Bøger af Emmanuel Oladipo

We know that the promises of God never fail. He makes the promise to His people: "You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you." (Deuteronomy 7:14-15)The promise was originally made to the children of Israel, but as believers in Jesus Christ, we are spiritual descendants of Abraham, and we share fully in his blessing, (Galatians 3:6-8). Why then are faithful Christian couples sometimes childless? Is it perhaps because they have sinned? But they confess and are forgiven; and then they fast and pray, but the child still does not come. Why do sincere Christians ever fall sick? Since our own sins have been washed by the blood of the Lamb, could it perhaps be the result of ancestral curses? If so, why is it that prayer for special deliverance do not guarantee to anyone to be always "free from every disease" as God has promised?And when we do fall ill, we pray for healing. This we can do confidently on the authority of the word of God. We have been assured by the prophet Isaiah that Jesus Christ takes away our infirmities and our sorrows, and by His wounds we are healed, (Isaiah 53:4-5). And this same Jesus has given us authority over all unclean spirits and has promised that when we lay hands on the sick they will recover. The problem is that sometimes it works but sometimes it does not work - not even when we fast as well as pray and call on the elders to anoint with oil. Can we always blame the people who are not healed for lack of faith? Or is it a failure of the faith of the people praying for the sick? Some people are so desperate they will go to any prayer house to seek healing. Sometimes they are healed, but does that prove that it is of God?There is something wrong somewhere, and it is not with God or His promises. It is most likely to do with our own misunderstanding of Him and of those promises. That is why we are taking a careful look at all the main verses that speak about health and healing in both the Old Testament and the New. The format is a set of Questions and Answers. My prayer is that we shall all have our questions answered sufficiently to enable us to trust God fully for every aspect of our health and healing, and to avoid the frustration and disillusionment which results from a false understanding of God and His promises.

"Fantastically corrupt" was how the UK Prime Minster described Nigeria, and the country's President agreed.Evidently, our beloved country is in a sorry state! It was when David Cameron was Prime Minister that he organized an Anti-Corruption conference in London. Speaking privately about it to the Queen, he said that the leaders of two of the most countries in the world were going to be present. He singled out Nigeria and Afghanistan as being "fantastically corrupt." He did not realize that what he said was picked up by an open microphone. Predictably, there was indignation on social media as Nigerians at home and abroad were outraged. However, when the President of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari arrived for the conference, he agreed with the Prime Minister. It was true and it is true. Nigeria is fantastically corrupt. So much so that, humanly speaking, there is no cause for hope. We have tried British style democracy and we have tried the American variety. We have tried politicians and technocrats, we have tried the old and mature and we have tried the young and vigorous. They have all failed us beyond reasonable doubt. What hope, Nigeria?Thank God, there is hope. The battle belongs to the Lord; and this book tells the story of some of His soldiers who make all the difference in diverse spheres of human pursuit. They are ordinary men and women who serve as models for us in a wide variety of public responsibilities. They include Cornelius Adebayo and Solomon Lar as civilian governors, Yohanna Madaki as a military governor, and Gwamna Awan as a traditional ruler. There are Ishaya Audu, Chinedu Nebo and Eyitayo Lambo as academics who also served as Ministers of State, while Christopher Kolade and Gamaliel Onosode distinguished themselves so convincingly in the business world that they were drafted to put their expertise at the disposal of the nation in various ways. It is not an all-male affair. Mary Lar, Mary Abashiya, Ify Nebo, and Olayinka Ibiam feature not merely as spouses who stood solidly behind their husbands but as exemplars in their own right. This wide-ranging book has been commended widely for the depth of its underlying research, the candour of the portrayal of each character, and skillful craftsmanship of the language. The author, Emmanuel Oladipo, invites us to read and be inspired. Following his Secondary education at Provincial Secondary School, Ilọrin and Government College, Keffi, Emmanuel Oládipọ read English at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He was later to spend a year at All Nations Bible College, Easneye, Ware, in England.He joined the staff of the Fellowship of Christian Students immediately after graduating from Zaria in 1967, and he profited immensely from the teachings and examples of his predecessors and mentors, John Dean and Ruben Ariko. In 1982, he was appointed to lead Scripture Union Africa Region, based in Nairobi, Kenya, from where he travelled all over the continent. He moved to the UK with his family ten years later when he was appointed to head up the work of Scripture Union International, which he did for 12 years. His last formal job was with Langham Preaching International founded by the late theologian of world renown, Dr. John Stott. Emmanuel is now retired and living in the UK with Ruth, his wife of 47 years with whom he has four sons. He derives the greatest pleasure in spending time with his grandchildren whenever he returns to his family home at Esie in Kwara State, Nigeria.

A Christian couple is having financial difficulties. A civil servant has had a series of accidents with his car. A businessman is duped in a massive scam. They go to respected Church leaders for counselling. One of the questions asked is whether or not they pay their tithe regularly, because failure to pay it could be the reason for their problems. After all, the Bible places a curse on those who fail to pay their tithe: "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse- the whole nation of you- because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." (Malachi 3: 8-10)It seems straightforward and plain enough. These are the exact words of the Prophet to the people of Israel. The curse was on them because they did not pay their tithes. We can read through the whole chapter and the whole Book and we shall find that this is not taking a verse out of context. The question is how to apply to us here and now what was said to them there and then. If we are to handle the word of God correctly on this important subject, however, a more detailed study of the relevant Scriptures is required. Then we shall be able to establish that the curse which applied to the people of Israel in Malachi's day does not apply to the Christian couple, the businessman, or the civil servant in the Church today. Our desire is to find out and explain clearly what the Bible teaches on the matter. We want to understand these words not only in the context of one Book of the Bible but in the context of both the Old Testament and the New. That is why we are combing through the entire Bible to bring out all of the main passages that deal with tithes and offerings.The format is a set of Questions and Answers. Our prayer is that every reader would have their questions answered sufficiently to set them free to live a life of joyful giving without the fear of a curse!To each one of us individually, and to all of us together as a community of His people, may the Lord grant to us truly to know the blessedness of giving.