The multitude of people that swarmed into The SCOAN on Sunday 19th August 2012 seemed more than ever as each week news continues to spread of the uncommon miracles of healing, deliverance and blessing in Jesus' name. People persist in coming because they continue to see God's power working through His Word and Spirit transforming their situations. Prophet T.B. Joshua entered the cathedral which was full to capacity and gave a message titled, Discovering Your Purpose.



He said that the purpose of life is to glorify God in both good and hard times alike – a fact which was well known to Job (Job1: 21-22; 2:10). He explained that when we do not know the purpose of our life, our life has no meaning because God allows trials in our lives not to impair us but to improve us. He encouraged the congregation saying that God gives enough grace for each trial we face and that whatever the trial whether poverty, sickness, isolation or any foolish thing, it was to prepare us for extraordinary service. He explained that Job's trials prepared him for extraordinary service – that is he loved God more than ever before. Satan wanted to overthrow him, cause him pain and make him look at God in a bad light however because Job knew the purpose of life, the trouble prepared him for extraordinary service. When you know the purpose of life, your life will have meaning.
Speaking on the situation today, the prophet said that our situation often dictates the direction of our prayer and that the situation begins to have the upper hand when we don't know the purpose of life. The prophet explained that the devil wants us to curse God while under pain as he always wants us to complain and never to say 'Thank You Jesus'. Thus he advised us as Christians not to allow our situation to mislead us but rather strengthen our desire for God. He concluded the inspiring message by referring to the trials that every great man or woman has gone through, saying that no one can maintain the position of honour without going through the college of persecution and praises. He further said that those who bless God in sickness and trouble prove their sonship.
MARRIED TODAY - BISHOP AND HIS WIFE RESTORED AND RECONCILED
The power of prophecy was revealed once again in the life of Bishop Famous Erebholu of Christ United Faith Ministry and his family. Attending the Monday Live Service two weeks previously, he was surprised and overjoyed to receive a message of prophecy from Prophet T.B. Joshua that exposed the root cause of his problem. The prophet told him that God wanted to use him but that the hindrance was his wife. Indeed the long drawn battle between the bishop and his wife, Reverend Mrs Rosemary Erebholu had bad effects on the ministry and their home. In an emotional explanation, the bishop said that just six days after their wedding in 1983, his wife had threatened to leave him and began to take the upper hand in the marriage. The domestic trouble increased with his wife even publically embarrassing him and beating him whilst in church. Many other pastors and friends gathered and advised him to divorce her but he refused saying that he remembered the vows he had made on the day of his wedding. Bishop Famous then said that just to keep the peace, one day he told his wife that she would be the man of the house while he would be the woman.
Two weeks after the prophecy and deliverance, it was a different story. Speaking to the congregation, Reverend Mrs Rosemary Erebholu, now a smiling soft faced woman apologised to her husband and publically embraced him. She said, "Prophet T.B. Joshua is a true man of God and this prophecy has helped to bring about healing, deliverance and miracles into the family." Bishop Famous lost no time in forgiving his wife and throwing the past behind him and after embracing her said that, "This is the first time that I am looking at her as my wife, not just another woman on the street. Today is my wedding day again!" The reunited couple and their three children sang and danced in praise to God Almighty for the transformation and Prophet T.B. Joshua assured them that in their ministry as well, the best was yet to come.


CAT AND RAT – COUPLE SEPARATED FOR SEVEN YEARS RECONCILED
Mrs Lilian Uchenna Mogbana was encountered by Prophet T.B. Joshua during a previous Monday Service who asked her where her husband was because he saw a cat and rat relationship between them where she had been sent out of the house twice. She called her husband who was seated in another part of the church and the case unfolded. The husband explained how they had been separated for the past seven years but when he saw on Emmanuel TV a couple who were reconciled after 10 years of separation, he had decided to find his wife and bring her to The SCOAN for solution. After spending a week in the church following the prophecy, their case was addressed this Sunday. Mrs Mogbana was the first to speak and explained that her husband had gone outside the marriage. Mr Mogbana then went to the root of the matter by exposing the fact that his wife had repeatedly visited witch doctors against his wish while looking for a child and then even when their child was born, had invited a spiritualist to perform some incantations that had affected the child. After listening to both sides of the story, the prophet maintained that the wife was ignorant of the consequences of her actions and asked the husband to forgive her as she was his wife from Heaven. And so the marriage was reconciled after seven years of separation, through the power of prophecy.

CHARMED BY FOOD AT A RESTAURANT
Next was the interesting case of Mr Solomon Sunday who came out to confirm the prophecy given by Prophet T.B. Joshua the previous week that there was a man in the congregation who was charmed by an elderly woman in a local restaurant and because of that had turned his back on his beautiful wife at home. Mr Solomon, dressed in the exact clothes described by the prophet, came out to confirm the prophecy and was anxious to get himself out of the predicament that he found himself in. After the video was played of the prophecy, Mr Solomon Sunday and his wife came forward. Mr Solomon said that the prophecy was absolutely true, that after eating at a local restaurant, he began to hate his wife whom he saw as a tigress. He said that he would beat her regularly and even push her out of the house, preferring to sleep outside. The situation was a confusion to him as the woman at the restaurant was a lot older and not as beautiful as his wife but he said that he did not understand why he was acting the way he was. Mrs Solomon further confirmed the prophecy, saying that her husband only slept at home once during the week and he would regularly beat her and even burn her belongings. Mr Solomon proceeded to say that immediately the prophecy was given, his eyes opened and he began to see the error of what he was doing. With the affection for his wife once more in order, Mr Solomon thanked God for the prophecy that had indeed brought deliverance and blessing into his marriage. Truly, the right knowledge of God settles peace.
FEEDING FROM THE DUSTBIN
Another heart-warming event that occurred during The SCOAN Live Monday Service was that of the case of Mr Chuks Nweke, a Nigerian who had been living in Ghana for the past 10 years in what can only be described as extreme poverty. Chuks had received a prophecy from Prophet T.B. Joshua during the course of last week's Monday service, revealing that he was living in a building not fit for anyone to live in. Confirming the truth of the prophecy, Chuks explained to the sober crowd how his suffering started 10 years ago when he lost his military job. Because of the sickness various members of his family were facing, Chuks decided to travel to Ghana to seek greener pastures, hoping to raise enough funds to support him and his ailing family members. However, every direction he turned to looking for a job ended in disappointment. Mr Nweke soon ended up on the streets, sleeping in open shop fronts with a small cardboard box his only protection against the elements. His food consisted of scraps he could pick up from the dustbins and rubbish piles littered around. Sometimes, for up to three days, Chuks would eat nothing. He would often shiver himself to sleep as the rain lashed against his body.
For 10 long years, this was how Chuks was existing. It came to a point where, in his own words, he became 'tired' and decided to end his journey on earth by committing suicide. As these thoughts whirled within his mind, Chuks passed by a shop on a street and was attracted to a small crowd watching the television stationed there. They were watching Emmanuel TV. As Chuks joined them to watch, a warm sense of hope took hold of his heart. Maybe there was a way out of his deplorable condition aside from suicide. As he continued to watch, a good Samaritan who had seen the suffering Chuks was facing, decided to intervene. He gave him enough money to transport himself to Nigeria, telling Chuks to head straight to The SCOAN. As he arrived and sat on the gallery during The SCOAN Monday Service, Prophet T.B. Joshua pointed him out while moving in the midst of the congregation. It was a Divine encounter set to change the course of Chuk's life forever.
As he narrated his moving tale, clips showing how he had fended for himself in Ghana were played to the congregation, attesting to the veracity of his ordeal and the accuracy of the prophetic message. Mr Nweke was then presented with the cash gift of N200,000, three bags of rice and a copy of Prophet T.B. Joshua's book, 'The Mirror'. Finally, his sorrows had been wiped away and the garment of suffering had been miraculously lifted from him! Members of the congregation were moved to tears upon witnessing the transformation. Truly, as Prophet T.B. Joshua says, "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give."