ELEVATION CHURCH LEKKI LAGOS- Abridged Sunday Sermon- Pastor Godman Akinlabi

Elevation Church Lekki, Lagos

Pastor Godman Akinlabi

Text: Isaiah 65:21-24 - 

Get in Gear: What drives us to work?

When worship, I work, when I'm working , I'm worshipping God.

Work is a calling from God. 

What extent does your worldview drive your beliefs/ responses of a workplace.

What does God have to say about work?

1.            During those days, the quality of work was the testament to their belief in Jesus. 

2.            Genesis 2:5, 8, 15.

3.            Man wasn't created to be jobless. He was to tend and keep.

4.            Our vocation is the first calling from God.

5.            We need to find a connection between our faith and work. Our Christianity cannot be disconnected from our work.

Four ways my faith drives my work

1.            My faith gives an inner balance without which my work can destroy me. We should derive our esteem from Christ and not our work. Who we are in Christ deals with the pressure of achievement and success. Ephesians 2:10.

2.            My faith enables dignity without which little work can discourage me. In most parts of the work, there is no dignity of labor. But when we are Christians we shouldn't see things beneath us. We speak lightly to people that do little work. When we refuse to celebrate the dignity in labor, they are forced into negative works. We need to create an environment where everyone is not looked down on.

3.            My faith gives me a moral compass without which work can corrupt me. What will you do or not do for profit? My faith gives me direction at work. Many people believe morality is relative. Morality may be relative but righteousness is not. We need to accept ourselves as the righteousness in Christ Jesus. Prov 14:34, Rev 22:12.

4.            My faith gives me hope without which my effort may seem/can meaningless. Our faith in Christ makes us stand and not give up even in this place of work. We rejoice in the fact that we have played our own part. 

MFM LEKKI YOUTH CHURCH- 260616 - Pastor Ogochukwu Odum

Beggars At The Gate Of The Temple

Preacher: Ogochukwu Odum

Text: Act 3: 1-8

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.), ² and a man who had been unable to walk from birth was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at that gate of the temple which is called ^[a]Beautiful, so that he could beg alms from those entering the temple. ³ So when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking [them] for coins. ⁴ But Peter, along with John, stared at him intently and said, “Look at us!” ⁵ And the man began to pay attention to them, eagerly expecting to receive something from them. 

How to identify beggars at the gate of the church

1.   Those that have not entered into the fullness of salvation. They do not understand the authority they have as believers and children of God and as joint heirs with Christ. (the beggar was at the gate and did not believe that he could go into the church to receive his miracle)

2.    They always ask for the wrong things James 4:3. They ask amiss therefore they do not receive. (The beggar asked for alms instead of asking for healing from Apostles who has healed many)

3.    They do not care about the act of praying and bible study. (peter and John where going into the temple to pray and the beggar remained outside begging for alms).

4.      They are comfortable with their positions/problem as far as they do not pay the sacrifice of praying.

5.   They always need people to assist them, they allow people take the place of God (the beggar was carried by people and begged alms from people-NO place for God)

6.   They may seem focused from their actions and activities but their heart/expectations is far from God (They beggar gave his attention to Peter and John expecting to get alms from them instead of his healing-Act3:4-5)

7.    They attend church services but do not reap the full benefits of the cross because their hearts do not believe.

8.   They doubt even when the word their life needs has been sent forth. (In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk, yet he did not grab/accept the word or act in faith). They need encouragement to walk into their testimonies after the word has been sent forth. (After the Apostles decreed that he should rise up and walk, they had to pull him by the hand for him to rise up)

9.   They need a miracle before they can praise God, when things are rough they out on sackcloth. (…And with a leap he stood up and began to walk; and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God). He had been at the gate of the temple and never went into the temple to praise God until the day of his healing.

10.  They wait until they are old or almost inactive to be of use to God before they walk into the will of God or answer God’s call. (Acts 4- The beggar was well over 40 years when he received his healing)

What to do

1.      Genuine Repentance

2.      Receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost

3.      Devout yourself to prayer and bible study

4.      Understand and believe in the promises of God contained in his word

5.      Be an instrument and a vessel for God

The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, Lagos (TREM)- Abridged Sunday Sermon 260616 - Bishop Mike Okonkwo

Topic: Secured in your foundation
Text: Psalm 11 v 1-3
Preacher: Bishop Mike Okonkwo

1.             We live in a world of corruption. However, by virtue of 2 Peter 1v5, there is an escape for us. The question is Who are you looking at? Where are you focused? David said he put his trust in God. Faith is different from trust. Faith is confidence in God. Your faith can fail. Trust is a commitment, even when things are going the other way, I will still trust God. It was trust that made Ruth follow Naomi and Ruth became blessed and found herself in the lineage of Christ because she trusted God.

2.            Trusting is letting God do the work. But when you want to do the work, God will rest and allow you struggle. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego trusted God and he didn't fail them.

3.            Many of us run to the wrong mountains. Trusting in your certificate, Trusting in money, trusting in connection. Trust in man will always fail. Jeremiah 17:5-8. If he can take care of the sparrows, how much more us? Daniel trusted God.

4.            When you trust in God, he will ensure that you will sow in drought and reap a hundred fold. If you want to see him, you must have a foundation in the finished work of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:2

5.            If the devil keeps on telling you, you are sinner and you can't make it, your foundation will be destroyed and you cannot build on a foundation that is destroyed. You must build on the foundation of the finished work of Christ and the fact that he has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Your qualification is in Christ.

6.            When the devil comes and shows you your inadequacies, you will tell him that if Jesus is qualified so I am qualified. Nobody is qualified based on himself. Anyone that is not qualified is now qualified to receive. That is the power of the gospel. Qualifying the unqualified.

7.            The bible shows that when Jesus met the unqualified he always told each one that your sins are forgiven. Qualifying the unqualified. He made sure he qualified each person that came to him immediately.

8.           The finished work of Jesus is your foundation and the devil is working to destroy that foundation because he knows that if he can destroy it, you will never know the victory you have in Christ. What Christ is entitled to, I am entitled to. 1 John 4:17.

9.            The way God sees Jesus is the same way he sees me. Psalm 20:7. The name of the Lord is strong tower the righteous run in and are safe. Psalm  27:13. Psalm 46:10.

10.        God has called us to reign in life but you can only do so if you rely totally on him and trust him. Isaiah 26:3. Trust and you will have shalom, nothing broken and nothing missing.  

MFM HEADQUATERS YOUTH CHURCH, YABA SUNDAY SERMON - (26/06/16)

Topic: Death must die

Text: Job10:21-22

Preacher: Pst Lanre bankole 

Facts about death

1.            Death is a personality, its everywhere (jer9:21)

2.            Death is an enemy I.e it not allowed to kill a believer cause it an enemy (1cor15:26)

3.            Death and hell are inseparable i.e hell is a chamber of death (prov7:27)

4.            Devil has the power to kill e.g job (heb2:14)

5.            When you're in light, death cannot overcome you

6.            your enemy (spiritual and physical ) has the power to kill (psalm 143:3)

7.            Even if God has decided that you must die, that decision can be reversed (isa38:1;38) 

8.            There's a sickness unto death. Such sickness defies medical explanation

9.            Never take the dream of death lightly, it is an invitation unto death e.g coffin dreams

10.       Cemetery is the coven of death.

 

Antidotes against untimely death 

1. Word of God (pro4:20-22; Rev12:11; Psalm107:20)

2. Righteousness (pro10:2)

3. Always seek the face of God on any matter (pro14:12)