NAMING CEREMONY Lev 12:1-8, Luke 2: 21-40
The eight day after birth is mentioned in both. In the book of Leviticus it mentions circumcising a male after the eight day of birth (Leviticus 12: 1-8). In the book of Luke Jesus was named on the eight day and was presented to the temple (Luke 2: 21-40). This is why on the eight day after birth, every child born into Celestial Church of Christ is christened and presented unto God in a naming ceremony service. The child's name is given to a prophet in spirit that is carrying the child throughout the service. According to our doctrine, A male prophet must carry a male child and a female prophet must carry a female child.
Sam Fasanmi
NEED FOR THANKSOFFERINGS
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." To show our appreciation for God's mercy and goodness, members of CCC offer thanks through a combination of praise and dance, like David, and offerings, like Abel and Cain. During thanks offering, members dance from the entrance of the Church building with usable items likes candles, food items, perfumes etc in trays until they get before some elders who will pray and receive the thanksgiving. When we bring forth these items to God, it is believed that the heart and purity of the bearer determines the ascension of the thanksgiving -like in the case of Abel and Cain where Abel's thanks offering was accepted by The Lord.
Asst. Shepherd
LIGHTING OF CANDLE AT THE ALTAR
Lighting of candle on the altar in Celestial Church of Christ is unique because it is done while singing an Heavenly Angelic song Yarah Sarah, Yarah Sama tah interpreted by the Holy Spirit as Kindle the Light, Divine from heaven above; which when sang in the church everyone knows where and what is happening in the worship for that day. The candle stand represents the seven spirits of God as referenced in Revelation 4 vs 5. The Rev pastor founder Papa Oshoffa interpreted the 7 stands as God the father, Jesus the son, Holy Spirit and the 4 Arch angels known as Angel Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. When the candles are lite, it’s a symbol that the spirit of God should guide us with His light through the worship and Service of the day..
Bro Bidemi
WEARING WHITE SUTANA
In Celestial Church of Christ we worship as believe it is done in heaven. Part of this wearing a white garment called sutanas. This garment represents the cleanliness and purity of the angels who worshiped in heaven (Revelations 7:9, Revelations 9:4 and Revelations 19:8). When an angel came from heaven to earth to remove the stone on Jesus’s tomb his clothes were described to be as white as snow (Matthew 28: 2-4). Also, Celestians wear sutanas to be uniform because we are all equal under the eyes of God. We wear this garment in all of our worship services to emulate what is done in heaven hoping that God will accept our worship
"Sam Fasanmi"
WEARING NO SHOES
When an angel appeared to Moses in the form of a burning he heard the Lord’s voice tell him to remove his sandals because he is on holy ground (Acts 7: 33). In Celestial Church of Christ we do not wear shoes inside of the church, in the mercy land or while wearing our sutanas. Celestians follow these instructions because there are multiples examples in the bible of servants of Lord being asked to remove their sandal on holy ground or in the presence of the Lord (Joshua 5:15) (Exodus 3:5). Celestians are allowed to wear socks to protect their feet from the terrain or weather.
"Sam Fasanmi"
SHOUTING HALLELUYAH Rev 19:1-7
Celestial Church of Christ believes that there is power in shouting Hallelujah, which means praise God. In the book of Revelation, when the people in Heaven shouted Hallelujah to praise God, twenty-four elders and four beasts bowed down to worship God and it caused the presence of the devil on earth to disappear in smoke (Revelations 19:1-7). . In Celestial Church of Christ we general chant Hallelujah seven times after prayer. The number seven signifies completion and we presume that God has answered our prayers and that our worship is complete after the shouting of Hallelujah.
"Sam Fasanmi"
Prophet and prophetesses
Prophet and prophetesses give spiritual messages to anybody that the Holy Sprit directs them to in and outside of the church premises. These spiritual messages are very important because they provide guidance on issues that we all face in life. Prophet and prophetesses were essential to the foundation of the church. All the hymns used in worship service in Celestial Church of Christ have been given directly by heaven through the spirit of prophets and prophetesses (C.C.C Constitution). Prophet and prophetesses are servants of God that pass on messages that He has for his people (Amos 3:7)
"Sam Fasanmi"
BOWING BEFORE THE ALTAR
Celestial Churches altar are ordained by the Holy Spirit to be built towards the east (rising of the sun) in reference to the seat of the altar of God in Jerusalem as stated by King Solomon in 1Kings 8 vs 22-30. Bowing down is an act of worship that is done in the presence of God represented by the Altar. Altar as the place of worship is place of laying down your personal life to receive the life of Jesus (eternal life) Rom12:1-5. Anyone that misses the bowing down(worship) during any service in CCC misses the life of Jesus for that period and as such person’s appearance is not registered with God. So, our worship is the foundation upon which every other activities in the church is built on. And if the foundation is destroyed what can the righteous do? So, no work of righteousness can be done without it.
"Sam Fasanmi"
USE OF PERFUME
USE OF PERFUME In Celestial Church of Christ, perfumes are used for different purposes such as sanctification, victory, mercy, and blessing. One of the famous use of perfume in The Bible was when Jesus was anointed on his head by a woman at Bethany. While the disciples were unimpressed by the woman's act, Jesus links the anointing as a preparation for his burial and declared her actions a blessing (Matthew 26:1-13). In another instance in the Bible (Exodus 30:34-37), God declared to Moses that the special perfume made by the perfumer is sacred and for holy use rather than for personal use. CCC's use of perfume aligns with many biblical passages to ensure the sanctification of the members.
"Asst Shepherd"
BURNING OF INCENSE
Rev 5:8 & 8:3-5; Exodus 30:8-9; Luke 1:9-11; Exodus 30:24-38; Exodus 40:5; Exodus 31:10-11; Malachi 1:11 The burning of incense in Celestial Church is imperative for the purification and sanctification of the house of God. As explained in Exodus 31:11, God commanded the use of incense in his holy place. We burn incense before the service to cleanse the church and to help set the stage for the Holy Spirit. The aroma of the incense invites the spirit of God to dwell in our midst. We also burn incense at the entrance possession to usher us into the presence of God. Incense burning could also serve as a bridge between heaven and earth. While we utilize incense to sanctify and invite the spirit of God, the burning of incense also lift up our prayers to God. Rev 8:4; the smoke of incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand
"Sarah Molumo"
DOCTRINES ANOINTING/CHURCH OIL
The primary purpose of anointing with the holy oil is to sanctify by setting the anointed person or object apart as holy (Exodus 30:29). In The Bible, different kinds of oils played a significant role in the everyday lives of the Hebrews; they also had a variety of uses in worship and spiritual practices. Olive oil, in particular, was used to cook and bake, applied as a moisturizer for skin and hair, used as medicine, traded as currency, and given as an offering to The Lord. Another type of oils was the fuel for lamps, including the lamps that burned in the tabernacle. Today, Celestial Church of Christ still use oil in worship services when baptizing, confirming spiritual vocation or calling, and for healing purposes. When Jesus sent the disciples out in healing ministry, Mark 6:12-13 says they anointed people with oil: “They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” Additional bible references: Exodus 29:36; Numbers 10:1; James 5:13-15
"Sister Tina"
NO CORPES IN THE SANCTUARY
In Celestial Church of Christ, it is an abomination to present a corpse in the sanctuary before God. The biblical justification for this rule can be found in the book of Ezekiel 43:7-10, where The Lord commanded that whoredom and dead bodies be kept far away from Him and His holy house to avoid defiling Him. To atone for this, the Celestial Church of Christs hosts an "Amissa Service" to remember the dead person and intercede for their soul. It is generally believed, amongst members of CCC, that the spirit of the departed soul wanders around for 40 days after the burial is held; The Amissa service is held on the 40th day to set the soul free from any attacks they may face on their journey and to receive grace until the rapture time. CCC does not believe that the soul will escape from Judgement, but rather that the soul will be freed from bondage as they wait for the rapture.
"Asst Shepherd"
CELESTIAL MERCYLAND
The Mercy Land is an open-air prayer pavilion, with an altar and beach sand where Celestial Church of Christ members go for prayer. The open air symbolizes the connection for heaven and God to hear our prayers. There is spiritual significance in worship and prayer by a body of water so there is beach sand in the Mercy Land. Paul and disciples of the Lord prayed on the beach before departing (Acts 21:4). Occasionally prophet and prophetesses conduct their Friday evening service in the Mercy Land to connect with the Holy Spirit to give them guidance in their duties.
"Asst Shepherd"
PURIFICATION OF SERVICE CONDUCTOR
In celestial church of Christ, if you are asked to conduct services, either on a weekday or the Lord’s day (Sunday), You are required to sanctify yourself hours from the service. The service conductor for a weekday service must sanctify themselves 24 hours prior to the service while the service conductor for the Sunday's service must sanctify 72 hours prior to the service. The conductor must abstain from all sexual immoralities, adultery, fornication, abide by all other rules and tenants of CCC, and present a pure and holy heart. This is in reference to many Bible verses include Psalm 24 which states that in order to ascend to the hills of The Lord, you must have a clean hand and a pure heart. Other verses include Leviticus 10:3 (This is it the Lord spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that came nigh me, before all the people I will be glorified.) and Leviticus 10:8-9 (And the Lord spoke into Aaron saying so not drink wine nor strong drink, thou nor thy sons with thee when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.)
"Asst Shepherd"
WOMEN’S MENSTRUATION AND PURIFICATION
As Christians, cleansing after any bodily discharge is orthodox. Women during their menstrual cycle are abstained from the sanctuary for seven days. During this time she is considered unclean until she performs a cleansing bath which makes her purified. This also stands when she gives birth to a child to be abstained from the sanctuary until after performing her cleansing bath presents herself and the child to the Lord with a purified body. Leviticus 12:2-7 and Leviticus 15:19; explains it well. In the Celestial Church, purification is done with a bucket of water, bar of soap, sponge, and a stick of candle. The water is blessed by an elder in the church and the woman bathes with it. After bathing, she comes to the front of the sanctuary for purification prayer and joins the congregation. Another example is 2 Samuel 11:4- Which talks about Bathsheba performing a purification bath after her menstrual period. Since any discharge from the body is considered as impurity, cleansing with water washes away all impurities.
"Asst Shepherd"
NEW MOON SERVICE
The New Moon Service occurs at midnight of the first Thursday of every new month. The service usually consists of thanksgiving and prayer to God for allowing us to see a new month. Those who attend the service usually bring one bottle of water and a stick of candle. After about two hours of musical ministration the service starts at midnight by resembling what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26: 39). At the start of the service, we kneel down and bow our heads to God while reciting, “Holy! Holy!! Holy!!! Is to The Lord, God of host.” The New Moon Service is generally a short service filled with prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. Assistant Shepherd
"Asst Shepherd"
SEEKER SERVICE
Seekers service are for those who are looking for the fruit of the womb, jobs, or any other blessings from God. The bible lets know that those who seek and pray will receive from the Lord (Mark 11:24).This service is every Wednesday at 9 am. Those who attend the service usually bring three types of fruit, a bottle of water and a stick of candle. This service is filled with prayer and worship. This invites the Holy Spirit to join and intercedes for our prayers and worship to be accepted in heaven.
Sis. Antonia
USING OF HOLY WATER
The use of Holy water is highly important in celestial doctrine. Holy water is used for a sanctification of living and non-living things. It can be used to sanctify the church, car or person. It can sprinkle externally and it can be ingested in small quantities. As a celestial, you first contact with holy water starts from entrance of the church where there is holy water holder on both the men and women side prior to entrance of the church. Holy water is also used in sanctification of the church prior to beginning of the service. The church sanctification is reflected in numbers 8: v 6-7, when God commanded the Levite to sprinkle water on the Israelites to purify them. This correlates with the use of holy water to sanctify women when returns to church after their menstruation, when they use it to bath.
Sis. Foyin
USING OF SALT
In the book of Leviticus there are direct references to what is acceptable to be presented as offering to the Lord. It mentions that every meal offering should be seasoned with salt, additionally it mentions that salt can be used as offering ( Leviticus 2:13). As Celestian we are Salt of the world, salt can be used as a preservative to keep food from spoiling so we should influence souls in this world and not allow them to spoil. Salt also adds flavor to food so we are to add taste (meaningful positive contributions) to the lives of people we come across (Matthew 5:13).
"Asst Shepherd"
WASHING OF FEET
John 3:5 14-15, 2Kings 5:10-15, John 9:6-11, John 13: 1-15. Washing of feet is a spiritual exercise performed on Holy Thursday before resurrection Sunday. It is performed by an elder in the church to recreate Jesus washing the feet of his disciples before the last super. The symbolism of this exercise is to renew and cleanse your heart and soul so that you can be a behave like disciple of Christ. Our journey and walk with Christ is not as clean as God will like, this gives us an opportunity to cleanse our feet and soul so that we are reassured that Christ walks with us everywhere we go (John 13: 1-17). This exercise is also a lesson in humility because Jesus showed that nothing is beneath him to do as a servant of God. BRO. Sam Fasanmi
Bro Sam Fasanmi
