I now understand why God won’t allow me retire yet- Adeboye

Adeboye retirement

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has identified the reason God won’t allow him to retire from the ministry yet.

 He gave the reason while addressing young people at the church’s International Youth Convention on Thursday, October 6, 2022.

 Adeboye who had a hard time stopping the young people from surging towards him at the altar while preaching expressed concern that the massive auditorium was not filled with people.

He said, “I can now understand why God won’t allow me to retire yet. Look at those who want to take over from me. They can’t even fill a quarter of the old arena. This is youth convention, by now miracles are supposed to be happening in your midst.”

Shine forth

 Speaking on the theme, Shine forth, he said, “ Shine forth, show your stuff.  Let people see you at a tender age making the blind see and the lame walk, raising the dead. And then they will wonder about this small boy. And people will say don’t you know his father? Don’t wait for miracles provoke miracles.”

 Referring to the light-up crusade the church has been holding in various parts of the country, he said, “ When we go to light up crusades and we ask preachers to preach, they look behind to make sure I am there.

“The one preaching is basing his confidence on daddy is here, that the God of daddy is here. We have had miracles in the light-up crusades. Jesus won’t fail. He won’t fail himself. Let all men be liars but God be true. The word of God says clearly, God will not deny himself.”

Deeper life testimony

He said by now, people should see the fire of God in the young people so that they will realise that they are from the church.

He recalled,  “there was a time when you ask some people are you a Christian; they will say I am not only a Christian, I am Deeper Life. We thank God for the ministry. It shook the country at that time.

“But here you are with an awesome grace available to you. Grace from heaven. Grace beyond human comprehension. How are you showing it.”

Kenneth Hagin Camp meeting

The RCCG overseer recalled how some of his children in faith demonstrated they were truly from him at the Kenneth Hagin Camp Meeting.

 He said, “I was looking at some books at the campground and my children saw a Nigerian chief, and they all prostrated and greeted him. The man was surprised that some people could be prostrating in America. The man looked up and saw me coming and he said no wonder.

“He saw humility in them. He saw humility that is not common. If your father can raise his hands and handkerchiefs are raising the dead, who are you? Don’t wait for the sick to come to you for prayers, seek them out and go and heal them. Don’t wait for the captive, go and set them free.”

 He also recalled an incident in Portharcourt when a young girl touched the vehicle he rode in with a handkerchief and the handkerchief healed her mad sister when she placed it on her.

 Shine forth, not an appeal

Adeboye stressed further, “Shine forth is not an appeal. You have learnt a lot. You know the word. Any of you that we give the microphone will teach the word more than many people out there.

“You have the stuff. Don’t wait for herbalists to come to listen to your sermon, show them that power passes power. When Paul cast out the sorcerer, the governor believed. Jesus said these people won’t believe unless they see signs and wonders.”

He also shared the testimony of how he gave instructions that a mysterious tree in the camp be cut against the advice of the villagers. “The tree was cut, the villagers were expecting those who cut the tree to die but many of them are elders in the ministry today,” he said.

Stop playing church

Adeboye urged the young people to stop playing church. “The work before us requires raw demonstration of the power of God,” he said.

 While sharing another testimony of how a pastor confounded a herbalist in Ekiti, he said, “Are you supposed to pray in tongues and not do something about it? Peter said silver and gold I have not. But what I have I give.

“Don’t wait until you have a church, start a fellowship. I started a fellowship in my office while in the university and asked those I had authority over to come. If you don’t do what has not been done before you will not become what others have not become.”

He also testified how he built a bungalow in 1983 in seven days adding also that he had built a storey building in 18 days.

“I don’t obey the rules of engineering. I obey the rules of heaven. From now you will leave this place shining forth. let the dead hear your voice and come back to life. You must show the world that you are different.” Adeboye said,

 The cleric also used the opportunity of the sermon to caution the young people from disturbing him whenever he is doing his prayer walk. “When you see an elderly man praying around 2 am, don’t think he is joking. Don’t follow me. Don’t disturb me.” he warned with a grin on his face.

Covet the gift of prophecy

He urged them to covet to prophesy. “It is a great gift to hear from God so that no false prophet will deceive you. I hear many prophets prophesy, I don’t say they are telling lies. But I tell them my daddy didn’t tell me that. That is a polite way of saying they are lying. If you can hear God for yourself, you will be able to discern between the wolf and the lamb.

“Not every beautiful girl is from God. Don’t let any beautiful voice deceive you. Don’t forget Satan was the choirmaster of heaven. Be careful of that young man trying to bamboozle you.”

He said he once asked God to give him the anointing of Elijah, Elisha, Peter, Paul, and the Lord Jesus Christ. “I asked him to give me their anointing and double it. My daddy said I was asking for too much. I said I don’t mind. Now I am 80 years they will not allow me to rest. They are sending people from everywhere to me. It is better they don’t let you rest than you are redundant. In your church, they need to feel your impact whenever you are not around.” Adeboye said.

At the meeting, he commended the Senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre, Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo and the founder of Eternity Network Apostle Joshua Selman for their sermons to the youth during the week