“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and THAT YOUR FRUIT SHOULD REMAIN: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” – John 15:16
As we are all aware, our Prophetic Church Growth Agenda for the year captioned Operation Take Your Territory for Christ continues up until October 7, 2018.
We give God thanks for how far He has helped us, particularly in the just concluded first segment of this prophetic agenda tagged, Operation 615.
We give God all the glory for the massive salvation of souls recorded and the amazing testimonies that came along, both for us, our new converts and new members. This is obviously the doings of the Lord and it is marvelous in our eyes. Again to God be all the glory.
But we must continue to remind ourselves that:
- Jesus is the Master-Builder of His Church: Matthew 16:18
- We may labour by engaging actively on the harvest field, but it is Christ that gives the increase – 1 Corinthians 3:6
- Christ is the one that adds to the Church daily such that should be saved: Acts 2:47
- The Holy Ghost, sent to us by Christ is the one that convicts people of sin, leading to their repentance and salvation: John 16:7-9, Acts 2:1-4/37-41
All the above is why we must continue to engage our hearts with thanksgiving to Christ the Master-builder of His Church if we must continue to experience supernatural church growth (Jeremiah 30:19-21).
However, we must understand that we are not only chosen and ordained to bring forth fruits, that is, lead people to salvation, we are also called to take responsibility for making disciples of our converts, that is, to ensure their retention both in the Faith and in the House of God for life (John 15: 16, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 15:1-8).
We understand from scriptures that getting people saved and gathering them into the store house, that is, the Church, is the will of God. As we all know, when we pray according to the will of God, He hears and answers us (John 4:34-36, 1 John 5:14-15).
Therefore, the same way we have to go see souls saved, we must pray to see them established in the Church (Galatians 4:19, Colossians 4:12).
The same way, we have to go to see people saved, we must follow them up to see them established in the faith (John 10:15, Luke 15:7-8).
And just as labourers are needed to reap the harvest, labourers are also required to see souls established in Church (Luke 10:1-2, Colossians 3:12).
We cannot wish to see people established in the faith, we must work the prayer work and engage practically in going after them until they are fully established (James 2:18)
Biblical requirement for securing establishment of new converts:
- We must continue to engage in effectual fervent prayer for them (Colossians 4:12, Galatians 4:19)
- We must ensure that they are regular in Church services (Psalm 84:7, Psalm 23:6)
- We must encourage them to attend Believers Foundation Class (Psalm 11:31, Isaiah 5:13)
- We must ensure that they belong to Winners’ Satellite Fellowship, our grass root family unit of the Church (Acts 2:46, Romans 16:5)
- We must encourage them to join any Service group of their choice in the Church so they can begin to enjoy the blessings that accrue from Service (Exodus 23:25, John 12:24)
- We must ensure that they are baptized in the Holy Ghost for a most fulfilling adventure in the faith (Acts 1:8, Daniel 12:3, Isaiah 10:27)
- We must ensure that they are baptized in the water, because it is a requirement for the fulfillment of all righteousness (Matthew 3:15)
- We must encourage them to partake of the Basic Certificate Course (BCC) – a two weeks course at Word of Faith Bible Institute (WOFBI), our Bible Training School, for accelerated spiritual growth that will result to their establishment and enthronement in the kingdom (Genesis 14:14, Galatians 4:1-4)
Furthermore, we must endeavour to maintain regular contact with them concerning their well-being and continue to release blessings upon them either through telephone, SMS or any other social medial platform.
Remember, we are redeemed as Priests and Kings to reign on the earth, and every Priest carries a blessing-mandate upon their lives for the people around him (Revelation 5: 9-10, Numbers 6:23-27).
We should also be sensitive to know when any of our new converts requires our support in one way or the other such as transportation to and from Church etc and to respond as able.
Therefore, for the next five weeks, that is from Monday July 16 to Sunday August 19, 2018 we shall be focusing on ensuring that all our new converts of the year are fully established in Church by engaging all of the above listed strategies and many more as may be inspired by the Holy Ghost.
I pray that not one soul that has stepped through the doors of our churches since the year began shall step out but abide to enjoy the fullness of the blessings that the Liberation Mandate carries in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen
Remember, as the church continues to grow, God will continue to change the levels of all engaging Winners (Jeremiah 30:19-21).
Therefore, make this task a MUST and you shall make the MOST of it both in result and returns.
Remain ever Blessed.
Jesus is Lord!
Bishop David O. Oyedepo
President,
Winners’ Chapel International
Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota-Lagos.