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| Pastor S.O. Gbuyiro |
By Boluwatife Oparinde
The awaited, anticipated and power-packed 3 days crusade of Christ Apostolic Church, Chapel of Grace, Ibadan, held in a spiritually tensed and exciting manner as prayers and thanksgiving filled the air from the mouths of apparent desirous hearts.
The programme, which started with a 6am morning session on Wednesday, December 20, 2023 ended on the evening of Friday, December 22nd, 2023.
At the evening of the first day of the crusade, the host and Director of Youth Affairs, Pastor Samson O. Gbuyiro, told the attendees that "if we don't take the steps that Jesus took, we will not have the experiences that He had."
Speaking expressly on the theme of the crusade, "Open Heavens" from Luke 3:21, Pastor Gbuyiro exposited that "this text is not the only one that addresses open heavens but several other Scriptures also attest to the reality and experiences of open heavens."
Laying a foundation that the expectation of God ic for the lives and attitudes of Christians to be in semblance with that of Jesus Christ, the host minister stated that just like Jesus, there's no better way for a man to begin his life, career, marriage than to experience open heavens.
"The very first written experience of Jesus before the beginning of His ministry is that heavens were opened for him. If Jesus is our example for life, godliness and ministry, and if there be anything a man should hungry and thirst for, it is that the heveans should be opened. This is because when heavens open upon a man, such life is accepted and is a life God is pleased with," he said.
He continued that, "the experiences of open heavens we have read tell us such life will proceed, grow and be established without any hindrance. For a life under open heavens, there is nothing that will work against him or her. A life under open heavens will not experience impossibility."
Making scriptural instances of many experiences of open heavens, the Youth Director noted that struggles will become favour for those under open heavens, adding that every life under open heavens will have their needs divinely met because they will have divine help.
"When we examined the life of Jesus and his ministry, we saw that everything associated with open heavens were the things he enjoyed. There is no other secret behind Jesus' success other than the fact that heavens were opened for Him. What we read about a man when heavens open unto him is different from what we know when the heavens are closed," Pastor Gbuyiro said.
Alluding the scripture that says "a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven" (John 3:27), the clergyman stated that man cannot receive anything until heavens are opened.
Explaining that Jesus took certain steps before heavens were opend for him where and when he was baptized by John, Pastor Gbuyiro told the congregation that since John's baptism was unto repentance, there is need for repentance to experience open heaven.
"That a man wants something of God does not mean he will receive them if certain steps are not taken," he said.
After his homily, Pastor Gbuyiro led the congregation to an altar call of salvation before the session of prayers began.
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