Serving Overseer of First Love Assembly, Pastor Simeon Afolabi, has urged ministers of the gospel to live lives that visibly demonstrate the character and fragrance of Christ.
He made the call at a three-day ministers’ conference and restoration seminar organised by Revival Promotion Partners which held from August 27-29 at First Love Assembly, Maryland, Lagos,
It attracted ministers and other Christian participants from Lagos, Edo, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and other parts of Nigeria.
The programme, with the theme: “The Fragrance of Christ,” was anchored on 2 Corinthians 2:14: “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”
Pastor Afolabi, during the conference challenged participants to understand how their experiences, knowledge, character and daily conduct could become channels through which the fragrance of Christ is manifested.
He said the experiences of believers were not accidental but could be used by God to influence others.
Using the life and ministry of Apostle Paul as an example, Afolabi identified Paul’s knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures, legal training, membership of the Pharisees and interaction with Roman and Greek cultures as factors that shaped his ministry and writings.
According to him, Paul’s knowledge of Scripture influenced the way he communicated spiritual truths, while his legal background was evident in passages such as Acts 25:11, where Paul exercised his right to appeal to Caesar.
Afolabi stressed that Christians must live in such a way that their identity is evident even without verbal declaration.
“The life of a true Christian should ooze out the sweet fragrance of Christ. It should be known that you are a Christian, even without speaking out,” he said.
He continued: “The believer should be the best person ever to have around people.”
One of the practical ways Christians can influence their environment according to him is through timely and appropriate words.
“A word in season is what a believer needs, NOT a word of pity!” he declared, stating emphatically: “You can’t spread what you don’t have!”
Afolabi subsequently outlined what he described as the components of the fragrance of Christ, using the acronym FRAGRANCE.
He identified Faithfulness, being Relatable, Availability, Gratitude, Resourcefulness, Authenticity, Nobility, being Conciliatory and Empathy as qualities that should be evident in the life of a Christian.
“Faithfulness is the first ingredient of Fragrance,” he said, while urging believers to remain dependable in their relationship with God and people.
On Availability, he said anyone who wanted to spread Christ’s fragrance must be willing to show up for others.
“A man who wants to spread Christ’s fragrance must not be too busy to show up for others,” he said.
He also urged Christians to be Authentic, saying: “Be real! Be authentic! Don’t be pretentious!”
On Empathy, he charged believers to be compassionate and allow the pains and circumstances of others to touch them.
“The odor of the flesh, and odor of the spirit. What do people smell of/about you?” he asked, citing the testimony of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:9.
Afolabi concluded the session by declaring: “You can’t spread Christ’s fragrance without manifesting the fruit of the Spirit.”
During an evening session on the second day, he drew lessons from Mark 14:1-9, particularly the woman who broke an alabaster flask of costly oil and poured it on Jesus.
He said the passage illustrated the principle of a broken vessel through which fragrance could flow.
“Broken vessel is the secret of spreading or letting out the fragrance,” he said. “You are the vessel, and that vessel MUST be broken, for the fragrance to flow!”
According to him, God may have to break a believer’s pride, personal purpose, plans and attachment to money in order for His purpose to prevail.
“God will always interrupt our plans in the best ways possible,” he said, while stressing that believers must overcome the temptation to allow money to exercise dominion over them.
On the final day, Afolabi taught from Matthew 14:29-31, the account of Peter walking on water before becoming afraid and beginning to sink.
He told participants that effective ministry required spiritual sensitivity.
“Effective ministry requires you to be able to discern the rhythm of the Spirit!” he said, citing Psalm 43:3 on the importance of light and truth.
He further described Satan, in Jesus’ descriptions, as a liar and a thief, stressing that believers overcome deception through the illumination of God’s Word.
“We don’t catch the THIEF (Satan) by police. We catch him by the light and truth of God’s Word!” he declared.
Reflecting on salvation and the believer’s identity in Christ, Afolabi said Christians should understand that they belong to God because they were bought at a price.
“I AM GOD’S INVESTMENT!” he told participants, stressing that believers should therefore not live as though they belonged exclusively to themselves.
The conference ended with a prayer session and the celebration of Holy Communion,
Participant noted that the event was a time of restoration, spiritual reflection and renewed emphasis on living out the character of Christ.
