THE BENEFIT OF KINGDOM SERVICE SHOULD NOT BE OUR REASON FOR SERVING GOD.
BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO HAS SAID IT OVER AND AGAIN, “EVEN IF I WAS STILL RIDING MY VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE, I WILL NOT BE SERVING GOD ANY LESS.”
WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT IN OUR RELATIONSHIP, WE SHALL NEVER LOSE ANY OF OUR BENEFITS.
IT IS ACTUALLY DISGRACEFUL TO BE DISGRACED.
HOWEVER, SERVING GOD TURNS OUR REPROACH, OUR DISGRACE, OUR DISHONOUR, OUR SHAME INTO HONOUR.
ANYTHING THAT IS NEGATIVE IS DISHONOURABLE.
ANYTHING AROUND YOUR LIFE AND DESTINY THAT IS DISHONOURABLE, FROM THIS MOMENT FORWARD, ENGAGING IN KINGDOM ADVANCEMENT ENDEAVOURS WILL WIPE THEM OFF YOUR LIFE AND DESTINY.
-Pastor (Mrs) Faith Oyedepo at CHoP
Prayers: Father, this morning, we have come to You with hearts of gratitude, for the opportunity of life. Accept our thanksgiving. Thank You for these amazing testimonies, we decree they shall be permanent. Thank You for answered prayers, both corporately and personally, accept our thanksgiving. Now Lord, speak to us again by Your Word; visit us again; transform our lives; let none of us return the same way we have come and to You alone be all the glory. In Jesus mighty name we have prayed.
This week, like we were told yesterday, our subject of consideration is captioned:
SERVING GOD IS ESSENTIALLY FOR OUR BENEFIT.
Let’s personalize it, “Serving God is essentially for my benefit.”
-From this season forward, you will no longer be denied of the benefits of serving God.
The Word of God makes it clear by way of introduction, Exodus chapter 23 verses 25 to 26 and one of the Testifiers today made reference to that scripture.
“Ye shall serve and He shall bless” – Exodus 23:25
You shall serve and God shall bless. Church Gist. When you serve, God will never fail in blessing. You shall serve and He shall release your benefits to you.
-From this season, may you begin to enjoy in a higher dimension, the benefits of Kingdom service, in Jesus name.
However, let’s be reminded quickly and very importantly, that serving God is not a gift, it is not a calling. Rather, it is a choice.
Joshua said to the people, “choose you this day whom ye shall serve”
Joshua 24:15
Then the people replied, in (Joshua chapter 24) verse 21, they made their choice.
The people said to Joshua, “we will serve the Lord” – Joshua 24:21
Say with me, “I will serve the Lord.” Confidently now, the loudest you can, one more time.
-The grace for you and I to be able to stay true to our choice, receive it afresh in Jesus name.
It is a choice. God respects our choice, the devil also is compelled to respect our choice.
“We will serve the Lord” – Joshua 24:21
Matthew 4:19-20
“Follow Me”, Jesus said and I will make you.
-As you make the choice to serve God and begin to follow Him, intentionally, deliberately, may all of the benefits become your portion in Jesus name.
Very importantly also, secondly, we must always remember that serving God is not to God’s benefit, it is to our own benefit. Because whether we serve Him or not, it doesn’t reduce from God, it doesn’t add anything to Him. He is the I AM THAT I AM – Exodus 3:14
Malachi 3:6 – Same yesterday, today, forever. He doesn’t change.
So when we choose to serve God, we are the ones to benefit.
However, very, very clearly, we must never forget this fact. Church Gist. The benefit of Kingdom service is not our focus not our reason for serving God. Our choice for serving God must be clearly based on His person and our relationship with Him. We are not serving God for things, we are not serving God for the benefits. We are serving God because He is God. We are serving God because of who He is, we are serving God because of our personal relationship with Him.
However, the benefits are there for us to enjoy. Our focus, our gaze, our aim, our intention, our motive must be clearly understood.
It is not for the purpose of the benefits, however, the benefits are part and parcel of the package.
You must have heard God’s servant say it over and again, “whether God does this or not, I will not be less in my service of His Kingdom.”
You have heard him say it over and again, “even if I was still riding my Volkswagen Beetle, I will not be serving God any less.” How many of you remember him saying such things?
He keeps it saying over and again. That must be our motive, “Lord, whether A,B,C,D are there or not, I will not be less committed in my service to your Kingdom”; when we get to that point in our relationship, we shall never lose any of our benefits.
What are some of the benefits of God?
1. Serving God turns our reproach to honour.
If you have ever suffered reproach in your life before, the last one you suffered, is the last you will ever suffer.
-No more reproach for you in Jesus name.
The word ‘reproach’ among other things simply means dishonour, disgrace. It is actually disgraceful to be disgraced.
You can imagine if somebody walks you out of his office (that is not you anyway), is that honourable? It is very disgraceful.
Someone laughing at you because of a particular situation in your life and doing that to your face, is that honourable? It is disgraceful.
However, serving God turns our reproach, our disgrace, our dishonour, our shame into honour.
-No more disgrace for you.
How does this play out? Proverbs 14:28
When you engage in Kingdom advancement endeavours like soul winning, engaging on the prayer altar, compelling invitation, bringing people to Church: you are bringing multitudes to the Kingdom of God and the Bible says, when you do that, God is honoured.
1 Samuel 2:30 – God’s Word makes it very clear, “he that honours Me, I will honour.”
When you honour God by bringing multitudes into the Kingdom of God, He honours you in return.
John 12:26 – If any man serves Me, through any of these means of Kingdom advancement endeavours, let him follow Me, where I am, there he shall be. If you serve Me like this, My Father will honour him.
-From today, you will begin to enjoy the Father’s honour.
When God honours you, can any man dishonour you? It is not possible.
-From this day forward therefore, the honour that comes from God becomes your portion.
Everything that is negative in life is dishonourable.
Is sickness honourable?
Is poverty honourable?
Is confusion honourable?
Is joblessness honourable? No. Church Gist. Anything that is negative is dishonourable.
-Therefore, anything around your life and destiny that is dishonourable, from this moment forward, engaging in Kingdom advancement endeavours will wipe them off your life and destiny.
Remember, to honour someone is to regard the person, it is to respect the person, it is to place that person in a special position. That is what God will begin to do in the life of someone from this day forward.
Remember one of the testimonies we heard today, especially the second one: terrible blood disease, wiped out through Kingdom advancement endeavours. Praying, sharing fliers, going out to win souls. Blood disease wiped out. That means, that disgrace was taken out, replace with honour.
-Whatever area of your life where you have been experiencing dishonour before this moment, congratulations, because your season of change is finally here.
As we begin to round up, please understand that serving God also guarantees open rewards.
-That is what you begin to enjoy from this moment.
Matthew 6:6
-From today, open rewards become your portion.
-As you engage in Kingdom advancement endeavours, welcome to your season of open rewards.
-No more lack, no more wants, no more begging. But rather enjoying the benefits of Kingdom service.
Say, “I receive it”
Luke 22:35 – “Lack ye anything?”
Say with me, “No”
-Welcome to your season of no more lack. Congratulations.
Prayers: receive grace to serve Him even more, for who He is, not just for the benefits. The benefits are there for us to enjoy, but our motive is His person.
Receive grace to be more intense in your service in the Kingdom of God.
We still have a lot of time today: to pray, to speak somebody about Jesus Christ, to point them to the Kingdom of God, receive grace from God right now.
#PastorFaithOyedepo
#CHoP15Mar22
#ChurchGist
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