Reverend Joseph Olaiya of the Living Faith Foundation offers a stirring exhortation that speaks to the hearts and souls of newly ordained ministers in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, encouraging them to embrace their roles with a spirit of dedication to serve God and His people.
Olaiya gave this admonition at the RCCG 72nd annual convention ordination service for Deacons/Deaconesses and Assistant Pastors held on Tuesday at Redemption City of God.
The cleric who preached on the topic, “Lift up your head, o ye gates,” took his bible text from Psalm 24:7 where he gave a stirring reminder of the transient nature of human leadership and authority.
He exhorted the new ordinands to reflect upon their positions in the context of God’s ownership and sovereignty over all creation, cautioning them against the temptation to act in defiance of God’s will.
In his words, “This earth belongs to our God and Lord Jesus Christ, it is his personal property no matter what you think, no matter what you say. Men may claim ownership of a plot of land, an estate or district or kingdom, territory or domain as his own property but if men were the true owner as he exits from this world, he would have taken it along. You came with nothing and you will go with nothing, God is the final owner.
“God owns all the men and women in the earth and that include you and me, we are his properties. If you rebel against that you undo yourself, all the earth dwellers belong to him, he owns the kings and the rulers, the politicians and the moneybags, the academicians and the professionals, he owns the pastors and the Bishop, he owns the priest and his worshippers, he own even the pagans and the ill religious ones because he owns the earth and his fullness thereof.”
In expounding on the obligations of ordained ministers, Reverend Olaiya emphasized that those called to serve God in this capacity are graced with a unique privilege and responsibility. He underlined the need for those who minister in God’s name to maintain purity of heart and conduct, stressing that only those whose hands are clean and whose hearts are untainted by deceit can be worthy of the role.
The reverend cleric warned that any deviation from this standard would undermine the legitimacy of their calling and their ability to serve as faithful stewards of God’s grace.
Pastor Olaiya states, “Today you have been ordained, you have been given privilege to go into his holy presence to serve but the one who qualifies to enter into his presence to minister is he who has clean hands, makes clean profits and righteous wages, hands that do only good works, and hands that don’t do evil or wickedness.
“The men that will minister in his presence has not lifted his soul unto idols, not trusting in idols nor seeking help from witches and wizards, seeking protection from demon gods, he doesn’t put confidence in the vanities of life, his trust are not in money or in properties.”
The Clergyman proclaimed that the newly ordained ministers had been anointed to act as God’s emissaries, entrusted with the mission of spreading the gospel, healing the sick, and building the kingdom of God.
In his powerful admonition, he drew a parallel to the story of David and Goliath, reminding the appointees that their authority had been granted by God to achieve noble and righteous purposes, not to use their positions as a means to rebel against those who had placed their trust in them.
He noted “Today, you have been ordained and anointed to preach the glorious gospel, to heal the sick and cast out devils, to set the captives free, you have been anointed to build the Kingdom of God and enlarge RCCG. You are not anointed to fight authority that set you up or tear down the kingdom. David was anointed to kill Goliath but will forever not be anointed to kill Saul.”
He issued a stern warning against the perils of spiritual arrogance, reminding the newly ordained ministers that turning against their spiritual authority would amount to rebellion against the very forces that elevated them in the first place. He cautioned that ministers who allow their newfound status to erode their humility or cause them to forget their modest origins risk incurring the wrath of God and jeopardizing their ability to serve His will.
Reverend Olaiya told the ordinands to preserve their spiritual integrity and moral purity. He urged them to maintain the highest ethical standards in both their private and public lives, so that they might always be deemed worthy of entering into the presence of God, free from the stain of sin or duplicity.
The clergyman notes, “Every time you turn against spiritual authority and forget a day like this when you were raised from a nobody to somebody, whatever your reasons maybe you will find yourself in rebellion. Miriam and Aaron forgot that it was Moses that was given grace to bring them out of Egypt but wanted more honour than is given to them, contending for more recognition because they forgot where they were before Moses came; they forgot that they are free today because Moses was given the grace to bring them out. Never forget and always honour your spiritual leaders; never forget the days of humble beginning.
”A word is enough for the wise listen to me and listens very well, David became who God wanted him to be, but he was the wisest man on earth I ever met. He knew how to work with authority and God delivered him from the snares of the enemy.
“I want to encourage you today, keep your hands clean, keep your hearts pure, and you always have access into his presence and his glory will always be in your meeting.”
Candidates ordained at the service by the General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor E. A. Adeboye include, 8,670 deacons/deaconesses and 4,623 assistant pastors.
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