Christmas Gift Ideas Christmas Jollof Christmas Jollof is an initiative of The Elevation Church focused on providing families with complete ingredients for making rich jollof rice meals. It holds every December to ensure that families have supplies to enjoy their Christmas holiday. 14 | The Elevation Church
JESUS IS KING, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS AT THE POLLS Upholding Godly values is the ultimate panacea Olukayode Olayemi Every four years, the political caravan moves round the country as politicians make promises and deface our walls with their posters. This political cycle hasn’t been any different. So far, we have witnessed a very active political ‘transfer window’ with cross-carpeting by some high profile politicians. Asides all the usual drama, something that has stuck out is the quality of candidates, albeit at the relatively smaller political parties. The way I see it, we are making progress and hopefully, we’ll get to the next phase where distinguished Nigerians will be able to seize the machinery of one of the major political parties in ‘Trump style’. In the meantime, we are left with a general election where a lot of people are wishing we had a different kind of choice, especially between the major parties and at all levels. As it is, come 2019, winners would emerge and they would be sworn into office. The losers would head to the election tribunal to contest the result, generating huge legal fees for SANs and their chambers. While the rest of us that aren’t heading to Canada/Australia yet will be left to push on with our businesses and perhaps continue to pray for our beloved country. Though nobody knows who will win the elections or who will be sworn into office on May 29, one thing I know for sure is that as long as He tarries in His second coming, Jehovah, the maker of the heavens and the earth would be seated on His throne, directing the affairs of creation with absolute sovereignty. Politicians will come and go; nations will rise and fall and empires will fade away but the kingship of God will remain and continues forever. As Christians and as Nigerians, what does it mean to us that Jesus is King? First, it means we should have great hope — because Jesus has already won the battle for us. As I look around, I get a sense of frustration with the system. Increasingly, people ask ‘what’s the benefit of our persistent prayers?’ However, we must keep hope alive and continue to believe that our nation and continent will emerge from these dark days. Secondly, to our faith and prayers, we must now add good works and become true Christians – Jesus said that we are light and salt of the earth. As Christians we can no longer hide behind our bibles or inside our fancy cathedrals. We must now come out to be counted. If you can write, write great op-eds. If you can run for office, go and serve. Thirdly, we are called to be keepers of the law and to live uprightly – Jesus admonishes us to do everything in order. Putting it together, one thing that I think those of us in the household of faith must come to terms with is this; the fate of this country has been placed in our hands. So, no matter who wins the elections, we’ve been called to establish God’s kingdom here on earth. It’s only in hindsight we would know if we made the right choice at the polls and we might never even know what the outcome would be if we voted the other way. But because the Word cannot be broken, we know for sure that if we humbly pray, turn back to God and repent and turn away from our evil ways, He will make our country prosperous again (2 Chronicles 7:14). So as we go out to exercise our civic responsibility to vote, let’s remembber that Jesus is the one who is and has always been truly in charge. The Elevation Church | 15
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