LEVELS WILL NEVER CHANGE UNTIL SOMEONE IS FAITHFUL.
LOYAL PEOPLE ARE SCARCE.
IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD IN YOUR ASSIGNMENT, YOU MUST DEMONSTRATE FAITHFULNESS TO GOD.
SCHEDULE DETERMINES SUCCESS, ROUTINE DETERMINES RESULT, PRACTICE DETERMINES PRODUCT.
DESTINY ANSWERS TO CONSISTENCY OF POSITIVE ACTION.
UNTIL WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF 20 PEOPLE, GOD WILL NEVER BRING 100 PEOPLE.
THOSE WHO START DOING THE RIGHT THINGS ARE MANY BUT THOSE WHO CONTINUED ARE FEW, THOSE WHO FINISHED IT ARE EVEN SCARCER.
FAITHFULNESS WILL BE CONTESTED ESPECIALLY FAITHFULNESS IN FOLLOWERSHIP.
THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES AND MINISTRIES HAVE NOT GONE ANYWHERE BECAUSE THE CHURCH MONEY IS ALSO THEIR MONEY.
DON’T ENVY EVERYBODY WHO APPEARS FAST BECAUSE NOT ALL OF THEM HAVE GOD AS THEIR SOURCE
WE LIVE IN A GENERATION TODAY WHERE PEOPLE FEEL THAT GOD IS SO SLOW
BEWARE OF WHO YOU ENVY, YOU DON’T KNOW THE FULL STORY
IF YOU ARE FAITHFUL BUT YOU ARE NOT POWERFUL, YOU CAN BE EMPOWERED BUT IF YOU ARE POWERFUL BUT YOU ARE NOT FAITHFUL, YOU WILL BE DISCARDED
GOD IS NOT IMPRESSED BY ABILITY, HE WANTS FAITHFULNESS
DON’T CELEBRATE POWERFULNESS, TALENT AND ABILITY, CELEBRATE FAITHFULNESS AND WHEN FAITHFULNESS IS ACCOMPLISHED, ABILITY FLOWS LIKE WATER
– Pastor Paul Enenche on FAITHFULNESS FOR NEXT LEVELS || NEXT LEVELS || 2023 International Ministers’ Conference || Day 3, Morning Session || Covenant University Chapel || 11th May, 2023
Halleluyah, I count this a very very great privilege to stand here this morning… Uhm, first and foremost, everytime I come here my greatest passion and desire is to come here and after we have heard our father speak, the question is what else do you want to say? At times, it’s “just leave us alone, let’s hear this thing and go and work with them” but he keeps on placing the responsibility on us to speak and I am standing under this same unction with what I have received and I believe our life will never be the same. Church Gist. He asked me to speak on the subject “FAITHFULNESS FOR NEXT LEVELS.” Matthew 25:11, Luke 16:10.
Basically, faithfulness is the basis of changes in levels in the Kingdom. Faithfulness is a capital requirement for changes in levels in scripture. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2. Levels will never change until someone is faithful. Scriptures abound to show us examples of changes in levels in scripture. Example number one, Joseph: Joseph shifted levels by faithfulness – Genesis 39:5. So, Joseph shifted in levels. First of all, he was a manager of a man’s house, then he became the manager of an institution [the prison] and then he shifted levels to become the manager of a whole nation, from level to level at the frequency of faithfulness. Example number two is Moses – Numbers 12:6-8. Moses by virtue of faithfulness accessed levels that people in his generation never experienced. Hebrews 3:2. Joseph was faithful, Moses was faithful. Number three, David was faithful. 1 Samuel 16:11. When it was time to anoint somebody as king, are here all your sons? No, there is this faithful who remains with the sheep, with the flock. Faithfulness brought David the anointing and we saw how David shifted in level, first he was anointed before his brethren. 1 Samuel 16:13. Second, he was anointed before the men of Judah. 2 Samuel 2:4 and then third, he became anointed king over all Israel. 2 Samuel 5:3. Church Gist. Anointing in front of a household, anointing in front of a tribe and anointing in front of a whole nation at the frequency of faithfulness. Example number four of faithfulness is Abraham. Galatians 3:9. Faithful Abraham! Abraham’s faithfulness caused him to access realms. In fact, Abraham existed as a nation at the frequency of faithfulness. I see somebody moving here as a nation in the name of Jesus Christ! Number five example was Paul the Apostle. 1 Timothy 1:12. By the reason of faithfulness, Paul the Apostle stepped into realms that people of his generation never stepped into. I see somebody here that is about to step into realms that people have never been before. If you believe that, shout the loudest Amen and finally the Master, Jesus. Hebrews 2:17. No wonder, He moved from multitude to great multitudes to very great multitudes, to innumerable multitudes, to a crowd that was so thick until people drag down themselves by virtue of faithfulness. Beloveth, the reason why there is a shortage of changes in level is because there is a shortage of faithful people on earth today. You look at Psalms 12:1, the psalmist gave a cry. There are many Pastors but very few faithful people. There are many Christians but very few faithful people. In Proverbs 20:6, he also lamented the scarcity of faithful people. A faithful Pastor who can find? A faithful Church worker who can find? A faithful subordinate in ministry who can find?
Question is, what is faithfulness?
1. Faithfulness is reliability and dependability of character like Daniel. Reliability and dependability of character.
2. Faithfulness is trustability and trustworthiness of character.
3. Faithfulness is loyalty and steadfastness at duty. Loyal people are scarce. Loyalty and steadfastness at duty.
4. Faithfulness is the acceptance of full responsibility for given assignment. The acceptance of full responsibility, responsibility is given to you, assignment is given to you, you accept full responsibility for that assignment. It is called faithfulness.
5. Faithfulness is excellence delivery without external supervision. Nobody is supervising you to do the right thing. You are doing it, you are self supervised like Daniel. Church Gist. Excellence delivery without external supervision.
6. It is the maximal deployment of life’s resources into life’s assignment. A faithful person will give the time, the energy, the money that is required for the assignment. Church Gist. It is the maximal deployment of life’s resources into life’s assignment holding nothing back like Paul the Apostle said in Acts 20:20.
7. It is doing the right thing with conviction, commitment and consistency. Doing the right thing with conviction, with commitment, with consistency, you know what you are doing, it is the right to do and you are doing it with conviction, you are doing it with commitment, you are doing it with consistency.
8. Being found where you are meant to be, doing what you are meant to be doing when you are meant to be doing it. Again, faithfulness is being found where you are meant to be, doing what you are meant to be doing when you are meant to be doing it. Church Gist. When you come to a mechanic’s workshop and he is not there, when he is meant to be in his workplace he is an unfaithful man. When you come and you are meant to meet a Pastor on assignment and he is not on that assignment, he is an unfaithful person. Being found where you are meant to be, doing what you are meant to be doing when you are meant to be doing it. Matthew 24:45-46. It is doing what you are meant to be doing, being found where you are meant to be found, doing what you are meant to be doing when you are meant to be doing it.
9. Faithfulness is doing the will, mind and pleasure of the sender. Doing the will, the mind and the pleasure of the sender, of the Master, what is in His heart. 1 Samuel 2:35, very important scripture. Doing the pleasure, the pleasure of the Master, not doing what pleases you, not doing what appears popular but doing what the Master sent you to do is faithfulness and finally,
10. Faithfulness is functioning with the mentality of accountability in assignment. Daniel 6:1. The mentality of accountability in assignment, I am accountable to somebody as a Pastor, at the end of the day, the One who called me will ask me how I functioned in this calling. The mentality of accountability in the assignment. Church Gist. I believe that someone here today is moving into a new dimension of faithfulness. If you are that one say a loud Amen!
I will like you to take note of three facts about faithfulness.
1. The faithfulness of man attracts the faithfulness of God. If you want to see the faithfulness of God in your assignment, you must demonstrate faithfulness to God. The faithfulness of man attracts the faithfulness of God. Psalms 18:25, James 5:8. The faithfulness of man attracts the faithfulness of God. Church Gist. There are people who want God to be faithful to them but they are not faithful to God and it is not possible for that to happen.
2. Schedule determines success, routine determines result and practice determines product. Show me your schedule, I will show you, your success. Church Gist. Show me your routine, I will show you your result, show me your practice, I will show you your product. God’s servant [Papa] said yesterday that “world changers, they pay a global price.” They don’t have a normal schedule, they don’t have normal routines. Schedule determines success, routine determines result, practice determines product. Acts 17:2. Luke 4:16. You see successful people, they have manners and customs. There are things that they do and they do it establishedly in order to arrive at their destiny and number three fact you must know about faithfulness is that:
3. Destiny answers to consistency. Consistency of positive action. Destiny answers to consistency of positive action. Destiny answers! What you do occasionally does not change your outcome in life, can never change your outcome in life. It is what you do consistently! What you do habitually, what you do faithfully that changes your outcome in life. Church Gist. I see change coming for somebody here. If you are the one say a loud Amen. Is God speaking to anybody here at all? Lift up your right hand and say “Father, I receive the grace…” Say it louder “I receive the grace to be faithful. I receive the grace to do the right thing consistently in Jesus name.
Now, what are the areas where faithfulness is needed? Areas of needed faithfulness.
1. Faithfulness in personal walk with God. Genesis 19:27.
2. Faithfulness in feeding on the Word. We must be faithful to the book. Matthew 4:4.
3. Faithfulness in personal prayer life. 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
4. Faithfulness to the call of ministry. What God called you to do, faithfulness to the call not trying to branch into another calling because it appears popular, not trying to branch into another style of ministry, faithfulness to the call. Church Gist. There are people who are no longer faithful to the message they were called to preach. Colossians 4:17. Faithfulness! Great men like Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Hagin, our Papa, all of them have stock to their call even though other things appear popular in their time but faithfulness to the call.
5. Faithfulness to feeding the flock. Acts 20:28. Faithfulness in feeding the flock! Our father told us yesterday, we are not permitted to read just to come and preach. We are permitted to… you spend time to feed the flock.
6. Faithfulness to the salvation of the lost. John 15:15-17.
7. Faithfulness to the welfare of the flock [the care of the flock]. Until we are able to take care of 20 people, God will never bring 100 people. Faithfulness to the practical care of the flock. Acts 6:1-6.
8. Faithfulness to personal development. Acts 20:28. I hope that the numbers are not too many.
9. Faithfulness to spiritual submission. Faithfulness to mentoral coverage. Faithfulness! We heard that yesterday from Pastor David. Those who start doing the right things are many but those who continued are few, those who finished it are even scarcer. Church Gist. He can bear me witness, twenty something years ago, when most of us where being brought up by our father in the LORD, there were many people we saw around. Many many many many people! Remember the days of CBFM? Many people! Today, you can’t find nobody, very very very few. I have seen new faces. People do things and just appear and disappear and it also shows in the results. For so many who disappeared, also many many things about them disappeared. Faithfulness in submission. Last year,our daughter got married, the week after Shiloh and Daddy was there and many of our people here were there and he told us he said, don’t bother coming to Shiloh or come early because you have to prepare for the wedding and prepare all the things and my wife and I humourously told him, on the Shiloh ground, the preparation will continue. We have not missed this thing for 21 years and wedding won’t cause us to miss it. Pastor David is here, I haven’t seen him miss it from the scratch till now. Faithfulness in spiritual covering, it shows!
10. Faithfulness in financial management. There are many people whose lives and ministries have not gone anywhere because the Church money is also their money. There is no separation. Church Gist. There is no financial integrity. Luke 16:1. Faithfulness in financial management.
11. Faithfulness in ministering to the physical needs of the flock. There are many people who are powerful preachers but they have no heart for the sick and afflicted in their assembly. No heart! Ezekiel 34:1-4. Faithfulness! We are not the healer, we only accept and leaves result in His hands. At the beginning of our ministry, I was seeing particular kinds of healing but there were types of healings I was never seeing, there were results I wasn’t able to see but I was seeing some dimensions and when people came with some very drastic problems, it was difficult but I just faced the one that was happening and I just remained faithful to praying for those that were getting healed and getting delivered from the particular problems and as the faithfulness was in that area, other areas opened up and the things I wasn’t seeing before, I began to see because he that is faithful in the least, is also faithful in the much. Church Gist. I see somebody moving forward in the dimension of the supernatural after today in the name of Jesus Christ. If you are saying Amen, say a louder Amen and finally;
12. Faithfulness in returning the glory to the owner of the glory. Isaiah 42:8. Somebody say a loud Amen!
What are the requirements for faithfulness? What is it that can make a person faithful?
1. A fighting spirit. You need a spirit that fights. Faithfulness will be contested especially faithfulness in followership. Church Gist. People will mock and think you are crazy,all manner! Faithfulness in sitting with your work when the popular thing is moving everywhere, you need a fighting spirit to do what is right. The Chinese bamboo stock to the ground until it exploded. Elisha told the sons of the prophet, I know it, hold your peace! A fighting spirit.
2. A faith-filled spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:58. Somebody say “I am not wasting my time.” Say it louder “I am not wasting my time.” Say “I am not wasting my life doing the right thing. I am not wasting my time, result is coming.” Church Gist. It is a fighting spirit, it is a faith-filled spirit.
3. A faintless spirit [ the spirit that refuses to faint]. Galatians 6:9. Faintless spirit, tiredless spirit, wearyless spirit. I want to say something and it is going to be like a bomb. Church Gist. Yesterday, our daddy told us God is not slow. When you are trying to wait on God for result, it will appear like you are slow and it will appear like there are some people who are faster but don’t envy everybody who appears fast because not all of them have God as their source. Church Gist. We live in a generation today where people feel that God is so slow and like we heard yesterday, let me preach some kind of message that will bring people. Let me enter gimmicks and tricks. Some outrightly turn to the devil and become false teachers and false prophets and false apostles, they are plenty in our generation but I will like you to make up your mind “I am going to stick to the right thing and I am going to wait.” Church Gist. Job said “if a man die shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time, I will wait until my change comes”.
– I prophesy to somebody here, you have been doing the right thing and it appears like everything is slow but I announce to you today, change is coming! I say, change is coming!
– If you believe that, shout the loudest Amen!
– Look at your neighbour, say “God is not slow, continue to do the right thing. Change is coming!”
I’ll tell you a funny story, when we started growing up in ministry and started newly, I saw a lot of people driving four wheel drive and all those things and we were doing everything that we knew to do and yet we are driving 504 and all of those kind of things. Church Gist. It was later on, we realized that some of these people got those cars on hire purchase and on Sunday morning at times, the people that sold them the car will be waiting for them in the Church. We got to know all these later. Beloved, don’t envy anybody because you don’t know the whole story. Church Gist. Beware of who you envy, you don’t know the full story, you don’t know the total story
– but I announce to somebody here as you are waiting on the LORD, you are not going to waste in life, you are not going to waste in ministry, you are not going to waste in destiny! You believe it, say a louder Amen!
What are the rewards? Halleluyah! What are the rewards of faithfulness? If I am faithful, how am I rewarded?
1. Shift in levels of authority. Matthew 25:21, Luke 10:16. Shift in levels!
2. Abounding with blessings. Proverbs 28:20. People will see you and you are enviable because you have been faithful. Abounding with the blessings!
3. Divine protection. Psalms 101:6.
4. Divine presence. Psalms 101:6. If you are faithful, you can’t lack the presence of God.
5. Divine enablement! 1 Timothy 1:12. Let me say something, there are two categories of people that can be in ministry: the faithful or the powerful. Church Gist. There are those who are faithful but they may not yet be powerful and there are those who are powerful but they are not faithful. If you are faithful but you are not powerful, you can be empowered but if you are powerful but you are not faithful, you will be discarded. Church Gist. God is not impressed by ability, He found me faithful so He enabled me. If you are looking for greater abilities and greater graces, just release the seed of faithfulness. Don’t boast about your powerfulness, boast about your faithfulness because at the end of the day, it is not “well done thou good and powerful servant” No, “it is not well done thou good and powerful, talented and anointed servant”, it is, “well done, thou good and faithful servant”.
– stand up on your feet somebody.
Don’t celebrate powerfulness, talent and ability, celebrate faithfulness and when faithfulness is accomplished, ability flows like water.
I have just one counsel to take home; return to your first love. Revelation 2:1-5. The first love is the sponsor of the first works. When the first love goes, the first work expires. What am I talking about? Church Gist. Your fire of the university days, your fire at the beginning of ministry, your fire of prayer and fasting, your evangelistic passion, your soul winning passion, your passion for revival, worship and intimacy with God, maybe success has come in ministry and you now have many cars, good house, no fasting and prayer anymore, God is calling for revival. Somebody here, your take home is, “Lord, I am returning back to my first love. Church Gist. I am tired of just going through ministry just like that, I want to return back to the fire that started the ministry”, because the way in is the way forward.
– lift up your hands and begin to speak to God, “I ask for the return of my first love, my first fire. I receive the grace to be faithful”.
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