For members of the Great Commission Fellowship Church and their Pastor,
Dennis Odhiambo, April 21st will forever be etched in their hearts.
To them, this particular Sunday was no ordinary Sunday.|
Contents |
GREAT COMMISSION FELLOWSHIP NEW CHURCH PREMISES DEDICATED
For members of the Great Commission Fellowship Church and their Pastor,
Dennis Odhiambo, April 21st will forever be etched in their hearts.
To them, this particular Sunday was no ordinary Sunday.
They had invited people from far and wide to come and witness the dedication of their new Church premises that could comfortably sit 2000 members in one session. The new neatly constructed Church building is situated in Kayole estate, a low-income densely populated area on the eastward side of Nairobi City. It has a population of about half-a-million people.
The dedication ceremony was presided over by one of the most respected Pentecostal leaders in Kenya - Bishop Arthur Kitonga of Redeemed Gospel Churches of Kenya. Other leading local Church leaders also graced the occasion. They included Bishop Ngede of Power of Jesus Around the World and Bishop Joseph Ogutu of St. John Everlasting Church situated in Kangemi, Nairobi. They all had very good things to say about the character and integrity of Pastor Dennis Odhiambo.
Also present were Church leaders from
the United States of America. They had all come to know Dennis when he was
staying and ministering in the USA a few years ago. They testified of Dennis'
humble and focused character and of his desire to see more souls saved. Noting
that we were all members of the same nation - the Kingdom of God - the
missionaries from the USA said that they felt duty-bound to help Dennis
construct the new Sanctuary. In a remarkable show of cross-country and
cross-continent partnership, the believers of Lebanon Community Church in
Lebanon City, Virginia, USA, had contributed the money that helped construct the
US $ 60,000 facility.
Talking of God's faithfulness, Pastor
Dennis said that God had blessed him with servants who have the heart to help.
Saying that he has preached in different churches in America since he first
visited that nation ten years ago, Pastor Dennis observed that Africa is unique
in that people are ravaged by poverty, ignorance, and disease. As such today's
African preachers should not pursue after material things and self-aggrandisement,
but they should, rather, go after perishing souls. His dream is to reach more
souls and to impact the lives of the community. 'God has given me a ministry in
this nation and nothing will stop me', he asserted. Back
to contents.
GOD'S
HOUSE BUILT WITH LIVING STONES
'The Kingdom of God is bigger than Kenya, USA, or even all the nations of the world combined'.
This was said by Pastor Jeff Williams
(pictured here with his wife) of
Lebanon Community Church in Lebanon City, Virginia, USA, while delivering a
sermon during a Church dedication service at the Great Commission Fellowship
Church, Kayole.
Before reading the scripture of the day, the soft-spoken pastor who had come with a delegation of leaders from his Church in Virginia said that the level and sincerity of worship in Africa impressed him. He exhorted them to continue worshipping God in earnest for He has chosen them for that particular purpose. God has not forgotten Africa, he said. 'While the rest of the world focuses on the Middle-East, America, and Europe, God has His eyes fixed on Africa', he said amid applause from the congregation.
Reading from the Book of Haggai 1: 1-8, Pastor William noted that in all of the Old Testament, no other subject has received as much emphasis as the construction of the temple of God. In fact, he said, the only time that Jesus appeared to have lost His cool was when He upturned the tables of the moneychangers who were trading their wares in the House of God. Incensed, Jesus accused the traders of turning His Father's house into a den of robbers.
This means that God is highly interested in His temple. He is looking for a house in which to dwell. There is no place too beautiful for God to dwell in. If world leaders can afford to live in beautiful resplendent palaces, how much more Jesus, the King of Kings?, he posed.
There is a mansion that Jesus has been constructing for us for the last 2000 years. For a building to last that long, it surely must be a beautiful house. Whereas other people build their mansion from blocks of inorganic material, Jesus is building His House with living stones. Since you as a Christian are a living stone, then you are part of God's dwelling place. Jesus does not need silver and gold to build His Father's house. He only needs you and I. Although people are the key elements in the construction of the temple that Jesus is building, He is the Chief Cornerstone. Eternity will reflect the investment we made in the lives of people, not our cars, houses or even fat bank accounts, he added.
Quoting from 1 Kings chapter 6, he said that the temple of God was constructed with imported hewn rocks. Many of the trials and travails that we go through, he asserted, are meant to chisel away all the rough edges from us so that we may fit into the wishes, desires, and plans of God. "Until you have that 'Jesus look' about you, God will continue hewing you and chiselling away all the rough edges", he said.
He went on to say that even though Jesus is the builder of God's temple, we are labourers in that house. In whatever Church or ministry you belong to, you have a role to play in its upkeep. You must be a worker in the House of God. However, rest assured that your labour for God's work is not vain. God has a predetermined plan or blue print by which the Church of Jesus Christ will be constructed. He has etched that blue print in the hearts of pastors like Dennis Odhiambo and other Church leaders.
Just as in a construction site where all the workers must follow the architect's plan, as Christians we must give up our own independent ways and prejudices and follow God's master plan for His house. Above all, Pastor William said, we must all work as a team as no soldier has ever won a battle by himself. You can't win the Olympic, the Superbowl, or any other competitive sport without being a part of a team. Likewise we must be connected to the other parts of the Body of Christ for us to function effectively as Christians.
One day soon Jesus will complete the building His Father's House. He will look at you and me and tell His Father, 'they are like us now'. Jesus has been constructing His Father's House for the last 2000 years. Soon, very soon, it will be complete, and He will come to take us to His Father's House. Like the Psalmist who was consumed by the zeal of the Lord's House, we must be filled with passion when we think about that House. Those without passion cannot do the work. They will deviate into trivialities and individualism. Everything in all creation pales into insignificant in the face of the beauty of God's habitation.
However only those who are born again by the saving Grace of Jesus Christ will be part of this House. If you are not born again, you can book your residential status to that House by saying this simple prayer: 'Lord Jesus I come to you. I now realize that I have sinned against you. I repent of my sins now. I bring all at the foot of the cross. Now Jesus forgive me, cleanse me, redeem me, and remember no more my sins. Save me'.
If you have prayed this prayer and
you mean it with all your heart, let us know by sending us an email or telephone
us using the address below. You may also write to us and we will do our best to
help you in your walk with Christ. Look for a Church where you can be nourished
with the Word of God. Above all testify to your friends of what Jesus has done
for you. Welcome to the Kingdom of God. Back
to contents.
STOP
FIGHTING ONE ANOTHER: BISHOP KITONGA ADVISES PASTORS
Pastors and Church leaders should desist
from petty jealousies against one another, as this is harmful to the propagation
of the Gospel of Christ.
This was said by Bishop Arthur Kitonga of the Redeemed Gospel Churches of Kenya while dedicating the new 2000-seater Great Commission Fellowship Church building in Kayole, Nairobi.
He noted that in Kayole for example, no Pentecostal Church had a membership of more than 5,000 despite a population of about 500,000. It was therefore immature for Church leaders to engage in petty squabbles or to undermine one another since they were all working for the same Kingdom.
'The Church belongs to Jesus and therefore nobody should speak against it', he advised, eliciting thunderous applause from the attentive congregation. Bishop Kitonga encouraged Christians to live honestly and to shun all evil dealings as they are meant to be the salt of the earth. 'If you are a born-again, talk like a born-again, walk like a born-again, and live like a born-again', he said.
Reading from the Book of Isaiah 56:7, Bishop Kitonga said that God's House should be a house of prayer. He said that when Churches become houses of prayer, then there will be change in this country. The politics and the economy of Kenya will be changed.
Turning to the Pastor of the Great Commission Fellowship, Dennis Odhiambo, the hard-hitting Bishop of the Redeemed Churches of Kenya told him: '"let this be a House of Prayer".
The dedication of the new GCF building was witnessed by among others Bishop Ngede of Power of Jesus Around the World, Bishop Jefferson Nyatuka of Calvary Church, Kayole, and Bishop Joseph Ogutu of St. John Everlasting Church situated in Kangemi, Nairobi. Also present were Church leaders from the United States of America. The new building that costed about Ksh 5 Million was put up with the assistance of believers of Lebanon Community Church in Lebanon City, Virginia, USA.
These reports were prepared by Jane and Innocent Mwangi, the founders of an internet based ministry called The Living Word. For more information about this ministry visit their website at www.swordofthespiritministries.net or email them at ssm@swordofthespiritministries.net. You may also mail your letters to: Jane Mwangi, The Living Word, P.O. Box 51188 City Square, Nairobi. You may also contact her by telephone on 072704355.
ssm@swordofthespiritministries.net
www.swordofthespiritministries.net
P.O. Box 12147-00400 Tom
Mboya, Nairobi
Tel. 254-722704355
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