Founder of Living Faith Church also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo has expressed concern for new generation preachers wondering where many of them get their theology from.
He expressed the concern at the unveiling of his son’s ministry, Isaac Oyedepo Evangelistic Ministry on Tuesday, November 28. The event was monitored online by Church Times.
Oyedepo who delivered the main message at the event said many modern-day preachers make statements that cannot be established in the Bible.
He said, “They make assertions that are baseless. They make flamboyant statements that have no basis. As I listen to them, I am bothered about where we are going. Many glory in their educational background and not in the grace of election.”
Oyedepo said he was not brought up as a preacher with that tradition recalling that he witnessed “first-hand an aura of meekness in the life of those who have gone ahead. T.L. Osborn towards the end of life asked me to pray for him. I turned the request down because I felt he should be the one to pray for me.”
Need for connectivity
He said the steps many young preachers are taking have no future. “I know God is not slow. These young folks? Some of them grew in my hands. But their expression of authority bothers my soul. My prayer is that pride will not get in their way.”
Turning to his son, he said, “I pray over you for grace to remain connected to your roots openly as I have done over the years.”
Earlier in his message, he had underscored the importance of being connected to primary, secondary and tertiary roots so as to remain productive in ministry.
He said, “Disconnection is horrible. Believers are built on the foundation of apostles and prophets. This implies we have our tap roots in Christ and secondary roots in the apostles which is divinely orchestrated. God called Moses and connected him with Jethro. He needed the counsel of Jethro so he wont die early. God called Joshua to lead Israel and yet asked him to go to Eliezer for counsel. Impact is a function of connectivity both to Christ and the giants who have gone that way before.”
Giving a personal example, he said his connection with giants of faith has helped him over the years to remain focused and productive. “I have no issue believing anything. Kenneth Hagin Laboured on the issue of Faith and I entered into it. How much did he pay, I don’t know. To live a sweatless life is to plug into the labour of others. It is a lack of connectivity that makes men struggle. Any tree without a root is gone. It is only a matter of time.
“Even Christ was called the son of David. Kenneth Copeland had his roots in Oral Robert and Kenneth Hagin. Idahosa had his roots in Godson Lindsay. I have jealously guarded my roots in Christ and all my secondary and tertiary roots to date. The faith of Hagin is actively working in my life to date. The sensitivity to the issue of the holy spirit and tireless passion for soul are still at work in my life to this day. The wisdom of enlargement without sweat is of Enoch Adeboye is at work in my life today.
Also read: Isaac Oyedepo begins own ministry, gets father’s blessings: https://churchtimesnigeria.net/isaac-oyedepo-begins-own-ministry-gets-fathers-blessing/
“Can you miss the daring and bold spirit of Benson Idahosa in me? No. It’s 20 years now since Hagin went home, my spirit man is still connected, my voice is connected, and my life is connected.
They are all spiritual DNA you connect with through genuine connectivity of the spirit. No one comes near me without knowing where I am coming from. In the same vein, I have a good number of ministries that are representing the grace of God in my life.”
Your times in God’s hands
Oyedepo continues, “You have to be connected to bear fruit. For everyone hearing me, stop playing game. Genuine spiritual connectivity is key. What God does is confirm the words of his prophets”
He counselled Isaac to follow God’s timing.“Your times are in his hands not his time in your hands. Follow God at his pace. Don’t be part of those who malign ministries. Never get to a point where you say, “this thing is only happening with me”. It is same Jesus everywhere. These upcoming ministers think they are everything when they have not begun.”
New Ministries
The Winners’Chapel founder said he had no problem encouraging people to start their ministry. “I have prayed for about six people going into their ministry recently. I have prayed for them and given them materials that will be a blessing to them. We once separated 68 pastors into their ministries. It is a huge thing. No single ministry can do it alone. This is one liberal place where you have access to follow God’s vision for your life.”
Still talking about being connected, he said “There is no new-generation Bible. Jealously guard your roots in Christ by doing things that please him. Guard your sources. Genuine connectivity requires a sustainable value of meekness. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the land. Your calling to ministry is not on merit, it is an election of grace. ”
Isaac Oyedepo Ministry
Earlier at the event, which attracted top church leaders in the Pentecostal fold, Oyedepo’s son, Isaac gave a rundown of what his ministry would focus on.
He said God gave him the vision of the new ministry on the 14th anniversary of his pastoral ministry.
According to him, the ministry which is evangelistic in nature will focus on the new generation. “There is an urgent call to pull my generation out of the kingdom of darkness. Authentic compassion for the loss has driven us to an emergency mode to see their rescue. There is a cry to know the God of our fathers. There is a cry to know him and the power of his resurrection. There is a cry to God to work a work in our days. This is what the Lord has called us to. This is an evangelistic ministry saddled with the mandate to reclaim, restore and revive this generation.”
Ministry mandate
The core of his ministry’s mandate in his words, is “the urgent rescue of souls. Emphasis will be placed on salvation, holiness and the miraculous. We have a mandate to restore the fire. Spiritual complacency has suddenly replaced intimacy with God. We have been mandated to reclaim a generation, restore the fire and revive a people. The role of the church can’t be overemphasised. All we are doing is not sidelining the church but collaborating with the church to see that the souls out there are not left. So the role the church has placed can never be sidelined. The church universal will see the end-time harvest in reality.”
He said his ministry will embark on constant evangelical outdoor meetings to reach lost souls. “This will be a major thrust of the ministry. Major evangelistic campaign will be conducted across the world.”
