Hope soars ... All will be well

Participants renew faith in God, hope in future as RCCG’s Holy Ghost Congress ends
IT may be because there has not ever been that many large number of Christian faithful in the 12 previous editions of the congress. Or that, never in the past had so many notable Christian ministers participated.
The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), who doubles as the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, former General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church, Rev. Wilson Badejo, General Overseer of the International Gospel Central Church, Accra, Dr. Mensah Otoboi, Evang. Samuel Abiara, Pastor Wale Oke and a host of others were present.
But whatever the reason, most participants at the 13th yearly Holy Ghost Congress of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) with theme: All Will Be Well, which ended on Saturday, agreed that it was the best so far.
To Miss Ombo Johnson, “ This congress is the best on account of the teachings and expositions which pointed to the theme that indeed all will be well for us as individuals, as Christians and as Nigerians.”
Indeed, all through the six days the programme lasted, at   the RCCG campground on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, prayer after prayer, sermon, one after another as well as exhortations by ministers dwelt on the fact that indeed: ‘All Will Be Well’.
Since its inception in 1998, the congress, conceived as a festival of thanksgiving, worship and prayers, has evolved to become a very important religious event, attracting participants from many parts of the world.
Renowned over the years for the outpouring of words of knowledge, prophecies and healings, attested to through testimonies, many have come to see each edition of the Holy Ghost Congress as a clinic of sorts where God reveals cases, sometimes helpless situations,  and deals with them.
Many, held captive have regained freedom, others delivered from bondage amidst the healing of all kinds of diseases.
There was of course, throughout the period, the usual bustle of humanity swarming in all directions, shouts from the security and traffic officials, traders advertising their wares and the occasional arguments and insults.
As in the past, the three categories of participants were also there for the essentially spiritual exercise.
There were the true worshippers, the traders and those who turned up for the fun of it all.
While the true worshippers were busy singing and listening with attention to ministrations and exhortations, the traders were only interested in how many of their wares they had sold.
The fun-seekers just strolled around in small groups, hardly ever paying attention, but made sure they bought the souvenirs on sale.
Some of these people who are members of the church buy customized shirts and handkerchiefs, caps, jotters, wristbands, calendars and many more all of which have a photograph of the General Overseer of the Church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, fondly called Daddy G.O .
One of the traders, who spoke to The Guardian during the programme, said the space rented to sell food cost about  N40, 000, for the six days.
This year, the church recorded tremendous improvement in terms of traffic control and administration. This is coupled with testimonies of healing, salvation and deliverance among others through the ministrations of the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and other anointed men of God. 
As at Friday morning, the church had recorded 12 childbirths- nine boys and three girls- thousands had given their lives to Christ and many others had been delivered from captivity through prayers of men of God.
In one of his sermons entitled: Balm of Gilead, Adeboye tasked Christians to embrace persistent prayers as the means of achieving sound health and divine healing from diseases. 
He said efforts of medical doctors coupled with modern day health care facilities were efficient but still had their limitations, adding “that doctors can heal but only God can cure the incurable, no matter how long the diseases or infirmities in the life of the patient.
“The one who can cure the incurable, physically, emotionally, financially or spiritually is Jesus Christ. The Bible has the record of a dead man who was the only son of his mother, a widow in Luke Chapter Five, verses 11-15. “Jesus woke him up, likewise in Mark Chapter 5 verses 1-15, which is the story of a man with an unclean spirit who had his dwelling among the tombs and Jesus cast out the unclean spirit.”
Adeboye urged Christians to obey God’s commandments, to be righteous, holy and to satisfy His conditions for the healing power of God to manifest ceaselessly upon their lives.
In another sermon entitled: ‘Let There Be Light,’ Adeboye charged Christians to be shining lights unto others, in order to receive victory and to also be a vessel of honor unto God, saying there is absolutely nothing good about darkness.  According to him, sorrow and weeping are elements associated with darkness but joy cometh with light.
While speaking on a sermon entitled: ‘The Tide Will Turn,’ Pastor Oritsejafor assured Christians of a positive turnaround in their lives and business in 2011.
Citing the example of Job in the Bible, Oritsejafor noted that when the tide turned,  all his lost glory was restored to him.
The CAN president who listed four features of Job that made him a point of reference in the world today, said Job feared God, faced affliction, knew his enemies and the tide turned around him.
“In 2011, you will give birth to your laughter. God said in the book of Exodus that he would make your enemies to turn their back at you. An enemy that turns his back at you has surrendered.
“From now, the tide will turn around for you,” he said.
On how it had all been,  Ishola Dada, a pastor told The Guardian: “Well, it has been wonderful.
“People have been feeling the mighty hands of God.
He has been moving mightily and the Holy Spirit descended.
“I don’t see this as a mere yearly spiritual ritual because everybody has one problem or the other that he or she believes that he would look out for solution, either physical or spiritual.
“Some people have visited so many hospitals and diagnosed scientifically without solution, what they need do is to come back to God. As far as I am concerned, despite any challenge I am always impressed and eager to come because I know that each time I come, that my life will always witness a turning point for better.”
Source:http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/