Healing Nexus

Category: Elizabeth Ife-Adetona Books

  • Becoming An Author 3 : Pst. Ife ADETONA

    Becoming An Author 3 : Pst. Ife ADETONA

    In part 1 & 2, I have told you how to kick start writing and get your book edited.

    Publishing simply means “SERVING YOUR MEAL TO PEOPLE”. Serving meal is not first about the taste but the OUTLOOK. So, how do you want your book to look like when it is opened? You can either publish in hardcopy or e-copy or both. Where e-copy stops is where hardcopy printing begins. You will need a professional to handle the hardcopy printing but I can give you a glance into it. For now, let’s do e-copy.

    Determine your font name, size and spacing. Normally, I use OLD BOOKMAN font, size 13 and 1.5 line spacing. There are many options in terms of font type to pick from. If you don’t know much about it, just grab a book you which you like the way it appears. Give it to whoever is helping you and say “GIVE ME THIS”. While you can use any other font name, 1.5 line spacing and size 13 is good enough. Anything below it could be small and anything above that could just be to make your book appear much. I am not judging. Feel free to use what suits you. You may have other reasons.

    You may want to add colour to your TITLE, draw out quotes and so on. Just grab a book or books that look like what you want and do it or give it to the person assisting you. I know you like aesthetic but as for me and as of now, I keep my books simple.

    Ensure your book includes the preliminary pages. There are core preliminary pages and there are supplimentary ones. Cover page (the book cover), title page, about the book, about the author and table of contents are core pages. Introduction and Foreword are optional.

    ISBN number- just meet a printer, they know how to get you the number. I’m aware you can also buy yourself online. Meanwhile, you can publish your e-book without ISBN number. Don’t get stuck. Publish today, put ISBN later. Copyright still protects your work.

    PAGES- first time authors want a lot of pages. Old time authors avoid too much pages. If your book is up to 40 pages, I believe it is good for minimum. After all, people don’t like reading.

    HARDCOPY
    Let’s talk about printing.
    When you are done typing your book and formatting it. All the processes I explained earlier is called formatting. When you say the book is out, that is what they call publishing. You can either format your work the way you want it to look like or hand the manuscript over to the professional printer and tell him how you want it to appear. You must also describe the size to him or give him a sample.

    First, he is going to do PAGINATION for your book. He would use Corel draw to do what they call “Book work”. Book work is a profession on its own and most graphics designers know little or nothing about it. He will set your book into pages and arrange it in the way acceptable by the printing machine. After that, you are expected to go over your book to check the outlook and if they format it the way you wanted. Some do editing at this point but that’s old school. You should have done that before handling over the script. But you can proof read.

    It is with the number of actual pages according to the machine that will be used to determine the amount of papers and other materials you would need in order to calculate your cost. This type of printing is recommended for large printing. Like 500 copies and above. Though you can do much less. The lesser the copies, the less profitable.

    For those that may want to print fewer copies, some people (though very few) will get it done for you.

    My biggest advice for you is: GO AHEAD WITH THAT BOOK. Write and release it as PDF (e-copy) today. Hardcopy can follow tomorrow. If you do not release what is in you, how will a fresh inspiration come?That was the advice Holy Spirit gave me in 2018

    In the next edition, let’s talk about WRITING MANY BOOKS. Drop questions for me please in the comment section.

  • CRITICAL THINKING – Pst. Ife ADETONA

    CRITICAL THINKING – Pst. Ife ADETONA

    Eternal LORD, we receive your glory tonight! We receive your word. We receive a change of life in JESUS NAME.

    CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

    If you are a leader, it doesn’t show in the amount of money you have or in your volume of muscle. It tells in your mental capacity. A fundamental mental strength of a leader is his CRITICAL THINKING SKILL. A leader possesses critical reasoning ability. They can reason wide, fast, and very deep. Call it 3D – 3 dimensional. A leader builds his critical thinking skills by pondering on every matter around him. An incident other people would see and ignore could form a great deliberation for a leader. When the current president removed subsidy and the price of PMS went up but Gas and Diesel went down….did you ask why? A leader questions everything. A leader will not allow events to pass by but would seat to examine, study, and understand it. Isaac Newton was walking on a certain day when an apple fell on him from a tree. That was not the first time apples will fall all around but that day Isaac was compelled to ask a question: why did it fall? Why didn’t it stay up?

    I think all of us are born with critical thinking skills but we lost it somehow between our growth. That’s because a child will normally ask these critical questions. Why did it have to come down? That was how he propounded the law of gravity which has also helped in many inventions today.

    Leaders don’t allow issues pass on without asking probing questions and getting answers to them. At a time, I realized that most questions people asked me from the Scriptures as a minister were questions which I had asked myself and provided answers to long ago. Let me tell this, CRITICAL THINKING is the route to becoming wise! You may say that the Wisdom of Solomon was divinely inspired by God but there were things Solomon did that aided the manifestation of his wisdom. One important of those things was that he intentionally applied his hearts to critical thinking. Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, you will see Solomon saying: “I considered,” “I observed,” “I thought,” “I studied,” etc.

    Ecclesiastes chapter 4:1 KJV: So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. Ecclesiastes 8:16 KJV says, “When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth.” Verse 17 says that then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea farther; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

    In Chapter 9, Solomon said, “I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all before them.” After observing and considering lots of issues in his heart, Solomon would say, “I concluded.” That is critical thinking. He ensured that he got answers to all the questions in his heart. It was after Solomon got answers to many issues that people came to asked him questions about those things, and he gave good answers to them all. I have seen the same thing play out in my life at different times. I would have contemplated an issue and gotten the answer before questions would be raised from people. When I give them answers, they often wonder how I was able to solve such a complex matter in a little time.

    Solomon, at a point, pondered on the causes of poverty and he concluded that one of the greatest causes of poverty is laziness. The Bible explained that the queen of Sheba got answers to all the questions of her heart and many other issues. It was easy for Solomon to give answers to her because those questions were what he had contemplated severally before that day. After that visit, the queen of Sheba gave her remarks on Solomon. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, “It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen [it:] and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.” (1 Kings 10:4-7)

    HOW TO DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING SKILL

    A. Think about Everything

    Behind every human invention, there is a critical thinker. When you are a critical leader, you will think about several things. You will ask why a thing is the way it is and why it is not otherwise. Critical thinkers will even think about issues that are actually not their business. When they see movies, they don’t just watch; they put their minds on more important things in the movie. A critical thinker will ask how the eyes work and how the nose works the way it does. They will ask how electricity is generated and how airplanes fly. Because Solar has become rampant these days, I see solar panels everywhere. I have been asking, how does the solar system work? I found out that there is a battery in every solar system, unlike regular electricity. It is this battery that the solar would charge. Then the battery would power the appliances. Remember our forefathers used to PUT BAD BATTERY IN SUNLIGHT? Someone thought further than that, collects the sunlight through a panel, and converts it into electricity. The electricity travels via a wire. This wire charges a battery you place in the room. That’s my personal thought and outcome. Now, I am asking, does a solar panel come in the form of a pattern and usually in white lines and black pattern? I may need Google to get the answer, and I would! That is CRITICAL THINKING! Behind every human invention, there is a critical thinker. A thinker asked why should we settle with a fan and went further to invent the air conditioner. It was a critical thinker that felt the radio is not enough and invented the television. Thinkers do not allow situations to bypass them without being examined critically in their minds.

    Value of Critical Thinking

    1. Every successful leader thinks, and they think critically. They analyze situations and determine the possible consequences ahead of time. They aren’t surprised by certain events because they were expecting them. As KOINONIA LEADERS, you are to apply critical thinking to your work. It is a platform to build that part of you. If I were you, I would ask, WHY THOSE WHO ARE HAVING HIGH ATTENDANCE ARE HAVING HIGH ATTENDANCE AND WHY THOSE WHO ARE HAVING LOW ATTENDANCE ARE HAVING A LOW ATTENDANCE. And for JULY, some are having 100+ people; they face the same challenge you are facing. Members don’t respond. They promised to come and didn’t show up. They are mostly students. They are working class. In spite of that, they have great attendance. What are they doing differently? That’s critical thinking. You can ask them, I have tagged them.

    2. Another effect of critical thinking is that it enlarges the heart. Your heart would be able to convey several logical thoughts on different situations, including seemingly contradictory ones. Your heart will always be able to process information within split seconds. I said earlier that critical thinkers would have pondered over an issue before they are asked about it. It is not all questions that they are familiar with, but immediately they are asked, their minds would process it and infer from other related matters to give a meaningful conclusion within a short period of time. I am sure you want to be like that, like that man that has an answer to almost everything! Should I stop here? Critical thinking improves one’s sense of judgment. Thinkers don’t look at things the way other people see it, and so they are able to diagnose situations rightly. They look for the motive behind issues and not just the situation. The Bible talking about Jesus said the Spirit of God will make Him a man of quick understanding, and He will not judge after the sight of His eyes or reprove after the hearing of his ears (Isaiah 11:3). He would see beyond what others see. When the Jews brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, Jesus saw beyond the act and judged the situation from their motives. That is what critical thinking does. Critical thinkers are both realistic and idealistic.

    3. Critical thinkers are both realistic and idealistic. To be idealistic means to know and understand the status quo but would refuse to settle for it. They want to bring out new things. That is why all inventors are critical thinkers. A critical thinker will ask how he can move from where he is to another point. A critical thinker does not just wail about the situation; he invents solutions. A critical thinking leader prepares for the future far ahead. Many roads that we ply today in major cities across Nigeria were constructed at a period where all the cars in those cities were not even up to 100. Today, those roads serve hundreds of thousands of commuters daily. It takes a critical leader to assess the situation and plan a road for the future. The political leaders we have today construct roads that don’t last beyond their tenure. The book of Proverbs 22:3 says that a prudent man foresees the evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. It is said that the highest paid skill in the world is thinking.

    4. I want to stop here. I only mentioned one way to develop CRITICAL THINKING SKILL. Let me state two more:

    B. Read books.

    C. Get answers to your critical questions.

    I release the BAPTISM OF CRITICAL THINKING UPON YOU IN JESUS’ NAME.

  • BECOMING AN AUTHOR II

    BECOMING AN AUTHOR II

    We should talk about REVISING & EDITING in this edition but first, I want to address some points raised by one of the readers of the first edition.

    “I want to write books but I’m like: ‘Who will buy the books?’
    ‘I am not well known
    ‘Can my knowledge be trusted and consumed?’
    ‘If I want it to be free, I will need sponsors.’

    You should be your number one first cheerleader. If you inform someone that you have authored a book, the first thing that comes to the mind of that person is NOT HOW MANY PEOPLE BOUGHT OR READ THE BOOK. The first thought is “Oh, so, you are an author?” An author is an author. That alone is a big win. Also, WRITE FOR POSTERITY. If no one reads today, someone would read tomorrow. If you withdraw or procrastinate till tomorrow, you won’t have as much time and passion as you have today.

    Personally, I don’t care how many people buy my books. I remember working on 4 books at a time. My wife saw the zeal and demands the team and I were putting in order to meet the release date. She said, “Have you found out how many people that have booked these books so that you can know if to take it easy or continue with the push?”. Up till that time, I wasn’t interested in how many people have booked for it. When I asked, GUESS HOW MANY? Just GUESS first. Like how many people do you think must have made a booking for the books? ONE PERSON! I am not trying to sound ridiculous. Just one. When I heard that, I told myself: “We must not disappoint that one person”. I went on to add ONE more to that series to make it 5 at once! Today, that series is our MOST SOLD SERIES.

    Asking if your knowledge can be trusted or consumed. Do your best. Write in your area of interest, and visit more resources as I explained in the last edition. The worst that can happen is for you to write a book today and do a revised edition five or ten years later. A revised edition is allowed.

    Concerning making it free and needing sponsors. You don’t need sponsors to make a book free. Publish as PDF today and print tomorrow. I will talk about publishing later on.

    EDITING AND REVISING

    When you are done with the manuscript of the book. The next is to REVISE. Revising is reading your manuscripts with the aim of adding to it. As you read, you may feel like dwelling on some points, expounding some, adding to some passages and so on. You may end up with a book x2 of the manuscript. Do your best, and don’t be too concerned about the pages else you water down the content. I will talk about pages under publishing.

    FIRST EDITING. I am usually the first to edit my books. Read it line by line after you have revised it. Be careful not to start adding and adding at this stage. Except it is highly germane, don’t add more at this point, just correct. Else, you will never finish the book. Correct and move on. Leave the addition for another book.

    SECOND EDITING. The best choice is a professional editor. They usually charge per word or line. The next choice is your friend who is good at English. Tell your editors to INDICATE the correction and NOT TO EFFECT it. You should effect the highlighted corrections yourself if you can work on the computer. If you can’t then be with them before they effect it.

    Two things: if they highlight the corrections for you to see, you will be able to improve your writing skills. Second, some editors didn’t get what you are trying to say and that was why they may flag it as an error. If you explain to them, they can reword correctly. Some corrections may even be the opposite of what you mean. This is most important if you are a first-time author.

    PROOF READING. Proofread after accepting the corrections they make. At this stage, if more ideas are coming to your mind, keep them for your next book except they are extremely important. Because ideas and inspiration no dey finish.

    You may get another person or persons to proofread and go through your work. They are not meant to make grammatical corrections even though they may do that as well but their main work is to VET or CRITICIZE your work.

    BIBLE PASSAGE PROOFREAD. Look for one person, his job is just to confirm the Bible passages.

    These stages are not cumbersome or unessential. The truth is, after you have done all of these, somebody will still pick your book and point out OBVIOUS errors. Just do your best and improve on it in the future. I believe in continuous improvement against delayed perfection. No perfect book including books written by the whites.

    You want to write many books, that should form the third series.

    If you have any questions yet uncovered, drop them.

    My biggest advice for you today is WRITING & REVISING ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT. THE EDITING & PROOFREADING WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF. JUST WRITE.

  • BECOMING AN AUTHOR – Pst.Ife ADETONA

    BECOMING AN AUTHOR – Pst.Ife ADETONA

    Let’s start with WHY you want to write a book. Don’t bother. Any reason is good enough.

    What KIND of book do you want to write? Spiritual, moral, novel, play etc. I am largely a spiritual book author and so, permit me to talk more from the angle of a spiritual book. Don’t worry, all the things I will say will be of help.

    Are you a READER? If you hate reading and if you are not a reader, I can’t say you should not write but you may be far from being a good writer.

    TO COMMENCE WRITING. Decide the kind of book you want to write and the TITLE or theme of the book. If you are a vast reader, I suggest you get at least three books on the same subject to refresh you. If you are not a vast reader, get more than three. You are not the first to write on that area and you won’t be the last. Your contribution is to that body of knowledge. It’s just right you get to see what others have said about it and how they said it. Paul travelled to Peter for 15 days to compare notes.

    START. Once you start writing, close all books and sermons you have consulted to avoid pirating their works as much as possible. What you will learn from reading other books is not just what they write but also their style, language, formatting etc. Which you may adopt. I remember meeting a pastor in Winners after my second book. He said I should look at the formatting of Bishop Oyedepo’s books and adopt that formatting. Formatting comprises the font, line spacing, paragraphing etc.

    ARE YOU WRITING YOUR BOOK on paper or typing with your phone or with a laptop? Anyone is good. I wrote my first three books on paper. If you are using paper, you will still need to type with your phone and eventually put it on a 💻 laptop.

    WRITE OUT THE OUTLINE. Write out the topic of the book first and the areas you want to cover. Divide it into chapters. Even if it’s two or three chapters for starters. Do that. Even if it is one. As you develop the chapters, you will be able to expand them into more sub-topics and even chapters.

    IF YOU ARE WRITING ON A PAPER, get two pens: red and black or blue. I will tell you what it is meant for. The complex issue with spiritual books is BIBLE PASSAGES. If you are conversant with your Bible, as you write, Bible passages would be running into your fingertips. Some, you may not know where it is in the Bible or even remember the full text. You can quickly write it down with the other pen- colour red as in this case. The reason is, you can easily trace it later on and fix it.

    This will allow you to sustain the flow of inspiration. Even if you want to write out the full text, or you want to develop or expound that passage, you should still write the passage in red or a different colour. If you are typing on a phone or laptop, you can simply highlight it.

    In the next series, let’s talk about REVISING, EDITING and probably WRITING MANY BOOKS.

    Have any questions, drop them.

    My biggest advice to a writer is to set a time-bound. Decide to put all things aside within a period of days or weeks to focus just on writing both day and night. Once that period is over, it is settled.

  • DOWNLOAD MP3: Saving the Unsaved by Pastor Ife Adetona

    DOWNLOAD MP3: Saving the Unsaved by Pastor Ife Adetona

    It’s generally believed that there is always someone who is the prayer point of the family, they are either not saved or wayward in the way they behave. But you who have been saved have the right to get their salvation.

    Pastor Ife-Adetona explained practical ways to save the unsaved in this teaching, watch and be blessed!

    👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

    Click hERE to download
  • THE ACT OF DISCIPLESHIP – Pst.Damsam

    THE ACT OF DISCIPLESHIP – Pst.Damsam

    1. Thessalonians 5:12-13;
    “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
    And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.”

    1. Timothy 5:17;
    “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine
    Our mandate in SADOZ is bringing souls to Jesus Christ, Holy Ghost baptism, and discipleship.

    This article focuses on one of our major mandates in SADOZ, which is “discipleship.”

    I’ll be explaining disciple from two perspectives, namely:

    1. Disciple as a personality.
    2. Disciple as an act.

    DISCIPLE AS A PERSONALITY.

    During my research, I discovered that another word for “disciple” is “student.”

    A student is a person who is undergoing a learning process of a particular subject.
    A disciple from the perspective of Jesus Christ is someone who has subscribed to the teaching ministry of Jesus or someone who attached himself to Jesus’ discipleship college.

    Acts 11:26 -” And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught many people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”

    When you look at the word “disciple,” it is different from a believer because all Christians are believers, but not all believers are Christians. “It is the disciples who are called Christians, not the believers.”

    Those that are called Christians are those who have submitted themselves to the ministry of Jesus.

    We have a lot of people who believed in Jesus as their personal Lord and saviour, but when you look at their lives, some things need to be tutored out of their lives.
    It’s the disciples that are called Christians, not the believers, that’s why I said all Christians are believers, but not all believers are Christians.

    Those who are called Christians are those who have submitted themselves to the teaching ministry of Jesus.

    The word “Christians” means “Christ-like” because they behave just like Jesus.
    You look like what you are looking unto.
    The disciples were called Christians because whenever they want to speak, they speak like Jesus, whenever they want to pray, they pray like Jesus. Jesus has tutored them in a lot of things.

    For example, if you say you’re a disciple of a particular man of God, it means you have surrendered yourself to the man of God, and he’s teaching you every concept from the word of God that you need to know.

    A disciple as a personality means you’re a student who has submitted to someone to teach you.

    DISCIPLE AS AN ACT.

    Disciple as an act can be seen in the book of Matthew 28:19 – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Ghost:”

    NLT – “Therefore, go and make disciple of all nations.”

    In this context, the disciple does not mean a student, but for you to understand, you have to go back to King James Version and relate it together. A disciple was substituted with another word which means “teach.”
    Disciple as an act simply means to “teach.”
    Every believer is having the mandate and potential of a teacher. It is mandated for you to teach the word because that is the last commandment of Jesus Christ to every believer.
    So far you’re a believer, you’re attached to the command of “going” and the teaching also is being demanded from you by God.
    That is why we called Matthew chapter 28:19 “the great commission.”

    The word “Commission” is a combination of two words, which means “command and mission.” That is the command mission that the Lord has given to us. If you’re not into discipleship as a believer, you’re malfunctioning in the presence of the Lord. If you’re complacent in the ministry of discipleship, you’re not fulfilling your full potential as a son of God.

    Below are some mandates that have been given in the bible as pertain to discipleship:

    2. Timothy 2:2, Titus 2:1, 1. Peter 3:15.

    Firstly, Jesus gave the command to all believers in Matthew 28:19.
    In 2. Timothy 2:2, Paul gave the same command to Timothy, his son. Paul was telling Timothy that he has been taught the word of God, then he told Timothy to teach reliable and trustworthy people so that they will teach another generation as well. Paul was telling Timothy that the teachings he gave to him were a continuous process.

    Paul was seen addressing Titus also in Titus 2:1 to promote the kind of teaching that promotes awesome teaching. That is, even in your acts, you’re teaching people about the kingdom of God.

    Lastly, Peter was seen speaking to the new converts in 1. Peter 3:15 that if someone should ask about their Christian home, they must be ready to explain because when you’re explaining, you’re teaching.

    Some People believe they have to grow to a particular stage spiritually before they can teach the word of God. What will make you grow more as a new convert is to go out and teach the word of God.

    TEN FACTS ABOUT DISCIPLESHIP.

    1. It’s a relationship between a Discipler and his Disciple:

    Someone who plays football is known as a footballer, someone who cooks is known as a cook, and so on. So, someone who disciples is called a discipler.
    A relationship that exists between a discipler and his disciple is called “discipleship.”

    2. It is the greatest command:

    You might want to argue that the greatest command according to 1. Corinthians 13:13 is “love.” We have the greatest command and we have the greatest commission. But the greatest command is equal to the greatest commission.
    The greatest command is love, and for you to prove your love to God, you must go out for souls, (John 21: 15-17.)
    What brought someone to the cross is “preaching,” but what makes them grow is “teaching.”

    If you say you love the Lord, you must subscribe to the ministry of discipleship.

    3. It’s accepting the Lordship of Jesus, (Matthew 11:29.)

    “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

    Discipleship is accepting the Lordship of Jesus, not the saviourship of Jesus. So many people believed that Jesus is Lord, that has automatically got them born again, but when it comes to the Lordship of Jesus, it connotes that “we are learning of Jesus and submitting to the Lordship of Jesus’

    4. it is a system of bearing fruits in the kingdom, (John 15:16):

    “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

    If you’re not disciplining souls as a believer, you’re not bearing fruits, you are just like the fig tree which Jesus was expecting fruits from, but it doesn’t bring forth any fruit.
    There are some believers today who are not into discipleship and they not submitting to the discipler over them. Those sets of believers are fruitless believers.

    5. The ultimate goal of discipleship is to measure to the full stature of Christ,(Ephesians 4:11-13):

    The race of every man and hope of our calling as a believer is to become like Jesus. The race everyone is running today is to attain the full stature of Christ of which you’re going to attain that at the stage of glorification. What will help you to build your stature is when you subscribe fully to discipleship.

    6. Discipleship means you are saved, sanctified not to be satisfied; but saved, sanctified to serve in the ministry of reconciliation, (2. Corinthians 5:17):

    Some people have been saved, sanctified by the blood of Jesus and they are satisfied, that is not discipleship. Discipleship is that you’re saved, sanctified, and serve in the ministry of reconciliation. You’re to reconcile the world and Jesus together. Jesus gave us the task of reconciling people to Him. Discipleship is all about reconciling the world back to Jesus.

    7. The word of God is the instructional material in discipleship, (2. Timothy 3:16):

    “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

    8. Discipleship makes heaven rejoice, (Luke 15:27):

    You may think that it’s at the point of confessing Jesus as their Lord and personal saviour that they repent, the point at which they repent is the point at which they stop that which they’re doing.
    There were some things we used to do before giving our lives to Christ, and even after giving our lives to Jesus, we were still doing them, but when we came to a teaching class, we were exposed to the dangers that were there, and how to come out of the sinful habits. The moment you turn away from that sinful habits, that is the moment that you repented.
    Repentance means turning away from that thing you used to do and then to another way of life entirely, and that’s achievable through discipleship, and when you’re into that, it’s a system of making heaven rejoice.

    9. No mortal man is above discipleship, it is a continuous process:

    No one will say he’s now the master discipler. That’s why you’ll see some patriarchs of faith still kneeling teaching us lessons that the spirit is teaching them.
    So, no mortal man is above discipleship.

    10. The Holy Spirit is the master Discipler, (John 14:26.)

    “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
    He’s going to teach you everything you need to know. The Holy Spirit cannot be taken out of discipleship. When you read SADOZ’s vision, you’ll see it there that the Holy Spirit is our Discipler. The Holy Spirit is our Master Discipler.

    APPROACHES TO DISCIPLESHIP, AND HOW SADOZ CARRY OUT THE DISCIPLESHIP ACTIVITIES.

    SADOZ is all about “discipleship,” that’s our major mandate. These two (2) approaches are what we do:

    1. Individualistic Approach: This means one on one approach. That is, having someone you’re teaching the word of God personally.

    2. Group Approach: This is the group dimension of discipleship.
    Jesus carried out the two (2) approaches to discipleship in His early ministry. We have different categories of people who followed Jesus:
    a) The multitudes.
    b) The crowd.
    c) The 120.
    d) The 70.
    e) The 12.
    f) The trio; Peter, James, and John.
    g) The beloved.

    After Jesus teaches the multitudes, the disciples will still come to Jesus one after the other and tell Jesus that they don’t understand what He has taught them. So, Jesus will explain it to them.

    How does this pertain to SADOZITES?

    We are expected to be a Koinonia leaders. A Koinonia leader is someone that is submitted to the discipleship of Pastor Ife Adetona and MotherTreasure.
    When you’ve submitted to their teaching through various means, like KBI, weekly bible study, and fountain publication, and afterward, it is expected that you teach what you’ve been taught in your group.
    Some people will say they have to grow to a particular stage spiritually before they can teach. For you to know the word of God more, be a Koinonia leader., if you desire to be a Koinonia leader type KOINONIA LEADER to wa.me/2348106522911

  • PASTORS ARE ORANGES – Pst. Ife ADETONA

    PASTORS ARE ORANGES – Pst. Ife ADETONA

    When I was younger, I used to hear the saying that “pastors are like oranges, people squeeze out the juice and discard it.” Every pastor would agree that he has experienced his fair share of being treated as an orange by those whom his life and ministry has blessed. I have had my share too and still do.

    Let me tell you two orange stories of myself.

    I knew this man from distance. He has lost his job and lost all hopes of getting another. He came across our ministry, get blessed spiritually and physically. Things started turning. I prayed with him, God answered, he was called to his place of work and paid him the arrears including the time he was not working. Do you know what he did? He said he wanted to come to see me at least just to see my face. I welcomed him like a guest. We talked about different things and I prayed with him. While he was leaving my house, he saw some stuff that my neighbour sells. He said he wanted to buy a few to add to what he had already. Before I said no problem, he had bought goods worth 32 thousand naira and paid on the spot. Oh! I forgot to add, he brought something for me, a 200 naira worth of Apple (3 for #200).

    Another story.
    This lady had a health issue that became a family concern. I was praying with her. Her parents started calling me as well to intensify prayers. They were always reaching me. It took some months but God did it. Her system was cleared and she was confirmed healed in a hospital. She called to share the news with me. Before I said praise God, she hung the call. I didn’t even hear from her parents from that time till now. It was long I heard from her as well.

    These are just 2 of 200 stories that I can rip off to you offhand. What about those you feed spiritual meals from babyhood till they turned giants? And look at me one day to say- I know you helped me but you’re not my father- lolz.

    To the glory of God, I have countless people who remain grateful and loyal but that’s not the focus today.

    You need to read Dag-Heward-Mills book: “Those who Forget”, you will see stories that will make you put yours aside. Just this year, at Winners 40th anniversary, Papa faced where pastors from different ministries were seated and said: “stop worrying yourself, there’s no ministry where people do not leave.” That statement is deep and profound.

    I know many pastors whose prayer point is that everyone they prayed for turned their backs after testimony. They thought it is “ise-aye”, a work of demons.

    It has been long that I realized that no matter how a man of God acts, there will always be people that will treat him as an orange. So, I said to myself: “why be an ORANGE WHEN YOU CAN BE AN ORANGE TREE!”

    Yes, I want to be an ORANGE TREE, that bears big and sweet fruits in abundance all across the year. You are free to pluck all you want and turn your back. But I want to leave a memory of sweetness on your tongue that no matter how far you go, you will return to have another taste.

    By the time you return, you won’t be able to throw stones and sticks at me again. You won’t be able to despise or take me for granted. You will have to wait in the queue because a lot of people would have filled the spaces you once had in abundance. You will watch from afar and wait for your turn.

    I want my fruits taken to the markets and sold from there. I want it displayed in show glasses. I want it blended into juices and parked in cartoons and bottles. I want to be a sweet and ever-producing ORANGE TREE.

    For ministers who feel bitter towards those that turn their backs on them. I have no sympathy for you but pity. You think your reward is with them. They are your customers, not your employer. Any worker that expects to be paid by the customers will be neglected by the Employer.

    Look up to God that called you, they are not the ones that call you. The Orange Tree depends on heaven for rain and sunlight and it is happy seeing all sorts of people pluck from it.

    Let me cap it with the story of Apostle Joshua Selman. In one of the miracle services, he called a person’s name prophetically. When the lady came forward, he recognised her. He said something like: “oh, many of you don’t know this sister. In the days we used to hold crusade under the tree”. I don’t know what took her away from AJS but that day, she returned, queuing, watching from afar.

    Man of God, stop lamenting jare, work on your fruit production. You have limited choices: do you want to be an Orange fruit or an Orange tree.

  • KNOW YOUR STAND IN GOD – Pst. Ife ADETONA

    KNOW YOUR STAND IN GOD – Pst. Ife ADETONA

    I healed the sick
    I filled men with the Holy Ghost
    I baptized men with the Holy Ghost
    I cast out demons
    I raised the dead

    You know I can rewrite those statements above like:

    The sick were healed
    Men were filled with the Holy Ghost
    Demons were cast out
    The dead were raised

    Or, write it this way:

    God healed the sick.
    God filled men with the Holy Ghost
    God raised the dead

    There’s nothing wrong with the first statement. What is wrong is our traditional belief and perception of humility.

    I can choose to write using the second or third statements but I intentionally use the first in some of my speeches just to CHALLENGE and CHARGE you to come up higher. We must KNOW our stand in God and be able to proclaim it unashamedly. It may seem like pride or taking God’s glory but GOD is proud of you when you realize your true position as a joint heir.

    Some things we call “humility” appears before God as “filthy rag” and some things men see as “pride” God sees as “glory”. That’s why the Bible says we are made for show- to show forth the GLORY of God.

    What Glory?
    Jesus says the Glory which the Father has given me, I have given them!
    When Jesus equates Himself with the Father, some people rushed to stone Him thinking they were defending God but they were wrong, very wrong.

    Jesus sending out His disciples said-
    YOU go heal the sick
    YOU go raise the dead
    YOU go cleanse the lepers.
    Freely YOU have received, freely, YOU should give.

    When the writer of Mark was reporting what happened, guess what he said:
    They healed the sick
    They cast out demons
    And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. Mark 6:13

    When they returned, they told Jesus- demons were subjected to US. The Bible didn’t say Jesus scolded them. The Bible says JESUS REJOICED.
    Luk 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said.

    So, when I see people who condemn my statements, I just smile. Some even feel like slapping or cursing me. I am used to it. Jesus was almost stoned- isn’t it?

    That demon said Jesus I know (comma), and PAUL I know. See class! Even demons know this truth! The class is called JOINT HEIR.

    BALANCE
    To every truth, there’s an extreme. To avoid the extreme I always ensure that I return all the glory to God in every of my speech or testimony. In the last write-up, I said GOOD TOOK ALL THE GLORY BECAUSE HE DID ALL THE WORK. Peter told the lame man- “look unto us, we have something for you”. Same Peter told the people that were applauding them “We didn’t do this by our power”. The disciples said: “Demons were subjected to us THROUGH YOUR NAME” (returning the glory to whom it is due). I am also careful not to over-flog or overuse the word. At most, you’ll see me write it just once.

    Concerning Baptizing people in the Holy Ghost, I baptized 10 people yesterday. While 7 people prophesied. Some of them spoke in tongues the first time and prophesied the first time.

    Jesus said, “BAPTIZE THESE NEW DISCIPLES in my Name”. It’s not just about water baptism. Paul talked about the “doctrine of Baptisms”. Note plural. Meaning, there’s more than one kind of baptism. If you asked me, the one Jesus was emphasising is HOLY GHOST BAPTISM. In short, He said to me- Baptize people in the Holy Ghost. Just as He said- HEAL THE SICK!

    If you wish to be getting daily inspirational write up from Pst Ife, type ADD ME to +234 809 314 8238

  • SHOULD A CHRISTIAN EAT “SHALAYE MEAT”? Pst. Ife ADETONA

    SHOULD A CHRISTIAN EAT “SHALAYE MEAT”? Pst. Ife ADETONA

    Since you guys will not allow me to rest on this question “collect and let me rest”. Lolz. That’s just a joke. Let’s talk this thing once and for all.

    The book of 1 Corinthians 8:1 till end captures it and so, I will just summarise it and also allude to other Scriptures on it.
    NB: my note is not about a particular religion, my reference is within the context of the Bible passages alluded.

    1. A portion of an animal killed is offered to an idol or god.

    2. The other part is distributed or sold in the market.

    3. If you don’t know the source of the meat, just eat don’t trouble yourself.

    4. If you know the source, best don’t eat at all rather than shalaye-ing.

    5. If you want to eat, check your conscience and check if it affects the faith of younger believers and children around you. These children and young believers won’t stop at just eating meats but may conclude that Christianity is the same with pagan religions or that they can mix freely.

    So because of your supe­rior knowl­edge, a weak be­liev­erb for whom Christ died will be de­stroyed. 1 Corinthians 8:11

  • TONGUES ARGUMENT – Pst. Ife ADETONA

    TONGUES ARGUMENT – Pst. Ife ADETONA

    TWITTER TONGUES ARGUMENT
    Recently, there has been a continuous campaign on Christian Twitter to denounce the act of praying in tongues for a long time as against praying in understanding. I began to wonder if these people do not pray regularly or if I am the one that doesn’t pray well (I pray regularly).

    I have seen statements like you can’t pray in tongues” absent-mindedly” and claim you’re praying. Is there anyone who prays in tongues for a long time without falling asleep and has their mind at full attention all through? At times, my mind used to blank off. I don’t know about them. Apostle Paul says: when he prays in the spirit, his understanding (mind) is unfruitful.

    Some also said something like: “If you can’t pray in understanding through the same length you pray in tongues then something is wrong”. Really? How do I pray with understanding for as long as an hour? What will I be saying? Those days on the mountain, I’d be saying ” Agbara, gbe wo mi” that is, “Power! Power!” Or “so mi di ina”. That is, “Fire! Fire!” I can do that for hours just changing a few words.

    Today, I feel I should be doing better than that. So, I switch to tongues. You, yes you, that pray for hours in understanding, what do you use to say- teach me.

    When you have a need or a burden, you can pray with understanding using scriptures for 30 to 60 minutes or even longer. But this doesn’t happen all the time! That’s why I said: do these people pray regularly or do they just pray once and decided to write a thread?

    If you are praying in a group meeting, you can pray in understanding for a longer time raising varied prayer points.

    If you are using a prayer guide or a list of prayer points, you can do well with understanding. Even though, you would still sprinkle tongues here and there.

    But if you pray personally all the time, you will do more of tongues and your mind may not be active all of the time. Do I have a witness?

    And that you pray in understanding doesn’t mean your mind doesn’t wander off or go blank too. The longer you stay (either in tongues or understanding) the more it is likely for your mind o wander off, you just keep pulling it back.

    Our apostolic fathers from 1930 prayed more in understanding, muttering the same words like “power”, “fire” and you see God use them mightily. Do you know why?

    Praying meaningfully is one thing (SECTION A). There is a Section B- “staying in his presence”. Praying meaningfully gives answers, staying in his presence gives anointing. So, it wasn’t their continuous repetition of “fire” that produced effect but staying all the same. When people saw the signs and wonders performed by the unlearned apostles, they observed that “THEY HAVE BEEN WITH JESUS”.

    If the old ministration of praying in understanding for long produces so much glory and effect, how much more will the new ministration of praying in the spirit produce (2 Corinthians 3:7-8) Aren’t we seeing the effect already?

    Let no one blackmail you from praying in tongues for a longer period.

    But you also need to learn how to pray a burden with understanding using the word.

    My generation (I am not an old man) started with “praying with understanding”. So, we were nurtured in the word! Your generation (again, it’s not by age) started off praying in the spirit/tongues so, some didn’t learn so much of the word. This is what I believe those writers are trying to correct.

    Bottom line: it is absolutely right to pray in tongues for a very long time rather than praying with understanding. But as much as you know how to pray in the spirit, also learn how to hold intercessions and prayers with the understanding, quoting the word.
    Recently, there has been a continuous campaign on Christian Twitter to denounce the act of praying in tongues for a long time as against praying in understanding. I began to wonder if these people do not pray regularly or if I am the one that doesn’t pray well (I pray regularly).

    I have seen statements like you can’t pray in tongues” absent-mindedly” and claim you’re praying. Is there anyone who prays in tongues for a long time without falling asleep and has their mind at full attention all through? At times, my mind used to blank off. I don’t know about them. Apostle Paul says: when he prays in the spirit, his understanding (mind) is unfruitful.

    Some also said something like: “If you can’t pray in understanding through the same length you pray in tongues then something is wrong”. Really? How do I pray with understanding for as long as an hour? What will I be saying? Those days on the mountain, I’d be saying ” Agbara, gbe wo mi” that is, “Power! Power!” Or “so mi di ina”. That is, “Fire! Fire!” I can do that for hours just changing a few words.

    Today, I feel I should be doing better than that. So, I switch to tongues. You, yes you, that pray for hours in understanding, what do you use to say- teach me.

    When you have a need or a burden, you can pray with understanding using scriptures for 30 to 60 minutes or even longer. But this doesn’t happen all the time! That’s why I said: do these people pray regularly or do they just pray once and decided to write a thread?

    If you are praying in a group meeting, you can pray in understanding for a longer time raising varied prayer points.

    If you are using a prayer guide or a list of prayer points, you can do well with understanding. Even though, you would still sprinkle tongues here and there.

    But if you pray personally all the time, you will do more of tongues and your mind may not be active all of the time. Do I have a witness?

    And that you pray in understanding doesn’t mean your mind doesn’t wander off or go blank too. The longer you stay (either in tongues or understanding) the more it is likely for your mind o wander off, you just keep pulling it back.

    Our apostolic fathers from 1930 prayed more in understanding, muttering the same words like “power”, “fire” and you see God use them mightily. Do you know why?

    Praying meaningfully is one thing (SECTION A). There is a Section B- “staying in his presence”. Praying meaningfully gives answers, staying in his presence gives anointing. So, it wasn’t their continuous repetition of “fire” that produced effect but staying all the same. When people saw the signs and wonders performed by the unlearned apostles, they observed that “THEY HAVE BEEN WITH JESUS”.

    If the old ministration of praying in understanding for long produces so much glory and effect, how much more will the new ministration of praying in the spirit produce (2 Corinthians 3:7-8) Aren’t we seeing the effect already?

    Let no one blackmail you from praying in tongues for a longer period.

    But you also need to learn how to pray a burden with understanding using the word.

    My generation (I am not an old man) started with “praying with understanding”. So, we were nurtured in the word! Your generation (again, it’s not by age) started off praying in the spirit/tongues so, some didn’t learn so much of the word. This is what I believe those writers are trying to correct.

    Bottom line: it is absolutely right to pray in tongues for a very long time rather than praying with understanding. But as much as you know how to pray in the spirit, also learn how to hold intercessions and prayers with the understanding, quoting the word.