“YOU OCCUPY A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART” PASTOR ADEBOYE PRAISES RCCG RESURRECTION PARISH
A FATHER DOES NOT NORMALLY ANNOUNCE HIS FAVOURITE TO ALL THE CHILDREN; IF HE DOES, HE CREATES A PROBLEM FOR THAT CHILD
MANY AT TIMES, WHAT SLOWS YOU DOWN (IN LIFE) IS NOT YOUR FAULT; EXTERNAL FORCES MAY SLOW YOU DOWN
EVERYTHING YOU HAVE LOST, GOD WILL RESTORE!
WHATSOEVER YOU NEED TO DO TO BRING ABOUT THAT RESTORATION, MAY GOD REVEAL IT TO YOU
- Pastor E. A. Adeboye at SEPTEMBER SURPRISE SERVICE
Redeemed Christian Church of God Resurrection Parish
Joel 2:23-28. This is an historic Church. Your family is historic. You are historic because when we were starting model parishes, you were the second. You are not just the second, you were a very very special family. I practically fell in love with this family. Church Gist. So much so that when any big fish (you will probably understand what I mean by that) was brought into my net, and he says, “Okay Sir, now we have given our life to Jesus, where do you want us to fellowship?” Instead of asking them to come to the Headquarters, I send them here.
I’m talking of people like Papa …, Elder Ohiwerei, Prince Adedoyin etc etc, in those days at the beginning before we broke to branches. Church Gist. One of my greatest friends, Professor Aboaba, was coming down from Ibadan to Lagos. He said, ‘Sir, I am coming to Lagos; where in Lagos do you want me to fellowship?” I directed him here.
At a stage of your history, 4 of the biggest billionaires in Nigeria were worshiping here. I am talking of billionaires at a time when billion naira means biillon naira. At a time when the Naira was stronger than the Dollar. At a stage in your history, some of the members here met and decided they will buy me a jet. Church Gist. I’m talking of decades ago; not today. I had to stop them because I heard about their plan. They were already contacting one of my children who works with American Airline in America. “How do we get a very nice well used jet for our pastor?”
I had to stop them; said, “Ah! Buying a jet is one thing; maintaining it is another thing. That right now, I need money to build Churches; not a jet.”
In case you don’t believe me, well, there’s evidence. When 9/11 happened, and America was trying to find out who and who could be connected with bombing their something, they saw a record. You know, every telephone call you make to America is recorded. Church Gist. In case you don’t know, know it now. They saw in their database that there was a time some people in Nigeria were trying to buy a jet from American Airlines. So they sent their operatives to go and pick up my son there. To find out what happened to that project. Then they discovered it is a pastor they wanted to buy it for. And they felt a pastor is not going to be a bomber. That’s you! That’s where you are!
So you are great from the beginning. You are still doing well. Glory be to God! But the question everybody should ask himself/herself at jubilee is: “Am I where God expects me to be as of now? If I was that great more than 20 years ago, where should I be by now?”
Everybody (Those who didn’t come, those from abroad) looked at our last convention, they saw the crowd, the auditorium, the old auditorium, and they didn’t even see the children section. They didn’t even know that we had to convert one of the parking lots to accommodation for the young ones. Then they were all saying, “God has helped this people.” And we all went home rejoicing. Church Gist. But your Daddy went home thanking God and groaning, “Thank you that thus far you have helped us,” but is this where you expect us to be at this time in our history? We’ve gone far; thank you! But if you are going to Sokoto and you are still in Ibadan at a time when you should be just a few miles or kilometres from Sokoto, you need to sit down and think again.
Whether you believe it or not, a father does not normally announce to all the children, “this is my favourite.” If he does, he creates a problem for that child. You know the story of Joseph? It is because everybody in the family discovered that Joseph was the favourite of their Dad. Church Gist. That’s why they ended up selling him into slavery. As for this family, you occupy a special place in my heart and that’s why I want to talk to you this morning as a father would talk to a special son. So if what I am saying is not too palatable, the elders have a proverb: truth is bitter but if you can swallow it, it will do your body good. It’s a Yoruba proverb. And they didn’t read the Bible. Church Gist. They didn’t know it is written, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” But they have studied life and they said, truth is bitter but if you just manage to swallow it, it will do your body good.
- I want within the next one year that when we are talking of the real billionaires in Nigeria, they will be in this family.
- I want before this time next year that when we count the number of parishes in the Redeemed Christian Church of God worldwide, this family will be number one.
- I want within one year that when it is testimony time at any Holy Ghost service, if 10 people are going to testify, at least 5 of them will say, I am from the Blessed family.
At times, somebody may start running fast; and then all of a sudden, he begins to slow down. He is still running but running can be at different speed. Church Gist. If the one who is running towards Sokoto suddenly gets to Redemption Camp and begins to slow down, he will still be moving; that’s why he will arrive in Ibadan at the time when he should be probably in Kano.
And many at times, what slows you down is not your fault. That’s truth number one. At times, some external forces may slow you down. Church Gist. Take the case of Joshua: Joshua was running; running so fast that “just get his people to shout halleluyah” and the wall of Jericho fell. That’s speed! Then came Joshua 7, and unknown to Joshua, somebody called Achan had gone behind and stolen what belonged to God. What happened? Church Gist. Joshua found himself checkmated by the enemy. He fell on his face and began to cry, God what’s going on? Until God said, “Well, somebody has done something that shouldn’t have been done. And unless you do something about it, I’m not going with you anymore.”
So Joshua went ahead, put everything right, and then came Joshua 8; maybe you can read the whole chapter; and God restored.
- I pray in the name that is above every other name, everything you have lost, God will restore.
- And whatsoever you need to do to bring about that restoration, may God reveal it to you in Jesus name.
I told you that at a time, 4 of the real billionaires in Nigeria were in this family. And pride came, because the tithe that was coming to the main Church through this family was hefty; by that definition of the time. Church Gist. All of a sudden, a handful of the big men, not the ones I mentioned, wrote to me and said, “Every month you must give to us an account of how you are spending our tithes.” I said, “Ah Okay! All they are asking for is alright.” They are simply asking for transparency right? There’s nothing wrong with that. Church Gist. I said however, I have gone through the Bible, I have not found a place where God spoke to Moses and said, “Every month, you must give an account of the tithe of the children of Israel to them.” So I said alright, I will do 2 things:
- I will prepare a detailed account of how your money is spent; including if we buy a bottle of Coke for first timers. I will put it in a file and every month, when you people come for the Holy Ghost Service, that file will be on the table. Church Gist. I won’t give it to you; I will put it on the table. Anyone who wants to see can go and read; but make sure you wait till I have left the room; because I know that everything we are doing on Earth is being recorded in Heaven. Church Gist. I don’t want My God to say, “You are the one who handed it to them and you were there when they were reading.” And I did that.
- I told the treasurer, from now on, any tithe that comes from this family, don’t add it to the rest; put it aside. Let me find out if the God who sent me can run His Church without these people’s contribution. Church Gist. I am talking to you now like Father and special children. Nobody has ever heard this one from me before.
So for 2 years, 2 solid years, every kobo that came from this family was kept in a separate account. Let me just find out if God is bigger than the biggest; richer than the richest. It was when Aboaba came, (so you can check all these stories people involved are alive) Professor Aboaba came from Ibadan, I sent him here. Church Gist. When I say here, we were only one branch then; just the family. And then, after he’s been in the Church for some months, he came to me. He said, “The people are complaining. The people you asked me to go and join, they are complaining.” What’s the complaint? Church Gist. He said things are not going well; and they have found out that they offended me that that’s why contracts were being cancelled, all manners of things were happening.
I said, “Ah! I’m not quarrelling; and God knew. I wasn’t quarrelling, I just ignored.”
- I pray in the name that is above every other name, what you will do that will cause God to ignore you, you will never do it.
- If you have done it, may the Almighty God forgive you.
“When you knew this was the problem, why did you send me there?” I said. “Ah! I didn’t know anything was happening; I was just trying to prove how gracious God can be to me.” Church Gist. Then, we reconciled. It wasn’t everybody that offended, it was a handful. People who thought that they are cleverer than God and they brought problem to everybody. Church Gist. It will interest you to know that everyone of those involved in that little group, they are no longer in the Church and they are not where they ought to be (let me put it like that).
- Wherever you are today compare to where you ought to be, in the name that is above every other name, my God will accelerate your promotion.
Now at times, people might be moving fast, steadily, but even what they called fast is not fast enough for God. Take Joshua that I mentioned earlier on, Joshua was moving fast. He was a favourite of God. Church Gist. When the children of Israel went to spy the promised land, it was only Joshua and Caleb that brought good report. And if you study your Bible very well, it was Caleb who spoke first. Joshua was silent the first night. It was the following morning that he said, “what Caleb said, I support.”
But when God decided to pick one of the 2 to succeed Moses, it was Joshua he picked. Don’t let anybody tell you that God doesn’t have favourite. How many favourites of God are here today? Church Gist. Joshua was running fast; if you read Joshua 10:1-14, Joshua was running so fast he could tell the sun to stand still; tell the moon to stay where it is. That was great! But as far as God was concerned, he didn’t run fast enough; why?
By the time we got to Joshua 13:1, God said to Joshua, “Joshua you are old now and you have not finished the work I gave you.”
- I pray in the name of the one who called me, you will not fall short of God’s expectation!
So, in the blessed family, you might be running fast but are we running at the speed that God expects from us? At times, the reason a man may slow down might be that he is overwhelmed by problems, challenges etc. Church Gist. He thinks he is doing very well but he looks round and he sees so many things that are not showing how well he is running and may become despondent.
You know the story of Elijah, 1 King 18, Elijah called down fire from Heaven. That was great; shamed all the enemies of God, and he prayed until rain fell. Elijah was a great man. Then he ran down to Jezreel, outran the King’s chariot. Church Gist. And when he got down to Jezreel, 1 Kings 19, he found that Jezebel was still there. Not only was Jezebel there, jezebel was saying, I am going to kill you. He ran! And after running for some days, he got tired and said, “What’s the use? Let me slow down joor!” Church Gist. But there is a God of restoration. God of restoration came to him, fed him, like he is feeding you this morning, and gave him new strength.
And by the time you get to 1 Kings 21, the man who was running from Jezebel, confronted Ahab and prophesied how Ahab and Jezebel will end. Power came back; strength came back! And he still went on. Church Gist. By the time you get to 2 Kings 1, the King said they should go and arrest him. Again, he called down fire; not once, but twice. And he would have done it 3 or 4 times until God stopped him; because he was restored. Church Gist. As a matter of fact, his restoration was so complete that by the time we got to 2 Kings 2, this man went to Heaven in God’s own special chariot.
-I’m looking forward to a day, when we are talking about people performing miracles, signs, wonders, we will find them mainly here.
At times, people may slow down because they get to a stage where they began to count on their own strength. “You don’t know our family, we are special. When it comes to evangelism, there’s nobody like us. Church Gist. When it comes to planting Churches all over the world, we are there. Go and ask the G. O we are the ones taking care of him, etc.” Church Gist. At times, we begin to rely on our own strength and the arm of flesh will fail you. You can’t succeed in the race to Heaven if you rely on your own strength.
You know the story of Peter, Matthew 26:31-35, Peter meant every word. If I ask some of you here today, “Can you ever deny Jesus?” you will say, ‘God forbid.’ Just like Peter said, ‘I will rather die.’ And if you look at the issue of Peter, you will know this boy has been running where … People blame him: “Peter was walking on water and then he began to sink.” Church Gist. How many other people jumped out of the boat? At least he took some steps before he began to sink. How many people were able to say, “I know who you are; you are the son of the living God.” Jesus had to say, “flesh and blood have not revealed this to you.”
We knew Peter. Church Gist. When they came to arrest the Lord Jesus Christ, he got a sword; he was ready to fight. At least he cut off the ear of one of those people who came. Until the Lord said, “It is not by power nor by might. It requires the spirit of the living God.” When trouble came, he said I am sorry I don’t know him. But God can restore. If you read John 21, God went and met him. Church Gist. The same Peter who forsook all and followed Jesus after the first encounter said, “I go back fishing.” But the Lord went and met him there and brought him back. And the one who was afraid once, the Bible said in Acts 4:5-13, he wasn’t afraid anymore.
And then he moved on from there to the level where his shadow began to heal the sick. Church Gist. My Daddy told me, “Whatever you say from the altar is not a joke. Say it, I will back it up.”
- There is somebody here listening to me, one day, anybody who touches you by accident will receive a miracle!
What is it that makes all the difference in the life of Peter who went as low as zero? His speed became almost minus; and then he became a man who was soaring. Not just moving fast now, he was soaring on wings of an Eagle to the end of his life. Church Gist. One important thing: the Holy Spirit; because when the Holy Spirit fell in Acts 2:1-4, Peter was there. He received his own bit and from that moment onward, he never slowed down.
That’s why God wants you anointed this morning; to have power to begin afresh. So that by this time next year, if God gives us another opportunity to gather, we will not be talking about what slowed us down. Church Gist. We will be talking about how high we are soaring in Jesus’ name. That’s about all He asked me to tell you. The only thing is this:
You can pour a gallon of oil on the head of a sinner, he will still remain powerless. God does not release His power to anyone who is not a child of God. Oh No! You remember the sorcerer who offered money to Peter. “Take money so you can give me the power.” Church Gist. Peter said to him, “You can perish with your money. This thing is not for sale. It is only for children of God.” So if you know that you are not really really a child of God, a day like this may never come again in your life. “Oh by the grace of God, if the Lord tarries, I’m not planning to die yet; but I go where He asks me to go.” Church Gist. He may say, “I have already settled the Blessed Family; I need your attention elsewhere.” If He doesn’t ask me to come again, I won’t come. So it is not your pastor who brought me here, it’s God who said, “You must go.”
So if you don’t want to miss this day, this day when destiny is going to be determined, and you know deep within you that you are not truly a child of God, you better run forward. Church Gist. Come and give your life to Jesus Christ. When they begin to anoint people, you will receive your own power too.
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