The Assistant Provincial Pastor of FCT 10 Province of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Abuja-FCT, Pastor Bayo Oluyemi has enjoined Christians, especially Christians working with the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), to always thank God, saying, “Thanksgiving is the right of God; and I pray that you will keep on thanking God. Thanksgiving will never cease from your lips.”
Speaking as guest minister at the Mid-Year Thanksgiving of “NICO Prays”, a Christian Fellowship of the Institute, held at the No. 23 Kigoma Street, Wuse Zone 7, Abuja-FCT office on Wednesday, 13th July, 2016, Pastor Oluyemi, in his sermon, taken from the Book of Psalms 107: 15-16, which states: “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he has broken the gate of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder”, admonished the congregation to cultivate the habit of paying gratitude to God.
He stated that we are in an era where Christians only emphasize and pray for what God had not done for them rather than thanking God for the gift of life, protection, sound health and other good things they had received from Him.
The sermon, which was embellished with songs of praise and thanksgiving, was to fulfil the requirement from God to always give thanks in all circumstances as long as there is life, because it is only the living that can think of making wealth, getting appointment, getting promoted, getting married, giving birth, and so on.
His words: “f there is anything you are planning to do, it is because there is life. You want to get more children; it is because there is life. You want to get married; it is because there is life. You know you can buy anything in the market but you cannot buy life. So, why don’t you thank God on the basis that he has given you life; for sustaining your life; life is the reason for everything”.
Emphasizing the need for the Mid-Year Thanksgiving, the man of God enjoined the Christian community in the Institute to appreciate God for not allowing the evil one to swallow them up during the first half of the year, because those that have gone this year were not worse sinners; but that they made it to the second half of 2016 with everything that they have, intact, and did not lose anything, nor their lives, because of the mercy of God.
Pastor Oluyemi proclaimed: “I know that this thanksgiving will provoke more thanksgivings in your life and in your family in the name of Jesus! … Whenever God has done wonderful things for you, please, don’t come out to blackmail God; it is not good. It is absolutely wrong for anybody to blackmail God. How do we blackmail God these days? Do you know that there are people that are supposed to come to church and they begin to tell the pastor, it was my job that prevented me. And when they had no job, they cried to the same God and God gave them this job”.
Present at the NICO Mid-Year Thanksgiving celebration included, Associate Professor Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma (Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation); Mr. Alex Omijie (Director, Orientation and Cultural Affairs); Pastor Herbert Ogbe (Head, Finance and Accounts), Pastor Segun Adegbaju (the Chaplain, NICO Prays and Assistant Director and Head, Orientation), and Mr. Michael Bush (The Boss, Bush House Nigeria), among others.
Njideka Dimgba
Corporate Affairs Unit
NICO, Abuja-FCT.