CHURCH GIST: IF I RETIRE BEING A PASTOR TODAY, IT WON’T STOP ME FROM GOING OUT FOR SOUL WINNING_ DAVID OYEDEPO


Bishop David Oyedepo at CHoP




* Long before I became a Pastor, I was hunting for souls!!! 

* Today, I am amazed at the kind of strength that surges in my system.

* Soul winning is every believer’s health insurance policy with God.




SOUL WINNING: A HIDDEN TREASURE OF THE KINGDOM

Matthew 13:44

What makes it a treasure? So much valuables are loaded into it; inestimable valuables are loaded into it; things that money, education, skill, position can never buy are loaded into this. 

Someone had cancer of the mouth and the doctor said, “it’s too late, there is nothing we can do anymore about it.” She returned home; began to engage and in the night, the Master Surgeon, the Great Physician, Jesus Christ Himself, appeared to her in a vision dressed like a doctor in the theatre and ripped out a lump from her mouth in that vision. She woke up in the morning, cancer free. 

Things that money cannot buy, that skills cannot buy is loaded into it: that is what makes it a treasure. 

Someone went out on the field and was reaching out to the lost, not knowing that she was reaching out to someone she was going to get married to. Money can’t buy marriage. She said, “we are gloriously and colourfully married”: it is not just being married, it is being joyfully, peacefully, ‘fulfillingly’ married. That is what makes it a treasure. 

The unfathomable valuables that are loaded into it: Joy; can money buy joy? Can position buy joy? There are many highly placed people that are constantly depressed, they live on anti-depressants on daily basis. There is no rest in any cell of their body yet maybe first place in their place of work, first place in their Nation, maybe first place in the world but can’t attain to joy that is freely available to local people like you and me through Jesus Christ. 

“And the seventy returned with joy” (Luke 10:17). Why? They were sowing seeds of joy, good news to people. So they reap a harvest of joy unspeakable, full of glory. That is what makes soul winning a hidden treasure, it is loaded with unfathomable, inestimable valuables. 


Soul winning entitles believers to instant answers to prayers: Among other things, soul winning entitles believers to instant answers to prayers (John 15:16). 

Instant: like the woman that went for scan and they just measured the big lump (documented testimony). Before she left, she gave God 5 reasons why she should not return with a negative diagnosis. Instant! To show that it just happened, they measured the lump, the growth…”It is big, you can’t mistake it; okay let’s now check.” They checked, the same instant, they can’t find it again. Came out of that place free from destructive pains. Jesus just answered her on the spot, in fulfillment of John chapter 15 verse 16.

She went out and 3 of the converts came back to Church with her. 

“go and bring forth fruit…whatsoever you ask in my name I will do it” – simple laboratory test. 

*God will surprise you this year.

Let me say this before the Lord, not one day has any testimony been altered in this Church. Never.

But if you say, “I go yesterday”: we can help you put “I went…” because that is what you wanted to say, you just forgot; because it was yesterday, so it must be ‘went not go.’ But the substance of any testimony has never been altered once in this Church since inception. There has been no extension of any testimony. You say, “it is 2 days pain”, they put “2 days” not “20 years”; the same way you put it. 

They are authentic, they are reliable, they are reproducible, they are reproductive; you can count on them. Church Gist

*It shall be an awesome year for you in all respects.

It (soul winning) guarantees instant answers to prayers (Mark 16:20).

“These signs shall follow them that believe”; so they went and they saw the instant nature of that Word confirmed in their lives. 


2. Soul winning empowers believers to command dominion over all devils 

Luke 9:1,6

Most of the people healed were victims of the oppression of the devil like in the Ministry of Christ (Acts 10:38). They demonstrated power and authority over all devils as delivered to them. The 70 returned saying, “even devils were subject to us in your name” (Luke 10:17). 

He said, “Yes, I gave you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19).

God’s Anointed Patriarch by name, T.L Osborn was in one of the cities here in Nigeria, in a crusade and one occultic man came with a rod. When you point that rod to any man, he dries up, falls down and dies. He pointed the rod at T.L Osborn on the crusade ground, the rod broke into two: the rod died. Altar call was made, he carried his 2 dead rods, went to the front and came out to share his testimony. He came to kill and God killed his instrument that he uses to kill: Power over all devils; being on the go for Jesus makes you unhurtable. Church Gist Anyone that dares you, dares God and he will see the red eye of God. 

We had a testimony here in 2015, very humbling testimony: someone got saved, so they called him and said, “how dare you say you are a Christian! In this family, nobody is a Christian.” They called their priest and he took a pigeon to move round the head of the new convert. The pigeon died, ‘Haaah.’ Took another one, the pigeon died. While he was making his incantation, he died vertical. He stood and died on his feet. When God wants to mess up anybody…he died still!. 

“Baba, Baba” – Baba had gone! Baba died trying to kill a little child of God. 

*Any devil that dares you will go down for you.

How many remember that testimony? Live. 

Somebody gave his life to Christ and then they poisoned some food: his senior brother poisoned food to kill him, nobody must be a Christian in this place. The first daughter of the brother now came home, she didn’t know it was poisoned food, she just food and grabbed the food: vomited blood and died. They said it was the young man (Christian) who killed her. The wife said, “look, let me tell you the truth. We poisoned the food to kill this man. Our daughter came and mistakenly ate the food. They should please let him go.”

The death planned for him went to where it should go.

*Every evil planned against you, being on the go for Jesus, goes back to the sender.

These are raw acts of God, to show that we have power over all devils and to cure diseases.


3. Soul winning entitles believers to health and vitality: It is your entitlement as a fruitful soul winner (John 15:2). Every branch, no exemption, is kept fit so he can keep bearing more fruit. Every believer, that is a fruit bearing believer is entitled to healthy living, there is no ‘go, come’ about it. Every!

That is why soul winning is every believer’s responsibility because it is our health insurance policy with God. We are agents of the Kingdom, special agents on a mission to reconcile people back to God, bring them back to God (2 Corinthians 5:17). A faithful ambassador is entitled to healthy living (Proverbs 13:17).

Now we are ambassadors for Christ, we have the word of reconciliation, on a mission reconciling the world back to Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). As long as we do that, among the fringe benefits is healthy living.

*In the name of Jesus, every challenge on anyone’s health comes to a final end this month.

Not just this month, this week as you engage with Operation Andrew with a determination that you ensure that you brought a soul to Christ and watch that soul established, minimum one this coming Sunday. Your health insurance policy is established. 

*In your household, sickness and disease shall not have a foothold.

*In your body, there is nowhere where sickness can hide in the name of Jesus. 

That is why it is a hidden treasure of the Kingdom. People say here, “health is wealth”, how true! 

You can sell anything off to secure your health. 

A man had a property that was about 80 Million (Naira) worth and then nobody was buying. Somebody priced it for 20 Million (Naira), he said, “bring the money.” 

He (buyer) said, “we can’t pay the money at same time.” 

Seller: How much can you pay? Just pay what you can pay. He needed only 10 Million (Naira), he had to sell a house for chicken fee: Health is Wealth.

It can ruin, lack of health can ruin anybody’s life savings, life investment forever and that is for free for telling someone, “Jesus loves you.”

Whether he is small or big; literate or illiterate, it doesn’t matter. Health made simple. Whether it is a boy going to Secondary School or Primary School, “Hello boy, Jesus loves you.” Then Next Sunday, he brings his parents, you have secured your health insurance.

You know now that it is not, ‘well let’s grow the Church’, it is the strange order of valuables loaded in it that makes it quite a treasure.


Prayer: Receive fresh grace to be committed to a lifestyle of leading people to Jesus, fulfilling your Ministry of reconciliation as a child of God. 

Nothing delivers like obedience.

I have met quite a few people that believe in prosperity: they preach and teach it so eloquently and so genuinely but are paupers because they won’t do what they teach. They won’t do what the Holy Ghost said; He is no respecter of persons, He is no respecter of preachers, He is no respecter of callings (Acts 10:34). You may have a mandate of prosperity and die a pauper because your message does not change you, it is your obedience that does. 

There are many people in this Church that will never know sickness again till the end of that time, by simple obedience of faith. 

I am not doing this to build our Church and to build their Church: I am doing this to secure my destiny in grand style. 

Long before I became a Pastor, I was hunting for souls!!! Today, I am amazed at the kind of strength that surges in my system. I am amazed. God never lies!!

*May this month be a turnaround month indeed for you.

Today we are waiting on the Lord: I think it is one of the things to do, to pray earnestly for God to give you at least one soul this coming Sunday. At least one soul that will abide for life this coming Sunday and if you want one, go for four.

Some may fall by the roadside, others among thorns, others on the rock but one must fall on the good ground. Church Gist Don’t toy with it, it is for your good: it is not adding value to nobody like you. It is adding nothing to this Church like you. Adding Nothing!

If I retire being a pastor today, it won’t stop me from going out on the field. I don’t have to be a pastor of any Church, I just have to be a partner with Jesus in reaping the harvest of the world. He pays me more than it does any good to anybody else. He pays you more than the people you want to lead to Christ. He secures not just a place for you in Heaven but a crown to match. 

“Oh when the Saints, go wear their crown…Lord I want to be in that number. When the Saints go wear their crown”

Prayer: Lord, I don’t just want to make heaven as one passing through fire. I want to also wear my crown there Help me this week, to be part of the obedient in your team. 

Pray for that grace to engage maximally this week, to ensure that this coming Sunday, there will be no room in the inn, every living member of this Church is drafting souls into the Kingdom by the Holy Ghost and by their passion for God.

SPEAK TO THE WEEK


#BishopDavidOyedepo

#CHoP

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