His calling into the ministry was after a painstaking and soul searching repentance from his sinful ways.
Pastor Innocent Ogbonna said before he became born again, he was involved in all manner of social activities that were innimcal to the doctrines of the Lord.
According to Pastor Innocent, “before I became born again I was into business, you know as an Igboman, and was into a lot of things of the world (drinking, womanising, partying etc), that was the kind of life I was living. But even then, I had this feeling in my heart that what I was doing was not right.”
The man of God further stated that, this pattern of behaviour continued every year with resolutions to stop but to no avail. “However, on February 1984 I finally surrendered. And from then I began to have some encounters with our Lord Jesus Christ, began to grow in my personal intimacy with Jesus and my prayer life, understanding the scriptures and finally being baptised by the Holy Ghost.”
Pastor Innocent Ogbonna who has been in the ministry now for the past 12 years, is the pastor of the Global Bible Ministry, Rivers State branch. He said he came to Rivers State about three years ago to establish the church which has its headquarters in Zaria, Kaduna State.
He stated that with his experience in the North, he observed that Christians in the North were more spiritually inclined to the things of God than the Christians down here. Since I come here, I see a lot of difference, people here are passive as against the christian in the North. Maybe its because of the challenges and persecution, Christians in the North face they tend to be spiritually involved than people here.”
He also said that it is based on this stance that they (Global Bible Ministry) focus attention to what faith is all about, developing your innerman intimately with the master, Jesus.
Said he: “what I have discovered here is that there is too much emphasis on materialism, every body tends to go for money, meaning if you don’t have money you are no longer a Christian or you don’t serve God anymore. Over there (North) we don’t believe in that, we dwell more on our relationship with Jesus and the character of Christ being formed in you. That is what we get involved in,” explaining further, the man of God said, the issue of materialism has gotten out of hand and people don’t know where to strike a balance between spiritual and material aspects, noting that in as much as prosperity is biblical, the problem is the extreme people go to attain it. “A person has not built his personal relationship with God and is involved in material things, thinking that is only when you have a relationship with God, its not like that.
On the issue of proliferation, the man of God believes there is nothing wrong with it because God had not stopped calling people nor stopped giving people ministries. But the issue is how people go about it. Like in the North, when you say you are a Christian, you are well groomed so that you will understand what spiritual authority is all about. So in case God calls, you, you have to know how to go about it.
“Based on the fear of God imbibed in us, we do not need to do things anyhow, we have to go about it the proper way so that the Lord will take the glory. But here, anybody can just wake up and say I’m going to start my own church without really defining the calling because the motive behind most of these establishments is money. However, that does not mean that God did not call most of them. There is a place for calling and a place for derailing from the real focus of the calling”.
On the calamities that befell the nation last year and why the church did not intercede on behalf of the nation to avert them (calamities), Pastor Innocent posited that God sometimes allow such things to happen to awaken His consciousness in the people and the church.
He also said that there was nothing that happen without the knowledge of God, “even as most of these calamities are as a result of man’s mistakes.
According to the man of God, there is nothing that happens without the knowledge of God. We know that there are mistakes human beings make because God gave us the wisdom to manage the resources he had given us. I think what happened in this instance was man’s mistake, because it’s a lingered problem, a problem man has neglected for a long time has now occurred which has brought us to consciousness and awareness.
He further stated that Satan also capitalises on our mistakes to perpetrate evil. “God is aware of it and allowed it to happen so that it will awaken us,” a scenario he likened to the issue of Job in the bible whom God allowed to pass through all manner of travails by the devil.
As regards the issue of intercession by men of God and the church to avert calamities, Pastor Ogbonna contended that, it was not that people don’t pray, but that God allowed these things to happen so as to awaken the spiritual consciousness of man and also the church. “The church needs more intervention, so that when things happen it awakens the consciousness of God in the people so that we won’t be too materialistic.”
If you’re like most people, at some point in your romantic career, you’ve wondered if what you were experiencing was the real thing (as in true love) or simply infatuation. Love and lust are easily confused for two reasons. First, there’s the fact that the two feelings begin in very much the same way a lot of the time (and in fact, they can exist together). Second, it’s an unfortunate state of affairs, but our culture over the years has equated “real love” with the pheromone rush that we get when first struck by lust. But that’s an incredibly naïve assumption.
Lust stems from something purely chemical. It’s the thrill of the chase or the rush of something forbidden. It’s the devilishly good feeling that can lead even the most discerning person into a one night stand and the addiction-like need to be around someone every second, if only just to breathe them in. If reduced to bare bones, lust is physical. Love, on the other hand, develops over time (sometimes less time than we think, but a little while nonetheless), and adds to the physical both emotional elements and mental connection. Love takes work. Lust is simple. Hence, its irresistible appeal.
Relationships that develop into love often begin with lust. Let’s face it, chemistry is most often what draws people together in the first place. But that initial rush of seeing someone across a room, or carrying on for the first couple of days/weeks/months, will not necessarily grow beyond what it is into “the real thing.” If you’ve been involved for a while and you’re wondering which category your current squeeze falls into, consider the following:
It's just lust if:
Sex is the only thing on your mind Sometimes it begins before you even know the person. Your eyes meet and you could care less what he or she has to say, you’re simply propelled to be physically close to them. Your senses are heightened and it’s like instant euphoria… Then maybe you even exchange names, and possibly – in fact, probably – begin to date. You suddenly, instantly feel like you’ve had a dose of some exquisite elixir – only it was natural, and didn’t cost a thing! You attribute this intense, incredible feeling to that person. In some cases, you think you cannot live without them.
Often (mistakenly) known as love at first sight, this feeling is so intense, it’s easy to understand why we think that it’s more. But while it’s incredibly intoxicating, this experience has little to do with emotion or connection beyond the chemical level. Pheromones dictate that you’re attracted to each other and they make your body sing. It’s incredible… but it doesn’t mean you’re compatible, and in some cases, one or the other of you doesn’t even care to find out, because you’re preoccupied with your bedroom (or out of bedroom) activities.
While advertising and movies and TV and all sorts of things subliminally steer us to believe otherwise, great sex does not equal love and nor does desire dictate destiny. In fact, if you’re experiencing a need for your object of affection, you may be treading into addictive territory: a symptom of lust, not love, according to brain activity researchers.
How does this lust manifest? Remember, the most distinguishing factor of love’s demonized cousin (lust can be a good thing if you’re clear about it – there’s nothing evil involved), is that it doesn’t go beyond the physical plane – which includes that natural high that’s so hard to interpret when it’s not substantiated by other connection. It’s that “other connection” that’s the key differential.
To tell if your lustful symptoms could be a precursor to love, consider how you spend your time together. If you go out on the weekends with friends but hook up later for a booty call, it’s probably a lust-only arrangement. If you find, for whatever reason, you don’t spend much time conversing and even after a few months you don’t know any details about each other, like middle names or favorite movies or how you feel about your families (or you’re giving loads of details but getting none in return), most likely it’s not going to grow into more.
So does chemistry mean you’re destined for a life without love? Is it a choice between love and lust? No! While lust finds its place in our bodies’ chemicals, love starts there and takes things a step further to encompass all the elements of our beings. Some signs your lust is a lot more than just that include:
You have great chemistry – in the bedroom and way, way beyond. While it may (or may not) have started with sexual thoughts, now you get lost in each other – when you’re just talking. When you’re together, the hours pass like minutes – whether you’re having coffee, watching TV, out on the town or getting it on. You listen to each other’s thoughts and even share feelings. You care how his day was and he’s interested in yours. He may not be the popular definition of handsome, but to you, he’s the most gorgeous guy in the world. And if you stare at her without makeup, first thing in the morning, she’s still one of the most beautiful women you’ve ever seen.
When love is at the root of things, you want to spend time together – with or without sex. You see a future together and feel in your heart, head and gut that this person could be “the one;” because they could be, not because you’re searching. You care whether your family likes him or you include her in all your plans. You find yourself wanting to be romantic – not just racy (think sappy love song versus heated sex theme). And above all, you become like a team. Those hot and heavy moments will continue to pepper the long haul, but in love, a true understanding develops, and that is the tie that binds the two of you together.
Nothing is saying you have to be ready for love. And contrary to what you may hear, lust can be a really incredible experience! Just remember that lust is fun in the short term and love is committing to the long haul. Don’t be fooled by the initial rush and do your best to know the difference. If you learn to trust all of your instincts and assess situations as objectively as you can, you’ll figure it out. The real trick is in deciding what you really want and knowing that it’s up to you.
HI FRIENDS
If you’re like most people, at some point in your romantic career, you’ve wondered if what you were experiencing was the real thing (as in true love) or simply infatuation. Love and lust are easily confused for two reasons. First, there’s the fact that the two feelings begin in very much the same way a lot of the time (and in fact, they can exist together). Second, it’s an unfortunate state of affairs, but our culture over the years has equated “real love” with the pheromone rush that we get when first struck by lust. But that’s an incredibly naïve assumption.
