DISCOVERY RALLIES

LAST 2007 DISCOVERY FOR MEN RALLY
The Winning Man

The last Discovery for Men Rally for the year 2007 created an ideal opportunity for men to round off the year with the resolution of a crucial issue of importance to them. The event which held on Sunday, December 9 at the Main Auditorium of the Fountain of Life church was tagged “The Winning Man” – a subject matter that dealt with the secret principles for winning in life. The programme took off at 4.00pm with praise and worship anchored by Mr. Ayo Adejumo. This was followed with a round of testimonies from men who had benefited from earlier rallies. A number of them extolled Pastor Taiwo’s vision and urged others to support it, if only for the practical benefits.

The testimonies ushered in a music break during which the somewhat therapeutic voice of Cobhams Asuquo provoked great emotions.  The extremely gifted blind singer and keyboardist stirred the souls of men when he took the stage to render a compelling solo. The gentleman’s selling point, which is a perfect blend of exhortation and worship songs, attracted applause upon applause from the delighted audience.

Mr. Bolaji Ososami, Director of Programmes, explained the vision of the Discovery for Men as the divine call to Pastor Taiwo to use Christian principles for the empowerment of men. Broadening the vision, the Director in charge of Partnership, Mr. Biodun Balogun, enlightened the audience on the ministry’s partnership programme. He explained the modalities for the classification of the partnership and also spoke of the benefits, stating that it was a covenant bargain with God.  He cited the example of David who diligently kept his covenant with Jonathan by honouring Mephibosheth. He said that from that, it was clear that a covenant with God is bound to be amply beneficial. He therefore urged as many as were yet to join the Calebs (the partnership programme) to quickly do so.

Next to address the audience was Mr. Ron Mgbatogu, the Publicity Director who offered some insight on the Discovery for Men Foundation (DfMF), which has succeeded within its one year of operation in forging a partnership with Accion Microfinance Bank. Three members of Discovery for Men who had approached the Foundation for credit facilities that would move their businesses to the next level were presented with a facility from the bank by Pastor Taiwo on behalf of the Bank. Posing for a commemorative photograph with the recipients, he congratulated them and encouraged all other men present to take advantage of the Accion offer through DfMF. He emphasized that the vagaries of the present day world economy should inform every man of the dire need to be investment-conscious.

The Grace Levites; the inimitable choir of the Fountain of Life Church, ministered next, preparing the way for the Discovery for Men Choir who led the rendition of the ministry’s declarative anthem. This was followed by Pastor Taiwo’s message titled: “The Passions of a Winner”.

A cross section of Men in worship

A cross section of Men in rapt attention as they listen to the word.

THE MESSAGE
Pastor Taiwo opened up his ministration with a declaration that, before each man was conceived in the womb, his destiny had long been decided by God. This, he said, was the crux of Paul’s message to the Ephesians when he declared: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:10.

He submitted that it was also for this purpose that Jesus declared in John 15:16 that we did not choose Him. Rather, He chose us. He decided our destinies, having created us for good works. It goes without saying, therefore, that any child of God who falls into negative works should blame himself and not God.

Harping on the theme of the rally – “The Winning Man”, he urged everyone to shun the antics of the devil and be determined to make a success of every endeavour. A man, he said, can never rise above his belief. He said that even the worst failure suffered by a real man should never be catastrophic enough to affect his Kingdom mentality. He said that a man is never eliminated until he allows the thought of his failure to get the better part of his heart. It is, therefore, very important to watch what occupies the mind of the believer because that is what drives his passion, he counselled.

Passion
The centrepiece of his message was passion. He explained that the creative power of every man is fired by passion, without which, nothing is achievable on earth.  Little wonder Mel Gibson christened his great movie “The Passion of Christ” in which Jesus was shown going through excruciating punishment, including death on the Cross. The decision by Jesus to bear His suffering, he reminded the men, was fired by His great passion to fulfil the Great Commission from His Father! He added that when a man lacks passion, he loses the zeal to accomplish his vision. And, of course, there can be nothing more regrettable than the derailment of vision.
Using the life of David as an example, he itemized and explained the passions of a winner:

Meditation
He said that men who meditate are most productive, as was proven in David’s life. A meditative mind is, therefore, a crucial ingredient in every winning strategy. David was passionate about deep meditation at all times. Through his passion for meditation, David acquired such awesome knowledge of the love of God and the universe; issues that had eluded men of his time as exemplified in Psalms 27. Men, he therefore advised, should focus their minds gainfully on meditation, rather than waste their precious time on vain issues. More, they should incline themselves to study: In his words, “leaders read, and readers lead”. David explored God’s creation through his meditations in the Psalms.

Warfare
Next, he advocated a passion for warfare.  He said that God has made every man a champion. Of course, there are no champions outside the spheres of warfare. Thankfully, however, the Lord has declared that we are more than conquerors. Therefore, each man must be ready for war. Very importantly, he said, every man is as strong and great as his meditation can carry him. David recognized that enemies would encamp near him, but that would not affect his trust in God to see him through all the wars he fought.

In contrast, even as king, Saul gave in to fear. Pastor Taiwo urged men to emulate David who spent time, in the wilderness, warring against anything that was a threat to his flock and his destiny. He reminded men that when the Bible talked of “good warfare”, men were the focal point of the Lord. This is because God expects men to be focused on the crown - their goal, while shunning every form of intimidation. He gave the instance of an intimidating request from Saul to David. Saul requested for the foreskins of one hundred Philistines from David, as dowry for his daughter. Ordinary men would have chickened out, but David took up the gauntlet. He proceeded to battle and returned with double the prize to everyone’s consternation! (1 Samuel 18: 25 – 27).

Worship
Pastor Taiwo reflected on David’s passion for worship. He wondered over the great resources lavished by David as he went out of his way to employ full-time musicians in his determination to offer quality praise worship to the Lord. David confessed that his greatest desire was to dwell permanently in the presence of the Lord (Psalm 27:4) irrespective of the circumstance around him. Pastor Taiwo noted that it would have been impossible for David to continue dwelling in God’s presence if he was deficient in worship. Men can overcome many obstacles by engaging in worship at all times.

Quality Friendship
A meditative heart develops a passion for true and real friendship, Pastor Taiwo submitted. David, he recalled, had a good number of worthy and committed friends. These friends helped him to overcome the assaults of the enemy. The covenant with Jonathan was an eloquent testimony of friendship. When his throne was in danger, his friendship with Hushai the Archite (2 Samuel 15) came in handy.

Dealing with Negative Passions
Pastor Taiwo, however, reminded the men that David had his fair portion of negative passions. Such misplaced passions included his adulterous affair with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), the murderous passions that resulted from it, the passion for pride and power in the self-motivated census (2 Samuel 24: 1 – 17 & 1 Chronicles 21:1-6).

He concluded by saying that the Bible recorded these negative passions of David as a reminder to men that it is the victory over these negative passions and a good measure of self-control that makes a  winning man.