July - September 2008 Vol. 2 - No. 2 www.milesmag.com
AFRICAN EDITION
Miles now in Ghana The Heart of Miles –giving hope to the hopeless Why Givers Never Lack Learn what Christianity really is Why winners win and Losers lose There is still hope for your MARRIAGE It’s your move your journey from obscurity to significance
PEACE in the midst
of the Storm
is Looking for You! Miles Magazine seeks viral marketers to implement client campaigns. Due to our huge success, our clients are expecting us to raise the bar in 2008. With plans to expand by the end of the year, Miles Magazine is looking to fill several ENTRY LEVEL openings to help us continue to grow and expand!
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Contact: Miles Magazine 294 Ikorodu Rd. (by Anthony Bus stop) Lagos Nigeria Phone Numbers: 017609767, 080-35075581, 8773682
July - September 2008 Canada’s First Christian Magazine
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15 Giving Hope to the Hopeless!
Miles Magazine now in Ghana!
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18 New Heaven Chapter
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Consider This
Total Consecration
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The Fragrance of Christ
Commendation or Condemnation?
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Divine Persepective
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Education Column
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Beyond the Pulpit
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How we Relate
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Perspective of Faith
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From the Pulpit How to have a personal revival
MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
The Shepherds Heart Why do Winners win and Losers Lose?
Charateristics of a Good Leadership
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Food For Thought Hidden Gems
100 Names of Jesus Christ
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Spiritual Nuggets The prayer of Supplication
Church Breakdowns
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Profile Changing lives, Shaping Destinites
What is Christianity?
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Your Finances Givers never lack
Peace in the midst of the storm
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Insight
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Family Column There is hope for your Marriage even Now! www.milesmag.com
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Editorially Speaking July - September 2008 Vol. 2 - No. 2 www.milesmag.com
AFRICAN EDITION
It’s Your
Miles now in Ghana The Heart of Miles –giving hope to the hopeless Why Givers Never Lack Learn what Christianity really is Why winners win and Losers lose There is still hope for your MARRIAGE It’s your move your journey from obscurity to significance
PEACE
Move Life is all about choices, the choice to accept obscurity or the choice to breakthrough And become significance. A lot of us think that there are a few that have been given the possessions of this world while the rest of us struggle to serve them, that is not true, the wealth of this world might at the moment be in the hands of the few wealthy, but that is simply because they had the liver to ‘Dare’, yes, they had the mind to take control of their destiny and overcome the impending obstacles that surrounded their destinies.
in the midst
of the Storm MILES Magazine is published quarterly in Nigeria by MILES CHRISTIAN PUBLICATIONS LTD., Email: info@milesmag.com Website: www.milesmag.com 294 Ikorodu Rd. (by Anthony Bus stop) Lagos, Nigeria. 017609767, 080-35075581 8773682 and in Canada by Miles Christian Publication in association with Believers Full Gospel Vineyard and 684 Wilson Ave., Toronto, Ont., CANADA, M3K 1E1
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Rev. Don Ifepe
Executive Editor: Iyen B. Irenen
“To every success story, there is always a history, success does not just grow on trees but people will it and dare to achieve it.” – Look at the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:25-28 “Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well. 1. She heard about Jesus, have you ever heard about Jesus and believed Him? 2. She made a move, when you hear the gospel; do you act on the promises of the word? 3. She acted on her confession, in other words, our confession must be backed by action. Have you been taken action based on your confessions, which in turn is based on the promises from the word of god The ball is in your court, our God is a mighty man in battle, He is the God of all situations, on the mountain and in the valley, no matter your location, God will find you and bring you to your place of significance. Its your move to make in life, stand up and stand doing something, this is your time to excel, I am not writing just to make you feel good but I am declaring prophetically that your wheel of progress is waiting for you to kick start it and watch it role for ever.
IT’S YOUR MOVE!!! Child of God, its your move to make, only you can pull yourself to a place of significance, it is achievable but only those who have the will backed with the right attitude and action can make it to the top. The question now is, how much do you desire the top, if your desire is even half as much as that of the woman with the issue of blood then you are set for the top and nothing can stop you from reaching there in Jesus name. I remember when our ministry was planning to go on the television for the first time, people told us all about the challenges, I even had some come with prophesies of how it was nearly impossible to succeed, but today, we have been on not just on a survival level but our television ministry have grown beyond our wildest imagination, God can do the same for you, all you have to do is believe and go for your dreams. Finally, I want to tell you that your dream can be your real| Rev. Don Ifepe | ity in Jesus name but remember ‘Its Your Move to the Top Publisher, Miles Magazine 3
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Coordinator: Nonso Ifepe
Editor: John O. Ekunnusi
Editor: Jude Nwachukwu
Art Direction & Design: The Creative Desk www.thecreativedesk.ca
Contributing Writers: Olajide Olutuyi Pastor Taiwo Odubiyi Luke Onuoha Rev. Joy Vassal Bishop Francis Wale Oke Oludare J. Abolurin Mrs. Lanre Timothy Mr. Peju Akinyemis Pastor Taiwo Odukoya MILES is a Christian publication, featuring people, events and current issues of our day, worldwide. In each edition we feature churches, organizations, entrepreneurs, and individuals who fear the Lord and are excelling in their various fields. For now, this is a quarterly publication, but our goal is to run monthly by the coming year. Our vision is to portray the simplicity in Christianity by sharing the Love of Christ through unity. This is a non-denominational, non-discriminatory publication with affiliation to all, who will receive our extended hand of partnership. Note: All Bible Quotations are taken from The King James Version — except when otherwise indicated. Contents Copyright © by Miles Magazine. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the publisher. The Publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or other material including colour transparencies. All rights reserved. Printed in Africa. MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
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Community Watch
MILES MAGAZINE DEDICATES THEIR
Mission House in Nigeria The Vineyard villa is the official mission house for the keys of the Kingdom missions in Africa sponsored by the Miles Christian Magazine and the Believers Full Gospel Vineyard Church). Speaking at the grand occasion, the publisher Rev. Don Ifepe explained the vision behind the mission house, he explained that it will serve as a launching pad for the ministry’s activities in the continent of Africa, it will also be hosting men and women of God on missions who will be coming from all over the world to Nigeria for international conferences. On Sunday the 10th of February 2008, the Villa was formally dedicated to the glory of God.
In attendance were great men and women of God, as well as well wishers. Pastor Fidelis Okorie of the Word Chapel in Ikeja did the honors of cutting the tape amidst an atmosphere of thanksgiving and joy. The ministry wish to use this opportunity to thank all our sponsors for your generosity, it is because of your giving that we were able to ‘Go the Extra’ in the mission field, God Bless You all.
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MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
Consider This
COMMENDATION or
CONDEMNATION "When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. 32 Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, 33 putting sheep to his right and goats to his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation.35 And here's why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,I was homeless and you gave me a room,36 I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 "Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink?38 And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?'39 ……….40 Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.' Matthew 25:31-40 (The Message) 31
The above narration of a future event in our relationship with Jesus provided the answer to a key question that has bothered my mind since I became an ardent follower of Jesus; i.e. what does he expect of me to earn his commendation? As I meditated on the above scriptures, it dawned on me that every virtue of Jesus we can ever strive for, is to enable us perform the tasks listed above. In 1 Corinthians 13:13, we are reminded that of the three things that brings about completeness with Jesus – Trust, Hope and Love, Love was the greatest. So, I pondered, why love? I realized that to do the above, you need an extravagant dose of LOVE. To do them will require a large portion of your time (an item we believe is in short supply these days). It will mean giving of ourselves, it will require commitment, humility, not getting anything in return in the short term, getting close to those who are below ‘our status’; and allowing people to sometimes take advantage of us. We will sometimes be labeled stupid and a weakling and a lot more! Yes a great deal of LOVE will indeed be needed. www.milesmag.com
I called up a mental picture of my congregation, from the minister’s row to the last pew, and all I saw were strangers! I could not recollect the face of the ‘brother’ that sat beside me last Sunday! His name and home address? Forget it! And yet I have attended this church for close to 5 months. I have not visited anyone and no one has visited me. I am now more than convinced that if Jesus comes back today, more ‘brethrens’ will be sorted to the goat fold than the sheep. I know this because 95% of the church income goes into building a befitting auditorium. In the area of welfare, tokenism has become the name of the game. We cannot use church fund for welfare except what is collected by the welfare department. When the big church decides to partake in feeding the homeless, the press must be present to record it for posterity. My heart bleeds for the church as constituted today. Thank God, eternity is not a group thing. The separation will be done on individual basis. You can therefore make the difference today. The reason why you are not fulfilling the above requirement is not
Continued on Page 25 MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
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Peace in the midst
of the Storm Luke 8:22-25 “Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. 23 But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marvelled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"
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MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
A Divine Perspective 4. Do not panic – it is very vital that you make sure not to panic in the times of trial, remember it is impossible to make sound decisions when you are panicking. In times of crisis make sure to stand still and then you will see the salvation of God in your life. During the battle between Israel and their enemies, King Jehoshaphat was instructed by the Lord to ‘Stand still, do not panic, and then you shall see the salvation of the Lord – 2 Chronicles 20:27, in the calmness of life, you hear sounds that you normally will never have heard in times of noise. The points above will definitely bring you peace in the midst of the storm, we need Jesus to be in our ship, for then and only then can we cry out and surely he will be near to see us through all storms and above all empower us for the next level in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. And they were afraid, and marvelled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!" The disciples were afraid, asking and wondering what can of man was Jesus, I will attempt to list the nature of Christ: The story above is a typical journey to significance, it begins by declaring that the disciples got into a boat, the key is that this particular boat was not just a boat but one that was to lead them to the other side (In other words, they were on their way to a NewLevel). Once you make a decision and back it up with action, then all hell will be let loose against you, this is the point where a lot of us miss it. I will take you on some principle truths about being in peace, joy and victory in the midst of the storm:
Keys to having Peace In the Midst of the Storm 1. You must make sure that Christ is in your Ship – when you have Christ on your side that you are in the winning team, the bible declared in the scripture above that they had Christ with them in the ship and so they could cry out to Him for help. The simple way to have Christ in your ship is to surrender your life and will to Him through prayer and obedience.
A. He is a man full of the Holy Spirit B. He is a man full of compassion C. He is a man of love D. Above all, He is a man full of power Such a man will never forsake his own, that is the main reason why your confidence in him should be undoubting, He has promised to be with us even to the ends of the earth. May this article empower you and give you hope against hope, that even in the midst of the storm; you will have confidence that Christ will see you through to your divine victory.
2. Know that there will always be storms – many believers have bought the ferry tale that life as a born again is storm free, there is no value to gold in its raw form until it has gone through the test of fire. So it is with our lives too, the greater the heat against, the greater will be your final level of significance in life. The question is not whether you are ready for it or not, it will surely come, it is then your decision to use it as an opportunity for promotion or to quit and be a perpetual looser. 3. Storms does not necessarily mean that you are in disobedience – Many a time we are meant to believe that trials and tribulations come our way because we are living in violation of God’s word, while this is true in some cases but it is not always the case, for example Job was not in violation but he encountered a mighty storm that almost ruined his life but you know that nearly cannot kill a bird. Your near shave will death, shame or destruction will not end your life but rather it always makes a way where there seems t be no way.
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Testimonials
Testimonials From You WE HAVE BEEN RESTORATED It is with great gratitude to God that I testify that God almighty has been very good to me and my family. I am a business man and a few months back I imported some goods into the country, unfortunately the product had some chemicals which the Canadian government did not want. It became a big issue and the government threatened to confisticate the whole container of goods. I approached my pastor and friend, Rev. Don Ifepe and together with the whole congregation we went into prayers. It was an uphill battle, one day the news looks good and the next it is back to worse but through out all these we held our faith high. Finally to the glory of God I was granted victory, I have my goods back and I give God the ultimate glory for His benevolence and grace on my life. Brother J. and family Canada
My Promotion has Come from God-Almighty Many years I have worked in a particular company, all the time it seems nothing progressive was coming my way. It got to a point when it became very frustrating and I was at that point of resignation. I always will complain to Rev. Don, and he will always re-assure me that the God we serve is a God of promotion and that whether man likes it or not that my promotion will definitely come at God’s appointed day and timing. Just a few weeks ago, I got a call from my boss telling me the good news that I have received a fantastic increase in my pay check in addition to payment of bonuses dating back to 3-years. I knew immediately that such good news can only come from God. I thank God for such goodness in my life and I will continue to serve Him all the days of my life.
The Man of God Has Been a Blessing To Me Actually I have known Rev. Don for over twenty years in Nigeria, which dates back to the time before he became a pastor. He has always looked and behaved divinely, always his heart was set on visions. I lost contact with him for a long period, it was only in February of 2008 that I coincidentally met up with him again, at that point I had a visa to South Africa which was fast running out on me. I told him my plight and he helped me with prayers, to God be the glory, not quite four days later, everything came together for me and I actually was able to make my trip to South Africa. I thanks God for such miracle and for such vessels, I have resolved to be an instrument by which this great ministry and the Miles magazine will come to South Africa for good, that is my own little way of saying thank you to God. Brother Emeka N. South Africa
You could be the next testimony, contact the man of God directly on 416.786.3414 for either Prayer or Counseling appointment and your life will definitely change for good.
A Sister in Toronto.
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Inspirational Column
Community Watch
Here We Grow Again!
Miles Magazine Now In Ghana The cities of Accra and Kumasi were the first to receive the Miles magazine in the Gold Coast West African country of Ghana. Rev Don Ifepe who is the Ambassador of expansion on behalf of the publication held a oneday power packed launching program at the New Life In Spirit Ministries pastured by the Right Rev. Osei Apauh.
Host Rev. & Rev. Mrs O. Apauh
Speaking at the occasion, the publisher of Miles (Rev. Don Ifepe) reiterated the vision of going the extra mile in educating the world about the light and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ministration Time
The expansion into Ghana is another step in the right direction, as of date, the Miles project is now in three continents and promises to reach into the rest within the near future. We use this opportunity to thank our sponsors and partners and wish them the very best in their life endeavours. Miles magazine activities in Ghana is coordinated by Rev. John O. Ekunnusi, a man of God with genuine love for the missions. Ghana Coordinator (Rev. Ekunnusi) In Miles T-Shirt @ The program
Rev. Don declaring the vision
To God be the Glory
Rev. Don & A Cross Section Of Ministers Spreading The Message In Ghana
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The Believers Vineyard family In Ghana MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
Education Column
WHAT IS Rev. Emma Uzuegbunam
CHRISTIANITY? BY: REV. EMMA UZUEGBUNAM Hebrew Lecturer, St. Paul’s University College, Awka. Chaplain, All Saints Chapel –IMT Enugu, and College of Education Enugu Nigeria.
Christianity is a way of life; a problem – solving perspective, a way of looking at things. It is a real perspective for real people for meeting real goals and aspirations, and for resolving real perplexities or solving real problems. If Christianity is real, then it is able to meet the real needs (physical and spiritual, existential and eschatological) of real people. If it is not real, then, by virtue of its inability to provide real answers to real challenges, it would break down. That Christianity has not broken down all through the ages of its existence shows that it is not a mere illusion. It is a real thing. Its propositions are real. Its aphorisms, postulations, pronouncements are real, testable ways of resolving real conflicts. Is Christianity real, or is it a mere illusion? Are its cardinal claims simply the outbursts of deluded frustrated people? These questions are not issues for mere semantic relevance. If a thing is real, then it is capable of being tested and proved. Can Christianity be tested and proved? Can its claims be verified? Can its cardinal assertions be subjected to any form of scientific investigation? The Bible, the cardinal document of the Christian faith, is full of experiences of people who walked with God and in whose lives God proved Himself faithful. Now, can those experiences be reenacted today? Does the God of Abraham live today? Is he interested in our own needs today? Is God a God of history, a God of fairy tales? Is Yahweh locatable only within the framework of legends and folklore or epics? Is there a real God in our real world of today who is interested in the real needs of people who are alive and well today? These are the questions that confront us today. This article is about the baptism of favour. It is about the admission into the distinguished selection in the scheme of the dispensation of God’s mercy. God is a God of order, a God of principles. He has specific patterns by which He does the things He does. The challenge before us as people that live in the world today is to discover how the people of old walked with God and derived immense benefits, both here and hereafter, from such walk with God. Some of us would rather choose to remain in our ignorance and go to the other end and shout and raise hell and yell out, and at the end write God off as insensitive and inattentive to the needs of the modern world of the avoidance of doubt, God www.milesmag.com
cannot be pressured into abandoning His principles, just because He realizes the necessity to prove Himself within the setting of our world of today. Baptism of favour is about the secret of coming under the canopy of the blessed of God. I guess that if you know what to do to warm your way into the class of the select few on whom God’s choice favour are lavished, you would want to do it immediately with all your heart.
How terrible it is that many though enlisted nominally in the Church, have not really applied themselves to discovering the secrets of entering into favour with God. The result is that people walk the streets with God’s badge all over them and yet their lives do not manifest anything of the abiding eloquent testimonial favour of the Lord. The result is that their lives do not yield the intended glory to God. Such lives do not attract anyone to the Lord because there is just nothing that one could be attracted to. Listen, the very reason for which God releases His glory (His shine, beauty, radiant, light, brightness, glow, glitters, goodness) upon the earth is to ‘advertise’ Himself, to make His ultimate goodness eloquently manifest upon the earth, so that people will decide of their own volition to cherish and follow Him. If any life manifests the goodness of the Lord, such a life advertises the Lord. That is what evangelism is, to advertise the goodness of the Lord. What is evangelism? It is to tell of the goodness of the Lord. To evangelize means to tell of His goodness. A life that manifest the goodness of the Lord bears an eloquent evangelism, more eloquent than multiple tracts, crusades and mission exploits. God has called us to bear upon ourselves an eloquent testimony to the fact that He is a good God. Baptism of favour is about being admitted into the class of people that matter as far as the Kingdom of God is concerned. It is about receiving the divine endowment that releases upon a person the divine testimony that ‘This is my beloved son…’ It is baptism that marks a person out for special divine concern. You will know it when you have it, and you will certainly have it when you know how. May the Lord stimulate a deep hunger in you for that divine endowment which rewrites your whole history. MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
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Beyond the Pulpit
CHURCH BREAKAWAYS
WHO OWNS THE FLOCK
A Case of Empire Builders
This topic really needs to be addressed everyday in this age and time of church proliferation madness syndrome. It seems everybody needs to have their own flock and church at the expense of the integrity of the body of Christ. The Story A man declares his calling as a servant of God, then he sets up a ministry with members and eventually other pastors join in to help the work go forward. Up to this point it remains very good and well within the divine purpose of the Lord. But suddenly the congregation grows up to a point where (like any child when of age) the assistant or associate pastor wants to move on into his own ministry/vision. Then the trouble starts, the senior pastor begins to scandalize and tarnish the image of the breakaway pastor or vice visa.
the flock should not arise, if we are truly in the service for God and God alone. But the truth is that people are in the ministry for what they can gain out of it and not for God. It has become a game of numbers, how many clients I have determines the level of tax or tithe as we prefer to call it that we collect in the Sunday service. In truth, the church has no right to collect tithe from a person they have not shown the way to the light. Jesus showed his disciples the way to wealth and wisdom and in turn they paid full tribute to Him as their personal Lord and savior. Today it is no longer the case, pastors and shepherds are not doing anything to improve the life of their flock but they just want to sit back and lick from the harvest that they have not labored for. Many keep these associate pastors for years with no pay or remuneration. They tell them that the good Lord will reward them, forgetting that these are men with responsibilities and families.
When a man has a child isn’t it right and natural that when this child is fully trained, he/she would move out of their parent’s house to establish a home of their own and subsequently learn to survive on their own totally independent of the parents. Even in the secular world, after being an apprentice for a number of agreed years under the tutelage of a master/lord, the apprentice is then settled with a particular amount and left to be independent of their master. Why then is it always a problem when a pastor decides to move on from a church?
David in Psalm 27:13 said “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living”. So you in the land of the living, there is a reward for stewardship, Jesus rewarded Peter with the drought of Fish, David was rewarded with the crown of Israel, Joshua was rewarded with the staff of authority and so on. Men of God, let us stop belittling God and do the right thing. The truth is that these pastors see nothing wrong with having branches all over the world but when it comes to one of the pastors setting up his ministry, and then the problem arises. It is clearly a case of empire building; many have deviated from the purpose of Christ which is building the kingdom and gone into the selfish/greedy mission of empire building.
The Bone Of Contention
Who Owns the Flock?
The fight is always over the members/flock that eventually follow the pastor when he leaves the church, but this should not be an issue because I believe that what is ours can never be taken away from us as long as we are in the will of God, (John 6:36-38). The fight for
When an apprentice finishes his service to his master, he is settled with some money and or materials to start up his own. When a girl is getting married, the parents are expected to buy
Question
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How we Relate
GETTING TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST MORE
100 NAMES OF JESUS CHRIST Part 1 1. Adam, the Last (1 Cor. 15:45) 2. Advocate (1 Jn. 2:1) 3. All & in All (Col. 3:11) 4. Almighty (Rev. 1:8) 5. Altogether Lovely One (Song of Sol. 5:16) 6. Amen (Rev. 3:14) 7. Anchor (Heb. 6:19) 8. Ancient of Days (Dan. 7:9-11 with Rev. 1:13-16) 9. Angel [of the Lord] (Gen. 16:9-14; Gen. 48:16) 10. Anointed (Ps. 2:2). 11. Apostle (Heb. 3:1) 12. Arm of the Lord (Isa. 53:1) 13. Alpha & Omega (Rev. 1:8; 21:6) 14. Author (Heb. 12:2) 15. Balm of Gilead (Jer. 8:22) 16. Beginning (Col. 1:18) 17. Begotten (One and Only – John 3:16) 18. Beloved (Eph. 1:6) 19. Bishop of your souls (1 Pet. 2:25) 20. Blessed and only Potentate (1 Tim. 6:15) 21. Branch (Isa. 11:1; Jer. 23:5; Zech. 3:8; 6:12; Rev. 11:1) 22. Bread (John 6:32-33; 6:35) 23. Bridegroom (Mt. 9:15; Jn. 3:29; Rev. 21:9) 24. Bright & Morning Star. 25. Brightness of His (God's) glory (Heb. 1:3) 26. Captain of their salvation (Heb. 2:12; Josh. 5:4) 28. Carpenter ['s son] (Mt. 13:55; Mk. 6:3) 27. Chief [fairest among ten thousand] Song of Sol. 5:10) 28. Child, [the young] (Isa. 9:6; Mt. 2:8-21) 29. Chosen of God (Luke 23:35) 30. Christ (Mt. 1:17; Mk. 8:29; Jn. 1:41; Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:23)
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The Heart of Miles
Miles Magazine Keys of the Kingdom Missions
‘giving hope to the hopeless’ The Keys of the Kingdom missions to Africa continued this summer as Rev. Don visited the students on scholarship at the Royal Jopel International in Badagry Nigeria. The students and parents were very happy and expressed their profound gratitude to our partners who made the funding possible for their education. It is a fact that in Africa that two out of every three children drops out of school due to lack of funds, often it is the loss of the bread winner that leads to this very pitiful situation. For us the climax of the event was when the widow of a pastor came out to express her gratitude, narrating her ordeal one year after the death of her pastor husband, she confessed that it would have been absolutely impossible for her children to continue their education if not for this gesture from the keys of the Kingdom mission to Africa.
MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE
A Widow whose husband was a pastor, expresses her gratitude for the scholarship to her child
Become a partner today while thanking everyone that have been supporting this mission, we sincerely solicit for more as you could see from the pictures, very few have benefitted and we have hundreds on waiting list. We need you to be a blessing to these children, as little as $10 every month will go a very long way in helping these children have a future. You can even request a picture and profile of a child with your donation, may God bless you as you give to this great mission
All smiles for the kindness
Rev. Dongirl Ifepe Receivingrev. theDon Award from magazine Mr. Chris Nsoedo (A.A.C Out A little appreciates & Miles
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Dinner Time His Child is a recipient also MILES MAGAZINE • April - June 2008
Rev & Rev Mrs. Kings
Teachers recieving a free copy of Miles
Parents of the Recipients
Rev & Rev Mrs. Kings (Proprietors of the Royal Jopel school) recieving the letter of grant from Miles
Rev. Don & The Recipients of this Years' scholarship
Students of the School www.milesmag.com
MILES MAGAZINE • April - June 2008
16
Perspective of Faith
CHARACTERISTICS OF A
GOOD LEADERSHIP Part II
8. He Had Faith – Hebrews 11:23-28 The life of Moses was all about faith, he answered the call by faith, he went into the palace of the great Pharaoh to make what seems at that time to be a ridiculous demand that the children of Israel should be released from bondage and allowed to go worship the Lord their God. Now this was a man that was banished from the land and only to return with such demand. It was all about faith in executing the instructions of leadership. Moses perhaps after Abraham could also be regarded as an icon of faith. Leaders need the virtue of faith, for it is very essential.
11. He Took the Bullet for His People Moses was truly an Icon, not just for the fact that he lead the people out of bondage but especially for the fact that he took the trials, the offences and the initiative for his people. Leadership is not all about making popular decisions, many times, you will be confronted by very unpopular issues and your decisions will also be very unpopular but that is exactly what marks you out as a true leader. 12. He was a Powerful Tactician As a leader, Moses was very tactful, he knew when to move, when to stand, when to worship, when to speak mildly or when to speak harshly. He lead a people who I believe no one could manage but he led them to their deliverance. You are a leader and often you will have to lead a bunch of people who will ordinarily not be successful in life but Christ brought you into their lives that you might identify their divine identity and promptly lead them to destination.
9. Type of Christ – Deuteronomy 18:1518 Moses was a deliverer of his people, Christ came and delivered the world, Moses brought the law but Christ came and fulfilled the law. He was a type of Christ, a good shepherd, interceding and leading the children of Israel from bondage to freedom. Christ transforms the life of a believer from darkness to the light. Also there were so many other qualities that made Moses a Type of Christ, from his birth circumstances to his exile and his return to lead his people out of captivity. A leader must be seen as Christ like. 10. Magnified of God – Exodus 19:9 Finally, above all, God magnified Moses in the eyes of the people; a leader needs the endorsement and the approval of God upon his life. The people saw Moses glorified by God. The words that Moses spoke were carried out by heaven and as such they came to respect him and obey him as a true leader sent from heaven and approved of by the Lord of host. It is important that every spiritual leader get the approval of God Almighty.
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MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
Trails of Evangelism
Full Gospel Business Fellowship Int.
New Heaven Chapter The Enugu State New Heaven chapter of the FGBMF, held their quarterly convention. Rev. Don Ifepe was the guest speaker at the 2-days program. The atmosphere was graced by the presence of the Lord and the Holy Spirit freely moved in the lives of those present. The theme of the program was ‘Being An Influence In Your Environment’ over all the program was a huge success.
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MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
18
From the Pulpit
How to Have Personal
Revival
Here are some suggestions to help bring that revival and refreshing to your heart:
Do you need a jump-start in your spiritual life? Do you sometimes feel spiritually dry? If so, you need personal revival. There is nothing more invigorating than experiencing personal, spiritual refreshing. "Now it's time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you�. Acts 3:19 (MSG)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
9. 10. 11.
12. 13.
Love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind (Deut 6:5). Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any un-confessed sin in your life. Seek forgiveness from all whom you have offended, and forgive all who have hurt you. Make restitution where God leads. Examine your motives in every word and deed. Ask the Lord to search and cleanse your heart daily. Ask the Holy Spirit to guard your walk against complacency and mediocrity. Praise and give thanks to God continually and in all ways on all days, regardless of your circumstances. Refuse to obey your carnal (worldly) nature (Galatians 5:16, 17). Surrender your life to Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. Develop utter dependence on Him with total submission and humility. Study the attributes of God. Hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6). Appropriate the continual fullness and control of the Holy Spirit by faith on the basis of God's COMMAND (Ephesians 5:18) and PROMISE (1 John 5:14,15). Read, study, meditate on, and memorize God's holy, inspired, inerrant Word daily (Colossians 3:16). Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). 14. Fast and pray one 24-hour period each week. Prayerfully consider becoming one of the millions of Christians who will fast for forty days for revival and spiritual awakening in Canada and the world. 15. Seek to share Christ daily as a way of life. 16. Determine to live a holy, godly life of obedience and faith. 17. Start or join a home or church Bible study group that emphasizes revival and a holy life. Author :Bill Bright
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MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
Insight
THE FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST
©
“For we are to God the fragrance of Christ…” 2 Cor. 2:15a. For the Romans, triumph led to holding a “victory parade” for the army and their leader that had conquered a foe. During those times, both those who had won the victory and their captives were part of this parade. The parade was accompanied by a victory burning of spices; all enjoyed the fragrance. However, there was a definitive meaning that was totally different to each group. To the victors it was a sweet aroma of triumph and unfortunately, to the captives it was the aroma of death. As Christians we are called the fragrance of Christ. Our aroma is one of life offered by the Gospel of Christ. Sadly that aroma is one of death to those who refuse to accept that Christ died on the cross for their sins. Ultimately these are those who will face the judgment of God. To those who know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, the aroma of the fragrance of Christ is quite distinctive. It is the aroma of life that leads to eternal life, a significant destiny. However to those who have chosen to remain captives to the evil forces of this world, their destinies are of a more serious nature. Many times in prayer and fellowship with the Lord, I have been blessed to enjoy the aroma, I believe, which comes from the Holy Spirit. As I have lain prostrate on the floor, with nothing but the quite distinctive smell of a carpet that has been walked upon by many different shoes; I have been overcome by a very beautiful aroma that I can only describe as coming from the Holy Spirit.
anointed our Lord? It is a very spicy middle-eastern incense fragrance, a mixture of myrrh, frankincense, musk, and a tiny hint of some cinnamon, possibly a little hint of cassia. It is possibly the only scent that anyone who has traveled to the Holy Land can truly enjoy, for there seems to be a special fragrance in the air only found in Israel. Holy anointing oil made by Moses, as commanded by the Lord, is found in Exodus 30:22-25 “Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh…and of fragrant cinnamon, and of fragrant cane, and of cassia and olive oil. You shall make of these a holy anointing oil.” This is the recipe that God gave to Moses when the Tabernacle was built originally. Too many of us have lost the ability to enter into the Holy of Holies and truly worship our God. He longs to fellowship with us. Fellowship comes when we are empty of ourselves and surrendered to Him. He will grace us with the fragrance that belongs to Him alone. That is the beautiful aroma of the fragrance of the presence of God. Take time to languish at the altar, and feel His presence, He so longs to be at one with you.
What is this permeating aroma? In John 12:3, “Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of Spikenard, anointing the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. An the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” Can you imagine that beautiful scent that filled the air as Mary www.milesmag.com
Copyright © 2007 Mezuzah Ministries ®
| Rev. Sarah Jacobs | MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
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Everyday Issues
TOTAL
CONSECRATION Part I written by:
Pastor Charles Achonwa
breakthrough pleasures by living in mastery over them. There is great Joy in gaining mastery over pleasure and causing pleasure to serve you. Enoch kept pleasing God whilst being a happily married and fruitful husband. The relationship with his wife and children was not a hindrance. 6. Total consecration makes a man disappear so that God appears through him. It makes a man no longer live but Christ lives in Him. The less a man interferes with God’s dealings in his life the more God intervenes in the man’s challenges... If you let God, He will let go of His power and make you a god over your enemies. 7. Total consecration is not transferable even to family lines. It takes utter boldness to completely surrender to God in Total Consecration. It requires the decisions that are made out of personal convictions. It takes a fully persuaded person to be totally consecrated to God. 8. Total Consecration is comprehensive. It demands complete godliness in thoughts, words, actions reactions, relationships, marriage, business, ministry etc. It is not the absolute surrender of only one area of your life. It is something that begins from the heart and permeates every other area of your life.
Consecration is a word Christians use very frequently. It is a requisite for any individual who desires to make it to heaven. To help our numerous readers have a better understanding of this word, Pastor Achonwa starts a series in this edition where he paints word pictures of Consecration. 1. Total Consecration is the determination to live by the principles of heaven whilst on earth. You fix your heart in heaven and let it direct your hands on earth. The God of heaven walks with the man on earth whose steps match the ways of heaven. 21
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2. Total Consecration is the daily diligence to maintain godliness in thought and words and divine excellence in deeds. It aims for daily perfection. Everyday offers a chance for higher glory. 3. Total Consecration is the dedication that results from an insatiable desire to please God. He that never tires of pleasing God will never cease to experience the release of God’s power. It takes those who wait on God’s grace and mercy to never get weary of pleasing God... Always remember that in pleasing God, you can never out give Him. 4. Total Consecration is to accept all God’s conditions and commands as mandatory for one’s own good. It does not argue with God but only seeks to prove that the directives are from God. It has a beginning and grows step-by-step. It will always insist on walking with God.
9. Fullness of Joy grows from the sacrifice of Total Consecration. The best of joy you get without total consecration is partial. God wants us to be totally consecrated to Him so that our joy may be full. 10. Total Consecration does not make you seek for what to do as much as what to become. It makes you seek for changes that God must work in you before the changes He may work through you. Total Consecration is not born by law but by love. He that builds spiritual power on love builds on a foundation that lasts forever. JOIN US NEXT ISSUE FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THIS POWERFUL THOUGHT PROVOKING ARTICLE!!!
Pastor Charles Achonwa
5. Total Consecration does not breakdown with the pressure from pleasures, but
General Overseer of The Doulos Ministries
MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
Your Finances
Givers Never Lack
why some people receive the most
written by:
Many people are yet to discover one of the most powerful prosperity principles enunciated by the Holy Book. This is the principle rooted in “giving”. Many find it absolutely difficult to understand how their opportunity of receiving blessings can be routed through their very act of giving. Humanly speaking, they may be right, for how can you reconcile the opposites of “parting with” and “having more”, even more than that given away in the first place? In a world that is increasingly secular by the days, it is often difficult convincing some folks that their daily labour will result in greater frustration than financial benefits. However, the genuinely rich know that it is THAT POWER that is bigger than EVERYONE that gave him the wealth he could boast of. It does not matter whether the rich-man was a religious person or not. I will take the reader through a few quotations from the bible that show in clear terms that wealth is from Heaven and that the hand that is greedy will miss the opportunities of having even more.
has given.” Surely those who have experienced God’s doings in their life know that this is actually an understatement. The truth is that God gives back in a geometric proportion; much more than the human logic can put together. God gave the rich man wealth so that he could employ it in the help of the poor and needy. Not only that, God gave wealth that it should be enjoyed by all – the rich, the poor and the widows alike.
Deuteronomy 18:8 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.” When you see a rich man sick in bed and at the very point of dying, you will have no doubt as to who gives the power to make money. When sickness comes, money, this entire world’s wealth looses their flavor. The rich man has no power over death. He could push disease aside with money through proper medication, but when God calls life back from any entity, the power of making wealth goes with it.
God rewards diligent persons in measures that human arithmetic cannot fathom. Here God defines the need and rules for returning tithes. In return He promises blessings that cannot be numbered. By these verses what comes to my mind is a scenario where God physically rises on his feet to close all the leakages in the pockets of the obedient giver such that his income will not be taken away by robbers, nor by the happening of any mishap, nor by the failure of weather as a result of natural or man made consequences. By the divine enabling, the giver does not have to waste his money on hospital bills; his plans bear good fruits; his dreams become synonymous with reality since whatsoever he wants, God gives to him.
Proverbs 19:17 “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and he will pay him back what he www.milesmag.com
Malachi 3:10–12 “Bring the full 10 percent into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your ground, and your vine in your field will not be barren,” says the LORD of Hosts. 12 “Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land,” says the LORD of Hosts. Mal 3:10-12 (HCSB)
Luke Onuoha
Whatsoever he sets his heart after, he gets because God removes every obstacle from his way. His road is littered with unusual favor. Even his enemies are motivated to act in ways that bring him greater blessings. Disappointments, for him, become Hisappointments. Every new day brings him greater opportunities for joy and profit because he is partnering with God. Ecclesiastes 11:1 “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.” The hand that waters must itself be watered. It may take a while to reap the benefit of an act of benevolent giving to someone in need; it may come from unimagined places. Giving is like sowing. The way you give is the same way you receive. Every farmer knows this law by heart – if you sow fat, you reap fat; but those who sow little or nothing harvest nothing in return. Every good seed sown on a good soil shall germinate and beer fruits. This is as obvious as the knowledge that the sun will rise from the east every morning. However, the sources of our receiving may be many. It can be from far or near and may be not directly linked to the beneficiaries of our giving. The relationship between our giving and our receiving is a mystery. God is the sole architect of the getting. It works with faith and only those who give to worthy and Godly causes with cheerful heart have Heaven come to their aid in an unusual way. Give away today with a cheerful heart and experience in the days ahead the unceasing favor of God. Not once, but all the days of your life.
MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
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Profile
THE WORD CHAPEL INTERNATIONAL CHURCH
Changing Lives, Shaping Destinies Fidel Okorie is the Senior Pastor of Word Chapel International Church situated in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria. Word Chapel International Church located at 113, Obafemi Awolowo Way, was founded on 18th September, 1994 with only four people, has now grown tremendously to the glory of God. The Church is committed to changing lives and shaping destinies. It has staff strength of seven full time and four part time workers. Pastor Okorie is a graduate of Agric Economic from the University of Calabar. A Pastor and Teacher with a divine mandate to impact his generation in ways of having absolute confidence in the infallible word of God and to live and walk by the POWER IN THE WORD.
Cross section of the members
Rev. Fidelis Okorie
Pastor & Mrs. Fidelis Okorie of the Word Chapel Min. Ikeja Lagos
Senior Pastor & Founder Rev. Fidelis Okorie
Pastor Mrs. Okorie
The Atmosphere of Anointing
He also has apostolic calling upon his life and an international speaker in conferences, seminars and meetings. He is the President/Founder of the ‘LIFE IN THE WORKPLACE SEMINAR’ programme committed to bringing GODLY COUNSELS to professionals in the work place. He is married to NGOZI OKORIE, also a pastor in the ministry. She is richly graced by GOD and a teacher with immense insight of God’s word; they are blessed with four children. Pastor Fidel and the Word Chapel International have been proud partners with the Miles magazine projects in Africa, we use this opportunity to say a big God Bless You to this formidable and dynamic family.
The Grace
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The Word Chapel International MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
MILES DIRECTORY & CLASSIFIEDS SECTION
List of Miles Distribution Outlets in Africa LAGOS STATE
ENUGU - STATE
Miles Magazine African Head office 294, Ikorodu Road, Beside Bertola Machine Tools, Anthony, Lagos.
Hidden Treasures Bookshop Shop BO3 33 Ogui Road, Enugu.
The Still Waters Church Borokini Dada Street, behind First Bank Nig., Haruna Bus Stop, Ikorodu, Lagos. The Fountain of Life Church (BookStore) 12, Industrial Estate Road, Off Town Planning Way, Ilupeju, Lagos. Christ Base Assembly Church 10, Shokoya Street, Oworonshoki, Junction B/stop, Lagos. Tantalizer Benson Bus stop, Ikorodu, Lagos CITY Mall supermarket Victoria Island, Lagos. CITY Mall Chemist Victoria Island, Lagos. Galaria Phone Centre Victoria Island, Lagos. SHOPright Game Centre Victoria Island, Lagos. SHOPright Supermarket Victoria Island, Lagos. Concessions SilverBird Cinemas Barcellors Silverbird Galaria, 1st Floor. City Mall 1st Floor Tonark Pharmacy G18, City mall, Onikan, Lagos. ABC Transport Duty Free Supermarket Jibowu & Amuwo Odofin.
Roban Hotels 11, Ukwa Street, Independent layout, Enugu. Bevic Educational Bookshop 186, Ogui Road, By Artisan Market, Enugu. Faith Books Centre 121, Agbani Road, Enugu.
GHANA Miles Magazine Ghana office: Plot, 2 Kotei Deduakun by Adom bus stop, Kumasi P.O.Box 2023 TNE. ACCRA, Ghana. Tel: +233-277-773-249 / +233-248-943-504.
Kumasi Distribution Centres: Believers Full Gospel Vineyard (a.k.a Faith Arena International ) Plot 2, Kotei Deduakun by Adum Bus Stop Kumasi, Ghana Tel: +233-277-773-249 / +233-248-943-504 New Life in Spirit Ministries Opposite miracle film store, By A.D.B Adum Branch, Kumasi Tel: +233-244-654-869 / +233-243-118-620 Harvesters Evangelistic Ministries Bantama, Kumasi P.O.Box B.104 Bantama, Kumasi, Ghana. Tel: +233-512-5323 / Fax: +233-512-5323 L.C.C: Liberation Christian Centre By Cabine Bus Stop, Behind Lizzies Hotel along Tech. Junction and Anlonga Kumasi Tel: +233-208-116-075
Accra Distribution Centres: Nigeria High Commission Accra 19/20 Roman Ridge, Accra. P.O. Box 1548 Accra, Ghana Tel: +233-217-761-58 / +233-217-761-59 Fax: +233-217-743-95 TV3 Network Limited Kanda, P.O. Box M.83 Accra, Ghana Tel: +233-228-697 / +233-228-681
Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries OTA/77C Commercial Street, Adum – Kumasi. P.O.Box KS. 4031 Kumasi, Ghana Tel: +233-512-5149 / +233-244-613-460 National Best News Stand (Mr. Atoo) Beside General Post Office Adum Kumasi P.O.Box KS. 8677 Adum Kumasi, Ghana Tel: +233-244-615-747 /
+233-271-294-779
Placito limited Kotoka International Airport Departure Lounge Accra-Ghana Tel: +233-212-200-51 Fax: +233-212-226-47
Armed Forces Museum UADDARA Barracks, Adum Kumasi Tel: +233-512-3103.
Methodist Book Deport Limited P.O. Box 100 Accra, Ghana Tel: +233-216-628-28
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
UBA: United Bank for Africa Parcel No 15, Block 1, Section 71 Techie, Near Teshie Police Barracks, Accra P.M.B 29, Ministries, Accra, Ghana Tel: +233-217-190-25-29 / +233-244-662-405
PST. JUDE NWACHUKWU JOHANNESBURG +277-36280450
Jesus Cares Chapel P.O.Box 377 Kasoa, Ghana Tel: +233-244-476-321 www.milesmag.com
MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
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CHURCH BREAKAWAYS – WHO OWNS THE FLOCK continuation from page 13 her some essentials to start off a new life. Now isn’t it right that after a pastor has labored in a vineyard for a period that he/she is entitled to some fruit from the vineyard as he steps out on his own. This is just and right, after all no one has the right to these flocks except the Lord Almighty. We as his children should learn to be sharing and caring, the earth and its fullness is the Lords, we own no one and as such have no franchise over anyone. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything (Founder/overseer), neither he that watereth (associate pastor), but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his labor.” For we are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building (The Flock is the Lord’s).
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COMMENDATION or CONDEMNATION continuation from page 6 because there is no time; it is because you have not prioritized your time in favor of doing the scriptures. Everything is about your relationship with the people around you. You need to take notice of the people around you. It is not the volume of resources that matter, it is your desire to help out. Your willingness to help find a solution, the empathy that you show, your readiness to provide a weeping shoulder, your willingness to dirty your hands if need be to get the innocent out of trouble, your readiness to stand in the gap for others so that it will be well with them. That is what counts. These people will not be in a position to pay you back but always remember ‘as long as you do it to one of these….’ There is joy in seeing your effort turn things around for one who hitherto has no hope, it is the greatest medicine for hypertension. It makes you merry. The joy of seeing the brother you prayed with getting healed or the sister you prayed for getting married is indescribable. Visiting and encouraging others in their time of need is a more useful application of your time than visiting uncles and friends for favors that never materializes. TRY IT TODAY, the benefits will surprise you. The choice is yours – COMMENDATION OR CONDEMNATION?
Miles Magazine is the First Christian magazine in Canada and now Africa. Our focus is on health and wellness, education, self-help and spirituality. We have the skills and tools to help you increase your business. Advertise in our magazine and promote your product or service in one of the top-rated regionals in the country--and get national quality for very reasonable prices. With excellent editorial, beautiful glossy covers featuring unique photos, and polished graphic design, our print magazine has earned a reputation for integrity and quality over the years of publication. Miles Magazine is available to the public in Africa and Canada at many outlets such as churches, book stores, restaurants, doctor's offices, libraries, etc. The magazine is also available by paid subscription. Ready to place an ad in Miles Magazine? For display advertising and Logo Listings in our print magazine, please contact Miles Magazine’s office for details about our different ad programs.
Telephone: 017609767, 080-35075581 8773682 Email: info@milesmag.com Website: www.milesmag.com
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MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
Spiritual Nuggets
THE PRAYER OF
Rev. Joy Vassal
SUPPLICATION Scripture: James 5:16; “the Prayer is the most powerful force in the universe and the greatest means at our disposal for fulfilling the great commission. Prayer is the match that is used to ignite the explosive power of the Holy Ghost in the affairs of God’s people. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of reward! He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. What is meant by the prayer of supplication? The word supplication in Greek is Deisis, which depicts a person who has some type of lack and therefore strongly pleads to God to meet that need. The word Deisis is translated several ways in the King James, including beseeching, begging or earnestly appealing. The word depicts or picture a person in such a great need that pride has to be forced out of the way so one can boldly, earnestly, strongly and passionately cry out to the lord for help. One of the most powerful examples of the word ‘Deisis’ is found in the book of James chapter 5:16 “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Deisis is translated as fervent prayer. Deisis is a passionate, earnest, heartfelt, sincere prayer. During This kind of prayer the believer come boldly to God, Abba, their father on the most serious terms, strongly beseeching him to move and meet a specific need. Today, we can believe and enter the throne of grace with boldness if we are faced with a complex situation, a mountainous situation, a terminal illness, a financial hardship. These are some things that concern www.milesmag.com
Part I
effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” us but the situations must lead us into our prayer closet. We can tell your father exactly how we feel and what we are going through. You can tell Him what you would like Him to do for you. Have you ever done anything odd in his presence? Have you ever been called eccentric or strange because of your prayer habit? Is your prayer fervent? Does your prayer have potency to grab the attention of your father? Does your prayer have fragrance that enters the nostril of God and cause Him to blow his breathe or wind in your direction? It is time to do the unusual in your prayer closet to attract the attention of God. This means that if you have to put your head between your knees and prove your God do so in the name of Jesus. You will be despised and ridiculed but one thing I do know Daniel’s God will surely move on your behalf. It may be unusual or even considered obnoxious if you put your head between your knees but the result thereof will cause God’s people to sing and shout and praise the Lord. I read about a prophet of God with a double portion of anointing who pleaded to God to stop the rain from falling and His God answered his prayer. There was no rain for a period of time and famine set in and he entered the throne of grace and prayed to God to send rain and God did. In the book of James 5:17-18 says, “Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly
that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of 3 years and six months. And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruits.” In the book of 1 Kings Chapter 18: 41-46, “Elijah said unto Ahab, get thee up and eat and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and drink and Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees.” This position can be considered unusual and obnoxious to the carnal minded or the warp minded. This position witnessed to the intensity of his supplication. Elijah said to his servant, go up now and look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, there is nothing. I have heard it before that if you prayed the first time, you do not have to ask again for God is not dead nor deaf, just rejoice and keep on rejoicing. Listen saints of the living, its not that God did not hear the first time, he heard even before you call but it is imperative that you persevere in prayer. Persistency is the key to answered prayer. MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
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Food for Thought
HIDDEN GEMS I remember reading a story once about a man who was exploring some caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled up some clay and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, to pass the time, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could throw. He thought little about it until he dropped one of the balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone. Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found hundreds of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left, then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of hundreds of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home thousands, but he just threw it away. You know sometimes, it's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it; we see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person by God.
There is a treasure in each and every one of us.
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MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
The Shepherd’s Heart
JOHN OLUWATOYIN EKUNNUSI Coordinator ACCRA, GHANA TEL: (00233) (0) 277-773 249
WHY DO WINNERS WIN & LOSERS LOSE?
1. LOSERS SEE THUNDERSTORMS Losers always see challenges as cancellation, and their thunderstorms as turn down. They never thought of God appearing in thundering and lightning’s, always thinking rain is about to fall, let’s go to bed and relax. Biblical back up: “And all the people saw the thundering, and the lightning’s, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar of. And they said unto Moses, speak thou with us, and we will hear, but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” Exodus 20:18-19. 2. WINNERS SEE RAINBOWS Winners always see rainbow as a coverage covenant of God with Noah and mankind that there would be no rain to destroy the earth. No mater the thundering and the lightning winners always forge ahead to obtain and to maintain. The thunders, the storms and the obstacles are bread for the winners, as Caleb and Joshua declare in numbers. Biblical back up: “And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations. I do set my bow (Rainbow) in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.” Genesis 9:12-15. www.milesmag.com
3. LOSERS ALWAYS COMPLAIN ‘Complain is cancellation’ of God’s counsel and purpose. Murmuring, grumbling, faultfinding and complain are agents of instability. Until our attitude can glorify God during suffering we will not be delivered. Losers always forget that ability is released through stability. Biblical back up: “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.” I Corinthians 10:10. 4. WINNERS ALWAYS TRAIN AND GAIN Always serve to be served as long as life exist nothing happens out of the jurisdiction of the mind. A winners mindset is to be trained, to be an honorable fellow, diligent at work in order to serve humanity, he is also ready to pay the price for the challenges ahead. A trained man is a triumphant man, untrained man is a trash. 5. LOSERS TAKE CHANCES Losers won’t do any thing except to look for personal benefits: they are selfish, and selfish people are never mature, they make no positive contribution to humanity. They really don’t live, ‘they only exist to exploit’. Biblical back up: “When I was a child, I speak as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” I Corinthians 13:11. 6. WINNERS MAKE CHOICES People who live on principles are mostly tagged as stubborn and proud. The reality is that they have a focus and purpose for living. They have realized that, those who go to everywhere goes to nowhere.
Winners chose the unpopular and uneasy road to tread. They cannot fall by the wrong many ordinary people are prone to. Biblical back up: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19. 7. LOSERS ARE AGGRESSIVE Every unstable man is unreliable, make him the commander of an army, he will abscond when the battle is fierce. If things that are more precious than rubies are put in the hands of an aggressive man, the day he is stirred by anger, you lose all. The greatest enemy he has is himself and no man dare tell him, he will become angrier. Biblical back up: “Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man thou shalt not go.” Proverbs 22:24. “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry. For anger rested in the bosom of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:9. 8. WINNERS ARE ASSERTIVE Success comes to those who become success conscious, and failure to those who allow themselves to become failure conscious. Winners always assert what they want to become in life, what they intend to do and where they want to be. Biblical back up: “Where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18. MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
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Family Column
There is Hope
for Your Marriage even Now!
It may be difficult initially, but you will get used to it with practice. Sharing decisions requires an intimacy that is only found in a marriage relationship. You must realize that any relationship would be eclipsed by that of the husband-wife relationship. We need to decide together on our “to eat or not to eat” dilemmas.
Each Looks Out for the Other RUBY VILLARICA
The wedding vow of “Till death do us part” has become a romantic symbol in marriage ceremonies. Instead of a solemn promise between a husband and wife for a lasting love and union, the phrase has taken a whole new meaning. If the rising divorce statistics is any indication, couples nowadays do not need death to do them apart. They do it themselves. Your own marriage experience can be different. You can safeguard your marriage 24 hours a day on a continued basis. The first boy-meets-girl story of Adam and Eve outlines for us practical things to do to have a marriage working 24/7. Theirs was a story that has an incredible meeting, bout of conflict, and sad consequences – like most marriages are today.
The First Feeling One thing we can do is to remember the first feeling. Can you imagine how Adam felt when God brought Eve to him? Adam was ecstatic! In Genesis 2:23, Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” And he was not being literal. 29
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You should remember the feelings of your first meeting and not the events. Remember how dizzy you felt just by his stare, how you felt warm with just one smile. Don’t wait until you have grandchildren to tell your stories to. Relive your stories to each other. Always remember the feelings. Keep the memories near. You will need these when trials come.
To Eat or Not to Eat When trials and conflicts do come, we have to communicate decisions. Adam and Eve were together listening to the serpent (Genesis 3:6). They both decided for their own selves. This was disastrous then as it would be now. To decide together means consulting your spouse before making a decision. It means listening to your wife or husband on what they can contribute. It means supporting your partner with his decision. Sometimes, it means following your spouse’s suggestion and changing your decision.
Deciding together helps us to be accountable to each other. When God was looking for them after they had eaten of the fruit, both Adam and Eve hid from God (Genesis 3:9-10). Being accountable to each other allows our partners to lead us to God, not hide away with us. When we are accountable, we encourage our partners to face God, knowing that He will forgive us. Forgiving each other comes easier too.
Face Life Together Accountability means accepting consequences together. It removes the fingerpointing that Adam did when he told God, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12). Accepting consequences together is not only holding her hand to face what will come next but being willing to be at the forefront as well. We do not deal with trials alone.
Till Death Do Us Part There’s one last thing that we need to keep in mind. Keep God in your midst. If we would allow Him, He would walk with us, instruct us, look for us, and save us like He did with Adam and Eve. God is the author of marriage. He intended it to be that what He joined together let no man – or death - do part.
MILES MAGAZINE • July - September 2008
Psalms & Poems
The King of Glory Entering Zion. Psalms 24:1-10 (NASB77) 1 The earth is the LORD 's, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the rivers. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, And has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Thy face—even Jacob. Selah. 7 Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.
SUMMARY There is nothing that you have that was not given to you! So I sincerely urge you to open your heart today that the king of Glory may come in. He alone can ensure that every ancient doors and gates of trouble and difficulties in your life are closed permanently. God Bless
Wisdom and Folly Contrasted 8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit. 9 Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger resides in the bosom of fools. 10 Do not say, "Why is it that the former days were better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this. 11 Wisdom along with an inheritance is good And an advantage to those who see the sun. 12 For wisdom is protection just as money is protection. But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors. 13 Consider the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent? 14 In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider— God has made the one as well as the other So that man may not discover anything that will be after him. Ecclesiastes 7:8-14 (NASB77)
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July - September 2008 Vol. 2 - No. 2
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