-Pastor David Oyedepo Jnr
*You must be so hungry for the Word that every availability of the Word is an enticement to you.
*One of the functions of fellowship is to give us opportunity to feed on the Word of God.
*To experience healthy growth, believers must be committed to the platform of fellowship both at the house level and in Church.
Our Father, we are before You this morning. We give glory and we give praise to You. For your faithfulness, for your mighty works and your hand in our midst. We give You all the praise. For these testimonies, we say Thank You. For these answers, we say Thank You. Now our eyes are upon You again today. We ask that You speak to us this Morning and let Your Word transform our lives. We give You all the praise and we give You all the glory. In Jesus precious name we have prayed.
Our line of exhortation for this week, we began looking at on Monday is:
UNDERSTANDING THE WONDERS OF BEING COMMITTED TO REGULAR FELLOWSHIP
Hebrews 10:25
God’s Word makes it very clear from that passage of scripture that fellowship is a central portion of the believer’s experience. If you are going to make much out of your walk, then fellowship is a non-negotiable factor.
We also discovered on Monday that we have 2 primary platforms upon which we fellowship and that is in:
- The Temple which refers to the Central Church.
- From house to house which refers to our House Fellowships.
We are told in scriptures that they were in both the Temple and breaking bread from house to house.
Acts 2:46-47
For you as a believer to experience healthy growth, you and I must be committed to both platforms. Recognising the place of the fellowship and recognising the place of the central gathering of the Church.
Let’s expound on this a little more this morning
- The number one thing I want us to take note of is that in the Fellowship, for us it is our WSF (Winners’ Satellite Fellowship), we share the Word of God and it is common knowledge that no one ever outgrows eating, no matter how old.
Eating is a permanent responsibility if living is supposed to be your expectation. There is no way to live without eating and one of the functions of the fellowship is to give us opportunity to feed on the Word of God.
Jeremiah 15:16
That Scripture may seem to point to the fact that everyone is to go and find the Word on their own. But that is not what God is saying to us. The Word of God tells us in Malachi chapter 3 verse 16, “they that feared the Lord spake often”: they were continually charging one another. Hebrews 3:13
The Bible makes it even more explicit here when it tells us, “exhort one another daily…”
There is a responsibility placed upon us as believers to become Channels through which we continuously charge and build up one another and the platform for that is the fellowship.
It is in the Fellowship that you and I gather together and we have the opportunity to exchange on the basis of the Word of God. Where we exhort one another and as a result of that we are fortified against the deceitfulness of sin. We live in a crooked and a perverse World, that is why it becomes important that if we are going to live as light l, we must keep company with light. That is what occurs when we gather together in the Fellowship. We are exchanging with one another in order to continue to build up. As we keep eating, we keep growing. Like we have said before, no one will ever outgrow the need for eating. You can’t see a person that will say, “He is so old that he can’t eat again.” Eating is a continuous responsibility if living is a continuous expectation. That is why you discover in the natural, if your health is going to be attacked, one of the things you will see first withdrawn is appetite. What it means is that the disease wants to take life so before it can take life, it will first take food. Church Gist. Before the enemy can steal your spiritual life, He will block your access to spiritual food. That is why you must become committed, refuse to allow yourself become slack in the pursuit of the Word of God.
Let God’s Word continue to be for you, food.
Let it continue to be for you a vital source of nourishment and longevity.
We must continue to press for the Word.
1 Peter 2:2
I used to think that this scriptures says, “that you are newborn babes so desire the sincere milk”: No. It says, “as newborn babes”
Do you know how children desire food? A baby has only certain functions that are important to the baby.
- His food
- His sleep
- To make announcements when he has messed up.
Those are the 3 things that matter to a child: - Food
- Sleep
- Comfort
But if you see a hungry baby, he has no respect for environment. You can’t say, “okay keep quiet.” No matter what you say, there is only one answer and the only acceptable answer is food. If food is not supplied, the crying will continue and the embarrassment is going to be sure until that child is fed.
It is when the child begins to mature that you say, “shut up” and a child will keep quiet.
But for a baby, “shut up”, (cries more) until the child is fed, there will be no retreat.
Is somebody getting it? God is saying that is the kind of appetite you must have for the Word. You must be so hungry for the Word that every availability of the Word is an enticement to you. You are drawn continuously. You are driven continuously. That’s why you discover that those who are genuine in their walk with God, never get tired of fellowship. They are always looking for another opportunity, just to gain access to the Word.
I have been in situations before, right in my office, somebody will come for counselling with a child and then the child begins to cry.
“This child just ate.”
My Response: no problem, go out again.
What he is telling you is that he is hungry again.
Whether you are happy about it or not; whether you are in front of your Pastor or not.
It doesn’t matter. This child has only one goal and it will not be solved by trying to calm the child down. You know when you are petting a child and hunger is the problem, there will be no quietness, it is when sleep is the problem that the child will sleep. But if it is hunger, the more you pat, the annoyance. After a while, they will be crying and shaking to let you know if you don’t answer, “God will punish you ooo, if you don’t answer me now.”
Is somebody getting me now!
That is the hunger that the child has, is being expressed.
How many of you have seen that before when a child starts shaking?
The child will be crying and shaking, even you know that at this point, I must answer. If not, God will be angry with me.
Is somebody getting me?
That is the hunger you must have for the Word.
Prayer: Lord, give me fresh appetite. Fresh appetite for Your Word.
Thank You Father, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
Next we discover not only do we share the Word in Fellowship but we also grow in revelation in Church and this revelation empowers us for supernatural breakthroughs.
Jeremiah 3:15-16
Understanding refers to revelation
Titus 1: 2-3
The word, ‘manifested’ means revealed. In other words, it is when we are gathered under the teaching of the Word that we grow in the revelation of the Word. The Church of Christ is the place of revelation.
Psalm 73:17
Understanding, illumination takes place when we enter into the sanctuary. It is the place of revelation and that revelation is the key to supernatural breakthroughs.
Ephesians 4:11-13
In other words, when we to Church, we are taught the Word of God that brings us up in faith and when you come up in faith, you enter into realms of breakthrough.
Isaiah 60:1-3
Breakthrough comes by revelation. It means that as we grow in revelation, gathered together in the Church, we begin to enter into realms of Supernatural Breakthroughs. That will be your experience in the name of Jesus. What that means is that you will not only be growing spiritually but you will also be growing in breakthroughs from one breakthrough to another; from one level to another; from glory to glory; from lifting to lifting.
Prayers: Receive grace to continue to take advantage of fellowship: the house fellowship, our WSF and also our central fellowship in Church. Lord, I receive grace!!! Lord, I receive grace to take full advantage of every opportunity for fellowship in order to keep growing in the Word, in order to keep growing in revelation, in order to keep growing in breakthroughs.
Lord, grant every new convert, every new member the grace for consistency in fellowship, for continuity in fellowship, for fervency in fellowship, for steadfastness in fellowship.
Lord, we are asking that the same grace be granted to every one of our new converts. In the name of Jesus. Let it come afresh upon every new convert in the name of Jesus Christ. None of them will draw back from fellowship. Nine of them will miss out on the blessedness of fellowship.
That leaves you and I with the responsibility to ensure not only are we actively in fellowship at every point in time, but that we are ensuring that all that God brings our way: new converts, new members of the Church, our neighbours and friends are active in fellowship in order to see to the growth of their faith and to their experience of greater breakthroughs.
As you keep working for God, God will keep working on your behalf in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are waiting on the Lord today.
-Today is a day of renewal for you.
SPEAK TO THE DAY
Make your declaration concerning this day. Speak to it right now. What you decree, God will deliver. Speak to it right now.
This day is declared blessed. Thank You mighty God, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
This day is declared blessed.
-For you, it will be a day of testimonies
-Your going out is blessed today.
-Your coming in is blessed today.
-I declare that your path today be saturated with favour. Wherever you go, favour speaks on your behalf.
-I declare the opening of doors on your behalf today.
- Every previously closed door opens for you today, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
-Today is declared a day of speed in the name of Jesus.
-A productive day.
-A testimony loaded day.
-A good news filled day.
In the name of Jesus Christ.
As you wait upon the Lord today, it will be for you a day of encounters in the name of Jesus. So shall it be.
In Jesus precious name.
Fliers for Covenant Day of Settlement: Breath of God, breathe upon these materials. They are sent forth as sharp sickles, bringing forth mighty harvest. We declare it done, in Jesus precious name, we have prayed.
Father, we send these materials forth. We declare that they return with a mighty harvest. We thank You for doing it, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
Don’t forget we are gathered this evening at 6pm across all of our various zones. It will be a glorious time in God’s presence in the name of Jesus Christ.
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CHoP is an acronym for Covenant Hour of Prayer
