans 8:31 (paraphrased).” Bola Olaleye 9
SHOULD CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE
HALLOWEEN? by Elliott Watson
Should you and I be involved in the celebration of Halloween? Finding the answer to this question has been an interesting journey in itself. I interviewed several people and then researched what many leading Christian writers, authors and spokesmen have written about the subject. I also searched various websites such as christianitytoday. com, focusonthefamily.org, and cbn.com to read what others might be saying. What I found was an agreement on the origins of Halloween, but a mixture of recommendations about allowing our children to participate in this super-charged media driven holiday. The origins of Halloween are Celtic in tradition and have to do with observing the end of summer sacrifices to gods in Druidic tradition. In what is now Britain and France, it was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks. Believe it or not, most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to these old pagan rites and superstitions. But what about today? Perhaps we can still learn from history. In the fourth century, Christians attempted to co-opt the holiday by celebrating the lives of faithful Christian saints the day before Halloween. This was a conscious attempt to provide an alternative and re-focus the day away from ghouls, goblins, ghosts, witches and other “haunted” experiences. Since that time many Christians have decided to allow their children to dress in more “innocent” costumes of pumpkins, princesses, Superman or as a cowboy. Part of this is due to the simple reality that in today’s Western culture it is nearly impossible to “avoid” Halloween. Just before reaching a conclusion on the subject, I was struck with the thought that I ought to further my search and find out what Wicca, the official religion of witchcraft, has to say about Halloween. Perhaps they viewed the day as a simple fun and innocent neighborhood activity? Credit: Christian Broadcasting Network – Should Christians celebrate Halloween. [Elliott Watson xxx\xxx\xxx]
10
“Shock” is the only word to describe what I found. Halloween is a real, sacred day for those who follow Wicca. In fact, it is one of two high and holy days for them. The Celtic belief of spirits being released is current, along with the worship of Samhain (the lord of death) – both are promoted as something to embrace on that day. There is no question in my mind that to those who believe and follow the practices of witchcraft, Halloween represents an opportunity to embrace the evil, devilish, dark side of the spiritual world. So after discovering this, what is a reasonable conclusion? As Christians you and I are placed in this world to be a light in a world of darkness. There is no lasting benefit to ignore a holiday that exists around us, but it also does harm to celebrate Halloween as it has originated and grown over the centuries. My suggestion? Christians should be teaching their children (age appropriately) that: t UIFSF JT B TQJSJUVBM XPSME åMMFE XJUI HPPEOFTT GSPN God and evil from Satan (Eph. 2:1-10); t MJGF XJUI $ISJTU IBT QPXFS PWFS EBSLOFTT * +PIO 4:4); and t UIPTF XIP DFMFCSBUF )BMMPXFFO FJUIFS BSF VOBXBSF of its roots, or are intentionally promoting a world where evil is lauded and viewed as an ultimate power. To counter the evil influence of Halloween, we need to join together and celebrate the reality of the heroic efforts of Christian saints over the evil in their day. Many leaders in the past -- and present -- have fulfilled the mandate of destroying the works of the devil through their sacrificial commitment to Christ and His Kingdom. Too, rather than “hide” in the face of evil, we should unabashedly and boldly create an alternative that is positive and uplifting; that celebrates good over evil and the triumph of God over Satan. We need to provide an environment that also makes room for heaps of fun while using the day as a “teachable moment” to celebrate God’s protection, provision and purpose for our lives. Writer: Elliott Watson (a freelance writer and contributor to CBN. com) is a freelance writer and contributor to CBN.com.
Greetings from the Bread of Life Ushers In the spirit of Dunamis celebrations, Bread of Life Ushers are upbeat as we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Church. We give God all the glory and honor for how far He has brought us a church family. Indeed, He is our Emmanuel. We are grateful to our pastor, the wife and his entire family for allowing the will of God to be fulfilled and actualized as he leads this congregation. We therefore say to him and the entire church a big congratulation. The Lord has helped us to grow from strength to strength and from grace to grace (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). We will also like to welcome all our members both old and new, into a new year of sprit filled, inexplicable and undeniable blessings of the most high God. In this year of Dunamis, we will experience God in a new dimension, as we fellowship and worship with the most high God “Immanuel”. We anticipate and hope for a greater level of commitment both for the Ushers, Greeters and the entire church family of Bread of Life. As we usher in people to the household of God, may we remain and continue to be in the epicenter of God’s purpose. Our stewardship in his vineyard will never be in vain, and we will continue to remain focused, operating in higher realms and achieving better results than past years in Jesus’ name. Amen.
SEGUN OLALEYE
Interview conducted by Abayomi Dada
INTERVIEW WITH DESMOND IKEGWUONU If you have heard “You make me”, on Youtube, and other compositions by my guest today, your mind would wonder about a classical European virtuoso, not Nigeria in Africa. Yet Desmond Ikegwuonu hails from Anambra state in Nigeria. He posesses a Masters degree from Moores School of Music, in Houston and is currently enrolled in the Doctorate program. I caught up with Desmond at RCCG Bread of Life, in Garland Texas for an interview. Here are excerpts from the interview. Desmond we are glad to have you here for our third edition of our Dunamis publication. We know so much about you already. You are a part of our family but for the purpose of our readers please can you tell us a little about yourself and your background. Maybe I have to say my name first. My name is Desmond, I’m originally from Anambra State, lived in Lagos Nigeria. So, I’m Igbo and I came to the United State about 10 years ago if I’m not mistaken. We know you as a song minister and we know you as professional in music. We’ve heard you sing different type of songs – fast, slow, highlife and we all get blessed by them. So what Genre of music do you specialize in? That’s an often asked question because for every one of us we would want to find a specialty that becomes 12
a defining mark for us. It’s this thing that defines who we are. But I will say because of the fact that we are involved in music as a whole as in I get to study Blues, Jazz, we play Gospel, we play Classical, in its strictest form and all that. So it gives me the opportunity to be fed by all these styles of music from the different and various composers who have gone ahead. So it’s really hard honestly for me to pinpoint a specific style that I specialize in. I’ve done things for the Houston Grand Opera – the Rodeo in Houston which is being shown on TV, I’ve done Jazz works, recorded albums including Christian worship albums, done classical things with the Orchestra so it’s really hard to pinpoint where this is. I’ve worked with some drama people in Houston so I think that opportunity God has given me to be able to immerse myself in this huge garment of sound produces all that I get to show forth. So how did you become interested in music? So Why music? (Laughs) It’s hard to give a history lesson on that. Let see how I could just try to narrow it down to something very clear. First of all, I really did not decide to pursue music pa se out of ‘hey let me just do something that I feel like I wanted to do’. For me let me just safe you all the time to narrate all that happened and things that led up to the point of going at it full time. I started to study music way back from Nigeria and having travel long miles from my house in Surulere – Aguda all the
way to Onipanu, Palm-grove and sometimes we’ll walk long miles to save money and in between take a 10 naira bus just to practice and when I get to the practice room, I will be so exhausted. When I got to the United States, I thought I was going to pursue medicine – go the medical field. But honestly, I found out that the burning desire as I’ve been surrendered to God, the burning desire to go at this and give it all I’ve got just kept going strong in my heart. And I'll constantly remember the words of one artist, his name is Dan Frost (the Poet). He wrote a poem that is says "the roads less travelled", and from that I found out that he says that. "I decided that if I really want to get the results that have 'less happened', then I must really go that road that is less travelled. But the one defining thing for me is giving it all that I've got. So, it wasn't really my choice to go at this but this constant nudge and push that I just couldn't hold on to because of my life that I've been surrendered to God that resulted in my commitment and where I am today and may I say that I have no regret. I'm just a little bit curious and I'm sure some of our readers will as well. How did you conceive the idea of ending up in music. For instance you ask a child what would you like to be in the future and She says I want to become an astronaut, a medical doctor etc. so how did you concieve the idea of your chosen profession Very solid question. One thing I will say is that first of all, I'm incredibly thankful for my parents anD I Would be lying to say I'm not indebted to them tremendously. So I'm thankful for the opportunity they've given me to be able to partner myself with God and then to be able to show us how to really hear and discern what God will have us to do in purpose - not just to do what you feel like doing or do something just for the 'monetary gain' but to do something that is according to what you've been called to do in purpose and so from that I mean surrendering, going to church, immersing in the activities in service in church, I got to discover what I've been called to do - serving, playing, singing and searching the scripture and From there we got to a point where I decided to formally take it beyond the realm of just being a local champion because I began to really study a lot and I felt like God was telling me 'if you are going to do something, give it all you've got and just don't do it and do it half'! because you have a lot of people who didn’t necessarily study par se and I was like I really want to go beyond this. I was like I didn't just want to touch my Nigerian people or just my Africans - the earth is the Lord and the fullness thereof. I wanted to be able to reach out to people. So I will say one thing that really led to this is the surrender and God really just guided my path even to this journey and I will say that's really the main thing that really got me going and of cause my parents for being able to guide me through to knowing what I'm supposed to do.
From what we've seen you do, we know you are a child of God, fully committed to Christ but at times one could wonder because we also have musicians who are not Christians but are known in the secular world but for you does your salvation experience have any correlation with your performance in your career? What influence has it had on it? It's had a major tremendous influence because I don't believe that I could live a compartmentalized life in the sense that 'God is here and my career is here and there's no meeting point within there'. I even believe that there is that possibility for someone to be surrendered totally to God, I believe that your life flows through God in you and it meets every realm of whatever you are doing your career whatever it is and I think that's exactly what happened. When I was working with an Orchestra, I don't necessarily tell them that 'hey, Jesus is the Lord' and all that. Okay, I had a piece performed by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra recently and I was conducting then and the title of the piece is called "Chukwu Dube" which means "God's leading". So even without me telling them that Jesus is Lord, the title of my piece is in Igbo language and it says "Chukwu Dube" - " God's leading, so after the performance, some of the people that I heard from told me that even without knowing the title, they felt the conviction that there was something about God in this thing. So the life flowing through you transcends you just trying to verbalize something to somebody and say Jesus is Lord. I mean if you are surrendered to Him, in whatever you are doing, His life flows even into that thing if you are really surrendered to Him and if He has called you to do it. So I say that has been the one thing for me all through working with people, different artists and performance. It's that idea the Life just flowing through me and just reaching out really blessed the heart of people. Sometimes maybe people can really not pinpoint what it is but then they know that there is something really different about this and that's how I believe God has called us to be witnesses everywhere we are. You have degrees in music and you are currently pursuing a doctorate in music composition. So what's the difference because for non-musicians like us we often wonder what the difference is technically between performance and composition? Oh, that’s a very good question. (Laughs gently). Music is so broad right and you have people who studied voice. A couple of my friends have their degrees in vocal performance so they learn the anatomy of the voice. How to sing, how to keep the voice healthy, how to sing operatically and all that. They learn that and their whole idea is singing and they learn a lot of classical repertoire from the romantic baroque, any era you Continued on page 40 13
Photo: NY Daily News
Surgeon Seeks To Help Women Navigate Breast Cancer Treatment As a surgeon who specializes in the care and treatment of patients with breast cancer, Elisa Port says one of the hardest parts of her job is delivering bad news to patients.
As breast cancer becomes more and more prevalent, women are left wondering what their treatment options are. Following are highlights from an interview by Terry Gross of NPR’s Fresh Air program with Dr. Elisa Port, Co-Director of the Dubin Breast Center and Chief of Breast Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC. 14
“I wish I could say it got easier as it goes along, but it certainly doesn’t. ... It affects me every single time,” Port tells Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. But, Port adds, the survival rates for breast cancer are better than they have ever been, which means that frightening diagnoses are often coupled with treatment options. “I think it would be much harder for me as a person to take care of a kind of cancer where there weren't so many amazing options for treatment, and there wasn’t as much room for optimism,” she says. Port is the author of The New Generation Breast Cancer Book, which seeks to relieve patients of the information overload that frequently accompanies a cancer diagnosis and advise them of their options. When it comes to treatment, Port says it's essential to consider each case individually: “There’s no more one-size-fits-all approach” to breast cancer.
Interview Highlights On mammograms and 3D mammograms This is a real hot-button issue because there are so many mixed messages that are being sent to women across this country. Mammograms are definitely the most effective way to pick up breast cancer for the general population, and that's why the current recommendations are that every woman gets screened with a mammogram starting at age 40. Period, end of discussion. That said, every person is different and their risk factors are different and there absolutely may be a role for adding onto the mammogram — not instead of — for women depending on their risk level, their breast density and again their underlying health. ... [Editor's note: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women with typical risks for breast cancer have screening mammograms every two years, rather than annually, starting at age 50 and until they turn 75.]
Three-D mammography is kind of a software update to conventional imaging, where basically for a slightly higher dose of radiation it takes multiple pictures through the breast. ... The way I explain it to women is it's almost like it's paging through a book. So rather than generating one image in one direction and a second image in the other direction you get multiple images, slices through the breast. The thing that it's most helpful with is reducing the risk of what we call false positives.
On cancer spreading from one breast to the other The most important thing for a woman to know is that when she has breast cancer on one side, breast cancer can spread, can spread to other parts of the body, it does not spread to the other breast. So women can develop a new separate cancer in the other side, but for most women that likelihood is extremely low, and most women do tend to overestimate their risks of getting a new cancer on the other side. Also critically important to know is that the removal of the other healthy breast in no way reduces a woman’s chances of the cancer that they have, particularly an invasive cancer, spreading. So there's really no difference in survival between removing the other healthy breast and not.
On deciding to remove the healthy breast They want a more symmetric cosmetic result. Plastic surgeons in today’s day and age are very good, and they can absolutely lift or reduce the other breast, particularly if it’s ... hanging or saggy, they can do that to match a reconstructed breast, but for sure it’s more symmetrical when you do both sides. That may be a very big price to pay, because there’s a lot of tightness, etc., across the
chest rather than just one side, but for some women the driving factor is symmetry. For some women the driving factor is not really wanting to have another mammogram again or screening. If you keep that other breast, every year a woman's going to have to come in for a mammogram or ultrasound ... and that’s a factor. Lastly, even if the risk of developing a new cancer on the other side is small, it’s not zero, and some women will choose to do that ... [to reduce the risk]. It's never going to be zero, and that's really important to know.
On genetic testing for the BRCA mutation It is kind of a moving target. The groups of people, like the red-flag situations where we think genetic testing may be appropriate, keep expanding, but here are some of the big ones: women who are diagnosed with breast cancer pre-menopausally, usually in their 20s, 30s, 40s, especially who have a family history of other pre-menopausal breast cancers; women who have combined family histories of both breast and ovarian cancer; any family where there’s a history of male breast cancer. I think one of the important things to know is not that it’s exclusive at all, but the gene is way more common in Ashkenazi Jewish women. ... So nowadays, pretty much any Jewish woman diagnosed with actual breast cancer can and should be tested. The number of Ashkenazi Jewish women who have the gene ... is actually 1 in 40, so a full 2 percent of the Ashkenazi Jewish population actually has the BRCA gene, whereas in the general population it's more like 1 in 400.
On the biggest change in breast cancer treatment since she started Thirty years ago no one even used the words “breast cancer” in public. Twenty years ago you couldn’t even find an advertisement with the word “breast” in it, and you flash forward to times like today, where there’s absolutely no shortage of information out there and the problem no longer is lack of information, it’s actually too much information, no filter. ... [Patients] were coming [into my office] inundated, defeated, completely perplexed by all the information out there and how to navigate it, whether it was emails from friends, whether it was websites they needed to read. I thought there was a need for a new type of book, a new generation of book for a new generation — the age of information overload. National Public Radio website – Health section [www.npr.org]
15
When I opened my Bible and began to study the subject of fasting, I discovered it over and over again throughout Scripture. In God’s Word, fasting isn’t explained as some aside to the Christian life, but as the very essence of what to do when a crisis erupts in your life. Fasting is a time you set aside when you need God to perform a breakthrough in your life on some spiritual level, whether you are dealing with personal problems, financial turmoil, health issues, or any other obstacle. We are often taught to deal with our struggles through prayer, which is fitting because prayer is a powerful thing. But we don’t hear much about fasting and the role it plays in the believer’s life. In fact, fasting could be the very thing that changes your spiritual life with Christ. After His death and resurrection, Jesus left earth and ascended to heaven. Before He left He made it clear to the disciples that in His absence, while He is not physically here, fasting is to be a priority. “Jesus said to them, ‘The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast’” (Matthew 9:15). Fasting is the spiritual link to the person of Christ while He is not here on earth with us.
THE IMPORTANCE
OF FASTING The Principle of Fasting I want to explain four main points about the concept of fasting. First, let’s study the principle of fasting. In the Bible, fasting occurs when there is a need for a spiritual breakthrough due to the burdens of life. These burdens could be emotional, circumstantial, relational, ministerial, directional, or any other kind. Fasting is the way that the saints of God received a breakthrough to direct them and help them deal with a crisis in their lives. What exactly is fasting? Fasting is a deliberate abstinence from physical gratification—usually going without food for a period of time—to achieve a greater spiritual goal. Fasting is intentionally denying the flesh in order to gain a response from the spirit. It means renouncing the natural in order to invoke the supernatural. When fasting, you say “no” to yourself and “yes” to God. In Zechariah 7:5-6, we read the words of the Lord: “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted? When you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves?’” When we eat, we eat for ourselves. We eat because we need to, and sometimes we eat just because we can. The only reason to eat is for our own benefit. But God tells us in these verses from Zechariah that when we fast, we fast for Him. When we fast we are saying that the cry of our souls is greater than the cry of our stomachs. It is more important that God feed us and meet our spiritual needs than to take that time to meet our physical need for food. Think about the value of our bodies. We are 16
made of dust, and to dust we shall return. Our eternal value comes from the breath of life that God breathed into man, making us living souls. Your value is not in your body. Your value is in your soul. We feed the body by eating, but we can feed the soul by not eating. Fasting makes the soul a higher priority than the body. The question of fasting is simply this: Are you willing to give up steak and potatoes to gain spiritual riches? Are you willing to give up that which gratifies the flesh in order to make an investment that builds up the spirit? Fasting is a test of how serious you are in your walk with God by what you are willing to deny yourself. The principle of fasting means giving up a craving of the body because you have a deeper need of the spirit.
The Purpose of Fasting Isaiah 58 gives us great insight into the meaning of fasting. In this passage, God explains that the Israelites are asking Him: “‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’” (v. 3) God answers: “Behold on the day of your fast you find your desire, and drive hard all your workers. Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high” (vv. 3-4). Fasting, when done in the proper way, is a means of making your voice heard on high. Verse 5 says: “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself ? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD?” Fasting as God
intends is meant to be a humbling experience. Sacrificing the desires of the flesh is self-denial, and self-denial brings humility when your thoughts aren’t focused on yourself. Jesus tells us that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). That is heavenly nourishment, not earthly food. The Bible teaches a very important principle at the heart of Christianity: You must die to self if you want to truly live. In Philippians 1:21 Paul says: “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” Jesus also explains the sacrifice of a true believer: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). James 4:10 says: “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” It is both humbling and freeing to bow down before God and confess that He is Lord and that He has all the power and the glory. Fasting is one way to bow down to God and acknowledge your need for Him in all areas of your life.
The Practice of Fasting We see why we should fast and what it means, so how do we do it? The psalmist describes: “When I wept in my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. Those who sit in the gate talk about me, and I am the song of the drunkards. But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness, answer me with Your saving truth. Deliver me from the mire, and do not let me sink; may I be delivered from my foes, and from the deep waters. May the flood of water not overflow me nor the deep swallow me up nor the pit shut its mouth on me” (Psalm 69:10-15). When the psalmist came before God, he was dealing with the crisis of trouble from his enemies, and he cried out with fasting. Others made fun of him, but he trusted in God. The prophet Joel describes God’s command to the rebellious Israelites to fast and seek Him: “’Yet even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning: and rend your heart and not your garments.’ Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him, even a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? Blow a trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly” (Joel 2:12-15). God wanted to deliver the people of Israel from their sins, and He commanded them to fast in order to turn their wicked hearts back to him. Fasting is a powerful thing when your world is closing in. Fasting is prayer, it is praise, it is proclamation—it is hearing God’s Word. If you feel trapped in your crisis or struggle, throw yourself on the mercy of God in humility while giving up the craving of your flesh so that you can focus on the greater need of your spirit.
Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and president of The Urban Alternative and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas.
The Product of Fasting What can you expect when you fast? Isaiah 58:6 says: “Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?” You fast so that God can get deep in your heart and break the chains that bind you. Fasting also takes your focus off yourself and puts it on the needs of others: “Is it not to divide y our bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” (v. 7). Verse 8 displays the results of God’s deliverance: “Then your light will break out like the dawn.” We can live our lives in light of Christ’s victory, yet we often miss that light because we are so focused on our own flesh. When we fast, the flesh gets weak, and Paul says when we are weak, God is our strength: “[God’s] grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Verse 8 continues: “And your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.” We need healing from our sins and from the pain of our circumstances. God will heal us and He will protect us. The bottom line of fasting is found in verse 9: “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry, and He will say ‘Here I am.’” When we call, He will answer, bringing us to spiritual heights we couldn’t have dreamed of. As you examine the power and purpose of fasting, consider how it could be put into practice in your own life. When you are facing tough times, approach God in humility and trust Him to fulfill your every need. If you fast and deny your physical cravings, your mind and heart will be open so that God can do a great work in your spirit, equipping you to deal with any crisis by the power of His grace. Dr. Tony Evans, The Urban Alternative “Importance of fasting” [www.go.tonyevans.com] 17
IMMANUEL by Bread of Life Young Adults & Singles Ministry (YASM)
What does Immanuel mean? Yes, it means “God with us,” but does that mean God with us in the past, present, and future, or does it mean in the good times or the bad times, or does it mean when the storm is calm and you see the light at the end of the tunnel? Is God up there and we are down here? Since the beginning of time, God has been revealing himself to his people little by little. Throughout the Old Testament he showed himself to his people in visions, dreams, miracles, angelic sighting, and visible manifestations of his glory at the Tabernacle and the Temple. When the time was right, he came to earth as a human to openly reveal himself to his creation, to walk with and teach his people, and to build an intimate relationship with them. He had become what he had long ago promised through the prophets: Immanuel, “God with us.” As in Matthew 1:20, 21, and Luke 1:35, the birth of Jesus was more than an ordinary birth, for the child that came forth from the womb of Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The baby was to be called, “Immanuel.” This baby was both the Son of God and the Son of man, 18
divinity and humankind joined together in the one person. In John, it states the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14. Over two thousand years ago, God and you and me, were joined together. When Jesus came into this world, God came too. Jesus is the exact embodiment of the vital message of the Word that “God was reconciling the world that includes you, me, and your unsaved neighbors to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” 2 Corinthians 5:19. Jesus is both the revelation of God to people and the reconciliation of God and humanity. Immanuel means God is with us. Immanuel does not mean God was with us and then went away, only to watch us from a distance while leaving us to fend for ourselves. Nor does it mean that God will be with us if we stick to a set of rules, say the sinner’s prayer such as in Romans 10:9-10 or join a certain church. We have to realize that in Jesus we see God. There are many splendid types of scenery in this world such
as the magnificent mountains and the vast oceans that testify to the greatness and awesomeness of God, but only Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God to the world. Hebrews 1:3. Jesus is the one who has been with and dealt in person with the Father from all eternity. John 1:1. Jesus does the work and will of the Father, and in so doing, he reveals the Father to us. Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9. Some people believe that God is too holy to look upon sinners like themselves. Yet in Jesus, we see God dealing with sinners like you and me with compassion, care and love. Not only was Jesus willing to come near sinners; his concern and care for them was unfailing. Jesus willingly healed those with various diseases and afflictions who came to him in faith and trust. Jesus revealed his servant’s heart when he washed his disciples’ feet and in so doing, challenged every worldly idea about power and greatness. Even at the end, after he had been beaten, brutally tortured and nailed to a cross, Jesus showed his unending compassion, even for those who had executed him. He cried, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34. Immanuel is one of the many names we use to describe Jesus Christ along with Wonderful Counselor, the Son of God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, and Alpha and Omega. As stated in Joshua 1:5, “No one
will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Jesus arose on the third day, he is alive and because of that fact, God continues to be with us. God keeps his promises and he does not lie. As stated in Numbers 23:19, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” God through his son, Jesus Christ will always be with us. Jesus was not just the Son of God, but he was a man who felt what we feel, the pain, the joy, the sadness, and everything. Sometimes we may feel distant from God or that God is far away from us, but be assured that, “he will never leave us nor forsake us.” Joshua 1:5. The Word of God is full of God’s promises to be with us always. As God assured Jacob, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.” Genesis 28:15. This life is difficult, but we are affirmed that in this world we will have trouble, but take heart, Jesus has overcome the world. John 16:33. Jesus Christ’s last recorded promise to us was, “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20. Let these promises of his continual presence fill us with joy and peace. No matter what we may lose in this life, we can never lose the love of God. Jesus Christ is the revelation of God to the world—God is with us.
THE JACKSON FAMILY
congratulates Pastor and pastor Mrs Adetoro and the entire congregation of RCCG Bread of Life on their 15th anniversary celebration of DUNAMIS conference.
19
EXODUS 16:1-3 Manna and Quail 1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” ROMANS 8:1-5
PRESSING ON by Pastor Chris Adetoro As I continue to grow and mature in life, and in the ministry, I have discovered that in order to achieve success, or attain a goal, you must have a fixed mind... In planning a brighter tomorrow you must anticipate the many pitfalls and potholes that you have to encounter on the road of life... I have also learned that anything that is worthwhile is bound to be a bitter battle. The higher the hill upon which you plan to build your castle, the harder the climb is to reach its top... To reach the top, you must have your eyes and your mind focused on the same thing. A focused individual is one who aims well at the target and pulls his bow of opportunity to the final stretch before letting his arrow of destiny fly... The text informs us that Israel was in the wilderness on their way to Canaan. But they had begun to face some very bitter experiences along the way... The ghosts of hunger and thirst had raised their heads, and frightened them… They were frightened to the extent that they began to think about the times when they use to sit by the flesh pots of Egypt, and sing and eat. They became discouraged before they had hardly gotten started. They had been on the road only a few days, and but a few miles from Sinai. But yet, because they had missed a meal of two, they wanted to go back to the slave camps of Egypt...! 20
They looked one way and thought another.... They talked freedom, but thought slavery.... They started out watching God as He beckoned them through the clouds by day and the fire by night.... But at the same time they held on to Pharaoh’s hand! Canaan and Egypt were in the same valley but in extreme opposite directions. To reach one, you had to turn your back on the other... They were halted between the call of chains and the call of wings... Chains to hold them to their past, but wings to lift them to new heights.... Chains of slavery or wings of freedom...! Both places pointed in different directions, they were at opposite ends of the journey... And when the test came, Israel dared to face it. She would rather go back into bondage than to pay the price of victory... So many times, we act like the children of Israel and we would rather go back into the bondage of the enemy than to fight for the victory… So many times we would rather settle for the muck and the mire of mediocrity, than to strive for the pursuit and possession of the Promised Land… So many times in the body of Christ we can’t reach Canaan because we’re simply too busy thinking about Egypt…! Yes, our eyes are on Canaan, but our minds are on Egypt! As we celebrate yet another year and another church anniversary that the Lord has preserve us to see, the question at hand is how can we break this vicious cycle? How can one get off the ‘treadmill of life’ and progress in the things of God? How can we focus our minds as well as our eyes on the ‘Canaan experience of our lives?’ How do we reach the individual ‘promise lands’ of our lives without being detoured by the enemy? The text presents to us three issues.
I. CHANGE YOUR FOCUS The text states that as soon they hit the highway, they began to murmur against the leader, saying “We wish that we would have died by the hand of God in the land of Egypt, at least we would have had our stomachs full.” Isn’t it funny how we are constantly living in the past? Isn’t it funny how we concentrate on how things used to be, what we used to have, what we used to do? Memories are good to have but know that you cannot progress by living in the past. We can never move forward, if we keep looking backwards. The Lord has been constantly proving Himself to us, taking us through dangers seen and unseen. Yet every time He tries to take us to the next level, we stand there looking over our shoulder in retrospect, contemplating the past. How many times has the Lord placed in your spirit to move concerning a job opportunity, a business venture, a new spiritual level? And as you began to move concerning that specific issue, you encountered roadblocks
that the enemy has designed to delay, deter, detain, discourage and derail your progression. And instead of you trusting in the One who gave you the ability to move in the first place, you suddenly get into a case of maybe or maybe not. Israel was so concerned with eating from the flesh pots of Pharaoh that they were willing to give up an entire land flowing with milk and honey! Likewise, we get so caught up in our yesterdays that we can never get to our tomorrows. The Lord is offering us eternal happiness, eternal peace, and eternal life, if we would just turn our minds as well as our hearts to Him. If we would just stop allowing the enemy to confuse us and convince us to return to the things that God has already brought us out of and into his marvelous light. You see beloved, that’s the real problem -- although God has delivered us from the servitude life of water drawing and wood hewing, brought us out of the world of slavery, we still cannot progress because our eyes are in Canaan but our minds are in Egypt. God has delivered you from the spirit of alcoholism but you’re still saying a little sip will not hurt anything. Although He’s delivered you from gossiping, you’re still trying to get up in everybody else’s business. Although He’s delivered you from debt, you’re still robbing Peter to pay Pau by not being a faithful tither. Living from paycheck to paycheck because your mind has not accepted the fact that God has brought you out, so you continue to long for what you left in Egypt. Until you change your thinking, change your mindset, change your focus, you will never be able to enter the Promise Land. The Word of God says that we have to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. It’s only by our renewed thinking that we can take on and possess the mindset of success that God has promised us. Although they had changed their location physically, it would take a mental relocation of the mind for Israel to grab hold to what God had in store for them. Not until we start really believing in our deliverance, start believing in our financial prosperity, start believing it, we are not going to be able to grasp hold of what the Lord has in store for us in Canaan. Reader, you need to change your focus.
Continued on page 36
21
Yembol
African Restaurant
Serving the best African Dishes in town!
Asaro (Yam Porridge) – Jollof Rice – Moi-Moi – Fufu (Iyan) Ogbono – Okro – Egusi Amala – Gbegiri – Efo (Spinach) Pepper Soup – Ewa (Beans) – Fish – Assorted Meats and much more!
Call 972-686-0700
to order your authentic African dishes today! 9241 Skillman Street, Suite 102 Sallas TX 75243 Tel: 972-686-0700
Monday—Thursday 11 am – 10 pm Friday—Saturday 11 am – 11 pm Sunday 12 pm – 8 pm
DISCOVER JESUS from Genesis through Revelation It is amazingly interesting but revealing that our Lord Jesus Christ is directly or indirectly actively or passively mentioned and represented either by character, role and position in all the books of the bible. The name ‘Jesus’ may not necessarily and directly be mentioned especially in the Old Testament but Jesus is seen to be in all the sixty-six chapters of the holy bible. This lend credence to his sayings in the books of Revelation 21:6 and John 15 1-5 about his deity. The Bible is about Jesus. He is pictured or prophesied about in each of the 66 books as well as in countless types in the lives of different characters in the Bible. Here is a breakdown of how He is pictured or portrayed in each of the books... 1. In Genesis
8. In Ruth
Jesus appear as the Seed of the Woman. Messiah would be born of the seed of a woman (Gen 3:15, Luke 1:34-35). Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob (Gen 12:3, 17:19, 28:14, Luke 3:23-34).
Jesus is The Kinsman Redeemer. Messiah would be a descendant of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4:12-17). Typified in the life of Boaz – The Kinsman Redeemer (Ruth 2:1).
2.In Exodus
9–10. In 1 & 2 Samuel
Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Typified in the life of Moses – the deliverer. The Passover Lamb (Ex 12, John 1:29, 36).
The Prophet of The Lord Messiah exalted by God with power (1 Sam 2:10, Matt 28:18). Messiah would be a descendant of David (2 Sam 7:1216, Matt 1:1).
3. In Leviticus Jesus is seen as The High Priest. Typified in the sacrifices and offerings (Lev 1-7).
4. In Numbers Jesus is the Great Companion. As in Numbers 14:14 “And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night”.
11–12. In 1 & 2 Kings Jesus is the Reigning King. Typified in the life of Solomon (the Millennial Reign). In the life and miracles of the prophet Elisha (multiplying bread 2 Kings 4:42, healing leper 2 Kings 5).
13–14. In 1 & 2 Chronicles Is seen as the Messiah that will come from the tribe of Judah (1 Chron 5:2, Luke 3:23-32). Typified in Solomon's temple. In the Wisdom of Solomon (2 Chron 9:22).
5.In Deuteronomy
15. In Ezra
Jesus is the Prophet like Moses. Messiah will be a prophet (Deut 18:15-19, John 6:14).
Jesus is the faithful Scribe. Typified in person of Zerubbabel, the rebuilder of the temple (Ezra 4).
6. In Joshua The Captain of Our Salvation. Typified in the person of Joshua (our leader into the Promised Land). In the Promised Land in the Commander of the Army (Josh 5:13-15).
16. In Nehemiah The Rebuilder of the Walls. Typified in the person of Nehemiah, the rebuilder of the walls of salvation.
7. In Judges Jesus is portrayed as The Judge and Lawgiver. Typified in the Judges (for He is true Judge of the living and the dead).
Continued on page 44 23
The Bread of Life Wisdom Group Celebrates a Double Portion! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! For it is written in Psalms 90:10, ‘The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years…’ By God’s unwavering grace, the Bread of Life Wisdom Group’s very own Ma Margaret Osiname and Pa Johnny Omilade realized their Psalms 90:10, during this, our 15th year anniversary, and to God be all the glory! Ma Osiname celebrated her 70th year followed closely behind by Papa Johnny, as he is so lovingly called. The Lord’s promises are true, and in the attainment of the Psalm 90:10 promise, many other promises of God are made real for the celebrants. He has said that even to our old age it is He, and to gray hairs, He will carry us. We will still bear fruit in old age; we will be ever full of sap and green. We will live to proclaim His might to another generation. That if we simply wait for the Lord, our strength will be renewed; that we shall mount up with wings like eagles; we shall run and not be weary; and we shall walk and not faint. He tells us that the
splendor of old men is their gray hair! We are also told that in old age, our lives will be brighter than the noonday and that its darkness will be like the morning. He promises that we shall come to our grave in ripe old age, like a sheaf gathered up in its season. David proclaimed in his older age that though he had been young, he had not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread! These are a mere handful of the innumerable and powerful, powerful promises of the Lord. What a blessing that our Ma and Pa have resolutely taken delivery of these, and many other promises via Psalms 90:10. Russell Carter penned the words of this song: Standing on the promises I cannot fall, Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call Resting in my Savior as my all in all, Standing on the promises of God. Congratulations! Ma Osiname and Papa Johnny! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
Wisdom Group celebrates Pa Johnny
Wisdom Group celebrates Ma Osiname
24
Our Emmanuel and Our Children
25
HUMOR Sometimes women are overly suspicious of their husbands. When Adam stayed out very late for a few nights, Eve became upset. “You’re running around with other women,” she charged. “You’re being unreasonable,” Adam responded. “You’re the only woman on earth.” The quarrel continued until Adam fell asleep, only to be awakened by someone poking him in the chest. It was Eve. “What do you think you’re doing?” Adam demanded. “Counting your ribs,” said Eve.
*** It seems there was this minister who just had all of his remaining teeth pulled and new dentures were being made. The first Sunday, he only preached 10 minutes. The second Sunday, he preached only 20 minutes. But, on the third Sunday, he preached 1 hour 25 minutes. When asked about this by some of the congregation, he responded this way. The first Sunday, my gums were so sore it hurt to talk. The second Sunday, my dentures were hurting a lot. The third Sunday, I accidentally grabbed my wife’s dentures... and I couldn’t stop talking!
*** I was listening to a lady who called a radio pastor. The pastor was a wise, grandfatherly gentleman who had that calm reassuring voice that can melt all fear. The lady, who was obviously crying, said, “Pastor, I was born blind, and I’ve been blind all my life. I don’t mind so much being blind but I have some well meaning friends who tell me that if I had more faith I could be healed.” The pastor asked her, “Tell me, do you carry one of those white canes?” “Yes I do,” she replied. “Then the next time someone says that hit them over the head with the cane,” he said. “Then tell them ‘If you had more faith that wouldn’t hurt’ “!
*** A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon. “How do you know what to say?” he asked. “Why, God tells me.” “Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?”
*** A Sunday school teacher was teaching her class about the difference between right and wrong. “All right children, let’s take another example,” she said. “If I were to get into a man’s pocket and take his billfold with all his money, what would I be?” Little Johnny raises his hand, and with a confident smile, he blurts out, “You’d be his wife!”
26
Cartoons © Bible Gateway
Witty One-liners “Under same management for over 2000 years” “Soul food served here.” “Tithe if you love Jesus! Anyone can honk!” “You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.” “Beat the Christmas rush, come to church this Sunday!” “Don’t wait for the hearse to take you to church.” “Reputation is what people think about you. Character is what people know you are.” “Seven days without prayer makes one weak.” “No Jesus - no peace, Know Jesus - know peace!” “Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due.” “Prevent truth decay. Brush up on your Bible.” “It’s hard to stumble when you’re down on your knees.” “A clear conscience makes a soft pillow.” “The wages of sin is death. Repent before payday.” “Never give the devil a ride. He will always want to drive.” “Can’t sleep? Try counting your blessings.” “Christians, keep the faith... But not from others!” “Satan subtracts and divides. God multiplies and multiplies.” “If you do not want to reap the fruits of sin stay out of the devil’s orchard.” “To belittle is to be little.” “Lead me not into temptation; I can find the way myself.” “God answers kneemail!” “The best vitamin for a Christian is B1.” “Aspire to inspire before you expire.” 27
When colonial England embarked on her global conquest of countries, which included the United States of America, her mission, among other interests was to implant the English language, not as a second language, but as a supreme linguistic tool of communication. Among other goals, the empirical mission was also to make the English language itself, respected as a conqueror of all existing native languages and dialects. Schools, colleges and universities were to grade academic skills, competence and excellence based on the knowledge and proficiency of the Queen’s or King’s English. Over time, the conquerors came to realize that the English Language would serve the empire’s interests better as an educative tool than as a cultural sound that needed to be pronounced with flawless accents. Their main interest was to get the King’s or Queen’s subjects to be able to speak understandable English in the proper grammar and tense. How those words sounded did not raise eyebrows enough to pass the sinful judgment of social bias couched under a provocative inference “You Have An Accent”.
YOU HAVE AN ACCENT
SO WHAT?! by Frank Kofi Orleans Harding
In Ghana, my country of origin, spoken English is not treated with the stigmatized frown as observed and practiced in many parts of America. It’s when delivered in bad grammar that it sometimes becomes a harmless problem. I recall the good old days of Ghana under Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, who initiated the Free Education Policy that produced mass literacy beyond handshakes. As a result of this, the simple market trader in Ghana was able to communicate in English, however “broken” it was, with relative ease and fun. This policy also increased the middle class base that propelled Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and some others into enviable English speaking domains. America is more diversified culturally than most countries all over the world. One would think that it should be the least place where the phrase “you have an accent…I don’t understand you…..” would be widely uttered. If this comment:”You have an accent” is said WITHOUT PREJUDICE, then we have no problem. But when it’s mentioned with some disdain as harmful as it occurs in many parts of America to the point of creating social injustice, bias, and discrimination, then there is a big problem that needs to be addressed. English as spoken elsewhere, especially in the United States, by foreigners not born or raised here, remains a bitter pill in the mouths of those who speak it with “an accent”, supposedly. The foreigner here is often confronted with the comment: ”You have an accent” as though the American speaking in English has no accent. 28
THE TRUTH IS THAT ALL LANGUAGES HAVE AN ACCENT, INCLUDING THE AMERICAN ENGLISH. I never properly understood what the comment ‘you have an accent’ meant until I began to realize and was informed about some of its undertones— Either ‘I am stupid’ or ‘I am not properly educated’… or ‘I sound funny..’. Some of my American friends I interviewed confirmed this prejudice. I must admit disappointingly that too small a number did say that the comment was made out of harmless curiosity. I have been angry ever since. Where is the tolerance and inclusiveness that was supposed to unite than divide? I have always asked myself where is this stereotypical judgment, prejudice and discrimination coming from and why? Why would an American from Texas for example, not question an American from New York with the remark: ‘You have an accent’? The truth is that there are very distinctive accents among Americans from one state to the other. Could it be just a habit? What is the short-sighted reason that prompts such a STATEMENT directed at mostly people not born or raised here? A few local examples will help to make my point. On a recent American Idol series, one of the judges of a controversial nature, Simon Cowel of England, was passing his judgment on a contestant. Simon used an English word to make a point. The contestant either did not understand the meaning of the word or did not get the point Simon was making. She in turn tried to defend herself with a response that Simon
had an accent. Simon retorted: “you have an accent too and I don’t understand you”. Obviously, Simon wanted to pay her back in her coin. In another instance, a well-educated friend of mine, originally from Ghana with a university degree, and one with literary excellence credited to his background, was talking to a Front Desk Clerk about trying to relocate. Shamelessly, the front desk clerk asked him in the face: “Do you understand English?” I was afraid my friend would punch his lights out. Under my restraint, he clearly put the clerk in his proper position of ignorance.
A third example is extremely serious but tragic. It is necessary, though, to mention it in order to drive this point where it belongs. THE VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE. On April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia became the scene of unwarranted bloodshed and death. Seung-Hui Cho, a student of South Korean descent killed 32 people in a brutal rage that was attributed to many reasons. It was alleged that he had been ridiculed about his English accent by some fellow students to the point that the late Cho may have not felt confident speaking to anyone anymore. He was allegedly tormented into silence. The irony lay in the fact that the killer, who moved to the US at the age of 8, was a senior majoring in ENGLISH. After the massacre, he committed suicide, making it the deadliest campus shooting in modern US history. It was reported that one Professor had urged him to seek counseling. As far as I am concerned, it is the Professor, the university administrators and parents of the entire student body who would need as much counseling as the killer. If I were a counselor, I would advise that no one class of people is superior to another in the delivery of a language that does not belong to us. We should all learn to accept what we hear without prejudice. We are a multicultural society. Our goal is to welcome inclusiveness and enjoy its diversity in all its forms. Refreshingly, this stigma has been of concern to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). In one of its technical reports, ASHA’s Code
of Ethics urges speech-language pathologists and audiologists “not to discriminate in the delivery of professional services. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists should educate clients, parents and other professionals about the acceptance of linguistic and cultural diversity.” Even in the United Kingdom, the birthplace of English, there is diversity in the utterances of the English word.In London, I have heard English being spoken without sometimes understanding a word. I had always known that there is only one standard English but I was wrong. The English accent, even in England, is affected by “region, status, style, ethnicity, age, gender, life experiences, and communication models among other factors, resulting in their use of nonstandard dialect of English.” These factors prevail in the United States as well as several English-speaking countries. There is the African American English, standard English, British dialect, southern English and some other non-English languages such as Spanish. The report concludes: “ALL SPEAKERS THEN HAVE ACCENTS AND DIALECTS.” The admission of this fact, understood and nurtured, will prevent the misunderstanding that contributes to racial profiling based on accents. We have to admit that thousands of applicants have lost their jobs and opportunities as a result of employers who rest in their ignorance that English has to sound in a certain way….the only way they know it. Marital relationships have either been stifled or completely broken because of the presence of accents in the delivery of English. The obsession to detect English accents, to claim some class and racial superiority is dividing us instead of uniting us and has to stop. If we missed the generational opportunity to correct this anomaly, our children now should be taught about the truth that no language can be considered a language WITHOUT AN ACCENT. This is the truth that has preserved some interracial marriages and parenthood; this is the truth behind Abraham Lincoln’s leadership. This is the truth that brought about the United Nations as a multicultural body. The next time I am told, in the face, that “I have an accent”, I would have to ask: “what do you mean?…and add: “You have an accent too.” If I did that, there would have been some regrettable rudeness. At least, I would have opened the doors to some awareness. Lest I forget, those who may tell you that “you have a beautiful accent” may either mean well or not. Let us assume that it’s well meant. There are better ways of satisfying such curiosity. A simple question may be asked: “Where are you from?” without making the person being asked feel, he or she is an alien from outer space. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?” may suggestively be a fitting response to the statement: “You have an accent” 29
The scriptures say in Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Jesus is in the midst of His people. He is our Emmanuel, the Lord God with us. His Spirit is alive in His church. The volume of the book is written of Him; therefore, the Bread of Life Welfare Ministry exists in accordance with the holy word of God in James 2:14-20 that admonishes the brethren to comfort the needy. We therefore pledge to support anyone who is truly in need according to the resources that the Lord has placed in this local assembly. The ultimate goal of this ministry is to minister to the body, mind and soul. We urge the recipients to be self-reliant as soon as the Lord makes a way. Hence we pray that the LORD will make us all whole and perfect for HIS coming in Jesus’ name. Amen.
August 12, 2006, members took the items to the Winners’ Assembly and joined in distributing them to the poor. Year after year, as BOL members went to the Outreach/Charity event at Winners’ Assembly on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, near downtown Dallas, we packed boxes of groceries and helped with whatever was needed. At one event, 68 people, both men and women, were helped with food. Some of them were homeless and others were senior citizens who lived on fixed incomes of no more than $400 per month; many had health problems, and some families had anywhere from 2 to 6 children in their household, sometimes more. Recipients were welcomed and treated with dignity and respect. Their privacy was protected and confidential. BOL commended the Winners’ Assembly for the great work they were doing, the contributions received and the support given to the Outreach/Charity events. The participants were amazed as they testified of God’s blessings,
BOL Welfare:
The Journey so Far by Minister Adenike Adewuyi Our Humble Beginning In August 2006, The BOL Women’s Fellowship was led to step out and be involved in outreach Ministry, and the Lord directed the fellowship to support the food pantry that was operated by the Winners’ Assembly of RCCG. The Winners’ Assembly is a Parish of The Redeemed Christian Church of God located in South Dallas, a part of town that is overly plagued with poverty, crime, drugs and homelessness. According Pastor Raphael Adebayo, he believes that God is restoring the dignity and reputation of the area and the vision of the church is to lead the people to a place of total restoration and absolute faith in God. Along with the food, gospel tracts are handed out. Counseling and prayers are also offered. The BOL Women’s Fellowship presented the vision to the congregation and was buttressed with donations of food and other items. On Saturday, 30
the workers’ humility and the overwhelming joy, enthusiasm and happiness they felt as the food was prepared and prayed over before being given out. Serving with Pastor Raphael led to the Bread of Life vision for local impact in the Garland community. In 2012, Bread of Life decided to embark on establishing its own charitable outreach department at the local level. The ministry services are multifaceted, and nothing is billed to the recipients, meaning the church and the congregation bears the total costs through special offerings. One service provided by this ministry consists of financial support for both members and non-members funded through the monthly Welfare offering collection. Apart from the collection in the sanctuary, occasionally we will receive private donations from members who choose to remain anonymous. May the LORD reward all donors abundantly in
the name of Jesus Christ. The first Welfare collection was taken on July 15, 2012, and the first disbursement was for educational assistance. That disbursement totally transformed the life of the recipient so much so that she came back with her extended family to testify to the goodness of God through His people. Through the offerings, we have encouraged widows, the financially distressed, the evicted and the unemployed. We have also supported the food pantry. Although we have had big donors, we have more small donors. But, every dollar adds up because the congregation truly looks forward to giving. Our records indicate that as of August 2015, Bread of Life Women’s Ministry has ministered to 40 adults and 19 children. The ministry occasionally supports other BOL sectors. From inception to-date, the congregation has donated $9,449.51 and the group has expensed $9,340.97. Another service provided by the ministry through edible substances. Our Women’s Ministry is currently in partnership with the North Texas Food Bank whereby families are supported with free monthly food allocations based on household income. In this instance, once approved, the client stays on the distribution list until a significant change in household income occurs or the client chooses to discontinue. The income guideline is actually quite generous. This aspect of the ministry allows the recipients to enjoy subsidized groceries. We currently serve eight families and twenty individuals at this level as of September 2015. The newest addition to partner with us is World Vision Organization, which is truly a treasure-trove. World Vision Organization is vastly experienced in humanitarian and disaster relief. In the case of natural or man-made disaster in the community, Bread of Life will have the opportunity to obtain free material for necessary remedies. Volunteers can also train as rescue workers through this organization. Furthermore, we have an assigned monthly schedule to pick up various allocated items. Some members who have visited can attest to the opportunities and benefits that our members and community can derived from this alliance. Members are encouraged to volunteer on behalf of the ministry to procure the allotments. Eventually, anyone willing to represent the community and congregation will have the opportunity to visit the site. In the recent months, BOLWM has been looking to empowering the members with information. On the 3rd Sunday in August, we invited Sylvia Ber-
Sis. Nike Adewuyi
nard, the navigator for the Greater Community Initiative for Dallas County, for a brief information session. She presented information on senior services, such as meals, care giving assistance, benefit counseling, assistance for minor home repair and more for the elderly. Additionally, youth services includes the SNAP program, leadership development and college readiness for at- risk zip codes. Ms. Bernard mentioned briefly the function of 211 TEXAS, and encouraged its usage. She went on to explain how her office can assist in procuring affordable health coverage through Medicaid and CHIP programs. The congregation received both Ms. Bernard and the wealth of information she provided with open arms and hearts. Lastly, we cannot minimize the importance of information and referrals from our other partners and members. We are grateful to the following ministry partners for support: Pastor Rayford Butler of Greater Mount Hebron Missionary Baptist Church, 3421 Chihuahua Ave., Dallas 75212 and Mr. Chris Kizziar of Life Message, 4501 Rowlett Road Rowlett, Texas 75088. In conclusion, as we serve under the able leadership of Pastor Jumoke Adetoro, with support and encouragement from Pastor Chris Adetoro, the ministry is maintained by donations from people who have a heart for reaching out to the poor, although there is always a need for ongoing contributions. Everyone can continue the support through monetary donation, information dissemination and referral. God’s blessings unto all. 31
CHALLENGES of the ministry Pastor Mrs. Jumoke Adetoro
It was like a dream. Never in my wildest dreams would I think that I could become a Pastor’s wife. I saw myself just like any other member in the church, and so I still feel even now. Just about the time we started, I was going through very tough times that no one had a clue about, except me. I walked in and out of church just like any other worshipper. Meanwhile, my husband was a minister, quite close to the Senior Pastor, and was much more involved in church activities than I was. Unknown to me, God had other plans for my life as well as my husband’s. Having served the Senior Pastor for five years, we were asked to go and start a church. Prior to this time, we had held fellowship in our home for three years. Most of the fellowship members were not from Redeemed, but rather, were Christians from other denominations in our neighborhood. And so began Bread of Life. The first Sunday service was nothing less than amazing. The service was exciting and the Word was fulfilling. The church was full to its capacity and it all was quite encouraging. But then came the next Sunday service -- I was stunned to see just a few congregants in the service -- my husband and I, and a few other members totaling ten, including children! “Where is the crowd we saw last week?” I asked my husband, who responded that they were on their way. This low count of worshippers went on for months with no new additions. Yet, Emmanuel was with us! Bread of Life’s first year anniversary came quite quickly despite a number of initial ministry chal32
lenges which we overcame. Nevertheless, the anniversary was a success to the Glory of God! I discovered later that in order to grow a church, one must first grow the workers because the workers are the strength of the church. We quickly embarked on the training of new and old members who, in turn, invited their friends and relations, and the church began to grow. My interaction with people taught me to be friendly and in so doing, I was able to help my husband in various areas of the ministry. I also discovered that a Pastor’s children are sometimes unfairly treated and attacked. They are accused of things they know nothing about, such as accusations of not ‘greeting well,’ not dressing properly, and being disrespectful and arrogant. Innocent children became victims simply because they were a Pastor’s children. In the course of the journey, another challenge we had was when the church was shut down by the city of Garland for failure to meet certain city code standards. We had to conduct Sunday service in our living room until the situation was rectified. I was often disturbed and perplexed during those early times, but Our Emmanuel was there for us. On one occasion, we discovered an anonymous satanically worded letter, whose author has not been traced to this day, had been slipped under the door of Pastor’s office. When the letter was opened, it revealed curses not only upon Pasto and me, but also upon our children. We thank God that the children are doing very well today because Proverbs 26:2b says “... the curse causeless shall not come.” We prayed and pleaded the blood of Jesus over the letter, then burned it. Another situation in the old worship center demanded that we embark on an action to “the fall of the Wall of Jericho” in order to resolve the problem. My husband called for a night vigil
(that man loves spiritual warfare!) and invited the few ministers we had then. The turnout was unexpectedly low. The few that showed up lacked courage especially because it was in the middle of the night, and quietly disappeared into thin air the moment warfare prayer began, leaving my husband and me to face the situation. ‘But nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us! The first RCCG Convention held in Dallas in 2003 was glorious and memorable. But when we returned to Bread of Life, we discovered that thieves had burglarized the church. They took the few scanty musical instruments and equipment we had. But God used several pastors and friends to facilitate the replacement of the stolen items with even better ones! What a great God we serve! One day, Pastor was on his knees trying to erase crayon marks placed on the walls of the sanctuary by the children. A brother walked past and greeted Pastor... “Pastor, well done” without offering to help ... What an experience. The story behind the purchase of our present building is an interesting one.
The result of the fundraising campaign was a complete and total disaster. The total amount realized was far less than what we spent to organize the fundraising event! Can you imagine? However, we were able to raise the amount needed for the down payment through the supernatural help of God and the people He sent our way. The journey of the past fifteen years has been simply that of gratitude to our Emmanuel who has guided us, sustained us, and provided for all our needs. Over the years the church has experienced and enjoyed outstanding victories and testimonies in the life of our members and for this, we are grateful to our God. Bread of Life is a church where everybody is somebody no matter your place or origin or language. Here at Bread of Life, we take keen interest in building relationships. It is a place you can call a home church, but more importantly, we feed and prepare a people here for His return. HAPPY DUNAMIS 2015.
American Family Health Services, Inc. congratulates Pastor and Pastor Mrs. Adetoro and RCCG Bread of Life Congregation
on their 15th Anniversary DUNAMIS Conference. 7214 Highway 78, Suite 17 Sachse, TX 75048 P: (972) 429-3902, 429-3903 C: (215) 505-9604 www.americanfamilyhealthservices.com info@afhscare.com 33
GOD’s UNWAVERING LOVE Doubting God’s love for you is one thing we, as children of Christ, must not do.
A few years ago, my family and I encountered some difficulties that caused me to believe everything was falling apart. I wasn’t happy at all and things just became painfully hard for me to bear. As a young child, I didn’t understand much that was going on. Now that I am 16, instead of always being angry about that time in my life, I have learned to put my trust and faith in God. God has shown me that through it all, He is my Immanuel. I was so close to doubting Him, but He said in Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of courage; be not affrighted, neither be dismayed: for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest”. After repeatedly re-reading this scripture, I was able to grow to love and believe in God more and more just like how He loves and believes in me since before I was in my mother’s womb. The scripture, John 3:16, also demonstrates how God’s love is never ending and does not falter as long as you believe. This scripture says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life”. The Lord never goes back on His word or promises. What he says He will do will come to pass. He wouldn’t have let his one and only Son die for each and every one of our sins just because he felt like it, or because he wanted to see the death of Jesus Christ, no that is not the case. All this was done because God filters warmth, endearment, and tenderness for us. We are just as much as his child just as Jesus is. Because of this, His love has never faltered. All He wants to do is see us make it to heaven and go unto the right path to be together with Him. Furthermore in 1 Peter 5:6-7, His word explains how being humble is very important. Once we do this, it will be easy to confide all our troubles and problems unto Him. We shall also become rewarded for being humble and not prideful. It says “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you”. If The Lord our God did not love us, why would he care for us? If The Lord our God did not love us, why would He reward us? The answer is right there before our eyes, yet we fail to see it sometimes. There is nothing more that God wants than to see his children love him, read his word, and do the right things to become closer with him. 34
Moreover, not only is the God we serve a mighty God, but He is our Savior who is mighty in love. There is a specific quote that relates to this and that is Zephaniah 3:17. The scripture states that. “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” There is nothing love cannot do because love is strong and life changing. God is always there even when it seems like he isn’t. These three things God can easily accomplish if we seek him. In conclusion, the moral of this is that God’s love has no limits and it never wavers. His love is undying and if we apply these scriptures to our lives, we will be able to truly understand and know his love. Even though applying his words to our everyday lives may be hard, it is very easy to do so if your heart is in it and your goal is Heaven. This can be done by following the Bible because it is the key to following Christ and to God’s heart. His love is a kind of passionate commitment that we nurture and develop, even though it usually arrives in our lives unbidden. That is why his love is more than just a powerful feeling and is steadfast – never forget that. Layo Oyewo, IGNITE Youth Layo is a Junior at North Forney High School, Forney, Texas. Upon graduation in 2017, she plans to study medicine at Duke University
THE ONE TIME YOU
SHOULD NOT
by Gerald Payne
DRINK LEMON WATER
The next time you’re in a restaurant and you order water with lemon, you might be drinking more than you bargained for. As a matter of fact, those lemon wedges you love could be covered in little, tiny, dirty organisms harmful for your body.
Researchers tested the rinds and flesh of 76 lemons from 21 restaurants collected during 43 visits and found that an incredible 70 percent of them produced microbial growth. The samples were collected as soon as the beverage (either soda or water) was served, before drinking or touching. While researchers couldn’t pinpoint the exact origins of the microorganisms, they speculated that they may have come from the restaurant employee or raw meat or poultry contamination, among other sources. “Although lemons have known antimicrobial properties, the results of our study indicate that a wide variety of microorganisms may survive on the flesh and the rind of a sliced lemon,” the authors wrote in their report. “Restaurant patrons should be aware that lemon slices added to beverages may include potentially pathogenic microbes.” Philip Tierno, Ph.D., clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at NYU Langone Medical Center, conducted similar studies, which found that half of lemon wedges collected from various restaurants were contaminated with human fecal matter. Ewww! But that’s not all: Restaurant employees may not be diligently washing lemons or even rinsing them. It’s easy for a server, bartender or chef to cross-contaminate after dealing with patrons, washing glasses and handling food.
“We found in every single group of specimens from different institutions, representations from the three body sites that men usually impart their flora,” Tierno tells HuffPost. Those include bacteria from the intestines (in the form of fecal matter), the respiratory tract (think coughing, talking, sneezing) and the skin. Among the specimens collected were E. coli, staphylococcus epidermidis and candida, a fungus commonly found in the vagina. Source of the article: http://blackdoctor.org/449671/the-one-time-youshouldnt-drink-lemon-water/2/ Oct 9, 2014
PRESSING ON Continued from p. 21
II. FAITH IN THOSE APPOINTED OVER YOU God doesn’t just haphazardly appoint leaders without regard to what His people need. For He knows who and what we need! Jeremiah 3:15: 15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. God says he will “give us Pastors according to His own Remember, Moses didn’t volunteer for this job, he was appointed, he was chosen, he was called. And whom God calls He also qualifies. I think I need to stress that because so many people get caught up on how many degrees and suffixes a preacher has behind his or her name or how eloquent and the number of scriptures he can quote by heart in a sermon we adjudge him better over others. We can’t simply judge the ones God has called by how many letters are behind their names -- if so, Moses will not qualify. Moses couldn’t even speak clearly, but God chose him to lead the Israelites out of the land of Egypt. He wasn’t a geography major or an excursionist. But God chose him to lead His people. So many times, we want to pick our preachers, pastors and leaders based on their stature, or what we can see -- but God looks at the heart Remember when the Lord sent Samuel to anoint a king after Israel rejected Saul? He looked at all of Jesse’s sons but it wasn’t until he saw David that the Lord told him which one was to be anointed king. God looks at what’s on the inside. When God chooses a leader for his people, we must not only have confidence and trust in him, but must also trust God enough to follow the one that He has appointed over us. I have a problem with those who try and overrun and overrule the pastor of their church because they have an idea the pastor may not buy into. The pastor has been placed in that position by God to lead as He only directs. It is God who put them there; who are you to put them out? The Word of God says that if they are doing wrong, we are to pray for them that they would turn from their wrong, repent and be restored back to the Lord. God put them in the position and He’ll do the moving when it’s time! The Bible also cautions us in 1Chronicles 16:22, "Touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm.” You 36
better watch out when you start messing around with God’s anointed. Stay clear of God’s own choice. Beloved, if we are to continue on our journey to Canaan, we have got to learn how to stop thinking about Egypt, take God at His Word, and have faith in those whom He has appointed over us.
III. MOVE AND OPERATE IN THE FAVOR OF THE LORD To move and operate in the favor of the Lord, literally means three things: To have the accessibility of His Presence; the advantage of His Power; and the availability of His Promise. The accessibility of His Presence is having access to the Father at all times… We have access to His Presence 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through His Son, Jesus Christ. John 14:6 says, "I am the Way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus is the avenue by which we can enter into the Presence of the Lord. That’s why everything we do should be in Jesus’ Name, for Paul lets us know in Acts 4:12: 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” There is no other name by which man can be saved, delivered, and set free other than his name. When we find ourselves in the Presence of the Lord, we will find out that things will begin to move and operate according to God’s plan. Situations will work themselves out. Circumstances will begin to change. Dark nights will turn into bright sun-shiny days. For in His Presence is where you will find sweet relief! Once you are able to operate in the anointing of the advantage of His Power, you are already an overcomer. Your situation may still be staring at you and seems not moving, but note that nothing in life is fashioned or designed to last long. It is a matter of time, child of God; listen to me; you will overcome in the end. We have the power to cast out demons. We have the power to lay hands on sick and they’ll be healed. We have the power to call things that are not, as though they were. We have the power to tell the enemy to take his hands off of our families, off of our finances, off of anything that belongs to us. That’s the Advantage of His Power! The bible says in 1 Peter 1:2 we are His “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ…" and because we have the accessibility of His Presence and the advantage of His Power we will also have availability of His Promise.
Just as He promised the children of Israel a land flowing with milk and honey so he promised us a Life of eternity, a life more abundantly, a life without sorrow and pain. If you want to move in a forward progression towards the kingdom, it’s time to stop thinking about Egypt and keep your eyes on Canaan. Look unto him alone, the author and finisher of our faith. Rom 12:2: "And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Stop thinking about Egypt -- keep your eyes on Canaan and move and operate in the favor of the Lord. It’s time to move forward in the things of God… It’s time to stop looking one way and thinking another. If we are going to make it on into Canaan, I hear Paul saying that we have got to "Forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are before us and PRESS toward the mark of the prize of the high call of God in Christ Jesus...! (Phil 3:13-14)" Get into the press. When you get into the press, you’ll find out that Jesus is in the midst. If you don’t believe me, just ask the man who was sick with the palsy. Mark 2:4 says, “And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.” Although he was willing to be healed, it was not until he got into the press. Things concerning you happen quicker when you get into the press (tear the roof off).
GET INTO THE PRESS (Why?) Because when you get into the press, you’ll find out that you’ll be able to touch Jesus! If you don’t believe me, just ask the woman who had the issue of blood -- “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered lack of accessibility of His Presence; suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had. Yet, instead of getting better she grew worse. “When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, ‘If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.’ And straightway, the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. .And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ Mark 5: 27-30. When you get into the press concerning God, not only will you be able to touch Him, but you will get His attention. He will stop, turn around and see about you. How many of you need Jesus to stop, turn around and see about you?
GET INTO THE PRESS (Why?) Because when you press in, God gets stirred up about it; you get His attention and He will begin to move on your behalf (move the barriers) and cause you to be blessed. If you still don’t believe me, just ask Zacchaeus… “… which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.” Luke 19:2b-3. It does not matter about your stature; as you are getting into the press, you have got to decide if you’re going to overcome the barriers that exist.
GET INTO THE PRESS (Why?) Because when you get into the press, God has the tendency to call you out by name, and He will clear His schedule to have a personal visit with you. “And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way…And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.” Luke 19:4-5 How many need Jesus come by your house? We need to climb up into the sycamore tree, climb up into the things of God! Remember, your attitude determines your altitude. We have got to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14 You’ve got to PRESS ON — Towards the things of God concerning you! You’ve got to PRESS — No matter what comes your way! You’ve got to PRESS — Keep on striving for the finish! You’ve got to PRESS — Towards the promise of Canaan! You’ve got to PRESS — Keep on running the race that is set before you! You’ve got to PRESS — Because before you lay a Crown of Life! Just as the sensational Usian Bolt of Jamaica , the fastest man on earth, ran and won in the Olympics. So we also need to take on the same attitude of winning the race before us. There are three ways you finish a race in life. You can finish poorly, you can finish so-so, or you can finish strongly. May you finish the race to Canaan of your life strongly in Jesus’ mighty name! Pastor Chris Adetoro 37
EMMANUEL
(GOD IS WITH US)
Abayomi Dada
THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR
Genesis 1:1-24 records all of God’s creation before man – Light, darkness and sky, vegetation etc. However, God knew right before creation that a being would be created to have dominion over all of these creation with whom He desires a relationship. From time immemorial (even before creation) God had sought to have a relationship with man. Unlike other creations He spoke to being, this time God elected to ‘make man’ – Genesis 1:26. A relationship was established between man and God in the Garden of Eden. He was Emmanuel for them just according to His plan. However God instructed man not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Genesis 2:16-17 The fall came as a result of man’s limited capacity to subdue Satan’s enticements. Satan was able to trick Eve, because of her weak nature. Satan in the form of a serpent deceived man to eat of the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3:1-7. God delivered His righteous justice on man in Genesis 3:17-23. They were was banished from this majestic Garden of Eden. The reason was clear – man immediately yielded his allegiance to the devil by obeying the Devil’s instruction over God’s and God is righteous and does not tolerate disorderliness and disrespect. By Adam’s act, our iniquities separated us from God - Isa 59:2. All men became sinners right from formation in the womb as a result of the transgression of Adam and Eve. Romans 5:14. Every offspring of Adam i.e. the whole of humanity (including you) partook of this death. It had become a nature. Sin became a way of life, and the reality for man – Romans 5:12. Man had a desire of commune with God as the vacuum of relationship with him remained empty. Man could 38
only acknowledge God through prayers and sacrifices – Gen 4:3-4. At times God could speak to man through angels or speak through prophets like Moses, Samuel etc. God in line with His eternal purpose always wanted to have fellowship with humanity. He created humanity so He could exhibit his wondrous glory through humans. Albeit sin had pervaded the earth so much that God declared, in Gen 6:3 “My spirit shall not always strive with man”. God’s eternal purpose was in motion, irrespective of the fallen state of man. God chose the nation of Israel as a platform for His covenant after His promise to Abraham (Gen.22:1718, Gal.3:16). A law was given through Moses 430 years after the covenant and the promise with Abraham (Gal.3:12-14). The law was effected based on the blood of animals – (Ex 24:1-8, Hebrews 9:17-19). The law documented the instructions given to all of Israel. They had been instructed by God’s servant and had witnessed numerous divine miracles from God. However, without His Holy Spirit leading and guiding them from within, without His presence in them (Emmanuel), they could not obey God much less overcome the weakness of the flesh. Their experience demonstrates that man cannot obey or please God with his natural carnal mind and without God with them. The law was good (1 Tim 1:8), Holy (Romans 7:11) and spiritual (Romans 7:14). It came from God but it was unable to deal with the problem of man – SIN. The sinful nature of man made it impossible for man to meet the righteous requirements of the law (Romans 7:12-14). It could not justify its adherents (Gal 3:11). It was not of faith (Gal 3:12). It was weak and
unprofitable (Heb 7:18), It made nothing perfect (Heb 7:19), It was not faultless (Heb 8:7-8), It was a shadow of the reality Heb.10:1; Gal.3:19; Heb 8:13. The law was necessary for the formation of an interim relationship with God’s chosen people through which they understood God’s sovereignty, justice, love and might. The law constantly reminded the people of their sins (Heb 10:3, Romans 3:20), It was brought because of transgression, that sin might be seen as sin (Gal 3:19, Romans 4:15, 5:20), It served as a shadow (or prototype of the real thing that was to come (Heb 10:2) and that all will be accountable to God (Romans 3:19). As the children of Israel went on living by the law given through Moses, it became apparent that they were unable to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law. The problem was from within and not without – Romans 5:17. This underscores the weakness of the law, as only the blood of bulls and goats were shed to ratify the covenants. Moreover, the blood of bulls and goats could never take away the sin-tainted nature of man, and fulfill the demand of the law. In the fullness of time God revealed His covenant through Christ (Gal.4:4-5). This is because the covenant made with Abraham was not on the basis of the law given to Moses 430 years after God made a promise to Abraham (Gal.3:16-18). The covenant – Heb. 8:8(a) But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah”. (See also Jer. 31:31). The mediator of the new covenant is Jesus Christ. Heb 9:15. The covenant is one that has been the ultimate plan of God for humanity. It is the agreement God made with man on the basis of the death of man – Jesus Christ. In Matthew 26:28, Jesus announced the enactment of the New Testament in His blood, and when He died on the cross for our redemption, the covenant between God and man was inaugurated. This is because God Himself in the body of man died for humanity – Hebrews 2:14-17. Now because of the covenant, the human race can partake of the divine nature of God while here on earth, and reign with Him in glory at the end of this age. Man can now receive God’s divine nature. This can only be achieved by being born again. What does it mean to be born again? The person born again as defined by the Bible is the person who is born by the will of God through the Spirit. See John 1:12 and James 1:18. In John 3:3-7, John 14:6, John 3:14-19 and John 6:29 we see that being born again is the only way to enjoy God’s plan for the world. It’s by believing in Christ. When you have faith in Jesus you are regenerated by the Holy Ghost automatically (Titus 3:4-7). Romans 10:8-10, you believe with your heart and confess with
your mouth. Christ brought us closer to God through His blood and also broke down the middle wall that separated us from being the children of God (Eph 2:11-14). Jesus paid a perfect sacrifice for sins by Shedding His blood on the Cross for humanity (John 17:2-3, I Peter 1:23-24). He rose on the third day – Matthew 28:6 and became our perfect high priest by obtaining eternal redemption for us – Hebrews 9:11-13. Believers who have surrendered their lives to God are now new creatures in Christ and old things have been made completely extinct (2 Cor 5:17) – though we possess the same old body, our spirit man is completely new, we have the Spirit of God in us if we are born again (Romans 8:9-10, Eph 1:13-14 and Titus 3:4-7), We are complete with the fullness of Christ and are blessed with all Spiritual abilities (Eph 1:3, Colossians 2:10, 2 Tim 1:5-9 and John 1:16), we have been justified from our sins and stand righteous, holy, sanctified, delivered and blameless before God in love (Romans 4:5-8, 24, Romans 5:1, Romans 3:21-25, I Cor 1:30-31, Heb 10:10&14, Col 1:120-14, Eph 1:7-8). On the cross, God laid on Jesus our sins. They scourged him and made Him carry the cross - which in most description was almost impossible. He went through all these just because of the whole of humanity. Nailing Him on the cross was not the real suffering. The height of His suffering was expressed in Matthew 27:46 when Christ said “my Father why have thou forsaken me”. In that very moment He and God the Father were separated, because Christ bore the fullness of humanities sin on the cross. He shed His blood and that blood was the penalty of our sins (Roms.6:23). The blood is the meeting place between God and man (the base for the new covenant). Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). That was exactly what Jesus was doing on the cross. He was making atonement for sins. Since the life of a person is in the blood, a person loses life when blood is lost. The Cross and the resurrection of Christ offers forgiveness of sin, offers a whole new life and offers you eternal life if you come to the cross in repentance and in faith. The best of human efforts to be self-righteous are like filthy rags before God– Isaiah 64:6. Jesus lived the life we could not live and died the death we should have died. We gain everything, when we put our trust in Him. Glory to God who has gifted us with His righteousness. He was born without sin and was most qualified to take away the sins of mankind – God died for our sake and He lives to make propitiation for us if we will come to Him (Romans 3:25, I John 2:2, John 14:6). You can become a partaker of Christ’s divine nature by believing in Him today and be rest assured, He is always with you and in you. Emmanuel – God with us! 39
INTERVIEW WITH DESMOND IKEGWUONU Continued from page 13 could think of. When it comes to performance there are different instruments you could get a performance degree in. Somebody could get a performance degree in performing Guitar, somebody could get a performance degree in performing piano. Right? So they learn the art of performing piano music - different types of piano music. You know piano music is really broad. There is classical, there's Jazz, there's all kind, you have all this broad range and then understanding what this composers have done overtime. I'm studying composition. I started off from the piano then I played Guitar. I decided that over time. In fact not that I decided. It almost seems like it began to really just come through. I took a class in composition several years ago and that led to my composing a lot of songs. I started composing a lot of pieces and then hearing a lot of wonderful things that happened through those pieces, I feel like God just kind of made that happen by His own sovereign will - just kind of leading me unto that path and so I have degrees in composition and I got to know all those different instruments, learn about the voice, learn about the Violin, learn about the Guitar because you need to be able to write for these instruments and know how they work. Like in an Orchestra, how many instruments do you think they have? A lot! (Laughs). So you need to learn how to write for those instruments, know the things that works for those instruments and things that don't work and know what Idiomatics are - when I say "idiomatic", you could write something that is unplayable. So you have to know exactly (those things) and it takes a lot of learning and studying all these things. That's exactly my own processing composition. It involves a lot but then it’s just the joy of knowing when the berth process comes through. Birthing it is like you are pushing a baby but when the berth comes through - that’s the joy of seeing that and the fulfillment that "whoa! thank you God because I'm in purpose". In fact, I just don't want to have lived my life and feel like "Oh I didn't do what I'm supposed to do because I want to please some people and they don't really matter to me if God is the one that really matter the most. You've worked with lots of professors like Rob Smith, highly rated Saxophonists like Jake Gelok and Dan Sostiata who are well known Houstonians for their creative compositions. How has the experience shaped your musical carrier? I must say that I'm really thankful to God for the opportunity He's given to be able to. Recently I just spent one month in Maine and I had a piece read by the Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra and I worked with their 40
contemporary assemble and I studied with about close to 7 different composers in one month and these are people that many people of friends in Nigeria will desire to study with. I will say I've been grateful and thankful to God for the opportunity to hear from this masters. Rob Smith was my teacher while I did my masters. My masters was for two years. He was my master during the second year and then Dan is an incredible Saxophonist who performed one piece of Saxophone Concerto I wrote for the Saxophone and Orchestra and then Jake was the one that conducted. It's been phenomenal, its been an opportunity and eye opener. One thing with working with all these people is that I believe that God has placed in every one of us His sovereign grace for excellence in our craft and so even when I'm working with people who are not necessarily Christians because the source for music is not them but God, I could see that source even when they don't recognize it and I learn and tap from that source. Do you understand? and let that source even to be able to learn as I grow. Its been a tremendous experience because its been shaping me, helping me understand and get better at my craft as a composer, as a writer and as a researcher because I get to do a lot of research and education too.
And you also premiered a number of works like "Inside the Stone", "Ndibe Okwute" among others, can you tell us more about them and other recent works? Yes I won a competition while I was doing my Masters and that gave me the opportunity to write that piece, the first piece. It's Ndibe Okwute - it means Set in
Stone. If you'll notice that sometimes, I'll use a lot my native titles for my pieces, so Ndibe Okwute means Set in Stone. I wrote a piece for the Fort Worth Symphony, which means Chukwu Dube - what does that mean? God's Leading. So, it almost speaks to people, and I think it even gets their curiosity going because number one, they probably might not be able to pronounce it, so they're like 'who is that guy?' (Laughs) Because even at the concert, people couldn't pronounce it. I have another work that I'm working on, the one that was read by the Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra is called Ozi Dingba, that's 'Important News'. So, I try to really find a way to bring up everything that is out of my heritage, one way or another, to speak about my experience and let that just come forth, … please remind me of your question, because I've stayed away. (Laughs) Yes, can you tell me more about your premiers, like Set in Stone and other recent works you're working on? Yes, I'm working on several things and on a piece right now that's going to be done by the Southwestern International Children's Choir, and that's going to be premiered in November or December, and I have a couple of other pieces that will be premiered by Dr. Dave, he's one of the incredible vocal singers. And often times now, sometimes you get pieces, you have so much to do, it becomes a part of writing based on maybe time constraints and writing based on the demands from people, ' ok, I need to get this done,' so you'll go to get that going. But, the premiers are, I'll say, I'm just thankful to God for those opportunities. Recently had a piece read by the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra and then the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra playing together, and that was in Lexington, Kentucky. I wasn't able to be there, but just the opportunity to have to win these competitions and then, it's like 'who is this boy from Africa? Not just Africa, Nigeria. Not just Nigeria, an Igbo. (Laughs) What's he doing with an orchestra?'. It's kind of new to them … you really don't hear a lot about that. But I'm incredibly thankful for those opportunities, and I think the most important thing is that parents letting their kids understand that you must be in purpose … you just have to be in purpose with what you are doing. I'll be grateful to God if all I've said and done now … I'm thankful to God for the journey so far. So, I'm not like 'oh man, I wish I had done this ... no!' I'm thankful because you have lead me thus far and it's just been by His grace. So, I think that that's the main thing. The premiers have all been solely by the grace of God. And of course, like I alluded to in the earlier question, I've learned to remind myself and some of the things I've learned from studying scriptures … no matter what you do, you've got to put in diligence to it. I heard a quote that said that a Christian should not just make a shoe and put a cross on it … but should make a good shoe! Awesome.
So whatever you're doing, just make the best of it … whether you are working with an orchestra, just make the best of it. And if youth could understand that it's all about producing and giving your best and doing excellent work and the best you can by God's grace. God has His way of lifting people up. I think that that's the main thing. Fantastic... Fantastic. So how do you feel listening to people playing your songs, doing your music? How do you feel … sitting down and listening to..? It's refreshing … it's refreshing. It brings glory … I'm thankful to God, not just because of how I feel, but how much it impacts the lives of other people. I go to a performance.. . After I was conducting the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and a friend of mine said that the piece made her cry … and it's not because she cried per se, but even the seeds that are sown in the hearts of people because you gave yourself up to God's service. You never know what it is... You might not seed the seeds verbally, but it remains indelibly imprinted in their hearts, that for years, they'll keep telling their children. All of us have those defining moments, where somebody did something that spoke to your heart and you could still remember it vividly. So not just because I sit down there … it's refreshing for me … but the fact that I hear these testimonies from people that it's impacted, it's a great present. And also for my parents, it brings great joy to hear of people talk about the things that God has helped me to do … or meet them at a store or meet them somewhere, and when they introduce themselves, 'oh I'm Desmond's mother,' the people are like 'REALLY?! Wow!' So, it's great joy because a wise son, Proverbs says, will bring joy to his parents. So it brings them great joy that (others) think highly of their son because what they have sown in my life. Awesome. And you're also a song minister in Bread of Life. For how long have you been a song minister and how has the experience been like given your busy schedules and other assignments you have in hand? I want to figure how to hit the question, nail it down with the fewest words because it’s a wide question. I've been doing music for several years coming from Nigeria and so when I came, I was at the church for several years and that was at 'Pavilion of Redemption' pastor Ade Okonrende in Houston before I moved over to Dallas here to conclude my Doctorate. So I've spent several years serving as a worship minister and just immersing myself and I think it’s a great opportunity to be in the service, to be of use in God's vineyard, to be serving in the vineyard of God. The experience has shaped me because in surrendering to be used of God, He's constantly continued to pour more even into my heart and even into my mind - In the sense of, It’s almost like you are not just a capped container but you are a tap 41
Two more questions then I'm done... Sure I know you've said so many things about parents allowing their children following their passion, support them with prayers.....
that just flows through and when God see that you are flowing, He just berths songs through you so I'm not working with Orchestra, I'm writing contemporary worship songs, recording them, having to sing them. Do you understand what I'm saying? So it kind of pose it to you that you are a blessing not just to the world but also to the body of Christ. Those worship songs have really been a blessing to people. So it’s been a great opportunity to be able to immerse myself into singing and worshiping with people and been a blessing to them through the gift that God has given me and just the more He has been pouring because I feel the more you are surrendered to be of use to Him the more He pours into you. And I'm sure some of our readers will want to know how they can attend some of your concerts like I have a friend that loves Orchestra music. So how can they get informed of your time-table? I must confess that I haven't taken up the art of finishing my website so I must apologize (laughs). I'm going to now work on that - I may not work on it (myself), I'm going to have my friend finish that quickly so that we can just begin (to update our time table on it) most time I've tried to post stuff on Facebook - not too professional (laughs). The other thing is that many of these Orchestras do this publicity...like there is a publicity for these concerts. Once the publicity is there I just check it up shrug it off and sometimes I feel like maybe if this side of me is shared in the church maybe this side of me that is not seen by the world, let them (the world) see that side so I often don’t tell much of the church people. Maybe sometimes I say (casually) ...’oh I have a concert there’. But they see me on Sundays but these people don’t see the Sunday things so let me share this part with them! That's how it is but nevertheless I'm going to make sure that I get this site going so that all the dates and all the concerts are put up there so that people could really follow through and know when they are happening. 42
(Interjects) - No, I wouldn’t say pursue their passion per se but I will say helping the children discover purpose because I think that's a critical thing. The word passion now has been bastardized to mean so many things I must say but the word purpose is still key - God has called us to be conformed to the image of His son. It’s like your child understands if you are helping them as a parent to discover exactly what they are supposed to do and praying concerning those things and teaching them that whatever a man or woman lays their hands to do, they must attend to that thing with all their heart and with all their might and give up themselves as unto the Lord and that's what makes the big difference! Because no matter what you do, if the commitment level to that thing is not as much as you could possibly do, the result you will get there will not be as much as you should have gotten. So I think for a parent is helping their children understand that the foundational thing that is important through the journey is staying in purpose. I mean every other thing will come to place. People have made so much money that they've lost purpose. They’ve made so much money that money is no longer of any significance to them. In fact, the money has really destroyed them than it’s been a blessing to them. Some other people have lost relationship because they’ve been pursuing the wrong thing. So I think it’s important for people to understand that what is really important is pursing purpose in God. If a man's way pleases the Lord, He make even his enemies to be at peace with him. So when your ways are in line with His will, even those who are not suppose to favor you will begin to find ways to do that. Personally I know you to be someone who is very humble and given your wealth of experience, your qualification, expertise in music and having to also work in the vine yard of God. I know any musician will have a special taste for sound. So I'm just a little bit curious and I'm sure some Choristers will laugh at this question. How do you feel you are practicing a song with the Choristers in the church but the sound is not up to your taste? (Laughs). That's a tall order of a question but it’s a very simple question. Any good musician is critical about sounds because you’ve spent several hours or weeks rehearsing and you have just five minutes to give it your all so you want to make sure everything there works in your favor. Even the guy working in the technical department. Sometimes you might not have the luxury of being in a place that has the best sound but also the thing about it is going up there and giving it all you’ve
got. I've been in church and you just clap your hands worship God the best way you can but just give it all you’ve got. Whatever you are even if the sound is not good. I mean if there is anything you can do to make sure that they work, alright, find out...what can we do? That will be good but if you are there to do what God wants you to do, just give it all you've got at that point. Good sound is always great. Sometimes you might be sent to a place that doesn’t have the sound. I've sang in places which is 'clap our hands', I didn’t have my guitar, I didn’t have a piano, we just sang and then it was such that your heart was poured out at that moment. The sound really helps but ultimately it’s the vessel. This question may sound repetitive because I know you’ve touched base on it before. It’s just to satisfy the interest of youths reading the magazine right now. What word of advice do you have for some of them who wants to pursue a career in music? (Laughs). I don’t like saying I want to give anybody an advice on what to do. (Laughs)...but I will say first and foremost to answer this question, it's not necessarily about what you want to do as much as what God wants you to do. Because if I say 'what you want to do', Is what you want to do what God wants you to do? Because a heart that is not regenerate may want to do something but it’s not what God wants them to do. But the regenerate heart should be surrendered to do exactly what the master is doing. (Quotes John 10:27)...My Sheep hear my voice and they follow....So God is the Shepard and we are the sheep and we follow. So it’s not really about what I want to do but about exactly what God wants me to do. And if its God wants me to do, I must understand that He wants me to do it with all that I have. When I came to the United States, I didn’t really have many trousers per se, I didn’t have many cloths, my mum makes fun of me because I was buying a lot of books. I was studying to immerse myself. I will get my pay checks, go buy books, go on Amazon, studying, researching and I was always making 'jokes' to myself. I'll say if I buy a cloth (or shirt) it’s going to get worn out but if I buy this book, it stays in my heart forever. So that was like my driving force to immerse myself. Every time, my mum makes fun of me. She will be like 'so are you going to bring the whole book store into your room?’ I'll be like ' take it easy mummy!’ But that aspect, I figured that I must apply to this and I must push and set a standard for myself above and beyond what anybody is doing. I want to be able to be what God has called me to be to the fullest regardless of what the accolades may be. Like people says 'oh that's amazing!' and I'll be like 'oh that's good but I still feel like I could still do more'. So that whole aspect of immersing yourself in the growth process cannot be overemphasized. Because we have a lot of people that says they want to do something but they are not immersed in diligence to that. See thou a man who is diligent in his work, the Bible says, He will stand before kings and not among
mere men. So that's been my 'watch word'. Applying myself diligently, studying, researching, meeting people, reading, improving, growing - the more you keep growing I think the more you stay fed. So whatever you find your hands to do, applying yourself rigorously to that cannot be overemphasized and letting God use that thing to really reach out. I have my friend who is in the medical field and she is doing some incredible job. She sent me a published work that she did. I couldn’t really understand all the details - it has mathematical things. So I said 'I want to show you one mathematical thing I did in music that I composed so you can see the mathematical aspect of what I'm doing too because I do some research so you can see what I'm doing too'. She said 'send it!' but she is phenomenal, she is in that field. Although you have a lot of doctors who are not Christians but she wants to be able to stand out in that field excellently, take it so serious, become the best that she could be in that field. One of the great writers - Francis Shaffer - He was so much into philosophy and he's written so much about philosophy not because he wants to be a philosopher for the sake of it but he wants to know the things that he could use to meet the need of philosophers who really don’t know God. Even in the medical field, many people need God but they won't listen to you if you are not diligent in what you are doing and committed to it. So, that's my advice to anybody wherever they find themselves. Rigorously immerse yourself in what you are doing and let God have his way. Amen. Praise God! We've asked some people this question, what does Emmanuel mean to you? I've written a song that says 'Emmanuel - God with us'. So, if I'm correct I will have to do some more research. My basic (understanding) and my understanding from a little of the research that I've done is that it means God with us and that's huge. It’s something that for every child of God, that should be resonating with us wherever we find ourselves to realize that God is with us. There are so many phases to that. Maybe through a trial - God is with you, maybe through the joy of the experience, God is with you, maybe through something that seems insurmountable, God is with you but more importantly also is the fact that God is with you and breathing His life through you making you who He wants you to become - Conforming to the image of His son. So I think those are just simple elements that I could really touch on. The fact that He is shaping us to who He wants us to be. Praise God. I know Emmanuel - God is with you and He will see you through. Thank you so much for your time and hopefully we'll like to be in any of your concert in within and outside of Dallas. Sure. Thank you and God bless. 43
DISCOVER JESUS from Genesis through Revelation Continued from page 23
17. In Esther Jesus typified in the person of Mordecai.
18. In Job The Dayspring From on High. Typified in the sufferings of Job and the blessings that would follow.
19. In Psalms The Lord Who Is Our Shepherd. Messiah would be the Son of God (Ps 2:7, 12, Matt 17:5).
20–21. In Proverbs & Ecclesiastes
29. In Joel The Baptizer with the Holy Spirit. Messiah will offer salvation to all mankind (Joel 2:32, Rom 10:12-13). Messiah would baptize people with the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32).
30. In Amos The Burden Bearer. God would darken the day at noon during Messiah’s death (Amos 8:9, Matt 27:45-46).
31. In Obadiah The Mighty Savior.
32. In Jonah The Forgiving God. Typified in Jonah being 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a fish (Jon 1:17, Matt 12:40).
The Wisdom of God. Messiah would be from everlasting (Prov. 8:22-23, John 17:5). Messiah would be the Son of God (Prov. 30:4, Matt 3:16-17). Typified in the Wisdom of God (Prov. 8:22-31).
The Messenger with Beautiful Feet. Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2, Matt 2:1-2). Messiah would be from everlasting (Mic 5:2, Rev: 1-8).
22. In Song of Solomon
The Avenger of God's Elect.
The Lover & Bridegroom. Typified in the Bridegroom’s love for, and marriage to, the bride.
23. In Isaiah The Suffering Servant. Messiah would be born of a virgin (Is 7:14, Luke 1:34-35). Messiah would be Immanuel “God with us” (Is 7:14, Matt 1:21-23). Messiah would be God and Man (Is 9:6, John 10:30).
24–25.In Jeremiah & Lamentations The Weeping Prophet. Messiah would be God (Jer. 23:6, John 13:13). Messiah would be a righteous Branch (Jer. 23:5). Messiah would be our righteousness (Jer. 23:6, 1 Cor. 1:30).
26. In Ezekiel The Son of Man. Messiah would be a descendant of David (Ez. 34:23-24, Matt 1:1).
27. In Daniel The Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven. Messiah would be ‘a son of man’ given an everlasting kingdom (Dan 7:13-14, Luke 1:31-34).
28. In Hosea The Bridegroom. Typified in Hosea's faithfulness to his adulterous wife (Hos 3). 44
33. In Micah
34 In Nahum 35. In Habakkuk The Great Evangelist, Crying For Revival. Messiah would come from Taman at His return, full of glory (Hab. 3:3). Typified in the life of Habakkuk (his intercession and prayer for his people).
36. In Zephaniah The Restorer of the Remnant.
37. In Haggai The Cleansing Fountain. Messiah would visit the 2nd temple (Hag 2:6-9, Luke 2:27-32).
38. In Zechariah The Pierced Son. Messiah would be Priest and King (Zech. 6:12-13, Heb. 8:1). Messiah would be ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9, Matt 21:6-9). Messiah would be God (Zech 11:12-13, John 12:45) Messiah would be pierced (Zech 12:10, John 19:34-37)
39. In Malachi The Son of Righteousness. Messiah would appear at the temple (Mal 3:1, Mark 11:15-16). Messiah's forerunner would come in the spirit of Elijah (Mat 4:5, Matt 3:1-2). N.T Book Main Revelation Titles / Names Revealed of Jesus.
40. In Matthew
54–55. In 1 & 2 Timothy
The Messiah. The Son of David (Matt 1:1). The King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2). The Son of God (Matthew 2:15). The Bridegroom (Matthew 9:15).
The Mediator between God and Man the King of Ages (1 Timothy 1:17). The Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).
41. In Mark The Miracle Worker, The Holy One of God (Mark 1:24). The Servant (Mark 10:45). The King of Israel (Mark 15:32).
42. Luke The Son of Man, The Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69). The Consolation of Israel (Luke 2:25).
43. In John The Son of God the Only Begotten Son (John 1:14, 18). The Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36). The Bread of life (John 6:35). The Light of the World (John 8:1).
44. In Acts
56. Titus The Blessed Hope The Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13). The Great God and Saviour (Titus 2:13).
57. In Philemon The Friend, Closer Than a Brother the Lord Jesus Christ (Philemon 3).
58. In Hebrews The Blood That Washes Away My Sins the Heir of All Things (Hebrews 1:2). The Faithful High Priest (Hebrews 2:17). The Author and Finisher of our Faith (Hebrews 12:2).
59. In James The Great Physician the Lord of Glory (James 2:1). The Judge at the door (James 5:9).
60–61. In 1 & 2 Peter
The Ascended Lord the Prince of Life (Acts 3:15). The Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42). The Just One (Acts 7:52). The Hope of Israel (Acts 28:20).
The Chief Shepherd the Living Stone (1 Peter 2:4). The Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4).
45. Romans
Everlasting Love the Eternal Life (1 John 1:2). The Righteous (1 John 2:1).
The Justifier the Rock of Offense (Romans 9:33). The Deliverer (Romans 11:26). The Lord of the dead and the living (Romans 14:9). The Root of Jesse (Romans 15:12).
46–47. In 1 & 2 Corinthians The Last Adam the First-fruits (1 Corinthians 15:23). The Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45).
48. In Galatians Jesus is portray as The One Who Sets Us Free the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 1:3).
49. In Ephesians The Christ of Riches the Head over All Things (Ephesians 1:22). The Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).
50. In Philippians the God Who Meets Our Every Need the Name above all names (Philippians 2:9)
51. In Colossians The Fullness of The Godhead the Image of the Invisible God (Colossians 1:15). The Head of the body (Colossians 1:18). The Firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18). The Hope of Glory (Col 1:27).
52–53.In 1 & 2 Thessalonians The Soon Coming King the Lord of Peace (2 Thessalonians 3:16).
62, 63 and 64. In 1 & 2 & 3 John
65. In Jude The God our Saviour the Only Wise God our Saviour (Jude 25).
66. In Revelation The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! The Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last: (Revelation 1:17, 22:13) The Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5) The Word of God (Revelation 19:13). The King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16) The Bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16)
Concluding: Jesus is everything to everyman on earth and heaven to come which is why if you don’t know him, come to Him today, tomorrow may be too late. If you have known him before but have backslidden he is a forgiving savior — come to him still. If, however, you are his elect saint walking in his will and way, don’t look back — continue to hold the fort. You are on the right track of Life. Pastor Chris Adetoro
45
The Ogunleye family congratulate RCCG Bread of Life on its 15th anniversary DUNAMIS conference 46
Mr. and Mrs. Remi and Nike Jetawo and Family along with the staff of Jet Auto Sales would like to say a resounding
Congratulations
to our Pastor and Pastor Mrs. Chris and Jumoke Adetoro on the 15th anniversary DUNAMIS conference of RCCG Bread of Life
Steadfast Group LLC Steadfast Health Care Services 10990 Switzer Ave, Ste 303 Dallas, TX 75238 Bibiana Balogun Office: 214-221-7575 Fax: 214-221-0858 Cell: 214-924-2030
THE BALOGUN FAMILY congratulates RCCG Bread of Life on their 15th anniversary DUNAMIS conference
47
Leora S. Olorunnisomo Attorney and Counselor at Law 10 #PY t 3PXMFUU 5FYBT 5FM t 'BY Email: lolorunnisomo@aol.com
Congratulations to Pastors Chris and Jumoke Adetoro, and the entire Bread of Life family on a job well done and for staying the course. ‘Our Immanuel’ – Indeed, a very beďŹ ing theme for this, your 15th year DUNAMIS Anniversary. Many more years of service in Jesus’ Omnipotent Name! 48