I KNOW THE devil IS IN TROUBLE! THE GRACE I HAVE ENCOUNTERED WILL BE REPLICATED IN MANY TO CREATE LIVING WONDERS
GOD SAID TO ME: “THE HARDER YOU FOLLOW ME, THE HIGHER YOU FLY” – THE HARDER THE TRAINING, THE GREATER THE GLORY OF THE OUTCOME IN ANY CONTEST
OVER ESTIMATION IS A DISEASE AND IT IS PRIDE IN DISGUISE.
GRACE FOR ENGRACEMENT IS TRANSGENERATIONAL IN NATURE
GRACE CAN BE IMPARTED AND IF IT IS NOT ABUSED THEN IT IS SUSTAINED.
STEWARDSHIP REQUIRES ENGRACEMENT FOR MAXIMUM DELIVERY
YOU CAN’T OPERATE ON YOUR TERMS IN YOUR WALK WITH GOD
CANAANLAND AND FAITH TABERNACLE IS PART OF THE SURPRISES THAT GOD GAVE US FOR BEING DEDICATED
WHEN YOU ARE DUE, YOU CANNOT BE DENIED
PEOPLE MISS THEIR SURPRISES BY WITHDRAWING THEIR DEDICATION WHEN THEY’RE ALMOST DUE FOR ANOTHER SURPRISE
IT TAKES DIVINE ENGRACEMENT TO BE FERVENT ON THE ALTAR OF PRAYER
NOT ONE THING HAS FAILED OF WHAT GOD AND ME ENTERED INTO IN 1976. NOT ONE THING!
ONE AREA THAT NEVER DELIVERS WITHOUT GRACE IS GIVING.
NOTHING MOTIVATES SOUL WINNING LIKE TRUE LOVE TO SEE SOULS RESCUED.
ENGRACEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE PASSION FOR SOULS ESTABLISHES PEOPLE FOR GENERATIONAL IMPACT.
PASSION FOR SOULS IS A PRIVILEGE FOR ACCESSING FAVOUR FROM GOD.
I TOLD MY DAUGHTER LOVE, ‘IF THEY SACK ME IN THIS CHURCH TODAY, I WILL BUILD A MEGACHURCH IN SIX MONTHS BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THE STREETS. ALL YOU NEED IS PASSION TO MATCH’
MY KIND OF PASTORING IS STRANGE. THAT IS WHY THIS CHURCH HAS NEVER HAD A SPONSOR FOR 42 YEARS.
MAN IS TOO SMALL TO SPONSOR GOD. GOD IS THE ONE SPONSORING MANKIND.
– Bishop David Oyedepo on “REQUIRED ENGRACEMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE STEWARDSHIP” at August 2023 Leadership Empowerment Summit Service || Youth Chapel, Canaanland || 5th August, 2023.
Nothing empowers for triumph in a world of darkness like light. When light comes, darkness surrenders. Isaiah 60:1, 8.
Required Engracements for sustainable Stewardship. From Paul the Apostle we understand that stewardship requires grace for delivery. 1 Corinthians 15:10; Acts 26:22. So stewardship requires engracement for maximum delivery. Interestingly, grace carries transgenerational virtues. 2 Timothy 1:5. It has a way of replicating itself along generational paths. Church Gist. I know the devil is in trouble; you know the reason why? The grace I have encountered through several channels in my life (for those who care to plug in) will be replicated in your life and each one will become a living wonder to his world. Grace for engracement is transgenerational in nature.
The second good news is that grace can be imparted. You’re coming from another lineage all your life but you can come under an impartation of grace and a new generation of engracement begins. Philippians 1:7. What is impartation? It is just walking into something that someone else has laboured to bring to bear. John 4:38. Church Gist. At impartation they bring you into what they have seen come to pass in their life so you don’t have to go through whatever they did to get there and if it’s not abused then it is sustained. Somebody may be asking, “Why this unending hard teachings? What is the problem?”
Now, I had an encounter 1977 through the book, “The Pursuit of God” by A. W. Tozer. A verse of Scriptures there just jumped boom – Isaiah 63:8. Well, that looks like a song but the Lord now said to me right there by the Holy Ghost, “The harder you follow me, the higher you fly.” Why these hard teachings? To get you up to your high places. It’s for you! Trainers don’t spare trainees in sports and the harder the training the greater the glory of the outcome in any contest. Church Gist. I was in one hotel years ago and I saw people who were going to swim and part of the exercise is to hold one leg and keep with one leg round the pool. I said, what’s the matter? They said, they are training. Ah! My own swimming is not that tough. They have to stress or stretch the leg to be fit for long distance swimming – not swimming for pleasure. If I am swimming and I get tired I get out of the place. But swimming to win the prize? Hard! You will be breathing (pants) moving – not just moving but moving with speed because you are contesting. Have you tried running with one leg before and holding the other one by yourself? Try it after this service – that’s how to swim. Church Gist. You don’t just jump into the water, you will sink like stone. You stretch your system. Those who take it easy always return with no prize.
2 Corinthians 1:23-24. We want you to have joy at the end so we can’t spare you on what it takes to arrive at joy at the end. Hebrews 12:1-2. Nobody commands impact without leaving his comfort zone. Luke 12:49-50. Too many people in the body of Christ are dying in their comfort zone. “I just think Papa doesn’t even know people’s level are changing so in my circumstance, how can I pray kingdom advancement prayer? How can? I have so many things. Church Gist. Our company is just opening 2 other branches in Brazil, one in Congo…” (You say) Well done! Who are you first and who do you think you are? Over estimation is a disease and it is pride in disguise. The man Daniel was second in command in Babylon. He maintained 3 times of prayer per day. He will fast 3 weeks to access any truth of Scriptures. People over estimate themselves – it’s pride! You don’t go far with that. “I have something in Congo, United States of America…” (You say). Who are you trying to harass with phonetics? You better wake up; it’s a race. Church Gist. All these grammar people are talking, it’s a race. No one here will be erased! 2 Chronicles 26:15-16. Uzziah went from marvellous to ridiculous. No one here will end like that.
It takes some level of hard teachings and hard responses to get this thing done to the end.
2 Timothy 2:3-6. It’s hardness that makes a true soldier. Verse 5, You can’t operate on your terms in your walk with God. Church Gist. It’s hardness that sets the pace for greatness. Hardship is the process that delivers the product of leadership. Joy swept all over me when I heard him say to me directly, “the harder you follow me, the higher you fly”. I had 2000+ of my own converts in the midst of the year that came into Church. We had the most humbling miracle of our lives with 173 children, 54 of them just finished JBS and over 50 of them have been baptized in water, then I understood, “feed my lamb”. Church Gist. The salvation was so real that these boys will gather at the bus stop waiting for help to get to Church from Ata. One day, they waited and waited, there was no help, they told themselves, “we will save money. Anything they give you this week, let’s save it so we can have enough money to go to Church on Sunday”. Children. “I don’t like talking to people”, you can’t talk to children? Amos 6:1. You can’t ease your way to the top. “The only time I can go to Church right now is just on Sundays”. “I used to be at Covenant Hour of prayers because there’s one near my house but as duty begins to mount. Church Gist. God made a mistake of promoting me”, that’s what you’re saying.
– may God not regret over anyone of us.
Your fervency is for your benefit, your struggle is your choice. You don’t have to struggle, the provision is made for God to take care of your burdens as you do these simple things in truth. “Why are you pursuing God so hard?” I’m on my way to higher places, friend.
– we are all going to get there!
We saw the following engracements in Scriptures in this regard.
1. Engracement for unreserved dedication as illustrated by Christ. John 10:17-18. John 12:23-26. So, the time to be glorified is not in view without our being truly dedicated to God and to His purpose on earth. Mark 4:27-28. Church Gist. You know, what happens is true dedication always springs surprises. When you’re due and it’s sustained, it springs surprises. “How did we get to Canaanland?” I don’t know how, believe me, I don’t. “How did you see the Faith Tabernacle?” I don’t, it’s a surprise. “How did you hit 83 Nations in one year?” I don’t know, it’s part of the surprises of dedication. Dedication usually springs surprises when due. So, the devil is fighting against your ‘when due’, “enough, you have tried. What are you disturbing your life for? Church Gist. Are you the only one in town?” I knew his tricks longest time, he’s always contesting with the truth of Scriptures.
When you’re due, you cannot be denied. Sir, we will never plan to buy a plane. How? You just find out how much they spend in running it, you will say, “bye bye. What am I doing there?” Church Gist. He came one day and said, “it’s time to get the aircraft” and He did it in 6 months without any stress. No reminder. It’s surprising. Church Gist. People miss their surprises by withdrawing their dedication when they’re almost due for another surprise. They just withdraw.
I was in Akure several years ago and I was telling the people by inspiration, I said, ” hold on a minute, you’re employed in a place and then, the payday is 30th and by the time it’s 20th, satan is telling you that you have tried, they should pay you now. Church Gist. You say, no, I’m sure God is faithful, you went. 25th, he says, you’re still there, you’re a dummy, what are you doing? Won’t they pay you something now first? They know you’re a new employee, won’t they pay you something first so that you can keep up? Then, 26th, ‘it’s true oh, they should pay me at least something’. 27th, I will still go, 28th, ‘I’m not going again’. The pay day is 30th, Omo, he has suffered for nothing. He has absconded, no pay. Church Gist. Then one day, he hears a message, he starts again, 29th of the month, he withdrew. 29 days wasted, one day more for pay”.
🎵🎶God said it, I believe it, that settles it 🎶🎵
Engracement for unreserved dedication, the kind that Paul carried. Romans 8:35. Philippians 1:21. That’s how it works. Philippians 2:5-9.
– May the grace for unreserved dedication come afresh upon every one of us.
2. Engracement for Kingdom advancement prayers. The Bible calls it the Spirit of grace and supplication. Zechariah 10:12. Church Gist. The Spirit is willing most of the time but the flesh is weak, we need that engracement to strengthen the flesh to line up with the will of the Spirit to pray. Mathew 26:41. Abraham said at 114 because he got Isaac at a hundred years, Isaac was now 14 years, so he could carry wood, “hold on here and I and the lad will go up and worship”, at 114. Genesis 22:5. Paul was a prayer giant and he said, “I am what I am by the grace of God”. Galatians 4:19. Church Gist. To travail means to be in labour and he said, “I labour more abundantly than you all because the grace of God was with me”. So, it takes Divine engracement to be fervent on the altar of prayer.
– Lord! Engrace me into next levels of fervency on the altar of prayer. Help my infirmity in prayers. Church Gist. He said: ‘The Spirit Himself helpeth our infirmities…’ Quicken my prayer life into next levels!
—–PRAYERS—-
It’s like trying to drive a car without fuel, trying to be fervent in prayer without engracement with the Spirit of supplication. Church Gist. They call it the Spirit of grace and supplications! Engraced to stand in the place of prayer with fervency!
– Lord engrace my prayer life into next level, engrace my prayer life of sustainability praying Kingdom advancement prayer for sustainability in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
3. Engracement required to keep pressing for profitable stewardship is engracement for sustainable passion for souls
We used to call it burden in those days but it is a wrong word, we found later it’s a wrong word. Passion for souls is a privilege for accessing favour from God, it triggers favour from God!!! Psalms 119:46. And David was a man highly favored by God, favour dotheth all his steps! Favour!!! And then we saw Paul, these were all men of generational reputation, they share a common factor in their passion for souls. You can imagine David, God gave him the opportunity to kill Saul and he said: ‘No! I’m not going to lay my hands on God’s anointed’ – They were men overrun with love! Church Gist. Everyday, Paul said!! What is it? ‘I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, it is the power of God unto Salvation to everyone that believes’ Romans 1:16, Acts 26:22. Now what that means is this, listen to me: Engracement for sustainable passion for souls establishes people for generational impact. Now watch Daniel 12:3, the Word says: ‘… and they that turn many to righteousness are like the stars for ever and ever’. There are people in this Church Sir till Jesus comes, they will remain reference points on how men walk with God. History is taking note of your input without your knowledge! Church Gist. History is taking note because God is taking note. Of all stewardship platforms, this is one that guarantees generational impact Daniel 12:3, Proverbs 11:30. …and these folks shall inherit glory, that talks about favour Proverbs 3:35.
-We are getting there!
Abraham was a so passionate individual we saw him interceding for the souls of the men of Sodom. He won’t let go: ‘God would you destroy the righteous with the wicked? If you find forty there, will you still destroy? He said No, Lord please, make You no vex if they are less than five would you still destroy? Church Gist. Are they now less righteous because they are thirty-five? If they are twenty would you destroy’? ‘If I find twenty I won’t destroy Abraham’! ‘What if they are ten’? He won’t let go! Genesis 18:17-33. And now Abraham is there, a transgenerational reference and we are all partakers of the blessings of Abraham – Passion for souls is one of his secrets. Lot was arrested or captured in war, Lot who cheated on Abraham, Abraham pursued after the assailants, rescued his brother and all his properties. A so passionate individual.
-May our passion for souls come alive in a new way!
-Lord ignite a new order of passion for souls in my life!
——PRAYER——
-May no one’s passion for souls grow cold Matthew 24:12
Nothing motivates soul winning like true love to see souls rescued which translates to passion and grows into compassion that keeps you in motion. Come on now! Love! Romans 9:1-5, you mean they can’t see this? This is theirs! Watch what I said: It is our love to see souls rescued that triggers passion which engenders compassion and keeps us in motion. Every time we left a location in my outreach, I was always eager to say: ‘How many souls did we get there’? Not how many people gathered! And I felt fed and paid by hearing so so so numbers God saved! I felt refreshed! At times, my body will be trying to say that I’ve done enough but my mind is pushing, they have the mind to work, they are engrossed with passion. Church Gist. Sir, not one thing has failed of what God and me entered into in 1976, not one thing! I have not had to struggle for anything in my life! Anything of value is added like He said He would, anything of value in my life today I didn’t steal, I didn’t rob no one, I never beg, I never borrowed, they were all added like He said He would! ‘Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you’ Matthew 6:33.
-It’s your turn!!
4. Engracement for financial investment with delight towards Kingdom advancement endeavours
Sir, one area that never delivers without grace is giving. When that grace is not there there are times you have said you will be giving in every Service ten, ten naira you deliberately forget. Amen! ‘Ah! This ten naira, my God, I will skip it today’! Engracement! When this grace comes upon the poor, it turns them to the rich, it’s engracement. We saw the poverty-stricken Macedonia Church in 2 Corinthians 8:1-3:
1. A great trial of affliction
2. Abundance of joy in spite
3. Deep poverty to explain the affliction resulted into the riches of their liberality. It’s a paradox!
….And beyond their power, they were willing of themselves 2 Corinthians 8:3! Grace! Can we see the poor giving to the poor? 2 Corinthians 8:4-7. The giving grace God gives keeps us in giving without looking back, it keeps us on the giving path of life.
Philippians 4:16-17. Your giving is to your account. It is not on the account of people you give to or to God. It is to your account. What you give is crediting your account. Philippians 4:15-19. 1 Chronicles 29:3-4, 14. That is what destroys pride. The things in your hand are as given you by God and out of what He gave you and I is what we are giving back to Him. For what have you that you have not received? That is why this church has never had a sponsor for 42 years. There is no come and see me in anybody’s office or anybody’s house. Man is too small to sponsor God. God is the one sponsoring mankind. Of His fullness have we all received. God has never had a need. Apologies to my friends all over the world who preach the other way. If God has a need you and I are not qualified to meet it. Can your toddler help you to meet your financial obligations? He is in a crèche. Church Gist. “My son, I have these issues with the bank, is there any way you can assist?” All of us put together don’t have capacity to assist God. That is my motivation. God does not need me for anything, I need Him for everything. My inspiration is those words to me. He doesn’t need you for anything, not that you have ten kobo in your hand and you start going about. “We are going to get a roof on that building. If you see me on the 28th of December”. My kind of pastoring is strange. If God has no roof, leave him. He wants to be without a roof for now. Enjoy it. We had an open-air church in Kaduna. Open heaven! We will start the service at 5:30 in the morning so that we can beat the sun. The anointing will just be going on and the sun will meet us there so we and the sun will be doing it together. Open air, nothing on top. Then one Sunday, I said next Sunday there shall be a roof over your head. One man came from another church and said they can lie in this place. By the following Sunday God had put a roof on our heads. What kind of roof? Thatched roof! Zana they call it in the North. We made poles at night. Everything cost us 23,000 to do for that whole congregation. Church Gist. Do you know how many halls are on this campus now and around the world? May you never grow to a point in your life where you will see yourself as a sponsor. If you see so, He will just bring you to where you belong. God is too big to need human support. God is too big to require human support. That is the only way not to lose His help as you scale heights. You are not a sponsor, you are giving out of what He gave you. There is nothing to brag about. Freely you have received, freely give. So the things in your hand and my hand are given to us freely and we are called to let it out freely. You won’t miss your place.
The end time Church is ordained to operate in the realms of financial fortune the world has never known in God’s agenda to build the latter house. If you look at Nigeria, you see the meaning. Those days we were called mushroom churches, churches without a future. You can’t count up to four charismatic churches that had any building. Everyone was hanging around in primary and secondary school classrooms. He began to release His resources by bringing light on the covenant of abundance and here we are today. Church Gist. Many ministries in Nigeria are not just buying plots but estates. Who dash monkey banana? Some partook of the blessings and turned their back and the blessings turned their back. Others stayed on and keep scaling new heights.
Where we are given these blessings to enjoy we are also commanded to be rich in good works. Ready to distribute and willing to communicate thereby laying in store for ourselves against the time to come that we may lay hold on the treasures of eternal life when the one on the earth dries up. 1 Timothy 6:17-18. Please understand that the primary purpose of financial fortune this end time is for the spread of the gospel. Zechariah 1:17. God is simply looking for channels that can be trusted to release His resources. Church Gist. Can I trust you to manage my resources for My Kingdom? Won’t you run away and marry many more wives, abandon your wife and children? Luke 16:11. One way to live under an open heaven of financial fortune is to keep dreaming more and more of kingdom advancement. You are driving into church in this kind of place where you have to drive long distances and you find a lot of people just standing waiting for a bus and it is in your power to provide a bus for that loading bail, before you can buy, you will start hiring buses. Church Gist. It is your dream. I saw our graduating students and I said a number of them are called to ministry. Let me provide a platform for them to be equipped on the field practically. So we threw out the flees and we had 155 of them. Whatever it will take to get them on the field and get them equipped. I am willing to, I am blessed to. I am not struggling to. I am also going to Landmark to establish that. When they finish NYSC for those who want to get on the field one more year to get themselves ready for the task ahead, why not? We have branches across the nation, we throw you somewhere to equip you. Get yourself exercised in the field, you know what it means to grow a church and a ministry. I told my daughter one time, she called me from the U.S. Dad where are you? I said I am on the field. Love, you know what? If they sack me in this church today, I will build a megachurch in six months because there are people on the streets. All you need is passion to match. Are there no churches struggling to be 1,000 for the last ten years? And you go to the field for eight weeks and you have 2,000 people come to church. That is because we have a lot of administrative activities to embark upon. If I were a free man, do you think I would come back? As long as we are there, we are there together. Church Gist. I was coming from the field one day and at the gate, I saw people roaming about, I said they should park. We had 100+ people saved that day at the gate of Canaanland. Your heart is not there. These things work if you can ever build a genuine dream. Before I had the first bank account in my life, I already had the dream to keep building churches for God. It is a reality today. Build kingdom dreams, it will lead to a financial boom unendingly. It will keep expanding, start from where you are. You have a broken chair in your church and then you are applying and travelling. Is that the way to do it? When you have a broken chair that will need 200 to repair you now take a taxi for 400 Naira to report. I said humourously that the reason we didn’t put money in the bank, the money you have by the time you take a taxi to the bank, will wipe off the money. If you are taking #10 to the bank and the taxi is #20 to and fro, what you have left is #6. So keep the money, nobody can be tempted to steal it. So let’s wake up. It begins small by small.
Let me close with this story. We used to have a Tilley lamp in those days. It has a mantle. Some net kind of thing, when it punches, it becomes a black spot and the more punches you have there the darker the light becomes. I bought a packet. When I see a hole, I arrange to change the mantle after service. Church Gist. I wasn’t the leader of the fellowship but it was my opportunity. This mantle doesn’t cost any money. Start from where you are. This thing doesn’t take so much time. Grace multiplies by use. Maturity is a product of use. Start from where you are. Hebrews 5:14. My prayer today is that no one will give up on this journey, you will keep rejoicing as you do.
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