LEADERSHIP POSITION IN THE CHURCH IS NOT A CHIEFTAINCY TITLE, IT IS A CALL TO SERVICE.
ALL THOSE HEAVY ENCOUNTERS WITH CHURCH GROWTH CAME WITHOUT BEEN ORDAINED.
IT IS NOT ABOUT ORDINATION, IT IS ABOUT COMMITMENT TO THE COURSE OF CHRIST.
THE ASSIGNMENT IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE TITLE WE BEAR.
I PRAY THAT EACH ONE’S ORDINATION WILL BE A VALUE-ADDING OPPORTUNITY IN OUR STEWARDSHIP.
WHAT THE BIBLE CALLS FAITHFULNESS IS WHAT THE WORLD TODAY CALLS LOYALTY.
LOYALTY IS OUR WILLFUL SUBMISSION TO THE AUTHORITY AND THE INTEREST OF ANOTHER.
NOTHING IN THIS WORLD CAN BUY LOYALTY. IT IS A CHOICE TO MAKE.
ORDINATION WILL NEVER BE EQUAL TO LOYALTY.
CHRIST COULD NOT SECURE THE LOYALTY OF JUDAS THOUGH HE GAVE HIM THE BAG.
WHILE LOYALTY IS INDEED A CHOICE, THIS CHOICE CAN ONLY BE SUSTAINED BY A GENUINE LOVE.
– Bishop David Oyedepo on “ENGAGING THE POWER OF LOYALTY IN STEWARDSHIP” at the Leadership Empowerment Summit May 2023 Edition Canaanland || PART A
LORD Jesus again, we are here speak to us and the Spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, let Your Spirit empower each one this time as Your Word goes forth, so let it be in Jesus precious name.
Give the LORD a big hand of praise and please you may be comfortably seated.
This is a very unique month in this commission, clearly a month of notable divine encounters and so expect to experience notable encounters this month.
You will recall that the mandate was delivered May 2nd, 1981, Mission to Africa was delivered May 4, 1984, the WOFBI mandate was May 1983, just May, May, May. This month, the God of this Comission will visit you. This month, the God of this commission will visit you and then Wonder Double came and turned the fortune of this commission, May 2nd, 2015. Awesome God!
We just had a global ordination of leaders in this Church [Deacons, Deaconesses, Elders] in their several thousands and so what we are doing this morning is to speak life to everyone that has had the opportunity of coming into some leadership role or the other in this commission and in Jesus’ name, this Word will impart on everyone of us in the name of Jesus Christ, in the name of Jesus Christ, in the name of Jesus Christ!
I have captioned this session “ENGAGING THE POWER OF LOYALTY IN STEWARDSHIP“
Leadership position in the Church is not a chieftaincy title, it is a call to service. Jesus said “I am in your midst as one that serves.” It is not being lords over God’s heritage, it is serving God’s interest by serving His people.
One of my mentors asked me several years ago, 1986, he said “have you been ordained?” I said “as what?” That was 1986! I have been doing what God called me to do since 1981. Have you been ordained? I said “as what?” He said “when one is called to ministry, he has to be ordained.” I said “I don’t know. I am not aware.”
All those heavy encounters with Church growth mandate and all that came without been ordained.
The Church began to gallop and grow without any official ordination. So, it is not about ordination, it is about commitment to the course of Christ, commitment to the course of Christ, that’s what gives real value to ordination, real value!
That’s what gives real value to ordination. I remembered Bishop Benson Idahosa said “I forced him to take the office of a Bishop.” I forced him, I didn’t need it. The assignment is much more important than the title we bear.
Let’s major in the major and not begin to major in the minor. There are a number of Church title carriers, big- big titles: Apostles, you know, Bishops, Archbishops, Pope’s, it hasn’t added value to anyone. My prayer is that no one’s ordination will become a humiliation. I pray that each one’s ordination will be a value-adding opportunity in our stewardship.
Engaging the Power of Loyalty in Stewardship. Proverbs 20:6. Loyalty is the same word the Bible defines as faithfulness and the Bible says it is a fundamental requirement for fruitful stewardship – it is required of stewards that a man be find faithful. Hebrews 3:1-2.
What the Bible calls faithfulness is what the world today calls loyalty. Loyalty to the One that appointed him. Loyalty to the course for which he was appointed.
Proverbs 28:20. I want to consider loyalty as the willful submission of one both to the authority and the interest of another. Willful submission not coerce submission, willful submission of an individual both to the authority and the interest of another. Matthew 24:44-47. Give them their food in their season, yes sir!
Till I come, yes sir! Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing, verily I say unto you he will make lord over all his house. Loyalty is our willful submission to the authority and the interest of another.
It is not a gift or a calling, it is a choice that individuals have to make. No one can choose to be loyal on behalf of another.
Nothing in this world can buy loyalty sir. Ordination will never be equal to loyalty. It is a choice to make. It is a choice to make. Nothing in this world can buy loyalty. Now, watch, satan a most endowed angelic creature still rebelled against God. Isaiah 14:12-15. Now, if you look at Ezekiel 28:17-18, you will find out where it happened and what came on him. His beauty confused him, his endowments derailed him, he was lifted above all the angels yet that was not equal to loyalty.
Abraham could not buy the loyalty of Lot even though following Abraham made him. It was in his power to stop the strife, he was Abraham’s errand boy but that couldn’t.
We have these men of renown in the camp, Dathan, Korah and Abiram, they were men of renown, they were highly placed people, they are among the elders of the people but that couldn’t secure their loyalty to Moses. Numbers 16:1-3. Christ could not secure the loyalty of Judas though He gave Him the bag.
Nothing in the world can buy loyalty, it is a choice to make. It’s a choice to make, no one can make the choice for another. John 13:11-12. He had the bag, yet he went and sold his Master, he sold his Master. Jesus knew he was a thief, he still kept him there yet he sold Him. Matthew 26:41-52.
Nothing in the world can buy loyalty, it is a choice that individuals have to make. The sons of Samuel were not walking in His ways even though He placed them as governors. Position can’t buy loyalty, positions can’t buy loyalty, it’s a choice to make. 1 Samuel 8:18.
The priestly office of Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli could not secure their loyalty. They brought down the priesthood of Eli’s lineage forever. 1 Samuel 2:28-30.
While Loyalty is indeed a choice, this choice can only be sustained by a genuine love, genuine love. Song of Solomon 8:6-7. It is as strong as death. So, our choice for loyalty to God and the interest of His Kingdom can only be sustained our genuine love for Him not anything else. Paul sustained his loyalty to Christ to the end, how? Romans 8:35-38, that was the secret behind his sustainable loyalty to Christ to the end and he said “by the help of God I continued till this day.” I continued by the help of God. So, we need His help to sustain our loyalty to Him. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. We need His help to finish our course. We shall all finish well!
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