ALL CHRISTIAN SUNDAY MAGAZINE

copied from MCS (Media Career Service )

An All- Christian Sunday Newspaper,

Jesus Christ is set to hit the newsstands on April 10, 2016.

The concept of the publication according to the United States based publisher, Moshood Ademola Fayemiwo was a divine injunction when he was detained in 1997 by the former military dictator, Gen. Sanni Abacha.

” I heard the voice of the Lord loud and clear and the assignment of gospel propagation was committed into his hands, ” Fayemiwo.

” It was a Friday, 14th of February 1997. I will never forget the day I passed from death to life. I was kidnapped by the goons of the late Nigerian military dictator, Gen. Sanni Abach from neighboring Republic of Benin where I had sought political asylum as publisher & Editor of that samizdat, Razor magazine between 1993 and 1998. I was quarantined inside the underground detention facility of the Directorate of Military Intelligence {DMI}, Apapa, Lagos reminiscent of the Gulag in Old Soviet Union. I was suicidal and couldn’t understand why this nightmare.

“Then at 4:00pm I heard the Voice of my Lord and savior Jesus Christ: ‘ Moshood, I am the Lord Jesus Christ, your Creator. I have brought you to this place to use you’. A Bible will be given to you. I was not dreaming, hallucinating, disoriented, and neither was I sleeping. I heard His Voice as One speaking to me, except I didn’t see His form. I knew it was my Creator, Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He commanded me to establish a newspaper in His Honor. I didn’t know what to publish but He said He would inspire me and teach me what to publish. That was 20 years ago. But the pathway was tortuous yet God’s prophesy must be fulfilled,” Fayemiwo said.

The Jesus Christ Sunday and Jesus Christ Daily Newspapers according to its mission statement will be “forceful media organs for disseminating news that lead readers from information to spiritual understanding; that the quest for inner peace and social harmony can only be achieved through trust, faith and belief in the Good News of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Fayemiwo, a former student union leader at the University of Lagos was publisher of the defunct Razor Magazine.

The 120-page newspapers will sell for N400 per copy.

THE POWER OF 'NOW' - Dr Segun Oshinaga

2 Samuel 3:18

"Now faith is..."

Heb 11:1

‘Now’ is your greatest opportunity. Your best shots ought to be taken now! Not later. Not tomorrow. Too many times we squander our ‘now’moments. Many oceans would have been crossed, many mountains moved and awesome miracles performed if only we handled our ‘now’ moments better.

The problem is that we often leave for later, ideas that strike us with such force that we could hardly stand, rather than go to work on them immediately. What we don’t seem to realize is that ideas come with the power and wisdom to make them function. Those powers that come with such ideas recede in intensity and capacity the longer we hold off in possessing them.

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

Ecclesiastes 9:10

Do it now! That idea you have been praying about, do it now! Make that phone call now! That book you want to write, start now! That business you want to start, do it now! ‘Now’ has miracle built into it. Make a move now.

May we learn to move with the cloud of glory. We often begin to work on ideas long after the ‘glow’ that came with them is gone. When God supplies an idea, He sends it with the power to make the idea ‘fly.’ When we refuse to work on it immediately, afterwards all we have is the ‘letter’ of the idea but the ‘spirit’ of the idea is gone along with the enabling authority and power.

I trust God that today will be the beginning of something awesome in your life as you start out on a limb, trusting God to carry you on the wings of His power.

DISCIPLES INDEED

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31). 

There are disciples and there are disciples indeed. Jesus desired that we should not merely be disciples but disciples indeed. A disciple is a follower who has attached himself to a master. Jesus is not just looking for mere followers. Followers follow to satisfy their passion, meet their personal needs, and advance their personal goals. But the disciple is a follower with a difference because he follows as a pupil with the sole aim of learning to become like his master. Nothing else delights him other than bearing the image of his master. He is satisfied only when he has become one with his master. 

The crisis in the church today is simply as a result of the fact that our churches are filled with mere followers and no disciples indeed. Today's church is mainly constituted by a crop of people who want everything in the hands of the Master but want nothing to do with the nature and person of the Master. They are willing to follow the Lord for as long as things keep dropping off from His hands. But disciples indeed have a more defined relationship with the Master. They not only believe in the blessings that come through the Master, they also believe in His person. 

It is rather unfortunate that even among the rank and file of today's pastors and ministers, we have a significant proportion who are following the Master but don't really believe in His person. They are ever willing to use the name of Jesus, the word of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit for personal enrichment and carnal gratification. Such are people who suppose that godliness is a means of gain (1 Timothy 6:5). They want to gain everything but the image of the Lord. If this be the case with God's ministers, how then shall we be able to fulfil the mandate which Christ has given us to go make disciples for Him of all nations? 

According to Jesus, a primary requirement to transforming from being a mere follower to becoming a disciple indeed is to continue in the word of God, reading, meditating and obeying it. Disciples indeed walk fully in the word of God. In all their endeavours, they stick only to the truth as laid out in the word of God. For them, the word of God is sovereign and there is no negotiating its provisions under any guise. Like Peter and the rest of the Twelve, they have bound themselves to living by the words of the Master, the words of eternal life, both in and out of season. 

Friends, it is time to quit the company of those following Christ without any intention of becoming like Him. Remember that our primary call as Christians is to become conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Resolve today not to be satisfied with anything less than becoming like Him. And may the good Lord help your resolve. 

Three keys to survive in this Economic Depression

And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 

And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son" (1 Kings 17:12-13). 

Available economic indices point to the fact that most parts of the world are facing challenging times today. Economic depression is a reality many countries have to contend with at this time. As it is with nations, so it is that many individuals are contending with harsh times. But the Spirit of God wants us to know that it is possible to not only survive a period of economic depression but to also flourish in the midst of it. Here are a few tips to help us. 

First, in times economic depression, we must learn to look up. In our passage for today, Elijah met the widow gathering sticks. She definitely was looking down without any hope that things would get better. Elijah called her and in giving him attention, she had to lift herself and look up. The purpose of depression is to keep you down by making you look down. Your soul is downcast, your head is down, and the pictures you see at that level are those of hopelessness and impossibility. But you must look up and keep looking up to the brighter prospects that life could offer if you are going to survive depression and triumph over it. To look up is to have a positive attitude in the midst of depression. It is to keep up hope. 

Secondly, give service, and after you have served, serve more. Naturally, times of depression could make you become selfish, looking out only for your personal interests. This is understandable because resources are dwindling and replenishment is nil. Therefore, people naturally tend to hoard the little they have. So this widow was going to do what every normal person would do. But Elijah taught her this principle, that you should not do the natural if you will survive depression and even flourish in the midst of it. She learned that she must prioritize serving others. Thus the woman put her mind into service rather than giving it to worry. The result was that she never needed to worry again because the reward for her service generated adequate sustenance for her and those with her all through the years of depression. 

Finally, believe God! Elijah spoke the word of the Lord to this woman and she believed both the Lord and His servant by whom He spoke the words. The aspect of faith is important because she was required to believe what was clearly a natural impossibility. But you see, we must understand that faith in God is real, even in the business world. If you will listen, many Christian businessmen will tell you how the application of their faith in God has helped them navigate difficult terrains in their businesses. Faith in God and trusting His words can bring you a definite turnaround in the time of depression. Don't forget that God is higher than the depression we might be going through and He has the power to change things in our favour. The word of God remains in force: "Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper" (2 Chronicles 20:20)

DO IT NOW, WHEN YOU STILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY

"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10). 

Opportunities surround us daily to serve God and be a blessing to humanity. But these opportunities won't be forever. Three days after His death, some women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus. But the opportunity was gone. Thank God Mary already anointed Him, and Jesus knowing what would happen in the future, said that the anointing was for His burying. 

It seems to me also that opportunities have identities and are sometimes tied to certain individuals. For instance, it was Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus that had the opportunity to underwrite Jesus' burial expenses. But they may not have been the only rich people around Jesus. There could be others who had opportunity to minister to Jesus but who continued to push things forward, saying 'we can always serve God later'. 

Thank God, Mary did not procrastinate. She would have forever lost her opportunity to enter into the annals of Scriptures. Friends, be careful never to lose the divine opportunity tied to your life for your honour and glory. Such opportunities will always be clothed in the needs you will meet and things you will give to others, not things you will get or what others will do for you. 

Is there anything you can do to honour God today? Then go ahead and do it. Some opportunities never come again. Is there something you can do to help a neighbor, give someone a lift in life, or some other good deeds? Please do it now. You never can tell how far that good deed could change the course of history for better - for that individual, for you, or for the entire community. 

God bless you. 

THE POWER OF R-E-S-P-E-C-T by Dr. SEGUN Oshinaga

Respect is a powerful attitude of a winner. If you are going to have a breakthrough, you will have to learn to have respect for people, both old and young. Many young people have a serious disease called 'rudeness.' They talk rudely and greet rudely.
Rudeness will drive favour from you. Rudeness will frustrate your destiny. Men who cannot respect other men cannot truly respect God. They cannot respect ideas. They cannot respect their destinies. An attitude of respect is necessary to open doors for you.
“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another."
Romans 12:40
Another word for respect in Scriptures is 'honour.' We need to learn to truly honour each other. I do not stick around anywhere I am not respected. Anyone who does not show you respect does not deserve your friendship. The truth is that human nature demands respect. Everyone likes to be honoured and celebrated. Respect sits well with us. Disrespect does not.
If you're going to go far in life, you will need the support, assistance and encouragement of others. You cannot enlist the support of people you generally disrespect. Moreover, it takes a man that has honour to give honour. You cannot give what you do not have. Only an honourable man can give honour. A dishonourable man can only give dishonour and rudeness.
"Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king."
1 Peter 2:17
They do not have to be famous to be honoured. They do not have to be rich to be honoured. The do not have to be on television to be honoured. They do not have to be driving a Mercedes Benz before they can be honoured. Fame or wealth is not the basis for respect or honour among brethren. The only qualification is that they are created by God.
During a ministry trip to Asia in 1997, I stayed with Bob, an American deacon at the New Life Fellowship in Tokyo. Bob taught me a lesson that has stayed with me till today. He answered every man with a sir and every woman with a mam. One day, Bob was talking to a woman who was much younger than him and repeatedly used the word 'mam.' When he was done talking with her, I asked him, 'why do you use mam with every woman and sir with every man?' Bob replied, 'When I was growing up, my mother taught me to show respect to everyone I meet. She taught me to answer, 'yes mam or yes sir'.
Well, since then I have adopted same. It has become a part of me that I even say 'yes sir' to my own sons. Unfortunately, many Christians have complexes, particularly inferiority complex, and to cover that, they are rude and disrespectful. They want to belong and think the way to do it is to treat everyone like their mates. I cannot stand flattery neither can I stand arrant rudeness.
Of course, if I am sowing respect, I expect to reap respect. I open doors for my elders. I take their bags or brief cases. I pay them due respect. I get along well with them. This new rude and disrespectful generation will need to be educated.
If you are not sowing honour and respect now, watch it, dishonour is growing in your backyard. A harvest of dishonour is coming your way. I don't care what amount of success you're having, honour those ahead of you. Honour your mates. Honour those behind you. God expects it and people appreciate you for it.