(DAILY TRUST) Barrister Ike Monye who is Presiding Pastor, Temple of Glory International Ministry spoke on the significance of his church’s second anniversary in Abuja. The mission founded on May 28, 2011 has grown so fast. Excerpts:
As you mark the second anniversary of your church, what are the expectations?
We’re expecting a great time of visitation from God. We’re expecting an outpouring of God’s grace and power upon us. God has been faithful to us in this church. It’s been two years–anybody who knows the Temple of Glory, it doesn’t look like two years–it looks like 10 years. We’re grateful to God.
One of the things we say in our church is we’re a very grateful people. Like King David, we’ll pause at every milestone to celebrate God’s faithfulness. God’s presence will be there. I encourage everyone to be part of what God is about to do.
Over the years of existence, what would you count as the ministry’s achievements?
We have made and are still making great progress. We have many testimonies of God’s faithfulness: hopelessness turning to hope, financial breakthroughs, fruits of the womb, blessings of different kinds and what have you. But perhaps our greatest testimony is seeing sinners reconciled to Christ. As a pastor over God’s people, it gives me pleasure whenever I see a person who has been written off by others is transformed into a life.
The key thing I would point to is the grace of God. Somebody said the grace of God is defined as God’s willingness to be involved in a life. I would like to say to our nation, organisations, people, if you involve God in whatever you do–the bible says unless the lord builds a house, they labour in vain that buildeth.
That’s our testimony, God has bilt the house, God is still building the house and so we’ve achiebved a lot in a short time. If leadership and our country will get God involved, God will build a house for Nigeria. If organisations’ CEOs will get God involved, God will build organisations and lives of men and women will change if they allow God to build theirlives and their destinies. That’s what God has done! It’s actually a celebration of grace.
In the next two to five years, what should Nigerians expect from God?
I’d link my answer to this question to what I said in the previous question. You know, what’s going on in America today–either men are bombing or nature is bombing. If you remove God from the country… because nature abhors a vacuum, the devil will be involved. There’re a lot of prophesies and they’re not good about our country for 2015. If you take away God from that equation, then a lot of things that will happen, we’ll not be happy with.
I want to challenge us as individuals, as families to please get back to God–let’s go back to God. If you’re head of home, fathers should take their families back to God. If people go back to God in churches, government, there will be no place for the devil.
I look at 2015, I look at three, four, five years, I know that if as a nation and as people we go back to God… I’m not talking about the number of people who go to church, over 50 percent of people go to church on Sunday but maybe less than five percent practice Christianity from Monday to Saturday.
What we tell them in church is “Don’t just be a Christian on Sunday, be a Christian on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Don’t just be Christian in the location your church is built, be a Christian where you live. Don’t be a Christian because you answer a Christian name. Be a Christian because your life projects and portrays the fact that you’re a Christian. If we begin to do that, in five, 10 years, our country will be much better place.
The church of Christ in Nigeria has seen terrible times in recent years. Security men now standby to watch over worshippers. What do you think is responsible for this?
Indeed we live in very challenging times especially the church of Jesus Christ in Northern Nigeria. It’s of course a reflection of global terrorism that has now come to our doorsteps.
At the root of all this is the devil using different available human agents. It’s also a fulfillment of end time prophecies. The prophet Isaiah prophesized that darkness shall cover the earth, gross darkness shall cover the people. We’re living in the days of the fulfillment of end time prophecies.
The church of Jesus should arise in the place of authority and power. In the place of power we can put a stop to the flood of violence and satanic wickedness.
It’s also a time to remind ourselves that we have a common enemy. Satan will never let up against the church. The fact that our Lord Jesus has assured us that the gates of hell shall not prevail ultimately against the church does not in any way subscribe to the fact that the gates of hell will not contend against us.
The present challenge therefore, calls for us as members of the body of Christ to close ranks and walk as one. Our weapons of warfare should be chiefly spiritual and not physical. We shall prevail against this darkness.
To what extent has the activities of CAN his work impacted on the body of Christ?
I believe that Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor is doing a very good job. His assignment is not an easy one especially in a multi-religious and multi-cultural nation like Nigeria. I believe that every Christian in the country should support, encourage and pray for Pastor Ayo and his team at CAN.
Like every organization that is comprised of representatives from diverse backgrounds, CAN has a lot of internal challenges. As the internal problems are reduced, I know CAN will definitely become more effective and will achieve the set goals and objectives.
There’re also communication gaps between CAN and many churches and Christian organizations. As this gaps are bridged they’ll achieve more.
I want to challenge the body of Christ in Nigeria to begin to support and encourage our umbrella organization called CAN. As much as possible, let’s try to speak with one voice and one heart.
