Celebration Church International

APV Illorin - Simple People

Learn to think like Jesus. Jesus expects us to expect miracles. Since when did it become a problem when you can’t carry enough bread? Learn to expect the miraculous every time.

Embrace the character of Noah and the mental fortitude to hold your conviction in spite of contradictions.

Inclining your heart to God is one of the biggest things you can ever do in your walk with God

Make sure that your theology is in alignment with Christ. From Jesus’ experience, we know that even after praying and fasting the devil still comes and your defense won’t be prayer but that “It is written.”

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead gave assurance that there’s life after death. His death has become our death, his burial our burial, and his resurrection our resurrection.

The humanity of Christ is one of the greatest expressions of God’s love towards us.

As believers, questions will always come and so we must always anticipate questions and have answers to these questions. Knowing Jesus is not just for argument, it is for worship.

For it to be a New Testament Church, the workings of the Spirit must be common. You have the Holy Ghost so you have something to offer.

God did not give you his spirit for nothing. The spirit of God in your life must count for more than goosebumps.

Matthew 20:26 God loves to brag about people that contribute. If you want to stand out in the sight of God you should be ready to contribute. Medals are awarded to those who fight not to those who know that they can fight because in the kingdom God doesn’t reckon greatness by capacity alone. At the end of the day, greatness in the kingdom is not by what you think you can produce but by what you actually produce. Greatness is reckoned by contribution! What really measures greatness in the sight of God is “Love” (1 Cor 13) Even in the administration of gifts, there is a hierarchy in terms of importance, know this, Spiritual gifts are for service! It is not so that you can advance your own physical agenda. God wants a body whereby every part is a supplying joint and If you’re asked what you’re doing for the body of Christ; It should be seen that you’ve been able to come up with a strategy to reach people for God. (1 Cor 14:1-2) Acts 1:8 simply means that the gifts are primarily for evangelism and not for personal gratification. Write your faith story! There has to be more. Desire spiritual gifts but not for yourself. The Spirit of God has come to make greatness common. Get involved for the kingdom and be a supplying joint. Again, desire the gifts for the advancement of the kingdom! 1 Sam 10:5-7 God designed his church to be a body filled with supplying joints. If you really want to see big things in your walk with God, associate with people who have it. 1 Sam 10:7 explains that we can do as occasion demands once the spirit has come upon us. Do not let the devil trick you to think that being alone is the best thing. Take community seriously and use community as a strategy. When our heart is focused on the kingdom we have the capacity but we must have a purpose in mind and God uses utterance to launch us into our purpose. By this, we experience progress and joy in the faith!

The word of God remains sure. We should never doubt that we’re making heaven. As long as we have the Holy Spirit, we shouldn’t lack the assurance of Salvation.

Sanctification must be a growing reality, it might be gradual but the process must be evident. God helps us to live in a manner consistent with our new nature BY HIS SPIRIT

When you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, you talk and confess God’s Word. A man of God is talkative. We must learn to let our feelings catch up.

The Holy Spirit is to a church what an engine is to a car. A car without an engine can look good but won't go anywhere. There is no church without the holy ghost

Because of what we carry, the possibilities in our reality are enormous. - limitations become our advantage and we do the impossible.

Love must be defined because it has many look-alikes: lust, infatuation, etc. You must be discerning to see beneath the surface to recognize love.

People must see us and know us by our love walk. We know we’re growing when the word of God can stripe us bare so we can correct ourselves.

If He laid and submitted his life for you, what then is your excuse? You cannot receive the unmerited love of Christ and not give the unmerited!

The love of God that you have received has conferred on you a responsibility; you can’t receive the undeserved love of Christ and not love undeservedly.

God cares about you, your pains and your heartbreaks. It’s God’s desire to bind us up from our pain.

Pay attention to Favour because God doesn’t joke with Favour and not only must you grow in Favour with God but also with men.

Recognize that your greatness is relevant to God’s agenda and write your faith story well!

When God wants to do something in your tomorrow he must persuade you to have the right mindset today.

Prayer requires the investment of your emotion & alertness - “watch & pray”.

Time and chance happen to them all, we have to understand this concept because in one moment of Kairos, lives can change which is our supernatural advantage.

Whatever you need to do to be who you need to be, you can do by the Spirit of God in you.

It takes humility to pray! Of all the ingredients in prayer, one of the most profound that Jesus talked about is humility.

Many people see humility as something they do to be nice, but people hardly see humility as something they do to rise.

Thanksgiving is developing an attitude of gratitude. In our kingdom thanksgiving is something you do at the beginning as opposed to the end.

The real priority is the kingdom. The life worth living is the life where souls are saved, the sick get healed and disciples are raised.

The purpose of worship is not about who you are but who He is. As a believer, your default disposition should always be thanksgiving.

Jesus is not just a man or a baby. He is God, we cannot deny his deity. He is Emmanuel, God in the form of man dwelling among us.

God wants to raise us as a lineage of prototype believers, an example to other believers and one important way this will happen is for us to take our gatherings seriously.

We are now priests, priesthood means we have the responsibility to show God to our world. This is what it means to be IMAGO DEI.

As believers, we need to understand that the anointing upon our lives has the ability to cause a socio-cultural change in our world.

God wants us to abound not just in knowledge, but in utterance also. Tongues is a gift from God.

There is a concept of supernatural leadership, and it is contagious. Even if it is God's plan, it takes sensitivity to follow it.

The purpose of our existence is to please God. Without it, there would be a void in our lives and other unsavory things may fill it because nature abhors a vacuum.

As an excellent church we want to emphasize that our Identity would be that of a praying church.

As a believer, you can be sure without a shadow of a doubt that you are saved.

You have the Holy Ghost: not a little of him about his fullness. The question is: What will you do with it??

Go for gold, don’t be satisfied with pettiness. God wants to bring you to a deeper level of intimacy with him.

You are bought with a price, for the fame of his name. Allow him to make a name for himself with your life.

In the school of glory, one of the first things you must learn is the weightiness of God, you must learn not to treat him as common. He is holy; separate from what is common. Have value for the things of God; the things that God has set apart, treat them as set apart. Heb 12:18-24, 2:1, John 3:18, Dan 5:25 Treat God’s word, the company of his angels, and his temples (which includes you) as sacred.

One of the most important gifts you can receive from a ministry Gift is a prayer life. Many prophesies are activated by prayer, you have to learn the ministry of prayer. Eph 3:14-16 You strengthen your inner man by praying. Prayer makes your progress in the faith more visible, build your spiritual muscles because just like a physical muscle, they are proof of what you can face. 1Tim 4:8 Just like a physical gym, there are activities you expose yourself to that make you stronger. In the same way, you can alter your physical form, you can alter your spiritual form. One of the most important ways to build our spiritual capacity is through a prayer life. Prayer is not all about making requests; it is about building stamina. Prayer programs are not enough, what is required is a prayer life. Just like physical fitness, there’s a consistency to it. You must make up your mind to build a consistent prayer life. Matt 26:39, The realm of the spirit is a game of stamina, you must build strength. Your strength shows in the way you handle temptation. Prov 24:10, Isa 40:3, 1Kgs 18:42 There is an aspect to Christian devotion that only answers to tenacity. Gen 32:24

God didn't just become a man, he became God’s covenant man to our own benefit. Just as Adam was God’s covenant man, whatever they both did, we did.

When God says he will do something, just believe it. To do what God has said, you have to be brave. Don't let anyone talk you down. Be an example to everyone. Don't let the assignment scare you. Act on the word. Bravery means to have mental strength; to have and to show courage. Just agree with God and take bold steps. God brags about people that do His will. Hindrances to Bravery 1. Comfort Zone Good is the enemy of great. Entrepreneurs are usually braver at the start. Keep the passion that you first had. Avoid the comfort zone. Sometimes, you have to end what you are currently doing in order to be able to do what God would have them do. 2. The opinion of men Any young person trying to do great would always have to put up with the opinion of older people, especially in Africa. To be brave, you have to stop sacrificing for people who don't care about you. Focus on your assignment and let God be your rewarder. 3. Fear of failure Consecration is the cure for fear of failure. As Christians, our no one motivation is not success. We follow the Lordship of Christ. If Jesus instructs you to drop your net, do that. Real success is following God. It is wrong for you to care too much about what people say. May you not be big to people and be small in the eyes of God.

Every successful revolution begins with a purpose. It’s important to understand the purpose and assignment otherwise it won’t matter even with the resources at your disposal . As a revolutionary church, we look to our leader Jesus who in His time on earth was a revolutionary. His priorities should be our priorities. He was all about saving people. If we must get the revolution right, we must get the purpose of the revolution right. In carrying out a revolution we note the following as mostly seen in Christ - The ability to persevere in the face of distraction and persecution. - Jesus’ impact is found in the fact that He replicated Himself in people. Don’t underestimate your ability to make an impact. - He birthed the revolutionary church as was seen in Acts 17:6 - Apply the same discipline Jesus had. - Know that you are not going in your might. Stop acting like you are powerless. - We must make disciples. For every time we make disciples we are stronger for it. - Discern your role by the Spirit of God - Speak audaciously. Take audacious actions - Sharpen your weapons (Eph 6:13-18 ) - We are in formation as an army. Understand your role.

God is present to comfort and encourage: God isn't untouched nor far-removed from you. He is there in the pain with you (Hebrews 4:15).