Alright

yommyuk:

. But one thing I know for sure (100%) is that such practices are absolutely prohibted by the Church and christian belief.

I agree with you.

Smh. Alot of pple talk about what they have little knowledge on. Ask those of us that used to be members for over a decade to educate u.

Can you just educate us on my previous question?

Can u give me the link to the question or ask same on this page?

Conquest!

You can only know the mind of God by studying his Word,
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." Joshua 1:8

http://www.openheavensdevotionals..com/

@Falco
Unfortunately "Open heavens" is not a good material with which to study the word of God. The narratives there are usually very shallow and manipulative.

hallmark77:

@All,It is obvious that some celestial parishes uses human body parts to make spiritual work for their clients and most times their clients has no knowledge of how they are making this spititual work for them.Please can someone clarify this issue?What would be the consequences for the ignorant client who has no knowledge of how they use human boy part to work for them?The priest usually hide it because they know the client wont accept it.

I will like someone with deep knowledge to shed some light on this.Thank you.

Since you have not proffered any evidence, have you not broken the law of "Love your neighbour as yourself" - making false accusations. Have you asked yourself whether or not your comments could amount to mocking GOD?

hallmark77:

@All,It is obvious that some celestial parishes uses human body parts to make spiritual work for their clients and most times their clients has no knowledge of how they are making this spititual work for them.Please can someone clarify this issue?What would be the consequences for the ignorant client who has no knowledge of how they use human boy part to work for them?The priest usually hide it because they know the client wont accept it.

I will like someone with deep knowledge to shed some light on this.Thank you.

Anyone going to some pastor to help them do "spritual work" is not ignorant of anything. Which yeye spritual are they doing?

All allegation are true but i want all to searc his mind and when u point a finger remember that the remaining 4 is pointing at u.the song say say ma se ise lo mase wa isimi, ma fu irugbi olukore ko oju oluwa nwo ise owo re bo je rere tabi ibi (it did not say in celestial church alone)ere ise re ni wo o gba.In your office, churches,neighbourhood had u not committed any of the sins mentioned.Remember kekere ninu ese ko le sun mo odo re.As for transmission go and ask him what he did and may be he was forced or dragged into wealth,if the person u are telling a lie to does not know u are telling lies,surely he who is telling the lies knows.a word is a enough for the wise.

hallmark77:

@All,It is obvious that some celestial parishes uses human body parts to make spiritual work for their clients and most times their clients has no knowledge of how they are making this spititual work for them.Please can someone clarify this issue?What would be the consequences for the ignorant client who has no knowledge of how they use human boy part to work for them?The priest usually hide it because they know the client wont accept it.

I will like someone with deep knowledge to shed some light on this.Thank you.

It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument
Ignorance is not innocence, but sin.

Anybody can do any thing in a church . But that doesn't mean it's part of the church system. You can only judge a church by it's doctrine not by the conduct of someone there .

yommyuk:

It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument
Ignorance is not innocence, but sin.

Good one there - this will be my new Nairaland signature

If you want to get some instruction materials of ce;estial church,how can you get it.

go to any cele church and ask there for any infor about the church

There is no cele church here.I need information on books that guide you on the way to pray possibly with other instructions.

which part of the world are u based?

Does it matter!If you have any idea on what I want please just give me directives,

not asking for any other reason than to help. though im no longer a member, but im still affiliated to some old folks.

i know that at the back of harvest pamphlet, lots of infos are written. i can u lay ur hands on one if not through the church.

I didnt mean that in a harsh manner but is there anyway you can get me something like that through email, Please Toba, and why are you not a member anymore?

@ Toba
So you were once a member too. We need to talk.

sandra5284:

I didnt mean that in a harsh manner but is there anyway you can get me something like that through email, Please Toba, and why are you not a member anymore?

will see what i can do to help u.

as regards why i left, i really dont know but i still enjoy good relationship with my old folks. it was there i learn to play almost all the musical instrument cos cele is a church of good music.

@ jo, anytime. u can call on me. im available

Thanks dear,I will be grateful.

ok lets do it this way. give me ur mail and then i would send u a msg with my email.

u can then send me ur request

Ok.

copied. u may remove

most people assume a lot of things about other people and other organizations. we often jump into conclusions without ascertaining what is true, and what is false and very often malicious rumor. anyways, i just came about this discussion today and to respond to all that has been said will take a long time.

but please, if you have questions, or need materials on the celestial church of Christ, please do so. by the grace of God, we should be able to resolve it and come to an intelligent conclusion without abuses and insults.

@ sandra5284, i have information about the church that will be helpful.
@ toba, will like to get in touch with you. what do you think?

Hello All,

All you need to know about Celestial Church


THE CHURCH


Our Church – the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) is unique. There seems to be no comparable types around. The Archetype of our Church is in Heaven, the true Heaven. No wonder the French calls it, “Church of Christianity Celestial”.

Look at these spots: Hebrews 8:1-6, Revelation 7:1-15.



Authority:

Our Church derives her ethos, indeed authority; from the New Testament, NOT the Old. She is the Church of Eschatology ; i.e. the Church of the End-Time which was inaugurated by Christ Himself about 2000 years ago.


Destruction of the Temple:

The destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D marked the end of the Old Covenant, only prefigured the New. In less than 2000 years from now, the world would come to an end, that is, it will cease to be. How? God knows.

The Purpose of the Church:

The Celestial Church of Christ like any other Church was descended for the redemption and salvation of mankind. But even so, it has its peculiarity in that God’s words of command actually came to the Pastor Founder, Rev Pastor Prophet S B J Oshoffa, of blessed memory thus: “The Lord is sending you to the world. For when sufferings come, many Christians despise me and worship idols, sorcerers, and turn to magicians for help.

When such people die, they cannot see Christ Jesus because they have the devil’s mark on them. For these reasons, you have been given the power to perform various miracles in the name of Jesus Christ, because the world will doubt you without evidence of miracle”.

That is the purpose for descending the church and to allay the sufferings of Christians.


Joining the Church:

When a person decides to become a member of Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), the first step is for him to be sanctified. This sanctification shall take place at the entrance door of the Church, to be performed by the Shepherd-in-charge of the Parish concerned, or his representative (See Exodus 40:12). The song to be sung during this prayer of sanctification is, “Jesu lo npe o tantan ma bo elese wa (Yoruba Hymn . English version “Jesus is earnestly calling you, oh! Sinner come”.

All that the new member needs for this exercise are a new sponge, a tablet of soap, a candle stick and water in a white container for bathing after the prayer. After you have had your birth, you will use the candle stick to rub your body from head to toe and thereafter to be discarded.

After sanctification and regular attendances at Church services, the second step is for him to be baptised in the Celestial way, irrespective of any previous baptism in his former denomination. The precedent for this can be found in Acts 19:2-6. A new member must serve or worship in the fold for at least one year i.e. 12 calendar months before he or she is baptised in the Celestial way. This is to ensure his good membership of the Church.

Once a person has been baptised, he has the grace to join in praying for others, for example, when 3 elders or 7elders prayers are needed, he is qualified to participate. On no account however, shall an un-anointed brother lead such a prayer when an anointed elder is present.

After a person has gone through the first two steps above, and having spent at least 2 years in the Church, he may be recommended by the Shepherd-in-charge for anointment as an elder, depending of course, on his or her performance and spiritual capabilities. Vide Pastoral circular letter to all CCC Parishes Worldwide dated 12/3/86.

After this, he has thus become a full fledged member of this holy community. By that, he has the privilege to participate effectively in almost all the activities in the Church. He can preach, conduct the service, lead prayers, and partake in the Holy Communion and so on. It is to be noted that it is wrong and against the tenets and doctrines of CCC for a person to be anointed as an elder without having first been baptised, in the Celestial way.

The Holy Water at the Entrance Door of the Church:

At the inception of the CCC, individual members had to clean every part of his body (just like the Muslims performing the ablution) before going into the church. But as time went by, this was modified, hence the Holy waters at the entrance door of every Parish of Celestial Church of Christ world-wide. Everybody entering the Church must

dip his or her finger into the water and make a sign of the cross by touching his or her forehead, chest, and the lower parts of his or her two shoulders. By this, all the people

who are entering the church, are being sanctified. The most important part of the body is the head, hence the essence of touching the head first.


Experience has shown that a lot of people in CCC today just dip their hands into the Holy Water at the entrance of the Church, without knowing what to say. After dipping your hand into the water therefore, and made the sign as mentioned above, it should be followed by the words, “Sanctify me oh Lord, and cleanse me from my sins”. (These should be said silently).

The Holy water which we sprinkle during our services is meant for our purification. Our precedent for this can be found in Exodus 30:17-21; Ezekiel 36: 24-25; Hebrews 10:22.


Tenets and Doctrines:

I think it will be reasonable at this initial stage of the lecture to dispose of in passing what we mean by “Tenets and Doctrines” in CCC. By these we mean our articles of faith and ritualistic practices. These would be made clearer as we progress in the lecture.

Services:



We have various services of worship in CCC which includes among others the following:

(a) New Year prayer service – usually 1st week in January;

(b) Good Friday and Easter Sunday;

(c) Devotional prayer for the needy – held on Wednesday at 9.00 am. Participants are required to come with a bottle of water and three types of fruit & 1 candle;

(d) Devotional service - Wednesday (Day of Mercy) - 7.00 pm;

(e) Devotional service – Friday (Day of Spiritual Power) - 7.00 pm;

(f) Service for the Prophets & Prophetesses – Friday - 12.00 – 1 pm

(See the order of service);

(g) Full Devotional Service on Sunday at 10.00 am (The Lord’s Day);

(h) There is also a service on the First Thursday of every month – popularly known, as the New Moon Service. The origin of this service can be found in the book of Prophet Ezekiel Chapter 46 verses 1-6, Nehemiah 8:6.

Of all the Services listed above, the most important, difficult to conduct and peculiar to CCC, is the ‘New Moon Service’. Only very few Evangelists (priests) can conduct this service without mistakes.

If we are going to be a model for others to copy, as predicted, the service must not only be well conducted, but parishioners must know what to do or say when it is being conducted. In view of the importance of the service, a hypothetical ‘New Moon Service’ shall be conducted and as it progresses, attention shall be drawn to those areas where a lot of people do make mistakes. For example a lot of people do not know what to say when we kneel down with our forehead touching the ground during this important Service as the Service Conductor sings and the congregation repeats after him. This is either because we are not conversant with the language or we do not know how to pronounce those words. The particular song goes thus:


Service Conductor: “Yah Go LoLah Mari Yah Nga Rih Yeh”

The Congregation will say: “Yah Go LoLal Mari Yeh”


Translate into Yoruba language,

The Service Conductor will say: “E fori bale fun Oba Oluwa”



The Congregation will say: “Mo fori bale fun”



Meaning in English:

Service Conductor will say: “Bow ye before the Lord God”

“I bow myself before Him”.



We are told that this was the song our Lord Jesus Christ sang kneeling down with His forehead touching the ground at Gethsemane when He besought His disciples to watch while He prayed. In the song He seeks to draw them into His prayer of Worship of the Lord God unaware that they have fallen asleep.


Requirement for the Service:


Every member is expected to have a bottle of water and a candle. The bottles of water shall be in front of the altar. The bottles belonging to the men shall be on the right while those belonging to the women shall be on the left side of the altar.

The service shall commence at 10.00 pm. With singing, drumming and dancing which will last till midnight? At exactly 12 midnight, all merry-making will stop and members will pray with the candle they are holding and ask God for whatever they need for the month. After the prayers, the candle will be collected for use in the house of the Lord in the following order:-

(a) 7 candles should be lit on the stand of the Altar.

(b) 7 candles should be lit round the bottles of water belonging to the men.

(c) 7 candles should be lit round the bottles of water belonging to the women.

(d) 7 candles should be lit round the house of worship as directed by the spirit.

(e) 7 candles should be lit on the altar of the mercy land.


It is important that these bottles of water are undiluted. That is to say, there should be no perfume and or incense in them. You may not even pray into them. The heavenly hosts know your heart desires and they work on those waters.

Lifting of hands up and bowing down:


As this is a special type of service, different from other services we hold in CCC, we lift up our hands and bow down as the service is being conducted. Our precedent for this can be found in Nehemiah 8:6; Genesis 18:2; Exodus 4:31; and Revelation 4:10, 11.

Service Conductor:

Whoever is going to lead, i.e. conduct a service, must sanctify himself, keeping off from all forms of impurities. If a person is to conduct the ‘New Moon Service’ for example, or the full Devotional Service on Sunday, he must ensure that he sets himself aside for this purpose, for at least three days prior to the Lord’s day, or any other service for that matter (Exodus 19:10-15). That is to say, he must not have any carnal knowledge of a woman.

During the service, when the service conductor is not performing any function e.g. during the reading of the lesson, he must sit right in front of the altar, facing the congregation. He must not at any time sit down backing the congregation. The service conductor must only devote his time to service conducting and must not go and engage in other activities until the end of the service. The only occasion he is allowed to leave the altar, is during the thanksgiving or if he has to answer the call of nature, i.e. to ease himself.


The importance of the service conductor cannot be overemphasised, therefore he must be in spirit throughout the service and must comport himself very diligently. Throughout the service all eyes are set upon him. Members of the congregation must follow his directives as he conducts the service.

Saying Amen at the end of a hymn:

As we sing a hymn, members of the congregation shall only sit or kneel down as the case may be, at the end of the hymn and after the word “Amen” had been said, and not simultaneously and or contemporaneously with the word “Amen”.

Closing our Eyes When Praying:


It is essential that our eyes are closed whenever we are praying or being prayed for. This is because it enables us to concentrate on the prayer and prevents our minds from wandering about. It is also important that we have our two hands clung firmly together when prayers are being said, especially during congregational prayer unless otherwise directed.


Congregational Prayer:

Whenever there is a congregational prayer; or 3 elders prayer; or 7 elders prayer, as the case maybe, if the person being prayed for, is higher than you in spiritual rank, you should not raise up or stretch out your hand when prayers are being said for such a person. For example, if an Assistant Leader joins in a congregational prayer for a Leader, he (the Asst Leader) shall not raise up his hand or stretch it out upon the Leader when this prayer is on. His hands must be clung together firmly during the prayer.

Messages by Prophets/Prophetesses during sermon:


When the sermon is on, it is the Lord that is talking to us. Prophets or prophetesses therefore, no matter what may be their ranks, are not supposed to be delivering messages, because the preacher himself, is delivering a message at that particular time and the spirit must respect a higher spirit (1st Corinthians 14:32-33). As you would realise that a sermon is a message of exhortation from God, a message of encouragement, a message of warning, a message of comfort and a message affirming one’s faith in Jesus Christ, coming from God, therefore, attention must neither be divided nor diverted to any other thing.

Silent Prayer:

This is a time for you to commune with your God. This period is supposed to be a period of complete silence. There should be no interruption of any sort. You must not allow the person next to you to hear your conversation with your God.

During the silent prayer, the Service Conductor should enumerate whatever he wants members to pray upon – right from the beginning. All those things outlined by the Service Conductor to be prayed upon, you are not obliged to follow them to the letter, but, it is important that you refer to them since they are in most cases matters of common interest. You may decide to follow your own list, because it is a direct communication between you and your God.


The Service Conductor, once the prayer has started must not interrupt it, e.g. by saying: “remember to pray for the growth of the Church” in the middle of the silent prayer. Everything he wants members to pray for must be stated at the beginning. The only occasion he is allowed to intervene is when he wants the silent prayer to be brought to an end. In that case, he will say, “brethren shall we round up our silent prayer”? He needs to give at least 30 seconds for it to be rounded up. After this, the Service Conductor would say, “Amen……Amen……Amen in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. All these would afford members the opportunity of not breaking abruptly, a topic they have started to pray upon. Having done this, he (the Service Conductor), will read the appropriate Psalm after he must have called thrice the Holy name of God as necessary and a short prayer thereafter.

Going About Unshod:


Each time we don (put on our item of clothing) our soutanes or ‘sutanas; we do not go any footwear - no shoes. Why? Because any ground on which we are on, is deemed a hallowed ground. This practice is peculiar to institutions with a mystical leaning. Jesus Christ is the Perfect Mystic. Throughout His life, He went about unshod. The popular biblical authority for going about unshod, is contained in Exodus Chapter 3 verses 1-6. See also Joshua 5:15; Exodus 3:5; Acts 7:33. Once anyone of us has pledged a clerical commitment (Yoruba, “fara ji), he would have no other clothing than the sutana and must go everywhere unshod (barefooted) till the end of his life.

This ritual is peculiar to our church. It is also an injunction from God when He descended the Church through the Pastor Founder, Rev S B J Oshoffa. It is one of our tenets which must be followed.

The Retreat – Mercy Land:



This is what has been transliterated from Yoruba to English as ‘Mercy Land’. Even the Yoruba ‘Ile Anu’, is a mis-pronunciation of the original, ‘Ile Anu’; meaning ‘House of Mercy’. Look at this in John 5: 1-8. The Hebrew word ‘ Bethesda ’ is the same as Belsetha, Bethesda or Bethsaida and it means ‘House of Mercy’. The Retreat or Mercy Land in any Celestial Parish is the holiest shrine around. Under normal circumstances, it must have five things, inter alia: (i) it must be enclosed; (ii) not roofed; (iii) be covered with white coarse sand for flooring; (iv) have trees planted for shade; and (v) have a well sunk there (the pool?)–the water from which must never be heated.



Why is the place covered with sand for flooring? There is an adage in sacred philosophy which says, “Wherever you see the footprint of man, there God is; kneel down and pray”.



Having said this however, in view of our circumstance in this part of the world, it may not be possible to meet all the five features mentioned above. But no matter how difficult the situation is, efforts must be made to carve a space to be used as the ‘Mercy Land’ because it is generally accepted by members that whatever you go to the ‘Mercy Land’ to request from God with faith, the result is always positive.



The (Seven-branched) Candelabrum – which we use on the high Altar is symbolic of one of the realities in the Heavenly sanctuary. In Hebrew it is called ‘Menorah’ or ‘Manorah’. For them the seven arms represent ‘the seven days of creation’. That one is for the Hebrews. For us, the seven-branched candlestick derives from the prototype in the ‘Sanctuary of God’, (Revelation 4:5; and 11:19). This is what was shown to Moses on Mount Horeb , vide Exodus 24:12; 25: 31-40; Numbers 8:2; Zechariah 4:2; Revelation 1:12-13; and Hebrews 8:5. The Seven-branched candlestick is peculiar to esoteric Christianity.





Use of Incense:



As to why we burn incense, look at the book of Revelation Chapters 8 verses 2-5; 5:7-8; Luke 1: 9-11; The Hebrews under Moses’ leadership, were asked to do the same thing; See Exodus 30:1,7,8-9 ; Leviticus 16:12-13. See also Malachi 1: 11.



This shows that everything we do during our worship in Celestial Church of Christ, is scriptural and in conformity with what is laid down in the Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments.



Seniority: It is a tradition or convention of the Celestial Church Christ, that if a person is higher than you in spiritual rank, if you want to talk to him in the Church you must kneel down before him. For example, if an un-anointed brother or sister wants to talk to a brother or a sister who has a first anointment, the un-anointed brother or sister must kneel down before him or her. Another example is, if an Assistant Leader wants to talk to a Leader, the former must kneel down before the latter, notwithstanding any administrative rank being held by that Assistant Leader. And it goes on in that order until we reach the highest hierarchy of the Church, which is the Pastor. Please note that age is not a factor in this regard. Let us also bear in mind that if a member leaves his or her parish to worship in another parish, his or her seniority does not diminish. He maintains his seniority wherever he goes worldwide.



Full-time Church worker and a non-Full time Church Worker:



Any anointed member who has pledged clerical commitment, i.e. who has made an undertaking to do the work of God on full-time basis, takes priority over other members who have not made such a pledge. For example, if an elder decides to work on a full-time basis for God, as s Shepherd, he takes priority over an Honorary Senior Evangelist. And if we are filing in or filing out, as it is our custom in CCC, the Honorary Senior Evangelist must be in the front while the full-time Elder would be behind him. To a lot of people, this may seem repugnant, but that has been the position and the late Pastor Founder Rev Pastor S B J Oshoffa made it public in one of his addresses at Celestial City , Imeko, before his demise.



Let every member be informed that the title, ‘Shepherd-in-charge’ is reserved for full-time church workers i.e. those who have pledged full clerical commitment, who have forsaken all other remunerative engagements and have taken up the cross of occupation who have been given a letter to that effect by the Pastor. Others who are still engaged in one job or the other but who are privileged to establish or lead Parishes and look after the flock, must not arrogate the title Shepherd-in-charge to themselves but rather ‘Leader-in-charge’, and they are not permitted to wear full-time church workers’ garment except otherwise directed in writing by the Pastor.



The Shepherd-in-charge:



The Shepherd-in-charge is the accredited Priest-in-charge of each Parish. All other full time workers in the Parish, are auxiliary church workers. There are many so called full time church workers wearing the same type of uniform with the Shepherd-in-charge these days, but who have no defined or clear official responsibility. We must be careful so as not to misconstrue them for the Shepherd-in-charge who has over all responsibility for the Parish he superintends.



During processional or recessional periods of our services i.e. (filing in and filing out), no member of the Parish, irrespective of his rank, reserves the right or audacity to file behind the Shepherd-in-charge even if the rank of the Shepherd-in-charge is lower than his. For example, as stated earlier on, an elder who is a Shepherd-in-charge of a Parish has a priority over an honorary Senior Evangelist or a full time church worker who is not a shepherd.



Members of the Board of Trustees in Nigeria are however, placed in a unique position. They are allowed to claim seniority over some shepherd-in-charge depending of course, on the category of the seniority list in which a particular Shepherd-in-charge falls.



Items of Offering:



The only person who has undisputed authority or control over items of offering is the Shepherd-in-charge or the Leader-in-charge as the case may be (Deut 18:7-8; Nehemiah 12:44, 47). The Shepherd-in-charge however, if he likes may delegate this authority, as he cannot do everything on his own at the same time. Note that the control of items of offering has nothing to do with the Parochial Committee or its Chairman. The Levites (Omo Lefi) are those who have pledged full clerical commitment. Those who have sacrificed their time and life fully to work in the house of God. Those who have no other job or receive payments elsewhere. If you need their help day and night, they are at hand, ready to help.


The items of offering are divided into 3 parts viz, one part for the Shepherd-in-charge, one part for the Pastor or his representative and the remaining one part for the use in the altar and the church. Those helping the Shepherd-in-charge to look after those items of offerings should bear in mind that they are no Levites and must not share out of the offering except with the permission or implied permission or approval of the Shepherd-in-charge.

Church Wardens or Sides men & Ladies (Onibode):



The importance of Church Wardens in the house of God cannot be over-emphasised. Their duties include among others, sanctifying the temple or house of God before the commencement of the service, burning the incense, lighting the altar candles and replacing the burnt candles, policing the entrances in the Church, maintaining discipline amongst members throughout the service without causing any disturbance. Welcoming visitors and taking them to appropriate seats in the Church, going round the precincts of the church to see that children are well behaved and any other duties the shepherd-in-charge may deem fit to assign them.

Collection and the Collectors:



All the brothers and sisters or elders who are chosen to receive contributions, literally known as ‘collections’ from members during the service, should feel very honoured to have been asked to do so. In so doing, it is important to know that whenever they get to a person who is higher than them in spiritual rank, they must kneel down before him or her to receive his or her contribution, except it is virtually impossible to do so due to lack of space. And if that is the case, the male collector should bow down his head before the person he is collecting from, while the female collector should bow her knees before the woman donating. Assuming that you are spiritually higher than the person from whom you are collecting the money, as a Christian, you are obliged to show some kind of respect for him or her. It is to be borne in mind that it is not that person before you that you are respecting or giving the honour, but Jesus Christ Himself who is the Head of the Church.



Christening or Naming Ceremony:



Naming ceremony or child christening in CCC is a unique service. The service is different from what is obtained in other denominations. When a child is born, it shall be brought to the church (temple) on the 8th day for christening as was done to our Lord Jesus Christ when He was brought to the Temple by His parents to be circumcised on the 8th day of his birth. (Luke 2:21-40).



If the child being christened or named, is a male, there should be 4 male members in the dancing round group and 3 females. If however, the child is a female, there should be 4 female members and 3 male members. This is excluding the incense burner, the person carrying the bowl of water and the prophet or prophetess carrying the child. The total number of people to dance round 7 times with the baby at the beginning of a naming ceremony should therefore be 10. Let us bear in mind that the incense burner is always a male, and a prophet carries a male child, while a prophetess carries a female child. The song to start the service with, should be ‘EMI YIO DUPE ……, OPE O (meaning I will give thanks). The song to be sung throughout the 7 times of dancing round with the baby should be “AYO TUN DE O, AYO TUN DE O, AYO TUNDE…, ” (meaning JOY HAS COME AGAIN, JOY HAS COME AGAIN …, ”).



There should be 7 candles arranged in a white bowl placed on a table before the child. The white bowl shall be filled with water up to ¾ and the 7 candles shall be lit simultaneously with those on the altar at the beginning of the service.


After the Shepherd or whoever is authorised to lead the naming ceremony has announced the names given to the child by the Angel through the prophet or prophetess, before reading the christening text near the child, and before prayers are said by the 7 elders appointed to surround the child, the text reader must pronounce the holy name “JEHOVAH CHEKOHIRAMI” thrice and then he will call the name of the child once before reading Deut 28:1-14.

Thanks Offering:

Thanks offering is an important part of our worship in Celestial Church of Christ. It is a time to sing songs of praise and to show our appreciation to the Lord for His various kindness and mercy over us. A time to come before Him with joy, gladness, dance and “merry making” for the wondrous things He has done in our lives. A time to praise him with humility and with our possession as a mark of profound gratitude for sparing our lives, and providing for all our needs. “(Psalm 100)”; (Matthew 8: 4).


Procedure:


Before starting a thanks-offering, there must be some elders of the church, usually the most senior amongst them, standing in front of the altar, facing the thanks-offerers ready to receive the items of offering from them. The number of elders that can participate in receiving thanks offering on God’s behalf are not specified. But in most cases, in order for it to have some spiritual connotation, it is either 3, 7, or 21, depending on the availability of space and the occasion that is taking place.

As these elders come down from the altar, they must all kneel down at the same time facing the altar with their foreheads touching the ground, thanking God for being counted worthy to participate in receiving the thanks-offering on His behalf in the following words, “God we are about to accept the offerings on your behalf, and in thy name, please assist us in doing so”. After this, they will all rise facing the thanks-offerers again, and the most senior among them (usually the Shepherd-in-charge) will ask the congregation to chant 3 Halleluyahs to praise the Lord and then the thanks-offering commences.


The thanks-offering must start at the entrance of the Temple and not in the middle of the temple or Church. All the thanks-offerers carrying items of thanks-offering as they dance towards the altar, must be in the front, while those with lit candles (if any), should be in the forefront. Those without any items of offering but who are also thanking the Lord for His protection and mercy, to follow those with items of offering. This last set of thanks-offerers usually follow according to their spiritual ranks in the church.

As the congregation dances towards the altar, there must be a demarcation, that is, a free passage between male and female. The male to be on the right and the female on the left.

Having so danced and thanked the Lord, just before the prayer, there is usually a song to be sung – “Let us give thanks to the Lord ……, ”, (Yoruba version – “E je ka f’ope fun Baba …, ”, which will send everybody on his or her knees except the elders who are waiting to receive the thanks-offering from them.

As the congregation is kneeling down singing thus, the items for thanks-offering will be collected from them by the male sidesmen or Church Wardens (Onibode Okunrin) and put before the Leaders or elders standing to receive them. In a big church or Parish, this task will be too much for the sidesmen alone, other elders, Assistant Leaders, Leaders and even up to Superior Leaders will join them to collect those items and place them before the standing elders, depending on the numerical strength of the Parish. Thanks- offerers must exercise patience until their items of offering are received from them and must not just put them down on their own.


Types of Offering:

There are commonly three types of thanks-offering during our Services of worship especially on the Lord’s Day – Sunday:-

(1) General:- This is in appreciation of the day to day protection, mercy, favour etc type of thanks-offering by members.

(2) Special:- Those who made vows that if the Lord should do this or that for them, they will come back to give thanks to the Lord with this or that, and their requests are granted and they have come back to fulfil their vows to the Lord. (Deut 23:21, 23 and Eccles 5:4-5).

(3) The Church: This is a thanks-offering by the Church for His mercy over all Members of the congregation. This is usually the last type of thanks-offering, unless otherwise directed by the Holy Spirit.

After the thanks-offerings have ended, and prayers are said for the thanks offerers, the Elders again must go down on their knees in unison with their foreheads on the ground, thanking God in the following words, “God we have accepted the offering on your behalf, let it be acceptable unto Thee”. They must also thank Him for the privilege He has given them. This must be said silently.

Unfortunately, only a handful of our Elders world-wide know what to say before and after the thanks-offering while kneeling down. This type of lecture, it is hoped, will help to enlighten some of our Leaders who do not know much about CCC doctrines and tenets.

Miscellaneous:

1 Noise making, loitering, gossiping and unnecessary discussions or meeting during service hours or worship should be avoided as they are abominable unto God. See Ecclestiastes 5:1-3.

2 Moderate Dressing:

(a) Painting of lips, finger nails and toes are not allowed into the house of God.

Only moderate and decent dressing and appearance is acceptable unto the Lord our God – See I Timothy 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:3-4.

(a) Members are advised not to wear transparent sutana especially our sisters. All our nudity must be covered. See Revelation 3:18, 19, 22.

3 Jigling the bell at the commencement of the service:


At the commencement of the service whenever you hear the jingling of the bell thrice, where ever you are, and whatever you may be doing within the precinct of the church, you must abandon it, kneel down with your forehead touching the ground while you will say “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts” as it is appropriate. This you will do, until the final bell is jingled.

4 Wearing the appropriate robes or Sutanas:

(a) All members are expected to wear the sutanas that are commensurate to their spiritual ranks during service of worship.

(b) All Elders must wear their full regalia or robes and sit in the altar during Special or important services such as, Sunday i.e. the Lord’s Day, Marriage, Harvests, 31st December cum New Year’s Day. This is inconformity with “Pastoral Order-in-Council No 2 of 1979” signed by the late Pastor Founder, Rev S B J Oshoffa, Supreme Evangelist A A Bada, (as he then was), not Late Pastor, and Superior Evangelist S O Ajanlekoko also late.



It is to be noted that wearing of cassock is not a full regalia and does not qualify an elder to sit in the inner altar, conduct the service, read the Lesson or preach the Sermon on Sunday or those important services mentioned above. It is also wrong for anybody to go into the inner altar without wearing his loins. It’s a sort of disrespect to the temple of God.

Holiness:

All Celestians are expected and required to keep themselves holy both in flesh and spirit. See Leviticus 19:2, I Peter 1:15-16, Lev 11:44; 2 Corinthians 7:1 and Leviticus 18:19.

Female members are considered unclean spiritually during their biological cycles and are mandated not to come to church or touch holy things such as prayer robes (Sutanas) holy candles during the period. They shall be sanctified on the eighth day at the entrance door of the Church, when they are qualified to enter the church, (Lev 15:19-31).

Alcohol

There must be complete abstinence by all true Celestians from alcoholic drinks, including wine, cider as well as the so called non-alcoholic lager beer. Cigarette smoking, tobacco snuffing, eating of pork or any product therefrom and other abomination contained in the Holy Bible are taboos to celestians, viz: Leviticus10:9, I Corn 6:9-10; Ezekiel 44:21; Luke 1:15; 7:33; Proverbs 20:1; Leviticus 10:8-11; Isaiah 5:11 and 22

Other things you may wish to know about:

The use of candles

Rev. 4:5; 1:20; Zechariah 4:2; Exodus 37:23; Numbers 8:2.

The use of Holy Oil James 5:14-15; Mark 6:13; Leviticus 24: 1-2.

The use of Holy water Exodus 30:17-21; Numbers 8:6-7; Ezekiel 36:24-25; Hebrews 10:22.


The washing of the feet John 13:5, 14-15.

Washing in a flowing stream 2 Kings 5: 10-14; John 9: 6-11.


The use of perfume

Matthew 26: 7, 12.

The use of the palm frond

Revelation 7: 9-10; John 12: 12-13.

The prohibition of corpse (dead body) inside the church

Ezekiel 43: 7-9.

The use of salt for thanks-giving
Leviticus 2:13.

The shouting of Halleluyah to the 4 corners of the world

Revelation 19: 1-14.

The use of loins and Girdle

Daniel 10:5; Rev. 1:13; Matt 3:4; Acts 21:11; Psalm 109:19; Lev. 16:4

The meaning of the JHS which is written on the altar clothes and the pulpit.

J stands for Jesus H stands for Homini and S stands for Saviotor (in French) which in English is translated to mean: Jesus the Saviour of Mankind or Jesus the Saviour of Humanity.

Membership worldly societies:

No members of the CCC shall be a member or members of any secret society ( such as, the ‘ogboni’ reformed fraternity or its Western World equivalent called the ‘Freemason’) or cult, black magic or charm, idolatry and or any fetish association. If they were, before joining the church, they must renounce such memberships openly and in writing and must be seen to have done so.

Members shall not wear red or black clothes or underwear unless business or profession enjoins them to wear them. It is a general belief in CCC that black indicates sorrow and that red connotes danger, hence the abstinence.

Thanks for reading

Selah

tosinbobo1, whre in the CCC constitution is the charge to say "Jehovah, Jesy Kristi, Michaeli Mimo" at the start of prayers?
Why say "Michaeli Mimo" instead of "Emi Mimo"?

One thing that has been confusing about the cele people is their songs. Why is that they must chant or make some songs with arabic language. One even sand that "ile ologo ile alayo, kewu ni o fi wole" (literarily means one will speak in arabic to enter or in the paradise). Do they have anything in common or share iany beliefs with muslim or islam? please educate me