0:00 No church is superior to another. It's all one body, the body of Christ. Different parts of that body. Neither from me nor any of my sons in the ministry, you won't hear anyone preaching against another ministry. That's not the ministry. That's not ministry. That's not what we are sent. Your love for God covers his work. His work was founded Christian. Sir. >> Welcome back to season two. Yesterday during the dedication of the Hand of God Cathedral in Port Harcourt, Bishop David Oyedepo shared some powerful advice for ministers of God and the body of Christ at large. Watch what he said to them.
0:47 >> I sold my life out to Jesus 1976. With a signed covenant to make Jesus my reason for living. I had no calling to ministry. It was not in my dream. My wife and I were in courtship then. I made her to sign that document September 12 '76. 50 years ago. It's not ministry. It's dedication. I have some bottle a bottle of mustard seed in my house. It's on my bookshelf. It's been there now for more than 10
1:32 years. It has never multiplied. It's all sown. It can't multiply. It's the same thing. It can only go bad. It can't grow new. Please, may this dedication of this holy sanctuary today lead to your personal dedication to God. I knew I was heading for something as far back as 50 years back. I got to ministry 5 years after. Your dedication is your greatest asset in your walk with God. Every undedicated believer will end up
2:17 there, you know, frustrated. Whether it's a ministry or a business, it doesn't matter. Every also see will become miserable at the end. Jesus said, "If anyone serves me, let him follow me. For where I am, there shall my servant be also. If you serve me dedicatedly in my days, you are the one my father will honor." It's your turn to be honored. Behind the frustration of most believers today is lack of true dedication to God. And the end of those kingdom. Seek you first the kingdom of God and his
3:03 righteousness. That's the verse that I caught. And all these things that others are dying to get shall be added to you. There is nothing of value in my little life that I cried for. I'm yet to go to God once and ask him for money. God is awesome. He's a covenant keeping God. You can't do what he says and beg him to be faithful. No. His name is called the faithful witness. Amen. You are going places.
3:53 When God gave us the license to open the Covenant University, I said to God, "Lord, tell me if it's not your own, I will tear it down." It's not a desire. It is not your What am I doing there? And I heard him say, "It is I." Watch. On your dedication, he said to me after we danced around because we must dance. I told my son yesterday, I said, "Without dancing, you are not dedicating anything." God doesn't need your money. Doesn't need anything. Go to be acknowledged. After we danced around from the gate of the university to the roundabout and came back, he said, "Hand it over to me now." That's dedication. I said, "How?" He said, "Lay down flat before me and I will take it over." Jesus took it over.
4:38 24 years ago, he's still in charge today. Stress-free. Please, hand over your life to Jesus. He cannot mishandle it. Hand your life over to Jesus. He cannot mishandle it. I've not had a false regret until after Jesus with utmost delight. Everything I touch works. Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. Neither from me nor any of my sons in the ministry, you won't hear anyone
5:25 preaching against another ministry. That's not the ministry. That's not my ministry. That's not really what we are sent. Your love for God covers his work. His work holds value to you. Sir, no church is superior to another. It's all one body, the body of Christ. Different parts of that body. Without understanding, you are triumphing. You are just going forward. You know, nobody will any backward trend again.
6:11 The tiniest seed according to Jesus' proverb, I mean parable, in Mark chapter 4 verse 30 to 32, the mustard seed, the tiniest of all seed, but when it is sown, it grows up and throws out great branches. And the birds of the air come to make their their nests in it. The tiniest believer that's genuinely dedicated will emerge a great oak. Amen. With great branches, providing a covering for many. There's somebody out there like that today. I sent a word to my son, uh
6:56 Pastor Paul Enenche. I said, "30 years ago, tell me where were you?" I said, "20 years ago, where were you?" I said, "5 years ago, where were you?" It is grace that has brought you to where you are. Now, you see that. Also ask me, "40 years ago, where was I?" "20 years ago, where was I?" It's grace. It's grace. May you not abuse grace. By responding to God according to his word, I will say it again, dedication is the mystery behind fulfilling your glorious destiny. Stay dedicated. You see, I'm so difficult to discourage.
7:46 Amen. I don't need your I don't need your opinion. So, what is the matter? You have your right to it. It's your divine human right. God gave it to you. They call you "You have Beelzebub." He said, "Well, I don't know what I was saying before." That's your opinion. Let me fulfill my mission. You fulfill your mission in Jesus' name. Please follow me as I told these few lines before we round up. But the day an oak is uprooted, its beauty, color, and glory is gone. Stay planted. Stay dedicated.
8:32 The day your dedication stops, frustration begins. You will see frustration. Please note that dedication to God is absolutely to our benefit. Absolutely. Absolutely. The young lions suffer want and hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. From this time on, that will be your story. Going after God, and let goodness and mercy will come in after you. Note that dedication to God adds nothing to him, oh, but adds everything to us.
9:17 As I've always said, God does not need me for anything, but I need him for everything. Maybe I I should make you say Say after me, "God does not need me for anything." "But I need him for everything." His name is I am that I am. Whether you serve him, I am. You don't serve him, I am. You curse him, I am. You join a cult, I am. You backslide, I am. You frontslide, I am. Uh His name is I am. So, there is nothing you and I do that impacts on God, but on us, negatively or positively.
10:05 God does not need me for anything. That's why I keep calling after him. I need him for everything. Dedication does not have to God. It only makes me Follow me, Jesus said, and I will [music] make you. It's your era of being made. You have tried to make yourself enough. By special moment today. As you follow what he says to do, you have committed him to your making. It's your turn. >> Now, I believe there are quite a number of lessons to take away from what Bishop Oyedepo shared, and I want to start with the subject of dedication. You see,
10:51 dedication to God is not something that should be limited to pastors, bishops, or people who are working full-time in ministry. It is something every believer should take seriously. When we talk about dedication, we are talking about giving God your heart, your time, your commitment, and you know, allowing him to be at the center of your life. And one thing I want us to understand is that dedication is not just about what we say. >> [snorts] >> It is not about attending church services, carrying a Bible, or being known as a Christian. It is about the decisions we make, the way we live, and how committed we are to following God's word. You cannot say you are dedicated to God and then only serve him when everything is convenient for you. There will be times when your faith will be tested. There will be times when you will have to make difficult decisions. There will be times
11:38 where you may not see the result of your prayers or efforts immediately. But dedication means you remain committed to God even in those seasons. And I particularly love the illustration Bishop Oyedepo gave about the mustard seed. The mustard seed may be small, but when it is planted, it grows and becomes something much bigger. I think this is a beautiful reminder that we should never despise small beginnings. Maybe you're a young minister just starting out. Maybe you have a small congregation. Maybe you are serving in a place where nobody seems to recognize your efforts. Do not conclude that your assignment is insignificant because it does not look like what someone else is doing. What matters is that you are faithful to God. You are faithful to what God has committed into your hands. And this brings me to another part of this message, and I think ministers of the
12:25 gospel in particular should pay attention. Bishop Oyedepo spoke about the body of Christ and made it clear that no church is superior to another. We are all different parts of one body, and I believe this is something we need to understand much better. You see, sometimes when we look at what is happening within the body of Christ, we see unnecessary criticism, argument, and ministers constantly making statements about other churches and ministries. And honestly, I believe we need to do better. We must understand that the fact that another minister is doing something differently does not automatically mean that what they are doing is wrong. We have different assignments, different expressions of ministry, and different responsibilities. Not everybody will have the same approach, the same
13:11 congregation, or the same kind of outreach. But at the end of the day, we are all supposed to be pointing people to Jesus Christ. And I think ministers must be careful, you know, not to allow the desire to promote their own ministries to become an excuse for constantly speaking against other ministries. There is a difference between correcting something that is genuinely contrary to scripture and simply making another church or minister the subject of unnecessary criticism. Of course, the church must be able to address wrong teachings and, you know, hold ministers accountable. Unity does not mean we should abandon biblical truth or pretend that everything is right. But even when correction is necessary, it should be done with the right attitude, with love, with the intention of helping people, not simply
13:57 pulling another person down. We should be able to celebrate what God is doing through another ministry without feeling threatened. If another church is growing, celebrate it. If another minister is reaching thousands of people, appreciate what God is doing through that assignment. If another ministry is making an impact in in we should be happy about it because the growth of another ministry does not have to be a problem for yours. And this is why I particularly appreciate what happened yesterday at the dedication of the Hand of God Cathedral in Port Harcourt. Honestly, it was such a beautiful moment to witness seeing ministers from different denominations and different expressions of Christianity come together under one umbrella to celebrate what God was doing was beautiful. I mean, we saw different ministers, different church backgrounds, and different assignments all coming together for just one occasion. And I
14:43 think there's something very powerful about that. It reminds us that beyond our individual church buildings, titles, denominations, and ministries, we belong to one body and Jesus Christ is the head of that body. I believe we need to see more of this. We need more occasions where ministers come together, celebrate one another, appreciate the work of God in different places, and build genuine relationships without feeling that they have to compete with one another. Imagine the impact we can make when we understand we are not enemies simply because we belong to, you know, different denominations. Imagine how much more we can achieve when we spend less time pulling one another down and more time praying for one another, encouraging one another, and reaching people with the gospel. And I am not saying that everybody must agree on every issue. That is not realistic. We
15:29 may have different interpretations, different church practices, different ways of approaching certain things, but we can disagree respectfully. We can maintain our convictions and still show love to other members of the body of Christ. That is important. I also believe that this kind of unity should not end with special occasions like, you know, church dedications. It should be something we practice beyond the cameras, beyond the celebrations, and beyond, you know, public gatherings. Let it reflect in the way we speak about other ministers, the way we relate to other churches, the way we respond when God is doing something beautiful and wonderful through another person. And to every minister listening, please remember that your assignment is valuable. You do not have to diminish another person's assignment to establish the importance of yours. Stay committed
16:15 to work God what called you to do. Remain faithful, keep growing, and keep pointing people to Christ. And to every believer, let us also remember that our dedication to God must be genuine. It must go beyond what people see on the outside. Finally, I feel yesterday was a beautiful reminder that um the body of Christ can come together, and I sincerely hope we get to witness more moments like this, more unity, more love, more genuine support, more celebrations of what God is doing across different ministries. May we never forget that we are serving one Lord, and may everything we do bring glory to his name. Amen. Thank you so much for watching this video till the end. If you've been blessed by it, don't forget to like it, subscribe to this channel, and turn on the notification bell so you'll be alerted anytime a video like this one drops. God bless
17:01 you, and I'll see you in the next one. Until then, bye.
