HIGHER GROUNDS – RCCG SEPTEMBER 2024 THANKSGIVING SERVICE FEATURING SPECIAL PRAYERS FOR SPORTS MEN AND SPORTS WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES – PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE
RCCG SEPTEMBER 2024 THANKSGIVING SERVICE FEATURING SPECIAL PRAYERS FOR SPORTS MEN AND SPORTS WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES
THEME: HIGHER GROUNDS
MINISTERING: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE
TOPIC: GREATER HEIGHTS
DATE: 1ST SEPTEMBER, 2024
BIBLE TEXT: ISAIAH 40: 28-31
GENERAL PRAYERS
- Well, let us lift our hands to the Almighty God and bless His Holy Name – Let’s give them Glory and Honour for a New Church Year.
Praise His Holy Name for what He did for us Last Momth.
Give Him Glory for a Convention – The type that we have never seen before.
Praise Him – Praise the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have given Thanks – Amen.
- We want to Pray especially for our Sports Men and Women today.
You see, when they succeed, they bring Glory to their Nation; but when they fail, it affects the Nation.
So, we want to Pray that from now on, God will Anoint all our Sports Men and Sports Women – That they will no longer fail.
Go ahead and Pray for them.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen.
SONG
We give You all the Glory
We give You Honour
We give You all the Glory
We give You Honour
OPENING PRAYER
Ancient of Days, the God of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; our Supporter, our Healer, our Promoter, our Provider, our All in All – Glory be to Your Holy Name.
Thank You for January, Thank You for February, Thank You for March, Thank You for April, Thank You for May, Thank You for June, Thank You for July, Oh Thank You for August and now Thank You for September.
Father, accept our Thanks in Jesus Name.
Father, make this a September to Remember – A September to remember for Good.
And we are committing all our Sports Men and Sports Women into Your Hands; if they succeed, we will rejoice and so we need to be Part and Parcel of these People.
That is why today, we are Praying Specially for them – Because they represent us, don’t let them fail again and anoint them for Success.
Wherever they go to compete, let them excel.
Keep Accidents away from them, keep Sickness away from them and keep the devil away from them.
In all areas of their lives, let it be well with them and let them know You and serve You.
Father, we are Thanking You for all Your Children who has been Faithful in the Payment of their Tithes and in the Giving of their Offerings.
Almighty God, I Pray that this Month, You will Surprise them and You will bless them beyond measures.
I Pray Lord God Almighty for everyone of Your Children; the rest of this Year, let it be far better.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
Well, let Someone shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!
Shake hands with two (2) or three (3) People and say: “Happy New Year”.
And then, you may Please be seated.
Just in case you are wondering – Those of you who are New: Why are you saying: “Happy New Year”?
The New Year of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) begins in September.
And I’m sure that you know that our God is always getting better and better – He reserves the Best till the Last. The Last Convention (RCCG Convention 2024) was awesome.
I am a Man of crowd as I love crowd – When I see crowd, I feel happy.
But this Last Convention, I was afraid when I see the crowd – I don’t mind confessing that to you.
Particularly, when I got to the Children Section – They don’t show them on most of the Screens.
But when you stand and you look to your Right for almost a Kilometer and there are Children; you turn to your Left, almost a Kilometer there are Children – Hundreds of Thousands of them; oh I say God Mercy on me.
Because if Somebody gives you a hundred Children and say: Help me look after them for one week; you know the Implications.
Children are supposed to be restless, they are supposed to be Playful and at the end of it, not a Single one was missing.
… May God have Mercy!
So our Topic this Morning is: “GREATER HEIGHTS”.
Isaiah 40:28-31:
- Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the Earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His Understanding.
- He giveth Power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth Strength.
- Even the Youths shall faint and be weary, and the Young Men shall utterly fall:
- But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their Strength; they shall mount up with wings as Eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
The world in every facets of it is in Levels:
- Physically, you have:
I. Those who are in the Hole – 6 feets under the Ground.
II. Then you have those who are on the Surface of the Ground but in a Valley.
III. Then you have those who are on a Hill.
IV. Then you have those who are on a Mountain.
V. But there is something even Higher than a Mountain – We call it the Sky.
But when we talk about the Sky, there is a Sky and there is a Sky:
☆ The Journey from here to the Moon.
If you are travelling by the Best Rockets, it will take you 3 days.
☆ The Journey to the Sun will take us a couple of years.
☆ And then, beyond the Sun, you have Places like Mars, Jupiter etc – That will take you a little longer time.
☆ And above all, there is Heaven.
I will see you in Heaven one day – Amen!
- Politically for Example:
I. We have those we call Party Stalwarts – Which is a Polite name for Thugs.
Those People, they are Lower than the lowest – Because when there is any confrontation between two Politicians, the Party Stalwarts will fight against one another and in the Process, some get killed.
And many atimes, when the battle is fiercest, they don’t even wait for those who died as the rest of them will escape with the Politicians.
II. And then, there is a Level higher than that.
When you become maybe a Counsellor; then you won’t be carrying axes and cutlasses about.
III. And then, you can move from there and become a Governor.
IV. And then you can move from there and become a President.
- In Sports – For Example in Boxing, there are Levels:
I. There is a Level where your Opponent knocks you out so thoroughly and they have to carry you out of the Ring.
Many atimes, you wake up on your way to the Hospital.
II. There is a 2nd Level – They knock you out alright but you woke up before you get out of the Ring.
IiI. Then there is a Level where you have lost three (3) fights in a row.
IV. Then, there is that Level where you are the Champion – Particularly when you are Winning again and again.
V. And then, there is that Level where you retire Undefeated – The Undefeated Champion.
- But wherever you may find yourself, God is always there:
I. Even if you find yourself in a Hole, underneath the Earth; He will be there.
In Daniel 6: 1-end; Daniel was in the den of Lions – The den of Lion is a Special Hole, dug into the Ground where Lions are kept.
But he went there and came out alive – Because Deuteronomy 33:27 says: Underneath are the Everlasting Arms.
No matter how Low you go, His Hands are still underneath you.
So, I have Good News for those of you who might still be underneath the Earth; because you came today, you will come out of the Ground – Amen!
II. Then, there are those who are on the face of the Earth but they are in a Valley.
A Valley is a representative of Depression – As a matter of fact, that is what they called it in Scientific Terms.
And when Someone is in a “Serious Depression”; he might even be considering going underneath the Earth.
You have heard People say: I wish the Ground could open up and swallow me – That is when they find themselves in some very serious Embarrassment.
In 1 Kings 19: 1-8; a Great Man of God, because he found himself in the Valley; Prayed to God and said: God, let me die. His name is Elijah.
But he didn’t die because God was there – He was expecting to die but God came and helped him.
As a matter of fact, He sent help to him twice.
For those of you who might be in a situation where you are beginning to think that maybe Death is better than Life; I have Good News for you: As long as you are still breathing, there is Hope!
Ecclesiastes 9:4 – Whenever you are still breathing, there is Hope for you. And so, don’t let the devil deceived you that there is no Hope for you.
No matter your situation; as long as you are still breathing; in the Name that is above every other name, you are going to shout for Joy – Amen!
III. And then, there are those who are on a Hilltop – That means that things are already looking up and you are no longer on the Ground but you have Climbed.
When you are on the Hilltop – Particularly, when you are in connection with God; the beauty there is that the Enemies will have to try to climb to reach you – That means that you are above them.
And if you look at 1 Kings 18: 36-40; if you are on a Hill and God is on your Side; any Enemy that is trying to climb to come and meet you there is going to be burnt by Fire.
It is a beautiful thing to be on Hilltop – That is why when you hear some People who are Fastimg; when you ask them to come and eat, they will say that I am on a Hill.
And when you are on a Hill, it becomes easier for God to answer your Prayers!
IV. But there is something higher than the Hill – That is called the Mountain.
When you read 1 Kings 18: 41-45; you will find out that Elijah was already on a Hill on Mount Carmel – He had Prayed and Fire had fallen and all his Enemies has been vanquished.
But then, he wanted something more – He wanted to Pray, so that Rain will fall and the Bible says that he Climbed higher.
… He was already on a Mountain but even on Mountains, there are Levels. And so, you can move a little higher than you are.
And I’m Prayijg for all of us who are here today or reading now on the Label of DMC: Before the end of this Month, You will be on a Higher Level – Amen!
V. But then, the Bible Text that we read this Morning told us that you can even fly above Mountains.
It says that those who will wait upon the Lord, He will increase their Strength; so that with wings, they can fly above Mountains.
I have always told my children – One of the most beautiful things that can happen is for God not to bother to move the Mountains blocking your way but to just take you above them so that you are flying and just looking at the Mountains below.
The first time that I flew from Nigeria to Sierra Leone in the Nigeria Airways of Blessed Memory – It was during the Afternoon and we are not too far up.
But I could see all the Hills, and all the Mountains – They looked beautiful when you are looking at them from Above.
From this Morning onwards, you will be flying above your Mountains – Amen!
- But let us talk Spiritually.
I. Sinner is in a Hole.
Ephesians 2:1 says that a Sinner is dead in Trespasses and sins.
He might not be buried yet, but anyone who is living in sin is dead.
Thank God that Jesus Christ is still there no matter how Low or how Long you have been dead – He has the Ability to resurrect.
I mean when you read John 11: 1-44 – A fellow who has been dead for 4 days, the Almighty God still raised him up.
There might be one (1) or two (2) of us who are still enjoying sin:
☆ Who lies and enjoys it and say that I set him up.
☆ There might be those who will say when they have committed Adultery that I Conquered the Person etc.
Rejoicing in what you called Sadness.
But there is Someone who can still raise the dead.
Now, I am Praying today that any Sinners listening to me today or reading now on the Label of DMC; you will come out of the Hole – Amen!
II. And then, Higher than that are those who are saved.
2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that if you are Born Again, you have a Brand New Beginning – Therefore, if any Man be in Christ, He is a New Creature; Old Things are Passed away, all Things has become New.
Salvation brings you to that Level where you forget everything – All the rotten things you have done are washed away and you have a Brand New Life.
And many atimes you can’t even recognise yourself – Am I the one that used to do all these things? Am I the same Person?
You are out of the Hole and God has already put your feet on the Rock to stay.
III. But then, there is something better than Salvation – And that is what is called Sanctification.
When you are saved, your sins are washed away. But it is Sanctification that will help you not to sin again.
It is like when you are working in a Company – I don’t know if they still do so. But if you something wrong, they give you a Query.
You answer the Query – Both the Problem and Answer to the Query, they put into your File.
And in many Companies, Provided that you don’t have more than three (3) Queries in 3 years; at the end of the third year, they removed every Queries from your File to give you a New Beginning.
So, your file will be cleaned as if you have not received a Single Query.
But after they have just wiped clean your file, you begin to make mistakes again; then they begin to put fresh Queries in your file.
The Ability not to have any other Query in your file is given to you by what is called Sanctification.
Because when you become Born Again, the Blood of Jesus Cleanses from all sins – Every lies that you have told, every Persons tthat you have cheated; everything as far as God is concerned, the day you get Born Again, the Blood of Jesus wiped it away.
But then, you need Sanctification to help you now to be able to live a kind of Life that God requires of you because God is Holy.
That was why when Paul was Prayijg for the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:23; he Prayed that God will Sanctified you Holy.
Give you the Ability Completely: Body, Soul and Spirit; never to annoy God again.
That is why I am Praying for all of you that is already saved and are not yet Sanctified, cry for Sanctification!
And in case you don’t hear me during the RCCG Convention 2024 – When I was Speaking on “The Power of Sanctification” – You need to go and get the Tape or you read the Full Text of the Message on this Link:
Sanctification is beautiful – It makes you a Favourite of God!
Oh, everybody can call God Father but only the Sanctified can call God Daddy – And there is a lot of difference in both.
Daddy means “Special” – Someone in which there is an Intimacy between the two of you.
In Modern Language, you call Him “Popsy”
IV. Then after you have been Sanctified, there is a higher Level – And that is the Level of Power (Baptism in the Holy Spirit).
Acts 1:8 says: You shall receive Power.
But you say: How come that all those People who Pray in Tongues don’t have Power?
Do you know the kind of Tongues they are speaking?
Some Tongues are not given by God – All you need to do is to listen carefully and you will find out that the Fellow who said that he is speaking in Tongues is repeating the same thing 2 or 3 times.
When you are speaking – Even when you are speaking in Yoruba, it is not only “E Pele ni be yen”.
If you go to America where they don’t understand Yoruba and you repeatedly say: “E Pele ni be yen”; they will think that you are speaking in Tongues.
There are some Tongues that are copied and there are some Tongues that come from the Holy Spirit.
So today, if you have been speaking Tongues and you don’t see the Evidence of Power; when it is time to Pray, Pray for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
When it is the Holy Spirit who gives you the Tongue, He will back it up with Power!
- But then, even among those who has Power, there are Levels.
I have said it before that Power or Heat, to use as an Example because there is a Link between Power and Heat.
The Motorcycle is more Powerful than a Bicycle.
Why? Because there is something called an Engine that Produces Heat and it is through the Production of that Heat that the Motorcycle moves.
You don’t believe me, go to the Airport and see a Plane that is about to take off – You will see some Heat being generated.
Anyway, suppose you have Power and you want that Power to become useful in a Particular direction; Heat can be transmitted in three (3) basic ways:
I. BY CONDUCTION.
It means: I have Heat, I want to transfer Part of that Heat to you and so I will come and lay hands on you.
Acts 3: 1-8, when Peter was just beginning to appreciate the Power that he received on the Day of Pentecost; he saw a Lame Man and said to him: In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.
The Man didn’t move until he held him by the hand, then the Power flowed by Conduction – And the ankle Born received Strength and the Man jumped up and began to walk.
When you have received Power and you want to start to manifest that Power initially, you will lay hands on the Sick and they will recover!
II. But there is another way of doing it when you grow – And this is what you called in Science: Transfer of Heat by Convection.
I have Heat, I put that Heat into something and that thing takes the Heat to where it is needed.
I take an Handkerchief, I Prayed over it, I soaked it with Anointing and I sent it to Someone far away. The Fellow came in contact with that Handkerchief, the Power transfer through the Handkerchief to that Fellow.
That is Transfer of Anointing by Convection.
Acts 11: 11-12; the Bible says that God Perform Special Miracles by the hands of Paul, so that from his body Aprons and Handkerchiefs were taking to the Sick and they were all healed.
III. But there is still a Level higher than that one – This time, you don’t have to send Handkerchiefs or Aprons; just what we called in Science: Transfer of Heat by Radiation.
Acts 5: 14-16; it tells us that the Shadow of Peter kept on healing the Sick.
In other words, when People heard that Peter was coming to town – If he is comimg in the Morning, they knew where the Sun will rise and they will go and lie the Sick on the other side of the road so that his Shadow can fall upon them.
By Radiation, those People got the Anointing needed for their Healing and Deliverance.
Some of you remembered a time several years ago when we were having a Holy Ghost Service at the very first Auditorium.
And all of a sudden, God spoke to me and said: There are some People there who has several backaches – So severe that for a long time, they have not been able to touch their toes. And He said: Call them out as I want to heal them. I was happy.
I called them out and they came – I thought that He was going to ask me to lay hands on them, but He said: “Dance round them”.
I was a bit confused – How can I dance round Sick People? What will I say that I am dancing about? I’m rejoicing your back is aching?
But I know who spoke – So, I asked the boys to beat the drum and I danced round those People. And I felt very foolish doing it.
But after dancing for a while, He said that was enough – Tell them to go ahead and touch their toes. And they were all healed.
That is Healing by Radiation.
IV. By the Grace of God, He has moved us into operating more and more via Radiation
That’s why you will find out on many occasions during Special Programs, we ask you to lift up your Handkerchiefs or something and we will wave our hands.
Some of you will think that we are joking but some of you know that we are not joking.
At least you heard the Testimony of Somebody during the RCCG Convention 2024 – Who was involved in a Fire Accident. His body was burnt but the dress he wore was not touched by the Fire because on one occasion, he has worn that dress and we had waved our hands to every dress and it has become Specifically Anointed.
The Anointing is so Powerful that Fire cannot even destroy it.
Today, wherever you may be Watching or reading this now on the Label of DMC – I wave my hands towards you and I decree: “BE ANOINTED” (Amen).
V. But yet, there is a Level higher than that – That is a Level where in Science; where Power is transferred by a Spark.
You know that they tell you that when you are in a Filling Station, don’t smoke here o.
Why? Because the fumes of the Petrol may reach out and catch the fire of your cigarette – Transfer by spark.
You can get this Power transferred just as the Preacher is speaking – He said that: He sent His Words and the Word healed them.
In other words, God sits down in Heaven – He didn’t send an Handkerchief, He didn’t come round for Radiation but He sent His Words – And the Word will heal them and deliver them from their destructions,
And you are very familiar with that because from time to time, you have heard the Testimony that God will just suddenly stopped my Preaching – And said that there is Someone here and this, this and this.
And it means nothing to some of us because you are not the one He is talking to – Until the Fellow comes to Testify and you said that I remembered when he said that.
I still remembered one of the Testimonies that gave me Tremendous Joy – I think it’s in the Month of July Holy Ghost Service.
A woman who went to the Doctor for one Special Procedure and they told her: How Old are you? She said 58 years! And they said that you are too Old as we can only do this Procedure for Someone who is 55 years Maximum.
And she came to the Holy Ghost – And as she was coming in, God spoke and said that there is Someone here, “I am reducing your Age by 5 years”.
When some People talk of Fake Miracles, how can you fake that? This Fellow was just coming in – I have never met her before, she has not told me what the Doctors said.
She told her husband – You hears that now? My Age instead of it being 58 is now 53. Let’s go back to the Doctors.
She went back to the Doctors – She told the Doctor that I am now 53.
The Doctor looked at her – What kind of joke is this? Last week, you are 58 but now you are 53.
The result of the Procedure, we all saw it,
I don’t know what is it that you need to make this New Year the best of your Life – But may I say to you today: “Reveive it in Jesus Nane” (Amen).
VI. Of course, there is a Height higher than all these that we have been talking about – And that is Heaven!
Because you can Perform Miracles now – You can heal the Sick, you can raise the Dead, you can speak a word and Miracles can happen.
And then you can get to Heaven and Jesus Christ will say: “I don’t even know you”.
He called you a “Worker of Iniquity” because you can Pretend here on Earth – You can call yourself a Prophet, or you can call yourself Supreme Apostle but God knows those who are His Own. You can’t deceive God.
That is why the Bible Text that we read says: Those who wait upon the Lord and those who are connected to the Lord; they are the ones who will keep on flying and never get tired.
Because if you are connected to the Source of Electricity, you won’t run out of Power.
When you are truly connected to God, the Sky is not your Limit – You keep on Soaring!
ALTAR CALL
This is why I am appealing this Morning – You want Greater Heights? You want to be much Greater than where you are? Get connected to Jesus.
I am not talking of just comimg to Church, I am talking of you being hungry for Him.
There are some of us, we can’t wait for the door of the Church to be opened – We want to be close to our Maker.
And so, those of you who are not even had contact with Him – You have not Surrendered your Life to Him; I beg you today, come and Surrender your Life to Him.
Let Him give you a Brand New Beginning – Come out the Hole and let God put your feet on Solid Rock. Let your Journey to the Top begins today.
Come and give your Life to Jesus.
I will count from one (1) to seven (7) – Before I say seven (7), come and stand before the Altar so that I can Pray for you. I am counting now!
Now, those of you who are already infront and those of you who are on the way; I want you to cry to the Almighty God now and say:
Lord, Please save my Soul, have Mercy on me, let Your Blood wash me, I want to be a True Child of the Living God – Please Lord, have Mercy on me and give me a Brand New Beginning.
And the rest of us, let us Stretch our hands towards our New Brothers and Sisters and intercede for them: That the Almighty God who saved our own Souls will save their Souls also. Pray that God will give them Genuine Salvation.
Thank You Father. In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen,
PRAYER FOR SALVATION
Almighty God, I want to Thank You this Morning for Your Words and I want to Thank You very much for those Your Children who has come forward to Surrender their lives to You today.
Please remember Your Promise that whosoever will come unto You; You will no wise cast out.
They have come to You now, Father Please receive them in Jesus Name.
Save their Souls, let Your Blood wash them Clean, write their names in the Book of Life and receive them into the Family of God.
And Please Lord, from now on; anytime they call on You, answer them by Fire and don’t let them backslide.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen.
How many of you believed that God will answer us today?
Stand on your feet and shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!
FINAL CLOSING PRAYER
My Father and my God, I want to Thank You for a New Beginning and Thank You for this New Year.
And Thank You for the People who are here today and those who are listening to me all over the world or reading now on the Label of DMC:
Father, I know that there are Greater Heights – Much Greater than we have attained.
My Father and my God, I Pray today that You will move all of us Higher.
And even as I wave my hands Lord God Almighty; I Pray that your Anointing will be transferred to all of them.
I Pray that in this New Year, they will operate under a New Anointing and that this New Year will be for them a Year they will never forget.
And Please, they are about to call on You now; as they call; kindly answer them.
Even before Next Sunday, let all of them have New Testimonies.
Promote them Oh Lord!
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
PERSONAL PRAYER REQUEST
Now, the Prayer I want you to Pray now is between you and God.
But with all your Strength, I want you to cry to the Almighty God and say:
Father, move me Higher – Physically, Mentally and Spiritually.
Go ahead and cry to the Almighty God!!!
Thank you so much for staying all through to read.
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