BEFORE YOU SAY WE ARE MANY, COMPARE IT WITH THE PEOPLE YET TO COME.
IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR ANYONE TO COME TO CHURCH WITH EMPTY SEATS IN THEIR CAR.
IF YOUR CAR CANNOT PICK PEOPLE, IT IS REDUCED TO A CAN.
YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THERE, YOU CANNED YOURSELF INSIDE.
YOU ARE NOT WASTING TIME SERVING THE LORD, YOU ARE INVESTING INTO YOUR FUTURE.
YOU ARE INVESTING INTO BLESSING.
WHAT MEN PAY US BRINGS US TO THE REALM OF RICHES BUT WHAT GOD PAYS US BRINGS US TO THE REALM OF BLESSING.
RICHES CANNOT GIVE BLESSING BUT BLESSING CAN GIVE RICHES.
- Bishop David Abioye at CHoP
-Somebody’s day shall be filled with tears of joy.
It’s my privilege this morning to bring to us a word of exhortation and we will be building on how it started yesterday. The exhortation line is captioned:
SPIRITUAL STEWARDSHIP PAYS THE MOST
It does not only pay, it pays the most. That suggests to us that there are some other ways by which we can be paid especially as we go about our daily work in different places. Church Gist. What men pay us brings us to the realm of riches but what God pays us brings us to the realm of blessing.
The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and adds no sorrow – Proverbs 10:22
Riches cannot give blessing but blessing can give riches.
Exodus 23:25 – Serving God brings blessing. Serving men brings you a pay which we call riches and that is why we said serving God or spiritual stewardship pays the most.
-Today, as you serve Him, He will pay you the most.
From the testimony we heard this morning, it confirms that God pays the most.
The platform by which we express our spiritual stewardship as expounded to us yesterday is in soul winning and we will be building on that this morning by looking at another of our serving God which is by bringing people to Church.
Church is the house of God and God takes pride in bringing people to Himself. The pride of any king is crowd, multitudes. So also is it with God. God takes pleasure, takes pride in multitudes, in bringing people.
Way back in Exodus chapter 1, He intimidated Egypt with multitudes. God is excited to see multitudes.
Exodus 1:7
In the first Church, multitudes: He brought them in large number, from the day of Pentecost, the day the Church was born. Multitudes! Until they could no longer count.
Until almost the whole city found their way into the Church – Acts 13:44
Prophetic Words have gone forth: Isaiah, Micah; all of them talking about multitudes that will be flowing into the house of God. So God wants multitudes.
Jesus promised that there are multitudes He will bring – John 10:16
Bringing people to Christ is one way we serve God’s interest on earth.
John 10:16
“…them also I must bring”: necessity is laid on us, on the behalf of Jesus to bring them. Jesus said, “as the Father sent Me, so send I you” – John 20:21
What did the Father send Him to do? To bring multitudes. Therefore, it implies what we are sent to do is to bring multitudes.
Now even in the world, every good father is delighted when his children go to bring their friends into the house. He is excited to see multitudes.
Jesus said therefore, “I must bring them.” If He must bring them, then we too must bring them.
Please say with me, “I must bring them.” Make a commitment, “I must bring them.”
From your neighbourhood, what will you do? I must bring them.
Your place of work, what will you do? I must bring them
On the streets, by the street corner, in the market place, what will you do? I must bring them
-Well, as you bring them, you will not miss your reward.
Jesus did not only commit Himself to bringing people, He said it in a parable for His disciples to understand.
Luke 14:16-23
“…and bade man”: can you see? Not few, He bade many – Luke 14:17
You may be counting “how many people do we have in this Church?” They are many but the many compared with the remaining is still small. Church Gist. It may amaze that as large as this Church is, the Faith Tabernacle, by the help of God, perhaps we are still one per cent of the population of Lagos, Ogun State.
So where is the pride?
He bade many to come. Before you say we are many, compare it with the people remaining to come. It’s like somebody scored 10 per cent in an exam and he is so excited that there are people who are scoring 1 per cent.
10 per cent; 1 per cent; both are failure
Compare what is here with what is outside.
“Come for all things are ready”: You see where the subject matter of bringing people comes in. The food is ready, nobody comes to Faith Tabernacle for instance and does not feel satisfied spiritually. For that reason, we go to bring them. Go and call them that the food is ready. They came in scantily, compared with His expectation, there was more room.
Luke 14:21
“Go out quickly” – sense of urgency
How do we bring people? It begins with a sense of urgency. If you don’t have that sense of urgency, you will never move.
Go quickly into the streets: Jesus, very specific. There is no where you won’t find streets.
Everywhere you turn, they are there. The streets, the lane of the city
“Bring in hither the poor, the maimed, the halted and the blind” – Specifics. Luke 14:21
Earlier, He sent to the rich to come, they refused to come and because every soul is equal before the Lord, He said, “now make it open invitation”:
Look for the poor;
Look for the blind so they can come and receive their sight.
Look for the poor so they can come and be made rich in the house of God.
Go out quickly
-I pray this morning, a sense of urgency will come upon everyone of us.
Go and bring them
And then they brought them. The House was yet to be filled.
In (Luke 14) verse 23, He now escalated the instruction; go out into the highways and the hedges, where there are no roads. Initially He said streets and lanes, now He said, highways where people use motorcycle and hedges where motorcycle cannot reach, only legs.
Everywhere He sent us to and this time around: compel them to come. Don’t just bring them, compel them. Sit on their neck until they come. Church Gist. Get them committed until they are ready.
This goes beyond just inviting people them: carry them, that is the meaning.
Carry them with your vehicle; carry them with your tricycle; carry them with your motorcycle and then carry them with your hand.
Hold them and tell them, “hey you must go.”
When I go for outreaches, I don’t ask people, “will you come?”
I tell them, “You are coming!! Tell me what Service you will attend? I think 2nd Service is good for somebody like you.”
I don’t wait for them to say, “I will come.” I compel them to come by telling them the Service they will come for.
“Yes, I see you, you are coming. You are coming next Sunday.” You don’t have a choice.
No, you ae coming. Give your number to that my co-labourer”: and when the number is given, you can be sure you won’t rest again.
It’s part of the compelling process. Compel them.
Pay for public transport to bring them. Tell them where the bus will be waiting for them.
Compel them to come.
For anyone of us, we have been coming to Church with seats empty in our car: It is not acceptable.
If your car cannot pick people, it is reduced to a can. Church Gist. You are the only one there, you canned yourself inside.
One of our Pastors, someday, he went to the neighbourhood, to bring people to Church: they told them, “They are not ready.”
He said: I am waiting for you here.
Some were dragging their feet, “we don’t have water to bath”; he went and bought water; gave them, “go and bath. I am waiting for you here.
Some said, “I don’t have offering”: He put his hand in his pocket and put offering in their hands.
Some said, “I don’t have Bible”: when you get to Church, you will get Bible.
They made excuses but the Master did not give up. You must come. That is the meaning. Compel them to come, bring them by all means:
Bring them by prayers.
Bring them by writing their names down
Bring them by telephone calls
By all means, you must come.
Not all perhaps are equipped to preach yet, but everyone can invite people to Church, to meet with Christ.
We saw what happened: a chain of invitation in John chapter 1 verses 41 to 46
One person, Andrew called Peter, somebody called Philip, somebody called Nathaniel. They were coming and they were coming until they were established with the Master.
-Everyone we invite to come must come. I say they must come.
-None of our invitees shall say No, in the name of Jesus.
-The sense of urgency for us to bring them is released upon us today, in the precious name of Jesus.
Finally, note that you are not wasting time serving the Lord, you are investing into your future.
Serving God is an investment into our future. Remember, you shall serve the Lord your God and He will bless your bread and your water – Exodus 23:25
You are investing for blessing. In your places of work, you are investing to be paid at the end of each month. But investing into the Kingdom of God is what brings to us our daily pay.
Malachi 3:17-18
We are assured that we will become God’s property when we serve Him.
Serving God separates you from the plague of this world. It separates you into the class of those who shall be blessed.
-Now everyone that is gathered together this morning and all of us who are watching us online, I decree that the sense of urgency will come upon us.
Prayers: If you desire that, receive the unction. Unction for invitation, unction for compelling people to come. Pray that prayer right now.
Father, in the name of Jesus, I receive the Inviters’ unction. I receive the Come and See unction.
Everyone can receive this grace. Everyone can invite somebody to come, everyone can drag somebody to come, everyone can compel somebody to come.
Receive that grace right now. It is available to you if you desire it, in the name of Jesus.
I receive the Inviters’ unction, I receive the Callers’ unction in the name of Jesus. Thank You mighty Father, in Jesus precious name.
You will like to also pray: Lord, anoint my tongue, everyone I invite, no one shall say No. Everyone shall say Yes to the invitation, in the name of Jesus.
Yes Lord, I am anointed for this assignment. Everyone I invite has no choice but to come and will not only come alone but bring others to come, in the name of Jesus.
You may wish to speak to your day:
Tell your day to be orderly, tell your day to be friendly, tell your day to be filled with favour, tell your day to reject any bad news.
Speak to your day right now.
God is answering, God is hearing and God is doing it, to the glory and praise of His name.
Bless the Lord. Let’s give Him glory and praise. Thank Him from the depth of your heart.
#BishopDavidAbioye
#CHoP9Feb22
#MoreThanAConqueror
#ChurchGist
CHoP is an acronym for Covenant Hour of Prayer
