Bishop David Oyedepo at March 2021 Leadership Empowerment Summit
- My Outreach team has brought 23,299 to Christ this year.
- Last Sunday, we had the privilege of having 644 of our converts of the week in Church.
- Don’t pose to God so you don’t get decomposed.
- God chose you, don’t ‘De-Choose’ yourself.
- You must win the prize of the test of Cell Growth and Replication this year.
- The hour to glorify you and me is not come except we begin to serve Him sacrificially, dedicatedly, selflessly
- That ‘hour’ for you is this year.
Many people are struggling for positions but what defines our placement in life is not the position given (to) us in a system but our stewardship.
Luke 22:27
James and John went appealing to Jesus, “give us position”
Jesus said: You missed it.
Our placement in life is not about ‘How Long’ but ‘How Commendable’:
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over very few things, now have thou authority over 10 cities” (Luke 19:17).
When God commends, He changes the level of the Commended.
-Everyone in our workforce as a Church worldwide this year will experience a change of level.
Lord, grace to earn your commendations: you won’t explain it, when you earn His commendation, it will change your position.
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. So Luke chapter 19 verses 17 to 19 plays on for eternity, plays on until Jesus returns.
You may earn my commendation; it is an accolade: “Well done. I mean you are working so hard. I am so impressed.” I can only be impressed and get you excited. Only He (God) commends and changes your position.
Prayer: Lord, grace to earn your commendation in my stewardship this year that will change my story openly, change my story dramatically, I receive it.
Go ahead and pray for it.
Grace to earn your commendation which is sure to change my story dramatically, grant it to me today, Jesus.
Watch: you are rewarded by the work of your hands in our natural system but God rewards you not just with what you do with your hands but what you do with your heart.
Jeremiah 17:10
I check your heart to ensure that it is line with what you are doing with your hand before I determine what you are entitled to.
Prayer: Lord, search me and know me; see if there is any wicked thing in my heart and lead in the way everlasting. I’ll like you to pray that prayer (Psalm 139:23-24)
Let my heart not block the rewards of my labour.
God does not reward in secret, He rewards openly. Pray that prayer from the depth of your heart, it’s your turn to be openly rewarded.
Many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14)
-Grace to be listed among the few, receive it today.
We understand from scriptures that out of 32,000 volunteers that showed up in Gideon’s army, only 300 made it (Judges 7:3). What a terrible fraction!
Many are called, but few are chosen.
Judges 7:1-7
Only 2 out of the 12 spies that were sent from Kadesh Barnea to spy the Promised Land made it through to their inheritance. 2 out of 12! (Numbers 14:1-10, 22, 31)
Many are called, but few are chosen.
In one of the parables of Christ, all that were invited to the feast in that parable missed their place through diverse excuses: All of them lost the privilege of being at that feast through diverse excuses (Luke 14:17-20).
They excused themselves out of that honour, the King that invited is the Lord, but they missed it. Church Gist. You won’t miss your place.
We saw the parable of the talents (Luke 19:13-21). He had 10 servants; He gave them His 10 pounds, 1 pound to each person. Only 2 made it out of the 10 (Luke 19:15, 17-19).
Many are called, but few are chosen.
Only 3 returned out of the 10: 2 returned to earn commendation, 1 got condemnation, 7 absconded with His talents, we can’t find them.
Many are called, but few are chosen.
-May you be listed among the chosen few.
Many are called, but few are chosen.
There was no mention of the 7, they disappeared into thin air, just vanished. Now if you check Luke chapter 19 verse 14, you can see the reason:
“We can’t have this man reign over us. They hated him.
1 pound: come and collect your pound from me; you’ll just be sending us up and down.”
You know why some get weary in doing what they are doing, they think they are serving me. I pity them.
A slave does not have slaves. I am born slave of Christ. If I ever try to drive you the way He drives me, ‘ehhnn’, only God knows where you will be. Church Gist. Only God can tell where you will be today.
“They hated Him” – seek you first the Kingdom of God
Response: We are not seeking, do your worst. Every day, every day, Matthew 6:33. For what? Is that the only verse in scripture?
“We can only be anything by the grace of God, we don’t have to do anything.”
You didn’t understand that scripture, “I am what I am by the grace of God but I laboured more abundantly to give value to that grace” (1 Corinthians 15:10).
Grace without labour equals disgrace. You can’t change it, “whatsoever a man sows that he shall reap.”
You can’t say because you have grace, you won’t sow. You won’t sow, you won’t reap.
“They hated Him, they hated His Word”: we are not doing anything, do your worst.
- Out of the 12 disciples of Christ, a number of them could not be found after Pentecost. You say, “where did they go?” I don’t know. There was no film that time, no video to show where they went but there was no reference to more than 7 or 8 of them. No reference anywhere!
Many are called.
But you say, “God said He gave them 12 thrones”
Yes, Judas was part of the 12 thrones, he lost it.
You say, “What of Matthias?”
He was man’s choice; it was Peter’s arrangement. There was no mention of Matthias anywhere after that election. I think Paul was the one that replaced Judas, he came last to the Apostolic company.
There are 12 thrones, who will occupy it is determined by who finishes well.
-The good news is that you must be listed among the few. Amen
Again, beware of hanging around with scorners, they can push you to a corner in the race of life.
Matthew 7:13-14
You might find 50,000; 70,000; 80,000 in this Church that don’t pray one Kingdom Advancement prayer item in their lives. They just collected the manual and put it where they put Church manuals.
“Yes, in our Church we are always printing prayer intercessory guidelines. I have all of them from Day 1 till now. Even when they do review, I collect.”
Never one day: My God, let every new convert in this Church be established in the faith – not once.
“Lord, save the lost”: You know Lord, I am very highly placed, I can’t go out. So Father, the people that are going out, bless them – not once.
Many are called, they hear the same thing Sir but few are chosen and the choice is made by them.
If they obey, by their choice to serve Him, they shall their days in prosperity and their years in pleasures (Job 36:11).
Choose ye this day: it is not that God will come down, ‘I choose you to serve me, you go home’
Whom ye shall serve, Joshua said but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).
Many are called but few choose to serve.
“They should even come and carry their WSF out of my house. I don’t want many people here”
Is it not God’s fault who built you a house?
-May God not regret over anyone of you. Amen.
You say, “I don’t want them to be stepping on the carpet”. So they should be floating in the air?
“Excuse me Cell Minister, tell them to put off their shoes when they are coming in”
Leave that place Sir, NOW! Doing what there? Giving God condition to use what He gave you?
CAUTION!
In the Abrahamic covenant we don’t pet, we command (Genesis 18:19)
He won’t pet them like Eli petted his sons and they met their waterloo. He won’t overlook what they do wrong as Samuel did over his children and the priesthood lost the throne in Israel. Church Gist.
-May the blessing of hosting the ark of testimony in your houses release a downpour of testimonies on your life and family.
Don’t pose to God so you don’t get decomposed.
Don’t try it.
“If I were not a Cell Minister, I know where I would be. There is an event going on in Ibadan, I should be there. There is one in Abuja as I am talking right now but today is Saturday, what can I do?
Welcome, take your Bible. Today, we won’t spend time because I have a lot of things to do.”
-No one’s life here will suffer a reverse.
-Your life shall not suffer a reverse.
Only those who honour God are honoured by God. Those who see God as a burden, they miss out of rewards of their service. Get excited.
God chose you, don’t ‘De-Choose’ yourself. Don’t make God regret that He placed you over a Cell. Wake up and work.
Beware of hanging around with scorners lest they push your destiny to a corner. Caution!
Narrow is the gate that leads to life and very few there be that find it but broad is the way, everybody is walking on it (Matthew 7:14)
Is it not true that you have 22 people playing on a football pitch and 22,000, “yea, yea, a goal.” 11 or 22 and then 22,000: cheering, exclaiming “Yea, oooh, haah.”
Only 22 have a right to any prize, the other 22,000 are just there to be entertained by the prize winners.
-That is not you and that must not be you in the name of Jesus Christ.
But you know as much as I do that we don’t pass exams in groups, do we? Do we pass exams in groups?
Okay, all of you are As. Do you have any such class? No
We pass exams as individuals (Isaiah 51:2)
Look to Abraham, I called him alone. When he was going to write his test, he wrote it alone. He wrote that final test and then earned generational blessing upon his lineage for life (Genesis 22:1).
We don’t pass exams in groups; we pass as individuals.
Like I said in the second segment, Church Gist refuse to be lost in the crowd.
We don’t win prizes in a race in groups, we win prizes as individuals.
-You must win the prize of the test of Cell Growth and Replication this year and it will earn you a clear cut commendation from Heaven that will deliver to you open order of rewards that nobody will ask, “have you been rewarded?” They will all see it together.
Beware of hanging around those who are going nowhere so you can get to where you are going!! Beware.
Remember, God is always searching for a man and not a crowd (Ezekiel 22:30).
One Man, Nehemiah was instrumental in the hand of God to restore the dignity and the colour of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:4-5).
He heard of the crisis, he got into prayers and fasting. He approached the king with his life in his hand and everything turned for him. One man. As you get engaged in seeing things turn for God’s Kingdom.
By Nehemiah chapter 5 verse 14, he was appointed governor over them: no election.
Joseph was not elected, God appointed him.
Remember the story of Esther, “if I perish, I perish, I must not be alive to watch the Jews crushed.” After 3 days of prayers, she appeared before the king, contrary to the rules and favour bellowed on her. The king pointed the golden scepter and then she came in (Esther 5:2-4)
She said, “thank you Lord”: I want to prepare a banquet for you and I want Haman to be there.
King: Haman, my very good right hand person. Haman, good news!
Haman: What is it?
King: Queen Esther is preparing a banquet and only you and me.
Esther 5:5
I can imagine Haman whistling, to his death.
One woman stood up with her life in her hand and now, her name is down in history forever.
-Somebody is here, something unthinkable will come out of your dedication to this cause this year.
One little David went ahead against Goliath to get the shame off the army of the Lord (1 Samuel 17:48). He brought Goliath down and they began to sing the same day, “Saul has slain his one thousand and David his ten thousand” (1 Samuel 18:6).
“You are more than 10,000 of us” repeated again (2 Samuel 18:3).
-There are many people here today who will be more than 10,000 than what they could ever be naturally. By being all out in serving God and the interest of His Kingdom with utmost delight.
We must continue to be reminded that everyone shall be rewarded according to his own labour, not their own labour (1 Corinthians 3:8).
John 21:21-22
Peter: “Lord and What shall this man do?”
Don’t let that bother your life sir, Jesus said unto him, “if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me”, my friend. Church Gist. Whatever I tell you to do, keep doing it, don’t bother about what somebody else is doing. Keep doing what I am telling you to do.
All those testimonies we are sharing, are people who single themselves out to pursue after God until others are saying, “your own is too much. Are you Papa? You can’t be Papa no matter what you do.”
Just be making comments. There are commentators in every race: Yes Number 11 move now, go. They don’t get prizes. I have never heard of the Best Commentator in the world. Okay what will that mean? Only in his career!
They don’t get nothing.
Don’t be a Linesman that is flagging his flag: foul, come, throw.
That is not how to be a prize winner, you get to the pitch and play.
“What shall this man do?” Forget it. Any man chooses what he wants to do and what he won’t do.
Follow what I tell you (John 21:21). Keep at what my assignment is in your hand. That’s all you need.
What this man shall do is his cup of tea; what he refuses to do is his cup of tea!
Our individual stand is what determines our outcome in the race of life (1 Corinthians 9:24-26).
“So run that ye may obtain”: sir, nobody’s position on this earth will ever, ever outgrow his quality of stewardship. Never.
Jesus got to the highest because of the depth of the quality of His stewardship. Not this fancy talking thing.
“I’ve made 10 talents more” – well done, have thou authority over 10 cities (Luke 19:17).
“I have made 5 talents more” – well done, thou good and faithful servant. Have thou authority over 5 cities (Luke 19:19).
No one’s rating in the Kingdom will ever outweigh the quality of their stewardship, their productivity in stewardship, their fruitfulness in stewardship.
That my son was pushing hard with his 3 members of his team, I’m sure all of them have their testimonies and pushed that cell to 41 people. Replicated 3 times in 3 months and God said, “now, go to American Embassy”
“Hehnn, ‘emi’ (me). American Embassy, what will I tell them?” He walked up there and said, “Hello, do you have any program for people like me to study in America.”
Even to say “come in”, God must be there. To say, “come in” in that embassy, you know God must be there. Without anybody holding you by the hand.
Yes, come in Can we help you?
Yes, I want to find out if there is any program?
Come in!
God always decorate those who serve Him productively. Church Gist. You end up decorated, the circumstances notwithstanding.
Like a joke, “Okay, fill this form. The following Universities offer…”
Some walked out of that meeting, I believe, “How can you say that I have failed? I am not a failure. I refuse to confess that”
If you don’t replicate, okay have you succeeded? The target is replicate and you say you have not failed. Okay what have you done?
Not that they said you failed. You are the one who failed. If you get 39 percent, is that a pass mark? 21 percent, is that a pass mark? Then you say, “I won’t say I have failed.” You said so.
Let the Word of God suit you sir. Don’t pose as if you know better than God. God is saying, I want to change your story within 3 months.
You say, “leave me, leave my story.”
Did he change Matthew’s story or not? He did and many others.
-He will change your story.
-He will change it openly. He will change it dramatically. He will change it speedily.
-God will change your story.
So it is not God who chooses, it is we who choose. Many are called but few to serve (Matthew 22:14). Many are called but few choose to be steadfast in their stewardship.
Many are called but few choose to be result driven in their stewardship.
Many are called but few engage diligently in their stewardship.
Many are called but few choose to be sacrificial in their engagement.
It is all our choice!! But choosing to serve diligently, you will stand before kings and not before mean men (Proverbs 22:29).
Daniel 12:3
There is no star without a scar and the scar of every star is sacrifice. Serving God sacrificially brings out the star in you, to your world.
Somebody said, “are we not preaching the same thing, how come that we are not getting the same result?”
Are we doing the same thing? should be the question.
A Professor of Agriculture, specialist in crop production who has no farm, well can he reap harvest from his papers? He has done extensive research on ways to improve the yield of maize. It has been proven in the laboratory, but he has no farm. Let him go to his laboratory and be eating his compounds and acid.
That is the same thing with preachers who don’t do what they preach. There is no way they will reap any harvest! They are professing the Word but they are not practicing the Word.
-The good news is the fact that few are chosen, it is not God that chooses, it is we who choose.
Many are called. Everyone that is called, is called to be justified. Everyone justified is called to be glorified. So we choose whether to hang on in obeying God to move from salvation to justification and justification to glorification. We make that choice.
Everyone called and justified, is justified to be glorified.
The hour that the Son of man to be glorified is come (John 12:23). This is what makes that hour a reality: John 12:24-26
The hour to glorify you and me is not come except we begin to serve Him sacrificially, dedicatedly, selflessly: then the hour steps in.
-That ‘hour’ for you is this year.
-No one will see any trace of shame around you and your family. Amen.
-No one here shall bear the reproach of sickness and disease again.
-No one here shall bear the reproach of business and career failure again.
The hour has come but this is what must happen for you to actualise the blessedness of the hour.
-The good news is this, there is no testimony that you have ever heard here, in the last 40 years thereabout that will not be replicated in its multiplied form in the life of anyone who is set for it this year.
-This shall be a year of multiplication of the grace of God upon this Commission and you will not miss your own.
The hour is here but sacrifice is what facilitates it and makes it a reality.
The hour for your change of story is here but sacrifice is what will make it a reality.
The hour for you to be glorified is here, that’s why this demand is coming, to bring you to that season.
I have zero regrets for pursuing Jesus this hard.
A.W Tozer told me in his book, 1977, “my soul followeth hard after thee oh God and thy right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63:8) and the Holy Ghost said to me, same hour, “the harder you follow Me, the higher you fly.” I got it, I swallowed it, I am working on it: I am not tired working on it.
Whatever God says to me just suits me.
You may think it is hard, but I enjoy. I have absolute delight in pursuing it.
Give God thanks for the encounter today. The choice is mine to be listed among the few.
To make it through the narrow and strait gate, the choice is mine.
To move from justification to glorification, the choice is mine.
For the star in me to stand up in the sky, the choice is mine.
In Jesus precious name we have prayed.
Well, do you know the good news here, God never tells you what you can do, He only tells you to do what He wants to do through you
“How shall we work the works of God?” (John 6:28)
Who are you to work the work of God? The work of God is to believe on Him, to work it through you (John 6:29)
Faithful is He that calleth you who also will do it as you allow Him by believing in Him (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
I know we had no capacity to build Faith Tabernacle. I knew because I have the reports of what they have.
When He said He will build it, I believed it; we came here: This is what you said You will build. We have laid the lines, over to You, be building it. Over to You.
Sir, He dazed us because only His hand can do His work.
-You won’t fail.
That Cell must grow and replicate within 7 weeks. The God of Heaven, He will build it through you.
-The God of all wisdom will give you the creativity required to make it happen.
-The God of all truth will cause to triumph without sweat.
Within the next 7 weeks, that Cell has exploded.
I decree the stirring up of the spirit of every member of every cell right now (Haggai 1:14).
I decree the stirring up of all members of every cell for this explosive Cell Growth and Replication to be delivered within 7 weeks.
Some Cells here will replicate twice in the name of Jesus.
The God of Heaven who called a stammerer to lead a major oratory task, He will help you.
The effect will be an explosion in every Church. The growth of the Cell will lead to explosive growth of the Church in the name of Jesus and so shall it be.
Expect your open rewards in return!!!
Expect to be decorated in return
Expect to earn His commendation this time.
Expect that commendation to change your level supernaturally and so shall it be.
Men and brethren, as one set over this Assembly, I will like to let you know this hour that our team has brought 23,299 to Christ this year.
Last Sunday, we had the privilege of having 644 of our converts of the week arrive in Church. That is 124 of the week, 119 of the previous week, 401 of the week that preceded. All of it, 644 in Church.
Daniel 12:3
-I see a Church of Stars.
-I see a star on the forehead of each of you.
Unto whom much is given, much is required. I’m not asking you to go and do this much but do the much that grace has granted you right now.
Everybody is chosen to bring forth fruit. When you say fruits, minimum 2. Work
“Oh the Church is far”: Is the Cell far?
There are people up and down in the Cells where you are. Have you ever said, “Jesus loves you. Join us, pray with us. We pray for people here and God answers.”
Have you ever really prayed: Lord, reap the harvest of this street for our sake.
Things will happen. Engage your heart (Jeremiah 30:21).
That means captains in their various areas of endeavour. Expect that happen in this awesome hour of divine visitation.
Receive grace to deliver maximally within the next 7 weeks.
Grace to work the works of your Heavenly Father to the point of commendation, receive it right now.
Grace to access your open rewards in return, receive it right now.
Grace to be openly dedicated in your stewardship, receive it now.
Grace to remain steadfast after one change of level to another, to another, to another; receive it now.
Grace never to suffer a reverse anymore in your life, receive it now.
I proclaim your families blessed; the works of your hands blessed.
I proclaim every House Provider blessed, every house location blessed, in the name of Jesus.
As you gather multitudes to Him, your honour season begins right now (Proverbs 14:28)
Shame and reproach will never be named with you or your family.
BE BLESSED. In Jesus precious name
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