VICTORY BY FAITH-Sermon outline

VICTORY BY FAITH

Memory Verse: 1 John 5:4 (NIV) ⁴ for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

REVIVAL MINISTRATION AT KADUNA NIGERIA-VIDEO

REVIVAL MINISTRATION AT FBC IDIKAN, IBADAN, NIGERIA-VIDEO

REVIVAL MINISTRATION AT FBC IDIKAN, IBADAN, NIGERIA-VIDEO

REVIVAL MINISTRATION AT KADUNA NIGERIA-VIDEO

REVIVAL MINISTRATION AT FBC IDIKAN, IBADAN, NIGERIA-VIDEO

How to be Victorious by faith

How to be Victorious by faith

1 John 5:4 (NIV) ⁴ for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

Home at Last

Home At Last

(Psa 107:8 NIV) Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,

Finally, Brethren

Finally, Brethren

(2 Cor 9:15 NIV) Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

This evening marks the end of the two weeks revival services that I specifically came to Nigeria for. The exercise started about two weeks ago when I conducted a week-long revival service at Ife Oluwa Baptist Church in Kaduna.

The revival service at Idikan First Baptist Church, Ibadan started last Sunday. It has been a very inspiring week. I love everything that God did throughout this event. As mentioned earlier, we prayed concerning rain and throughout this event rain did not disturb any of the services. To God be the glory. The attendance tonight was beyond my imagination. The whole lower level of the church was packed while there was overflow congregants at the upper level of the church. I don’t have the precise figure. But I sensed that it was a very huge number.

The grand finale of the revival at Idikan First Baptist Church was very powerful. I will share some pictures and video clips when I return to the US. The message tonight is titled: A Breakthrough Miracle. The passages used are: 1 Kings 17:1-16; Mark 5; John 5:1-9. The points include: Healing breakthrough, Provisional Breakthrough, Restorative breakthrough. Many people responded to the invitation to commitment. Some of them made decisions to become a Christian rededicate their lives, and some requested for prayers. During a special invitation in keeping with one of the emphasis of the sermon, 5 women came out indicating that they are tired of life. They were prayed for. But I am requesting for their names so that we can continue to pray for them as well. At the end of the service, I gave copies of Pastor Ray Pritchard’s Anchor for the Soul to all the new converts and those who indicated that they were tired of living. The pastor of the church will follow up on these people while I will continue to keep them in my prayers.

The pastor of the Church, Rev. Dr. Steve Ogunbode and the church leadership surprised me with a birthday gift and a birthday song towards the end of the service tonight. I was so moved such that I nearly cry. It was amazing how appreciative the pastor and the entire church are to my coming to their church for the revival.

These are wonderful folks. They are friendly and hospitable. I will never forget my time with them. They will always occupy a special spot in my heart. I will miss them. But I have to go.

The church here plans on taking me to the airport on Friday. Hoping to be back in the US this weekend, God willing.

I thank God for his mercies, his protection, his anointing, intervention and his presence. To Him alone is the glory for ever and ever.

John Ojewole

Ibadan, Nigeria

October 20, 2011

Ibadan Chronicles2

Ibadan Chronicles2

Got no checkbooks, got no banks. Still I'd like to express my thanks - I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night. --Irving Berlin

(Psa 118:21 NIV)  I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.

The revival event of today at Idikan First Baptist Church, Ibadan, is already behind us. We give God the praise for what he is doing among his people. Tonight, I spoke on the topic: Having an Expectancy of a Bountiful Harvest. I used three Bible Passages: 1 Chronicles 29:1-20; Malachi 3:6-12; James 2:14-17. The main points are: We must help those in Need
(James 2:14-17); We must give according to the biblical model (1Chronicles 29:1-20); We must adopt God’s plan for prospering us (Malachi 3:6-12). As stated earlier in the week, this revival service is unique in that the entire focus is on stewardship.

The service was well attended. The worship is uplifting and the atmosphere is inspiring. God honored his word again today by delaying the rain till after the service.

One of our friends showed up to support me at the service tonight. He is Mr. Tunde Olaniyan (a friend of the Thomas’ family from our church). Also, yesterday, an old friend of mine from my St. Andrews College Days, Mr. Adesola Benson, attended the revival service. This is encouraging. The overall attendance at this revival service is beyond my imagination and expectation. I give God the glory for everything.

We are looking to the Grand finale of the revival tomorrow evening. Please pray that God moves in the lives of the people as I minister so that a lasting spiritual impact will be left on the people. During tomorrow’s meeting, I plan on giving away Pastor Ray Pritchard’s Anchor for the Soul books to those who gave their lives to Jesus during the entire revival service.


Earlier today, Rev. Dr. Steve Ogunbode of the church here, took me to a historical house on the same street where the church is located. The house belonged to a one time business tycoon in Ibadan area. The place is called Adebisi mansion. The house was built sometimes around 1924. It was amazing how the architectural design used at that time is still appealing today. The house is very big, having several rooms. It is a great adventure for me. 

Till the next update. Shalom.

John Ojewole

Ibadan, Nigeria

Ibadan Chronicles

Ibadan Chronicles

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."    (1 Th 5:18 NIV)

The revival ministration at Ibadan is going well as planned. Early yesterday morning (October 17, 2011) I was asked by the pastor of First Baptist Church, Idikan, Ibadan to share words of encouragements with the people at an early Monday morning prayer service called “Owuro Ologo” meaning “Glorious Morning”. I shared briefly with the people from 2 Chronicles 7:14. It was a power-packed prayer meeting. One thing I have noticed so far is that Nigerian Christians are committed to prayer, the word of God and worship. The service was so wonderful. I think about 500 people attended that meeting.

Yesterday night (October 17, 2011) I ministered from Matthew 25:18-31 on the topic: How to Invest My Life in God’s Kingdom. The main goal of the message is to encourage the congregants to use their talents for God’s glory.  I also made it clear that there is no talentless person. The service was well attended as the entire sanctuary was fully packed. I am assuming that there might be about 3000 people in worship last night.

Tonight (October 18, 2011), the ministration is spirit-filled, inspiring and uplifting. I shared with the congregants from 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, about Jabez’ prayer. The title of the Message is “Enough is Enough”. At the end of the message many people responded to the invitation to commitment ranging from salvation, prayer, rededication, and commitment to ministry. The pastor of the church shared with me that there were two testimonies about divine breakthrough. To God alone is the glory for ever and ever.

Before I conclude, I need to bring out a remarkable incident that happened Sunday evening. During the ministration, one young man came into the church from out of nowhere. The pastor felt prompted spiritually to call on the person. The person came out and we prayed for him. I think the individual was troubled before coming to the revival. We prayed for him. I believe that he has been delivered. I ask the saints to please continue to pray for this man for total restoration.

Another thing that is worthy of note is the way that God has continually honored this revival by preventing the rain from keeping people from attending the services. So far, the rain stops before the revival meeting starts and continues again after the revival services. That was the case both today and yesterday night. God is faithful. He is worthy of our praise.

I am really grateful to the Lord for his manifestations throughout this revival. I believe God for bigger things in the remaining two days of the revival ministrations here. It is well.

I will provide you with pictures and videotapes when I return to the US. I have limited internet access on my mobile phone here.

Until the next update. Shalom.

John

Ibadan, Nigeria

Updates from Ibadan, Nigeria

Updates from Ibadan, Nigeria

Psalms 107:1 (NIV) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

This is just to keep everyone abreast of the happenings in my life lately. On Friday, October 14, I flew from Kaduna to Lagos. It was the first time in 22 years that I flew on a Nigerian commercial airline. I flew on ArikAir which is very reliable and great. God showed me his favor that day. Some people scared me ahead of time that I am going to pay so much for excess luggage because Nigerian domestic airlines charge money on any luggage weighing more than 20KG. But, to God’s glory, I spent less than I earlier envisioned.

On Arrival at the Domestic airport, Lagos, my younger brother, Dele, met me and took me to a private Christian guesthouse where I rested for the night. The following morning the delegation of 3 from First Baptist Church Idikan, Ibadan came to pick me. It rained heavily as we travelled to Ibadan. But we arrived in Ibadan without any incident. To God be the glory.

The reason why I have not provided any updates since I came to Ibadan is because the hotel facility where I am staying now does not have any WIFI access at all. It is like I am disconnected from the rest of the world. We don’t know how much we relied on the internet until we don’t have access to it. We are privileged in the US because of the unlimited access to the internet. I know that Nigeria is moving along that direction also. But in the meantime, one has to manage. I am able to send this update through a limited internet access on my mobile phone.

The revival at First Baptist Church Idikan, Ibadan started this morning. Their church revival is slightly different in that its theme is on stewardship. This morning, I preached at their English and the Yoruba services. I am guessing that the attendance at the English service may be around 150 people while the attendance at the Yoruba service will be about 3000 people. These are my guess estimates. If I get other figure I will give an update later.

The title of the message this morning is: The Unchanging Truths about Stewardship. The passage used include: Genesis 1:1, 26-31; Psalm 24:1-2. The main points of the message are: God is the originator of everything. God gave everything to mankind as a steward. God owns everything.

For the first time in a long time, I preached in Yoruba today. The pastor of the church, Rev. Dr. Steve Ogunbode thought that I should preach without an interpreter. And the experience is exciting and enriching.

I had one surprise today. Immediately after the morning service, a couple came around to hug me. When I looked at them, they were old members of First Baptist Church, Kano where I served before traveling to the US in 1988. The last time that I saw them was in 1988. They attended the service when they became aware that I am the guest speaker for the revival at that church.  They are Mr. & Mrs. Adeleke Adeyi. They were so happy to see me and I was thrilled to see them. This is how you know the solidity of true friendship.

This evening revival service is also fantastic. The praise worship led by the Pastor’s son and another Lady, was so inspiring. There is something that I noticed about the music at this church. They have excellent musical instruments and the songs are fantastic. This evening, I preached on the topic: When You are Tired of Trying taking from Luke 5:1-11. During the invitation, many people came out for prayers.

There is something that we need to praise God for. It is the turnout at this evening revival service. Earlier in the service, the pastor of the church had warned me that we may not have good attendance this evening because church members have never come out in large number on a Sunday evening like this. But after a while, he told me that history is not going to repeat itself today because we have more attendance than he expected. I am assuming that the attendance tonight may be around 2000 people, at least.

On the whole, I don’t have anything to give my Lord than to thank him. He is an awesome God.

Until the next update, stay blessed in Jesus name. (I will send you pictures when I have access to the internet.)

John

Ibadan, Oyo State,

Nigeria

Please excuse my grammar. I typed this on my cell phone.

Ebenezer, “Thus Far the Lord Has Helped Us”

Ebenezer, “Thus Far the Lord Has Helped Us”

1 Samuel 7:12 (NKJV)  ¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

Psalm 118:23 (NKJV)

²³   This was the Lord’s doing;

It is marvelous in our eyes.

God, You are Marvelous

God, You are Marvelous

Psalm 86:10 (NIV) For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.

This is the fourth night of this revival at Ife Oluwa Baptist Church, Kaduna. And so far, it has been amazing and remarkable, to the glory of God. God has proven His faithfulness over and over again. The Bible says, 2 Timothy 2:13 (LEB) ¹³ if we are unfaithful, he remains faithful—he cannot deny himself .

The attendance today, according to the secretary of Ife Oluwa Baptist Church, is 450 people. And we have varied decisions, following the preaching of the word of God, ranging from the decision to follow Jesus, rededication, baptism, and prayer. The topic of the message for today is: LAUGHING AT THE IMPOSSIBLE. The message is taken from Mark 11:12-14, 20-24. The main points of the message are: The Advisement of Jesus, The Analogy of Jesus, and The Assurance of Jesus. The entire service is uplifting. And most importantly, the congregants love the Word of God and Prayer. I believe very strongly that many miracles are taking place through this meeting. To God alone is the glory for ever and ever.

It is very important to reflect on another event that took place earlier today. I met 13 local pastors here today. In that meeting, I was asked to talk on Internet Ministry. The topic that I presented is Internet Ministry 101. The session was productive. I am sure that what we discussed will be helpful to those pastors. The challenges that most of them face include the cost of internet service and inconsistent power supply. Another concern is that only a handful of their church members use email as a medium of communication presently. The hope is that things will get better in the months ahead as most of the phone companies in Nigeria make Smartphone accessible, available and cheaper for an average Nigerian consumer. That is already happening right now. As this new technological improvement unfolds, Nigeria will benefit immensely when everyone starts to make use of the internet most of the time. With a few ideas that were discussed today, I am sure that those pastors will be well ahead of the game when the paradigm of internet usage shifts.

At the end of this session, 20 complimentary copies of Pastor Ray Pritchard’s book: An Anchor for the Soul was given to the pastors. The fellowship with these pastors was enriching. It was a time well spent. To God be the glory.

I look forward to the grand finale of the revival coming up tomorrow night. Please pray for me that God will use me mightily to leave a lasting spiritual impression on the minds of these congregants. When I am done with the revival in Kaduna, I will take a day off to rest my voice and relax in preparation for another full week of revival in Ibadan next week. I cannot do any of these by myself. But with God on my side, it will be done. Until tomorrow when I will give another update, stay well, my friends. I am praying for you as you pray for me.

John

Kaduna,

Northern Nigeria

October 12, 2011

God Did It Again

God Did It Again

October 11, 2011

Lamentations 3:22–24 (HCSB)

²² Because of the Lord’s faithful love

We do not perish,

for His mercies never end.

²³ They are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness!

²⁴ I say: The Lord is my portion,

therefore I will put my hope in Him.

The third day of the revival service at Ife Oluwa Baptist Church Kaduna is successful just as the previous ones. We have more decisions today, to the glory of God. Those who responded to the altar call after the message responded for varied reasons, ranging from call to ministry, salvation, prayers, baptism and rededications. There is a testimony that is worth sharing here. There was a massive rain in Kaduna both today and yesterday. The rain started, both days, around the time the revival services were supposed to begin. I noted two things to be thankful for. First, when I noticed that the rain began to fall, I was worried about its negative impact on the revival ministration. I prayed about this asking God to please honor His work and stop the rain around the time of the revival. Guess what? That was exactly what God did both days. There was a heavy outpouring of rain up until start of the revival ministrations and it resumed again by around the time that most congregants must have returned to their home. This is amazing. Our God is awesome. He answers the prayers of the saints. Praise the Lord. The second reason why we need to thank God is that despite the heavy outpouring of rain prior to these services, the attendances were unabated. In fact, the attendance increased by the day. From all indications, people here are eager to hear the word of God. I just found out that my guess estimate about the attendance have been too small compared to the real attendance number. The secretary of the church made me aware today that the attendance from Sunday till is as follows:

• October 9—Sunday Night—330 attended.
• October 10—Monday Night—334 attended
• October 11—Tuesday Night—379 attended

 I will upload all the pictures at the end of the revival services.

Prior to and during the ministrations, I felt that I was being prayed for. I really thank the Lord for the Agape Prayer warriors who are committed to praying for me before and during these ministrations. The message tonight is titled: “When You are Tired of Trying.” The message is taken from Luke 5:1-11. The main points of the message are: Listening to Jesus; Doing what Jesus says; Being prepared for a divine surprise; Surrendering our lives to the will of God.

I am truly blessed for being a part of the spiritual journey of these men and women of God. They love the word of God and they love to pray. That is an excellent combination.

God, You are Awesome

God, You are Awesome

NKJV | ‎Da 11:32 … the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

The second day of revival ministration at Ife Oluwa Baptist Church, Kaduna, Nigeria went well today. God manifested Himself beyond our imagination. The message today was based on the topic: Enough is Enough. The message is taken from the story of Jabez found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. God used me to talk about the problem of Jabez, the Prayer of Jabez and the Result of his prayer. The four prayer points of Jabez were summed as follows: First, Prayer for prosperity. Second, Prayer for Professional Advancement. Third, prayer for Divine Presence. Fourth, prayer for Divine Protection. The application of the message focused more on the relevance of this story to people’s lives today. I shared with the congregants about some common prayer blockers that they must avoid. These include unconfessed sin, godlessness, lack of faith, doubting, unforgiving spirit and praying with wrong motif. The meeting was packed to capacity, to the glory of God. About 334 people are in the service tonight. Pictures of the event will be available sometimes this weekend. There are many decisions for Christ as well as many that came forward for prayers. I thank the Lord for another day of blessings in His presence. We serve an awesome God. To Him alone be the glory forever and ever Amen. Praise the Lord.

Thank God for His Abiding Presence

Thank God for His Abiding Presence

Lamentations 3:22-24 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."

The first day of a week long revival at Ife Oluwa Baptist Church, Kaduna, Nigeria ended with a lot of testimonies to the glory of God. God gave me opportunities to preach twice today to this congregation of about 330 worshippers. The worship experience was excellent. It reminded me of how we used to worship many years ago when my father was a pastor.

This Sunday morning, I preached on the topic: When God’s Unseen Hands are Working Behind the Scenes of your life. The message was taken from Genesis 41:1-57. In that message, God used me to remind the congregants of how God works behind the scenes in our lives. The message was concluded with the thought provoking comment of Joseph to his brethren, later in life. The verse says: Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

We have the second revival meeting this evening and it was packed to capacity. The message for this evening was taken from 1 Samuel 30:1-20. The topic of the message is: Without Fail, Recover All. Many decisions were made for Christ and many came out for various prayer needs at the end of the message. This is all to the glory of God. I will be sharing some of the pictures taken from this revival meeting later.

It is about 11:49pm here in Nigeria. I am getting sleeping and I need to go to bed. I will update everyone through this blog again tomorrow. God has been faithful. His name is to be praised. Thanks for your prayers.

An All-Sufficient God

We serve an all-sufficient and faithful God. The God who is always faithful to His promises. He has promised to never leave nor forsake us. That is the kind of God we serve. I want to thank God, El Shaddai, for traveling mercies. Despite all the travails, trials, last minute hindrances, God's name must be praised for answering the prayers of the saints. To God be the glory.

Many things happened to me during the planning and the finalizing of this trip to Nigeria which has never happened to me before. But through it all, my trials have become a testimony.  I am grateful to God. His name alone is to be glorified.

I was scheduled to leave the US for Nigeria on October 7. But that did not happen as planned. But the devil is a liar and a loser. He has always failed and he also failed this time. I had to travel the following day. God gave me favor throughout the journey. I had two stopovers on the way. One in Detroit, Michigan and the other at Frankfurt, Germany. 

Finally my plane touched the ground at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, all to the glory of God. I was welcomed by Rev. O.T. Olagoke and two of his church members who came out to welcome me. They have been waiting for an hour before my arrival at the airport. 

What happened as we entered the vehicle heading for Kaduna is another testimony that is reserved for another time. The journey from Abuja to Kaduna took us about 2 hours. But it was very smooth. I give God the glory.

I really thank the Lord for the love of the brethren here. 

Please pray for me as I start a week-long revival at Ife Oluwa Baptist Church, Kaduna, tomorrow morning. Please pray for me during the following times when I will be preaching. By 1am Sunday morning, California time and by 9am everyday Sunday through Thursday. Nigeria is 9 hours ahead of the California time at this time. 

Please pray that God will give me the right words to say as I minister to these wonderful children of God. Ephesians 6:18–19 (HCSB) ¹⁸ Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.