THE ONLINE SERIES OF THE COVENANT CHRISTIAN CENTER
*THE ONLINE SERIES OF THE COVENANT CHRISTIAN CENTER
POWERED BY WEST AFRICA FAITH BELIEVERS' CONVENTION (WAFBEC) 2020 (LIVE CHATS WITH FATHERS OF FAITH)*
GUEST FEATURE: *PASTOR ENOCH ADEJARE ADEBOYE (GENERAL OVERSEER OF RCCG WORLDWIDE)*
TOPIC: *7 SIGNIFICANT QUESTIONS WITH PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE*
DATE: 23RD APRIL, 2020
*You are all warmly Welcome to the Shalom Media Crew Coverage of this Program!*
*The Program was Anchored by Pastor Poju Oyemade - The Senior Pastor of The Covenant Christian Center, Lagos State Nigeria.*
*1. FIRST QUESTION:* What did Adeboye know as a young Believer and Minister, that He practiced; which has helped him till date; that sets him apart in Life and Ministry, and today in his older years?
PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:
Well, I want to Thank the Almighty God, that I learnt very early in my life as a Christian that: *"Holiness is the Master Key to everything - Success in life, Success in Ministry."*
I mean, I learnt very early in life as a Christian that:
I. *"HOLY, as far as God is concerned, is the Nature of God.*
II. *But Holiness on our own part is complete obedience to Him."*
And then I saw in Exodus 15:26: *If I would obey Him completely, I would be Healthy.*
I saw in Deuteronomy 28:1-13 that: *If I obey Him completely; I would Prosper, I would be Promoted and my Promotion nobody would be able to tamper with.*
So, since I learnt that one, I have dedicated myself to obeying Him to the very best of my ability.
... Amen! Thank you so much Sir.
*2. SECOND QUESTION IS: *You once told a Story (in one of your Ministers' Conferences) of how God asked you to dedicate (if I remember) three (3) Days, to just Thank and Praise Him;
And how that brought great Expansion to the work of God. And we have constantly seen you Practice Thanksgiving and Praise.
... You are always with your Tambourine.
*How did Thanksgiving and Praise Revolutionalize your Prayer Life?*
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
Well, I found that it is easy to link that Encounter with what the Elders in Africa would say:
*"That if a child is grateful for what he has received yesterday, then he would receive more."*
And so, I spend (by the Grace of God) more than ninety percent (90%) of my Prayer Life just Thanking Him because He has done so much for me.
And I find that, the more I thank Him, the more He does!
That's why everywhere I go, every opportunity I have, I want to Thank Him.
... I know where I started from, I know how far He has brought me.
Even if He doesn't do any other thing for me now, I can still keep on Thanking Him till I see Him in Eternity.
But I find out that the more I Thank Him, the more He does!
*So, that's a GREAT SECRET; so I keep on Praising Him.* - It's a Master Key to Progress.
So I keep on Thanking Him; and I would continue to encourage others to do the same.
... Alright Sir!
*3. THE THIRD (3RD) QUESTION IS:* The Manifestations of God's Presence in your Meetings; they are very Strong and Unusual.
What advice would you give to "Young Ministers" when Preparing for Meetings?
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
*_Well, I also discovered in any Ministry, that if you would spend time with Him in Secret, He will spend time with you in the Open._*
In other words if you would Wait upon Him before any Programme, then He will show up!
For example, when I want to Prepare for the Holy Ghost Night (HGS), I make sure that I spend at least a couple of days, locked up with Him - Away from my wife, away from my children.
... Just Himself and I ALONE - Waiting on Him, Praising Him and Seeking His Face for the Programme that is coming.
So, I don't just walk up to the Stage on Friday Night - having spent all the time talking with my friends!
*And after I have spent hours upon hours, Day and Night with Him, automatically, He responds!*
When I get to the Altar; He would come up and begin to Manifest His Glory.
So my advice to all the "Young Ministers" is that:
I. They shouldn't take God for granted
II. They should spend time with Him in Secret, so that He can show forth His Power and Glory in the Public.
... Amen! Thank you Sir.
*4. THE FOURTH (4TH) QUESTION HERE:* The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is what we would describe as a First (1st) Generation Pentecostal Church;
But it has successfully adapted with the Changing Times while it retains the Core Values of the Ministry and the Message.
Is there something you can share; Blueprints Organizations and Ministries can adopt from RCCG in other to retain their Values across various Demographic and Age Groups?
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
*Well, the first (1st) thing I would tell any "Young Minister" is that he should have the Vision of his Ministry CLEARLY SPELT OUT.*
... Not in long flamboyant Statement;
Probably, it should be written almost Mathematically, like the Redeemed Christian Church of God, that states:
1. We want to make it to Heaven;
2. We want to take as many People with us, as Possible;
3. We want to have a Member of RCCG in every Family in the world.
And then, how do we go about it? Since we want to make it to Heaven.
And the Bible says: *"Without HOLINESS no man shall see God."*
Then we make Holiness our lifestyle, et cetera.
*In other words, we should be specific as to what is our Vision. And how we intend to reach there.*
You see, when you are playing Football, you know where the Goal Area is. And in other to reach that Goal Area; you may need to first of all pass the Ball to the right and then at times pass it to the left.
But you know where you are going is: You want to put that Ball between those two (2) Goal posts; and those two (2) Goal Posts don't move - they are there!
So, in every Culture, everywhere we go, we mind - The way some People dance in India may be different from the way they dance in Papua New Guinea, etc.
... But the Message of Holiness is the same!
And once you know where you are going; it doesn't matter where you find yourself; you can maneuver to the right, maneuver to the left.
After all, someone said: *"The reason why Gold is such a Precious Metal is that, it learned to BEND while Breaking!"*
*And so, have your Purpose clearly spelt out, and whatever else may be happening, just make sure you focus on that your Goal.*
... Alright Sir!
*5. FIFTH (5TH) QUESTION:* What Advice do you have for Young Churches on Developing Leaders and Structures; for tremendous Growth?
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
My advice is simple: That as we do in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, we regard ourselves as One Family.
In a Family we have father, in a Family we have mother, our elder brothers, elder sisters, we have younger ones.
But we are a Family - No one is a Boss, no one is pushing others.
The Leader is by example!
We show the child, this is the way (in Training) and this is the way we expect you to follow.
When I ask my children to Fast; before they begin to Fast, I would have Fasted!
If they see the example in me, then I ask them to follow the example.
That is as simple as that Sir!
If you do it that way, you would always have your children increasing in number and following your examples.
... Alright Sir!
*6. SIXTH (6TH) QUESTION:* Relationships we know, are Key to life. And God uses people to open doors for us.
What are the Secrets behind you Building and Maintaining various Layers of Relationships in your life and Ministry - from Ministry, Associates, Long standing Sons and very Healthy and Beneficial Relationships?
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
Well, there is an English Proverb that says: *"Make New friends and Keep the old - One is Silver, the other is Gold!*
*The Old friends are the GOLD - The People who knew you, who were with you when you were nothing.*
... They're the GOLD!
*The New Ones you continue to come across; the New friends you make, particularly after you have become a little better than they know; they are the SILVER!*
But of course, as the Years passed, the Silver then also would be turning to Gold.
So, you keep on making New friends, but keeping the Old.
*Under no circumstance must you now say that because you have become 'BIG', or you are now 'Well known', you IGNORE those who were with you at the very beginning.*
One of the things that has helped us tremendously in the Redeemed Christian Church of God is that the Older Ones are Honoured because of their Faithfulness at the beginning of this work.
And then when the Younger Ones see that, they say okay!
Those who Faithfully Serve, even when they are old and they are no longer active - are not abandoned or thrown away but they are given "Tremendous Honour".
Then they relax and they want to throw everything into it; knowing very well that their future would be guaranteed.
That's the Principle Sir!
... Alright Sir.
*7. LAST QUESTION:* There is a Proverb that: *"What a Young Man cannot see from an Elevated Place; an Elder would see, while he is sitting down."*
So I want to ask you: What Trends do you see now in the Younger Generation that worries you?
And what are the things that you are Praying about for the Younger Generation?
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
Well, (LAUGHS!) from your Proverb, it shows that you must be an Elder.
Because Proverbs come from Elders, and we the Younger Ones (still Laughing!) we need to come and learn.
Yes Sir! - *Probably the more worrisome thing that I can see is that majority of Younger Christians are beginning to forget the fact that: JESUS IS COMING AGAIN!*
Because if there was anything that kept all of us (who are a little Older) in the Straight and Narrow road; it's the fact that the Lord may RETURN ANY MOMENT.
And so, we were always on our toes.
In fact, I remembered that in my Younger Days, one of the greetings among the the Yoruba is: *"Eku afoju si bibo Jesu!"*
Meaning: That is we were greeting ourselves for looking forward to the Second (2nd) Coming of Jesus Christ.
And because we were looking forward to His Return any moment; we kept on making sure we don't do anything that could cause us to miss the Rapture.
I. *But now, People are more concerned about the HERE and NOW.*
II. *They are more concerned about Prosperity, they are more concerned about Fame.*
III. *They are beginning to forget that this world is not our Home; that we are waiting for the Bridegroom.*
It is to be expected though because after all, when the Ten (10) Virgins went to receive the Bridegroom, the Bible says: Because the Bridegroom tarried, they ALL slumbered and slept.
... ALL of them - The Wise as well as the Foolish!
*And so my Prayer of course is that; those who are slumbering would wake up soon. So that the Second Coming of the Lord would not catch us unawares!*
IV. *I'm concerned because of misrepresentation of the Gospel of Grace; which is leading some people to live a life of Carelessness.*
Because, *Thank God for Grace: it is by Grace that we are SAVED. But it is by the Power of God that we are KEPT.*
*But the Bible still says that: We are called unto Holiness.*
And I'm Praying that the Almighty God would HELP all of us to finish well, in Jesus' Mighty Name - Amen!
*REQUEST FOR PRAYER:*
Last thing I will ask Sir; I will ask you to Bless us and Pray for everybody.
Particularly that this Covid-19 virus, we would be delivered from it: Healthwise and also in terms of Economic effects of it. We will be delivered from it also.
... That's the last thing Sir!
*SPECIAL PRAYER BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE*
... Thank you very much!
My Father and my God, once again I want to Thank You for this Interactive Session;
Thank You for the little we might have been able to contribute in the Lives and Ministries of those who are following us as we were talking (or reading now on the SMC Label).
Father, I'm Praying that ALL these Your children will succeed; not only in Ministry, not only in their Families: but they will succeed ALL THE WAY in life!
And that none of them would "MISS HEAVEN" at the Last Day.
I'm Praying Lord God Almighty, that because of your Mercy and because of Your children who are Crying to You day and night; You would please, put an end to this Scourge, and ask this Plague to go away!
I'm asking that You the Almighty God, You will come out Mightily on behalf of Your children. So that they will Pass through this terrible period without a Single Scratch.
I Pray that Physically, You will Protect them; Economically, You will Prosper them!
I'm Praying Lord God Almighty, that even during this terrible Period, somehow Your children would come out Shinning Bright; giving Glory to Your Holy Name.
Thank You my Father and my God because we have Prayed in the Jesus' Mighty Name - Amen!
Praise the Lord - Hallelujah!
*WORDS OF APPRECIATION FROM PASTOR POJU OYEMADE*
Thank you very much Sir! We are truly Grateful for this.
Thank you so much!
*PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE RESPONSE*
Thank you very much Sir. God Bless you so much for the opportunity, Sir!
Alright!
Bye bye - Bye bye!!!
Thank you so much for staying and reading all through.
*God bless you!*
GUEST FEATURE: *PASTOR ENOCH ADEJARE ADEBOYE (GENERAL OVERSEER OF RCCG WORLDWIDE)*
TOPIC: *7 SIGNIFICANT QUESTIONS WITH PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE*
DATE: 23RD APRIL, 2020
*You are all warmly Welcome to the Shalom Media Crew Coverage of this Program!*
*The Program was Anchored by Pastor Poju Oyemade - The Senior Pastor of The Covenant Christian Center, Lagos State Nigeria.*
*1. FIRST QUESTION:* What did Adeboye know as a young Believer and Minister, that He practiced; which has helped him till date; that sets him apart in Life and Ministry, and today in his older years?
PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:
Well, I want to Thank the Almighty God, that I learnt very early in my life as a Christian that: *"Holiness is the Master Key to everything - Success in life, Success in Ministry."*
I mean, I learnt very early in life as a Christian that:
I. *"HOLY, as far as God is concerned, is the Nature of God.*
II. *But Holiness on our own part is complete obedience to Him."*
And then I saw in Exodus 15:26: *If I would obey Him completely, I would be Healthy.*
I saw in Deuteronomy 28:1-13 that: *If I obey Him completely; I would Prosper, I would be Promoted and my Promotion nobody would be able to tamper with.*
So, since I learnt that one, I have dedicated myself to obeying Him to the very best of my ability.
... Amen! Thank you so much Sir.
*2. SECOND QUESTION IS: *You once told a Story (in one of your Ministers' Conferences) of how God asked you to dedicate (if I remember) three (3) Days, to just Thank and Praise Him;
And how that brought great Expansion to the work of God. And we have constantly seen you Practice Thanksgiving and Praise.
... You are always with your Tambourine.
*How did Thanksgiving and Praise Revolutionalize your Prayer Life?*
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
Well, I found that it is easy to link that Encounter with what the Elders in Africa would say:
*"That if a child is grateful for what he has received yesterday, then he would receive more."*
And so, I spend (by the Grace of God) more than ninety percent (90%) of my Prayer Life just Thanking Him because He has done so much for me.
And I find that, the more I thank Him, the more He does!
That's why everywhere I go, every opportunity I have, I want to Thank Him.
... I know where I started from, I know how far He has brought me.
Even if He doesn't do any other thing for me now, I can still keep on Thanking Him till I see Him in Eternity.
But I find out that the more I Thank Him, the more He does!
*So, that's a GREAT SECRET; so I keep on Praising Him.* - It's a Master Key to Progress.
So I keep on Thanking Him; and I would continue to encourage others to do the same.
... Alright Sir!
*3. THE THIRD (3RD) QUESTION IS:* The Manifestations of God's Presence in your Meetings; they are very Strong and Unusual.
What advice would you give to "Young Ministers" when Preparing for Meetings?
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
*_Well, I also discovered in any Ministry, that if you would spend time with Him in Secret, He will spend time with you in the Open._*
In other words if you would Wait upon Him before any Programme, then He will show up!
For example, when I want to Prepare for the Holy Ghost Night (HGS), I make sure that I spend at least a couple of days, locked up with Him - Away from my wife, away from my children.
... Just Himself and I ALONE - Waiting on Him, Praising Him and Seeking His Face for the Programme that is coming.
So, I don't just walk up to the Stage on Friday Night - having spent all the time talking with my friends!
*And after I have spent hours upon hours, Day and Night with Him, automatically, He responds!*
When I get to the Altar; He would come up and begin to Manifest His Glory.
So my advice to all the "Young Ministers" is that:
I. They shouldn't take God for granted
II. They should spend time with Him in Secret, so that He can show forth His Power and Glory in the Public.
... Amen! Thank you Sir.
*4. THE FOURTH (4TH) QUESTION HERE:* The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is what we would describe as a First (1st) Generation Pentecostal Church;
But it has successfully adapted with the Changing Times while it retains the Core Values of the Ministry and the Message.
Is there something you can share; Blueprints Organizations and Ministries can adopt from RCCG in other to retain their Values across various Demographic and Age Groups?
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
*Well, the first (1st) thing I would tell any "Young Minister" is that he should have the Vision of his Ministry CLEARLY SPELT OUT.*
... Not in long flamboyant Statement;
Probably, it should be written almost Mathematically, like the Redeemed Christian Church of God, that states:
1. We want to make it to Heaven;
2. We want to take as many People with us, as Possible;
3. We want to have a Member of RCCG in every Family in the world.
And then, how do we go about it? Since we want to make it to Heaven.
And the Bible says: *"Without HOLINESS no man shall see God."*
Then we make Holiness our lifestyle, et cetera.
*In other words, we should be specific as to what is our Vision. And how we intend to reach there.*
You see, when you are playing Football, you know where the Goal Area is. And in other to reach that Goal Area; you may need to first of all pass the Ball to the right and then at times pass it to the left.
But you know where you are going is: You want to put that Ball between those two (2) Goal posts; and those two (2) Goal Posts don't move - they are there!
So, in every Culture, everywhere we go, we mind - The way some People dance in India may be different from the way they dance in Papua New Guinea, etc.
... But the Message of Holiness is the same!
And once you know where you are going; it doesn't matter where you find yourself; you can maneuver to the right, maneuver to the left.
After all, someone said: *"The reason why Gold is such a Precious Metal is that, it learned to BEND while Breaking!"*
*And so, have your Purpose clearly spelt out, and whatever else may be happening, just make sure you focus on that your Goal.*
... Alright Sir!
*5. FIFTH (5TH) QUESTION:* What Advice do you have for Young Churches on Developing Leaders and Structures; for tremendous Growth?
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
My advice is simple: That as we do in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, we regard ourselves as One Family.
In a Family we have father, in a Family we have mother, our elder brothers, elder sisters, we have younger ones.
But we are a Family - No one is a Boss, no one is pushing others.
The Leader is by example!
We show the child, this is the way (in Training) and this is the way we expect you to follow.
When I ask my children to Fast; before they begin to Fast, I would have Fasted!
If they see the example in me, then I ask them to follow the example.
That is as simple as that Sir!
If you do it that way, you would always have your children increasing in number and following your examples.
... Alright Sir!
*6. SIXTH (6TH) QUESTION:* Relationships we know, are Key to life. And God uses people to open doors for us.
What are the Secrets behind you Building and Maintaining various Layers of Relationships in your life and Ministry - from Ministry, Associates, Long standing Sons and very Healthy and Beneficial Relationships?
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
Well, there is an English Proverb that says: *"Make New friends and Keep the old - One is Silver, the other is Gold!*
*The Old friends are the GOLD - The People who knew you, who were with you when you were nothing.*
... They're the GOLD!
*The New Ones you continue to come across; the New friends you make, particularly after you have become a little better than they know; they are the SILVER!*
But of course, as the Years passed, the Silver then also would be turning to Gold.
So, you keep on making New friends, but keeping the Old.
*Under no circumstance must you now say that because you have become 'BIG', or you are now 'Well known', you IGNORE those who were with you at the very beginning.*
One of the things that has helped us tremendously in the Redeemed Christian Church of God is that the Older Ones are Honoured because of their Faithfulness at the beginning of this work.
And then when the Younger Ones see that, they say okay!
Those who Faithfully Serve, even when they are old and they are no longer active - are not abandoned or thrown away but they are given "Tremendous Honour".
Then they relax and they want to throw everything into it; knowing very well that their future would be guaranteed.
That's the Principle Sir!
... Alright Sir.
*7. LAST QUESTION:* There is a Proverb that: *"What a Young Man cannot see from an Elevated Place; an Elder would see, while he is sitting down."*
So I want to ask you: What Trends do you see now in the Younger Generation that worries you?
And what are the things that you are Praying about for the Younger Generation?
*PASTOR ADEBOYE'S RESPONSE:*
Well, (LAUGHS!) from your Proverb, it shows that you must be an Elder.
Because Proverbs come from Elders, and we the Younger Ones (still Laughing!) we need to come and learn.
Yes Sir! - *Probably the more worrisome thing that I can see is that majority of Younger Christians are beginning to forget the fact that: JESUS IS COMING AGAIN!*
Because if there was anything that kept all of us (who are a little Older) in the Straight and Narrow road; it's the fact that the Lord may RETURN ANY MOMENT.
And so, we were always on our toes.
In fact, I remembered that in my Younger Days, one of the greetings among the the Yoruba is: *"Eku afoju si bibo Jesu!"*
Meaning: That is we were greeting ourselves for looking forward to the Second (2nd) Coming of Jesus Christ.
And because we were looking forward to His Return any moment; we kept on making sure we don't do anything that could cause us to miss the Rapture.
I. *But now, People are more concerned about the HERE and NOW.*
II. *They are more concerned about Prosperity, they are more concerned about Fame.*
III. *They are beginning to forget that this world is not our Home; that we are waiting for the Bridegroom.*
It is to be expected though because after all, when the Ten (10) Virgins went to receive the Bridegroom, the Bible says: Because the Bridegroom tarried, they ALL slumbered and slept.
... ALL of them - The Wise as well as the Foolish!
*And so my Prayer of course is that; those who are slumbering would wake up soon. So that the Second Coming of the Lord would not catch us unawares!*
IV. *I'm concerned because of misrepresentation of the Gospel of Grace; which is leading some people to live a life of Carelessness.*
Because, *Thank God for Grace: it is by Grace that we are SAVED. But it is by the Power of God that we are KEPT.*
*But the Bible still says that: We are called unto Holiness.*
And I'm Praying that the Almighty God would HELP all of us to finish well, in Jesus' Mighty Name - Amen!
*REQUEST FOR PRAYER:*
Last thing I will ask Sir; I will ask you to Bless us and Pray for everybody.
Particularly that this Covid-19 virus, we would be delivered from it: Healthwise and also in terms of Economic effects of it. We will be delivered from it also.
... That's the last thing Sir!
*SPECIAL PRAYER BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE*
... Thank you very much!
My Father and my God, once again I want to Thank You for this Interactive Session;
Thank You for the little we might have been able to contribute in the Lives and Ministries of those who are following us as we were talking (or reading now on the SMC Label).
Father, I'm Praying that ALL these Your children will succeed; not only in Ministry, not only in their Families: but they will succeed ALL THE WAY in life!
And that none of them would "MISS HEAVEN" at the Last Day.
I'm Praying Lord God Almighty, that because of your Mercy and because of Your children who are Crying to You day and night; You would please, put an end to this Scourge, and ask this Plague to go away!
I'm asking that You the Almighty God, You will come out Mightily on behalf of Your children. So that they will Pass through this terrible period without a Single Scratch.
I Pray that Physically, You will Protect them; Economically, You will Prosper them!
I'm Praying Lord God Almighty, that even during this terrible Period, somehow Your children would come out Shinning Bright; giving Glory to Your Holy Name.
Thank You my Father and my God because we have Prayed in the Jesus' Mighty Name - Amen!
Praise the Lord - Hallelujah!
*WORDS OF APPRECIATION FROM PASTOR POJU OYEMADE*
Thank you very much Sir! We are truly Grateful for this.
Thank you so much!
*PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE RESPONSE*
Thank you very much Sir. God Bless you so much for the opportunity, Sir!
Alright!
Bye bye - Bye bye!!!
Thank you so much for staying and reading all through.
*God bless you!*
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