Christians urged to surrender lives to God

Pastor Gbenga Ilesanmi who delivered a short but heart warming sermon at the 50th birthday celebration of Pastor Paul Oloke of Praise Assembly Church, Karu, last Sunday, said life without God was meaningless.Ilesanmi also praised Oloke for  using the opportunity of his golden jubilee to write and present 10 books.“Attaining the age of 50 is […]

Pastor Gbenga Ilesanmi who delivered a short but heart warming sermon at the 50th birthday celebration of Pastor Paul Oloke of Praise Assembly Church, Karu, last Sunday, said life without God was meaningless.
Ilesanmi also praised Oloke for  using the opportunity of his golden jubilee to write and present 10 books.
“Attaining the age of 50 is worth celebrating because not many have reached the age of 50 like Pastor Oloke has done before they died. So many have died. Some  because of road accidents, some because of accidents in the air, some because of Boko Haram while others have died from one sickness or the other. So we give God all the glory.
The pastor who said “making the best out of your life” was the thematic message in his sermon, quoted Psalm 90:9-12, which described life as ephemeral and temporal.
“The life that is given to us is a priveledge not a right. Today abortion has been legalised in many countries of the world and many precious lives are wasted through abortion.So it is a priviledge for us to be alive to celebrate Oloke at 50 today.”
He also said life is like a flower which fades away, quoting 1Peter 1:24 and Isaiah 40:6, 21.
“Looking at the way the Bible describes life, it is important that we make the best out of life. There is a purpose for your life  and Paul Oloke is making the best use of his life by giving his life back to the owner, God. It is something all of us should do because anything outside of God, our lives will be wasted. Allow the spirit of God to direct you in living your lives,” the man of God added.
Pastor Ilesanmi said the most important thing for a christian is to seek the kingdom of God and make the best use of every opportunity in life, adding that time management was also relevant in making the best out of life.
“Anybody who refuses to give life back to the owner, so that the owner will take charge will end up wasting his life. How can you surrender your life to God? It is by allowing the spirit of God to dwell in you because you cannot live your live by yourself.
He said he did not plan to be a pastor in his life but because he surrendered his life to God and it was the will of God that he should become a pastor, he had to abandon his accounting career to full time ministry.
He added that time is life and advised christians not to waste their time on things that do not add value to their lives and do not glorify God.
“It does not matter what we have got or what we have acquired; everything shall pass away just as God has designed it. We are going to meet our saviour with nothing, therefore, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and every other thing shall be added unto you,” he said.
Giving his testimony, the celebrant and the author of the 10 books, Pastor Paul Oloke said he thanked God for his life and the wisdom to write the books, while also appreciating his parents, who gave birth to him, nurtured him and handed him over to his wife, who he said has been instrumental in his success in life, as an engineer and as a pastor.
Asked how he has been able to write then books at a time, he said writing has always been part of his life, adding that he goes about delivering papers at seminars and conferences and when he had the vision to put them into book form, it took him just three months.
“I had this vision just in August and all my writings all over the world, I decided to package them into book form,” he said.
According to him, his books are not theological writings but practical books to help christians and people of all creeds to help them solve their family and social problems, saying he has broken them down so that anybody can read and understand.
“No matter how successful you are in life, if you do not have peace in your family, you will not be happy. And apart from home, you have to have a good relationship with your God. So I am not bothered about academics or the business world, I am bothered about how people can make the best out of their lives, while having a wonderful relationship with their creator,”he said.
He said he was presenting the books on his birthday because of his belief that life is worth celebrating only if one has something to show for it. “What have you achieved in the last one year, if you can point at something, then life is worth celebrating,” he added.
The elated pastor said his books are based on his personal experience in marriage and on research, so they are not just theories, adding that he has found out from his personal experience and research that marriage needs more than love to survive.
“If you refuse to grow up then don’t marry. Marriage is for matured people. Sombody that gets offended on the slightest provocation is not ready to marry because your partner will always step on your toes,” he said.
Former Minister of Health, Eyitayo Lambo, who unveiled the books said he had not read the books but looking at the titles, they seemed to be interesting books that he can recommend because they treat people oriented topics.
“Challenges in marriage are very rampant this days. I happen to be a facilitator on marriage and counselling department in the Family Worship Centre and based on the things we hear from couples it is clear that the devil is attacking families, which are the major blocks of the society. So if the devil succeeds in attacking families, then the nation is doomed. I therefore recommend this books to the members of the public because there is no home where the relationship between husband and wife is 100 per cent,” he said.
The former minister lamented that the reading culture of Nigerians was declining and urged the youth to take reading seriously, urging them not to only read fantasy novels but read life changing books like the ones Pastor Oloke has written.
The first five books entitled: Anger: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Marriage: Wedlock or Padlock, Handling Conflicts in Relationships volume one, two and three; were reviewed by Pastor Dele Stephen Dina.
The other five, Decent Man of God: Living above Reproach, Balancing Ministry and Marriage,  Absolute Surrender, Weep Not and Better Not to Be Married if… were reviewed by Pastor Tai Osotumbo.
It was a lively and entertaining evening which had scores of men of God within the Redeemed Christian Church of God fold and others from other ministries in attendance.