By LAJA THOMAS

For one week the economic,  social and spiritual life of  Warri, the oil city gets an uplift due to the annual celebration of the Christian Feast of Tabernacles by the God’s Kingdom Society.

Thousands of people flock into the city, hotel facilities were stretched to the limits, roads were jammed with vehicles of every make, transporters reaping windfall gains as traders had a field day transacting brisk business in various items, from foodstuff to shoes and clothes and so on

The celebration of the Feast in Salem City, Warri started on Sunday, December 15, with processions of Feast celebrants from four points in Warri to Salem City. The zones were accompanied by dancing/choral groups who sang and danced in praise of God using the vehicle of their own cultures such as Igbo, Yoruba, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ijaw among others. The groups included Suile-Aghogho Group, GKS Warri, Edo Choral Group, Edjeba Choral Group, Itsekiri Choral Group, Chidi-Ebere Choral Group, Okpe Choral Group, Yoruba Choral Group, Umueze Choral Group, Yoruba Choral Group, Ijaw Choral Group, Isoko Orchestra, Ukoko Ejiroghene Choral Group, Uvwie Choral Group, Yoruba Choral Group, GKS Effurun, Aladja Choral Group, Ovwian Choral Group, Okwagbe Choral Group, Urhobo Choral Group, GKS DSC-Orhuwhorun, Udje Dancers and GKS Emadadja.

Each day a choir from each of the church branches led the singing of hymns while at least four groups performed. The chairman of the Executive Board of GKS officiated in all the assemblies.
In the discourses, the ministers explained why Christians should celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, citing the example of Jesus Christ and the prophet command in Zechariah 14:16-19, among other points.

They pointed out that God had promised to set His kingdom in these last days and that it would continue to grow until devil and his host are exterminated from the earth. The fact that seven world empires had ended their rule and that the League of Nations was set up and now had come up as the United Nations are signs that people should search for the Kingdom, which the minister said, is represented by the GKS in this part of the world.

The doctrine of Trinity came under intense scrutiny as the church maintained that God is not equal to Jesus Christ in that a father cannot be equal with His son. Christ was in fact created. (Revelation 3:14; Proverbs 8:22-30; John 5:26)
The Holy Spirit is not a person but the power of God which He uses for righteous purposes; it emanates from the Father.

After creating man, God gave him the faculty of knowing what is right and what is wrong according to His laws. When one listens to his conscience he will do what is right or amend his ways where he had sinned. But unfortunately, some people do not pay heed to their consciences, believing that it does not matter, as nothing will happen to them for doing evil.

This situation is worse in the last days in which Apostle Paul said some people’s conscience would be dead, “seared as if with a hot iron”. (I Timothy 4:1-2). Such ones should know that they can never escape the fiery punishment from God.  They should therefore repent now before it is too late.
Secretary of the Executive Board, Brother Michael Ekiseowei spoke on “Maintaining Our Faith In Times Of Tribulations” while the Vice Chairman addressed the congregation on “Unless We Repent, Our Sins Shall Search Us Out.”

Brother Ekiseowei stated in his talk that all those who will get life must continue steadfast, faithfully until the end, citing Hebrews 10:38-39 and Luke 9:62. He said that today many people are carrying heavy burdens, due to sickness, childlessness lack of marital partners. “There are those who have terminal illness and are just waiting to die because the doctor has said they cannot cure them. There are those who are jobless, those whose children are giving them problems. There are those whose faith is failing them.”

He said there are those who are environmental hazards, pointing out that many sicknesses that are said to have been conquered by modern science are coming back with vengeance. “Whatever may be our troubles we should not run to false prophets or juju priests for help. We should maintain our faith until the end so that we may obtain eternal life by the grace of God in the end” he said as he made reference to the tribulations faced by St. Paul and other servants of God.

The Vice Chairman Executive Board, GKS, Brother Felix Adedokun, who spoke on “Unless we repent, our sins shall search us out” drawn from Isaiah 59:12 stated that although we are conceived in sin, we should not glory in it but amend our ways and refrain from committing such sins, else such sins would be made manifest in due course and could be the undoing of such a person.

He cited the case of Achan who violated the law that no one should take any of the things from Jericho. For this act, the children of Israel died for this sin. “Unless we confess our sins, trouble is there to meet us. He highlighted the vile act of the youths who conspired and killed Miss Cynthia Osokogu. They had killed other people at other times secretly but they were exposed shortly after the case of the 24-year old young woman whom they lured through Facebook from Abuja to Lagos. There are those who take advantage of their access to customers’ accounts to defraud such customers.

There was also a Children Assembly where children between the ages of five and 15 gathered to sing, dance, do recitations and discourse Bible subjects. They were also addressed by a minister of the church, Brother Alfred Nwabuikwu, assistant station minister, GKS, Port Harcourt zone, who spoke on “The Reward of Obedience”.
But the biggest spectacle of that Saturday was the Christian Women procession in which thousands of GKS Women dressed in wine-coloured wrapper danced and sang through the streets of Warri in praise of God. They were accompanied by no fewer than 20 trucks conveying various gifts to the Lord’s Ministry of GKS.

Earlier, there was the Christian Women Assembly in which Sister Sarah Okotie, chairperson of GKS Women Fellowship, Okota branch addressed them on “The Virtues of a True Christian Woman” and Sister Ore Enyen, Vice Chairperson, Lord’s Ministry Sisters’ Committee, GKS who spoke on “Remember Lot’s Wife.”

On Friday there was a Christian Music Festival, one of the spectacles of the Feast which featured 14 different groups including Izon Orchestra, Yenagoa; Otu-Ifunanya Dancing Group, Nara, Shogunle Orchestra, Umu Alaeze Choral Group Amaokpara, Rivers Orchestra, Warri, Ilesha Choral Group, Ilesha, Ughelli Orchestra, Ughelli, Alheri Dancing Group Group, Suleja, Ethnic Dancers, Emohua, Edo Choral Group, GKS Benin City, Yoruba Orchestra, Lagos Island, Aba Kingdomite Orchestra, Aba, Boma Nume Orchestra, Suile-Aghogho Group, Warri. The music festival lasted for about two hours and put on parade the cultures of various parts of Nigeria, North and South.

The last procession for the Feast was the Last And Great Day procession held in the morning of last Sunday. There were so many vehicles loaded with musical equipment, singers, a generator accompanying delegates from about 100 branches who processed through some streets in Warri and back to Salem City. It was indeed a moving sight and many observers could not but join in the dance.

There was the address of the chairman of the Executive Board GKS, Brother Godwin Ifeacho entitled “Righteousness Exalteth A Nation” in which he warned the leaders and the led to cultivate righteous attitudes without which they cannot make progress. Those who preferred to do evil will continue to remain at the bottom of the ladder. He expatiated on the words of Solomon the prophet in Proverbs 14:34 which says: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34).