Isaac, son of Bishop David Oyedepo, has taken a swipe at Christians who build their faith on material prosperity, healing, and all the goodies they get in the church.
He said such Christians are building on the wrong foundation.
The young Oyedepo made the observation while preaching recently at the Ota, Ogun State headquarters of the church.
According to him, rather than build on prosperity and the rest, “the life of the believer should be built on sanctification”
Quoting one of the messages of his father, he said, “Christianity is not built on healing, miracles, deliverance. It is built on sanctification.”
Products and foundation of faith
He explained further that Christians must never mistake the products of the faith for the foundation of the faith.
Healing and the rest according to him are products of the faith.
“The foundation of faith is sanctification, Without sanctification, our faith has nothing to build on.”
He noted that many believers in today’s world “have anchored their faith on what God can do rather than who God is. But in the past, it was not so. People anchored their faith on who God is. They were ready to serve God even if they don’t get what they want.”
“People come to God because of what he can do. This is wrong. The anchor of our faith must not be on the product of the faith.”
He insinuated that it is the solid foundation that his father has that makes him stand strong. “It is that foundation that makes him tell God; where you can never take me to never let me get there. Whatever you can’t give me may I never get.”
The young Oyedepo noted that many have duplicated the prayer of “I can never be sick. But have not been able to pray, Lord whatever you cant give me may I not have it.”
He warned his listeners not to be carried away by the products of the faith adding, “there are things you can’t say as he (Bishop David Oyedepo) says except you are standing right. We all have authority but our mouths can’t say the same thing.”
Still referring to his father, he said, “After 41 years in ministry, nobody can claim money was borrowed, nobody can claim miracles were doctored. Let’s wake up to this reality. Anchor your faith on the foundation of the faith not on the product”
Oyedepo rejects heavy gifts
He said people have given heavy gifts of vehicles that are not common to his father but were turned down. “It is not every gift that is receivable. Some gifts are traps of the devil,” Isaac Oyedepo said.
He made an allusion to the kind of revival that took place centuries ago noting; “It was the revival of holiness that shook the world and not the revival of miracles.
“Charles Finney walked in blazing holiness. How do you enter a train and people are running out without a tract?
“There must be a change in our lives. When revival broke loose it was a revival of dogged holiness not the revival of miracles. People were crying and begging for forgiveness. Prison houses became empty because everybody was walking in the holiness.”