3rd of October, 2008

Let somebody shout halleluiah!

According to John 4 v 23-24, no matter how big the crowd is, God will still locate someone.

And who is that fellow that God will locate? According to the word of God, it is someone who worships God in spirit and in truth.

We are many here tonight, but if you worship God in truth, in spirit and truth, if you worship God more than anyone else, I am confident that even in this crowd, God will locate you.

So I want to give you a few minutes, for you to just go ahead and worship God, forget everybody else and just praise him. Magnify his holy name, sing unto him, clap unto him, dance unto him, and worship him in spirit and in truth, so that in this crowd he will locate you. Because he is seeking; for those who will worship him. Praise him, praise the king of king, the Lord of lords, the I am that I am, the ancient of days, magnify his holy name, he is worthy to be praise, he is worthy to be adore, he is worthy to be magnified, praise him, there is no one like him, he is the ancient of days, he is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the ending, he is the one who never grows old, he is a youth forever, there is nothing he cannot do, he causes the sun to rise, he controls the setting of the sun, he can asked the sun to stand still, he can ask the sun to go backward, he is the Almighty God.

Thank you Jesus, glory be to your holy name. In Jesus mighty name we have worshipped.
The Almighty God will locate you tonight in Jesus name.

I want you to lift your voice to the Almighty God, say father, from now on let your glory fill my life, let your glory fill every facet of my life…

Thank you my father, glory be to your name In Jesus Mighty name we have prayed.

I want you to lift your voice to the Almighty God and say father, from now on let your glory fill Nigeria, let’s talk to the Almighty God, we have no other country…… In Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

I want to appeal to you to pray the next prayer with all your heart; we want to pray for our youth. We want to say father don’t let our youth marry the wrong person, Lift your voice to the Almighty God and say father, don’t let our youth marry the wrong person… in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

I want you to join your hand with your neighbor and say father fill the life of this your child with your glory… Thank you my lord, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

Let’s go before the king of glory, let’s worship the holy one of Israel:
Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy is the Lord…. (Worship)
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus is the lord… (Worship)

King of kings, lord of Lords, I am that I am, the ancient of days, the king of glory, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle, the Lord of host, the one who has never lost a battle. The lion, of the tribe of Judah, the rock of ages, the ancient of days, the alpha, the ending, the one who is, the one who was , the one who is to come, wonderful, counselor, everlasting father, the prince of peace, glory be to your holy name, glory be to your holy name. There is no one like you, you are greater than the greatest, you are better than the best, you are richer than the richest, you are wiser than the wisest, you are stronger than the strongest. Glory be to your holy name Lord, accept our worship in Jesus name.

Tonight in the life of every one of your children, let your glory come down, let your glory shine, let this be a night never to be forgotten. In Nigeria, let your glory come down, father, with you all things are possible, heal our land, heal our president, heal our governors, heal all out traditional rulers. Father heal all our youth, revive all our youth, please Lord don’t let them marry the wrong people, let it be well with them, let their future be alright. Tonight, save soul, heal, deliver, set free, and glorify your name, in Jesus Might name we have prayed. Amen.

Let somebody shout halleluiah!

Shake your hand with one or two people tell them Expect the glory of God tonight.
For those who are born in the month of October, be on your feet now; father I want to commit your children born in the month of October in to your hands, your children born in the tenth month of the year, ten means double grace, give them double blessings, double joy, double glory, double promotions, double anointing. In all areas of their lives, let your glory shine and let them serve you till the end, in Jesus Mighty name we have prayed.

November holy ghost service is the last Holy Ghost service of the year, because in December, we will be having the congress. The theme of the Holy Ghost Service of next month is “the secret of winners”, if you want to know why those who are by the grace of God are winners, you won’t want to miss next month Holy Ghost service. I will be talking briefly later on bringing down the glory of God.
I want to spend some time talking to the youth and parents on the choice of a life partner, on behavior during the period of courtship. Because I have discovered that; this is a very a challenging area for youths and even for parents. Some parents that you think will know better, don’t even know as much as the youth themselves.

So my beloved children please listen to me carefully, I have been married for forty one years so I know what I am talking about.

1. Never chose an unbeliever as your future partner, I mean never, never ever. When you say you will convert him later, that is the most dangerous gamble that you can ever engage in.

James 4 v13 -15 makes it clear, you don’t know tomorrow. Only God knows tomorrow. Oh! He is very nice, only that he is not yet born again. Oh she is a very courteous girl, only she is not yet born again. Don’t choose the devil. But let me tell you the truth my children; if you marry the right person, then heaven have started for you on earth, if you marry the wrong fellow, hell have started for you on earth. Am praying for all the youth here tonight, you will not marry the wrong fellow in Jesus name.

You are a child for God, you are standing on the rock and somebody is in miry clay and you say I will pull him up. Let me tell you mathematically you are standing on the rock and somebody is in a miry clay, the probability that you will pull him up is fifty, the probability that he will pull you down is also fifty, fifty and if he is stronger than you, good bye! Never, don’t even think about it don’t choose an unbeliever.

2. Don’t choose a baby Christian. He got born again two months ago. You want to marry a baby? You don’t even know whether his salvation is genuine.

3. I will take a step further and this is for you my daughter; a man is at his best during courtship.
A man is at his best during courtship; you are my sweetie, you are my honey that is what you are supposed to hear during courtship. Immediately after marriage all his hidden faults comes to the surface. There is a saying; they say love is blind; it is marriage that opens it eyes.
That man that is pretending to be an angel,” there is nobody like him, he is very generous, very caring, very patient” wait till he gets what he wants.

So if somebody is suppose to be at his best during courtship and during courtship he begins to quarrel with you. You should know straight away that there is no way here. The elders have a saying; they said the eye that will last till the evening, it will not begin to give trouble in the morning. So if you have already entered into a relationship, if you are in courtship and you are already settling two or three quarrels go and pray again.
To before warn is to before harm.

4. When you are going to chose and he/she says is a Christian, he has been born again for three years or more. I beg you, chose within the fold. You know why? So that you will be speaking the same spiritual language.

Because born again doesn’t mean the same thing everywhere, there are born again robbers, there are born again 419(fraudster). Let me give you an example, some years ago in one of the universities where I normally go to teach them and fellowship with them. We declared a fast and then one day one of the “born again lecture” was testifying, he said I have been fasting; I use to smoke 17 cigarettes per day now I smoke only fifteen.

Abraham said in Genesis 24 v1-4, he said to his servant, don’t get a wife for my son from among these people, go and get from among my people. Marry within the fold; so you will be speaking the same spiritual language.

5. Now my daughters, whatever a brother may say, keep yourself pure and holy during courtship. I will tell you why.

(A). There will be plenty of time for sex after marriage.

(B). don’t sell yourself cheap. Am a man I am talking to you as a father, men don’t have regard for women, when they say let’s do it and she says yes. They will say what the difference between this one and a harlot?

Hen! but we are going to marry any way, listen to me my daughter, you are not even sure of marriage until the very day, until the pastor says you are husband and wife, you cannot be sure.
(C). Not only that, sin committed during courtship, always hinder prayer after marriage. You sinned during courtship, you got married, problems/challenges comes and then you kneel down to pray and the devil will say “with what mouth are you praying”? Can’t you remember this, this and this. Sins committed during courtship will be waiting for you during marriage.
That is not to even mention there is something called AIDS. I saw one advert; it says HIV AIDS never show for face. That beautiful sister, do you know the kind of danger lying under, that brother do you know what he is carrying. Don’t kill yourself!

6. There are some of you who say, well I know how to discern who to marry, and we will just toss a coin. And then you select two sisters and say God the light complexion one is the head and the black complexion is the tail. So I want to toss the coin, whichever is the two you have chosen for me and you are tossing the coin between a witch and mummy water.
Don’t do it that way that is not the way God chooses. I pray for you once again, you will not choose the wrong fellow in Jesus name.

7. Now there is something that you have learn now, I don’t know where you learn it from, you call it dating, it is a way of checking you out, let’s go and eat somewhere and I will check you out. How can you be so childish! You are dating me, you want to check me out, and do you think I will be so stupid as to show you my ugly side? How can you be so childish?

We are just dating, we are just seeing ourselves specially, and before you know it you are in the trap of the enemy. Don’t check out, pray instead, call to the one who knows all details, call to the one from whom nothing can be hidden. What if we call on him and he didn’t answer, I preached a sermon some fifteen years ago, titled ‘when God is silent’. I have told one of my sons to make one thousand copies, so those of you who are youth can get one somehow. Because many at times when you say God is not speaking, God is speaking only it is you that you are not hearing.

You don’t want to hear, this is the fellow I want to marry, so you are saying if you want to talk say yes. Get the tape it will help you, to know what happen when God is silent.

8. Let me tell you my children, marriage is for keeps. As far as the word of God is concerned, it is only death that can separate them according to Roman7 v 2-3. But the court can divorce us, it is the court that did its own, God has not done. The word of God says those who God has join together, let no man, no woman, no parent put asunder. Marriage is forever, you are old fashion daddy, after all you’ve been Married for 41 years, okay let us assume that divorce is allowed, at least you will agree with me that divorce, destroy your C.V.

When they say are you married, single or divorced? If you marked divorce, you signal to your employer; here comes a failure. They may not say so, but the moment they see divorce, they know here is somebody who could not make marriage work. Every marriage has its challenges, but divine love gives victories turns every challenge to testimonies. Once you marry, you are married forever until either of you dies.

9. Now let me say a word to those of us who are of marriageable age but are not married. Now let me tell you; those of you boys who are of marriageable age who are still checking people up. Let me tell you, time will pass you by, there is an age a man gets to and it is of no longer any consequence.

So let me tell you boys, if you are of marriageable age, you have a good work. Don’t marry if you don’t have a job, job comes before marriage. Those of you who marry, and it is your wife that is feeding you, go and pray again. The bible say two are better than one, you boys go and marry. Bible says if two agrees concerning anything on earth, it will be agreed in heaven. The bible say one will chase a thousand; two will put ten thousand to flight.

As for you girls, who think maybe you are getting on in age, I agree that two are better than one, but believe me honestly, it is better to be single in Christ, than to be married to the agent of the devil. There are some lazy boys out there; no job, nothing, no responsibility and they are looking for girls who will become bread winner for them.

They will sit down at home watching TV, the girl will go and work and you said, once they call you Mrs. No be Miss. Be single and be confident. You never can tell, God may be preserving you for someone special. It will be well with you in Jesus name.

Do you still like me? Because I didn’t hear your amen, alright If I don’t tell you that, nobody else will do so.

I want to talk about BRINGING DOWN THE GLORY OF GOD. My text is taken from 2Chronicles 5 v 13 -14, it came to pass as the trumpeters and the singer were as one, to make one sound, to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpeter and cymbals and the instrument of music, praise the Lord saying for he is good, for hi mercy endures forever. Then the house was filled with the cloud, even the house of the Lord, so that the priest could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud. For the glory of God has filled the house.

I pray tonight that from this moment onward, the glory of God will fill your house. The great preachers that preached before me had defined Glory beautifully, analytically. They even gone to dictionary to bring out the meaning, but in my own little experience, I have found that glory is difficult to define.

But the best way you can understand glory is to know those things that glory is not. I will just mention briefly, because what we want to talk about is how to bring down the glory of God.
Thank you Lord, the Lord ask me to tell someone here tonight, he said you will have a taste of his mercy tonight.

Proverbs 3 v 35 says the wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the promotions of fools. Wise; glory, fools; shame, when you combine the two you know straight away that glory is the opposite of shame.

How do you describe shame? Unless it has happen to you before you don’t really know how to define shame. Glory is the opposite of shame. If it is difficult to define shame, it is difficult to define glory.

I have good news for you, the almighty God promise in Joel 2 v 26-27 he said my people shall never be ashamed, so I am praying for someone here tonight, for the rest of your life you will never know shame. (Amen)

Another thing that glory is the opposite of is failure. Everybody who has gone to school at one time or the other knows what it means to fail. You know if you fail your examination, you don’t come home rejoicing. In those days when we were student in the university and they paste result and you are not sure you are going to pass.

You don’t rush to go and see when everybody is looking, you wait till there is nobody there to go and check, just in case… because if you fail, it is difficult to look at your colleagues who passed. And I am praying for all the students who are here tonight. You will never fail again.

Maybe I should talk little about defeat. Defeat is another opposite of glory. Now there is a different between ordinary failure and defeat. At times when you fail, you made an effort on your own, you just didn’t succeed.

But defeat means you want to succeed, you are doing everything to succeed, but forces greater than you are compelling you to fail. This is where the glory of God coming down tonight, is going to set some people free. Because if you read Psalm 24 v 7- 8 the one called the king of glory is also called the Lord, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. This is youth convention, so you elders understands why I am coming this way tonight, and in any case the youth are your children.

Many at times the parents don’t understand why their children fail in class; they didn’t fail because they didn’t study, some of them didn’t fail because they didn’t try, some fail because there are forces too strong for them to handle. And I stand here today as the representative of the most high God and I am sending notice to all those forces that is causing all these youth to fail. The king of glory will deal with you tonight (amen).

Let me give you an example, several years ago when I was a lecturer in the University of Lagos, a student was in the examination hall, and all of a sudden he began to urinate. Right there where he was, it was exam time. And when the invigilator saw what was happening, embarrassed, they wanted to rush the fellow to the clinic, but the boy said” please send for my pastor”.

I was in my office when the phone rang and I dashed down there and I commanded the demon that was dealing with the boy to lose him, he was loosed he went to changed his dress, came back, even though he started the exam 40 minute late, he finished before everybody else.
Every force that has been causing you to fail, the king of glory will deal with them tonight.
Glory be to God!

Thank you Father, the Lord said there is someone here tonight, he said the struggle have been very terrible, he asked me to tell you that your years of peace will be more than your struggle.
Another thing that is the opposite of glory is a reproach. Something that is a “but” in a man’s life, you know the example in 2 Kings 5 v1-14; it talks about Naaman the leper. A reproach is something that reduces everything about you to nothing, that little thing that remains that causes people to say where is your God. But according to Psalm 115 v1-3 in the Mighty name of Jesus Christ, our God will answer those who are saying where your God is in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Other things that will be opposite of glory is loneliness, curse, fear etc. the beauty of it is whether it is failure, poverty, defeat, reproach, bareness, curse, loneness, when the glory of God comes down it is like light coming down and darkness must go, therefore in the name that is above any other name the glory of God will come into your life tonight.

Now how do we bring down the glory of God? I will talk about three things quickly, number one is praise; intense praise.

In Psalm 22 v 3 it says God inhabit the praise of his people, the text we read tonight, said all the people began to praise God, when the musician began to praise God, the people began to praise God, the glory of God filled the house.

Tonight, we are going to spend some little time later, to praise God, to bring down his glory. I told people when they asked me; you seem to be different from other pastors, when they want to start a meeting, they will bind the devil, bind the evil forces, but you don’t do that.

I said there is no need, number one, if they bind yesterday maybe he got lose overnight, how am I sure when I bind him at the beginning, he wouldn’t be lose before I finish. One thing I know, if you can praise God, the enemy of God will not stay.

Some of you think it is just by way of doing things, when I say let someone shouts halleluiah!, the idea is when all our voices go up to God, in praise, he comes down.

Let me hear somebody shout halleluiah!

About thirty years ago, we went to Otokpo, to have a program with student, we had no church there then. Students gathered in one school hall and I was going to talk to them about divine healing, but then they began to praise God, those children began to praise God, they praised God so intensely that the power of God came down.

I forgot every bible passage that I have written down. I could only remember, Luke 1v 37 for with God nothing shall be impossible. But even as I started talking,( remember I want to talk about divine healing). All of a sudden I saw a little crowd, among the student they were on their knees, I didn’t ask anybody to go down on their knees and they were speaking in tongue. In fact they have never heard about baptism of the Holy Spirit before.

Those who looked at them wondering what is happening, they too found themselves going down praying in tongues, going down praying in tongues, going down praying in tongues. At the end of the day I couldn’t preach because there was nobody to preach to because the Glory of God has come down.

Tonight in this place the glory of God will come down. You will bring the glory of God down by praise.

Another of the way you can bring the glory of God down, one of the preachers have already spoken about it and it is by sacrificial giving and they have given you the bible passage to use. 2 Chronicles 1v 6-12, when you give to God in such a manner that God himself says this is amazing, he will come down. But because they have already treated that, I will leave that out.
The third one is by intense prayer of dedication. Not prayer of; God give me this, Lord I want this. The prayer of God, my life is at your disposal, do whatever you want. I lay my life on the altar, anything you want over to you Lord; use me for your glory.

When God begin to hear that kind or prayer, he will come down. Act 4 v 23-31 it tells you the disciple are praying after some people have told them that they must not preach the gospel of Jesus Christ again, they gather themselves together and say father, you hear what they are saying, over to you. All we are saying, give us boldness, give us miracle, give us signs, so that we will be able to preach the word. The bible says the house shook up.

Some of you know the story and at least one of the people who was there when it happened, is here tonight.

In 1979, my father in the Lord, myself and four others, we went to Tulsa to attend Kenneth Haggins camp meeting.

One early morning, papa called all of us into his room in an hotel called ‘mayor hotel’, he said to us” children am going soon. And the one who will be taking over from me is Pastor Adeboye. We came for conference, what is this old man telling us?

I collapse on the ground and everybody began to pray. That is not the ladies and gentleman kind prayer, it was serious prayer, we were in the top of the hotel; suddenly we heard a knock on the door. I was the nearest to the door, so I struggle up, opened the door to the fellow there.

He said he is the engineering to the hotel, he said what kind of music are you playing; he said what kind of instrument are you using. We said we are not using any instrument, we are praying, he said “no”! And he began to look under the bed, he looked in the wardrobe, he looked everywhere, when he was about to go, he looked at us again and said what did you say you are doing? We said we are praying, we said why? He said because the hotel is shaking and we have traced the source of the shaking to this room.

That was in 1979, I was in Tulsa three years ago, that hotel is still closed down, because they couldn’t find what was shaking the hotel.

Six people! From Nigeria, cried to God intensely. The glory of God came down and shook the hotel.
Tonight we are going to cry to God, the glory of God Is going to come it is going to shake this camp ground, he is going to shake every prison that is holding you captive. Some of the things you are seeing today, is the result of that prayer, and I know there is somebody here today very soon you too will be testifying “I was at the Holy Ghost service of October 2008 when the glory of God came down, look at me now, look at my life, look at how things has changed. Who am I talking to tonight? If you are the one let me hear you shout halleluiah!.

Now before we go on, let me tell you one thing, when the glory of God comes down, demons can’t stay. when they put the glory of God side by side a god called Dagon, Dagon fell on his face, when they put it back, by the following day he was not just on his face, his arm and his head had been broken off.

Let me warn you, something is about to happen here tonight.

Some years ago, at Ebute-meta, during the convention, I have several witnesses here; one Alhaji gave his life to Jesus Christ, they called him Alhaji Elejigbo, he came and people began to praise God, and the glory of God came down, suddenly something he had swallowed jumped out of his mouth and hit the ground and the thing began to walk away and he was pursing the thing, (maybe he wants to swallowed it again) we took the thing and burnt it.

The glory of God is coming down tonight, everything that is not of God that you have swallowed is coming out tonight, and every plant that God did not plant is coming out tonight.

I give that as a warning; every charm that maybe here tonight, they are going to be neutralize, so if you came, and you are not really one of us and you don’t let go all those forces, before we begin, pretend to go to the toilet, by the time we finish you can come back; because as the God lives, Almighty God lives, things will never be the same again.

If there is anybody here therefore, who is not yet born again, come and give your life to Jesus now, because when the glory of God comes down and demons begin to fly out, if they see someone who is not genuinely born again, they will hide into the fellow and I don’t want you to come here and take problem back home.

So if you have not truly given your life to Jesus Christ, come now, come and give your life to him.
If you have been pretending to be a Christian, don’t say I did not warn you, come and surrender your life to Jesus Christ, if you are a backslider, come back to God now, to before warned is to before harm.

This is not an ordinary night, the glory of God is going to come down, if you want to give your life to Jesus come now, I will count from one to ten make sure you come very quickly…

The devil knows those will belong to him, Jesus knows those who belong to him, there is a mark on those who belong to Jesus Christ, the mark of the blood of the lamb.

Begin to pray as you come , ask the Almighty God to save your soul, to have mercy on you, to cleanse your soul, promise him you will have nothing to do the with the devil, tell him that you will live a life of holiness, ask him to become your Lord and savior,

The rest of us let us please stretch our hand to these people and ask that the one who saved our soul will save their souls too, pray for them, please intercede for them.

If you are coming hurry up! This is your day, your own day of salvation, and call on God to save your soul, and if you are a backslider, call on him that he will restore you fully back tonight.
Thank you Jesus, blessed be the name of the Lord. Thank you my father In Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

Father, merciful father, we want to say thank you for tonight, thank you for bringing these your children forward, you said nobody can come unto you except my father draws him, thank you for drawing these people, receive them in Jesus name, forgive them in Jesus name, cleanse then in Jesus name, save their souls, in Jesus name write their name in the book of life in Jesus name.

As your children will be calling on you answer them in Jesus name. Almighty God, all your children here tonight, when they are calling on you please answer us in Jesus name, let your glory come down and let this night be a night we will never forget in Jesus name. Thank you my father, glory be our holy name, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed. (Amen)

Right now, that kind of prayer that can shake the ground, the kind of prayer that you have not prayed before; for just about five minutes, I want you to pray them. let me assure you brethren, a day like this comes once in a life time, God is here tonight, and I can assure you that the prayer you pray here tonight, as the Lord live, before the sun rises, it is going to become a testimony.

I want you to rise on your feet now and just pour out your heart to the Almighty God, I don’t know what you want, you don’t know what I want, but go ahead and pour your hearth to the Almighty God, don’t listen to anybody else. Lift your voice to him and say Lord I am here tonight, please let this be my night of glory, cry to him now… Thank you Jesus, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.
In addition to that which you have prayed let s pray this one together and say father, let my future be glorious, go ahead let’s talk to the Almighty…

Thank you Jesus, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

Now I want you to pray one more time, lift your voice to him and say father, everything call shame, failure, defeat, put an end to it in my life tonight.

Let’s talk to the Almighty… thank you father, in mighty name of Jesus we have prayed.
In the mighty name of Jesus your future will be glorious, everything call shame will become a stranger to you, every reproach every failure, every defeat you will never know them again.

All the prayers you have prayed tonight, God will answer them by fire. So shall it be in Jesus mighty name we have prayed. Amen, let somebody shout halleluiah!

Pastor E. A. Adeboye