PASSIONATE PEOPLE OBEY GOD DESPITE THEIR AGE.
IF YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT GOD, YOU WILL PREACH THE GOSPEL EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO PREACH.
WHEN YOU HAVE PASSION, THE THING THAT MOVES GOD WILL MOVE YOU.
WHEN THE THINGS THAT MOVE GOD NO LONGER MOVE YOU, YOUR PASSION HAS BEEN BURIED.
AN EASTER MESSAGE THAT DID NOT LEAD YOU TO A PASSIONATE LIFE IS A WASTED EASTER MESSAGE.
NEVER GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU LOVE YOUR LIFE MORE THAN THE CROSS OF CALVARY.
PASSIONATE MEN ARE MEN WHO AFTER FALLING WILL STILL RISE.
PASSIONATE PEOPLE ARE PROMISE KEEPERS.
WE NEED TO GO BACK AND MEET THE CROSS.
IF YOU FOLLOW ONLY BLESSINGS AND PROSPERITY, YOU WILL MISS THE CROSS.
AN EASTER MESSAGE THAT DID NOT LEAD YOU TO A PASSIONATE LIFE IS A WASTED EASTER MESSAGE.
NEVER GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU LOVE YOUR LIFE MORE THAN THE CROSS OF CALVARY.
PASSIONATE MEN ARE MEN WHO AFTER FALLING WILL STILL RISE.
PASSIONATE PEOPLE ARE PROMISE KEEPERS.
WE NEED TO GO BACK AND MEET THE CROSS.
IF YOU FOLLOW ONLY BLESSINGS AND PROSPERITY, YOU WILL MISS THE CROSS.
-Bishop Wisdom Irabor on ‘THE POWER OF PASSION’ at Annual Easter Encounter || Answers Assembly, Warri || 9th April, 2023 || Second Service.
The seven examples of Passion in the Scriptures:
1. Abraham Genesis 12:1-3
How did Abraham manifest his Passion? Abraham obeyed God even in old age. At 75 years old, God told Him to depart from his father’s house to a land He will show him and Abraham departed. Church Gist. I know that you are an elder but if God asks you to fast, will you obey Him? Will you allow your age to be a barrier to what God is saying? Passionate people obey God despite their age.
2. Moses Exodus 4:10
Moses obeyed God to become a speaker even as a stammerer and he finally became a deliverer. Most of you are saying, ‘I cannot do this or that’, because you are not passionate. When you have passion, you will join the choir even when you don’t know how to sing. Look at me, I have no friend in this life who is not passionate about God. Church Gist. Many years ago, some people were smoking and they went to look for Bishop Oyedepo in his uncle’s place where he was staying at that time and the uncle said to him, ‘Your friends are looking for you’! When their names were mentioned, he said, ‘God forbid, those people can never be my friends’. And the man said to him, ‘I was just testing you because I saw them smoking cigarettes’!
But you who are seated here, ashawo, armed robber and prostitutes are your friends. ‘Papa, should I avoid them? ‘That you know him is different from friendship’! If you are passionate about God, you will go ahead to preach and teach even when you don’t know how to do them. Church Gist. One of the genuinely richest men in Delta State is the owner of Greener Line Transport at Estate Roundabout; he still goes out for Winners Chapel evangelism. He used to be at the Estate Roundabout but was posted to the airport junction sometime ago. A man that has estates, hotels, buildings and businesses everywhere, one of the richest transporters in Nigeria! He will be sharing tracts! Passion!
3. Nehemiah
Nehemiah obeyed God and went to build the broken walls of Jerusalem. He heard that the walls were broken and he cried Nehemiah 1:1-4. The way you cry when somebody that you love dies is the way you should cry if anything wrong happens to the Church. He was passionate about the things of God and he went to the king. And the king looked at him and said, ‘Nehemiah, why is your face sad? Church Gist. And he said, ‘Why will I be happy when my father’s house is in ruins? Give me permission to go and rebuild that wall’! Nehemiah 2:20. What are you doing with your Ph.D., Master’s degree and all the schools that you attended?
What are you doing with your fine face and accents? The things God gave you, you are using them to do evil to humanity, you are not using them to serve God. I just asked someone, ‘Why is Pastor Kanayo moving everywhere? And he said that the water is not flowing because the pumping machine is not working. Church Gist. Everybody is seated and one Pastor is moving everywhere, na em Papa house? That is passion! When you have passion, the thing that moves God will move you, when the thing that moves God no longer moves you, your passion has been buried.
Papa Oyedepo sent someone to know how much they can build an aircraft hanger, some members will change to a new Church, ‘Pastor wan buy plane’! This member said, ‘No! For Bishop Oyedepo to send me, Heaven has visited me! Church Gist. I was told then that it costs hundreds of millions and he said to Papa Oyedepo, ‘It is my joy and privilege to build it! It will be ready in two weeks, I have paid for it’! You are still thinking of how to steal Church money while your mates are building an aircraft hanger for the Church.
4. Gideon Judges 6:25
Gideon proved his passion by destroying the evil altar in his father’s house. Your mama served idols, wetin come out? Look at the way your life is going, you still dey hide to serve the idol. If you serve the god of your fathers, you will live the useless life that they lived. Church Gist. My grandfather was the number one native doctor in Ekpoma in the whole Esan land but he died wretchedly. What power have you seen that is making you want to repeat what they (Your fathers) are regretting? This is the irony of our generation.
Declaration: God, make me a person of passion!
5. Paul
How did Paul show passion? Paul lived for Christ and considered dying for Christ as a gain. They kidnapped some Christians in a Christian community in the far North of Nigeria and they brought all of them out to kill them. But they asked for those who belong to Christ so as to kill them while the rest who denounced Christ will enjoy their free life again and become a full muslim. But only one person decided to live for Christ. Ironically, they killed all the people that denounced Christ and allowed that one person who stood for Christ to live. Church Gist. They said to him, ‘You are the true definition of Christianity, go and live your life’! Never get to the point where you love life more than the Cross of Calvary Philippians 1:21. This is why muslims are stronger than Christians, a muslim believes in the concept of, ‘I rather die for allah than to be alive without allah’.
-As you take this Communion, the spirit of backsliding, waywardness and sin will die in your life.
When you see my childhood friends ask them, we were arrested and taken to the guardroom for doing all night in the Barracks. Church Gist. As soon as we entered the guardroom, we switched to a new prayer gear and they instructed that we should be brought out to cut grass- Yet we were still praying. Nothing will separate us from the love of Christ.
6. Peter Matthew 26:58
We used to teach various Easter Messages but if Easter Messages do not lead you to a passionate life, it is a wasted Easter. Peter showed his passion by following Christ till the end even though he denied Him at some point but he decided that he will not stay back where he failed. Church Gist. ‘I will not stay where I committed sin or missed God’! And he gathered himself and kept moving. Passionate men are not men who have never fallen, they are men who after falling still rise.
-May you receive that kind of passion.
Passionate people are promise-keepers, they will follow you till the end and will not change.
-You will see rapture and your face will not be missing on the Last day.
I have been born again since 16th September, 1990. I’m 33 years old in the Lord. I have buried my father, brother and sister yet I am still standing. I have seen death face to face yet nothing has been able to separate me from the Church. I didn’t get born again in Winners Chapel. All these born again in Prosperity Churches is the problem that you have because you met cash but you didn’t meet the Cross. Church Gist. So whenever your cash reduces, your love for God will reduce. We need to go back and meet the Cross because inside the Cross is cash and prosperity but if you follow only blessings, you will miss the Cross. Did you cry the day you got born again? If you didn’t cry go and be born again afresh! When was the last time you cried during praise, prayer, fasting and worship sessions? Instead, you are gossiping while the Service is going on.
5. Paul
How did Paul show passion? Paul lived for Christ and considered dying for Christ as a gain. They kidnapped some Christians in a Christian community in the far North of Nigeria and they brought all of them out to kill them. But they asked for those who belong to Christ so as to kill them while the rest who denounced Christ will enjoy their free life again and become a full muslim. But only one person decided to live for Christ. Ironically, they killed all the people that denounced Christ and allowed that one person who stood for Christ to live. Church Gist. They said to him, ‘You are the true definition of Christianity, go and live your life’! Never get to the point where you love life more than the Cross of Calvary Philippians 1:21. This is why muslims are stronger than Christians, a muslim believes in the concept of, ‘I rather die for allah than to be alive without allah’.
-As you take this Communion, the spirit of backsliding, waywardness and sin will die in your life.
When you see my childhood friends ask them, we were arrested and taken to the guardroom for doing all night in the Barracks. Church Gist. As soon as we entered the guardroom, we switched to a new prayer gear and they instructed that we should be brought out to cut grass- Yet we were still praying. Nothing will separate us from the love of Christ.
6. Peter Matthew 26:58
We used to teach various Easter Messages but if Easter Messages do not lead you to a passionate life, it is a wasted Easter. Peter showed his passion by following Christ till the end even though he denied Him at some point but he decided that he will not stay back where he failed. Church Gist. ‘I will not stay where I committed sin or missed God’! And he gathered himself and kept moving. Passionate men are not men who have never fallen, they are men who after falling still rise.
-May you receive that kind of passion.
Passionate people are promise-keepers, they will follow you till the end and will not change.
-You will see rapture and your face will not be missing on the Last day.
I have been born again since 16th September, 1990. I’m 33 years old in the Lord. I have buried my father, brother and sister yet I am still standing. I have seen death face to face yet nothing has been able to separate me from the Church. I didn’t get born again in Winners Chapel. All these born again in Prosperity Churches is the problem that you have because you met cash but you didn’t meet the Cross. Church Gist. So whenever your cash reduces, your love for God will reduce. We need to go back and meet the Cross because inside the Cross is cash and prosperity but if you follow only blessings, you will miss the Cross. Did you cry the day you got born again? If you didn’t cry go and be born again afresh! When was the last time you cried during praise, prayer, fasting and worship sessions? Instead, you are gossiping while the Service is going on.
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