Preached on 17th of July 1997 At Brother Stephen Nwufo’s house(Abuja). By APOSTLE PETER ODOEMENA THE SON OF MAN THE SUPREME INTELLIGENCE” © BRIDE OF CHRIST MINISTRY WORLD-WIDE
WHAT IS YOUR COVERING?
As I was heading to Jos, I promised that I will make a stopover in Abuja and
I don’t believe that I will make the stopover here and we dine without a little word of consolation; that is, a little word of comfort.
2. I said it there that many, many things will happen. We heard prophecy which is yet to fulfill and we will do well to watch that prophecy. It is for the Church universal.
3. It said, ‘From now, offences must come; offences are around the corner; things that will make people stumble. Be on the watch out; be on the alert. Let nothing offend you.’
4. In other words, when you hear that prophecies are coming, do not focus your attention on people that will come here to arrest you, but focus your attention on the fact that the Voice said, ‘Things that will make people stumble.’
5. They can come through your family; they can come through you, yourself; they can come through your maidservants; they can come through your brothers; they can come through your sisters; they can come through your ministers; things that will make people stumble.
6. Be sober; be on the alert; be watchful. No matter what the offence might be, always put your attention; your mind on God. Full stop. That is the only way you will escape.
7. I was talking to My brethren outside last night. I said, ‘Brethren, you have to be very careful this time around than ever before. For us to be able to rescue that man that is about to drown, we have to swim to safety first.’
8. Swim to safety and rescue your family first. If there is time and the people are still making the efforts to come out, you can then throw a long rope into the sea; peradventure, they will catch it and then you will strive to pull them out. Do not make the mistake of jumping into the sea to save them.
9. The moment you are sure that you have secured your life and that of your family, don’t go back into that sea again. From outside, throw in the long rope. I am talking to you in types.
10. Saint Paul laid a foundation knowing fully well that God is not a respecter of persons. Whatever Saint Paul was doing, he was mindful of his status, lest at the end, he will help others to be saved and he, himself will be cast away. It is something God has done before and if He repeats it this time around, I will not be surprised.
11. Somebody can be cast away after saving others. Jesus said it. While he was talking to his disciples, he said, ‘Be very careful; be on the alert, for many, I say will help people into the Kingdom, but they, themselves will not enter.’
12. And I have told you that if you are a wise man, before you put somebody into a vehicle, first of all secure your own seat. And then stay inside and beckon people to come in. Don’t stay outside; lest by the time you come in, you will discover that the vehicle is fully loaded and there may not be a space for you.
13. A sister had some visions at Enugu which are very frightening and the spirit that is in me agreed in toto with all the visions. Here we have received many visions also all pointing us to the end of the whole thing.
14. I told you that the moment the water in the drum gets filthy, it goes to show that it is about to be poured out. Thus, let us be very careful now.
15. All of you that passed a night with Me at Onitsha you know what happened. I wasn’t here when our Brother confessed physically that the Lord ministered to him.
16. The Bible said that in the mouths of two or three witnesses, the truth is established. When I spoke to you in my family altar something led to something that explained what I will call the message of the hour; where you will fix your eyes. And from what I have heard, I can see that it is the same Holy Ghost that repeated the same message.
17. In other words, something must be lagging somewhere and the Lord is trying to fill the gap. God is pointing your attention to that thing which is very useful to this Church and this family. May be somebody has been walking all along naked and not knowing it. And the Lord wants those people clothed.
18. Our brother was not there; he can bear me witness and I am certain I have not handled this part of the message in the Church even for one day.
19. There must be a reason why God decided to reveal this message here in this family to make sure that those that are here present now who are part and parcel of this family and who were not with Me in Onitsha will hear the same thing. I don’t know if somebody is getting what I am saying?
20. There are people present here that were not with me in my family where I preached this sermon. I titled it: ‘What is your covering?’ Or’ What have you used as your covering?’
21. Any covering outside God’s spirit is false covering. If you are covering yourself with any other thing other than the Spirit of God, you are adding a heap upon coal. That The Lord had decided to reveal this message is not in vain.
22. There must be a purpose; that somebody that was not there; didn’t know what happened, it has not been discussed with anybody could come here this morning using the same scriptures; using the same words; reciting word for word as if the thing is contained in a tape. This must be the work of the Holy Spirit.
23. God is about to clothe somebody in this family. In other words, some people or one person or all of you might have been walking naked without knowing it.
24. I am stressing that this voice that you are hearing this moment is not in vain. Something is hidden inside it.
25. If you have been playing with the messages, don’t play with this one. May be something is about to take place rapidly, sooner than we think and He doesn’t want to see people naked.
26. Somebody can be naked without knowing it. I am not continuing with that message however. I will say few words of consolation. Amen.
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REWARD (1)
Remember, I am about to go. I will speak to you on a message titled: ‘REWARD.’ I have not spoken on this topic in any family altar; even in My own family altar it has not been mentioned.
2. In the Church, I don’t remember handling it. If I ever handled it, it cannot be on the way I am going to speak on it now.
3. Note it that I am talking to you in the Church at Brother Stephen Nwufo’s house. Today, being the 17th of July 1997, I am speaking to you on the message titled: ‘REWARD.’
4. If I can at least define it, I will be very happy. If a farmer goes to farm to cultivate the land, he fixes his mind on something: that during harvest, he will come back with some fruits of the land as the reward for his labour. I don’t know if somebody is catching what I am saying?
5. I am using everyday examples. Anybody that is labouring, putting in efforts in anything, must be expecting a reward.
6. If a farmer cultivates a land, may be using a million naira, putting all his time there, nurturing the farm, weeding the farm with his entire family, during harvest season, you know it is expected that he comes back with some fruits.
7. The same way, if an athlete is running, he puts in all his efforts knowing full well there is a reward; a prize, hoping to beat others so as to come home with that prize. The prize will justify all the efforts he puts in there. That prize automatically becomes his reward. Thus, in everything we do in this life, we must expect a reward.
8. Brother Lambert, everyday you go to the market; you go to your shop; you stay there from morning to night because you have an aim. If at the end of the day you do not achieve that aim, how do you feel? Do you feel good?
9. I think at the end of the day, you should go home with some money in your hand. That becomes your reward; reward for your labour. You will go home rejoicing that you did not labour in vain.
10. Saint Paul said that he didn’t want to labour in vain. For that reason he had taken his time in whatsoever he was doing concerning the Bible; concerning the Voice of God.
11. Do everything not as one beating the air. He was sure and certain he was not entertaining people. He knew and even said it that there must be a reward.
12. Now, let us go to the scriptures proper. I want to say a few words there and come down.
13. Revelation 22:12. We use Amplified Bible, King James, any one; ‘I am coming soon; I will bring my reward with me to give to each one according to what he had done.’ Good News Bible.
14. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.’
15. ‘Listen, says Jesus, I am coming soon. I will bring my reward with me to give to each one according to what he has done.’(LB)
16. ‘Behold, I am coming soon and I shall bring my wages and reward with me to give every man according to his work.’ Amen.
17. This is from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This is not what Brother Odoemena is saying now. Jesus Christ is saying that he is coming quickly and his reward is in his hands to reward every man, every woman, every adult and every child according as his work shall be.
18. In other words, I am not the one that will reward you in whatever you are doing. There is One that takes record of all that you are doing as long as you are a child of God.
19. Whether you are doing that thing in the street, in the yard, in the family, in the Church, anywhere, there is One whose eyes runneth to and fro all over the earth in Whose presence, there is no darkness.
20. Yes, nothing covers His eyes. He takes record of all that we are doing and He is the One that is coming with a reward in His hand to reward you according to your work. You cannot get anything higher than or more than what you have labored for. If you put in so much effort, great shall be your reward. If you are slothful, on that day, you will regret it.
21. Thus, what will determine your reward is your sincerity; the amount of labour you have put in; honest labour this time. I go further.
22. The Bible told us in the book of Ecclesiastes, ‘Young man, adult, infants, everybody, whatever you want to eat, eat; whatever you want to drink, drink; whatever you want to do, go ahead; do it, but remember one thing: that the Lord God must judge and reward you according to the works of your hands’, and whatever you have done in this flesh; you have done in this life, there is a reward.’
23. If God is going to judge all your actions; all your works, everything, don’t you know that that is what is going to determine your reward?
24. Too much writing will spoil you. I think you better pay attention first. When you pay attention first, you will get the message. I didn’t call you here to come and become My secretaries. Nobody here is called to be My personal secretary. If you are not careful, your jotters will condemn you that day because you have written with your own hands a lot of things which you do not believe.
25. Although you profess and say you believe, but in practice, you deny all. On that day, the Lord may turn the pages of your jotters; invoke the things you recorded with your own hands and echoed amen to, but for one day, you never put one single line in practice. You just recorded them for the sake of doing so, piling them up for the next generation of worshippers of God, that is, if there will be another generation.
26. The Lord is going to judge you; all your actions, everything. In the Book of Romans 14:12, the Bible said every one of us shall give account of what he has done.
27. ‘Everyone of us shall give account of himself to God; let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way’. (KJV)
28. ‘Every one of us then will have to give an account of himself to God. So, then let us stop judging one another, instead we will decide never to do anything that will hurt our brother; hurt our Sister.’ (LB)
29. You see, the Bible is saying we should not put a stumbling block in the way of a Brother or a Sister because in the House of God, there is no man; there is no woman. We are brethren.
30. Henceforth, nobody here should expect Brother Odoemena to come here and judge you. No. Nobody should expect the pastor or evangelist to do so. The Almighty God is the only One that is entitled to judge.
31. For that reason, do away with every form of criticism. Preach the Gospel in and out of season. If you know that God is your Judge and He rewards you according to His revealed Word; the message which we have received; if you know that God judges righteousness and in Him there is no partiality; He judges without respect of persons; then believe that His judgement is perfect.
32. And on that day, what will determine your reward is this judgement of God which He Himself will do in righteousness. If you pass His test; if you pass the trial, then you will receive a crown that fadeth not away. This is Eternal Life.
33. If you are declared condemned, it then means you are damned forever and ever. That is Eternal Punishment reserved for you. Knowing this now that no brother is criticizing you or chasing you or coming here with indictment or rebuke, you should march on.
34. Yes, it is believed that by now, we must have been dressed and clothed fully in His righteousness. Just like we used to sing in our Only Believe, ‘Trust in His righteousness,’ it is believed that nobody is naked now. We have all clothed ourselves. We don’t want anybody to see our nudity. For that reason, we have dressed ourselves.
35. From henceforth, we are now marching on together, trusting that we are righteous. We are now holy. We are the children of God that are above rebuke; above indictment and chastisement. Knowing this to be true, the Bible is saying, “Let no man constitute an offence or cause a stumbling block in the way of his fellow brother or sister.”
36. If you don’t want to constitute an offence in the way of your brother or sister, your duty is to continue believing.
37. How do we know that you continually believe? By continually putting into practice all that you have received; by continually putting into practice the word of God that has been revealed to you which you accepted in principle and in practice.
38. If you are dodging your responsibility; if you are shying away from your duty; from your calling, your ministry, you constitute an offence; a stumbling block. You cause many to suffer; you cause grief. You bring sorrow. You make people regret having come into contact with you.
39. In other words, on that day when the Lord will reward His people, nothing will ever make you come near there. You have forfeited it. You can never smell the Kingdom of Heaven. You have labored in vain.
40. I am not the one that will reward you. No pastor will reward you; no brother or sister will reward you in the Church.
41. Note it very well, the problem of people is this: every man, every woman expects a reward from a fellow human being. For that reason, this attitude of theirs leads them to lip service: “Let me do it to please Brother, lest Brother will say…; let me do it to please sister, lest sister will say…’
42. If you please Sister, you have not pleased God. If you please Brother, you have not pleased God. You have only pleased Brother and Sister with lip service and God is displeased about it for God judgeth the motive; God judgeth the heart. He doesn’t judge the outward appearance. You can look like fine gold but inwardly you are rotten.
43. You can look like a child of God, but inwardly, you are a pagan. You can put on a covering of self humility, saying one thing with your mouth while your heart is far away from what you are professing.
44. When the Lord will judge, He will judge the inward mind because the thought of your heart speaks loudest before the Throne of God than the words of your mouth. God will judge your motive for doing everything you have done in this life and that is exactly what will determine your reward.
45. I am not the one that will reward you; God is the One that will reward you. Let us go to Colossians 3 and see what God said there.
46. Remember He said in Revelations 22:12, ‘I am coming quickly. My reward is in my hands to give every man according as his work shall be.’
47. I am speaking to you the way the Lord is inspiring Me to do. I didn’t write anything. I didn’t even meditate about it. I am heading somewhere. I know the time I can say I closed my eyes and tried to sleep but I couldn’t. Amen.
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REWARD (2)
Colossians 3:23-25. ‘And whatsoever ye do’, Whatever you do in this house man or woman, ‘do it heartily,’ do it with all your heart,
2. ‘as to the Lord and not unto men…”
3. You see, as unto the Lord not unto men; not as to Brother Odoemena or Sister Ruth, Sister Faith, Sister Kosi or Brother Lambert. Do it heartily with every amount of godly sincerity. Put in all your strength; all your efforts there.
4. …knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance.’
5. Knowing that of the Lord, you shall receive what? The reward of the inheritance. Amen! That is the reward of your labour; the reward of your labour in this ministry which you carried out with all your heart.
6. Are you cooking? Are you working in the office; are you sweeping the house; are you clearing rubbish? The Lord says, “Do it heartily as unto the Lord knowing full well that you will receive your reward from the LORD.”
7. ‘for ye serve the Lord Christ,’
8. Did it say you are serving Stephen Nwufo or Ruth or Esther? You are serving the Lord. I will show you something in the scripture this hour so that if you are here and you are thinking that whatsoever you do you do so as to get a reward from man; you change your mind immediately.
9. Since you know you are not serving Me; you are not serving any human being but the Lord, all you have to do is to put in your whole effort to make a success of your ministry so that you get your crown which is your reward; an incorruptible crown that fadeth not away.
10. It is just like I am standing here now; whatsoever service you are rendering here, if you expect Brother Odoemena to commend you, you are wasting your time. If Brother Odoemena is opening his hand because he is showing hospitality, Brother Odoemena is wasting his time.
11. We must do everything heartily as unto the Lord knowing very well that it is the Lord that we are serving and from Him, we receive our reward which is our inheritance.
12. ‘but he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done.’ Amen.
13. You cannot do wrong and expect good to be your reward. Remember God is the One rewarding. If man is the one rewarding, he would consider so many things. A human being will consider so many things, but in the sight of God there are no such considerations.
14. That is why He had earlier warned us to be very careful, knowing fully well Whom we are having dealings with. The righteousness of the righteous can never save him on the day of his transgression.
15. If you are righteous; if you are holy; if you are a man of God, it is only when you continue in your goodness that God ticks you good, but any day you deviate one bit and start doing evil, God will forget all your goodness.
16. All your righteousness can never save you in the hand of God. God will deal with you treacherously without mercy.
17. I read a scripture in the book of proverbs either in The Good News Bible or in another translation that says, ‘A man’s smartness or cleverness can never save him if God is against him.’
18. So, all your learning; your education; your intellect and your human wisdom can never save you if God is against you.
19. Another translation says, ‘when a man spoils his ways, he turns round and blames God.’
20. No man can outsmart God. Your wisdom is limited, but God’s wisdom is limitless. Thus, your smartness cannot save you if God is against you and God cannot be against you unless you are continually on the path of error.
21. If you know that if you do wrong, your reward cannot be good, why continue in error? God cannot be unjust; whatever you do, will determine your reward and I want you to understand that this reward is not coming from any man.
22. If you are in this most holy Faith and you do all you do for Brother because you know that he will buy Santana for you, I tell you, you are lost. Brother can buy that thing for you and you will still perish.
23. I say Brother can do that for you and you will still perish because your eyes were far removed from your calling; from your ministry. You did everything unto Brother; you never did anything unto the Lord and while you were doing that thing for Brother, you had already fashioned out in your mind the reward he will surely give you.
24. If you were not deceived, you would have known that you are doing that thing unto the Lord, not unto Brother for the reward comes from the LORD. It is your inheritance.
25. If you do wrong, God will reward you with wrong. If you do good, God will reward you with good. From that day, your vision will change. Amen.
4
HE JUDGETH ALL THINGS RIGHTEOUSLY WITH NO RESPECT OF PERSONS
Note the topic. I am speaking to you on REWARD. With God there is no respect of persons.
2. Colossians 3:23-25, ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as though you were working for the Lord and not for men. Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward, what He has set for his people for Christ is the real master we serve.’
3. Christ is the real master and Christ may place you under human authority. If you lose the vision of your calling, you will be looking at that human being not knowing that Christ has decided to use the man to test, to prove your sincerity.
4. Has any man seen Christ before? Christ is the Real Master you are serving. That is what the scripture is saying.
5. Whosoever you are serving at any moment, is the Christ before your very eyes. And whatsoever you are doing to that person, you are doing to Christ and it is this Christ that will reward you.
6. What is more, I believe you know that the reward He promised us is Eternal Life. That is why we are labouring night and day.
7. ‘for Christ is the real master Himself and every wrongdoer will be repaid for any wrong thing he has done because God judges everyone by the same standard; man or woman; young or old; rich or poor.’
8. He judges everyone by the same measure; no exemption. Is it clear to all of us now? I am still speaking on the topic: REWARD. Let us see what the Lord is confirming.
9. Galatians 6:7. ‘Do not deceive yourself’,
10. Do not deceive yourself; in other words, the tendency is there for one to deceive himself without knowing it; not realizing the danger thereof.
11. ‘No one makes a fool of God. A person will reap exactly what he sowed.’
12. A person will reap exactly what he sowed; not above, not below because there is one that keepeth a perfect record. He judgeth all things righteously with no respect of persons. He doesn’t know whether you are a pastor or evangelist; a brother, a sister or an ordinary church member. He judges all equally with one standard.
13. If Brother in whose house you are sojourning is doing everything to show you that he is a pastor so that everybody will sing his praise, he is doomed.
14. On that day when the secrets of the heart shall be revealed, he will see how naked he has been. And the Lord will not hesitate to put him into the deepest hell.
15. It is applicable to Me here. What I am speaking to you now is the Voice of the Holy Spirit Who has been my guide all these years; hence, I cannot complain; I cannot murmur and I cannot grudge for I know who recruited Me. I know who My employer is. I cannot work for Him and expect My wages from another source.
16. If you are working for employer A, will you go to employer B to receive your wages? In other words, you are working for Julius Berger and you are expecting Intro-tech to pay you your wages, can that happen? Your name is not even in their paper and they don’t know you.
17. If you are working for Brother Nwufo, expect your reward from Brother Nwufo; expect your reward from Sister Ruth. If you are working for Me, expect your reward from Me.
18. I am talking to all of us. I am trying to make it clear to you that My employer is your employer. I am a Servant; you are a servant. How I wish our eyes of understanding will open this morning.
19. God is about to do a piece of work which the world will not see. And I believe He is now trying to prepare His people to be ready, lest when He will come, He will see some walking naked. The Lord is about to do something.
20. If you are working for God, God recruited you; you are His employee; when He sends you to do some work, you do it grudgingly with complaining and murmuring, well, He knows what to do to you.
21. You know God is higher than every human being. He is not like man. Can you compare your strength with that of God? Why then do you murmur against your Creator?
22. You are murmuring and complaining against your Creator in whose hands your life depends. Why? Do you know that He can crush you into powder with an ordinary wave of the hand?
23. When you hold the cloth you are washing in soapy water and complain, your employer listens and takes record; you murmur, he is listening; when you perform the duty with all your heart with every amount of joy, he knows. He watches.
24. If you are idling away your life living in hypocrisy, he is there watching. He will say, ‘Every man; every woman will reap what he or she has sown.’ If you sow evil, you sow confusion, you sow hypocrisy, you sow eye service (lip service), you sow grudges, you shall reap all. It has become very clear. Amen.
5
MAKE SURE YOU BRING YOUR MINISTRY TO A SUCCESSFUL END
Colossians 4:17, ‘And say to Archippus, take heed to the ministry which thou hath received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it.’
2. And say to Brother Stephen Nwufo; say to Sister Ruth Nwufo; say to Sister Kosi; say to Sister Faith; say to Brother Lambert and all that are in Brother Nwufo’s family, ‘Take heed to the ministry which thou hath received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it.’
3. Another translation. Colossians 4:17, (AMP)‘And say to Archippus, ‘See that you discharge carefully [the duties of] the ministry [and] fulfill the stewardship which you have received in the Lord.’
4. Say to all the members of the family including Brother Archippus, including Brother Odoemena, Brother Okechukwu Paul, ‘Make sure; be certain, prove, convince everybody including the Almighty God that you have been touched to do the work which you have received; which has been assigned to you by the Lord Himself Who will judge you and from that work you will receive your reward.’
5. You have to make sure that you bring that work to a successful end. You don’t stop it halfway. You don’t just do it half.
6. Then the question arises: “What is the work that you have received from the Lord which the Lord is expecting you to make sure that you fulfill?” That is where the problem lies.
7. In other words, every one of us received an assignment from the Lord. And the Lord is going to judge us depending on that assignment which He had committed into our hands. Whatever assignment that is committed into your hands, that becomes your calling; your ministry.
8. Thus, when the Lord is saying make sure you fulfill your ministry; you must first of all know your ministry and once you know that ministry and fulfill it, there is going to be a reward; a coveted crown; an incorruptible crown that fadeth not away. That is your reward.
9. The Bible didn’t say that you will receive the ministry, the calling, the duty from Brother Odoemena or Brother Nwufo or anybody here or somebody that will come from somewhere. You received it from the Lord and it is the Lord that you will give account to. He is the one that will judge; He is the One that will reward.
10. We are now His employees; if we want to go on leave, we must apply to Him. Your leave will be at His discretion whenever it is convenient for Him, but you must first apply. Then you wait for His approval.
11. When you are working for somebody, it is that employer of yours that will determine whether you will go on leave or not. He will tell you the number of days you will stay; he will tell you how long the leave will last. Amen.
6
WIVES, SUBMIT YOURSELVES UNTO YOUR HUSBANDS
I am coming to something. Put on your spiritual jacket. May be we have come to the end where everybody will be rewarded.
2. We turn to the Bible again. We shall take all the members of Brother Nwufo’s family as Archippus.
3. Colossians 4 verse 17, amplified, ‘ And say to Archippus, ‘See that you discharge carefully [the duties of] the ministry [and] fulfill the stewardship which you have received in the Lord.’
4. Now, what are the duties you received from the Lord? Whatever God placed in your care is your duty. Take your own to be your duty. I will take My own to be My duty.
5. Remember we are all servants to the Most High God. Now, God is trying to put things in order.
6. Number one, wives; number one, Sister Ruth, when a nanny goat is grazing, her kids will learn from her. Where we read in the Bible earlier in Colossians 3:18, Living Bible, said that wives should obey their husbands quickly and quietly.
7. I thank God that My wife came and testified before you that it is scriptural. Thus, Sister Ruth, take note there; ‘quickly and quietly’. It is the Voice of the Holy Ghost, obey before complain. Obey with all your heart; obey joyfully.
8. There should be no complaining; no murmuring and there shouldn’t be any reminder as far as an instruction has been given. If an instruction is passed across, it is, ‘Yes sir!!’ If it is wrong, do it before he comes back.
9. If it is wrong, I say do that thing which is wrong before he comes back so that when he comes back and asks, ‘Have you done it?’ You will respond, ‘Yes sir, but look at what we noticed.’
10. It is better that way than giving excuses why it shouldn’t work that way. Before you know it, you start giving useless inferences; giving inferences before the practical. Why should you give inferences before the practical? It is not good.
11. ‘Sister, do this’. She will say, ‘Look at, look at’. Shut up! I say better do the thing and give us the result whether good or bad. Don’t give Me result before doing the real practical work.
12. Wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands. Sister Ruth, submit yourself unto your own husband Brother Stephen Nwufo as it is fit in the Lord.
13. ‘Wives, be subject to your husbands [subordinate and adapt yourselves to them]’
14. ‘Subordinate’ means under; playing a supportive role. When somebody is subordinate to you, it means the person is under you and is incomplete without you.
15. In other words, in your absence, they will fill the gap adequately. The job will not suffer. I don’t know whether somebody is getting what I am saying?
16. That Brother Stephen travelled will not make the family suffer; it cannot make the job suffer because the wife is there. The wife will not go to the pulpit but she can offer people advice.
17. You are indebted to the Church if you do not tell them what the pastor left behind. The pastor will not go and summon the whole brethren because he is leaving. No. He will leave the instruction in your hand.
18. It will be bad if he leaves instruction with you and brethren come to enquire from you, you will now say, ‘I think he said’. That will be bad.
19. What is God saying? Submit to his (husband’s) command; to his instructions, even if the instruction is against your heart desire.
20. Hear me very well, whatever be the way you react and respond to your husband, your children are watching and learning. Not only that, even the younger women in the Church.
21. The Bible said that the older women should teach the younger ones how to live with their husbands. And these younger ladies are watching the way you are relating with your own husband because you are now their mother. Whatever they get from you is what they will manifest in their own families.
22. For that reason, you must live a life worthy of emulation; you must live an unquestionable life; a challenging life. In other words, it is your duty; your work; that which you received from the Lord. It is your ministry which the Lord is expecting you to fulfill very well so that you get your coveted crown. Amen.
7
GODLY FAMILY RELATIONSHIP
Colosians 4 verse 19, ‘Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them…’
2. If you read it in Ephesians 5:25, amplified, it is the same thing. Now, Brother Stephen, the way you treat Sister Ruth, is the way you will treat the Church. Sister Ruth here is representing the Church.
3. The relationship between husband and wife is likened to the relationship between Christ and the Church. Anything you say you cannot do to this woman, don’t do it to the Church.
4. If it is forbidden that a husband should be bitter and harsh to the wife and you are bitter and harsh to the Church, it then means you have failed in your ministry. We want to know our commission; our calling; our ministry which the Lord said we should fulfill.
5. If you read down the line, you will notice where it said the man should be filled with affection and be sympathetic towards the wife that is likened to the Church.
6. You need to show absolute godly sympathy to the Church. That is to say, for you to show that sympathy, you have to first and foremost appreciate the condition of the Church.
7. In other words, anything that you know will not lift her up spiritually; anything that you know will affect her physically and spiritually, don’t go there. I don’t care what that thing may be; be sympathetic. That is what love is all about.
8. Nobody is a kid in this most holy Faith. We are all adults. These ladies here are potential mothers. Love is not strength; love is not money; love is not beauty; love is not clothing.
9. If he can provide food that will feed his household and still have leftovers; if he can clothe the family so much that some of the clothes will be thrown away, once the love is not there, something is still missing. For that reason, she will feel sad.
10. This is a spirit in you, women. What every spiritual woman wants is a man that can understand her in every situation. If I see a woman who has a problem I know. She doesn’t require talking to Me. I can understand all the signals.
11. There are certain looks she will cast at Me, I will understand the message immediately. Certain hand gestures signal something. Automatically, I will code. There will be no preaching there because the moment I open My mouth, there will be fire everywhere.
12. Thus, the Bible is saying, ‘Show godly affection to your wife; show sympathy’, and sympathy will not come until you have a perfect understanding of her condition.
13. Just like yesterday when we came back, I was speaking to Sister and I noticed she was worn out. If it were possible for Me to relieve her in the kitchen I would have done so, but I have no such authority here. But a time came I had to order her out of that kitchen.
14. I said, ‘Sister, I believe you have exhausted yourself; have a little rest.’ We are all human beings. At that point, there should be no shouting; no quarreling or strife; no command here and there.
15. Thus, every husband must come to that level of understanding in everything. It is applicable to the Church. It is applicable to the entire family because all these sisters here do represent the Church; do represent the family. The same godly affection should be extended to them.
16. Now, Sister Ruth is here as the mother of the Church, if she feels sick, she has no other place to go to except Bro Nwufo because she is placed here under his authority. The moment she comes to Bro Nwufo, she is at rest.
17. The money might not be there for the drugs; the medicine might not be there in the house, but ordinary touch of love and concern will do the miracle. I said ordinary touch of love and concern will do the miracle; ordinary word of encouragement will do the miracle.
18. In My house, the greatest medicine I use to keep My wife in time of sickness is to show her the highest form of love. I use My words to encourage her; I use My hand to edify her; drawing her closer to Myself, making her feel that as long as I am very much around, she shouldn’t panic; all is well. Nothing cures more than that. I don’t know whether anybody is getting what I am saying?
19. Carry it down to the sisters in the entire family. They are our children; you are the pastor. If there is anyone of them that is depressed spiritually or physically, the last hope they have is the pastor. They will come to the pastor through their mother, the pastor’s wife.
20. They can come straight away but because they are sisters, it is my doctrine and the doctrine of Christ that they come to the pastor through the pastor’s wife for women understand one another better.
21. I remember there was a sister living with Me before she got married. She was having severe painful menstruation and no drug could stop the thing. I never knew the problem until My wife tabled the matter.
22. One day, she came with the sister and said, ‘Daddy, look at this sister, anytime she is having her menses it is war. I have recommended some drugs, but Daddy what do you say?’
23. I said, ‘Well, the Lord has the answer.’ Immediately I stepped into the matter, the situation changed.
24. That is not the testimony I am here to give anyway, but all I am trying to say is that if she is not physically fit, she cannot perform the duty which the Lord assigned to her.
25. Thus, she had come to the employer and I had to invoke God. I said, ‘Holy Father, I know this problem is natural. It is not manmade; we are not asking that she should not have her menses, otherwise we will be pleading contrary to your promise, but reduce the pains.’
26. A little while, the Lord came into the matter and then intervened. The following month, sister had a painless menstruation and we all glorified God together. The second month, she had little and came back.
27. I said, ‘Listen to Me. This is the mind of God concerning the matter. It will not stop completely until you have your first child. The moment you have your first child, you will not remember it again.’ That was all and then she relaxed.
28. That report never came back again and now she has already had her first child. And I believe by now, she must be having her monthly circle without pains.
29. What I am trying to say is this: once she comes to you, she has come to alert you on what she is passing through. You don’t need to scare the person away.
30. Place yourself in the position of that person. Be in the person’s condition and feel the person’s pain: “If I am in this condition; if Brother is in this condition and I were Brother, what will I do?”
31. Feel the pain the Brother is feeling at that moment. But most of you develop a negative attitude; a repulsive attitude. It is not good. Show sympathy; show concern; appreciate.
32. In every condition, be a husband enough with an unquestionable character. Be a man enough; be a pastor enough to believe that he that is calling, ‘Daddy,’ can even come tomorrow and call you, ‘Mathias, my husband’.
33. I was talking to My sister the other day, I said, ‘If I can lay with you, then I can lay with Ijeoma My daughter. If I cannot lay with Ijeoma my daughter, there is no way I can lay with you because you are all My daughters; all of you whether married or unmarried.’
34. I gave them a perfect example when I was terribly sick in the hospital. I couldn’t walk. Brethren were always around Me to help Me stand and they were carrying Me like that.
35. There was a day the pain was so much on Me and there was nobody in sight to help Me. I looked up and looked down and said, ‘God, is there any consolation? Why not help Me, at least for the sake of these children you have committed into My hand; please help Me. I don’t want to stress Myself and I don’t want any nurse to see My nakedness.’
36. On the day I made that prayer, lo and behold, a sister came; a married sister. I said, ‘God had answered my prayers.’ I said, ‘Sister, I want to pass urine.’ Sister had to use her muscle to help Me out.
37. She got a wrapper; tied Me round and with her hand led Me straight to the toilet, helped Me to pass urine and took Me back. This is exactly what God calls: Godly Family Relationship.
38. My life will earn respect for Me if I live a challenging life. What am I saying? God is giving you a duty as a husband which you must discharge with all your heart; all your soul knowing full well where you will receive your reward from.
39. If you do wrong, you receive wrong as your reward. You do good, you receive good as your reward. You are not doing it to Me; cherish your wife, love your wife; show affection; be sympathetic; don’t be harsh.
40. Don’t use bitter words, don’t scare her away, don’t scold her. If she must be rebuked, let it be in love. How I wish every man will learn how i rebuke my own wife.
41. There is a way you will rebuke, you will kill her instantly; you will demoralize her completely. There is a way you will rebuke your wife, you will win her. It is applicable to the Church. Make your wife to understand that all hope is not lost. No man can see his own wrongs.
42. I told My wife saying, ‘Darling, there is one thing you will do for Me and that will make Me give you all I have. Watch Me continually in the house, in the Church, anything you see that is wrong in Me, please point it out to Me. The Church may not have the boldness to do so. In the Church, everybody will be afraid, lest people will accuse you of accusing a Man of God, but to you, it is not so. By My position, brethren may see something bad, they may not be able to come forward. So, do Me this favour, no matter how little, point it out to Me. God will bless you.’
43. When God calls a man, He calls the wife. That was why He commended Sister Mantu; she took all the necessary precautions to help the husband in every way.
44. What am I saying? When you are talking to your wife, you are talking to the Church. Use words that will minster grace to the hearer. Always remember that your wife is a weaker sex, fully relying on your strength and you are her last hope. The only place she can run to for safety. If when she gets there, she gets disappointed, where else do you think she will run to?
45. I know why I am hammering on this matter more and more because I have been a witness and I have testified it with every amount of truth that women have always been on the receiving side of every accusation. People can hardly see the mistake on a man.
46. You want to know about Me, go to My wife. She has always been with Me day and night. You must be a man enough to give her protection. Justify the confidence she reposed on you.
47. If your wife is spiritually fit, I mean if she is godly enough, she will know that if you fail, she has failed. She will know that it is going to be a shameful thing for people to see your nakedness. If she is a godly woman, she will even die of a heart attack.
48. Every true woman that is married to a man of God must help her husband to be a successful minister: “I don’t want to hear any evil report on his ministry at all.” In other words, she is a helping hand; a helping minister.
49. But where you do not see the woman as such, oh, there must be problem. Now, we come to the entire family.
THE ORDER OF THE FAMILY
50. ‘Don’t be easily irritated; have your temper under control. Children, obey your parents in all things for this is pleasing unto the Lord.’
51. You see, it said children there. There is no exception whatsoever. All that are under your household are your children; from Chisom to Sister Ruth, even those that will come if the Lord will permit. Your maidservants, your sisters, all that are under your control, they are all your children.
52. Sisters, brothers, the Lord is talking to you all, obey your parents. Children, obey your parents in all things. Did the Bible say except this one? ‘All things’ means all things.
53. Let Me help for if I don’t, you will run into trouble if you are not careful. You know, Satan is a liar and a subtle man.
54. Sisters, I hope you are taking note of what I am saying? I am speaking all these grammar because of Sister Esther and Brother Lambert, otherwise, I would have used Igbo language to bring out what I want to say fully.
55. The Bible said, ‘Children, obey your parents in all things.’ When you say parents, you are referring to husband and wife. Obey Sister Ruth, obey her husband; they are your parents for now. Here in this family and in the Church, they are your family.
56. The order of the family is this: Sister Ruth is accountable to her own husband. So, she must report to Brother Stephen. All of you sisters here, you are all accountable to Sister Ruth. Brother Lambert, you are also accountable to sister Ruth. It is also applicable to other brothers here.
57. If you watch the way My wife relates with Christian My younger brother, if somebody does not know the condition of the family, they would say both of them are boyfriend and girlfriend. You will see a perfect and peaceful godly relationship.
58. It is applicable to Brother John, the beloved. If you notice the way My wife relates with him even in My absence, you will marvel. It is applicable to any other brother. There is not even one of them that will come to Me straight.
59. Whatever is their problem, they come to Me through My wife, including My own parents and in-laws. If you must come to Me, you must go through My wife. She is My receptionist and secretary.
60. If I have any message for you, I will pass it through her. It is only in her absence that I will give direct instruction.
61. Just like when she travelled to Abuja last year, there was nobody to do her work. All the brothers and sisters under My control were given direct instructions from Me, but while she lives and is very much around, all instructions pass through her.
62. Remember that the Bible said, “Obey your parents in all things,” if by tomorrow your pastor ceases to be your pastor; your daddy; your father, then there will be a big problem. Amen.