100 days fasting: What Nigerians should
expect after April 11, 2014- by Adeboye
Yemi Olakitan
Pastor Enoch Adeboye of
the Redeemed Christian Church of God announced a 100-days fasting period
for its members starting from January 2nd to April 11, 2014. The announcement came as Pastor E.A Adeboye released
prophecies for the New Year, during a crossover service held on January 1st, declaring
that “2014 will be the year of overflowing
blessings. He said, Nigerians will see
the end of all her enemies, after the fasting period.
In another service tagged: ‘Divine
Placement’ in his honour at the Solid Rock Parish, Lagos Province 40, Ojodu,
Lagos, Pastor Adeboye stressed that it had become dangerous to continue to
tolerate “our enemies for a longer time, as they are capable of waxing stronger
and creating more havoc. “All those
enemies blocking your progress in life and the progress of Nigeria must
disappear to pave the way for the much-needed change in our lives and nation.
That is one of the reasons for the 100 days’ fasting and prayer period by the
church,” he said.
However, a medical practitioner has advised
against such long period of fasting by believing Christians. Dr. Obiohoa of the
Nigerian Military Hospital, Ikoyi said fasting is okay for short period of
time, ‘even for healthy people, fasting is risky especially if it is done on
long period of time such as the one embarked upon by the Redeemed Christian
Church of God. According to him
long days without food is a risk to human health. He said it was not medically
advisable for men and women to go without food for so long as it can affect the
immune system; the body’s ability to fight sicknesses and diseases. A pastor of the Living Faith Church, Pastor
Biola however said, it is an individual choice. He said, even one day fasting
can be a risk to some people’s health. ‘Our Bishop used to say that if your
health cannot carry it. Don’t do it. The aged and pregnant women are usually
exempted. You can break by 12 or 3pm if you can carry it till night, so
individual choices is very important in long period of fasting on Pastor
Adeboye’s statement that Nigeria would see the end of her enemies, he said, the
potency of fasting and prayers to change the course of a nation is not in doubt
according to scriptures.According
to the man of God, the 100 days fasting and prayer period are being observed to
eliminate all enemies of progress, who have refused to repent and change, for
good. He said such enemies of progress would be eliminated in the nation and in
individuals’ lives after the 100 days fasting and prayer.
Enoch Adejare Adeboye is perhaps the greatest
pastor in Africa and one of the greatest in the world. According to Newsweek magazine in 2008 Adeboye is one of the
fifty most powerful people on earth.
Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God,
RCCG, is the pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in Christendom
today. He is the national president of RCF (an interdenominational fellowship
in all the campuses in Nigeria). He is
the Convener of the annual December
three-day Holy Ghost Congress in Nigeria with an average attendance of
over six million people. He is host at the annual March three-day Special Holy Ghost Service with an
average attendance of over six million people.
He also hosts the monthly Holy Ghost Service with an average attendance
of over one million people. The story of
Adeboye is not one of instant success as he was born into poverty. According to
him, he was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth and did not have shoes
for the first 18 years of his life. However, he had vision, determination,
diligence and a passion for hard work which he considered to be far more
valuable than money. Born in 1942 into a humble family
in the village of Ifewara, Osun State Enoch Adeboye stated that his family was
so poor that even the poor called him poor.
In 1956 he was admitted into Ilesha
Grammar School, Ilesha, Osun State and as a youth he discovered a
passion for books, and an aptitude for science particularly Mathematics. This
led to an academic journey in the face of numerous challenges. Enoch Adeboye
eventually obtained a Bachelors
(BSc.) degree in Mathematics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1967, but also a Masters (MSc.) Degree in Hydrodynamics and
Doctorate Degree (PhD) in Applied
Mathematics, both from the University
of Lagos in 1969 and 1975. Adeboye worked as a lecturer at the
universities of Lagos and Ilorin before joining the church.
Initially, his greatest ambition was to become the youngest Vice Chancellor of
a prestigious university in Nigeria. It
did seem that his ambition would be realized as he was making progress with his
plan. However, a divine hand took him into the service of the Lord. He said, ‘‘I came to know God in a fairly
dramatic way. I was born into a Christian home and always gone to church
because my parents said we had to go. But after I grew up and left home. I
drifted away from the church until I had a problem that defied solutions and
then someone invited me to the RCCG and I came expecting the pastor to pray for
me and my problems would just go but instead, he said I have to give my life to
Jesus Christ that if my sins are gone, my problems would disappear. I resisted,
for a while, but eventually I surrendered and gave my life to Jesus Christ and my
problems left me.’’ He thereafter became an interpreter of the sermons of the
then Pastor and founder; Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi who was the founder of
the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a man who though was illiterate had been
endowed with the ability to read the Yoruba version of the Holy Bible. In 1981,
He was appointed General Overseer when Papa Akindayomi passed away. He resigned from his university
lecturing after three years to devote himself to full time pastoral work. In
1977 when he was ordained as a Pastor in RCCG, Enoch Adeboye displayed
an incredible passion for the gospel, pioneering Bible Study meetings,
crusades, revivals, outreaches and evangelistic programs known as the Congress.
When the founder passed away in 1980, RCCG had 42 parishes. The founder left a sealed document
pronouncing Enoch Adeboye as the next General Overseer. Enoch Adeboye was ordained the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian
Church of God in 1981. The Lord has today through Enoch Adeboye built
over five thousand Churches all over the world. In Nigeria, almost all the
nations of Africa, the US, the UK, Canada, South America, the Caribbean,
Europe, Australia, India, China, Hong Kong, the Far East and even the Middle
East). In the United States alone there are over five hundred Parishes and
still increasing. In Nigeria alone, it
has more than 14,000 branches in cities and rural communities. Adeboye said,
his vision was to plant a church in every five minutes walking distance of
developing nation and in every five minutes driving distance of developed
nations like coffee shops. According to him, in every family on earth, there
must be a Redeemed member. Adeboye founded the Model Parishes which targeted
the elites in Nigeria and there are the classical parishes which was more
conservative. The model parishes were an instant success and it helped the
Redeemed Christian Church of God to increase astronomically bringing into the
church a harvest of souls and financial pillars which helped the church in its
evangelistic programs. Enoch Adeboye’s deep compassion for souls
also push the church into rural communities as there is now where the GO is not
willing to take the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost Services which he started 80s was a once a month revival programme which bring
the churches together from every corner of the country. It was initially
held on the premises of the church Headquarters in Lagos but the place was too
small for the huge crowd that was coming. The church then required a change in
location. Under his leadership, RCCG
purchased an uninhabited forest land located on the outskirts of Lagos. Enoch
Adeboye moved his family to this forest and called the place, the Redemption Camp. He constructed a large
auditorium and began to hold the monthly Holy Ghost Services there which has
continued to draw crowds to this day.
Today, the crowds in attendance run in the millions every month. From
the Redemption Camp, Enoch Adeboye faithfully ministers to the body of Christ
all over the world. The Redemption Camp is also the home of the Redeemers
University, and the other secular and theological schools which were
established by the church. The Redemption is a city as many believers now live
and worship there, making the place another religious nation in the likes of
the Vatican city of the Catholic Church.
On December 18th
1998, Enoch Adeboye hosted the
very first Holy Ghost Festival with an attendance of over seven million people. In 1999
there were no less than twelve million worshipers present. This program has
since been replaced with the annual 3-day Holy Ghost Congress held every December at the
Redemption Camp. In addition to this is a Special 3-day Holy Ghost Program held in the first weekend of
March yearly. At these events, miracles, signs and wonders have become
commonplace as the power of God moves to set free, heal, anoint, deliver, bless
and empower. Adeboye is a father in the
lord to many great men of God. He ordained hundreds of pastors at the
Redemption Camp on a regular basis. He
is also pastor and spiritual father to many heads of governments. He travels to minister to unreached places
where others may not go. Adeboye
has been conferred with several honorary degrees and national merit awards in
appreciation of his contributions to humanity. In 1999 Adeboye received the honorary citizenship and key of Cambridge,
Massachusetts, USA. In 2000 he
dedicated the first chapel in the Nigerian Presidential Villa, Abuja, Nigeria. In 2005
he received honorary citizenship and key of Dallas, Texas, USA. In 2005 he received honorary citizenship and key
of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. In 2008, he was awarded a National Honor Order of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria and led the Pre-Summit Prayers at the 64th General Assembly of the
United Nations, Headquarters, and New York. He is the author
globally-distributed daily devotional manual, Open Heavens.
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