Pastor CAS Daramola
By 'Gbenga Bankole
The Superintendent of Christ Apostolic Church, Olanrewaju District, Lagos, Pastor C. A. S. Daramola has said no one has a genealogy in God until grace finds such person.
He explained that it was after Noah found grace that he was counted and recognized in the genealogy of God, saying until a man finds the grace of God, he cannot be saved from the impending judgement of God.
The Clergyman citing that through grace, Moses had personal knowledge of God, expressed that without grace no one can know God, adding that you can't know His way until He extends His grace to you.
Pastor Daramola stated this on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 while delivering the first lecture on the topic "Receiving and Maximizing God's Grace in the Pastoral Ministry" at CAC Pastors' Conference at Babalola Memorial International Miracle Camp, Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State.
"There is no doubt that at one point in our lives, we received the grace of God that we did not deserve before we could be called saints. We were once sinners, opposed to God and backing Him while our faces were toward hell fire but out of His sheer grace, He saved us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear son Jesus Christ. However, much more after saving us by His grace (Eph 2:1-10), there is a need for us to maximize the grace in our lives as individuals and as His body on earth (the church)," he said.
According to him, to maximize God's grace, one must identify his portion of grace, study to discover God-given grace, build a strong relationship with God, impact other people positively and endure hardship.
Citing 1st Corinthians chapter 3 verse 10, Pastor Daramola said; "Apostle Paul was able to identify his own specific portion of grace out of the grace of God given to the first church. The problem with many believers today is that we don’t make effort to identify our own grace out of His enormous grace given to us. God’s grace is like crude oil which must be explored to bring out many finished products of different graces and dimensions. Only a grace you have identified well enough you can maximize."
He stated that personal development cannot be traded for anything else, saying that it is expected of every Christian to develop himself and his God-given grace through much study in the Word of God and interactions with other useful books which have capacity to enhance one’s spiritual, mental and psychological growth.
"One thing is most important and sure, a strong and viable relationship with God, the giver and the God of all grace guarantees the maximization of His grace in a believer’s life. There is no way we can receive grace from God that saves us that we can now dissociate ourselves from Him and maximize our grace. It is impossible.Only by maintaining our personal relationship with God can we maximize His grace in our lives. The Gospel of John is a book that shows us of the personal relationship that existed between God, the Father and Jesus Christ His Son and how it led to the maximization of grace in Jesus as a human being on earth," he said.
He continued that, "the maximization of grace by God hinges on how well we impact other people positively for God. Our God-given grace increases and multiplies when we raise and build up others. When we raise men for God, build them up, we tend to extend our grace in others and through them. Jesus Christ poured His grace into His twelve disciples which they also poured into others and especially, the seven deacons and thereby, increasing and maximizing their God-given grace.Paul could talk of many that the grace of God in him had raised - the likes of Timothy, Titus, Epaphroditus, Silas, Tychicus, Epaphras, Aristarchus, Onesimus, Johnmark, Luke etc., and by so doing his own grace was being maximized in what God called him to do and became extended in others and what God also called them to do. Peter could also talk of Cornelius and his entire household and many thousands of others from the day of Pentecost and beyond (2Tim 4:9-18)."