EMPTY AND VOID 1

I've taught you that at the peak of power, the most important tool of trade is information. That's the reason why powerful nations run the race of artificial intelligence, AI, and the likes. First thing first, are you aware, please, that God is not a Nigerian? Think about that, because your concept of God's judgment, the way God wants to judge you, is, is the concept of a Nigerian father, because that's the image you've been given as touching who a father is. So So your idea of who God is in the first place might actually be dysfunctional, and that also affects the way you respond.

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Amen. When I look at the intensity of the, the conversation we're about to start, the kind of conversations we've been having here You guys have taken so many things. I think it is God's attempt to see if he will find stakeholders amongst you, not benchwarmers. Stakeholders who will understand that the quality of the things that God is exposing you to, that's God expecting you to make certain moves. Do you understand that? Is programming you. And that's important because the conversation we're about to start today is not for people who just want to do church, who want safety, who wants to play religion, who just want to say amen to prayers and believe their life is settled. It's for people who are ready to fall into trouble. It's for people who are ready to take the lead. You can't do anything significant and there will not be re-vibrations. It's just the way the litmus test that you are touching some— you understand? So peace is not freedom. It can be a commodity that you have in the midst of bondage. I know you love peace, but don't get addicted to it. For instance, now, if you decide— please come— that you're going to become the president of Nigeria because you look like one. So let's, let's assume that Kenny Jones decides that he wants to become the president of Nigeria. Just by registering his interest, there are things about his life that he may not be proud of, just as you have things about your life you don't want anyone to know about, that the opposing party will need to bring to the limelight to discredit him. Just by being interested in that, peace will become luxury. Because they will fight him with everything they have. For those of you who have been my students for a while, not just members of Light Nation, I've taught you that at the peak of power, the most important tool of trade is information. That's the reason why powerful nations run the race of artificial intelligence, AI, and the likes. Don't write, listen, so you can understand what you need to write. You see, for instance, because And by the way, if you are that kind of Christian that get tired of intelligent discussions and say preach Christ, one, we don't know who Christ is because he's not done. And number two, maybe I'm not called to pastor you. That I'm sure of, because you need to have head for all these things. So, they understand also that many of these platforms, while they solve the problem of connection, of which the generation that is exposed to them is the most lonely generation— talk about that later— if they really solve connection problem. So, while they tend to solve those problems, They also have access to your data, your data, your information. If you really understand the way this thing work, depends, depending on where you stand, all the information about your life is an open secret. If you tweet or post something I consider an infringement of my human rights, with just one phone call will know where you live even if you use a fake account. Just one phone call. So you are not that hidden. So they need information. So the one who wants to climb the echelons of power The contrary people need access to your data, not to destroy you, but to control you, so that if you ever feel you are a good person and you want to do contrary to what the devil wants for the earth, you have a choice. Large-scale scandal, or you bow. So if you are going to do bulk of what you've been programmed to do as Christians, which is say amen in church, attend Sunday schools, across, uh, people who can challenge systems. And because they have nowhere else to go, if we can gather bulk of them, we call it revival. From start to finish of their life, they are not a threat to any system. They have peace, but they are not free. So my intention is to strip you of peace, and the earlier we get into the chaos together the better. So are there people here who are ready for chaos? Do you just get that? Now, there are people who believe that the church should not be involved in any conversation around national transformation or anything that affects their world. The church should focus only on preparing people for heaven. Heaven is our goal.

True.

You— the most difficult person to answer is a religious person, because oftentimes most part of the things they are saying, they are true. Is our goal to prepare people for heaven? Oh yes. But there's something before that. When Jesus was teaching the disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9, he said, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. So there is the place of you going to heaven, but there's a place of bringing heaven to earth. And when we talk about bringing heaven to earth, we're talking about the kingdom. We're talking about the, the We're talking about the sphere of God's influence. We are talking about making the earth look like what governance looks like, what God's government looks like. I'm, I'm going to tell you one fact. While you're preparing for heaven, because of the injustice that exist around you, particularly in this country. The pain— many of you need to understand that the kind of pain that you are exposed to, God didn't design it like that. The pain just for the fact that we are Nigerians alone is enough reason to need therapy. Now, if you are now a Nigerian who doesn't have access to once in a while get out of this space and recalibrate or create your own space, you are trapped. Now you need to understand that that alone in itself is affecting you in many ways. The day you find out is the day you, you pick people from other places who have not been exposed to the kind of pain you have been exposed to and see their concept of who God is. The way they relate with him, the way they perceive him, the, the— you'll be amazed at the innocence of their heart. There is a way someone will greet you now, the next thing you do is suspect. Some way they greet me now, why? You are exposed to disappointment every time in the news, and there's, there's, there's no way you keep on Hearing all those things and you're not touched? Even how many of you said that you didn't say Nigeria? Yeah, I don't like Nigeria, I don't even watch their match. But during the Nations Cup, you were standing like this, oye, hey, John, now score, score. You love Nigeria, it's disappointment that has made you withdraw. Because they were playing one of the matches with Tunisia, I said, I said Forget this person, I don't know what. We scored 3. The moment it became 3-2, I stood up. Please now, please now, please now. I was asking myself in my office, I say, you say you don't watch. Now there is the general things. That has happened to us as humans. First thing first, are you aware, please, that God is not a Nigerian? Think about that, because your concept of God's judgment, the way God wants to judge you, the way he will slap your head, is the concept of a Nigerian father. Because that's the image you've been given as such, the way a father is. So your idea of who God is in the first place might actually be dysfunctional, and that also affects the way you respond. Why, why is it that if somebody does something or says something that can be patiently understood. People can just say things like, ah, for you to do this, you, you, you are a devil, you are killing an ant with sledgehammer. Where is that venom coming from? And oftentimes the church, where is it coming from? Dysfunction. We are, we are bleeding What we have is not the idea of God. You've done life through breakup, through divorce, through persecution, through— give me names now— losses, money, debts. You've been scammed. All these things change you in some ways.

Depravity.

We've, we've gone through and survived lack, not having anyone to stand in for you, not having anyone to identify with you, being forgotten, being rejected. It changes you, and before you know it, what you have is what is left, not what was designed. That's why I, I'm worried if we sit down in church Let me have one or two people. Come, come now. Why are you holding back?

Come, come.

And they say things like, let's join our hands together. If we go by the design of God, if we join our hands, if there's anyone who is going through pain amongst us here, it should burst out. You know why? We carry healing. We are not going about to inflict injuries. That thing, that function, that ability is no longer at work in us. Look at it.

Life.

Otu flo. Now you can even hug a person and not like the person. I'm just trying to call our attention to the fact that something is now dead in us that it was not the intention of God for it to be dead. If we understand this, how will healing flow? When me say that I'm coming to church, do I have transfer fare to go back? We— it ought to be a place that if you see a person, you can almost perceive What needs to be there. But how do you perceive when the average person too is trying to engineer you to scam you? So you too, you shut yourself and say, no, no, no, I don't do that. Last week I not do anything. That's the reason why we have to add so many tongues to our worship. It's good. We can have a thousand tongues and yet we are still looking for God. And yet someone just comes, sings with just simplicity of that heart and that innocence, and there it is. The whole atmosphere is littered. The glory is there. You don't know that your emotions actually have a role to play in worship. I've had to call some people just in leading worship and just say, hm, who offended my guy? Because you can feel it. Let's say you want to sing now. So I know, I know it doesn't happen here. The church all of us grew up from, you, you'll be singing like this, the choir master will just come before the entire church. Call a microphone. I call Sister, the church, it will shock you. You'll be there, say, ah, you can't be on drums. Once people are broken like that pure streams can flow. Is blood that will flow? Please sit for a moment. Thank you. So I'm just trying to help us see in practical terms that the fact that our world is broken and fractured is affecting the way we perceive God and the way we reveal him Say it loud and clear: from the beginning it wasn't so. From the beginning it wasn't so. So we can't sit down and hide in our false knowledge. The church doesn't have a role in that. You see, just, just preach Jesus. It's the message. Who is Jesus? There is a place in Ghana— I'm sorry, I forgot the name— in the days of slave trade where there's a dungeon where people are kept bound, hands and feet, women and men naked. Above that place is a church. If Christianity is not understood, it will be a tool that maintains injustice. And the powers that be knows that religion can be recruited to maintain balance. While you destroy people's time on Earth, promise them heaven. At some point, I became worried that it might be time for us to introduce history into our curriculum because we keep repeating it. You have a role to play, and Christianity should not be recruited as a tool to maintain or to sustain injustice. If this message blessed your life, there's so much more waiting for you. The Femi Lazarus Digital Library gives you access to powerful teachings, messages, and resources from Apostle Femi Lazarus, all in one place. Download the app today on the App Store and Play Store and keep growing in the word.