“BE COURAGEOUS”
Pastor Taiwo Odukoya @ Discovery for Men Rally

Had the children of Gilead foreseen what was in stock for their brother, Jephthah, they would, perhaps, have had a rethink before thrusting him out into the wilderness on account of his questionable maternal heritage. As recorded in Judges 11, Jephthah’s brethren scornfully sent him out saying, "You shall have no inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman." - Judges 11:2-3. But rather than despair, Jephthah committed himself to training up the dregs of society in his strange environment. Jephthah developed these young men into a potent army until he caught the attention of his homeland at the point of provocation from neighbouring Ammon.

The tenacity of Jephthah in the face of mockery and rejection was Pastor Taiwo’s main recommendation to men at this year’s second edition of Discovery for Men Rally held on Sunday, July 6, 2008. Pastor Taiwo observed outright that there were many Jephthah-like characters in the congregation that evening. He, therefore, urged such people to carefully study Jephthah’s response to the callousness of his own brethren and take a cue.

Pastor Taiwo emphasized that if a man is diligent wherever he is located, the world would go for him, no matter how deeply tucked away he is in the wilderness. He gave the other example of John, the Baptist, who went about in total abasement, yet, Jesus and the rest of the world located him for recognition. This, he submitted, was proof of the fact that “When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” - Proverbs 16:7.

Pastor Taiwo prophesied to the audience that the same way Jephthah was sought after and offered kingship on a platter of gold, even as an outcast, so shall men seek them for elevation before long. He cautioned, however, that everyone who desired to make a difference must be ready to shun every form of mockery concerning the dingy part of his life. After all, each of us has some blemish or the other to contend with. Jephthah refused to wallow in regret, self-pity and self-condemnation. He did so, realising that the enemy relishes the very idea of intimidating man with constant reminders of the negative chapters of his life. Pastor Taiwo stressed the necessity for men to beware of this, reasoning that most men always become captive of their own ugly past life.

He listed the devil’s strategy of reduction to include intimidating the man, compelling or deterring him by threat, hampering his progress and coercing him into line. He encouraged his listeners with Paul’s motivation to the Church: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” - Romans 8:19. He reminded the men never to forget their destiny, adding that Jephthah’s refusal to toy with his own destiny made a difference in his life.

Above all, Pastor Taiwo submitted that one sure approach to significance is through investments in the lives of others as Jephthah clearly demonstrated in building a band of misfits into a strong army.

The Discovery for Men rally, which attracted men from across denominational boundaries, as usual, was characterised by music and dancing. Among the highlights was an exhilarating performance by JC Qrew, a young band of Christian musicians, who got the congregation singing and dancing to their sonorous “There’s gonna be a better day”.

Sharing the Discovery for Men vision, Mr. Mahmood Ali-Balogun recalled the exploits of Joshua in the epochal battle with the Amalekites. He stressed that just as Joshua’s victory was facilitated by the support of Aaron and Hur who held up the hands of Moses while the battle lasted (Exodus 17:8-16), members of Discovery for Men should be ready to shore up Pastor Taiwo’s vision to enable greater accomplishment. He reminded them also that following the miracle of the great fish harvest at Gennesaret River, Peter had to invite others to assist in pulling out the big catch, lest the net pulled him into the river.

Forms for the various categories of The Calebs, the partnership arm of the ministry were distributed, and men were encouraged to partake as best they could, realising the very evident benefits accruable to the partners.

One other significant part of the event was the earth-shaking prayer session anchored by Pastor Taiwo. He informed the men that he had made that pattern of prayer a strategic element of all services since he had realised that the hustle and bustle of the Lagos city life is fast eroding the prayer lives of most believers. He added that men should equally get accustomed to petitioning the Lord in the Spirit, realising that, most of the time, we really do not know how and what to pray.

Report by Charles Anyasi