DON'T LOSE YOUR PURPOSE 2 || APOSTLE EMMANUEL IREN || IMC 2024

Lord, we honor you, we give you the praise, we reverence you. Let all you have ordained through this session, let it be fulfilled. Instruct us, correct us, in the name of Jesus. Amen and amen. Please be seated, please be seated. Please be seated. You know, as Apostle was talking, you know, it reminded me of the first thing that intrigued me about him. Um, you know, he's one of the examples that you can never really know people's secrets until they tell you. Until they tell you. Just like what I was saying yesterday night as I was concluding my sermon. That there are altars securing people's possessions. Altars. Not everything came by skill, wisdom, and by prowess. So I mean, people had told me about him. I never had the honor of meeting him, but something happened. I was preaching in Ife, and when I was done I saw some young men, pastors of his ministry, and they said, "Our Apostle said we should give you this seed." I had never seen something like that before. You see, he's one of the people God used to heal my heart about the body of Christ. I said, "So, so this is still possible? That someone else can be genuinely happy for another person's progress?" I'd never seen it before, never seen it before. And hearing, you know, some of the things this morning— I'm just hearing them right now, just as you're hearing them, I'm just hearing right now. It's, it's amazing. You, you would— you will never really know. Um, and this is very much in line with some of the things I want to share with you this morning. There is something that if we don't protect will die in our generation. You know, I have hot takes about the Reformation. In retrospect, I feel that there could have been better ways to accomplish what God wanted to do. Better ways. I feel is my personal opinion because in the bid to fight for priesthood of all men, to fight for what seemed to be the monopoly of the truth. And even that, I have a different opinion of it. You see, you have to understand that the Reformation also came at a time in history where technology ushered in something that was going to be revolutionary. So the Reformation and the Advent of the printing press, the invention of the technology of printing happened 15 years apart. So now in history, it seemed like the Catholic Church was intentionally trying to hurt the truth. They were not. In those days, if you have a book as voluminous as the Bible and you're writing it on leather skin, Because of how fragile it is and how sacred it is and how long it takes to reproduce a copy, you keep it. That's what you do. Are there not things in your house that you keep? Not every visitor has access to them. Do you understand what I'm saying? In fact, some of us have that attitude for books. My books, if you enter my house, you won't see my books. Oh, that is My book be part of my will. I'm telling you, be part of my will. That's how special they are to me. It is true that because of the technological differences and limitations, they kept the copies of the Bible and it made it easy for some corruptions in the interpretation to happen. I'm not in any way defending the excesses of the Catholic Church, but at the same time, it led to another Reformation. And I'm telling you, the Reformation led to other extremes because one schism led to several other schisms. Okay, you fought for the Reformation, they gave you your own freedom. It led, you know, the Baptists, the Anabaptists, you know, the Lutherans It kept spreading, and now implicitly we have given the idea that everyone is an authority. Just read your Bible for yourself. Just read your Bible for yourself. Is that what the Bible teaches? When in 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul says, the same thing you have learned of me amongst faithful witnesses, commit to others who will teach others also. When the Ethiopian eunuch said he didn't understand what he was reading. You know, did Paul just say— sorry, did Philip just say, just pray and trust the Holy Spirit, he will give you the interpretation? No, there has to be something objective and systematic. And I'm saying that there are excesses that we still haven't corrected today, and invariably We have a lot of people who are sound in knowledge but horrible in conduct. Is ministers conference? I can see it. How what is said is said is as important as what is said. I think it was Paul Washer who looked at a Christian and said, I prefer you when you are non-believer. Of course, if you— if Jesus comes, you're going to heaven, but in terms of relationship, o, I prefer you when you are not. Do you know what it means that a lot of people, they don't even realize it, but when they started learning theology, they became worse? They became a kind of theology that does not inspire worship. You, you are becoming a worse version of yourself. Nobody can talk to you. Where does this spirit come from? Where does this spirit come from? And that's why I want to share with you on the conduct of a man of God. The conduct of a man of God. By every fault of mine, I'm starting later than I should, so I'm just going to cut short what I want to say and, um, be out of your face before— or just to ease into this conversation, I want to say, how does God choose his men? How does God choose his men? And I will give you two seemingly contradictory views and then give you the reconciliation. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 4 from verse 11, it says, and he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. Please, can you say he gave? Please say it louder, he gave. It means that it is God who bequeaths to the church the gift of men. It is God who gives, you know. And I was telling you yesterday about election of grace. When we understand the election of grace, we will calm down. Let me tell you, the way ministry is, you know, I was talking to an older minister. He said it has always been so in every generation. People will struggle, struggle, struggle, struggle, struggle, struggle, struggle, then After 15, 20, 25 years of struggling, you will now be forced to give some people right hand of fellowship, and then you will now say, okay, God gave him. He was telling me the reality of ministry in their generation, that at the end of the day Grace will force you to recognize that it is grace, but it shouldn't have to be so, and there is something we need to correct. Everybody that God has given an assignment, no matter how small it seems in the eyes of men, there is dignity in your calling. Please, are you listening to me? Otherwise, the way things are going, nobody will want to be a missionary anymore. And we need those people. And the people whom God has blessed, given rich and exposure, should see that position as an opportunity to help others who don't have that rich and exposure, not using it to oppress. One of the recent passions of our ministry, if I may speak for ourselves, You know, it's just supporting ministries in the North, supporting ministries in the North, you know. And I think there's something we must deliberately do, deliberately, deliberately. Just because we have it easier in this side of the nation does not mean we should ignore their struggles. Deliberately. And there are some things I'll never mention. It is heaven that these things will be known. But I'm saying consciously write out the ministries and support them regularly. We have pastors of other churches constantly on our payroll, and I think this is the first time I'm saying it publicly, constantly on our payroll. Pastors of other ministries who for the past 4 years— there's one of them, all his 3 children, their school fees, by the grace of God, we have covered. And this is how we should be. This is how we ought to be. And as God blesses us more, we'll increase it. Come on, are you getting what I'm saying? We increase it, we increase it, we increase the impact, we increase You know, I think it was 2 months ago, one of them sent me the result of his children. Brilliant children. I mean, one of them had all A's, and I was almost in tears. See, let me tell you something. The fact that, um, you finish with good grades, you know, that's great, but you have to understand that there are many people that if they had half the opportunity you have, they would do better than you. That's the truth. And so election of grace will help and humble people who have exposure to say, you know what, it's the Lord, it's the Lord, it's the Lord. When you know that God gave you, when you know that indeed is not of he that wills nor of he that runs, but of God that shows mercy, you, you will calm down. He gave, he gave some to be apostles. You don't take those titles on yourself. He gave some to be prophets. Only call yourself what God has called you. You know, when the transition in our ministry came, because of my personality, I didn't want to embrace it. But the confirmations were scary. They came, do you understand? God was using strangers to call me. In fact, one of them called me. He said, the Lord told me that he has called you to this office. You don't want to embrace it. And the Lord said, except you embrace it, the full dimension of it will not find expression. Ah, when I heard that, you know, I said, okay. God was using strangers. The person called me then, I don't think we've spoken more than 3 times ever. Another time I finished preaching for somebody The Lord had told me in secret. I had never mentioned it on any stage. When I was done preaching, he said, "Please let us celebrate Pastor." Then instantly the Holy Ghost corrected him. I had never written it anywhere. He said, "No, this is not a pastor, this is an apostle." He said, "Let us celebrate." And I was looking there shocked and astonished. It comes to a point, even if you want to deny it, you— do you understand what I'm saying? It is clear now. And I don't— I'm not— I'm not here to— do you understand what I'm saying? I'm just— I didn't even plan to say that, but all I'm trying to emphasize is, is that there is a sense to which ministry gifts are given. You know what Paul said in Acts chapter 20? He said that the Holy Ghost is the one who makes people overseers. Acts chapter 20, verse 28: Therefore take heed to yourself and to all the flock among whom the Holy Ghost has made you overseers. You know, as a ministry gift, this also bestows on you a form of humility. It is the Holy Ghost that put me in this office. I will give accounts. It is not my gifts that brought me this far. The Holy Ghost made me an overseer. Like Paul who said, it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb. It pleased God. It pleased God. I think I've told the story before. My mom is not one to jump about from men of God, you know, from one man of God to another, but something occasioned her visiting seen a particular man of God who was supposed to pray for her about something. Then the Lord had called me in school. I had not told them at home because how do I explain this? A lot of people don't know I'm from a very humble background, and to pay my fees was prayer point every year, every year. Sometimes they had to borrow, and at least one year God had to provide. And that's, that's to put it mildly so we don't start arguments. There are some stories we can't share. This, this generation, your heart can't take it. If I tell you money appeared, until today I don't know how. And I was a good Christian, o. I went to the bank, I said, sorry, there's a mistake here. They were abusing me. All these children, go and call your parents. If I was a bad person now, I'll take your money. Mind you, this was not a regular bank account. It wasn't Access Bank or any of the main banks. We had a special card for paying fees in our Nobody had the access to it except your parents. So if it wasn't my parents, who was it? The exact amount I needed for my fees. So I went to the bank, complained. They said it's not us. I went to the school, complained. They said it's a glitch. It's a glitch. I went to the ATM, put it in, money came out. So, um, there's some argument in the body of Christ I am not qualified to contribute. If you say you don't believe in miracle money, okay, that's okay. I don't argue with you. I have no contribution. All I know is there is a year we paid fees, we still don't know how till today. That's all. That's all. And all I can say is I have money to pay it back in case they check the record and say— you understand? But it's been more than, um, 18 years. Body of Christ. So it was a lot to pay my fees. So how was I going to tell them I know you tried, you gathered money, sometimes you borrowed to pay my— send me to a private school, but I'm not going to do— I'm not going to practice what you said to me. I felt they were going to kill me, you know what I'm saying? So I didn't, I didn't tell them anything. And so my mom enters this man's church for the prayer, and then she, she, she asked me to follow her. So as I came in with her, The man looked at her and said, why are you here? And my mom is looking at her confused. What do you— looking at him confused. What do you mean why am I here? We've been talking over the phone. And he said, why are you here? And she said, I'm here for prayer. And then he said, you came to me for prayer and you have a son like this? Your son will plant churches around the world. He heard it from a stranger for the first time. My mind, I'm like, yeah, casting, you know. I was still thinking, how do I tell them she heard it from a stranger? The Lord helped me. So the next one was my dad. How do we tell my dad? And if you know, my dad is a strong man. And that day in church, for some reason, the pastor felt a stir in his spirit and started showing them in the projector people who went to school but didn't practice and are doing great things for God. And he said, I have a strong urge in my spirit to tell you parents, don't hinder your children. That was the— see, I had been praying to God and I said, God, I will finally tell him. It's this evening I will call him. This was happening in the morning. So when I called my dad in the evening, I said, um, the Lord has called me, I'm going to plant a church. And he said, okay. Ah, I checked the phone number again. Kilo shelle. What was going on? I couldn't believe my eyes. I could not believe my eyes. So it was much later, years later, he told me what happened. I said, Holy Ghost. I think this will comfort someone here. Don't worry. See, let me just say this: God will tell your parents. Ah, okay, some— I think everybody has passed that level, right? Can you say amen? Well, do you know you have enough biblical justification to expect that? When the angel comes to Mary and says you will have a child without a man. Ah, Holy Ghost tell Femi Lazarus, tell him. There's no way to explain it. There's no way to explain it. So listen, the Holy Ghost can explain your vision to all the stakeholders. It is an expectation you should have. He can, he can. Like Moses, you can ask, how will they believe? And then ask for the strategy. And I'm telling you, more often than not, the Holy Ghost will say, don't worry, I will handle that. I will handle that. Amen, somebody. And amongst many other things, by the grace of God alone, the Lord used me to heal my mom of something that was supposed to be a terminal disease. The Lord just made it easy. The hand of God is upon this one. So indeed, God gives men, but there is also a sense to which we choose men. You see, and this is where some people who are active in church don't understand. As the privileged pastor of a church, with due respect to your holy calling that you had in the vision, It is my prerogative to decide who will work with me. And that is— listen, the dividing line is this: there must be a divine providence, an interception of providence, in such a way that the divine will of God will coincide with an opportunity in a ministry Maybe that gives you opportunity to serve, and then God now confirms your call. Do you understand what I'm saying? Both must happen by providence. With due respect to whatever vision that you had, there is still a structure. There is still a structure. You cannot just come after a vision and say, "We should give you the microphone." It won't happen. From the story of Joseph, from the story of how Jesus got to the cross, you know that the will of God and what seems like happenstance can go hand in hand. And I'm telling you that both have a part to play in the making of a man of God. God will so orchestrate your upbringing in such a way that all you need to be forged for the assignment, you will experience it, and you will arise just in time as the opportunity presents itself. That is how God does it. And so Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:22, do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins. So it means There is still a requirement. Even if you feel someone is called, for instance, the person must be advanced in sanctification. Are you getting what I'm saying? So I am allowed to judge by the fruits. And even if it is not the fruits that initiated or preempted your calling, they are the proof of your call. So what is internal and what is external? There must be— come on, There must be a consistency that even if I judge just by the fruits and by the results, we will still arrive at picking the people that God has foreordained. Don't tell me that, oh, you are called, you went to a mountain, God told you this. Well, I, I, I'm told, instructed in the word of God not to lay hands hastily. It means even if you had a vision from heaven, in this church you will wait. We will prove your character. You joined 6 months ago, you want to be a pastor? No, sit down. You were a pastor in another ministry for years? Yes, this is a new ministry, you are welcome. Here we have a structure, we have an order. The instruction is not to lay hands hastily, and it is dangerous because the Bible says you literally partake in another man's sins. Because when you put a novice in the assignment, Everything he does, God will hold you accountable. Don't lay hands hastily. Don't go about singing, I'm not perfect, yes, I do wrong, I'm trying my best, it ain't good enough. Stay in your process. Fix all that thing, then come back. Do you understand? Because the requirements— so yes, there is a calling from, from your mother's womb. Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you. I ordained you to be a prophet to the nations. Yet there is a curriculum vitae of a minister. If anyone desires the position of a bishop, he must be this, He must be that, he must— so we can say back to you, go and make full proof of your vocation, then come back. You can be called and not be ready. You can be a man of God and not be truly furnished and prepared. That the man of God may be truly furnished and prepared. Guess what? With your authentic call, that may never happen. If you don't subject yourself to the training process, you may never be ready for the pulpit with your genuine anointing. There are some people who should never be given platform, never, on the strength of the word of God. And so the Bible now begins to give us the criteria. This is a faithful saying, 1 Timothy 3:1. If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work, a gain, providency, my God. You know, the Bible says it is God who works in you both to will and to do of good pleasure. So if someone desires the position of a bishop, it is because God has given him the desire in the first place. That desire can be proven if it's a genuine desire. He's not looking for money, he's not looking for fame. It is God who works in you to will and to do. So it's a good thing even if God chooses, you also can desire it. And to desire it is not wrong. The Bible clearly says so. However, do you meet the qualifications? Number 1, he must be above reproach. We're talking about the conduct of a man of God. You know, um, what is more interesting is that the things that are mentioned emphasize conduct above gifts. And a lot of people don't realize that. I know you are eloquent, you can preach, you have a great command of language and elocution, and you can use Greek language. By the time you— Greek— by the time you add some Hebrew, you know, and you bring the context, the pretest, the posttext, you know, everywhere are scattered. We are all under the anointing. But Paul emphasized conduct, you know, and that's something we must emphasize in this generation. This generation has turned pastor into a brand, turned pastor into a brand. If you are not careful, you make the mistake of Samuel, you are looking for a king. Instead of focusing on the job description, you will anoint Eliab because you are looking for someone picture-perfect. He's tall, he has broad chest. You are thinking of how he will look on the flyer, that ah, if you put him on the flyer like this— we might have unintentionally turned this thing to a business. And some of us are the problem. Some of us are the problem. Some Christians have refused to be sanctified. You know, I preached an outreach sermon in our church one day and I warned people because something happened. I was out of the country and one of my sons was preaching and I was watching the livestream. Come and see Christian girls Ah, who is this pastor? He's handsome. Is he married? Is he married? You, you know, you are not joking. That's your character. That's your character. First and foremost, you know, is, is, is, is beyond being deep spiritually. Some things you I say some people no get sense, you understand? You don't know that's disrespectful. There are some things we do in church, on the streets they, they beat people for that. They, they supposed beat you. A man with children, you think that's a compliment? What does physical look, height, stature have to do with the call? Have we missed something? Have we missed something? You know, in every aspect of my life, I like to do things well. I like to do things as well. But God is my witness, I don't depend on excellence for church to grow. I don't. My real— I'm not saying it's not important. If you listen well, you know I don't joke with it. But I am saying the emphasis has always been on the message. The emphasis Do a feasibility study. Pass a slip around our church secretly and ask people why they are there. Please, we must try to emphasize the right things. Amen, somebody? Come on, say a louder amen. And one of the things he says is above reproach. Meaning when we go to your community, people should have good things to say about you. You should be an ambassador of Christ in your office, in the way you do your work. You know, one of the things— I think we're about to ordain some people. I warned them. I said, if there's anything you have to tell, tell me now, not that we put you, do you understand, on the stage. And then some people say, eh, Wow, so this one too can be a pastor. And by the way, please understand what I'm saying. Even the Bible is replete with people who had made their errors and God corrected them. This message is a message of forgiveness. Do you understand what I'm saying? And that Christ offers new life. So we must not slip into another extreme, but all I'm saying is this: every sin, every past sin must have been repented of. Repent of it, forsake it, and move on. And if possible, tell us. It won't be— you know, there's one of my sons doing great things for God. He has made mistakes in the past. I'm aware of them, and that's what saved him. You know, because there are some negative people, they are not looking for the progress of the church. They're just trying to discredit people. Always tell the difference. So your stand for holiness is one thing, but you have to understand, we preach forgiveness. We preach forgiveness. This guy made a mistake years ago, has repented, has moved on, and this man said, eh, I don't know if you know. I said, I know. And I always like the disappointment in people's faces. The person was so disappointed. I know, you know. At the moment I said I know, there was nothing else to say. Please save yourself. Do you understand what I'm saying? Save yourself. Don't give the enemy anything to talk about. He must be sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable. Please, men of God, be hospitable from the simple things. Know how to welcome guests. Know how to greet, know how to use what the secular man will call the magic words, thank you. You know, let me, let me advise you, and I learned this from Pastor Chris Oyakhilome. It's, you know, I was watching a Partners Conference and just his example touched me where he was vehemently thanking partners. Thank you. You know the way he talks. Because of what you've done, I was able to preach the gospel. It touched me. See, when people partner, don't spiritualize it. Do you understand what I'm saying? I know, yes, they are sowing. I know. Do you understand? I know. But learn to just say thank you. There's nothing wrong. There's nothing wrong. Paul mentioned partners. Don't commonize it. You see, be careful of spiritual practices that we use as excuse to exempt us from normal courtesy. Avoid it. It's very common in this day and age. When people are working hard, helping you in any regard, don't let them think you don't appreciate it. Make it abundantly clear. Commend them, sometimes publicly. Thank you very much. Ah, you cleared your schedule to do this. I want you to know I appreciate you. It's important. I am learning to give less examples, so just take the word of God. Amen, somebody? Because things, they happen. He must be a husband of one wife. Everybody please say, he must be a husband of one wife. Um, you see, thank God for the influence of the West, but there are some things we will not copy. Amen, somebody. Um, and I know God forgives sins, but please determine in your mind, if you are single, you will marry well and you will stay married. Say loud, amen. We will never commonize divorce, remarriage, divorce, remarriage. And I'm not castigating people who have these experiences. I am just saying standard of God's word is clear. It's just there. In fact, the original construction is he must be a one-woman type of man. Amen, somebody. Men, I want to hear your amen. Again, I'm saying, it's in conferences like this that God corrects, not condemns. Corrects. If you've made mistakes in the past, realign yourself instantly. Repent of them, abandon them, Forsake them and forsake them forever and create around you an accountability structure that will make sure you do the right thing. But the standard of God stands sure. Amen, somebody. I move on because we still have a lot to talk about and I'm watching the time. He must be temperate, and temperate means self-controlled, especially regarding appetites. Temperate means self-controlled, especially regarding appetite. I want to believe that, um, we emphasize sexual appetites, but there are some things that are subtle that can creep into ministry. Appetites for money. Please, we must be careful. What we brandish about our ministry. You know, you know, the truth is you can spiritualize it, but you have become superficial. Every time you buy a car, you find a way for us to know in the most subtle way. Do you understand? Now, sometimes it's unavoidable. You know, many times I tell my media team, take that down, take that down, you know. But, but, you know, but when you snap in front of it and put caption, motivation, we know what you are doing, sir. You understand what I'm— and I'm— is avoidable. It's avoidable. Please, are you listening to me? I'm not saying everything about your life should be a mystery, you know, that's your personal prerogative. But I'm saying, you don't— you are not— you're not a hip-hop artist. You're not a hip-hop artist. You're not a hip-hop rapper. Your messages should not be to brag about possessions. That's not what we are here to hear. Change that life. And I don't know about you, I think there is something special about people looking at you and not really knowing what you are worth. They can't really tell. I think me, I find that exciting. I find that exciting when people even underestimate you. They don't know what you are capable of. They can't size you up and they are guessing. They are guessing. You read all the busybody blogs trying to estimate your worth and they are all wrong. You know they are wrong. I think that's more exciting. A man of God must be temperate. Temperate. Temperate in how you conduct your protocol. Temperate in how you— what you put on social media. Temperate, you know, a pastor received honorarium, snapped the cash and sent to me. Kilo shi— what is going on? What should I do? Why are you sending it to me? How does it edify? And you know, most of the people who do the things, they've not even really touched. You see, let me tell you something. A lot of pastors, you know, it is when you brag, people will know you are small. Sir, people game on you. You don't understand. I will never forget, you know, um, there's someone close to me who has a friend from a very wealthy home, very wealthy. She has flown first class all her life, twice a year. It was never an achievement for her. Then one day, a man of God bragged, he said, you know, last week I flew first class. So she was so confused. Oh, that's a testimony? There's a way unintentionally you will restrict your church from some class of people. They just say, oh, it was— people are small. You know what people are doing? You know, I went to— I went to pray for someone who had his birthday, you know, months ago. And as I walked into the office, I saw a brand new wagon that his protégés, his business protégés bought for him. And so when I was praying for him, he was just genuinely saying— he's under 40— and he was just genuinely saying, you know, I've given out 68 cars, so it touched me that I too could receive a car. You know, you know, when you are praying for someone, you want to be spiritual, but you're 68. I say, eh? You have not seen the money that will help you, that will make you check, am I in the right calling? I mean, you say, sorry, what do you do? Is there space in your office? You've not, you've not seen, you don't understand what I'm saying. Have you gone to pray for someone that you too say, God, when? That I'm happy for you, but ah, ah. See, calm down. Just, you understand, see, your real worth is in the gospel. That's your real worth. As a fisherman who is a preacher, Cornelius can prostrate for you. But the moment you start bragging about things, that's when you remind them you are under them. You have not seen anything. You are just starting. Your ceiling is someone else's floor. You understand? Where your own— you know, I think there's a, there's a word by, um, is it Domwe? Don't worry, don't let me— where your own is finishing, another one is starting. Calm down. Temperate in all things. Can you say— please say temperate in all things. About cars, about money, just calm down. Don't make it about that. Next, he must be respectable. You know, let me tell you something. Your followers secretly want a pastor that is respectable, a pastor that they can count on to say nice things. And even if we're not always trying to be nice to the world, we don't really care what they say, but it will be nice if we don't have to defend you twice a week. It will be nice. Just, just try. Do you understand what I'm saying? Of course there are extremes to that because it's part of the big man of God syndrome. You can't even be evangelical and many people expect you to be transcendent. When you reply people on social media is seen as a big deal, you know. So there's that, but at the same time, there are some things that are avoidable. That's all I'm saying. That's all I'm saying. It must be respectable. And to the one I want to emphasize today, 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 24. 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 24. A man of God must be uncontentious. If you too like fights, it is not a fruit of the Spirit. There's something— you, you are too aggressive, always looking for who to fight. Every sermon, we know secretly, even if you didn't mention a name, that you are talking to somebody. Every sermon is a shade. The Bible says that the man of God should be uncontentious, shouldn't be a striker. And 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 24 says, and the servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but should be gentle to all and able to teach. It means don't use teaching as an excuse to be shedding all the time. Please beware of clout-chasing ministry. It is— oh my God, please, can I speak freely? See, there is a tendency, there is a tendency in this generation The advent of social media, of technology, might have secretly given you the desire for every sermon to trend. And now you are looking for trending topics or someone to just insult in the name of orthodoxy, in the name of fidelity for the truth. Can't we see it? You are a clout chaser. Have you ever preached? See, do you know there are some people you can't tell any sermon where they didn't insult someone that you want to listen to? There's not, there's not. If, if you are famous for calling out people, that is not a ministry. I say that with all sense of humility and on this strength of the word of God. The man of God must be uncontentious. This readiness to fight is not, is not the fruit of the spirit. It's not. I have always been the kind of person who likes the freedom to speak my mind when I'm preaching, so I'm not talking about hypocrisy. People who say don't touch anything, just, you know, that's another extreme. I don't subscribe to that. But at the same time, haba, every sermon, every sermon, every sermon is a reply. I have few minutes left, so I want to do something. We will talk today, o. What I want to show you is this, because you know, one of the excuses that people use is the authority of the scriptures, the fidelity of the scriptures. As long as it's wrong, it's wrong. No sentiments. And what I want to show you from the word of God is this, and please never forget this. I was looking throughout the Bible and looking throughout church history, and I discovered there is nobody that God used that you cannot find a fault against. Nobody. You know, I have, I have a friend, um, Banki Wellington. Femi Lazarus, and he did a post on Father's Day that I never thought about. He said there is almost no good example of a biological father in the Bible. I said, ah, and I thought about it. You know, I don't like to quote people verbatim, but I think I should read what he said to you. Where is it? Where is it? Give me a second. I've lost it. You know, just talking about the fact that— I mean, just look at all of them. Think about it. Abraham lied about his wife. Isaac, same thing, didn't manage contention amongst his children. Abraham lied about his wife, had a baby with his housekeeper, kicked them out. Think about it. Just told them, oh yeah, go. Think about it. Maybe you never thought about that. That the, that the, that the housekeeper and the baby were going to die in the wilderness. He just drove them out. If God didn't intervene— Isaac also lied about his wife and made enemies of his sons. Jacob had 12 sons and passed the same dysfunction. Moses was consumed with ministry that he didn't take his children the same principles. Jesse did not count David as a son. Do you know what it means? There is someone in your house to anoint a king and you didn't call David until the prophet had gone around. God said, no, not one of these ones. You know, I said, ah, don't you have another son? And I said, oh, maybe you never thought about that. He said, oh, there's one Man, think about this. He didn't count David as a son, and David also messed up his own sons. One by one, they all got it wrong. Thank you, sir. One by one, they all got it wrong. Many of them marriage, many of them parenting, and even in matters of ministry, even in matters of ministry. And I want to do something, you see, hey, hey, you know, and some of the— the reason I want to do this is because some of the people who say fidelity for the truth, fidelity for the truth, you know, I love— let me mention names now. Because this is ministers' conference. I love Calvinists because there are a lot of things they emphasize that are wholesome. But you see, there is a spirit in that camp that must be cast out. I will say it. This vile nature, nature, and it's coming from somewhere. So I want to read some church fathers because there's some Why am I telling you this? Number 1, so that you will know church history. And number 2, so that you will understand that perfection can come out of imperfection. That somehow in our history we don't remember some of the excesses of the men God used. It's, it's, it's the intelligence of God so that in our generation we will not be afraid to at least recognize the contributions of people who have added to the fortunes of the faith. If these men were so bad, how could their products— how could their products have been able to shed off the excesses and further— do you understand what I'm saying? The Bible says to test all things. And hold on to what is true. It is possible. It is possible. There is already a natural transition whether you like it or not. Men will not be here forever. Why not just Allah? You don't have to build your ministry on the ruins of another. Are you listening to me? And even if you are David, you know God has anointed you, you are next. There is a way you shouldn't seize the throne, even if it is yours. Even if it is yours. There are some prophecies God gave me in 2010, some of them for next year. I'm waiting patiently. The oil is on your head, you see Saul sleeping. Still don't kill him. You have seen him in a moment of vulnerability, still don't kill him. It is not enough that it is God's will, it must be God's way. Are you listening to me? Even if God has anointed me for it, I won't seize it. My time is coming. I believe in the election of grace. So let me read some things to you, and I'm not saying this to castigate these people or anything. This is between them and God. You need to know one of the leaders of the Reformation, John Calvin, his governance in Geneva, where he instituted a strict theocratic regime. These are some of the things you need to know. In a two-part sermon on the execution of rebellious children. By execution, I don't mean executive office, I mean killing. And these were his words. He says, so that the children do not give in to the inclination to excuse their sins and tell themselves that it is only a light fault to disobey their parents. God condemns such disobedience rebellions to death. He— this was his interpretation of the Bible, that any child who is rebellious, seen as too rebellious, should be killed. Listen, and it wasn't just some sermon where he said the wrong thing, they practiced it. In, in 1563, a young girl was kept confined, fed only bread and water, obliged to express her repentance publicly publicly in the church. What was her crime? She insulted her mother. It gets worse. In 1568, a child was beheaded. Beheaded. I'm not justifying what the children did. What did the child do? She struck her parents, so they took her and beheaded. So now a preacher was the one spearheading this. Another youth was condemned to death, but eventually the sentence was reduced and he was only banished and being publicly whipped with a halter on his neck— what they used to control animals, they put it on the— on his neck. In 1552, The Geneva Council declared Calvin's Institute of Christian Religion, his book, a holy doctrine which no man can speak against. And there was a man, Jacqui Groot, a theologian with different views, placed a letter to Calvin's pulpit calling him a hypocrite. He was arrested, tortured for a month, and beheaded. Michael Servetus, a Spaniard, a physician, scientist, and Bible scholar, suffered a worse fate. This one, listen to this one, he was Calvin's longtime acquaintance. They were friends. He even joined Calvin to resist the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. However, he angered Calvin by returning a copy of Calvin's Institutes with critical comments in the margin. He criticized it. So what did Calvin do? He wrote a letter. He said, Servetus offers to come here to see me if it be agreeable to me, but I am unwilling to promise promise that he will be safe, for if he comes, he may never depart alive. Yes. So the next time Servetus attended Calvin's Sunday preaching on his visit, Calvin had him arrested, charging him for heresy, and 38 officials charged him, um, including rejection of infant baptism, which is actually heresy. What Calvin was defending was heresy, and they condemned him to death. He was killed. What about Martin Luther? Oh my God, I'm just going to rush through this, and maybe I would do a longer distance somewhere else, some other time. He was known for his harsh, intolerant language. Against the Roman papacy, a writing he did, he said the Pope is the head of the accursed church, of the worst knaves of the earth, he's a liar and the father of lies. He used the title of the devil for him. He referred to the King as a pig, a fool, a liar, all those kind of language. To the Jews, a lot of people don't know this, but the Jews, one of his writings called "On the Jews and Their Lies." That was the title of the sermon, 1543. He referred to them as a brood of vipers, miserable, blind, senseless people. So he was known for antisemitism, all right? That means he was against the Jews. And a lot of people believe that his anti-Jewish rhetoric was part of the influence of the antisemitic movement including in Nazi Germany, some people believe. And he also was a misogynist. He had misogynistic views against women. He says, let them bear their children to death because that's what they are there for. George Witherfield, popular name, right? He was known for his pro-slavery positions. And he had slaves of his own. And even when, um, the, the anti-slavery bill in Georgia came, he criticized it, criticized it openly. I can go on and on. John Jonathan Edwards also had pro-slavery views. Wingsley, all right, one of the major reformers with, um, Calvin. He persecuted the Anabaptists, interrogated and forced them their beliefs, and those who refused were executed, often by drowning. He drowned them and they mocked them that this was their third baptism as they were drowning them. Now I can promise you that there are active Calvinists who don't know this. They don't know this, and that is both good and bad. It's bad you don't know your history, but it confirms what we are saying, that somehow God has a way to filter the good out of the bad. You know, someone gave a very brilliant illustration of Samson killing a lion. And coming back days after to find honey in the carcass. And this he believed to be a prophetic metaphor that something sweet can come out of something stinking. It is a fact that some dysfunctional ministries, some— God has just found a way to select and separate a remnant. It is true. The problem is many of us, we are ashamed of our history. You know, you know, there's, there's a man of God in our generation that I actually really admire, and I thank God for his ministry. He's known for stretch prayers, you know. And when I heard, according to an account that he gave somewhere, where that origin came from, I was shocked. Because there's one of the most criticized men of God in this era criticized for, you know, hyper grace positions and all of that, you know. But many prayer movements were born from the prayer culture of that ministry, including this man, Femi Lazarus. That the man who is known for long prayers, when he attended that prayer meeting, the prayer meeting was so long they had to scale the fence. They jumped the fence to escape. They jump the fence to escape. And that's where after a while he said, ah, no, my prayer life must change. You know, the problem is because of stigma, we don't mention the names. We don't, we don't mention the names, you know, because one of the things about this modern movement, we can no longer confidently say who has blessed us. It's a disservice It's unfair. It's unfair. It's unfair. There's a man of God I'm not close to anymore, but you know, he's one of the people, one of the few exemptions that proved that a man's doctrine and a man's fruits don't always have a correlation. Because he's a man many people refer to as a hyper grace preacher, but look at the fruits. I don't know anybody who is a committed member of that ministry that is unserious. That, that's my personal observation. In that ministry, you will pray, you'll be, you know, I think they even have extreme positions against the prosperity message. You are not, you are not, you are not focused on money or prosperity, you just focus on the ministry. They believe in consecration. I found some of their doctrinal positions troubling, but at the end of the day, when people want to cast aspersions on the whole movement, I'm saying No, no, no, that is not how Body of Christ got to where he is. Check the history! Oh, check this tree— some of the top men of God that you know, you think they're from heaven, that were from these white garment movements that you now denigrate. You'll be amazed. And God brought out something authentic. Authentic from such movements. So all I'm saying is test all things, hold on to what is true. I'm not also postulating that you should follow a man of God who is doing the wrong things and just take everything hook, line, and sinker. That's not what I'm saying. That also has its extremes. Don't be like Jonathan. Don't follow a man that God has rejected to battle. It will cost you your own life as well. It will cost your own life, but at the same time, please let's not cast away the baby with the bathwater. That's all I'm saying. That is the way forward. Be honest. You are doing ministry easier because of the labors of the fathers. You know, you know, the average Pentecostal church, we don't even have a systematic teaching on tongues, yet we speak in tongues because you are depending on the labors of others. The reason why you don't have to labor so much to explain it is because someone else labored to explain it. The reason why you don't have to labor so much to explain the giving culture is because someone else labored. Whether you like it or not, whether you admit it or not, you are enjoying the labors of others. Acknowledge it, respect it, and then listen. Let God use you to improve what needs to be improved, but don't build on the ruins of others. That's all I have to say. And as I drop the mic, because time is far spent, also know this, that imperfect people can still be carrying the mantle that you need. Understand? Imperfect people. Imperfect. If you miss that, I cannot lie to you. I can— I know as far as you are concerned, my doctrine might be balanced, maybe for most of you, eh, but There are graces on my life. I can't deny it now. I cannot. I cannot. And you know, there are some people, the anointing is very, very wicked. When you follow them, they will mark you. Even if you want to pretend that you have not followed them, just by people listening to you, they say, ah, this is your father now. You know, the same way, the same way you can look like your son, your son can look like you so much. You have the same nose, you have the same— you say no need for DNA, this is your son, my friend. There are some people, if they mark you, is for life. You, if you like, don't go for your program. You are his son. We know your father, you cannot lie. If you like, be trying to change your doctrinal position, we You know who your father is. Hold the mic. You can't deny it because spiritual DNA is a real thing. And my advice to you, just honor, honor, honor, honor. When David was honoring Saul, he was not fool. Honor the Lord's anointed. Do you understand what I'm saying? This season of transition, be wise, be wise. When people are crying, my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof, you, you are arguing on social media. All right, no problem. I hope you will, you will remember this sermon in 20 years' time for good. So all I'm trying to tell you is this, and the truth is this, we will never achieve unanimity of the faith. Without understanding that God will use imperfect people. I don't know if a man of God is allowed to say this, but there are some people in our generation, men of God— speaking as a man, speaking from my flesh— I don't like them. I don't like them. I think— forgive me, I love them with the love of Christ, There are people I love but I don't like, if that makes sense to you. But you cannot deny the hand of God is upon— they have a quota in this generation, whether you like it or not. They are there, and your hatred won't make them disappear. It won't make them disappear. So we will recognize— don't Don't start criticizing nonsense, um, theologizing to the extreme. Some people, their contribution is a prayer movement. Do you understand? And take the culture and add your doctrine. Abi, allow them inject the body of Christ what they want to inject. Some people is the emphasis of miracles. Take the culture Move on. Test all things and hold on to what is true. Amen, somebody. All right, till we meet again, God bless you.