BROTHER SEMILOORE OSANYINBI
MARK 3:14-15(NLT): “14 Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles.[a] They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, 15 giving them authority to cast out demons”;
ACTS 1:8(NLT): “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”;
ACTS 4:13(NLT): “13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”
When Jesus ordained the twelve disciples the first thing he wanted was that they should be with him. Many a time, we put the cart before the horse and rush into witnessing. It is not wrong to witness Christ but before witnessing, we have to be with Christ. Quite a number of us likes signs and wonders but we lack fellowship with Christ. The essence of signs and wonders is to confirm the gospel. As Jesus ascended he encouraged the disciples to fellowship together.
We should seek the face of God. It is not just about being able to preach. We need the oil upon our head. When we get new revelations, the next thing to do is not to look for the person to share them with. We need to brood on them in God’s presence well enough that the substance of that revelation becomes part of us. Even with little or no secular training, when we have the habit of staying with God, we will surprise men by the fruits we bear. Men will always recognize those who stay with Jesus.
Signs are wonders are not meant to point to us. They are meant to point to God. They are supposed to confirm the gospel. We need to stay with God long enough so that we can have enough grace and oil to step out into the world. Signs and wonders are for confirmation to the unbelievers. Prophecies are meant to establish believers.
ACTS 13:2(NLT): “One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.”
I SAMUEL 3:20(NLT): “And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.”
We must never be eager to step out for God. It is his prerogative to send us out when the time is ripe. At God’s appointed time, it will be obvious to all and sundry that we have been called of Him. We receive grace when we tarry with God. Jesus had to wait on God for thirty years in order to do a three-year ministry. His short span of ministry has indelible impact in the history of the world.
In order to have signs and wonders attend to us, we have to be bold enough to step out once God commissions us. Signs and wonders only follow daring believers. We as believers might not have the resources the world system has but being with Jesus brings much more than that, we must be a generation that seeks the face of God. When we are with Jesus, there is going to be a lot of tribulations and challenges we would overcome. He is more interested in our relationship with Him than our irrelevant spiritual gymnastics.
PASTOR OLUWASEYI OSANYINBI
I JOHN 4:20(NLT): “20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer,[a] that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?”;
MALACHI 1:6(NLT): ” 6 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name! “But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’”
Relationship is not just about attending church meetings and just having the head-knowledge of God. God’s first objective for our ordination is to stay with Him, it is not to preach or to cast out demons. God wants us to be intimate with Him. Intimacy is not just about regular church attendance, being part of church activity groups or having a head knowledge of God. Intimacy is about panting after God and knowing Him closely.
Intimacy is not preaching, it is practical. It is a place for the exchange of matters of the heart. Deep revelations come when we are intimate with God. Many people don’t want to seek the Lord because they are afraid that they will be ordained as ministers. We have to understand God is a person and He is real. We should be conscious of His presence in us. We should learn to commune with Him. We should learn to inquire of Him and be still enough to hear Him. We must also cultivate the habit of meditating on God’s word. If we have problems relating with each other then we will have problems relating with God. God can’t share secrets with us if we are not intimate with Him.