Pastor Corner

PILLARS.

Welcome to the month of June! My prayer for you is that your walk with God will go deeper as the year advances in Jesus name. Some of the inheritance we seek to obtain from God is waiting for our spiritual growth.

One of the phenomena that characterised the journey of the Israelites on the way out of the land of bondage and through their journey in the wilderness was what the scriptures referred to as Pillar of cloud and Pillar of fire. (Exodus 13:21)

Having gone through multiple translations of the bible, most didn’t use any other word for the Pillar of Cloud and Fire. We will later see that even when God gave the details of the tabernacle, part of what he described was how the pillars were going to be.

From the aforementioned, we know that Pillars are important to God and even to life as a whole. No building can stand without one form of pillar or the other. So is the life of every child of God. There are certain things that are indispensable in our lives if we are to stand strong in a world where everything is warring against our advancement in God.

In the last few weeks, I have endeavoured to identify seven principal pillars that must be found in our lives as believers if we will stand as Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 6:10-18 in describing spiritual warfare. Here are the seven pillars again and a short note on each of them as we will continue our discussion into the month of June 2024;

Praying – This is meant to be our default. Several places in the bible admonishes us to pray always. We see that it was a lifestyle for our Lord Jesus as it was for the apostles and the early church. The pillar of prayer must not be shifted in our walk with God. The implication of give us this day our daily bread is that we ought to pray on a daily basis.

Preaching – we are commanded to preach the gospel to everyone. We must obey the divine instruction. People are not going to come to God if we keep quiet.

Pastoring – it is the calling for all of us. Jesus judges our love for him by our attitude to his sheep. We are instructed to make disciples.

Partnering – the spirit of generosity is found in the place and heart where there is true revival. We cannot claim to trust God and withhold our finances from his kingdom. The essence of wealth is the furtherance of God’s kingdom.

Progressing – this speaks about forward thinking and advancement. We are meant to be head and not tail meaning we ought to take leadership in the various mountains of this world and be people of influence.

Pistis – this is the Greek word for faith. All of the New Testament is faith activated. Pleasing God is impossible without faith. Our faith must be ever increasing and we must be people of persuasion based on revelation knowledge of God’s word.

Power – we cannot speak about our Christianity without power. Our faith must never rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. The power that is at work in us must consistently emerges in our daily lives.

Everyone is important in our lives even if they are not on an equal level of significance. We do have a responsibility to keep these pillars strong and guarded in our lives as we walk with God.

I call you blessed!

 

 

 

Children’s Corner

*HOLY SPIRIT*

Hello friends, you are welcome to another exciting episode of learning with FLOAT newsletter.

My name is Amaka, and today I have with me Demilade. Demilade, let’s talk about someone very special who is always with us, helping and guiding us.

Amaka: Demilade, can you guess???

Demilade: Our parents?

Amaka: No Demilade, it is the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is like a gentle wind that you can’t see but you can feel. It’s God’s presence living inside us, giving us strength and wisdom.

Demilade: Ohhhhhhh the Holy Spirit!!!!!

Amaka: Do you know the Holy Spirit and what he can do for you and I?

Demilade: I know the Holy Spirit is my friend, but what does he do for me?

Amaka: The Holy Spirit can do many things for us. Let me tell you

1. The Holy Spirit is Our Helper:

Just like a good friend, the Holy Spirit helps us make good choices and understand what God wants us to do.

2. Comfort and Peace:

When we feel sad or scared, the Holy Spirit brings comfort and peace to our hearts. It is like a warm hug from God.

3. Teacher and Guide:

The Holy Spirit teaches us about God’s love and helps us remember Bible stories and lessons. It is like having a wise teacher always by your side.

4. Gifts of the Spirit:

The Holy Spirit gives us special gifts like kindness, patience, and joy, which we can use to help others and demonstrate God’s love.

All these and more are what the Holy Spirit can do for us…

Demilade: Amazing!!!!! Can I ask the Holy Spirit for anything?

Amaka: Sure you can !!!!

 

Development corner

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

You might have heard the saying “words are like eggs, once spoken, they can’t be taken back”.

As Christians, we should be mindful of our words irrespective of our position or stand in life. Your words can either make or bruise a person. Your words could directly or indirectly cause a person to be depressed.

The Bible says in Col 4:6 (NLT) “let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you may have the right response for everyone”. As a leader, an employer, a boss in either large or small capacity, you should not talk down on people even when they’re wrong or made mistakes, instead you can criticise them constructively.

Constructive criticism as defined by Cambridge dictionary is “a comment or comments saying in a helpful way what is wrong with something and how it could be improved”. Constructive criticism does not focus on negativity, rather it finds solutions. The essence is to help the recipients so they don’t feel stigmatised by your hurtful words, but instead they feel the need to improve.

Keep this in mind – Growth happens to a leader that has learned to criticise constructively.

 

 

 

 

 

Health corner

Great Man, Great Body

To our Men inside and outside of our church family, we see you, we thank you, we cherish you, we love you.

Now we must question, what are you doing to actively take care of your health? We want you to forever be strong and mighty, a pillar we can lean against. We need you to take care of yourselves.

This June is Men’s Health Month, a month dedicated to getting you to pay attention to your well-being. We desire for you to do this for you, and not because it will quieten the ‘nagging’ females in your life.

Listed below are the physical screening recommendations for men between the ages of 18-100. Whilst some tests are the same the reason for them may differ based on age group.

• Physical examination: blood pressure check, screen for obesity, measure body composition and for men over 40 a prostate examination is advised
• Metabolic screening: fasting blood sugar, fasting lipid profile. In younger men these tests are suggested when there is a family history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, whilst in adults above 40 these tests are advised regardless of their family history. In men over 65 an additional test on thyroid function could be recommended.
• Vaccines: these vary depending on your country of residence, but the common ones are Influenza, Hepatitis A/B, HPV, Tdap and MMR. Shingles vaccine is recommended in adults over 40 despite their childhood history with chickenpox, whilst Pneumococcal vaccination is recommended in men over 65
• Sexually Transmitted diseases (STI) screening: HIV, Hepatitis B/C, Syphilis, Gonorrhea and Chylamydia screening should be considered at least twice-a-year if you’re sexually active with partners you can’t vouch for. If you still need these tests above the age of 65, then daddy you are a Silver Fox that needs to retire.
• Depression: Nigeria can be a challenging place to live in, talk to someone, don’t try to carry the burden alone.

The next set of examinations are age-group specific, but if you find yourself doing what you know you shouldn’t be doing at your age, then it might be a sign to request for help.

Recommended screenings for men aged 18-39

• Assessment of risky behaviour: discuss any use of tobacco, alcohol, recreational drugs, anabolic steroids, as well as use of seatbelts, helmets, knife and gun safety.
• Family planning: pre-conception counselling to increase understanding that adopting a healthy lifestyle from an early age, will improve the chances of conceiving.

Recommended screenings for men aged 40-100.

• Cardiovascular screening: abdominal ultrasound, coronary artery calcium score, stress testing
• Cancer screening: prostate, colon, lung and skin examination
• Eye examination
• Osteoporosis screening, such as a fall risk assessment should be considered for men over 70.

Isaiah 46:4 (NLT) I will be your God throughout your lifetime — until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you

 

 

 

Fun Facts

1. Honey never spoils.
2. Octopuses have three hearts. Two pump blood to the gills, while one pumps it to the rest of the body.
3. Hot water freezes faster than cold water. This is known as Mpemba effect.
4. A sneeze travels out of your mouth at over 100 miles per hour. That’s why it’s important to cover your mouth when you sneeze!
5. A group of flamingos is called a “flamboyance”.
6. The shortest verse in the Bible is “Jesus wept”. It consists of just two words and is found in John 11:35.

 

 

 

 

Biblical poetry

Setting aside you

 

Shifting away from what you want to do, to what you need to do

Developing a capability in servitude,

Expressing love through service to another person

Allowing your actions to speak louder than your words

Living outside of your comfort zone to lift-up another

 

Stepping aside to allow the holy spirit to direct your steps,

So that it makes the hard decisions on your behalf

Showing you how to overcome difficult circumstances

Installing in you super-sight to see the impact before the event

Helping you recognise how your change benefits others

 

Dying daily to decompose your past ideology of normal

Rising up each morning

Ready to try again at servitude

Ready to reattempt setting aside what comes naturally

And applying extra effort at what feels foreign

Because you understand the comfort it brings another person.

 

Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV)

 

 

 

Conclusion

God created seven essential pillars for mankind, all of which are scattered within the Bible. Pillars can be described as a support system, or things that are essential to uphold and make us stand firmly.

We are thankful to the Holy Spirit for bringing the revelation of these pillars to us, and we will cover some of them below:

7 Pillars of the Undefeated Christians:

1. Praying: We need to develop a praying habit to remain undefeated, as we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Praying also strengthens our communion with God. The more we pray the more results we have.
2. Preaching: We need to keep sharing the word of God because Jesus did so, He commanded us to preach, and it is the best way of telling people about the Kingdom of God.
3. Pastoring: This means Shepherding. It is the responsibility of a shepherd to tend to the sheep. Jesus commanded us to be a shepherd for his sheep, thereby making disciples out of people, and mentoring them in the ways of God. Doing this proves that we love God and we are ready to do his bidding.

The remaining four pillars will be covered in July’s edition.