جارٍ تحميل الأرشيف الحي.
Exceptional Love and Devotion to God
واصِل الاستكشاف
مرتبطة بالمقطع الكتابي أو بموضوعات مشتركة.
لم تُترجم هذه الصفحة بالكامل بعد. يظهر بعض النص أدناه أو كله بلغة English، وهي لغته الأصلية.
God's love is extraordinary. Consider the story of Moses—a man who doubted himself, who said, "I am a stammerer. I don't know how to speak." Yet God chose him. When Moses expressed his uncertainty and asked for help, God replied, "You are the meekest person on the surface of the earth, and you are the one I'm going to use."
This reveals a profound truth: God doesn't choose the qualified; he qualifies the chosen. And when God chooses someone, he defends them fiercely. In Numbers 12, when others dared to speak against Moses, God responded with anger: "How dare you speak against my servant like that?"
Not all Christians operate on the same level. There are different categories of believers, and I want to share a vision God showed me years ago that illustrates this.
In this vision, I saw a demon commanding an army of servants. He sent them to attack people and destroy their cities. But when he commanded them to go after one particular man, something remarkable happened. Everyone refused. They resisted and would not obey the order to attack this man.
When nobody would comply, the demon turned to his second-in-command—a huge, powerful being—and said, "You go, because if we can get him, we get the whole city." But even this powerful servant refused. He said, "I can't go."
The demon demanded to know why. The answer came back: "This man is God's personal choice. He is God's personal property. You dare not touch him."
Then something beautiful happened. The demon himself said, "Please, if you will go with us, let's go together." But even the demon would not go alone—he needed the man's permission.
This vision teaches us about what I call "the law of exceptional love." Some people live in such a close relationship with God that Satan cannot touch them. Sickness cannot come near them. There is protection that operates only for those in a certain category—a category of exceptional love.
Consider John among the twelve disciples. When Jesus announced that one of them would betray him, all the disciples began whispering to one another, asking, "Is it me? Is it him?" But something different happened with John.
They said to one another, "Jesus may not tell anybody else, but John—John is beloved. He is very close to Jesus. If anyone is going to know, it will be John." So they said to John, "You come close to Jesus. Ask him."
John leaned on Jesus and asked, "Master, who is it?"
Jesus said, "I will tell you with a code so that I don't have to announce it publicly. The person whose mouth I dip this bread into—that is the betrayer." Jesus took bread, dipped it, and gave it to Judas.
But here's the crucial question: What made John exceptional? All twelve were disciples. All had walked with Jesus. All had heard his teachings. But John had something the others didn't—a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus. That relationship placed him in a category of exceptional love where Jesus would share mysteries with him that he wouldn't share with the others.
There are aspects of God's kingdom and God's purposes that are hidden from ordinary believers. You will make heaven. You will do good works. You will serve. But there are mysteries—deep secrets about God's purposes—that you will never have access to unless you enter the category of exceptional love.
Let me tell you what it cost me to reach this place.
My wife pleaded with me not to make a certain commitment. She said, "Please don't die." But I had already signed on. I told her, "I cannot leave the work alone to be on Princess Street." I had made a covenant with God.
I was weak. I was shaking. I was dragged to fulfill that commitment. But it was through that act of exceptional love—that willingness to sacrifice everything—that God has opened doors and revealed mysteries to me.
When I was asked to become a worker in the church, I didn't have the resources. I went and borrowed new shirts because I couldn't afford them. I wore trousers that weren't even mine because they were too big for me. But I was determined to serve. Why? Because I understood that there is an exceptional category, and I wanted to be in it.
But I see so many who claim to love God yet their actions prove otherwise. Some say, "The church is too far away." Others say, "I can't join the workers because I don't have time." Yet these same people will spend two hours traveling to work. They will work all day without complaint.
Let me be direct: If you won't travel an hour to God's house but you'll travel two hours to your workplace, you don't love God. You may believe in God, but you don't love him. And that is why you don't have answers to your prayers. That is why you don't have access to the mysteries of God.
I walked to church for three hours every Sunday. I would wake up at 6:00 a.m. and walk through Lagos because there was no transportation. On my way back from work, people would offer me a ride, and I would refuse because I was determined to walk myself to God's house. That is the kind of love God is looking for.
When someone asks you to join the workers, you hesitate. You make excuses. But you should be jumping at the opportunity. You should be weeping with joy that God has counted you worthy to work in his vineyard. Instead, people have to beg others to serve God. They have to beg people to join the workers.
Some say, "I can't pay my tithe." But if you are a Christian and you cannot consecrate ten percent to God, then you don't love God. You don't. If you love God, you will pay your tithe. You will serve. You will sacrifice.
Matthew 6:33 says: "Seek ye the kingdom of God, and all things shall be added unto you." This is the law. When you make God's kingdom your priority, everything else falls into place.
I told my wife, "When was the last time I even prayed for myself?" I haven't prayed for myself in years. Why would I? Everything I ask God for is about his kingdom. You must be consumed by the kingdom. Your whole life, everything about you, must be totally sold out to God.
When you reach that point, God begins to dine with you. Life becomes easy. People are running to you, but you're at peace. Why? Because you've entered the law of exceptional love.
I want to share three things you must do to enter this category of exceptional love.
Immediately you give your life to Jesus and accept him as Lord and Savior, the next thing you must do is begin to seek the face of God for an encounter. You must pray for a special encounter with him and a relationship with him.
Without an encounter and relationship, you can be deceiving yourself. I have seen people beg others to come to church, but they themselves don't have a real encounter with God.
Let me tell you a story. There was a woman we served for eight years before we started this parish. We live on Ferry Road, and the church is far away. My wife and I and our first son would get in the buggy and make the journey. We would stand in front of the church waiting for people to arrive. People lived much closer to the church than we did, but they wouldn't come.
One day, this woman looked at me and said, "I've heard about you. Please pray for me." I did. Immediately she gave her life to Jesus, she became dedicated. She comes now. Why? Because she had an encounter with God.
When you have an encounter with Jesus, everything changes. Look at Paul. When Paul encountered Jesus on the Damascus road, he became what I call a madman for Christ. He was totally sold out. He gave up everything.
The second thing you must do is find a place in the house of God to serve. You must begin to serve, to spend, to give. The Bible says, "A man that is diligent in his work—if you are planted in the house of the Lord, he said you will be fruitful." Be planted in the house of God.
I remember when I was asked to be an usher. I was so excited that I went and borrowed new clothes. The day I was suspended for two weeks for missing one meeting, I wept like I had been fired from my job. I wept because I couldn't stand on that traffic directing cars into the church.
Do you understand? I don't get paid for that. They don't pay me. Yet when they suspended me, I was devastated. That is the spirit of service you need. That is the love of God you need.
There is a woman who has been working nights for almost fifteen years. She works twelve to fourteen hours, and when she gets out of work, she doesn't go home. She comes to church. She never misses. Not because she's the pastor's wife. Not because of any position. But because she loves God with an exceptional love.
And let me tell you, God answers the prayers of such a person. God will not say "no" to someone who has sacrificed like that. It's not everybody whose prayers God answers. God answers the prayers of those in the category of exceptional love—those who have no involvement with iniquity.
The third and final thing you must do is live a life of righteousness and holiness. God cannot do with iniquity. If you are living in sin, thinking that nobody sees you, that the pastor didn't notice—you are deceiving yourself.
God cannot compromise his standard. This is non-negotiable. God cannot compromise his standard.
I asked one brother, "You can sing so beautifully. Why don't you commit yourself to the choir?" He said, "I don't want to be committed." I said, "You're a Christian?" He said, "Yes, my father is a bishop." I said, "I'm highly disappointed in you. Being close to a pastor or a bishop doesn't make you committed to God."
Being near someone spiritual doesn't save you. You must make your own commitment. You must live your own life of righteousness.
When you do these three things—when you give your life to Jesus, seek his face, serve in his house, and live a holy life—God will reveal mysteries to you. He will whisper to you things he doesn't tell anyone else.
God told me last week that a family was coming and exactly what I needed to do to prepare for them. But do you know why I know these things? Because I am in that category. Because I have paid the price of exceptional love.
If you are not in that category, God is not going to whisper these things to you. You won't have access to this information. You'll be going about your life, not knowing that a disaster is coming, not knowing that God is preparing something for you.
But those in the category of exceptional love—God will come to them and say, "Son, daughter, because of the relationship I have with you, please do this. Don't do that." And because of that whisper, they are saved. They are prepared. They are blessed.
Let me speak to the men for a moment. I've noticed that the women are the ones singing, serving, working in the church. I'm looking for gifted men, but where are you? When there's work to be done, when there's an opportunity to serve, the call goes out and women respond, but the men are silent.
Let me be honest with you: the people sustaining this church, holding it up, are the women. That is a slap on the face of men. You are not available for this. You are not available for that. You are not available for anything. And then you wonder why God doesn't answer your prayers. You wonder why you don't have blessings.
There is no such thing as fear holding you back. There is only a lack of love for God.
As we wind up, I want to give you some advice. This month is coming to an end, but please listen: Seek God's face. Seek his face. Seriously.
Nothing of value comes cheap. Nothing. If a seed doesn't go into the ground and die, it cannot bring forth fruit. Something must be sacrificed. Something must be given up. Something must die before God can bring forth fruit in your life.
I want us to rise to our feet this morning. Before we pray, I have a question: Is there anyone here this morning who has not given their life to Jesus? That is the starting point. That is where exceptional love begins.
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." That is the beginning. That is how you start your journey into exceptional love.
Is anyone here in that position? Has anyone here not given their life to Jesus? Stand up. We're going to pray for you.
Let me tell you a story before we pray. I mentioned a woman earlier—her name is Pastor Oluwatoyin. She's going to be seventy-five now. She called me one day, weeping. She said, "Rufus, I've left everything in London. They gave me £500. What am I going to do? I have a good job. I have everything. But I've seen the spirit in you, and I want to help you. Can you help me?"
I said, "Mama, I will have you as my mama. It's my responsibility." When she called me, she was nine months pregnant. Two of us were helping her, and she laid her hands on me. When you touch God, when you are touching God, automatically something in your life must hear the voice of the Lord.
I want you to desire this morning—desire to know God. Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you. Ask the Almighty God to help you with the grace to serve him faithfully.
Lift up your voice and pray these three things with me:
First: "Father, I ask for grace this morning to serve you faithfully and to know you more. Jesus, please help me in the name of Jesus."
Second: "Father, help me to know you in the name of Jesus."
Third: "I want to know you. I want to know you. I've been listening. I've been hearing about mysteries. I've been hearing about God revealing himself to people and performing miracles. I want to know you. Help me, Lord. Help me. In Jesus' mighty name."
