Bearers of Light Mission World Outreach (BOL)’s 6th annual International Ministers Conference (IMC) is scheduled for September 30th-October 1, 2022 at the BOL HOUSE Igando, Lagos.
This year’s conference will discuss tradition versus Christ with the aim of finding solution to the defiance of tradition (both cultural and doctrinal) to the emergence of a glorious church, according to the organizers of the two-day conference.
In a release signed by its president, Dr. Sam Oyemade, this year’s conference is targeted at church leaders to lead the people of God in the way He wants them to go, and which is to mature and conform to His image. Below are details of the release shared with Christian Benefits by Dr. Oyemade at his recent parley with some media chief executives on the conference in Lagos.
6th BOL International Ministers Conference:
“Tradition vs Christ” …yesterday, today & tomorrow (Colossians 2:8, Matthew 15:1-9)
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith in God Almighty; the Creator of Heaven and Earth. To Him alone is all the glory. It is with this honour of Christ that we invite you to be a Participant/Discussant at the above annual conference.
As a notable voice God has blessed with deep insight and application of ministry, BOL gracefully invites you to participate in the discussion during the sessions at the 6th BOL International Ministers Conference with the above theme. Details of the programme of events will be communicated soon afterwards.
BOL International Ministers Conference
This specialized International Ministers Conference (IMC) has the mandate of God to bring leaders of the Kingdom of God together to discuss and find a solution to the defiance of tradition (both cultural and doctrinal) to the emergence of a glorious church
Moreover, Christianity is devoid of tradition and distinct from every other faith or religion. The same should be of Christians; a special kind of people and breed that are called out to God through Christ. As such every appointed leader has a singular priority towards the Lord to lead the people of God in the way He wants them to go which is to mature and conform to His image.
Concept of the conference theme
Customs and traditions are the custodians of religion and their diversity is a representation of different beliefs in the world. This could be attributed to the fallout of the attempt men made at Babel to protect themselves from the risk of a second flood should God decide to pour the rains to that extent again, thereby make a name for themselves, and above all remain united as one – with unifying customs, traditions and beliefs (religion).
Nonetheless, the Lord didn’t view their action as a righteous effort because of their motives. Hence, He confused (Babel) their language (custom, tradition and belief), and from there, families and nations were born and differentials were created in humanity (Genesis 11:6). Then we have the African tradition that drives the belief system of the tribal people of Africa and their religion as well as the Jewish, Greek and other nations’ traditions. Therefore, different cultures practice different traditions (beliefs). This is where races were born.
A human race is defined as a group of people with certain common inherited features that distinguish them from other groups of people. All men of whatever race are currently classified by the anthropologist or biologist as belonging to the one species, Homo sapiens. This is another way of saying that the differences between human races are not great, even though they may appear so, i.e., black vs white skin. All races of mankind in the world can interbreed because they have so much in common. All races share 99.99+% of the same genetic materials which means that division of race is largely subjective, and that the original 3-5 races were also probably just subjective descriptions as well.
The Major Divisions of the Human Race
Most anthropologists recognize 3 or 4 basic races of man in existence today. These races can be further subdivided into as many as 30 subgroups.
- Caucasian races (Aryans, Hamites, Semites)
- Mongolian races (northern Mongolian, Chinese and Indo-Chinese, Japanese and Korean, Tibetan, Malayan, Polynesian, Maori, Micronesian, Eskimo, American Indian),
- Negroid races (African, Hottentots, Melanesians/Papua, “Negrito”, Australian Aborigine, Dravidians, Sinhalese).
- Australoid
When some people use the “race” they attach a biological meaning, still others use “use” as a socially constructed concept. It is clear even though race does not have a biological meaning, it does have a social meaning which has been legally constructed.
The United Nations, in a 1950 statement, opted to “drop the term ‘race’ altogether and speak of “ethnic groups”. In this case, there are more than 5,000 ethnic groups in the world, according to a 1998 study published in the Scientific American.
However, when the record of sub-ethnic groups in Nigeria which is estimated at over 250 is considered, it becomes apparent that the estimate is a far cry from the correct number. As human ethnicity is diverse so are traditions and cultures (belief, faith and religion) which is the core of each human life and personality; being the formation of their disposition towards a deity and super-human nature (call it the creator).
Moreover, at the time appointed by the Father (the Almighty God, creator of the universe), who will have all men saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2;4), Jesus Christ came to unify man back into one language, family, nation, race and ethnicity (and this has to be done to cover the whole earth), Romans 10:12, John 3:16. After all there was no difference in human’s race from the beginning.
Invariably, Jesus Christ is given the task to confront, challenge and demolish the barriers hitherto existing among men, which were brought about by religion oozing from the differentials in the traditions, customs and languages of men. And to fulfill the agenda of God to restore man to Himself and re-establish the relationship He created at the beginning and now longs for through Jesus Christ our Lord (John 4:21-24).
Jesus Christ is distinctive of traditions of men; be it Jewish, Roman, African, Eastern or Western customs and norms, and the church ought to know, challenge and confront further incursion of the enemy into the agenda of God.
Targets produce for the conference
Apostle John captured Jesus’ prayer and earnest desire thus: that we may be one with Christ as He is one with God and to experience perfect unity to convince the world that Jesus is sent by God to rescue them (John 17:20-23). The result of this can be summarized as follows:
- The unity of Saints with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is established;
- The Lord is honoured and glorified as the Messiah for the world to acknowledge, and;
- Man and the whole world is brought back to one language, custom and tradition (belief), a pre-Babel experience or situation.
Appeal to invites
At the 6th BOL IMC, we seek you to join us as we break through the barriers’ tradition has created in the heart of men which makes the knowledge of God (their Creator) through Jesus Christ alien to them (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).
We are hopeful this conference will expose the beasts that have crept into the church (and our midst) shifting our faith from Christ by dilution of different cultures and traditions (Titus 3:8-9 NLT).
Our Lord Jesus is glorified.
Thank you.
Dr Sam Oyemade
President