THE CHURCH: BISHOP FRANCIS WALE OKE, DAY 4 EVENING SPECIAL TALK AND PRAYER 2 – RCCG HOLY GHOST CONGRESS 2020

RCCG HOLY GHOST CONGRESS 2020 (VIRTUAL)

THEME: IT IS TIME TO FLY

MINISTERING DAY 4 EVENING SPECIAL TALK AND PRAYER 2: BISHOP FRANCIS WALE OKE (PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, SWORD OF THE SPIRIT MINISTRIES)

TOPIC: THE CHURCH

BIBLE TEXT: 2 CORINTHIANS 11:2

Praise the Lord – Hallelujah!

Let Somebody shout Hallelujah – Halleluyah!

Somebody who is excited to see another Holy Ghost Congress shout a very loud Hallelujah – Hallelujah!

First and foremost, I give Glory to God for the opportunity given to me to witness this Year’s Congress and for the privilege given to me to share the Word of God during this Congress.

I want to thank our father in the Lord, the General Overseer – Daddy G.O. and our Mummy G.O. on the occasion of another Holy Ghost Congress.

You are waxing Stronger day by day and we celebrate the Grace of God upon your life.

… Daddy and Mummy, you will never be weary in the Name of Jesus – Amen.

I greet the Leadership, the Elders, the Pastors and every Members of The Redeemed Christian Church of God worldwide on the occasion of another Holy Ghost Congress.

More Grace to you in the Name of Jesus
The Church frenetic more territories in the Name of Jesus – Amen.

I have been asked to speak on the Subject: “THE CHURCH” under the banner of the broad theme “IT IS TIME TO FLY”.

OPENING PRAYER

Father, we Thank You for your Faithfulness, we worship you for all your Protection, Mercies and Deliverances upon us in this very challenging Year. You have kept us until now – Receive all the Glory in the Name of Jesus

And we Thank You because You who did it, you will continue to keep Your Word and Promise to us, delivering us from all evil and you will make us to see another New Year 2021.

Lord, as I begin to speak, let Your Word come, let Your Power flows, let Your People be blessed, anoint my lips of clay and receive all the Glory.

In Jesus Mighty Name we Pray – AMEN.

“The Church” – Let me start by reading the Scriptures 2 Corinthians 11:2.

Apostle Paul wrote: “For I am jealous over you with Godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to warn us that I may Present you as a chaste virgin to Christ”.

One of the key description, the Bible gives to the Church is that it is the Bride of Christ. He Paid for the Church with His Life Blood. He shed His Blood to redeem the Church.

Acts of the Apostles Chapter 20:28.

Following the Scriptures that I read –
Acts 20:28: “Take heed therefore unto yourself and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers to feed the Church of God which He has Purchased with His own Blood”.

So, the Bible makes it clear that the Church is the Bride of Christ and the Bride Price that Jesus Christ Paid for the Church is His Blood when Jesus died, when He hung on the Cross between Heaven and Earth.

And as His Blood dropped to the ground, He was Paying the Price to redeem the Church to Himself.

So, the Church is the Bride of Christ – He Paid for the Church with His own Blood.

Ephesians 5:25 and 26 makes it clear to us that Jesus Christ gave Himself to the Church – “Husbands love your wives even as Christ loves the Church and gave His Life for it.

So, Christ loves the Church.

The Church is the object of Christ’s affection and He gave Himself, He gave His Life, He gave His Blood to redeem the Church to Himself to Pay for His Bride that He might cleanse it and sanctify it by the Word that He might Present to Himself a Glorious Church not having spot or wrinkles but that it should be Holy and without blemish.

All through the Scriptures, the Bible Points out the key characteristics of the Church – The Church of Christ is Holy, God wants the Church to be without blemish, without Spot or wrinkles.

And He uses the Word to cleanse the Church because He wants the Church to be Holy.

Apostle Paul said: He has espoused us to Christ and he wants to Present us to Christ without Spot or wrinkle.

So, the Church is HOLY, The Church is the BRIDE OF CHRIST, The Church is PURCHASED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST.

Jesus Christ gave Himself for the Church. He loves the Church.

In John 14:1-3; It is very clear that Jesus Christ has gone to Heaven to Prepare a Place for the Church.

In John 14:1, Jesus Christ said: “Let not your heart be troubled”.

No matter what is going on in the world, don’t be troubled – Wars, rumours of wars, don’t be troubled; Coronavirus, don’t be troubled; Sicknesses, deaths, don’t be troubled.

… “Ye believe in God. Believe also in me”.

The moment you receive Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you receive the Gift of Eternal Life.

Jesus Christ our Lord said in John 17:3 – “This is Life Eternal that they may know thee as the one true God and Jesus Christ whom thou have sent you believe God Almighty and you believe in Christ as your Personal Lord and Saviour, you receive the Gift of Eternal Life; you become Born Again – That qualifies you to become a Member of the Church”.

If you have believed in Him as your Lord and Saviour and you have believed in God as your Father, you don’t have to trouble over anything. You are safe and secured in Life and in Eternity. You are qualify to be Part of the Church.

He says: “In my Father’s house are many Mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to Prepare a Place for you, and if I go and Prepare a Place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, so that where I am you shall be also”.

So, the Church is the Bride of Christ – He gave His Blood for the Church and loves the Church and He has gone to Prepare a Place for His Church.

There is a Mansion for every Members of the Body of Christ the moment you have given your Life to Christ and you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.

And God becomes your Father; you receive the Gift of Eternal Life and you qualify for the Mansion in Heaven – Hallelujah!

You can see from this description that the Church is not a building nor is not the Cathedral – No, the Church is not the building.

The building is where the Church meets. The building is physical.

Jesus did not shed His Blood for the Physical building. Jesus is not married to the Physical building – He has not gone to Prepare a Place for a Physical building that is on Earth.

No; it is the People.

The Church is not a building, the Church is not even a denomination:

I. The Church is a Group of People that are “Called Out”: “Called Out” of sin; “Called Out” of darkness; “Called Out” of the world.

II. The People that have heard the Gospel Message and they have believed Jesus as their Personal Lord and Saviour.

III. They have believed the Almighty God as their Father and they are truly Born Again, washed in the Blood of Jesus.

Those are the People that make up the Church.

I. You may be in a Church building and not belong to the Church.

II. You may be inside the Cathedral and not belong to the Church of Christ.

III. You may be Member of any Denomination, Orthodox, Charismatic, Pentecostal, Evangelical – Whatever; if you have not yet received Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and believed God as your Father; if you are not yet washed in the Blood of Jesus Christ; if you are not yet Born Again – You are only Religious; you are not Part of the Church.

The Church is made up of People that are “Called Out” of sin – They have been “Called Out” of darkness, they have been “Called Out” of the world. They have given their lives to Christ. They have been washed in the Blood of Jesus.

1 Peter 2:9 says: “For you are a Chosen Generation, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation”.

Holiness is fundamental to the Church.

You cannot be a Member of the Church if you are not Holy – Because without Holiness, no man can see the Lord.

Two cannot work together except if they agree.

You cannot be a Part of the Body of Christ, then you have to be Holy.

… That you should show forth the Praises of Him who has Called you out of darkness into His Marvellous Light.

The Church is made up of People that have been “Called Out” of darkness; “Called Out” of sin and iniquity into the Marvellous Light of God.

That is why Jesus says: We, the Church, we, thet are Born Again, we that are washed in the Blood of Jesus Christ, we are the Light of the world – Mathew 5:14.

So, the Church is made up of individuals who have heard the Joyful Sound of the Gospel.

They believed the Gospel, they have been Born Again, they have been washed by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

They are out of darkness, out of sin, out of the world and they have given their lives to Christ.

Now. Listen to me my friend or even as you read now on the Label of DMC: Are you one? Are you a Member of the Church?

Don’t be deceived:

I. If you are not Born Again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.

II. If you are not Born Again, you cannot be a Part of the Church of God.

You can be Born Again, Baptized, confirmed and die in a very Good Church in town; if you are not Born Again, you are not washed in the Blood of Jesus Christ, from that very Good Church in town, you will sink straight to hell.

If you will give your life to Jesus Christ today, receive Him as your Personal Lord and Saviour, your sins will be forgiven you and you will never Perish. Jesus will give you Eternal Life.

Now, how do we fly as a Church?

If you read from the Deutronomy 32:11-14; God used the People of Israel as an illustration and He bore them on the wings of Eagles and He took them to great Heights and He made them to fly. And He gave them the best of everything in the world – That is how God wants the Church to be.

God doesn’t want the Church to crawl – No. He doesn’t want the Church to struggle – No. He wants the Church to fly.

And if you are a Member of the Church and you are truly Born Again, then it is time to fly.

In the name of Jesus Christ – Struggling days are over in your life – Amen; you will begin to soar like an Eagle – Amen. Work and Struggling and Sweating is over – Amen.

… It is time to Fly!

HOW DO WE FLY?

1. You must be sure that you are Genuinely Born Again because this flying that we are talking is Supernatural and if you do not have Christ in you, there is no way you can fly.
2. You must be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:11 says: If the Spirit of He that raised Christ from the dead is in you. He that raised Christ from the dead will quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that is in you.

It is the Holy Spirit that helps us to fly.

There is no flight of any kind apart from the Holy Spirit.

Those that would fly in this Endtime must:

I. Give room to the Holy Spirit.

II. They must co-operate with the Holy Spirit.

III. And they must obey the instructions of the Holy Spirit.

3. We fly through “Serious Prayer”.

In Isaiah 40:31; the Bible says: They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their Strength, they shall Mount up with wings like Eagle, they shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not be faint.

So, when we take time to Pray – “Serious Prayer”, “Diligent Prayer”, “Wholehearted Prayer”. When we take time to seek God’s face, we will soar, we will Fly.

Now, it’s time Church!

Thank God we have been Praying but let us double up . Let us Push our Prayer up.

The time we are is Perilous, not only for this Nation but for Nations of the world.

And one way to overcome is to Pray.

The End of all things is at hand – And Be ye therefore Watchful and Prayerful.

4. Alright, if we really want to fly, we must add Fasting to our Prayer.

Fasting multiplies your Prayer Power a thousand folds. It makes your Prayer very Powerful.

In Acts 13:1-3; you see the Early Church.

I. The Early Church took their time to Fast.

II. They took their time to wait on the Lord,

III. They took their time to Minister unto the Lord.

And it is as they ministered unto the Lord that they heard the Voice of the Holy Spirit and a Great Mighty Missionary Movement began.

So, when we fast, we soar High!

5. When we engage in serious Evangelism, we get People saved – We Witness to them; we reach out to them one on one and tell them the Gospel of Jesus. How He loved them, how He died for them.

And as the People get Born Again, we soar more than never before.

6. Finally, as Church, we should engage the Modern Day Technology so that we can soar.

In 2 Chronicles 26:15 – The Bible talks of the King who invented engines. He used engines invented by cunning men to win his battles.

It is the day of Social Media; the day of Twitter, and all manner of Social Media Platforms – Let us use them and great shall be the results.

Listen to me even as you read now on the Label of DMC – This Year has been an amazing Year.

This congregation of the our Annual Holy Ghost Convention of my Church – This Year was the 38th Edition.

The congregation was so small because of Covid-19 and we are to obey Social Distancing.

We told the People to stay in their Churches and at the Headquarters.

We limited those who came to under one thousand (1,000) because we must maintain Social Distancing.

I have never addressed the Holy Ghost Convention that small – We moved into the stadium and now I’m faced with less than one thousand (1,000).

But my children put it on all Social Media Platforms and when they reported to me that the Convention peak at 3.8 Million People, I say: No, No – Pick up your biro well, don’t lie to me.

I can’t be trowing figures around now, not at my age get me the real thing.

They said that’s true daddy.

I said okay; analyse it for me.

So, they analysed it and they Present it in Paper – Over 3.8 Million People from fifty eight (58) Nations of the world. They hooked Online and listened to the Word.

I say God, Covid 19 that the enemies want to use to crush the Church, you have used it to make the Church become a Church without walls.

That 3.8 Million Congregants at one meeting – Impossible, we don’t have any Place near one tenth of that but by engaging the Social Media platform, we soar.

So, Men and Brethren, you are the Church. Make sure you are Born Again; be filled with the Holy Spirit; engage in Prayer; get into Fasting; Evangelise and let us use all the Social Media Platforms.

Let us saturate the world with the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ – We are the light of the world.

CLOSING PRAYER

I bless you in the Name of Jesus.

It is well with you. You will Shine Brighter day by day. You will rise Higher day by day.

You will move from Glory to Glory. You will fulfill your Destiny.

And you will be a “True Member” of the Church expanding the Kingdom of God.

It is well with you – Amen

Let somebody shout Hallelujah!!!.

Once again, daddy thank you; mummy thank you – For giving me the Great Honour and Privilege to Mount this Glorious and Great Platform and to share the Word of God.

More Grace to you daddy; more Grace to you mummy in Jesus Name – Amen.

Praise God –
HALLELUJAH!!!

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