THROUGH OUR MESSAGES, MANY MUSLIMS HAVE REACHED OUT TO US TO BE LED TO CHRIST
… WHEREAS SOME CHRISTIANS ATTACK US AND CALL US MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS

CHRISTIANITY SHOULD NOT JUST BE LOUD, IT SHOULD BE DEEP; WE SHOULD LEARN TO PUT SMILES ON EACH OTHER’S FACES

BULK OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN BE ALMOST ARROGANT ABOUT ARE FREE GIFTS THAT WE DIDN’T WORK FOR

ONE OF THE SECRETS OF GRATITUDE IS TO LAY TO ACCORD ALL GLORY TO GOD

WHEN YOU SEE THINGS WORKING, UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NOT YOU, IT IS GOD

IF MY LIFE WAS GOING THE WAY I WANTED IT TO GO, I WOULD HAVE BEEN A DOCTOR SOMEWHERE SMOKING INDIAN HEMP AND CARRYING GIRLS

DON’T GIVE FORMULA FOR WHAT MERCY PROVIDED

YOU’RE NOT A MANAGING DIRECTOR BECAUSE YOU WENT TO SCHOOL, GOD GAVE YOU

IF HARD WORK IS WHAT TRANSLATES TO THE RESULT YOU HAVE NOW, YOU’LL NOT BE HERE

ANYONE WHO KEEPS ACKNOWLEDGING GOD WILL KEEP GOING HIGHER AND HIGHER

GOD IS THE LIFTER OF MEN.

MANY PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING TODAY BECAUSE THEY FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE GOD.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR WAS MADE TO LIVE AND FEED LIKE AN ANIMAL BECAUSE HE REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE GOD.

ALWAYS ACKNOWLEDGE GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE BECAUSE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE IS BY HIS GRACE.

ANYTHING YOU ACKNOWLEDGE GOD AS THE GIVER EXPANDS.

ALWAYS APPRECIATE GOD FOR EACH LEVEL HE BRINGS YOU INTO PER TIME.

ANYONE WHO IS NOT APPRECIATING GOD HAS NO UNDERSTANDING.

WE HAVE A LARGE SPACE RESERVED AS A DANCE ARENA IN OUR ONGOING BUILDING PROJECT FOR DANCING.

90 PERCENT OF MY PRAYER TIME IS THANKSGIVING UNTO GOD – Pastor E. A. Adeboye

THE GREATEST SECRET OF PRAYER IS THANKSGIVING.

THANKSGIVING IS WHAT COMMANDS MULTIPLICATION.

• Apostle Femi Lazarus on “THANKSGIVING” || Sphere of Light Church, Abuja || 7th April, 2024.

Before I do any other thing, I want to do something we have never done since this Church started and I will tell you the reason why we have never done it because so many things have been quite abused. Church Gist. Now, let me say this before I do what I will do. When we hear the testimonies that come from the teachings from here, atimes we are shocked, right? It will amaze you to know the number of Muslims who reached out themselves to be led to Christ by just a message. The only places we’ve seen attacks is from Christians. “Oh, you need to hear, he’s a motivational speaker”. Church Gist. People are dying. We can come to Church and dance and dance, there are people amongst us that need help. While she was giving that testimony, the Lord laid in your heart that “regardless of the testimony, do you know that you can support this woman?” Stand up. Alright. No pressure on anybody, no force, nobody. That which you have in your capacity to do, if you won’t mind to, just write it on a sheet of paper. Church Gist. If you have your phone number, also put it there so that we do something, please. Is that okay? If I can request that you remain standing so that Pastors and the Ushers can help me quickly get these. Just do this in a moment. Thank you

• let’s give Jesus a big hand.
  Thank you Sirs. Let’s make it quick, so we can get from them. If you’re writing a cheque, why not? Church Gist. The Church will do something also but it’s going to be in private. Amen? I’m sure she didn’t say most part of the matters. Amen.
• let’s give Jesus a big big hand.
  Thank you sirs, thank you mas.

Who is excited to be in Church this morning? Alright. I know this is Thanksgiving Service. Don’t worry, we are going to close on time today, is that okay? If there’s anyone online, let our media team please document so we can be able to reach out to you. Church Gist. And if you don’t want to put out your details on YouTube and all that, you can send the Church a DM on Instagram and all the platforms and we will be glad to do that. Amen?

• once again, let’s celebrate Jesus!

If I will appeal that our Christianity should not just be loud, it should be deep. We learn to put smiles on each other’s faces. The simple courtesy of “good morning Sir, good to have you in Church, how are you today?” can rescue someone from depression. Are you with me? Church Gist. You have a beautiful smile but you always keep it to yourself, why? Look at that smile but only your fan in your room knows that your smile is beautiful. Amen?

• once again, somebody rejoice and give God praise.

This morning, we are privileged to have, sometimes I don’t know what to call them, they are our friends, brothers, family, they are everything to us, Pastor Mayowa and Pastor Esther Omoniyi. Church Gist. The President and Founder of Threshing House Ministries. We honour you sir and ma. Thank you.

Okay, who is ready for the Word today? So, I’m going to be teaching on the subject of “THANKSGIVING” today and we will continue on Tuesday from Isaac and Samuel. Is that okay? Church Gist. How many of you watched Tuesday service from home, online and wished you were in Church? Confess. You know what to do this Tuesday, right? You should be there. Thank you Lord.

Daniel 4:29-30. In simple terms, this guy (Nebuchadnezzar) started looking around and said, “hey, I’m a big man. Look at Babylon. I built it. See how amazing my works are? Is this not great Babylon? Look at my works. See the things I’ve done. I’m a planner, I am majestic, I am the best king around. Look at the great Babylon that I have built”. Church Gist. For the house of the Lord. Let me show you a Scripture that contradicts this statement. Psalm 127:1. You know, I figured that bulk of the things we can be almost arrogant about are free gifts, you didn’t work for them. There’s the backend of life and at that backend, that’s where God is. So, the guy said, “I built this”. Somebody said, “hey, look at me, when I stand before the mirror, I like what I see. I am better than 10,000 girls. Oh, look at my nose, so pointed”. Church Gist. You didn’t work for that nose, you inherited it. True? You were at the mercy of whoever is coming together. You didn’t know? What you meet is what you get? This is the way I was born, this is what I get. No amount of worry can make me add one more height or cubic metre. Church Gist. Somebody look at your stature and say, “I don’t just like the way I look, I wish I can be taller”. Very soon, we’ll get you clay, a chair and a table so you can mould your own and we’ll have an agreement, whatever it is you mould, that is what you become. Many people will become, you know what they call Shigidi? A replica of the gods. Church Gist. Are you grateful for what God has given you? Are you thankful? Do you appreciate what the Lord has done? Are you thankful?

Somebody can say, “I wanted to come to Church this morning, I had to go and take a loan”. It’s the one who is alive that is taking a loan. I trekked in this life till my name should be Johnny Walker. Church Gist. Trekked, Waka. Why? Because you’re alive. Even if you mould your own person, can you breathe into the nostrils and it becomes a living thing?

• can we just say thank you Jesus!
• can you look at your life and say, “Father, I’m grateful”.

One of the secrets of gratitude is to lay to accord all glory to God. I will tell you what that means. It means, when you see things working, understand that ‘this is not me, this is God’. Church Gist. Don’t be like Nebuchadnezzar that will walk on the housetop and say.. Sometimes, I stand at the back when the worship and praise is going on and I’m looking at the Church, “these are your people. Who is Lazarus? Let me show you, they are your people, that’s why I’m not worried, they are your people. You brought everyone, you own them, I don’t own anybody”. Church Gist. I go to some of our centres, I don’t own anything, I don’t own Jack, I don’t even own my own life. Let me show you, Psalm 100:2-3.

• say it again, “I belong to God”.

You know, one of the most humbling Scriptures is that He’s the one that works in us, both to will and to do. Philippians 2:13. He’s the one empowering us. Church Gist. Even when you were not born again, He sent His only begotten son to die, how much more now that you’re saved? You’re beating the drum and it is sounding, He’s the one behind the sound. If hard work is what translates to the result you have now, you’ll not be here. Church Gist. See, don’t give formula for what mercy provided. “So, if you do it like this”, haven’t you been disappointed several times that you told people that ‘this is what I did, I invested here and I got this return’ and they invested and failed? Just to let you know it’s not investment, it is God. I look at my life and I acknowledge that it is God. Church Gist. “You’re the one, you’re the owner of my life. You’re the one that works in me to even be able to do what is right”. It is God.

Look at the way God works, He came to Solomon, inspired him to give a kind of offering that nobody has given before. Church Gist. He inspired him and he gave the offering and then God came and said, “I’m impressed, wow. You’ve given what nobody has given before, ask anything from me”. That’s God. Then, God came again, (whispering) “Solomon ask for largeness of heart and wisdom”, then he said, “I want largeness of heart and wisdom”. Church Gist. Then God came again, “because you have asked for this..”. He’s the one who is setting you up to do what is right, then He will empower you. Listen oh, He gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater. Church Gist. He’s the one who gave you what is right, then who also said He’s impressed that you did it, then who also blessed you for doing it, that is the God we serve.

Some of you did not even know, you’ve forgotten that there was a time you were wondering that, ‘when will I even also get to a point in life that I’ll be seeing money in my account, regardless of the amount’. Church Gist. Have you been there before? It’s like when money lands, it leaves. I saw a video of a plane that landed at the airport and took off, somebody said, “this is the way my salary is”. At least you’re collecting it, we give God thanks. But there was a time, where you are now, was once somewhere that even if they had prophesied it, you’ll argue and God began to do it and we keep forgetting that He’s the one. Is there anyone here saying “thank you Jesus”? Eshe oh.

Lift your hands where you’re seated. See eh, nobody should have to tell anybody how to honour God. Church Gist. I want to give you the next couple of minutes, if you want to go on your faces, go on your faces, if you want to go on your knees, go on your knees, if you want to sit down, just make sure you take a posture of honour and bless the name of the Lord.

—singing, worship and prayers—

We bless your Holy name Daddy. Thank you Lord. In Jesus’ might we have prayed. Sit down for a moment.

Before I tell Streams of Life, so we can spend like five minutes. Because I noticed that during Thanksgiving Sundays, apart from praise and worship, we don’t take some minutes to thank God. Do you remember when you were staying in one room? Church Gist. That one room may be where somebody is right now but there was a time you didn’t even have at all. It looks as though God was just being faithful and we keep moving on. For some of us here, if they ask family members to select the ones that look like will rise, nobody will even nominate you but yet you won an election without campaign. Church Gist. It’s called the election of Grace. He sought for you, found you out. If the things we have done should determine our lives, some of us would not be here. That’s the truth. If my life was going the way I wanted it to go, I would have been a doctor somewhere who is smoking Indian hemp and carrying girls. Oh yes, but His mercy. Church Gist. They told me somebody like me will preach, a DJ? It’s God’s mercies. That was what Nebuchadnezzar failed to remember. He said, ” look at Babylon that my great strength has built. Ah! See, what I’ve done, see how majestic I am?” Daniel 4:29-30.

• may you never become proud towards God in the name of Jesus!

Daniel 4:31-32. You’re not an MD because you went to school, He gave you. Sure. Don’t let us get into the matter. Church Gist. He was still saying it, “look at it, see how my life is, so organized. I’m just like that, it’s in our blood. We are just like that, we’re smart people in our house. We’re just like that, we’re great people”. How many of you have gone to Campus and you’ll hear songs, like OAU Campus, “Ati’gba t’alaiye ti d’aiye, ko so mo Great Ife….O wa (Since humans began to exist in the planet there is no student of Great Ife (OAU)” Owa (there is) there is. You can interpret to your neighbour who didn’t understand. There are, plenty. People run mad on campus. What do you now mean? Owa. Church Gist. You’re the one who has not searched. “Ah, do you know my alma-mater?” Ah, yeye. It is God who has crowned you with mercy. You know how powerful mercy is? Number one, you can’t exhaust it; number two, He renews it daily. You have not finished yesterday’s own, another new voucher. That’s the God that we serve. Anyone who keeps acknowledging God will keep going higher and higher. Church Gist. That’s what He’s demanding. Sit down na, introspect na, how many seconds can you add to your breath? How many?

• Is anyone saying thank you oh?

I was asking my wife yesterday night. “Are you aware this, this, this…? This is what we are doing now.” ‘Ehmm, well’…I said, you better be aware. Sometimes you just have to think to yourself and say, this is my level now so that you can give thanks at that level. Church Gist. Don’t live in denial. If God has lifted you, He has. Acknowledge it, then acknowledge the Lifter. He is the Lifter of men. He is a Lifter of men.

Suddenly, the man who was speaking phoné and saying, ‘look at the kingdom I built,’ the next thing, the King was asked to come and eat….meee – (bleating of a goat). Nebuchadnezzar…and you know, they can’t get a new king since the former one is a goat. Church Gist. You have to wait whether he will die before you now…He said “you will be like the oxen till you acknowledge.” Meaning that you can end it now if you acknowledge now. Why was he stubborn? 7 years was not compulsory. There are people who are struggling because they have failed to acknowledge God. Is there anyone saying “God, I acknowledge you?” Amen! Thank you Lord! Daniel 4:33.

• You will not be driven from amongst men!

Imagine moving from eating salad, all the fine spinach, alfredo pasta and all those stuffs to eating grass. Church Gist. All of a sudden grass just became his best delicacy. (The) King pounced on grass and was feeding because he failed to what?

• You will not go down!

Daniel 4:34. It means the one who is not blessing God has no understanding. He may be knowledgeable but he doesn’t understand. Anything you acknowledge God as the Giver, expands. It expands. So it means the one who is not thanking God doesn’t understand. Church Gist. The kind of praise that goes up in this House is unusual but the kind of dance that follows is sickening. Sometimes I am worried.

In fact let me tell you what somebody online said. So let me report you to you because the person said, “we online, we are dancing more than those inside the Church.” Somebody…I think the person posted from another Country. He said, “these people don’t know what God has done for them to be Here.” Church Gist. He said, they don’t know. They are Here, they are seeing the dance. You know Abuja people, ‘dey nor dey dance. Dey nor dey express themselves.’ Just, “we thank you Lord.” You see, if that your hips ‘sama’ (disturbs) you, you will dance. Are you following me? You will dance this morning. What did I say? If you don’t know how to dance like me, jump. Some people dance in understanding. Some of us, we dance in tongues. It may not meet up with the beat but we ‘sha’ moved (the) body. It’s not a doctrine before…headline – Apostle Lazarus brought a new doctrine (dancing in…) ‘ejoor’ (please). I don’t know if these people don’t know that we see these things. Amen! Wave your hands and say thank you Lord!

If we think deeply, many of us don’t deserve what we have. Me, I know. I don’t know about you. You might have worked so hard for it but I know, I don’t deserve it. Sometimes I look at my wife and I say, what have I done to marry this kind of beautiful girl? Have you felt like that before? Yes. Church Gist. You (pointing to someone), you don’t know what that feeling is. You can’t relate. Whose fault? You will thank God for singleness. Is that okay? You will thank God for singleness that Father, “I thank you for the grace to be single.” Now, you will now say, “Father, you are the One who opens the eyes of a man that he may see, open my eyes.” He asked Jeremiah, He said “look around, what do you see?” Instead of seeing, you are laughing (laughs). Oh, yes!

One of my friends asked me, he said “if you had asked your wife out and she said, she is engaged, what would you have done?” I said, I would have cried. You will not cry. You get? Amen! You will just look and say, what have I done to deserve all these? Why have you crowned me around with mercy? They say, “he that breaks the hedge, the serpent will strike.” Sometimes we make it look like it is when a man now comes to Jesus that (is when) he’s really being protected. But even when I didn’t know Him, He still protected me. Is it not now that I just knew? When I did not…if some people should tell you the number of cigarettes that they have smoked, it’s enough to start a tobacco business (trailer load) but yet, no issue. Don’t say, Apostle Lazarus endorsed smoking. Get me right. Church Gist. Are you following what I am saying? Unless you want to start a tobacco company. It’s the Lord’s mercy. Many of us would have done things that our lives will be scattered for life. Scattered! So, me, myself, I don’t know about you – me, mercy – first hand.

I used to say something like a joke. I remember I liked a girl. I went to go and meet the girl. I talked, talked, talked, we were talking. I said, I like you. She said, I like you too. Church Gist. One day, as we were talking, the Holy Spirit said “Lazarus, you and I know that you are lying and this is not going to work” right there. What if I didn’t hear God? So I just look at my wife and say, “ah, somebody would have married this girl like this?” ‘Amaja’ (We will fight).

Lift your hands! Now, acknowledge what He has done. Is that okay? Acknowledge! Think deeply. Understand that what you have now is the merit of grace. Church Gist. It is His mercy. Acknowledge now and return praise to Him. Return glory to Him. Return honour to Him. In Jesus name we have prayed!

There is a form of praise that we used to have in Sphere of Light Church that we have not been faithful to have in Abuja. We call it ‘Asotele Sunday.’ ‘Asotele’ means prophecy. When we have that Service, we have all the praise team, we all sit down on the altar with instruments of praise – every member comes with an instrument of praise. Church Gist. We praise God. It is a very thick atmosphere – very thick with prophecies and Words from the Lord. The pastors also join on the altar, myself and my wife – we have not done it here. By next Thanksgiving Service, we will have our first ‘Asotele.’ During that Service, there’s no message. After choir ministration, we all bring our chairs and we praise God.

Let me say this to you. Many of you don’t know that the greatest secret of prayer is thanksgiving. This one that you think that being a prayer warrior is about shouting ‘ah, yeah.’ The neighbors think they are pouring you hot water. Church Gist. They asked Pastor E. A. Adeboye, how do you pray? What is the content of your prayer? He said, “whether you believe it or not, 90 percent of my prayer time is thanking God.” He said, “even if He fails to do anything else, what He has done is more than enough.” Somebody thinks it’s about shouting. No! Gratitude!

Let me wrap up with this Scripture, Jeremiah 30:19. What will command the multiplication? Thanksgiving and merriment – to dance. I miss those days when on Sunday morning (even if that’s the only time, atleast) you will begin to hear…some of you have never lived in ‘face me I face you’ before. But for some of us who lived in ‘face me, I face you and face the World’, you will begin to hear sounds, speakers playing songs in different…on Sunday morning – Baba Ara, Tope Alabi. Anyone here who…? Church Gist. There was a time it was one red lantern that has cassette and lamp that has…that’s what we would carry. Big boy! If you have that one in your room, just open the curtain when you are talking to a girl. (Laughs) See what the Lord has done. Hallelujah!

We are going to praise God this morning. I want the choir to help me. These instrumentalists, only God will bless you and the kind of praises coming out of Here is strange. Are you ready to dance for another 5 minutes? We are going to dance. By the grace of God, by this time on Sunday, we would have fixed 10 units of 10 horsepower A.Cs (Air conditioners) here. We are going to show you all the details. Do you want to dance on your seats or do you want to stand? Okay.

Don’t forget the code. You don’t know how to dance, jump. Is that okay? One way or the other, you will know how to do either of the two and I want to beg us. And that’s why even in our Church design, the construction we have going on, we left so much space in front because that’s the dance arena. It’s a covenant between us and God. Church Gist. Is that okay now? I want to see the best dancers in front? Where? Now listen, don’t look at anybody’s face. Nobody sends you. It’s between you and God. For the next 5 minutes, we will dance like our life depends on it. Are you ready?

—PRAISES—

The shout of a King is amongst us. I said, the shout of a King is amongst us. Somebody rejoice to the Lord. We give you praise O God. Church Gist. From the rising of the sun till the setting of the same, your name alone is to be exalted. Thank you Lord! Amen!

• Now hear this, because you have danced to the Lord, every matter that remains unsolved in your life, in no distant time from now by the power and the authority in the name of Jesus, I command them a done deal!
• Every situation that you think about and your heart becomes heavy, in no distant time from now, people will cancel their schedule to come and dance with you!
• You didn’t hear that well, people will cancel their schedule to come and dance with you!
• Your testimony is about to be the next loudest!
• Every sickness represented here, I take authority over them and I rebuke the spirit of infirmity and I pronounce that your healing is here!
• When next we come to Church, your testimonies will be too many to number!
• Thank you blessed Father in Jesus mighty name we have prayed!

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