Pastor Jimmy Odukoya @Sunday Service, October 22, 2023
In continuation of the message, The Ark of His Presence, which he started the previous Sunday, Pastor Jimmy Odukoya during the October 22 Sunday service said that the presence of God will always supersede monuments to culture and tradition. “What is right based on monument to culture and tradition can be wrong where the presence is,” he said.
Speaking from Joshua 3, Luke 5:33; 10:38-42, Act 10:9-16, Leviticus 11; and John 8:1–11, the Senior Pastor told his listeners that holding on to monuments of cultures and traditions can be deadly, adding that God cannot be predicted and His presence cannot be premeditated by humans. In his words, “God’s presence is not confined to a particular location. God is ever-moving. In other words, you cannot cage the new move of God in an old experience because the old cannot contain the new.”
He continued, “It is not about location or tradition. No church has a monopoly on the presence of God. So, the idea of running to a particular church for healing or for deliverance is a fallacy. Do not make a dispensation of His presence idolatry by going to the same place to go and look for Him.”
Pastor Jimmy also referenced Exodus 31:18, John 10:30, 4:19–24, Haggai 2:9, and Matthew 11:28 to emphasise that the reason many believers do not experience the move of God is because they have restricted His move to their experiences. This unbalanced mentality about God’s presence and move, according to the clergy, will hinder them from possessing their possession. “A lot of times, we look at God based on our own human experience of hurt and disappointment. We don’t trust God, even when He asks us to come to Him. And like the children of Israel, we sometimes take Egypt with us mentally even though we have left there physically,” he stated.
He therefore urged the congregation to not limit themselves to the old comforts and familiar ways but to deal with the discomfort and embrace the possibilities of the new. “The things and the ways of God are always moving in a forward direction,” he said.
Earlier in the service, Pastor Tolu Odukoya, while encouraging the congregation from Joel 2:18–19, which is the promise for the week, said that God is able to do above and beyond the desire or request of His children, stating that He could take them from insufficiency to overflow.
In her words, “The Lord is changing your story. He will answer your prayers and bless you until you are fully satisfied. He will replace every garment of shame with double honour. God is taking somebody from not enough to more than enough.”
The full messages are available on the Church’s YouTube Channel, Fountain TV, and Jimmy Odukoya YouTube Channel. The audio messages can be accessed on SoundCloud, Google Podcast, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The messages are also available on CDs and DVDs at The Fountain of Life Church Digital Media Store.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD, Part 3
Pastor Jimmy Odukoya @ Thursday Showers
In the midst of the storms of life, keep your eyes on the Shepherd of your soul. These were the words of Pastor Jimmy Odukoya at the Thursday Showers service on October 19.
Pastor Jimmy was speaking on The Good Shepherd, a series he had started three weeks earlier with the anchor scripture from Psalms 23. For this third part, he focused on verse 2 of the chapter, where the Good Shepherd leads His sheep to lie down in green pastures. He noted that while leading the sheep to a place of pasture and rest, the storms of life do arise. But the Good Shepherd, who is responsible for the safety and well-being of His sheep, will always ensure they arrive at their designated green pastures.
He gave an illustration from the story of Jesus (the Good Shepherd) crossing over to the other side with His disciples when a storm arose (Mark 4:35-39). The scripture noted that there were many boats on the shore, but the disciples took Jesus into their boat. As they began their journey, a storm arose. Pastor Jimmy therefore urged the congregation to always make sure the Shepherd is in their boat, whatever the situation, emphasising that they would certainly get to the other side as long as He is in their boat.
He added that when one is in the presence of the Good Shepherd, nothing one encounters on the way will stop one from reaching the other side. In his words, “The Shepherd knows the terrain; He will never lead His sheep to an unknown terrain.”
He also explained that for Jesus to have been sleeping in the midst of the storm, it meant that He was still in control even in His sleep; hence, His sheep have no reason to fear. He noted that as long as they are in the presence of the Good Shepherd, His peace is with them and will give them rest. “You cannot be in the presence of God and not have rest… His presence brings peace, and His peace brings rest,” he said.
“If you are not sleeping in the midst of your storm, then you are not focusing on your Shepherd,” he noted.
The full message is available on Jimmy Odukoya YouTube Channel (Jimmy Odukoya). The audio messages can be accessed on SoundCloud, Google Podcast, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
