IF YOU’RE NOT IN LOVE WITH THE WORD OF GOD, YOU’RE NOT IN LOVE WITH GOD.
EVERY TRUE LOVER OF GOD EXHORTS THE WORD, THEY DON’T DESPISE THEM.
YOU CAN’T CONNECT WITH THE GREAT COMMANDMENT OF LOVE AND END UP SMALL.
HOW MUCH THE WORD PRODUCES IN OUR LIVES IS A FUNCTION OF OUR LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD.
OUR LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING IS WHAT DETERMINES THE LEVEL OF RESULTS WE COMMAND.
EVERY GENUINE LOVER OF GOD IS KNOWN TO BE A HIGHFLYER.
FAITH TABERNACLE WAS BUILT AND COMPLETED IN ONE YEAR TO THE AMAZEMENT OF MANY.
EXPERTS SAID THE BUILDING WILL TAKE FOUR YEARS BY THEIR CALCULATION BUT WE DID IT IN ONE YEAR. WE ARE COMING FROM A PLACE THEY ARE NOT AWARE OF.
EVEN WITH THE ATTACK ON MY WIFE’S HEALTH, I WAS STILL GOING ABOUT FOR JESUS.
I TOLD MY SON “WHEN I PRAY GOD HEARS”. THERE IS NO ‘GO COME’ ABOUT IT.
OUR PRAYERS CANNOT BE ANSWERED BEYOND OUR LEVEL OF PASSION FOR GOD AND THE INTEREST OF HIS KINGDOM.
I WOULDN’T HAVE LOVED GOD ANY LESS NOR BE LESS PASSIONATE IF I WAS STILL DRIVING MY VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE TODAY.
THE SECRET OF MY LITTLE LIFE IS MY HEARTBEAT FOR GOD.
– Bishop David Oyedepo on UNDERSTANDING THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY GHOST 3 at New Dawn Banquet Service || Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland|| First Sunday Service
‘UNDERSTANDING THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 3. Proverbs 21:16. Spiritual understanding is what differentiates a believer from the unbeliever and one believer from another. Our level of understanding is what determines the level of results we command. Church Gist. How much the Word produces in our lives is a function of our level of understanding of the Word. Proverbs 4:7-9. Church Gist. Spiritual understanding is always with proofs. Proverbs 13:15.
We’ve tried to look at the fact that the Holy Spirit is a multifaceted Spirit. Church Gist. He manifests Himself through various channels to engrace us fulfill our destinies in grand styles. Church Gist. 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-7. So what we’ve been doing is trying to examine some of these vital diversities that people have not really taken note of and today we’ll be looking at the Spirit of Love. 2 Timothy 1:7. Romans 5:5. He (the Holy Spirit) fires the love of God into our hearts. He has a ministry to enlarge our capacity to love God more than we are able to in our own capacity.
We’re going to be seeing here how important this special operation of the Holy Ghost is in the course of this teaching. Church Gist. Now let’s first examine what is love in our context. Love in our context implies loving God above all else including self that is loving God without reservations. Matthew 22:36-40. Church Gist. It’s one thing to have a drawing bucket, you want to draw water from the well…it’s another to have a rope that will get the bucket down to the water base and the strength of your rope is what determines how much water you can get not the volume of the well. So you can have plenty of revelation, you don’t have a strong rope, you’ll just take a little that will not break the rope. Loving God above all else including oneself that is loving God without reservation not for what He does or does not do but for who He is.
It is the great and the first commandment that makes great men and women in the Kingdom. Church Gist. Like beget like. You can’t connect with the great commandment and end up small. 1 Corinthians 2:9. The great commandment is what gives birth to great destinies in the Kingdom. Church Gist. Every genuine lover of God is known to be a highflyer both in the days of the Bible and in our contemporary times.
Let’s now examine proofs of genuine love for God. Church Gist. Every demand of Scriptures has biblical proofs to validate them. 2 Corinthians 8:8. 1 John 3:15-18. Church Gist. There are actions that validate and authenticate love. It’s not the love of the world that’s in words and there’s nothing inside. When you hear the world say I love you, it could mean one million things. God’s love has proofs. When you’re in love with God, there are certain characteristics that help you to know.
Among others, the proof of our love for God includes:
1. Undying love for His Word. Psalms 119:97-100. Every true lover of God loves His Word. Church Gist. If you’re not in love with the Word, you’re not in love with God. Every true lover of God exhorts the Word, they don’t despise them. Church Gist. Whatever God says moves them naturally. One of the proofs that we’re in love is that we love His Word. We don’t toss aside from Sunday to Sunday.
2. If you love the Lord, you love His House. Psalms 122:1…and who was David – a man with a heart for God. Church Gist. Fellowship is not a show to a lover, it’s coming to His presence. Amen. Psalms 84:1-7. Every true lover of God loves His Word. Every true lover of God loves His House. Church Gist. I was glad when they say it’s time for Church, I wasn’t dragging – “I’m busy, my position, my possession.” If you’re going to brag in your life don’t brag at God’s presence. You love God, you love His House.
3. If you are in love with God, you’re unashamed in the pursuit of God and the interest of His Kingdom. Church Gist. You’re elated, you’re excited, you’re always on top when it comes to sharing the wonders of God in your life. You do it lavishly without any constraint. A true lover is unashamed of the pursuit of God and the interest of His Kingdom. Church Gist. Psalms 119:46. You can’t be ashamed of your lover, no! Romans 1:16, Romans 8:35-39. In the world, they say love is blind but in the Kingdom, we say love is death. Songs of Solomon 8:6-7. You’re in love, you’re in love. Church Gist. 1 Corinthians 2:9. You can’t be in love with God and not know not that God knows who loves Him, you should know.
4. Giving towards the advancement of the Kingdom of God and the needy around us. Church Gist. 1 Chronicles 29:3. Every true lover is a liberal soul – first towards the Kingdom and then follows various other avenues for demonstrating the love for God not for a show. Church Gist. It flows out of you by reason of the love of God at work in your heart.
5. Love for our fellow brethren. “By this shall all men know that you’re my disciples if you’ve love one for another.” Church Gist. Love is the fulfilling of the law. You’re in love, it flows out to the needy around you. Love is not hidden. Love manifests itself to those around us. Church Gist. To be singing “I love you” is not love. There’s nothing wrong with that but that’s not love.
WHAT’S IN LOVE THAT MAKES IT THE GREATEST OF ALL SPIRITUAL VIRTUES?
There are 3 forces that rule on this earth – faith, vision and love but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13. 1 Corinthians 13:8. Church Gist. Jesus said concerning Peter “satan desires to have you, he wants to destabilize your life, he wants you to derail but I’ve prayed for you that thy faith faileth not.” Faith can fail. There’s no day on this earth where the love of God will result in failure. Every proven lover of God triumphs. There could be a season that looks like where’s this guy going but watch out for him, he’s on his way to the top most top. Church Gist. Every true lover of God will end up being envied. He may start with being pitied but he’ll end up being envied. He does not need human support to make it happen. Everything we do here works. You why it’s working – it’s done in love. When God is at work forget about the devil. There’s no covenant of Scripture that has the devil as a factor. The devil is completely out of the equation when you’re on key with the covenant – completely paralyzed, completely humiliated. Church Gist. Till tomorrow this is Covenant (University), this is Landmark (University), they follow themselves in this nation. You better get back to this instead of quoting scriptures unending. Church Gist. It’s your love for God that makes the Word of God work.
What’s in love that makes it the greatest of all spiritual virtues? We look at a few of them as we proceed in this teaching. Church Gist. From now it’s God’s work that the world will be seeing in your life and when God is the one working the works in your life, forget about the devil. He can’t do anything about it.
1. Everything that works in the Kingdom works by love. For example faith works by love. Church Gist. Galatians 5:6. What that means is that your faith will not deliver beyond your love level. Our love for God is what defines the limit of the delivery of our faith. Faith works according to the love of God at work in you and me. Church Gist. Faith works by love. Faith requires love for maximum delivery. You don’t froze your face and be going about saying you’re in love. It’s not working. Why are you investing your time in something that’s not working? Cheer up my friend! Church Gist. Let brotherly love come alive in you. Let the love of God be the driving force behind your life. You can’t be down, you can’t be out. Everything that works in the Kingdom works by love and number one faith works by love. Habakkuk 2:4, Matthew 9:29. So if faith is according to love then it is to everyone according to his love for God.
Faith will work only to the level of the love of God at work in us.
2. Revelation flows by love. John 15:15. Church Gist. Our level of love for God is what determines our level of access to revelations. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10. Revelation flows by love. The man David was a King and the Bible said “and he being a Prophet” by reason of revelation. He spoke about Christ death and resurrection with all precision – “and he knowing afar off.” Love gives you unlimited access to revelation. Church Gist. You’ve a neighbor by your house but he may not know where you’re going because you’re not in relationship but your friend in Australia far away knows that you’re going to your village tomorrow that you’re coming back on Wednesday, that you’re going to attend service on Wednesday in your village before you come back. He knows everything yet he’s far away. When you’re in love, you have access to the confidentialities of your lover. Genesis 18:17-18. You’re in love, He shows you. Revelation flows by love. May no one block his way to revelation anymore.
3. Giving works by love. 1 Corinthians 13:3. Church Gist. Only love motivated giving works. It profits me nothing if I’m giving for show. If I’m giving just to grab more and more, it profits me nothing. If I’m giving in love then it brings me all the profits. Church Gist. Somebody asked me many years ago “what do you do between the time you give and when you receive?” I said “I’ve never thought about it.” God is more faithful than me. I shouldn’t be bothered for God, no! God is bothered about me. Church Gist. God is too big to require ‘my bother’ to remain God. I should bother about me. You know why I’m not driven by that? I’m motivated by love in what I’m doing. What He does doesn’t change Him, what He doesn’t do doesn’t change Him. Church Gist. If I was still driving my Volkswagen Beetle, I won’t love God any less. I won’t be less passionate. Do I have more joy than I had then? No. Rejoice in the Lord not in things. Philippians 4:4.
Not rejoice in things, rejoice in the Lord. Things are temporal. If your joy is in your car and your car is gone, your joy is gone. You’ll be doing like this (being sober) all day before you know it…”what am I living for” because of a car. Satan is saying it’s true, what are you living for? Where will you get another car? People just get themselves trapped in euphoria things that don’t count. Somebody’s story is changing. You’re leaving here today with a fresh baptism of the Spirit of love that will keep your life going from glory to glory. You’ll never know a downward trend anymore in your life.
4. Prayer works by love as we saw in the testimony of Elijah. Church Gist. He called for fire within minutes, he demanded for rain within moments. 1 Kings 19:10,14, 21-24. The fire came from Heaven direct. It consumed the sacrifice, consumed the woods, consumed the water, consumed the stones – that’s strange fire (the fire that consumes stone)… stones melted. Water is to quench fire, that fire quenched water. Now it was dawn, he slew 400 of them and prayed for rain to come. He said “I hear the abundance of rain.” He said go and check, nothing. “When I pray, it happens,” don’t talk to me until you see something. 1 Kings 18:43. He knew how to connect with Heaven to take delivery of answers because of his passion for God. Church Gist. Our prayers cannot be answered beyond our level of passion for God and the interest of His Kingdom.
During the days of my wife’s attack of death, I told you (David Oyedepo Jnr) I said David listen to me “when I pray, God hears.” There’s no ‘go come’ about it. I’m not living for another thing. Church Gist. He knows I’m living for Him and I know I’m living for Him. So, what’s the problem? I wasn’t running around because I’m not committed, no! I’ve just been settled so what am I struggling with? So I keep going about to do my business. Something is happening to you this morning. Just open your heart to receive this baptism. It will impact in every aspect of your life. Church Gist. I once stated that you may have read all the books I wrote and the ones I’m going to write perhaps but until you discover my heartbeat for God, you’ve not found my secret. The secret of my little life is my heartbeat for God. My heart is panting after this God ceaselessly, enjoyably, untiringly without any ill feeling. I’m not feeling that anybody is cheating me. I’m cheating myself by choice and by the help of the Holy Spirit. I want us to get that help today. Peter was so loud he said “no, I’ll never deny you” he meant it, he was determined but his love for God was not powered. So it’s limited, it couldn’t stand the test of time but when the Holy Ghost who can stop Peter? That Holy Ghost is coming on you today. Your love for God will not be cold and lukewarm and all that – it will be stable in the name of Jesus.
5. Delightsome obedience that turns giants out of believers is facilitated by love. Church Gist. Love is the master facilitator of the obedience of the saints. You walk in delightsome obedience when you’re genuinely in love. You know He won’t tell you anything that’s not going to add value to your life so you’re sold out to His Word. Obedience becomes delightsome and very tasteful for you. Church Gist. 1 John 5:3. When you’re in love, keeping His commandment becomes a delight. You don’t see it as a burden or a pressure on your life. Praise God! John 14:21. Our love for God facilitates our obedience with delight. You’re not reading some funny meanings to the truth, you’re not trying to interpret the truth yourself. As God says it, you go for it. Church Gist. Deuteronomy 28:1. Love is the master facilitator of our obedience to God. It will take you to height beyond the skies. Sky is not the limit of a true lover that proves his love by his obedience to God and His commandments. It’s your turn.
WHY DO WE NEED THE SPIRIT OF LOVE?
Prophetically the love of many shall wax cold in this end time. Church Gist. Matthew 24:12. You find people doing nothing and having everything and so it wearies your soul. Look at them! They don’t know God, they don’t have God, see what’s happening to them – they are rogues. Their day is coming. You stay with God my friend! We need the Spirit of love to remain in love in season and out of season, to remain in love in calm and harsh weather. We need the Spirit of love and because love faileth, with the Spirit of love at work in you, your love will remain on fire – remain ever burning. Some have checked around their neighbors and they say they’re doing well, they don’t know God so let me join them. Church Gist. He joins them to go to the cult and they say welcome we’ve been looking for you for long and punishment and plague begins. They keep chasing you about in the night with cutlass, bow and arrow. For them to even introduce you to it means that there’s nothing in you that shows that God is around your life. Will anybody come and introduce me now I mean before I was called to ministry that can you consider joining us in the cult? I say what? You’ll fry. You can’t even complete it. Somebody’s story is changing. The goodnews is today will be a day that you’ll live to remember in your life because the vaccination, the innoculation, the infusion of the Spirit of love will change your story for ever.
1. We need the oil of love in our lamp to keep our love for God burning. Church Gist. Matthew 25:7-8.
2. A passionate love for God secures access to divine secrets which makes stars of believers in the race of life. Psalms 87:5. Church Gist. Access to divine secrets demands love. Job 29:4…that made him (Job) the star businessman of his days. Yes, he was grievously challenged but he gloriously triumphed. Church Gist. He remained the greatest as God opened a new chapter to his life. No matter the challenge of your past today, God is changing your story. He’s opening a new chapter to your life. Church Gist.
Watch all those folks that came on the scene supernaturally – it was insight that enthroned them. What enthroned Joseph – insight. What enthroned Daniel – insight. Church Gist. The end time Church is ordained the reigning Church. We won’t be struggling with them, they’ll call us “come and take over, we don’t know what to do again.” Egypt called for Joseph that was the world power of his time. Egypt found a prisoner to provide solution. The world will be humbled this end time. They’ll be searching for the Josephs and Daniels in the Body of Christ – people with proven exploits that’s not abracadabra…and the love of God is our access to those divine secrets.
I know multitudes in terms of thousands maybe millions from this Commission will stand out this end time. Church Gist. Can I humbly submit all the virtues that makes Covenant and Landmark (Universities) were direct dictations. They’re not copied. Something’s happening. Watch out in your business some light from Heaven without human hand will keep opening new chapters to your life. This building (Faith Tabernacle) was completed and dedicated in one year. Let them take it to any research center to validate it. They see it standing otherwise they say it’s impossible. “No, this one will take 20 days, this one will take 40 days.” When you calculate everything together is 4 years. I said we did it one year, what’s your problem? We’re coming from a place you’re not aware of. Something’s breaking forth in your life. Church Gist. Somethings will start happening in your life from henceforth that will be like a dream land. Just keep yourself in the love of God. Stay in love. Keep growing in love. You’re going somewhere. Thank you Jesus.
3. Faith shall be under the worst attack in this last days therefore the Spirit of love is required to keep our faith alive against all odds. Church Gist. Luke 18:8. Faith will be under the most gruesome attack this end time and because faith walks by love as long as our love for God is intact, our faith will be kept alive. So we need the Spirit of love in this challenging days to keep our faith alive. That’s why we need the Spirit of love.
In conclusion, intimate love for God as in marriage will make a believer a Kingdom first lady with the right to command exploits. Church Gist. A first lady didn’t have to do election. She’s just first lady of the first man and has all the honour, has all the immunity of the husband – that’s what makes every lover of God a breakthrough personality positioned to command exploits. You can’t stand on the way because you’re the one in charge of traffic in Lagos or Ogun State and then you’re stopping the first lady. They say why, you say “who are you?” You say I’m the first lady and so what? That day you lose your uniform and you lose your freedom because the first lady and the first man are one. Amen. You can’t say why is the first lady taking the national men to go somewhere. She can go anywhere. She’s the first lady. The two of them are one flesh.
When you become a Kingdom first lady, you become an amazement. Anyone that touches you touches the apple of His eyes. Church Gist. I’m married to Jesus, satan leave me alone, my husband is coming to take me away to everlasting home 🎶🎼🎵 Come-on get married! Deuteronomy 11:22-25. The honour of the President is on the first lady. You can get into that cleaving realm of love where you and God are one. So wherever you appear, you’re fronting for Him – He’s standing behind you at anytime making you untouchable and unmolestable. That shall be your experience.
Paul said “I’ve espoused you to one husband.” Church Gist. So when you’re born again, you’re in courtship. When you get into love and stay in proven love then you’re in marriage. We’re espoused to Him at new birth and with our love in place, we get into marriage with Him. Isaiah 54:5. Mark 2:19. We can grow our love to the level of cleaving as in marriage and that makes you unstoppable in the journey of life.
Psalms 24:7. When God appears, every gates lift up their heads. Church Gist. No more barriers on your path. That’s what is in love that makes all the difference. Give God thanks. Ask Him now for a fresh enduement of the Spirit of love. You can’t be in love and be lost. You can’t be in love and be stranded. You can’t be in love and be a failure. Church Gist. Love never fails. In Jesus precious name we’ve prayed. Receive right now a fresh enduement of the Spirit of love upon your life. Church Gist. I decree that by the operation of that Spirit nothing will separate you from the love of God. This will impact on your generations after you. Abraham a friend of God left a rich heritage for generations after him. May our love for God engrace each one of us to leave a rich heritage for generations after us. So shall it be.
Today is our New Dawn Banquet and our God is the God of new dawn, the God of new things. Isaiah 43:18-19. Church Gist. By this new dawn anointing today, an end has come to the desert phase of your life. Your wilderness days are finally over. Church Gist. Lamentations 3:32-33. We have the heritage of new dawn on daily basis. Psalms 68:19. There shall be no more empty days in anyone’s life. But God today implements His agenda of new things through the ministry of the Holy Spirit who empowers believers to manifest as sons of God. The Holy Spirit is the custodian of God’s new dawn agenda.
Therefore to experience new dawn in our journey, we must ensure the following things are in place. Let me also mention here that we’ve a new dawn heritage in Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:18, Proverbs 4:18. So it’s not our ambition, it’s our redemptive right in Christ to experience continuous change of story as we keep walking in the light of His Word.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS TO ENSURE ARE IN PLACE TO EXPERIENCE NEW DAWN?
1. Be born again and remain so. Church Gist. New birth entitles us to a new dawn lifestyle. 2 Corinthians 5:17. Be born again and remain so. Be born again and jealously guard your salvation against defilement. Proverbs 4:18.
2. Be baptised in the Holy Ghost who’s the custodian of the light that stirs a new dawn. Church Gist. Every believer has a right to the baptism in the Holy Ghost. Whenever genuine repentance is in place, the Holy Ghost freely comes upon our lives. Acts 2:38, Acts 10:44. Ensure that you don’t let this week pass without being baptized in the Holy Ghost. Don’t miss this season. Church Gist. When He’s come, He’ll teach us all things and we experience new dawn by light. So until the Holy Ghost comes, we’re limited in access. John 16:13. He’s the master teacher, He’s the revelator of the truth and revelation is the gateway to new chapters in our lives. So we need Him. Everybody needs the Holy Spirit and to ensure we don’t grieve Him and we don’t quench Him. The Holy Ghost can be quenched, the Holy Ghost can be grieved. Don’t do it! When He leaves, He leaves and man becomes empty. You won’t miss Him.
There are things given to us freely of God but we need the Holy Ghost to access them. Church Gist. 1 Corinthians 2:10-14. Everybody needs the Holy Ghost to operate in the realm of new dawn in their Christian adventure. For anyone whose heart is opened right now and you’re born again, you’ve thoroughly repented receive right there a fresh baptism of the Holy Ghost in your life. With your heart opened, I decree right now and your eyes fastened on Jesus the baptiser in the Holy Ghost, receive that now in the name of Jesus.
3. Be dedicated to serving God and the interest of His Kingdom because the empowerment of the Spirit is not for show but for service. Church Gist. Psalms 89:20- 24. He anoints people that serve Him. So when you commit to serving God, you’re a candidate for His fresh anointing. It’s fresher by the day serving God. Some are baptized in the Holy Ghost years ago, they speak in tongues – you know that. That’s not the tongue of the Holy Ghost, He has left. The Spirit of God will not leave you.
4. Engage in acceptable and faithful stewardship. Church Gist. Serve God with pure motive. If your motive is pure, God’s backing is sure. Hebrews 12:28, Luke 19:17. You’re faithful in things then He gives you authority over cities. Expect God’s act of new dawn to come through in your life today. You’re going places. So engage in acceptable and faithful stewardship. 1 Corinthians 4:2.
5. Be tireless in your stewardship because at the end it shall speak. Church Gist. You don’t get prizes in the middle of a race, it’s at the end. Habakkuk 2:3. When your cloud is full, your rain will fall. So keep filling your cloud of stewardship, your cloud of service. Very shortly your mockers will join you to celebrate your thanksgiving. Church Gist. 1 Corinthians 15:58.
6. Remain joyful in stewardship. Church Gist. Joel 1:12, Habakkuk 3:17-19. You’re changing level. Joy is the mystery behind supernatural change of story. Remain joyful don’t let the devil cage you. Remain joyful as you serve God. Hannah departed from Shiloh and ate bread and her countenance was no more sad then God showed up. Church Gist. The harvest from our labour is guaranteed with joy. Without joy we lose the harvest therefore by this anointing, I command and decree every siege of depression shattered in anyone’s life. Philippians 4:4. Church Gist. Rejoice in your stewardship in the vineyard of God and again I say rejoice because your reward demands joy for delivery. Your change of story and my change of story demands joy for delivery. 1 Thessalonians 5:16.
The special Anointing Service of today is ordained to launch every worshipper into the realm of new dawn therefore everyone should expect the same experience of Saul the son of Kish after he was anointed King by Samuel as commanded by the Lord. What did he see?
– The lost asses were found. Church Gist. Everything the devil has stolen from you shall be restored. 1 Samuel 10:1-3. From this day after being anointed, it shall be forward ever for you and backward never. Church Gist. There shall be supernatural change of story for your life.
He enjoyed dignity. Expect to start experiencing divine dignity. Church Gist. No one will say to you get away from my presence anymore. You’ll never hear get out anymore in your life. You step into every place, the honour of the bride of the Bridegroom will be on your life. 1 Samuel 10:6. By this anointing today, you’re returning from here turned into another man and another woman. Everything working against you hitherto will start working in your favour.
1 Samuel 10:9. May you return with a new heart of love for God today.
Watch, the new dawn signs will start manifesting in your life.
No more better yesterday for you. No more better last year for you.
Every day shall be greater than the previous.
Every year shall be greater than the previous.
Your path will keep shining more and more till the perfect day.
Your story will keep changing from glory to glory.
No more ups and downs in your journey. Therefore expect a new dawn in your health, a new dawn in your family life, a new dawn in your career, a new dawn in your business and a new dawn in your spiritual life.
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