THE MINISTRY OF THE PASTOR IS A MINISTRY OF THE WATCHER.
THE NIGHT SEASON IS NOT FOR SLEEPING BUT TO RECEIVE THE NEXT PHASE OF GOD FOR YOUR LIFE.
sin DOES NOT TAKE YOU TO hellfire, THE REJECTION OF JESUS DOES.
THE LAST ATTACK YOU SUFFERED WAS AS A RESULT OF sin CONSCIOUSNESS, NOT sin.
ANYTHING THAT THE DEATH OF CHRIST CANNOT HANDLE DOES NOT EXIST.
CHRIST IS THE BEGINNING OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
ANY CHRIST THAT CANNOT TAKE CARE OF YOUR PAST IS NOT THE TRUE CHRIST.
YOU DON’T GO TO HEAVEN BECAUSE YOU ARE PERFECT. YOU GO BECAUSE YOU HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST.
MOST OF US ARE CELEBRATING WITHOUT THE CELEBRANT.
OUR BEHAVIOUR, ATTITUDE AND CHARACTER MAKES THE CELEBRANT DECIDE TO MISS THE CELEBRATION
-Bishop Wisdom Irabor at the Communion for Healing and Deliverances ||Answers Assembly, Warri ||First Service ||Christmas Service|| 25th December, 2022.
Amen. Celebrate Jesus. Jesus is the reason for the season. Luke Chapter 2.
What are we celebrating? Tell somebody you’re looking sweet, you are looking takeaway. Thank you for coming. The easiest thing to do this season is to backslide. For you not to have backslid, it means I have done well as a Shepherd. Many sheep have backslid this period, which is a minus on their Shepherd, but you are here in church this morning. Celebrate God again. Church Gist. Let’s honor Jesus as we stand to read Luke 2:8-14. If there is any testimony, just give me. No lapses. And if there is any testimony not yet registered, just leave it aside.
This is why Pastors don’t sleep. The ministry of the Shepherd is the ministry of the night season, it’s the ministry of the watchers. When you use the night season very well, you will always have encounters. They were watching in the night. When last did you see a vision? When last did you have an encounter? If there is no encounter, you are always abusing your night season. Your night season is always a sleeping season. Church Gist. The night season is not a sleeping season, it’s a season where you seize the spirit for the next phase of God for your life.
You will see armed robbers in heaven, you will see prostitutes in heaven. He died for all. You don’t go to hellfire because you commit sin, you go to hellfire because you reject Christ. Those who accept Christ, they still fall into sin. Sin doesn’t take you to hell, it’s your rejection of Christ. If you have committed sin this month, lift up your hands. If you have committed sin this year… I leave that one for Abel Damina and his group to teach. If I go that way, I will confuse you, so I don’t teach grace. If I teach grace, you will be confused. A lion is a lion even when his mouth is smelling. Even when a lion has not bathed, you don’t go and fight him and say Let me fight you, you have not bathed today. The last attack you suffered, it’s not because you sinned, it’s because you are conscious of sin. You are suffering from sin consciousness. Anything that the death of Christ cannot handle does not exist. Do you know what it cost God to die for you!
Please, let us appropriate His birth and His death. Appropriate it! Somebody put charm and you march it. Can Christ march it and the thing charm Christ? You don’t know what you carry. As He is in Heaven, so are we on earth. We have the God kind of life. We have the eternal life.
Luke 2:11. It is not where you are born, it is what you are born for. It’s not where they gave birth to you, it’s what you are born for. Church Gist. They say somebody swear for you, that’s why your life is like this. You don’t understand “goodwill towards men”. There is already a goodwill on your head that nothing can cancel. Church Gist.
I pray that this Christmas morning, may the purpose of His birth be made known in your life, in your situation, in your family, in your going out and in your coming in in the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen and amen.
Even if we end with this Scripture we have read, you should understand the import and the impact of Christmas. It’s beyond the things we do, it’s beyond the things we do. It’s a revelation.
Take your seats as we celebrate Christ with another Christ like clap offering. That man on the cross, why did he go to hell? Did he go to hell because he was a thief? Two of them were thieves. One thief (Pastor Kanayo, stand here.) Another thief (Pastor Amah, stand here.) You won’t steal in Jesus name. Two thieves. Thief Kanayo and Thief Amah. They have stolen all their lives, taking what is not their own all their life. Committed evil all their life. Amen? Killed people! Some murderers will make heaven. “I saw that man when I was living in Iyara. He came to steal, killed some people. That man living in Flat 7, next to Abraham. After he killed those people, he accepted Christ.”
Christ is the beginning of the rest of your life. The day you accepted Christ, you have never existed before. History is gone. That is the realm God wants us to live, but this your big head, you are always thinking bad, bad things. So when we are telling you the goodness and His mercies, you always think it’s not possible.
They looked at Kanayo. Kanayo, look at me. He said, Irabor is a fellow thief. They are killing Bishop Irabor like a thief. Nonsense. Me, I die the die wey I deserve. He said He is Savior of the world. Look at how you are dying. Me and you are dying the same thief die.
The other one looked at him and said, “I can seize this moment. This person, I am dying the death I deserve and this person is dying for me not to go to where I deserve to go. He was able to seize the moment and said, Master. All his life he had lived in sin, all his life he had killed people. All his life he had committed evil, but the last minute and the last second, he said “Master, if you will permit me to spend my life with you in paradise.”
Jesus did not open Book of records. 1985,you stole meat when your mother was cooking in the kitchen. Your mother was on the kitchen and you just collected the meat and ran. 1990, you committed your first sin. 1995, when you were writing Geography on your WAEC, it was too tough. They gave you ‘microchips’ and you wrote from that ‘expo’. Infact, what brought you to this death, you killed somebody last week.
Jesus never said that. Church Gist. All He said was, For believing that at this moment you can still make heaven despite all you have done, this is the reason why I am dying. You will spend the rest of your life with me in Paradise. History was aborted. Past, gone. Mistake, buried. All the things he did all through his life, completely taken care of.
Any Christ that cannot take care of your past, is not the true Christ. Church Gist. Any Christ that cannot completely wash you, wash your sins away, is not the true Christ.
At the end of the day, this one made heaven, this one went to hell.
They both had the same opportunity but one of them abused it, while one of them grabbed it.
This person that went to heaven, did he go because he never committed sin?
No.
He went to heaven because sin does not take you to hell. It’s your rejection of Christ that takes you to hell. You don’t go to heaven because you are perfect, you go to heaven because you have accepted Christ.
In fact, anyday you attain and obtain complete perfection, you will die that day. For you can never be perfect. You will constantly come under the speaking blood and the cleansing blood. Church Gist. The Psalmist said, For in sin did my mother conceive me. Even the thoughts of your heart, the evil thoughts, the things you wish people silently. You just wish that somebody dies, you just wish that something bad happens to somebody who left you. Church Gist. Somebody you don’t like, you just wish that this person, the way he is dressing fine, the way things are going with this person, why is it not me? I have never committed fornication, I have never committed immorality, I have never committed adultery. Thank you Mr man, thank you Mr woman.
He said even the thoughts on your heart, those who look lustfully. Not those who even commit it, that you look at somebody lustfully. Not that you like the person or you love the person, you just list after her. See the shape, my type. See the shape. You have committed sin.
Under that kind of kingdom, what can you do to help yourself? Other than accepting the gift He gave you, every gift of eternal life.. Job 31:1. I have made a Covenant with my eyes. Why? Never again will I look lustfully at a woman.
Jesus said, They said if you commit adultery that’s when you will go to hell. Church Gist. He said No, I didn’t say if you commit adultery alone. Even if you look lustfully at a woman.
I said this for you to know, you can appropriate, appreciate this gift he gave us. Thief Kanayo went to hell not because sin took him there, but he went to hell because he rejected the gift of Irabor (Jesus) that God gave him. Thief Amah went to heaven, not because heaven is only for thieves, but he accepted the gift of Christ that God gave to Him.
Have you accepted that gift?
Now go back as Pastors, not as thieves, in Jesus mighty name. Hallelujah. So is it very clear?
When the purpose of a thing is not known abuse is inevitable.
When you don’t know the purpose of Christmas, abuse is inevitable.
It was Myles Munroe of blessed memory who said that.
We are celebrating a celebration without the celebrant. Most of us are celebrating Christmas without the presence of the celebrant. It may be very difficult to believe but this is what we do.
Ese, HOD Choir 2023, stand up. She won the election last week. Even me, my candidate failed. My own candidate failed. Pastor Kanayo’s candidate failed. So you’re seeing that the election is free and fair.
Ese, today is your birthday, for example. Cake everywhere. Canopy, drinks, people are celebrating. They now say, let us welcome the celebrant, you are not there. They say you traveled. You refused to come. You said, the way they were dancing and behaving, you just chose not to come. If you are in that kind of celebration, how would you feel? That your behavior, your character, your attitude made the celebrant not to come.
We are celebrating Christmas, the celebrant is missing! The celebrant has never attended Christmas party. Christmas this, Christmas that.
You sleep with somebody’s wife, you say it’s Christmas. You do abortion, you say it’s Christmas. You go and fornicate, you say it’s Christmas. You sleep with people’s husbands, collect money and buy new cloth, you say it’s Christmas.
Where is the celebrant in the celebration?
Where is the celebrant in my celebration of Christmas?
That is why Christmas time, I am not under pressure because the celebrant cannot put me under pressure. Anybody who is always under pressure during Christmas does not understand the celebrant.
I did not buy anything, I said i won’t buy. This shoe, I bought it early this year, February, March and kept it. I said it’s Christmas shoe, I won’t wear it. I see this inner white, I love am, I buy am, I keep am. This suit, since September. I don wear this trouser two times, this is the third time. Christmas is not new things, it’s what you like to wear, wear.
For me now to go and be misbehaving because I want to buy new shoe, I want to buy new chinos. Nothing!
Don’t be under pressure.
Mama said they have brought bag of rice. I said, Bless Jesus. I won’t buy anything. We bless God for the bag of rice they have bought. Church Gist. Boil the rice, they can eat white rice without anything. The celebrant brought rice, won’t you thank Him? You’re not under pressure.
Then I heard somebody brought goat. I said, the rice now has goat. So the thing is going the way it should go. As I was carrying the goat to Pastor Kanayo for them to kill, I got a text: Daddy I’ve sent you 20,000 naira for Christmas. That is stew. Will I kill myself? I no buy. No pressure. The celebrant can’t put you under pressure. Church Gist.
As I woke up this morning, I saw something on my phone, that is money for drink and transport. Has the celebrant not done the Christmas? Don’t kill your self.
Celebrate the celebrant! He knows you! He won’t abandon you, He won’t forsake you.
What am I trying to say? No pressure.
Lift up your hand and say, I will not celebrate with the celebrant missing. I will celebrate in a way the celebrant will be visible, will be seen, will be conspicuously present.
We abuse it because we don’t understand the purpose of His birth.
The big question we are asking ourselves now: What are we celebrating?
1. We are celebrating God’s unconditional love to man. John 3:16.
I forgot, I forgot one. After rice don come, goat don come, stew don come, I got another alert. Mama , you remember? I showed Mama that one. Rice and stew, 100k. I told her to call and tell the person thank you.
I called the person and I told the person next time you want to write this thing, write : Rice, Stew, Egusi, Ogbono, Pounded yam, Cake, Drink and everything.
No pressure!
Some pastors are busy cursing members everywhere. Go to Facebook and see what they are typing. Anybody who doesn’t give me anything this year, I won’t pray for you next year. Who kept you alive to pray for them this year? If you die,will you pray? Church Gist. One pastor called me and said, I won’t see anybody again till January 10th. I’ve been seeing people since January this year.
I told him, Pastor calm down. I know where una dey get these things from. Those men have arrived. When they arrive, they will be talking nonsense. We know when they suffered, when they suffered in this life. When they suffered, they cannot say what you are saying now.
You can do counseling seven days, nobody will come . And the person who came he has options, he has alternatives so if he choose to come, it’s because he loves you. Romans 5:8. If I am waiting for you to die first before I repent, of what use is my death? My love is to make you want to serve me. My death is to make you hate sin like your poo poo.
I didn’t die because you stopped sin. I died for you to stop committing sin.
Willpower cannot win your destiny! Wheel power cannot wheel your destiny to position. It must crash. I tried willpower, I failed. I battled with masturbation as a young person. Church Gist. The thing was killing me.
God, the day I masturbate, may I die. I masturbated, I didn’t die. God, why didn’t you kill me? He said, if I kill you, who will preach the Gospel?
God, if I do it, may I be impotent. Who go born Omoye and the others?
I said God, there must be an answer. If I don swear for myself, I still Dey do am. I don take willpower, I still Dey do am.
He said, Understand my love. If you understand my love and what it cost me to die for you, you will hate sin naturally.
When you come into revelation of your new nature in Christ, revelation of His love that He showed you, you will tell yourself, I am a King’s kid. Why will I behave the opposite of the way a child of a king should behave? I will represent my constituency. I will represent the kingdom I belong – the child of a king does not behave this way. The child of a king does not poo poo this way. I will stop it. The thing died! When the deliverance came, I can’t even remember. You know why? The love of Christ!
2. We are celebrating God’s gift to man. Romans 8:32. 2 Corinthians 9:15. You can’t quantify it. There’s nothing you say that will be good enough to explain this gift He gave you.
Unconditional love is what we are celebrating. All these destiny helpers that are giving you condition – if you sleep with me, I will do it. That’s not unconditional love. Unconditional love means there was no price you paid, it was given to you free of charge.
3. We are celebrating God’s unspeakable joy in the form of a man. Luke 2:10. 1 Peter 1:8.
May this joy follow you all throughout this season!
Only one person said Amen.
4. We are celebrating God’s unfathomable peace. Isaiah 9:6. Philippians 4:7.
Christmas is the celebration of the life of the Prince of Peace and the God of Peace. You can only find peace in Christ, not anywhere outside Christ.
5. We are celebrating God’s presence that has come to stay with us. Matthew 1:23.
Everybody stand up as we read it together. Isaiah 7:14. Those are the two reference scriptures. When God says anything twice, it’s very important.
If you do Christmas, you celebrate Christmas and you miss His love, you miss His gift, you miss His joy, you miss His presence, you have abused Christmas. Church Gist. You don’t understand Christmas. You don’t understand the reason for the celebration.
I pray that these things we are celebrating shall be evident in your life, that of your family, that of your siblings, that of your children, that of your friends, that of your loved ones, that of your relations, that of your well wishers, that of members of your church, our partners and followers, our friends and our loved ones.
So shall it be. In Jesus mighty name!
Celebrate God with a clap offering. One minute wherever you are: Lord, thank You for coming to this world on my behalf.
We’ve talked so much about His death. Nobody can die if He was not first born. Thank You for coming to this world because of me.
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