WHY DO YOU KEEP COMING?: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE – ISRAEL 2023 TOUR WITH DADDY AND MUMMY GO, 18TH MAY, 2023.
THE RCCG PRESENTS ISRAEL 2023 TOUR WITH DADDY AND MUMMY GO
DAY 1: BIBLE STUDY FROM THE HOLY LAND WITH PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE.
THEME: ABBA FATHER
MINISTERING: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE
TOPIC: WHY DO YOU KEEP COMING?
DATE: 18TH MAY 2023
BIBLE TEXT: JOHN 1:37-39
OPENING PRAYER
My Father and my God, we want to say Thank You!
Thank You so much for the Salvation of our Souls; Thank You for keeping us in Your Love.
Thank You that thus far You helped us. Thank You because You are not tired of helping us.
Please, accept our Thanks, in Jesus’ Name!
Eternal Rock of Ages we are here because we need Help.
We need Help from You – Many of us in the Physical aspect of our lives, some of us in our Marriages, some of us in our Emotions and definitely, all of us need Help Spiritually.
Lord God Almighty, we are Praying that during this Trip (RCCG Israel 2023 Tour with Daddy and Mummy GO), whatever You have to do so that all our Needs would be met, Please go ahead and do it.
If You have to Chastise us, if You have to rebuke us; whatever You have to do, Almighty God, we are in one accord today saying, just have Your way Oh LORD.
At the end of it all, just take all the Glory.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen.
Those of you I can see and those of you I can’t see (laugher) inclusive those reading now on the Label of DMC – Shake hands with one (1) or two (2) People and say: Welcome to the Holy Land!
… And you may Please, be seated.
Well, we (Myself and my wife) have been coming to Israel for quite some time now.
The first time we came was in 1995 – I think since then, this is the twenty-third (23rd) visit
We used to come every year, then it became every two years. And then Coronavirus came, and told us to sit down at home. So, the last time we were here was 2019.
WHY DO YOU KEEP COMING?
That’s the Topic for tonight: Why are you here?
… Of course they’ve told you that the fact that you are in the Holy Land does not mean that everybody here is Holy!
John 1:37-39:
37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
What do you seek? What brought you here?
I. You want to have a Holiday and you chose to have it in the Holy Land?
II. Or you just want to come and have some fun?
III. Or you want to visit some Places you have not visited before?
IV. Or you just want to repeat some journeys?
… Why are you here?
In Matthew 2:1-5, the Bible tells us that some Wise Men came from the East to the Holy Land. And the reason they came? They wanted to see Jesus Christ!
In John 12:20-23, some Wise Men came from the West; and the reason they came? They wanted to see Jesus Christ!
In Mark 1:40-45, a leper came to Him and said, “I know You can make me Clean if You are Willing.”
You know the rest of the Story – Jesus Christ touched him, healed him, told him to keep his mouth shut. But he said, “I can’t keep quiet.”
So the Leper came – Not just to be Healed; but so that he can become a Witness.
Are you here because you are Sick and you believed God can heal you? – I join my Faith with yours: You shall be Healed – Amen.
… But if Healing alone is why you are here, then you have missed the Point.
Because you can stay in Nigeria and be healed. You can wait till we visit your Country at the Holy Ghost Service or Festival of Life (whatever they call it there) and God can pick you out of the Crowd and heal you.
You don’t need to travel all the way to the Holy Land!
But if you came to the Holy Land so that for the rest of your Life you can be a Witness; that’s a different issue indeed!
In Matthew 8:5-13, a Centurion came to Jesus Christ and all he said he wanted is a Word!
Maybe you are here because you want to hear a Word; you are here believing that somehow before this Programme is over, God would say something to you;
I Pray that you would hear something from Him today – Amen!
So, when you visit the various Centers – unfortunately, I won’t be able to go with you to visit these Centers: so that I can talk to you at each Place. Because when we came in 1995, at each center we had a Bible Study.
But I can give you a Summary (at least on some of the Centers you are going to visit) and guide you as to what you should expect at each Center.
- THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION
Let’s start with the Mount of Transfiguration.
I don’t know if you have visited already or you are yet to visit.
But if you read Matthew 17:1-9, on the Mount of Transfiguration certain things happened:
I. The People saw the Glory of God.
II. They heard the Voice of God.
III. They saw two (2) People coming to talk to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Actually, they came to encourage Him, because of the days ahead – Things He had to go through before the Cross.
So, if you have not been to the Mount of Transfiguration, when you go there, go there with the determination to see the Glory of God. Don’t just climb the Mountain!
Remember, in Exodus 33:17-23, Moses said to God, “Show me Your Glory.”
When you get a Glimpse of the Glory of God, it will show when you get back home -The People at home (without being told) would say, Yes! Something happened to you when you went to the Holy Land.
By the time Moses came back his face is Shinning, that People had to cover their own faces with veil before they could look at the face of Moses.
I would encourage you to go to the Mount of Transfiguration (if you haven’t been there) expecting to hear from God because God speaks!
It was Probably the first time People like Peter, James and John ever heard directly from God.
There are very few People in the world who have ever heard from God audibly.
Most of the times, when Prophets say they are Prophesing, they say they do so based on an Inner Witness.
You would hear them say, “we are led by the Spirit of God to say the following …”
Which is why there are very few “True Prophets” in the world today.
It is better to hear directly from Him – That way, no Prophet can deceive you.
And there is a Promise in John 10:27, Jesus Christ says, “My Sheep hear my Voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”
So, the Potential is there!
One of the reasons for going to Mount of Transfiguration should be, “LORD, You spoke here, let me hear from You: Even it’s a whisper, even if it’s a rebuke. If all You tell me is that there are Restitutions I should make, let me hear from You”.
And with all Humility, let me tell you – There is not anything so comforting than hearing His Voice. It is so comforting; even His rebuke.
IV. And then of course, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah were seen talking to the Lord Jesus Christ – They came to encourage Him.
The Mount of Transfiguration is a Good Place to go when you need God to encourage you.
… So if you haven’t gone, when you go there, go with a Purpose.
- THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
Matthew 26:36-50, in the Garden of Gethsemane; you know the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ Prayed.
… And by the way, maybe we would be able to mention this when we go to our main Theme – “Abba Father.”
You would notice that on the Mount of Transfiguration, He took only three (3) People – Peter, James and John.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, He took three (3) People: Peter, James and John and left the other People aside.
Probably, that will underline the Foundation for the Topic of tonight; that maybe all of us didn’t come for the same thing.
A Multitude can come on Pilgrimage, and there could be only a handful who would get the real stuff.
But your own visit should not be a jamboree.
In the Garden of Gethsemane He took these three (3) People aside and He was Praying.
You know that’s where He Prayed until His sweat became like blood.
And the three (3) ‘Chosen Ones’ were sleeping!
He came back first, second and third time, waking them up
So when you go to the Garden of Gethsemane, go there to Pray, with the Decision that God would answer your Prayers according to His Will (in God’s own way)?
Because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself while Praying said, not my Will but Thine Will be done.
When you go to the Garden of Gethsemane, go to the Almighty God and say, I have come to ask for certain things; but do for me only what is best for me! “Let only Your Will be done in my Life”.
Go to the Garden of Gethsemane to Pray one Particular Prayer (amongst all other Prayers): “God wake me up!”
Because He woke up the ‘Big Boys’ (Peter, James and John). They were sleeping!
And when you read Romans 13:11 and Ephesians 5:14, you would see the need for God to wake you up:
I. When He wakes you up He would give you Light.
II. Why must He wake you up? – Because the End is near. Nearer than many of us may think.
And I am sure at one time or the other, you have heard me say before that, “a Sleeping man doesn’t know he is Sleeping until you wake him up!”
So you are in Israel thinking you are doing Great. Whenever you feel “I am hundred Percent a Child of God; I am okay with God”; always ask yourself a Question: “who is Marking my Paper?”
That is your Opinion! What is the Opinion of the Almighty God? What does He think about you?
He needs to wake you up so that you can see yourself as He sees you. It makes a lot of difference!
… And that can happen in the Garden of Gethsemane.
And you can go there and ask God to Pray for you.
Because He had Prayed for Peter before that occasion.
You know the Story in Luke 22:31-32 – He told Peter, “Satan wants to have you, but I have Prayed for you.”
Thank God He had Prayed in advance!
Could you imagine what would have happened to Peter?
I mean, can you imagine Peter, the one who boasted that, “even if I have to die with you, I will” – Falling asleep on that critical day?
Thank God it is His Prayer that is carrying some of us – Ask Him to pray for you!
Years ago when the Holy Ghost Service (HGS) first got to the Redemption Camp (Lagos-Nigeria); we used to hold it at Ebute-Meta (DMC NOTES: Ebute Meta is where the RCCG National Headquarters Parish was Located) when we were smaller.
There was this Particular Night, the Choir was singing; which is an Invitation for me to come out from my little Office. And I knew I had not Prayed enough. I was not satisfied! And I was afraid of going to face the crowd.
When we say ‘the crowd’ then, we were talking of about six thousand (6,000). And believe me honestly, that was a crowd then!
Not only was it a crowd, it was a crowd of a handful of Witches and Wizards (Laughter).
Because, as I walked into the Auditorium I can always sense there is a Witch on the Left; there is a Witch to the Right.
On one occasion God asked me to call them out.
“God, how am I going to pass through the Valley of the Shadow of Witches (now) and go and Stand before these People?” Physically, I wasn’t even strong. I haven’t Prayed enough because I felt I wasn’t even adequate.
And He spoke to me, “Oh, so you think it is your Prayers alone that has been doing what has been happening? Son go, I have Prayed for you.”
Go to that Garden of Gethsemane, ask God Pray for you. Even if that is the only thing you got for coming to Israel, that would be enough!
But that’s not all that you can get in the Garden of Gethsemane – if you go with the right attitude.
You know, it is in the Garden of Gethsemane that Judas Iscariot came and kissed Jesus Christ and finally, we discovered the enemy in Action.
You can go to the Garden of Gethsemane and say: God show me my Enemies.
Reveal the wolves in Sheep Clothing – Show me the “friends” that I think I can rely upon hundred Percent, but they are just waiting for the right time to strike me!
*In the Garden of Gethsemane (for those of you who have been there before) is where you see an “Empty Grave” – A Place where the Lord was buried and He came out.
Matthew 28:1-7 told us what has happened;
Very early on the Lord’s Day – The first day of the week, the women were coming to anoint His Body. They were discussing, “who is going to roll away the Stone?” When they arrived, they found that the Stone had been rolled away.
Because an Angel descended from Heaven, rolled away the Stone, sat on it. And then told the frightened women “hey, He is not here, He is Risen!”
I told my children who came with me in 1995 (in particular): when we got to the Garden of Gethsemane and they are eager to go inside. I said, Stop! The Young Man leading the Team then was Bayo Adewale (he is no longer that Young now).
I said, you can’t just go into that Place like that – Jesus went in there like a Lamb, He came out a Lion.
When you enter into that Place, cry to God for Transformation.
Afterall the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that as we behold Him, so that we can be Transformed into His Image.
When you go to the Garden of Gethsemane (I know they would allow you enter into the Empty Grave); maybe down a Minute, because of the crowd. As you go in, cry to God “I am going in, don’t let me be the same Person that would come out”.
You must Pray that Prayer – Don’t just go and see the Empty Tomb.
Of course, you go to the Garden of Gethsemane to hear Good News – That He is Alive!
Revelation 1:18 says, I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of Hell and of Death.
He is Alive – Go there and ask God for one thing in addition to Transformation.
When the Angel rolled away the Stone, he sat on it.
What the Angel was saying is, “Whoever is going to roll this Stone back would have to deal with me first”.
Cry to the Almighty God: I have come to this Garden too, every obstruction to my Life, let is be rolled away Permanently – Amen!
- SHILOH
Then of course, there is Shiloh.
Do you know what Shiloh represents?
At least you know the Story from 1 Samuel 1:1-20 – That is where Hannah went and an end came to her Barreness.
Now, if you are trusting God for the Fruit of the Womb, of course Shiloh is the best Place to go – You would cry to God and say: You did it here before for Hannah, do it for me now.
But like I have always said, Barreness is not always just the issue of Physical Barreness, it actually means “Fruitless Efforts” – You are making efforts, instead of getting results, you are not getting any.
So, you can go to Shiloh and cry to the Almighty God – Father, put an End to my “Fruitless Efforts”. Don’t let me Labour in vain anymore.
In Luke 5:1-7, Peter fished all night, caught nothing – Fruitless Efforts! Just one word from God and all was well.
But there is something more about Shiloh that really has Nothing to do with Barreness or not – It is that, at long last, God Noticed Hannah.
She has been coming for years, but on that Particular occasion, the High Priest (Eli) saw her – And he thought that she was drunk.
… Just noticing her – That is when the Breakthrough came!
So, you could go to Shiloh and ask God: Please, Notice me this time: I might be coming for the first time or coming for the twenty third (23rd) time: God Please, Notice me.
- THE MOUNT OF OLIVE
The Mount of Olive is the Place where Jesus Christ left for Heaven – Acts 1:1-12.
*You can call it Mount Oliver or it is also called the Mount of Olive.
There is something Special about that Mountain – The Angels said to the Apostles: “Ye men of Galilee, why Stand ye gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven.”
When He returns, He will land on Mount Olive.
So, when you go to Mount Olive, be reminded that the Lord would come again because many of us have forgotten – The way we are living now, it is as if He is not coming again. He is Coming!
Around the time we got Born Again we were expecting Him every day.
As a matter of fact, when we want to greet ourselves in those days (in Yoruba dialect) we would say, “Eku f’oju so na” – That is Greeting you for expecting His (Jesus Christ) Return.
Oh my God! I had to Plead with many of my Christian Brothers and Sisters who were Students, to continue their Studies because they said “what is the use? The Lord may return before we Graduate.”
I always told them, “Let Him meet you Studying” – That’s how I managed to get Christian Students to continue their Studies.
The Expectation was so high that many of them felt, “why are we wasting time? He would soon come.”
Being reminded that He is going to come again, according to Revelation 22:10-12 means we would Check our ways.
When you go to Mount Olive remember what God says:
And He saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the Prophecy of this Book: for the time is at hand. He that is Unjust, let him be Unjust still: and he which is Filthy, let him be Filthy still: and he that is Righteous, let him be Righteous still: and he that is Holy, let him be Holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my Reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
If you remember that Passage alone, you would not be put to sleep by those who are Preaching that Grace alone can do everything.
He didn’t say: my Reward is with me to give to every man “according to his believe in Grace Principle would be” – No!
” … According as his work shall be!”
Thank God for Grace. I never Play down His Grace.
Paul said clearly in 1 Corinthians 15:10; But by the Grace of God I am what I am: and his Grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I Laboured more Abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the Grace of God which was with me.
God is coming to reward your work! It is up to you to pay attention or ignore.
Going to Mount Olive should be to go and re-dedicate yourself to a Life of Purity, a Life of Holiness, a Life of Commitment to serving God.
Because in Matthew 25:13, He says: Watch therefore, for ye know neither the Day nor the Hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
You don’t know!
- THE UPPER ROOM
This is another Place you Probably would visit.
You know what happened in the Upper Room in Acts 2:1-4 – The Disciples were gathered together in the Upper Room and they were in one accord. That’s where the Holy Spirit fell.
If you go to the Upper Room just to go and see it, then I Pity you because the Upper Room is where you should go to ask God for Power.
In Acts 1:8; the Bible says, But ye shall receive Power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.
You go there (Upper Room) to ask Him for Power. And not just to ask for Power; you go there to ask God to fulfill all His Promises to you.
Because He says you will receive Power after the Holy Ghost is come.
When they were in the Upper Room, He fulfilled the Promise – The Holy Ghost came and Power came!
If you follow the Life of Peter from then on, you would know he wasn’t the same Peter.
There are some of us who would say, “but we’ve been there.
I mean, we are already baptised in the Holy Spirit anyway, and we are Grateful to God – He has fulfilled the Promises He made to us: Is there anything else we can expect when we go to the Upper Room?
Sure! You can go there and asked God that you want your Battery to be Recharged!
Because in Acts 4:23-31, the Bible tells us, the Disciples gathered together again and they Prayed again. The Holy Spirit came again and shook the house again! Their batteries were recharged!
SOW IN THE HOLY LAND: IT IS THE BEST SOUL
Now let me Close with this Personal Secret being revealed to those of you who are in this Team and all those reading now on the Label of DMC – That makes you Special!
Some of us come to the Holy Land (in addition to all that we have told you) to SOW.
What? Yes! You see, if you Study Matthew 13:3-9, it tells us the Story of the Sower who went to sow. And He told us how some Seeds fell by the wayside; some on thorns, some on rocks. And some fell on Good soil. One Produced 30 folds, one 60 folds, another 100 folds.
But there is somewhere in the Bible where it talks about God Multiplying you a thousand folds. He didn’t mention that one!
Well, like my son Leke said, “Keep Digging!”
There can be no soil better than the Holy Land – You don’t have to get a Ph.D in Mathematics to realised that.
And I can give you Testimonies upon Testimonies of People who have been coming all these years and have Promised God something on the Holy Land: “We will do this for You! We’ve seen all these Miracles You did.” And they are just inspired ooo!
You know, one man said he came and he made up his Mind that he would give God his house. And the house is somewhere in Ikoyi or Victoria Island (Lagos-Nigeria). So it is not a small boy’s house.
Then in one of the Holy Ghost Services (whether here in the Holy Land or somewhere else) and the Word of God just came! He made a Promise.
And you know, like all of us – Many atimes we make a Vow and we forget.
And the Word of God came, “there is someone here who Promised me something, he hasn’t done it. You are delaying your Blessings.”
He said he is the one!
So after the Programme, he came running to me (they wouldn’t allow him). He said, “if I am going to die, I will die: I must reach the Man of God.”
Finally I saw the movement, so I beckoned to him, he came. And he said, this is what happened. I said alright, do what God asked you to do. Nobody compelled you: it is between you and Him.
Anyway, he did what God told him to do.
You know, as Government come, Government go. And all of a sudden a New Government came! And his Land that they had been taken away from him in Abuja (Nigeria) was restored.
According to him, that Land alone, is more than one hundred (100) times the house he gave to God.
And then, they offered him another Land ten (10) times the one that they restored to him.
Don’t think I am about to take an Offering because I didn’t know why God is asking me to tell you this. Because I have never mentioned Offering in any of the Pilgrimages before.
There is no better Soil than the Holy Land! If only it is because the Footprints of the Lord Jesus Christ (the Lord of Harvest) is on this Land; it makes the Land Special.
Look at the Magic of Agriculture on this Land; look at the Breakthroughs Economically, Medically, etc in this Land.
A couple of years ago we were at the Celebration of the 75th Independence Anniversary of Israel in Abuja (Nigeria);
When the Ambassador was speaking he said, “75 years ago my father heard of his Radio the announcement of the establishment of the Nation of Israel” (And he showed us a very old Radio). He said, from that time to now, we have reached a Stage where we now Produce water from the air. He took a cup, waved it and the cup became full of clean water.
There is something Special about this Land – We don’t need to decieve ourselves: it is a Land of Miracles.
Shall we bow our head, Please?
PRAYER SESSION:
- I think you want to talk to God and say LORD; whatever may be the reason why I came, just have Mercy on me. Don’t let me return the way I came.
Thank You Father!
- I need Your Help – In every facets my Life I need Your Encouragement. I want to see Your Glory afresh. I want to hear You more clearly than ever before.
- Show me Your Glory again LORD. Wake me up! In every areas of my Life where I am Sleeping, wake me up Lord.
- Answer my Prayers according to Your Will. Fulfil Your Purpose my Life; recharge my Battery, empower me like never before and Single me out Lord, for mighty Breakthroughs.
- Oh LORD, let me hear a Clear Word from You before I go back. Put an end to every Fruitless Efforts in my Life, make my Emptiness Full.
Thank You Father!
- Help Your Children Lord; help us all. Let’s hear Good News. Remove every Obstructions to our Miracles, to our Joy, to our Progress. Every Obstructions to our Fruitfulness, remove Permanently.
And let us remember that You are Coming Again and let us be Prepared.
Thank You Father!
- Answer our Prayers according to Your Will Lord. If there are Wolves in Sheep Clothing, expose them and let Your Name be Glorified.
… Let’s bring our Prayers to a Close.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
CLOSING PRAYER
And so our Father and our God, we want to say Thank You once again for bringing us to the Holy Land.
Thank You for all those who have arrived; Thank You for all those who might still be on the way.
And Lord God Almighty, kindly meet all our Expectations. Do what You alone can do in our lives so that at the end of it all, Your Name would be Glorified.
Thank You Almighty! In Jesus’ Mighty Name we have Prayed – AMEN.
Praise the Lord – Hallelujah!
Thank you so much for staying all through to read.
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