HOW ACCESS TO DIVINE INSTRUCTION SAVED US WHEN WE WERE ASKED TO MOVE OUT OF OUR CHURCH FACILITY BACK THEN IN KADUNA
THE WORST CHALLENGE IN MINISTRY IS SPIRITUAL DEAFNESS AND BLINDNESS
VISION IS NOT A ONCE AND FOR ALL AFFAIR BUT A ONCE AND AGAIN UNFOLDING OF DIVINE PLAN IN PROGRESSION
CAUTIONS FOR MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL
NOTHING CAN BE MORE FRUSTRATING THAN SELF DECEPTION. MIND YOUR PERSONAL WALK WITH GOD
SOMEONE ASKED ME ‘HOW DO YOU GET THINGS DONE SO CHEAPLY IN THIS MINISTRY?’ I SAID WE DO NOTHING EXCEPT IT IS COMMANDED.
STOP COMPARING YOURSELF WITH ANYBODY ELSE. RUN YOUR OWN RACE.
WITHOUT GOD’S BACKING IMPACT IN MINISTRY IS IMPOSSIBLE.
GOD NEVER LEADS BACKWARDS. HE ALWAYS LEADS FORWARD.
YOU CAN’T RUN MINISTRY AS INDUSTRY AND MAKE ANYTHING OUT OF IT
– Bishop David Oyedepo on “MINISTRY IS AN ADVENTURE IN VISIONS AND REVELATIONS” || NEXT LEVELS ||International Ministers conference 2023 || Covenant University Chapel || Day Two Morning session || 10th May, 2023
One can’t be fake and not know. You can’t be genuine and not know. No man knows the things of a man except the Spirit of God that is in him. 2 Corinthians 13:5. Let’s remain true to ourselves because everyone is absolutely responsible for the outcome of his life. God does not bless groups, he blesses individuals. Church Gist. He does not honour groups, he honours individuals. Psalm 75:6; 1 Corinthians 3:8. Let’s mind our personal walk with God – that’s where our future lies. Ministry is not politics. Isaiah 51:2-3. Let’s mind our personal walk with God – it is the key to our glorious destinies in Christ.
Nothing can be more frustrating than self deception. Church Gist. People may pity you for someone who may have deceived you but when you start deceiving yourself, who cares?
I will be speaking to this very important subject which I have captioned, “MINISTRY IS AN ADVENTURE IN VISIONS AND REVELATIONS.” I’ll take for a text, Isaiah 42:18-25. The worst challenge in ministry is spiritual deafness and blindness. It makes ministry a miserable adventure. Vision is not a once and for all affair; it’s a once and again affair. Church Gist. He unfolds his plan little by little, phase by phase, not all at the same time. So when one is spiritually deaf and blind, he gets grounded. It begins by being stagnated, frustrated and grounded.
Every vision is a spiritual seed. We can’t start in the Spirit and end in the flesh. Church Gist. He does not only show us what to do, he also shows us how to do it.
Let me start by putting some caution here: – Beware of guess work – it doesn’t fly in ministry. Lamentations 3:37. Church Gist. There are many who are just swimming against the tides, pursuing after what is not commanded, so they just keep exerting energy. Romans 8:14.
– Beware of putting words into God’s mouth as Balaam did. Jeremiah 23:21; Numbers 21:12-23.
– Beware of leading yourself. You don’t have the capacity for it, I don’t have it for it. Proverbs 3:5-6; Proverbs 14:12. We don’t have capacity to lead ourselves in ministry.
– Beware of following your passion because your future is in his plan not in your plan. I learnt that lesson longest time. Jeremiah 29:11 (RSV). Church Gist. The Lord said to me, “My son, your future is not in your plan; your future is in my plan.”
– Beware of following the vogue or trend of the hour. Abide in your calling. Settle down with your assignment, your future is in it.
– Run your own race. 1 Corinthians 9:24-26; Hebrews 12:1-2.
Vision is not a once and for all affair but a once and again unfolding of divine plan in progression. 2 Corinthians 12:1; Galatians 2:2. We saw the progression of the ministry of Moses:
First, his landmark vision as he met and had an encounter with the burning bush, then the scenes of appearances and instructions all the way till he got to the borders of Canaan – “And God said to Moses…” Church Gist. When we can’t hear what God is saying, next level is not in view.
Think of the ministry of Christ, our perfect example. John 5:19-20, 30. So hearing and seeing is key to next levels. John 8:29.
– I pray for the healing of every form of spiritual deafness and blindness!
We also have the ministry of Paul, he had his landmark vision on the way to Damascus. Church Gist. Thereafter, we saw him walking in vision all the way till he finished his course. 2 Timothy 4:7. Visions and revelations of the Lord!
We change levels in ministry through access to what God is showing and saying per time. Proverbs 4:13; Deuteronomy 5:32-33. We need access. We had a very interesting experience in Kaduna. We had a site that was under construction and we had an embarrassment from the Landlady of our Church facility that we should move. Church Gist. The natural thing was, “Look, let’s quickly make something out of that place and move there.” The Lord said to me, “Should this Church move to that place, that will be the end of this ministry.” The ministry would have packed up in 1989 if there was no access to that instruction. It was the normal thing to do but not the right thing to do. So, many many ministries have been stunted and grounded because of spiritual deafness and blindness.
Everybody has access. I know my sheep and they know my voice. The same way you heard your calling you can hear His directives. We are coming into that. Should this Church move to that place, that would be the end of this ministry. No guesswork. Do you know how humourous God is? He led us to a 13-acre property in the centre of the city. We move from glory to glory in ministry through the channel of visions and revelations. No guesswork. Visions and revelations of the Lord. Because God can speak to us at any time, show us whatever He wants to at any moment and anywhere. Church Gist. We must maintain a close watch in the spirit at all times to maximize our heritage of next levels. I was in the car when God said “The harvest of Africa is now overripe, rush in and preserve it from decadence.” May 4 1994, tired and weary after ministering in a Church in Zaria and on our way back to Kaduna. I was in the bathroom when God said “Arise, get down to Lagos and raise me a people”. ‘I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day and I heard’ (Revelation 1:10) but here you are DSTV 24 hours, CNN, Aljazeera, BBC, SKY, junk all day long.
No one in ministry will ever outgrow divine direction. When God stops leading, the way forward is blocked. Growing impact in ministry is largely a function of sensitivity to the move of the Spirit of God. Every time the cloud moved, they moved, when the cloud settled, they settled. Numbers 9:15-23. Every movement signalled by the Holy Spirit is a forward movement. God never leads backwards. He always leads forward. Tell them to go forward. God is an ever-forward leading God. We just need to pick the signal. Every time we run with His directives or instructions, He backs up His Word to confirm it. 1 Kings 8:15. 1 Thessalonians 5:24. Church Gist. You can’t lack His hand on whatever He has commanded when you believe, receive and engage with it. ‘Arise, get down to Damascus’. He moved our ministry from Ilorin to Kaduna. Next level! Now, ‘arise, get down to Lagos and raise me a people.’ He moved the ministry to another level in Lagos. Now, this is the place. He moved us into this forest. You can’t hear, you can’t go forward. That is why I believe that among the things you are taking away from here is the capacity to pick what God is saying to do per time. So you can be free from the horror of guesswork.
One day, The Lord came to me and He said “I the Lord of Wonder Double is visiting you” – May 2nd 2015. It turned the fortune of our ministry forever. It changed everything like a dream of the night. Between that May 2nd and July 26th the Church literally multiplied by 2. Over a hundred thousand people. That is how valuable access to His instructions can be. Wake up! You can’t run ministry as industry and make anything out of it. Plan project, No! There is nothing wrong in planning but commit thy way to the Lord. Trust in Him and He will direct thy steps. Let Him have it. There was no way that you can make us plan to plant 5000 churches in a year. Church Gist. There is no planning mechanism that can accommodate that. David, I am planting 5000 churches this year. God said He will plant 5000 churches and He did. And I said, okay now let’s do our own planning. We can’t plant any church this year because we need to establish the one we have planted. He said you are planting 10,000 churches this year and He did. That is the speed and access to power that is in access to the voice of the Lord. We won’t plant that forever.
We have been a cell church for a long time in our ministry. As a student of Yonggi Cho I learnt that along with my studies. Right now we have gone near 20,000 and He just came up in 2021 ‘You are doubling the number of cells this year’ Church Gist. What? Double all that we have been doing all our years? and He did. He did! Access to the voice of His Majesty establishes supernatural change of levels.
God will only go with us as we follow His plan and purpose for us, not our plan. We experienced some humour last year. God said you are entering 75 new nations this year as a commission. Then, He gave us 83 new nations in one year because He said so and you heard so, you believed so, you operated and acted so and God confirmed it. Church Gist. It is not projection, it is direction. That is coming to visions and revelations of the Lord. Someone has asked me before, how do you get things done so cheaply in this ministry? I said we do nothing except it is commanded.
Note that God will never back up any self-styled, contentious or competitive vision of anyone. We just heard that before the last teaching was over. Stop comparing yourself with anybody else. Run your own race. Without God’s backing impact in ministry is impossible. Change of levels is impossible. We were on a failed mission to Kumasi for six years, we went on our own. We were not led to. Six years of no imprint. Church Gist. Three crusades were held in that place without any effect. I don’t go to any place to hold crusades to start a church. Never! Everything that could be invested was invested but there was no imprint. Without God’s backing impact in ministry is impossible. Change of levels is not feasible. By strength shall no man prevail.
How to access visions and revelations in the pursuit of ministry.
1. Be spiritual.
1 Corinthians 2:14. Be spiritually minded. Church Gist. Be spiritually cloaked. Romans 8:6.
2. Be a man and a woman of the Spirit.
Habakkuk 2:1. Revelation 4:1. Come out of the flesh into the spirit and I will show you the things that will grow tomorrow. Church Gist. Revelations 1:10. Be a man or a woman of the Spirit to pick what God is saying and showing per time.
Something humorous happened here on October 21, 2002. Well, before we embarked on the Covenant University project after the Federal Government gave us the license, I said, “Jesus, if it is not you tell me and I will tear this paper right now. I don’t want to add anything to your assignment in my life.” Church Gist. I heard him say, “It is I” – straight – February 12, 2002. Then he did something unusual and I am going to show you that later. In 7 months he completed all facilities needed to house 1,500 students, facilities for lectures, facilities for offices, road network – everything in 7 months! No debt, no pressure because he commanded it. When we were dedicating it, we got to the gate after dancing round the way we do like mad people, he said, “Hand it over to me now.” I said how? He said, “lay down flat before me at this gate at the bare floor.” I did. Jesus took over from that day, October 21, 2022, no sweat, rise in temperature, no pressure, we were running Covenant University as running a primary school. Zero pressure just by picking Heaven’s signals.
– My prayer for us is, change of level is not by struggling and sweating, striving, simply following. Mark 1:17. Pick what I am asking you to do, follow accordingly and leave the rest to me.
Be a man or woman of the Spirit. Revelation 1:10; Habakkuk 2:1-2. “On the watch” means be in the Spirit. “On the tower” means engaging prayers.
– Be committed to walking in the Spirit. Galatians 5:25. Church Gist. He can come across to us at any point in time – bathroom, washroom, dining table, anywhere.
4. We must be committed to searching of Scriptures because mostly, God speaks to us through His Word. Psalm 29:3-11. God’s word (voice) is resident in His Word. Isaiah 34:16. Church Gist. There is the voice of God behind every statement of Scriptures. Most of the time when we are asking God questions he answers us from his Word. He responds to us from His Word.
We have such a time today around the world. Very simple! I was in Acts 8:4 and he said, “This is your mission to the world.” Simple! It was not, “thus saith the Lord” from the sky. Church Gist. It was right from Scriptures. Today by his grace we are close to 150 nations of the world today!
5. Be committed to a life of prayer and fasting. Jesus was praying and there came Moses and Elijah. Church Gist. They were speaking to him concerning the matters of the Kingdom. So we hear from God on the prayer altar. Jeremiah 33:3.
Two quick examples:
When I began to feel a pull towards Kaduna I said to my wife, “Come let’s pray. What is God saying? Are we moving?” So we knelt down to pray and the Lord said, “Stand up from the altar of prayer. Church Gist. Take your Bible.” I took my Bible and Scripture leapt – I didn’t flip any page – Acts 22:10. I said Lord what shall I do? The Lord said, “Arise, get down to Damascus …” Isaiah 58:6.
We were in prayers: “Why is this Church not growing?” The Lord said, “Stand up and follow me.” March 1984. He gave me 4 keys to unending Church growth. Putting Scriptures together not by human computation. Opened my eyes and I saw a layer of thick darkness on the roof. Church Gist. He said that is the blind folding weapon the enemy is using to misinterpret what I am doing in this Church. I said, you foul spirit of darkness get off that roof! There’s a light that shines in darkness and darkness cannot handle. I saw it folded like a carpet .
“Send now. When I came into the world, someone had to tell someone ‘come and see.’ Go to town and tell them to come and see what I, Jesus, is doing in this Church.” So we began our Come and See mission, March 1984. We are still on Come and See mission today, we are still on Prayer and Fasting today.
“Keep sowing the seed and as the grass grows, the sheep will come for it. Keep teaching live applicable Word.” John 10:10. We began to do that. “Keep the grass green and the sheep will lie down there.” Church Gist. By his grace we have one of the most stable Church institutions in the world. You can’t shake it, can’t break it, God is the one building it. Built on the Word! Jeremiah 33:3.
6. Stay in love with God: He shows you things afar off. There are quite some short sighted people and long sighted people but every minister is ordained an eagle. Eagles are far sighted birds. Church Gist. Eagles can sight anything threat to their nest 5 miles away. It is the love of God that makes a believer to become a far sighted Saint.
Look at David, a man after God’s own heart: Acts 2:29-30. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10. How deep our love is with God determines how far sighted we become.
Paul the Apostle went to the third Heaven – that’s quite some distance. Romans 8:35. A love addict of Christ, he saw to the end.
7. Engage a lifestyle of praise. Psalm 89:15. Without a joyful heart you cannot access joyful sounds. Church Gist. Isaiah 30:29-30. Many of us are so cumbered with issues, complaining about everything thereby blocking our access to the joyful sound.
We had a challenge some time; we were going on our way to Kaduna. We were in Lokoja and there was breakdown of our vehicle. It has a right to breakdown because it is quite a vehicle. We struggled to get a way back to Kaduna that night through any means but we couldn’t get it. A friend of mine compelled us to stay in his home and we stayed there. I told the young people with me and said, “Hey, if you wake up one minute after 4:30am you will trek to Kaduna. So, put your back on the bed and your leg on the floor so that anytime you want to turn, you will wake up.” Church Gist. As I laid up that night he said, “I will yet multiply your greatness and comfort you on every side.” It was so soothing. Psalm 71:21.
Maintain your joy, gratitude to God under all circumstances. He will cause his glorious voice to be heard which will change your level and move you forward. Isaiah 30:30.
HOW DO I PROVE THE VALIDITY OF ANY HEAVENLY VISION?
1 Thessalonians 5:21. Watch out for the following:
1. Divine peace that passes all knowledge: if God is the one leading, he speaks peace. Psalm 85:8. Church Gist. Every divine agenda is accompanied with peace.
2. Watch out for divine insight: Isaiah 48:17. When God leads, he provides the needed insight to drive at the task. Church Gist. I saw that vividly at the founding of Covenant University – unusual insights, original insights, uncopied. He does not only lead the way to go, he teaches how to get there.
So when you claim God is leading you and you’re confused, check it.
3. Watch out for supernatural favour: when God is leading in any direction his favour shows up. Like we saw in Nehemiah. Nehemiah 2:8. Church Gist. God’s good hand is upon all his plans and his good hand is what facilitates favour. Psalm 44:1-3. God’s hand of favour is always evident on his plan.
We saw favour on this land o. People were willing to sell even their own houses. They were willing to sell anything. Psalm 44:3.
When he said, “Arise get down to Lagos” and we came, we got all the facilities within the same area within 2 weeks – walking distance. Where the Church was, was 7 years unused. Church Gist. Where our house was, was 5 years locked up. Where the staff will stay was just there being completed – 6 flats all in one moment.
4. Watch out for unquenchable drive in the pursuit of the subject matter. If God is the one, there is a drive. Church Gist. Habakkuk 2:3. There is a running that comes with every divine agenda. You’re tirelessly in pursuit of it.
God said he will build the Faith Tabernacle in one year. We moved in the following day. He said it on Sunday, we were here on Monday. Church Gist. It was not in our plan but here is God’s plan and there’s a drive that came along with it. If it lacks a drive, check it. Judges 6:14.
5. Watch out for the liberty of the Spirit: are you tensed up within, check it. 2 Corinthians 3:17. Acts 20:22-23.
6. Divine refreshing: Psalm 23:3.
WHEN WE GET IT RIGHT, WE EXPERIENCE THE FOLLOWING:
1. God goes before us. John 10:4-5; Isaiah 45:1-3. Church Gist. He goes before the led to clear the barriers for them.
2. He goes with the led.
When God leads, He goes with you. In delivering the Great Commission, he said “Lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world”. Church Gist. When you are on God’s agenda, He goes with you. Hebrews 13:5. Psalm 23:1-6. He goes with you. If God be for us, who can be against us?
3. He works with us
Mark 16:20. He sent them and they went and He was working with them. He goes before us, He goes with us and He works with us. Church Gist. Paul may plant, Apollo may water but it is God that gives the increase. So He gives the increase.
4. He works through us.
This is why those who are working in pursuit of a divine plan look like extraordinary people. No! These are the factors that make them unique. There is nothing extraordinary about any man, it is the extraordinary God behind the man that makes the ordinary man look extraordinary. Church Gist. God goes before them, God goes with them, God works with them, God works through them. Philippians 2:13. John 14:10.
5. He works for us.
When we come to our wit’s end and we don’t know what to do anymore. He works for us. 1 Thessalonians 5:24. If I don’t know anything in my life, I do know that what we saw at Faith Tabernacle was God taking over the construction two months to the time. He literally supernaturally took it over. We became observers. No single door, two months to the time. The roof was not completed, yet power came, water came and we even planted flowers. Church Gist. Awesome God! He took over. He works for us. That is what makes men that are following God’s agenda appear unique. That is you. From now on you won’t go through the struggles that others go through anymore.
Listen to this and it will help you! We flagged off the plan for the 100,000 sanctuary at Shiloh. I have learnt from the Lord to secure marching orders for any assignment. Lord, we are set, awaiting marching orders. We had gone to do the soil test, they had done the clearing, they had done the marking. Lord, I am waiting for the marching order. Silence! Lord, we are still waiting, Silence. At one point, He said ‘Speak no more to me on this matter until I speak to you if I need to.’ Please make you no vex. I heard Him not that somebody told me. I heard Him by myself. He held it down for three years plus. He is God. He has the right to do anything He wants. But when He came on it Sir, we didn’t know anything going on. Church Gist. It is so humorously humorous we don’t know anything is going on at all at all. The most humourous project I have ever seen in my life. That up till now the Church is yet to raise an offering. Air conditioners have arrived, escalators and elevators are coming in in their torrents. Do you know why? They are paid for. The roof on ground, why? They are paid for. He makes all things beautiful in His time. Please watch it, your times are not in your hands. Psalm 31:15. You know why I am saying this? Great things are going to start happening in your various ministries but he committed, be dedicated, be addicted to following His leadings. That way you will not overexert yourself unduly. Something is breaking forth.
In closing, every true vision alleys all fears. From all I have said earlier, every true vision alleys all fears. Psalm 23:4. Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil. You saw how Moses invaded Egypt. Fearlessly so and untouchable so. Every true vision alleys all fears. Every true vision imbues confidence, not self-confidence but confidence in God. Philippians 3:3. Paul said I was not disobedient to the heavenly calling. Unusual confidence. Galatians 1:15-16. Unusual confidence always accompanies every true vision. Can you imagine God coming to me and saying to me on a Saturday morning, ‘It is time to get the Aircraft’ Life! I was in my study, getting ready to move into the service for that breakthrough seminar /Impartation Service. I had no idea of aircraft, no idea of any name, no idea of cost, no idea of anything. But I saw Him walk into my room and tell me it is time to get the Aircraft and I told my beloved son, God just spoke to me that it is time to get the Aircraft. Church Gist. He said ‘Praise the Lord’. Is that all you can say? He can’t say otherwise. I got to the meeting and I said “God told me, it is time to get the aircraft. You can give as you are able. God is not in need. If you give according to what you have, it is acceptable not according to what you have not.” Is that how to raise an aircraft? What is the cost? No cost. Sir we never mentioned it one more time and we got the aircraft. Unusual confidence usually accompanies every true vision. When God said to me, this is the place. It didn’t look like it at all but I already saw the place as the place because God said so. When you are dillydallying up and down, check it.
Finally, every true vision secures divine presence. That is where our strength is. John 14:10. He sent them to the places where He Himself will come. Luke 10:1. Every true vision secures divine presence. If God be for us who can be against us? God was in their midst and the sea saw them and fled. You see barriers fleeing your way. That will be your experience from now. This is the story behind visions and revelations. In the quest for access to next levels in ministry. Church Gist. Be spiritual, be a man of the Spirit, develop a quality walk with God so you can pick what God is saying per time. Allow God to lead the way, don’t lead yourself. Don’t follow your feelings, follow His leadings. Don’t follow your passion, follow your calling. Let God lead you, it will always show tomorrow.
Just imagine that all I heard from the Lord was what I heard when He delivered the mandate. We would be stranded. There was no Covenant University in that mandate. There was neither Kaduna there nor Lagos. They are unfolding in phases as we follow Him. But if you don’t pass 100 Level, you can’t go to 200. I told some of my co-labourers and some in the ministry yesterday that we are 75 per cent responsible for the outcome of our lives. Church Gist. The best anybody can put into you and me is 25 per cent. When you point a finger at one man as your problem, you are pointing three to yourself and pointing one to God. That man is 25 per cent of my problem and I am 75 per cent of my problem. If he didn’t cause you any problem you will still fail because you are already a problem to yourself by doing nothing. You don’t change class in groups, you change class as individuals. You don’t pass exams in groups. You pass exams as individuals.
Ministry is an adventure in visions and revelations of the Lord. You will never be stranded anymore. Your ministry will never be stranded anymore.
Can I tell you this? One of the greatest assets in ministry is access to the voice of His Majesty. Access to the voice of His Majesty. I encountered that in 1976 after reading the book of T.L. Osborn ‘The Purpose of Pentecost’. I saw the personality of the Holy Spirit for the first time in my life. I was 22. I was full of eagerness to share with some of my friends. So I went out to locate them to share with them and I couldn’t find them where they were. So I said, “Holy Spirit if you are truly a man lead me to where they are”. ‘Go forward’ and I got to a T junction, ‘make a left’. So real. Direct hearing and he led me left. Church Gist. He said the next left and I said Holy Spirit watch it, they can’t be here. Since you know where they are Bye Bye. He departed and I knew when He departed. I said I am sorry. I went on. I never asked a human being in my life when one of them jumped out of the second to the last house to the end of that estate. How did you know we are here? The Holy Ghost. He is so real. Let’s stop faking this thing. He is so real. I will be stupid to lead the Church down here if I didn’t hear from Him. This is the place. A lost out place, heading to nowhere. How? Guesswork must end in everyone’s ministry today.
#BishopDavidOyedepo
#IMC2023Day2MorningSession
#May10th2023
#NextLevels
#OnCovenantHighways
#LFCWorldwide
#ChurchGist
