Transcript: Seek Ye First The Kingdom

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This message is from believers equipped, a meeting organized by the Disciples Christian Network where the word of God is taught with practicality and believers are raised to reign in life. Join apostle Emmanuel as he walks us through the word of God. Today, you'll be so blessed. You're welcome to believers equip. You'll be so blessed. Amen. I'm not praying. Just telling you a statement of fact. I'm gonna be teaching something that I've titled. Let me not tell you the title now.

Let's just teach. I would say the title later. But as an introduction, I believe it is time for me to begin to introduce us to the kingdom. Before matters of the kingdom can be discussed, there need to be some underlying teachings that are done to mature believers because kingdom is not a discussion for babies. Kingdom is a discussion for matured believers. And we are gonna begin our discussion. This is a house of the kingdom. So it is time to start indoctrinating you into the kingdom with favor and power. So I'm going to do an introduction into the subject of the kingdom. I believe we have gotten to that point in the syllabus where we can begin to expose us even if it is in trace levels to matters concerning the kingdom.

For some of us, it would be a reminder and a fresh revelation, a burden being inflicted once again into your spirit. For others, it would be something that God is just teaching you afresh and new. Whichever place you might be, ensure that you pay attention and let your soul, body, and spirit be here. Let us pray before we begin. Father, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Precious holy spirit, we love you. We thank you, and we bless you for such an awesome time in your presence. We declare break the bread that our eyes are open. Communicate life to us.

Amen. Let it not be a lecture. Amen. Let it be spirit and let it be life. Amen. Let the angels of my anointing be positioned in time and space. And let them run to do my bidding. Amen. As I speak, let there be signs and wonders. Amen.

Confirm my words with signs following. Amen. Let there be miracles, healings in the name of Jesus. Amen. There's someone that I see with a kind of infection in the pubic region, a kind of infection in the pubic region. The person has been healed right now. Amen. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Let's start our discussion from Matthew.

Popular scripture. One of the most important statements that Jesus made in his time on earth doing the work of ministry. Matthew chapter six and verse 33. The bible says but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And all these things shall be added to you. Popular scripture, isn't it? Seek first the kingdom of God. For many of us, we were ingrained with this scripture from Sunday school. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. Many of...

What else can recite the scripture even before you could recite a b c d. But a lot of people have not really come into the experience of what that scripture is talking about. And I'm not really going to disclose everything. We will take it in bits. This is an introduction. Is that okay? Uh-huh. Like I said, it's probably one of the most important statement that Jesus ever made as it concerns the regulatory principle of living a meaningful life. Jesus did not say seek the kingdom. Jesus said seek first the kingdom.

There are many things that you can seek as a man, you see. All around the world, people are people are seeking after things that make for basic survival. Some of you, some of you might have heard the name Abraham Maslow. He was a behavioral scientist, a behavioral psychologist, and he took his time to study the motivations of human behavior. And after years of research, he concluded that all human behavior is driven by the same hierarchy of needs, and it has been a popular concept in psychology Maslow's hierarchy of needs. And he said that every human being is motivated by the basic need for water, for food, for clothes, for housing, for protection, for security, for preservation, for self actualization, and for significance and enlisted them in order of priority. And this hierarchy of need informs most of people's pursuit in life. Maslow listed these things in what he believes to be the order of priority of people's pursuit in life. So he believes that the most important pursuit of man is food, water, clothing, housing. Then everybody wants a sense of security.

Everybody wants a sense of significance, and this inform... A sense of self actualization, and this informs what many of us spend our lives pursuing. Pitiably speaking and pitifully speaking, this is true. The average man spends over twenty years in school. For some people, more than that. From nursery education to tertiary education because he wants to get a good job. A job that pays very well. Why does he want a good job that pays very well? Because he wants to secure water, food, housing, clothing, a sense of relevance, a sense of significance. Everything that man pursues after in life is because of this basic needs.

You see, basic needs. You spend five years in university. If you come to a federal university or a state university that is affected by strikes, and you are so fortunate that there is a strike in your time, then you spend, say, five years. What should be four years? Six years, what should be five years? Seven years, what should be six years? Some people spend eight years, what should be four years? Yes. Yes. Glory to god.

And after all of that, what we have to show for it is that we go from office to office, holding a certificate in our hands, trying to interview, go for different interviews. And whilst we are doing the interviews, we discuss how much you want to be paid, what is the value we're gonna offer them, and then if you don't... If it does not fit into your liking, you then go to another office. And some people would even go as far as traveling out of the country, and they don't mind working five shifts abroad. It's it's in The US, you would find you would find a nurse work... Who works in the hospital. And when she's done with five hours of shift, she runs to supermarket to go and work as a clerk. When she's done with four hours of shift, she she runs to another person's house to go and work as a nanny. When she's done with three hours of shift, and then you see somebody working four jobs, five jobs. Why?

Food, water, clothing, housing. My question is, how can you spend twenty years of your life just for these things? Twenty five years of your life, thirty years of your life just for these things. Some people do masters to increase their commercial value in the marketplace. Why? So that they can be more... So they can increase their employability. So they can appeal to employers to make them realize that I'm more valuable. Why are we doing it? Food, clothing, and water.

Let me have food to eat. There are needs to be sorted. There are things to take care of. My family is depending on me. I'm gonna get married. What will my children hate? What will my wife hate? Usually, this is what motivates the pursuit of everybody. And many of us listening to me have been ingrained into this pursuit so much so this is the reason for our existence in life according to how we have heard universities push it into us. Even secondary schools push it into us.

Even primary schools push it into us. Many of us have been made to believe that if you want to... Why do people want to be doctors? Why do people want to be engineers? Because they want to get jobs that pay well. You forget every other thing I want to help life. Want to... Come on. There are many ways to help lives. A lot of parents, we don't care about whether or not their child wants to be a musician, wants to be an artist, wants to draw, wants to paint, to help with all of that.

What is paying well? What is... What are they employing right now? I have a brother who works in Chevron. That means that as long as he's there, you would have the opportunity to get a good job in Chevron, and so you have to study engineering. If, to be more specific, petroleum engineering. And the moment you are done, you are you are sure that guaranteed that you will get a good job in Chevron. The moment you get it to become the hope of this family. Remember, we have one person at home, my grandmother's house in the village. We have not completed the roofing yet.

And this becomes the reason, the object of human beings posit. Funny as it may sound, this is a very useless way to live. This is a ridiculous way to live. And many of us saw our parents, funny enough, living this same kind of life, waking up very early in the morning, 6AM, 5AM, preparing food for the family, going to work by 7AM, sometimes coming back by 9PM, and then they are so tired. In their tiredness, they come for morning devotion. Everybody is feeling sleepy. And they come home, they will still shout at you because they've caused the stress they went through in the place of work. So for things that don't require shout, they shout. They are angry at everybody. Why did you leave this tool here?

It was not here. I put it. And then you two are hungry because you... But you don't understand that that that that's the stress of the working woman. You have no idea. This woman has been standing sometimes sitting, shouting at the teacher. If she goes to the marketplace dealing with all kinds of clients, even the foolish ones, now she has to smile at smile at smile at them because she wants to sell because she wants to sell. And she's heavily frustrated, but she has to keep the frustration. And in all of that, she comes home to a marriage that is not... That is barely hanging on a thread.

You can tell that there's no love in that family anymore. The marriage is only existing because of the children. If not for the children, both of them would have gone their separate ways. And yet father is... Father goes out in the morning, mother goes out in the morning. Their job is the escape from the reality of their marriage. And the children are the victim of the circumstance. And this is the painful reality that many people experience. And a lot of people are still are are currently as I'm speaking on their way to that same reality. On their way to that same reality.

If a if a... If an interruption, an intervention does not happen, that interruption, that intervention is what I'm bringing to you Because your life has to be more than that. Do you realize that these things were never designed by God as things that men should pursue? When the disciples came to Jesus and they were questioning Jesus about the issue of marriage, what Jesus told them was in the beginning, it was not so. It was because of the hardness of your heart that divorce was permitted. This was not a possibility in the beginning. That means that was not how God created it. There are many things that are now that was not how God created it. In the beginning, it was not so. But because we have witnessed it for many generations, we have normalized it.

So And when we see people living that kind of life, we believe that is a normal way life should be. So yet somebody say, also, so that you will not do this and that and that. And we believe that that's a reasonable quote. Whereas when God made Adam in the Garden of Eden, food was never part of Adam's concern. Do you realize this? Adam never had a concern for mid... What has become this humanities basic need for survival? It was not in Adam's concern. In fact, it was the fall that brought about even clothing. Those guys were too focused doing the assignment committed to their hands that they never had to bother about what they would eat or what they would drink.

God sorted them out as long as they were busy about the business of God. In other words, what mattered to God was just focus on what I've sent you. Leave what you would eat. I will take care of that. That was how God designed it. The fall now tweaked now changed the entire equation. Caused then became the ground for their sake. It was that time that Adam and had to experience the labor of going to work in the morning, hustling for job, hustling for this, hustling for that. It was in that moment that what to either became a priority. And because it has continued for a long time like that, we have now accepted that as our norm.

And so the reason why we are hustling for survival is so that we can get a good house to live in. And then you want to try and get it in a good environment so that you can have security at least. Thieves don't go everywhere. Thieves came to your environment, checked the kind of houses there, checked the kind of security that are there. You wouldn't find an estate where it is your passport that grant... That that grants you entrance. I'll be your fingerprint that grants you entrance. And say to you, you've just came there. Are you with me? But is one of the lord dead that is blowing whistle in the night by twelve a year?

If he sees a vehicle coming and... Yeah. Yeah. Guys. Guys, they skipped. Yeah. They escaped. All those guys know how to do is to block the block. Just close the gate by 10PM and not allow anybody enter again. And you beg them and beg them.

They will not allow. Let the real thing for which they were employed, let it come. Don't mind me. Are you with me? Yes, sir. So we want the sense of security. And if you cannot afford to get a house in that kind of the place I described, then you go for the one you can get. But you are struggling and survive, and you are struggling hoping for a promotion to boost your financial power, your earning power so that you can at least change the kind of house you stay in. You see? Change the kind of car you drive.

First, you are driving a car that you have to push on the road every morning. The whole family is inside the car. And as the family is going on the car, it just stops, pow. And you hear a loud shout, pow. And the fact that you... In fact, everybody everybody already know what is... What has happened. So without... Nobody needs to tell you anything. Just in the person opening your pa pa pa.

Yeah. Take your angle. Take your angle. Take your angle. Are you ready? One, two, push. Nobody needs to beat. It's already put... Conditioned. Now there's an inner desire in the father's heart too.

I have to at least change my job. Let me change this car. Let me do this. That is... The pursuit is material. What a reduced way of living. When humanity is reduced to survival, when wars come to us, humanity can turn into animals. Can turn into beasts. Then worse come, when we reduce our existence to to survival, then you would see a beastly nature inside of people that you never thought was there. That's why inside of farm mine, people can kill their children and eat.

How do you labor for nine months and give birth to a child in pain? And you watch the child grow up, but because of farm mine, take the child, you kill the child, you boil the child, you fry the child, and you hit the child. It was a process. So don't think, ah, let the cut the rice and eat it. No. They didn't go the they didn't go the ISO. You know that thing that is there? Let the cut the rice and do it. No. It was a process.

They first roast. After they have killed, they will now wash. After they have roasted, they will now boil and spice. And now fry. Before they now think of, okay, what? See, it was not a... Let's just close our eyes and do it. Reduces humanity into that? Have you not seen people vying for power, and they don't care who dies? They don't care as long as I get to that position.

It is this basic need of survival that our pursuit have been centered after that has turned us into this kind of unrecognized creatures. It was never God's intention. Was never God's intention. Look at what God says. In Matthew chapter six and verse 25, the Bible says something very instructional. Read down to verse 32. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life. This is Jesus speaking. But is it your experience? No.

Be sincere with yourself. Is it your experience? It's my own experience. Don't let... Now this thing now as you have read it, do not worry about your life. What some of you will think is, how is that possible? You know why? In the beginning, it was not so. But the COVID has become a norm. We have seen you grew up with people worrying.

They were... You... In an atmosphere of worrying. Everybody you ever knew that was elderly and older than you had something to worry about, had something to complain about, had Nigeria to complain about. If it wasn't Nigeria, it was the government. It wasn't the government. It was everything. There was something to complain about. You grew up in an atmosphere. So worry has become a normal thing, a a normal expression.

When things are not okay, the first... The default reaction is worry. Where will this come from now? Okay. I'm planning a program right now. Where will the money come from? Where did this come from? The next thing the believer knows whoever does is start worrying. My exam is coming. My wrist is coming.

I've not covered this. I've not covered that. I'm not... You sink into a place of worry. But this is Jesus speaking. More than two thousand years ago, he says, do not worry about your life. He didn't say God will help you not to worry. It's an instruction. You do not worry. This kind of statements are instructions.

For instance, be anxious for nothing. It's an instruction. It... Be anxious for nothing. It's your responsibility to ensure that you are not anxious. However, it's a revelation that sponsors it. Stay with me. Do not worry about your life. What you will eat. Is that not what has become according to a behavioral scientist study?

What is not the priority of man? But Jesus says it should not even be a function of your worry. Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on is not life more than food. And the body more than clothing is not life. It's not life more than food. But somebody says food is our priority. And everything we do is to put food on the table. And Jesus says, is not life more than food? More than clothing, more than houses, more than all these things? He says, no.

Life is more than that. In verse 26, he then begins to say, look at the birds of the hare. For they neither sow nor reap nor gather into bands, yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit to his stature? You get that? Yes, sir. So why do you worry about clothing? Will your worry therefore bring clothing? You get that?

If your worry will not bring clothing, why are you worrying about clothing? Will your worry make you pass the exam? Okay. So after you have worried, the money will now land. Someone puts books in front of them that they wanna read. And the next thing you know is that they start worrying about how they will begin because the clause is just too much. And the two hours they could have used to read, they spend it in worrying. As though somehow after they have worried, they will now understand. It says, which of you by worrying can add a QB to your stature? What it means is, can the worry bring what you are worrying about?

Can it produce the result that is making you to worry? If not, why do you invest mental energy on useless things? On useless things. I'm never worried. I am never worried. I'm never worried. And I will show you the secret. Give me the next verse again. Consider the ladies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin.

Let's do verse 30. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is strolling to the oven, will he not much more clothe you? Oh, you have little faith. And therefore, do not worry, saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear? For after all these things, the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly father knows that you need all these things. But if you say you don't need them, so when you say don't worry about cloth, is it because God does not know you need clothes? Don't worry about food. Is it because God does not know you need food? In other words, God is not saying, go and become spirits.

God is not saying, you can do without these things. Don't worry about them. Don't worry about the money. Don't worry about the things. Just live like a spirit on the earth. No. God himself acknowledges that you need them. Mhmm. Yes, sir. God himself acknowledges that you need them.

Very instructional. The bible says the Gentiles seek after these things. So what makes you different from the Gentiles? From the unbelievers. The bible is not saying don't go to school. Don't get a job. Don't start a business. Don't plan to make wealth so that you can eat or get good clothes to... Good clothes rather to wear or live a comfortable life or get a good car to drive. That is not what the bible is saying.

The next verse gives perspective to the scripture. The bible says in verse 33, seek you first the kingdom. Of God. In other words, these things these things shall be handed to you. So you need them. But they should never be your priority. He says seek you first. The the instructional statement in this scripture is first. First means as a matter of priority. The Bible does not say seek you only.

The Bible says, seek you first. It must be the object of your pursuit. It must be the object of your pursuit. This is a matter of priority. Life is very simple the moment you understand priorities. Lord, you reign and you rule overall. Listen. In verse 32, the MSG translation, the bible says, people who don't know God and the way God works are the ones that force over these things. People who don't know God, they don't know the way God works. They are the one that make unnecessary force.

Hey. Hey. The Lord is coming. This man is coming. That man has come. Hey. Hey. Money. This. That.

Food. They are the one that force over these things. But those of us that know how God works and knows God. Three important things. We know God, the person of God, and how he works, the principles of God. The people that know these two things, they never force about things because they understand how things are designed to come. That things are never designed to be pursued. They are designed to come. Are you with me? Just that you need them.

If you reorder your priorities and you understand that there is something worth pursuing above and beyond all these things, then you will find that the things that the Gentiles sought after will be handed unto you. It will never become the reason why you will spend four years, five years, six years going to school. Do you know that some people are having headache over how they will cross from one department to another department because they don't see any hope of financial security in the course they are studying. That's the reason. There's no hope of financial security. I have a daughter like that. She will always message me and come every time, sir, this course, I've already checked. The little bit that I can work is. All all our conversation is always after when I'm done with school. Believe that I can work.

Believe that I can work. And even objective that the ride they would give me is around this level. And I'm like, goodness. If you are this futuristic in your thinking, why not focus into priorities? Because even this level of vision to think that far, some people don't even have it. You now have your own and you're wasting it away. Thinking about what does not matter. You spent six years in school getting a law certificate. Go to Agoti. You will see lawyers with torn jacket.

I will get a torn gown and cap that. Come on now. Life is more than that. God's plan for you is that you abound within wealth, in riches, in prosperity. But there's a way to it, and the way to it is not the way many of us think. It's not the way many of us have been indoctrinated. Let me show you a scripture. We read the scripture every time. We quote it. Some of us don't even know where it is in the bible.

But you should have quoted every time. Lord, the Lord give us the beloved sleep. Where is this in the Bible? Psalm one two seven verse two. Let me show you something. Let me show you something. Can we read it together, everybody? Who knows what this means? You see, would think you understand the scripture. You would think what it means is that, I'm about to sleep tonight.

God giveth his beloved sleep. And you will not be wrong because God does give his beloved sleep. So that's the level of your understanding. That's good enough. Are you with me? But there's a deep parallel to the scripture. And you would never catch it just by studying this. Because when the bible says, it is vain for you to rise up early, to stop late, to eighty, what does that mean? Let's do it in tippity. Give me.

One, two, three. Go. So if the if the level of light you have is God is making me sleep. That's good. That's good. You're doing well. There are some of us that I know that even whilst you are sleeping, God is hiding these things. These things that the Gentiles pursue after. There's a wisdom God provides. Look at this.

Look at the first equation that many people do. The Bible says, it is really senseless. Work so hard from early morning, late at night. Living for fear of not having enough. The Bible called it senseless. That's what the Bible calls the bread of sorrow. In NKJV. The bread of sorrow. Amplify, it says God blesses his beloved while they sleep. Look at this.

For he gives blessings to his beloved even in their sleep. Lion of Judah, you reign. Lion of Judah, reign. Iron of chew the urine. Iron of chew the urine. Iron of chew the urine. Listen. The bible says all these things will be handed unto you. There's value in understanding the kingdom. There's value in spending your life in pursuit of the kingdom.

The bible says seek you first. Make the kingdom of God your priority and watch what will happen in your life. You will be excluded from the sufferings of people. It does not say seek you first Christianity. Doesn't say seek you first a religion. It says seek you first the kingdom. It means you can be a Christian but not understand the kingdom. Not even know how the kingdom is pursued after. Many people who are innocently performing what Psalm one seven, Psalm one two seven verse two says in the TPT. Many people who do this, who work hard from morning till night and eat the bread of sorrow.

Many of them are believers. Many of them are Christians. Many of them are prayer warriors even. And yet, painfully speaking, this is their experience. This is their reality. Now I've seen even musicians. I've seen men of God. I've seen I've seen pastors who have no idea what the kingdom is, and even their pursuit is after material things. The reason why that guy is doing ministry is so he can mix end. He can make end meet.

Painfully so. So he can make end meet. All these things will be handed unto you. How? Seek ye first the kingdom. A believer must therefore be taught. How does... How do I even start? What is this kingdom? How do I seek it?

How do I live my life in pursuit of this? Enough to understand how God adds these things to me. Because if this... If you pursue after these things and they become the object of your pursuit, it does not say seek the kingdom. In other words, it doesn't say hide the kingdom among the things you seek. So as you are seeking money, as you are seeking wealth, as you are seeking fame, as you are seeking all these things, then add the kingdom to it. Come to church when you can. Worship God when you can. Do you know that this... The pursuit of these things is why some people will never be devoted to God.

Because he knows that I must have a first class. If I don't have a first class, where would I start from? That's what my parents send me to school. Join the workforce. No. I can't join the workforce. So How how will I give that time when I'm supposed to be reading? Any time that he has to commit himself to God, either in service to God or even to his spiritual growth, he he will rather sacrifice that to what he believed is more valuable. Which is getting a first class. Why?

So that I can get a good job. Can I can get scholarship and do my masters in The US, Oxford University? And when you are done with your masters, what happens? What happens? Do you see the senselessness in this? How can the submission of your life at 60, at 70 Be that you got a certificate in school and you worked all the days of your life until you are 60 and retired with that, and that is all. Maybe you even have awards and maybe you even have awards of distinction or how good a service you did whilst you were there. And then you retired, you're getting a pension, and you're at home doing nothing with your life and being angry with your children for not bringing their grandchildren to you to come and greet you. You know why? Because the man is bored.

Has nothing he's doing at all. The moment he's not working, life has no meaning again. That's what he lived his life for. Now he has gone to the end of his life. He doesn't know what to do anymore. So he sit down and sit down and oblivion. I've envisioned my life oh, and that's not my life. Papa He Adebu at 82. 82. Gathered more than 7,000,000 people fed all of them.

For how many days was it? How many days was it on version? Seven days. Twice a day. That's 14 times 7,000,000 people. Not the food you eat in tender. Not food that the meat is like sim card. That is not the... That that is not it. That is not it.

Seven star restaurant seven star restaurant model food. And 7,000,000 people, 7,000,000 plus people. Women, children, men. Like in the days of Jesus, a man 82 years old. Jesus is not able to reach that one. Go and read your bible. The man came and said, don't... If you ever heard somebody tell you Adeboye is dead, and I've not built a camp as big as Ibadan, don't believe them. How how will... What are you looking for now?

Maybe you will retire. Shouldn't you allow the children? Have you heard those things before? Sir. Come on. But when you have something to live for that is no material things, the pursuit never ends. Really, it never ends. It never ends. There there will always be new grounds to break, new feats to conquer, new levels to reach, new heights to climb onto. You will retire from a job but not retire from purpose.

Yeah. And at 70, your life is like as exciting as when you were 20. It was at the age of 70 something that Caleb and Joshua said, give me these mountains for we are well able to take it. And they said at the age of 70, they want the Lord retire. They said that's when one one take mountains. That is the one one take mountains. In other words, when this ministry reaches the entire world and then millions of people come for the experience traveling down every Sunday to come and be blessed and drink of the world God has talked. You will look at it and say, ah, the prophecies have come to pass. Now apostle can stop prophecy. Oh god.

Oh god. If you live a life for the kingdom, you you... The the life... That life is always an exciting life. I tell you. And all these things will come with it. It is so exciting that Jesus finished his job and went up and took a leave of absence and say I'm not done. I'm not done. And he went to disciples after he had died and resurrected And you rule overall. Onto you.

We ask cry all the praise. You see, the creation of the earth and humanity was motivated by God's inherent nature of love and his sovereign character as a king. And because of God's nature of love, there are things that God cannot keep to himself because it is in love's nature to share. And the Bible does not say God has love. Or God loves. The Bible says God is love. So it means his very nature compels him to share of himself. The second is that God's character is the... Is that of a king. And true to the nature of every king, it is in the character of every king to world world.

And the the is world world kingdoms is always to conquer each other. This kingdom wants to conquer that kingdom because the king knows that the more land I have, the more kingdoms I conquer, the more territories I occupy, I overtake, the more the domain of my influence, the more powerful I am as a king. It is in the nature of king to extend his domain, and God is the king of kings. So having built this spiritual domain, which he called heaven, it was in his nature to extend that domain, but he will not extend it by conquering a domain built by another. He is so powerful he can make his own. That's why it's called the king of kings. Yes, sir. It doesn't fight for territories. It just makes it. Yes, sir.

I want to extend the domain of my influence. Don't say, who is the king? Who are they? Let's go and fight. No. It just looks and say, let there be light. I I love that God. I fear that God. What's not to fear? That is what led about the creation of the earth.

It was in the bid to extend the domain of his influence, the domain of his rulership. Do you understand this? And after the earth was created, the earth was created in the same vein as the heavens. There was an administration on the earth. Humanoid species as you would call them on the earth. By the time the earth was created. So Genesis chapter one is actually not the creation story. It is, in fact, the recreation story. You know why that is? Because everything God makes, it is in his character to make it good.

Therefore, God cannot make something and it is without form and void, and darkness is there. Do you understand what I'm saying? The book of Job captures the creation story. In fact, many parts of scripture, even the book of sounds, captures portions of the creation story that was not in Genesis. Because what Genesis saw was recreation. So when you study Job, God started asking Job questions. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? When I stretched the lines, therefore, when I apportioned gates to the seas. Those were not captured in Genesis. Yes, sir.

Yes, sir. When the morning stars sang for joy, as they saw me in the works of my glory, where were you? So it means the morning star, that is the angels partook in creation. They watched God as he was displaying his mastery in craftsmanship, and they were celebrating. The bible says they shouted for joy. They watched the master architect, the master structural designer, the mark... The master engineer laying the foundations, suspending the earth in space held by nothing, and making the galaxies upon galaxies. Even that in the Milky Way is making the suns and the solar system, the stars and their glory. And the the morning stars were shouting, look at this beauty. Look at this beauty.

Look at this beauty. And when they thought they've seen it all, then the sun will come again. What is this beauty? It is in their shock. It is because they witnessed all of this that they were shocked when God created man and invested all of himself in man. So they said, what is man? That we are mindful of it because we witness the beauty of all your creations. How come... Look at the sun. Can't you put yourself in the sun?

Do you know the power the sun has? You you you craft something from the least component you ever made, death. And you put yourself in death. What is that man? I'm not go there yet. Listen. And so God created the earth. But something happened. So when the Bible says in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The verse two now says the earth was without form and void.

There is a large distance between verse one and verse two. Yes, even millions of years. That makes scientist disbelieve scripture because many of them say that if you study the bible chronologically speaking, then the earth is 6,000 years old. Because from Genesis one to our dispensation right now is six thousand years. From Genesis one to Jesus is four thousand years. Jesus to now, two thousand years. Do you get my point? So scientists will say that they have carbonated rocks, and they have found that some rocks are eons old, millions of years old. That means that the bible cannot be accurate. The bible is as accurate as anything.

Because between Genesis one and Genesis two, there is a space of time. Because God cannot create what is without form and void. He told you something happened to the earth that God created. What happened? Woe unto the inhabitants of the earth. For Lucifer has fallen. It was the fall of Lucifer that brought about the earth being without form and void and darkness being on the face of the deep. That was why when God made the man, God told the man be fruitful, multiply, subdue. Subdue is a military term. It shows you you are not the only one here.

Amen. Yes, sir. Yes, if they were the only ones, what are they subduing? Yes, sir. Are you with me? Yes, sir. But Lucifer had fallen. And because of that fall, God had to come again to recreate the earth. There was judgement and every... All kind of things like that happened.

I don't have time to show you all of this type of scripture. Because this is the way, you know, my emphasis. The kingdom is very interesting. Every time I talk about the kingdom, I... I'm excited. And in verse two, God then start recreating the earth he had created. Let there be light. Separated the firmament from the earth. Distributed the lights and put them in their coordinates. Declared that the great light will rule by day and lesser light will rule by night, separated the light into seasons to regulate seasons.

And when God was done with all of these things, commanded the fishes to come out of the waters and vegetation to come out of the ground. And when he was done with those things, the bible says he saw that he was good. After God was done creating everything, he now said, now I've extended again the domain of my influence. But I need a vice regent to oversee the creation. Because the creation that God did, what God made was a physical realm. In John four twenty four, the Bible says God is spirit. And because God is spirit, he needed to make something that has a physical body due to the law of territories. The law of territories states that if you are going to exist in a realm, you must be made of the matter of that realm. So to exist in in the realm of the spirit, you must have a spirit. To exist in the physical realm, you must have a physical body.

Are you with me? So God either would become a physical man to rule over the earth. But that wasn't an option, even though it is an option because he's God, he can do anything. The reason why I would say it's an option is because of his nature as love. Because that nature now compels him to share of himself. So what he did was to create a man. That that and that man will now become vice regent over the earth. The same way he rules in the heavens, the man will rule in the earth. Are you with me? So the bible says, let us create man in our own image after our own likeness and let him have dominion.

Let them have dominion. God never said let us have dominion. God said let the man have dominion over all the works of my hands, over everything I've created. God gave man authority. God gave man dominion. And what was the man bit that God gave to man? Be fruitful, multiply, subdue. Understand that the multiply there doesn't just mean let your children fill the earth in as much as it's a part of it. Are you with me? It primarily means take the influence.

Remember, Lucifer has fallen. They are not the only ones on the earth. The Garden of Eden was not occupying the entire earth. The garden of Eden was a portion of the earth. The Bible says God planted a garden eastward of Eden. Are you with me? Yes sir. For everything God made, God set it into existence. But when it came into the... When it came to the garden, God planted a garden.

Genesis two eight. And God planted a garden. To plant something means that thing already exist. And so if it already exist, where did God pick it from? God picked it from heaven. So God took a portion of heaven, planted a portion of heaven on earth so that man's habitat would be the presence of God. Before he made the fish, he made the waters. Before he made the birds, he made the sky. Before he made man, he planted a garden. A a portion of his presence.

The habitat of man therefore is his presence. It is in the garden of Eden that heaven is mirrored. Because Eden is a direct portion of heaven. So heaven is directly mirrored in in Eden. Do you understand what I'm saying? So when God says multiply, what God is saying is take the influence of Eden. What exist in Eden? As you see it, the way my kingdom has... Look at the green trees. Look at how the animal has subdued your power.

Look at how every creature is under your domain. Take the influence of this kingdom. Are you with me? And spread it all over the earth. Try. Yes, sir. Be fruitful. Subdue. Multiply. I heard a hate...

I heard an atheist attempting to discredit Christianity. And he said, is there anybody that will have a child and will not want the child of harm? That why did God not want Adam that there was a serpent that can come and make him fall? What kind of God is that? He's a keneko keneko on that. And that cannot be your defense. That means you've already read this bible that we read. And if you have questions, you just ask instead of condemning yourself to a kind of condition. Just ask. Just ask people that can answer like us.

Are you with me? Yes, sir. Be fruitful. Multiply. Subdue. The guy's defense was that God would not... Nobody would make... Give birth to a child and not protect the child and not expect except for the fact that God did not create a child. God created himself. That's why you are missing.

You... My reason is that when God made my image like a small boy. No. Let us make man in our own image. After our own likeness. Psalms 82 verse one. The Lord standeth in the congregation of the mighty. He ruleth amongst the Gods. What God made was a God. Amen.

The difference was the domain of their influence. One rose in heaven. The other rose on earth. And the assignment of the one that rose on earth was to spread the influence of heaven on earth. So the kingdom of heaven, the idea was that the kingdom of heaven will now become expressed on the earth so that the earth becomes a reflection of heaven. So that the value system of heaven becomes what is seen on the earth. So that the weight is in heaven becomes how it is on the earth. That was man's mandate. Be fruitful, multiply. That was the same thing that Jesus said, thy kingdom come as it is in heaven.

So on earth. It is called the eternal council of God or the eternal the agenda of God. The intention of God. It is still the mandate of God up until now. That his kingdom be spread all abroad yet. All through the earth. What happened? Was that man fell. The devil disoriented the equation of dominion that God had given to man. The devil did not go to man.

He went to the woman. Deceived the woman. A man decided to fall with the woman. God is not blind. God saw what happened and what transpired. God did not come to the woman. God came to the man because the man is the head. The devil disoriented that equation by going to the woman. What the woman should have done is recognized authority. The first fall was as a result of a rebellious woman.

A woman that cannot submit to authority. Because even even what she said, God said, God did not say. Did God really say that that would know that that you should not eat of the of the garden? The lady said, ah, God said we should not eat it, neither should we touch it. God never said that. God never said, neither should you touch it. God said, in the day you eat of this fruit, you will die. Do you know why that clause is very important? Because if you touch it, you will not die. So the father, he has added the clause to it, and he touches it.

But guess what? It was the man that God gave the instruction. The woman was still inside the man. Redirect the conversation to the man. Did God really say, you can ask... He was the one God spoke to ask you. Today is my women's conference. Let's... Are you with me? Yes, sir.

And Adam fell. Man fell. The whole story came. Everybody... When man fell, understand that man did not lose a religion. Man did not lose what? Adam and Eve were not Christians. God never made them and gave them Christianity. God gave them a kingdom. God said multiply the influence of this kingdom.

That was the assignment. They were kingdom envoys. They were kingdom ambassadors. They were kingdom hemiseries. Their responsibility was to multiply the influence of the kingdom. That earth becomes a mirror image of heaven. That's what many of us know that Nigeria was colonized. It... That is... In fact, that is the model that kingdoms use when they colonize another kingdom.

It's a copied model. It's an imitation. Though imperfect, but close. Because England is in Europe, but the queen can send hermitories to colonize a nation. And when they colonize that nation, they will have to subdue the military. Because when they come there, they won't just allow. So there must be a subduing. They would demonstrate the effect of their superior military intelligence. So whilst we are shooting arrows, they bring guns. So whilst you are putting your arrow, there's a bullet in your head already.

And when you see that these people that come here, they have more military intelligence and strength than you, you bow. What has happened that they have subdued. After subduing, they now begin to multiply. They send emissaries from England. They change your language. They change your clothing. They change what you speak. They change your perception. They create schools to educate you. That is colonization.

That was the responsibility of Adam to make the earth a reflection of heaven. So that if it is in heaven, so it will be on earth. So when man fell, what man lost was not a religion. What man lost was a kingdom because a king is an embodiment of his kingdom. When a king falls, the kingdom has fallen. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So the reason why the kingdom of heaven is a kingdom that cannot be shaken is because the king in heaven cannot be shaken. Yes, sir. When Yes, man fell, man lost the kingdom.

And the authority that God gave man to rule as kings over that kingdom was transferred to Lucifer. That is why Lucifer is called the God of this earth. Jesus had not disputed. Jesus called him that, the God of this world. Are you with me? That was when he became the God of this world. It wasn't always the God of this world. And it was because he was the God of this world that he had the authority to appear in heaven. When the sons of God gathered in the book of Job. And Lucifer too was amongst them.

The license that he provided was the one he stole from man. That assembly, it was man that was meant to be there. But he had taken the ticket from man so he could appear there. When they asked him, where is your ticket? He showed them man's authority. And was granted access. That is no longer possible because that authority has been given back to man. But stay with me. Stay with me. I'm going somewhere.

I'm going somewhere. Man fell, isn't it? When man fell... This is introduction. Kingdom is deeper than this. When man fell, man lost everything. The authority of the kingdom and the kingdom in itself. Man started living in a falling world. And what man was meant to have dominion over? Man, it now dominated man.

Because man had lost the kingdom, the kingdom and everything God created no longer responded to man. It was no longer loyal to man. It was in that equation that man now had to struggle for what to eat because multiply the fruits was no longer in the equation of man. There was nothing for man to multiply again because the kingdom had been taken away. Do you understand what I'm saying? Yes, sir. Because the kingdom had been taken away. So because of this, man had to now reorientate himself to change his priority. That was when man now had to start looking for what to eat. All of man's pursuit now became what I will eat, what I will eat, what I will eat, what I eat.

That's why the message in the old testament now became about the seed. Get my message, the revelation of Jesus. What God was doing in old testament had to change. The initial intention of God was kingdom. But because of the fall, God had to... Because the kingdom has been lost, man had lost it, man had traded it away. God had to find a redemptive strategy. Salvation was that redemptive strategy. So all through the old testament, all the prophet was prophesying was Jesus. A savior is coming.

A messiah is coming. David said, blessed is he, who the Lord does not impute iniquity. Isaiah said, he was bruised for our sake. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. By his stripes, we were healed. Moses said, there's a prophet greater than high that will come to you, and he will save you From your sins. You see this now? All of them were prophesying the same thing. The same thing. A savior is coming.

A savior is coming. The mandate all through the old testament changed because the kingdom could no longer find expression. So when Jesus came... In in fact, Isaiah captured it very well. Isaiah chapter nine verse six, the bible said unto us, a child is born. Unto us, a son is given. The bible says, and the government. Does this say under religion? The word government, there's the word kingdom. Go and check it.

It's the word kingdom. The government shall be upon his shoulders. You know what that means? That means what he's bringing as he's coming is not a religion. It's a kingdom. Why? Because that kingdom was lost. Man exchanged it for vain glory, for material things, you see. And when it comes, it brings the government again on his shoulders. The bible says when it now comes, the moment he comes of the increase of his government, there shall be no end.

Is it of the increase of Christianity? Of the increase of his kingdom, that was what he brought. That was what he brought. That was the mandate of Jesus. So when he came, what was he preaching? Repent. For the kingdom of God is at hand. That was the same thing John the Baptist preached. That was the same thing Paul preached. That was the same Philip preached.

Doesn't even Peter preached. All of them preached the kingdom. The same thing Christ preached. In fact, when Jesus went to heaven, when he was done, he came back on a leave of absence to come and continue teaching on the kingdom. Yes, sir. Still on matters pertaining to the kingdom. Why? Because that was the original reason why the earth was created. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

That is eternal purpose. That is eternal counsel of God. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. All through the old testament, you will see this thing revealed in different ways. The prophet will prophesy in it, but they didn't even know what they were saying. In Habakkuk for instance, chapter two and verse 14, the Bible says and the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. The same thing. The whole earth shall be filled. Same thing.

Do you see that there? Same thing. Revelations eleven fifteen. The Bible says, when the seventh angel sounded the trumpet, there was a large shout saying the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ, and it shall reign forever. Are you seeing this again? Isaiah two understood, the same thing was being said in different ways. And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills and all nations shall flow into it. The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on top of all the mountains. Same thing. Same thing.

This is the central theme of scriptures. This is what God was trying to do. All through scriptures. To make an a an act that becomes a mirror of heaven. So when you say Nigeria and you say the corruption in Nigeria, would you say the kingdom has come? Is Nigeria a mirror of heaven? Are you seeing why we are called believers? This is what they are called witnesses. Our responsibility is anywhere God plants us. Ah, Jesus.

This is the reason why we must be many. Because to take back the old earth, we must multiply. We must be fruitful. So when we say publish the word, it has an end. It's to the end that many people come under the experience of this same truth, of this same light. Are you with me? Yes, sir. Of this same truth. Of this same light. It doesn't hate.

Look at Matthew 13, the parable of the sower. The bible says the sower came and then he started sowing. As he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, some among stones, some on stony places, and then some on good ground. And the bible says that the one on good ground reaped fruit. Some 34, some 34, some 50, some 100. Is that not so? And the Bible says that when God was interpreting that parable, the Bible says the seed is the word of the kingdom. In Matthew 13 verse 19, the Bible says, if any man hears the word of the kingdom, if any man hears the word of thee, the word of thee. So it means the seed is the word. But not just any kind of word, the word of the kingdom.

So it means for this first parable to even prosper, the kind of seed we must be sowing must be right. It's like saying that if any man here sows plants happen, it means if... Before we even conclude that statement, did you plant happen? We can't even hear the remaining if what you planted was not happen. So it means if in our churches, what we are teaching people is not the kingdom, we are wrong. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. We have we have filled the parable. Forget wayside, forget tongues, forget forget stone, the seed is wrong. The seed is wrong.

Because the seed has to be the message of the kingdom. The word of the kingdom. That is the seed. Why is the word of the kingdom the seed? If you plant apple as a seed, what fruit do you have? If you plant beans as a seed, what fruit do you have? If you plant the kingdom as a seed, what what fruit do you have? In other words, if I plant the kingdom in your heart, because the bible says that the soil is the heart of man. So it means that where I'm planting the seed is in your heart. So if I plant the kingdom in your heart as a seed, what I should have back is a son of the kingdom.

Yes, sir. A man of the kingdom, a child of the kingdom. It is therefore impossible for you to hear the message of the kingdom and go to church for ten years that is not show. Yes, sir. It means if you have been there for ten years and you are still pursuing material things, the seed is wrong. Yes, sir. Either the seed you were hearing was wrong or your heart was in the sunny place. Are are you seeing the thing now? Yes, sir. Or your heart wasn't right.

And for many churches, I dare say, with all apology, many men of God have gotten this equation wrong. We prophesy morning tonight and not teach people kingdom. So people have become self dependent on the pastor. Self reliant on the pastor. We don't even know what the thought is for anymore. For current people, the thought is only an avenue to have your needs met. Let the pastor prophesy again and again. And that is why real equipping of believers after the order of Christ is missing. Doesn't matter what we are teaching. If what we are teaching is not the kingdom, you're wrong.

If anyone hears the message of the kingdom, the reason is because the fruit we must have in our churches are children of the kingdom. Why is this important? Because the next parable in this Matthew 13, there are about five parables that follows each other. Each parable is a progression. We can try to preach them independent of the other, but we will be wrong. To understand the second parable, we must understand the first parable. The third, the first, the second. The fourth, the first, second, and third. Are you with me? The second parable, it says, the moment he was done with the parable of the sower is the parable of the wheat and theirs.

We have preached all kind of gospel with this parable. But when you study it, you will realize it's a progression. The bible says a sower went forth. Again, a sower. In the first parable, a sower. The difference is that in the first parable, the sower is the pastor. The sower is the person that is preaching. The seed is the word of the kingdom. The soil is the heart of man. The fruit is the child of the kingdom.

That is the summary of the first parable. The wheat and the tares. There is also a sower. It comes to sow, and the bible liken what it sows to wheat. But whilst men slept, an enemy came and sowed tares amongst the wheat. When Jesus now started interpreting that parable, somewhere in verse 37. He answered and said unto them, he who sows the good seed is now who? In the first parable, who was sowing? In the wheat and the thirst, who is sowing? Who is the son of man?

Jesus. You know this? The son of man has come to seek and to save that which is lost. Jesus refers to himself as the son of man. Jesus is the son of man revealed in Matthew. Are you with me? The son of man is the person that is now sowing in the second parable. What? Let's go on. Scroll up again.

Let me see if that is all. Yeah. Next verse. The field is the Fall. In the first parable, what was the soil? You are following. The heart of man is the soil. In the second parable, what is the field? The head. Cosmos.

Let's go on. And the good seeds are what? Sons of the kingdom. So what seed is Jesus now planting in the world? Sons of the kingdom. Where will they come from? They will come from the first parable, which is the fruit of the church. It means if the church produces nothing, there is nothing for Jesus to sow. This is the submission of Nigeria's problem, America's problem, Arab... Arab's problem, Iran's problem, Afghanistan's problem.

If there is no church, if there is no pastor, if there is no sowing, if there is no reaping, if there is no making of sons of the kingdom, Jesus says there's nothing for me to sow. So it means at every point in time, Jesus is waiting for every church. I want to put someone in president. Who is that? Who is that? Who is that? I need someone in the politics. I need someone in entertainment. I need someone in industries. I need a businessman.

I I need an entertainer. I need a comedian who's of the kingdom. Sir. Yes, sir. When you become a comedian of the kingdom, you realize that kingdom value will haunt you. Yes. So your source of inspiration will not be bomb, bomb, and breast. Yes, sir. Because you understand that in as much as you are doing entertainment, there is a kingdom that you represent. And your assignment is to, oh God.

So when the Bible says, seek you first the kingdom. Let's go back. What is the Bible now saying? The Bible is saying, this mandate of God, this desire of God to spread the influence of his kingdom across the earth. Find out your own responsibility inside and seek it. When you do, all these things. My responsibility in this is to raise sons of the kingdom. When I raise sons of the kingdom, money comes to me. Are you with me? That's my own assignment oh.

I found my own. So Jesus, when I sent you, lackest thou anything. When I sent you on my own assignment, not when you went by yourself looking for things. When I sent you, lackest thou anything. A man can go looking for things and he will search like Saul for a father's donkey for three days, and he will find. But if I sent you, would you ever lack anything? There's a difference between I have a good voice. Let me go and start singing. And I understand that my assignment in the kingdom is to buy the instrumentation of my voice, bring many into a revival. Ah, when I find that place and I start functioning in that office, the men will hear me and they will be too grateful to reward me.

It won't be me seeking for money. Say how much? Before I come there, you must give 10,000 naira. When you know the kingdom, you can know that your own assignment is to be an educationalist teaching and lecturing. You are in either a lecture theater, lecturing in an office, in a university, sorry, or in a secondary school in a primary school teaching children, but that your fruit will not come from there. So he says, whilst you do this, I'm the Lord your God that teacheth thee to prosper. If I can send someone to you by favor, who will look at you and be too grateful for the impact you made in the life of his child? And we'll tell you, I'm too grateful. Come and take this car. This exist.

Not not everybody is teaching for Jobo. Yes, sir. Sir. Yes, Yes, sir. Some are teaching because they know that that place they had, their assignment is to realign the purposes of destinies. Every small child that comes to me, if they ever met me, they would require purpose. So I'm like I'm like a I'm like a neon light, like a spotlight that shines the way forward to many young stars that will come so they will not miss it in life. Because in that same school, do you know the danger now? Because in that same school, remember, whilst men slept, an enemy came. Go and check.

Let's go back to that interpretation and go and check what the tears are. But the tears are what? Where are they planted? The same place the weeds are planted. That's why when we have fully taught you, we have to teach you before we disperse you. Do you know why? Because there's a tear there too. So by the time you say, sir, I'm contesting for local government chairman in politics. There's a tear there too. Yes, sir.

And as you are praying in thought, is is recounting in fact incantations, carrying calabash, sleeping in coughing. It is in the bible. It's normal. For where the wheats are, the devil takes interest there. Yes, sir. Remember, the tears didn't come from first. The wheat came first. So that shows you how the devil operates. He only checks where God is moving. He only...

What is God doing? How is he moving? So when he hears that there's a family and that is seed that has been planted in that family, to redeem that family, there must be a tear there too. Nothing ever happens coincidentally. So the bible says, seek first the kingdom. What is your responsibility in this? What is your mandate in this? What is your assignment in this? Seek it. Live your life for it.

Pursue that. Make that the object of your pursuit. Let it burn you. Let it consume you. And you will find that all these things all these things. This is the reason why I never worry because my priorities are set straight. Seek first the kingdom. Seek first. Live your life in pursuit of the kingdom and all these things. This is what...

Do you know that God God calls himself the owner of heaven and earth? In Habakkuk, in Psalms 24 verse one, earth is Lord's and the fullness thereof. The world and those who dwell in it. Look at this. In Psalms 50 and verse 10, the Bible says for every beast of the forest is mine. The cattle on the thousand eaves is mine. I know all the birds of the mountains, the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would never tell you. For the world is mine in all its fullness. In Haggai two and verse six, the bible says the silver is mine.

The... How many things God God says is? Verse eight, sorry. Everything. The silver is mine. The gold is mine, says the Lord. If God has all these things, do you really think it's ordinary from you? People are foolish in that they don't understood the the world system of God, of the kingdom. The silver is mine. The gold is mine.

Everything is mine. Everything he says is mine. It's not ordinary from the believer. He wants to furnish it on the believer. In fact, in Psalms 35 verse 27, the bible says, let them shout for glory, for for joy, and be glad. And be glad, right? For those who favor righteous cause, and let them say continually that the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. In other words, everything that God says is easy, he wants to give. God wants to prosper. He has pleasure when you are prospering.

God God is seeing the believer prospering, and God is saying That is what the Bible says. I've not seen scriptures. Proverbs ten twenty two, the blessings of the Lord maketh rich, had it no sorrow. In other words, God is not hoarding the wealth and riches that are his from the believer. God has pleasure in prospering you. God wants to prosper you. The bible says thou had brought us onto a wealthy place. God called Abraham and he blessed him, made his name rich. The Bible says, and Abraham was rich. Genesis 13 verse two.

Abraham was very rich in livestock, very rich in silver, very rich in gold. So if God said the silver is mine, the gold is mine, how did they get it? Don't think for a moment that God is after the poverty of the believer. He's not. Yes, sir. That's why God can't boastfully tell you that why do you worry about this things? Why do you worry about this things? Why do you worry about this things? For seeking first the kingdom and see if what you would have made the object of your worry, If they will not be handed unto you. This is the principle that governs wealth in the kingdom.

What does the Bible say in Zecharia one seventy? Cry out, my cities or my kingdoms, true prosperity shall be spread out. So this is the reason why God desires your prosperity. This is the reason why God takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. This is the reason why God wants to bless you. You know why? Because it is with prosperity that his kingdom will spread all over the earth. And what is God's assignment? What is God's mandate? What is God's intention?

The spread of his kingdom. Thy will be done on earth. As it is in heaven. And God says how it will happen. Prosperity is a major part of it. So in Psalms, it says, I take pleasure when you prosper. Because I know that when you prosper, my kingdom starts spreading. What is the equation? Seek you first that kingdom. Let me show you something.

In Exodus chapter 21, chapter three, verse 21. Let's do it in NLT. The Bible says, and I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go. So you will not leave empty handed. Who is doing it? Next verse. Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors like charm. And from all the foreign women in their houses, you would dress your sons and daughters with this gold, with this silver, with this clothes. It means God wants you to prosper.

God wants you to look good. God does not have anything against you how only driving a good car. Being in a good house. It's when you take the gold, when you take the silver, dress yourself in there. Wear your children nice clothes. Don't think that I'm after slavery. No. Wear your children nice clothes. Put gold on their neck. Put silver on their neck.

Walk like kings away. That's what God said. It's in your bible. But guess what? And it happened though. It happened. In 12, Ephesians twelve thirty five, the new King James version, the bible says, now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses. And they had acts from the Egyptians like charm, articles of silver, articles of gold, articles of clothing. What now happened? Next verse, and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians so that they granted them what they requested.

Thus, they plundered the Egyptians. Does it remind you of Proverbs thirteen twenty two? The wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous. Does it remind you? Yes, sir. So does does God want you to prosper or not? And and he told them dress yourself well. Dress well. Look good. Be in a good car.

Get a good house. But when they got to the wilderness, God now decided that it is time for me to dwell amongst you. Because you see the assignment and the mandate isn't just that you will come out of Egypt. It is that I will take you to the promised land. And that land is occupied by the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and all these other sites. And when you get there, you would not need you would not need to take the wisdom you got from Egypt because the idea is that as it is in heaven, so it will be on earth. I need to show you how it is in heaven. And to do that, I must dwell amongst you. So I need a temple constructed. Are you with me?

Yes, sir. I need the tabernacle constructed. I will show you the pattern I will use in building the tabernacle. I will show you everything that would be in the tabernacle. Exodus 25 verse one. The Bible says, look at this, then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, next verse, speak to the children of Israel that they bring me an offering from everyone who gives it willingly. With his heart, you shall take what? His money. You're not getting this. From everyone who give it willingly from his hands, you will take not his money, my offering.

In other words, it's in his hand, but it's mine. It's what I gave him. The silver is mine. The gold is mine. The cattle or the thousand eels is mine, but it is Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Now I have need for it. What did it take from the Egyptians? In other words, I want to give you these things. But when I have need for it, can you give me back?

Because the Bible says, true prosperity, child is kingdom be spread abroad. The reason why he wants to prosper you is for his kingdom. So he says seek ye first. It means if your desire is after the kingdom, you will watch wealth flow into your account like this. Look at verse verse, I think it was eight. Eight. One, two, three, go. From the dawn of time, the hack has already been designed to be carried on the shoulders of priests. It is men that spreads the influence of the kingdom. Men with wealth, men with resources, men with influence, men with money, men that can sing, men that have passion.

These are the kinds of men that God uses to spread his own influence. And you must understand this, that when you seek after his kingdom, then what you have done is you have qualified yourself as a man that God can use. It means God... You have said, God, I am an open treasure. Do you need money deployed to any church? Use me as your bank account. So that when this year needs to go on a crusade, and you hear we we need 10,000,000 for this crusade. Listen. Is your heart beating heart for that kingdom? Or are you after what will I eat?

Remember, they were not praying for what to wear. But God told them, after you get the cloth, wear wear it good. Change your dressing. Look good. Look nice. In other words, all these things will be hardened. But the pursuit is never for those things. The pursuit is always for the kingdom. Let the kingdom take over your being. Take over your ex essence.

And watch what I will do and make with your life. 35 and verse 36 and verse five. 36 and verse five, NLT. The Bible says, then went to Moses and reported. One, two, three, go. Verse six, watch this. So Moses gave the command, uh-huh, and this method was sent throughout the camp. Men and women don't prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough. When we are going for apostolic invasion, I said the same thing.

I told some people, I said, don't give again. We already have enough. Unless you want to sow a seat to the we... For apostolic invasion, we have enough. Don't don't worry about that. And it was a blessing. In other words, this is why God will bless you. Yes. Do you understand this? In other words, if if you if you don't have a heart for his kingdom, how would you know?

You have a crave for money because you are afraid of not having enough. Psalm one two seven. The fear of not having enough, when it leaves my hand now, what will I spend tomorrow? Take no worry of these things. You let your heart be beaten for my kingdom. Lavish your time on my kingdom. Lavish your resources on my kingdom. Lavish all you have on me and watch what I will do with your life. Listen, people will call you foolish. It happened in the time of Jesus.

The bible says that Martha came and brought a year's wage. Are you with me? Yeah. A year's wage worth of perfume. And the Bible says she broke it at the feet of Jesus. And rubbed it at the feet of Jesus. Clinged it with her hair. Look at that waist. A year's wage. That's our salary for one year.

Bought a perfume and just cracked it open and was rubbing it on the feet of Jesus. Was rubbing it on the feet of Jesus. All the disciples asked for him to say, hey, woman, why are you wasting that money? If you go and sell this thing now and now go and give it to the poor, would not have done something. It's it's not now. Are they on social media now? There are plenty judices on social media who think they can tell those that have the perfume what to do with that perfume. Why not go and buy your own? How? I make my money.

You were trying to educate me on how to spend my money. Make your own. Why are you giving to churches? Churches that are wasting your money. We are meant to be building industries. Why are you building money? Go and build one. Go and build one. If you are angry, do something about it. India's economy right now has risen to overtake that of America.

Yet India has more shrines than they have companies. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. India has more idols than they have industries. India has more idols than they have citizens. They go everywhere, every street, everywhere. In Nigeria, you start you start go and become. You're meant to be schools. Go and build your own. Those that have made money who are giving.

People are foolish. Somebody somebody makes a 100,000,000 and gives 10,000,000 out of his 100,000,000 naira. I want to educate him on how to... How best to spend money. Yet he can make a 100,000,000. And you think you are the one that has... You that don't have a cop. You you you are the one that has intelligence. Listen, sons of the kingdom are those that are... That can empty themselves.

They can waste themselves. They they don't mind wasting away because they know it's not a waste. If the waste is on Jesus, then watch what will come back. Watch the returns. You know what Jesus told that woman? He said anywhere this gospel is spread, anywhere, you have eternal relevance. Eternal relevance. Listen. Listen. In Luke seventeen twenty, the bible now says, because you see, the holy ghost.

God now reordered the thing. God said, I will not put you inside heading. I will put heading inside you. So in Luke seventeen twenty, they said they will ask, where is the kingdom? You now ask that it is not here. It is not there. It's not an observation. In verse 21, the bible now says you will now say to them that the kingdom of God is inside of you. The mandate in Adam was that it would spread the influence of the kingdom from Eden outwards. The mandate of the believer is from the inside outwards.

God placed the fullness of everything inside you so that your life becomes a your life becomes a reflection of the kingdom. That when you step into a classroom, you have stepped there with the kingdom, Jesus. Oh god. The bible says the kingdom. Do you understand the power of this? Do you know do you know how you became citizens of this kingdom? You became fittest because you were born again. It's not spooky. Hope you know. It is completely legal.

How did you become fittest of Nigeria? It's not a spooky thing. It's a legal thing. Why do married women carry that pregnancy and brought to go and give birth there? So that their children can be born there. And when they are born there, they become fittest zines of that land. Are you with me? So when Nicodemus came to Jesus and told Jesus, no man can do these things you do except God be with him. Jesus answered unto him, if unless a man be born again. In other words, the source of the things that I do is because I'm born in a different kingdom.

Born again simply means you have been born before. It's not a spooky terminology. It means you have been born before. But your birthing before made you a citizen of whatever nation you came from. That isn't sufficient to do the works I do. I do the works I do because I come from another nation. In that nation, things are different. The Bible speaks of the commonwealth of Zion. Even the commonwealth of nation is different. And if you are born from that nation, everything is...

You function from there. Your life is governed from there. Your life is ordered from there. Your life is regulated from there. So you know that everything that I use my life to do is in service to the kingdom. That's why my life cannot be spent in the laps of a woman, cannot be spent on the shoulder of a man and waste my destiny away there. Don't you know that what you are carrying there is a government? The moment you think of going to go and go spend the night in the line in the in in in behalf of that guy, know that it is the entire kingdom like that is going with you. Because it is inside you. You are wasting heaven's resources, and heaven is saying, look at...

Come on now. You shouldn't do this. You shouldn't do this. You shouldn't do this. I've made your life a template for my glory. I've I've worn you like a jacket so that through you, you can carry me into your classroom. When you step down and sit down, the kingdom has gotten there. You are mobile kingdoms. Yes. You are the kingdom on two legs, carrying the value systems of God wherever you go.

So that when you become a musician, you understand that there is a value I represent. When you become a social media influencer, there are things you will not do because your life is regulated by the kingdom. When you become a policeman, there are things you will not do. When you become a soldier, there are things you will not do. If you're ever lifted as an IGP, there are things you will not do. Yes, sir. If you are a judge, there are things you will not do. The Bible says, shall the judge of the earth judge unrighteously? The Bible says, who shall become a voice to the weak. When I get there, the judge, and I'm in the court of law, I know I'm a voice to the weak.

I represent the value system of the kingdom. You can't come and corrupt me to send an innocent man to the prison. That's why I'm here, to put an end to this debauchery. Evil will not persist under my watch. I'm here the light, an emblem of the kingdom. An emblem of the kingdom. An epitome of light. The bible therefore says you are the light of the world. A city set on the hill that cannot be hidden. For every time you say I don't want anybody to see me oh, you are hiding the kingdom.

You are not only hiding yourself. That means God says I've put I've put myself on your inside. I'm the wealth of my kingdom on your inside so that you cannot be hidden. Because I don't want my kingdom to be hidden. Do you know what the Bible says? The Bible says that the knowledge of the glory of God are is the is glory The glory the glory the glory of God. Told some people yesterday. I said go on. Go... Don't go inside politics and let them know your presence there.

Don't never say I'm too young. Go there. Go to their offices. Find out what it takes to be a politician. If you know you have a calling to it, start now. In every meeting you go for, let let your voice be heard. Any reasonable contribution, raise your hand. And give ideas that can only come from the kingdom. And they would ask you, ah, you see you are in... Where where are you from again?

Say, my name is mister Emmanuel. Yes. You don't say, I am in 2011. No. I'm mister Emmanuel Bolo Atefei. So people are people are saying, people are doing that. I think we can go like this and go like that. Before you know, people are marking your faces. The kingdom of God is spreading. It is not your place to go and start arguing with people when you get there.

And you say, our government have failed us. I'm here to cause a change in this place. And then you you you you see maybe a local government chairman speaking. Let's not do that. We are people of the kingdom. People in power rule. Yes. Yes, sir. Yes. There are things you will look at what they are saying and say, that's a beautiful idea.

Why not modulate it this way? Why not add this to it? The bible says be as wise as serpent, as gentle as those. The will of the kingdom is that it infiltrates and manifest. Yes, sir. They don't know what they have accepted on on... The the war the war of the kingdom, you learn it you learn it in Moses. By the man that will kill you, you will raise it. You will feed him. You will send him to school, but he he he is sent to kill you.

That's the war of the kingdom. Grew up together, played together, yet he was fed in that same palace. Hi. Hi. Imagine he was... Everyday was saying, I'm sent to come and deliver the people of Israel. There is wisdom to infiltrate. Yes, sir. Sir. To understand when you cannot make any tangible change, keep your ideas to yourself.

Don't make unnecessary enemies Yes, sir. Yes. Of people in power. You need them to rise. Yes, sir. The bible say I've seen the wickedness in the earth. Foolish people are put in positions of power. The king put foolish people in positions of power. You know to say, that's the problem. Is to put yourself in a situation whereby you enter the positions of power.

Are you with me? Because you understand that this is what we do for the kingdom. Because you know the kingdom is inside of you and you seek the kingdom. Your academics will reflect it. Because you have seen the value of excellence to the kingdom. That when you have a first class, apart from getting you a good job, just you are seeking the kingdom. What will my first class do to bring glory to God? People will ask you how did you do it? And when they call you to come and give you awards and certificates as the best graduate student, you will stand there and give a speech and you will say, glory to Jesus, the son of God. He gave me the wisdom for this.

A girl got first class in pharmacy department. 6.9 out of 7.0 GPA, and she was interviewed by all papers in Nigeria. You know what was the headline? I sowed my seeds and I prayed in tongues. One check. It is this. It is the... It's online. One check. And you are here.

I soaked my seeds. I prayed in tongues. That's kingdom. That's kingdom. That's more than a job. That's a... I have to cross that. Come on. Shut up. Let it be more than yourself.

Yes, sir. Discover that the value of life is beyond you, and then you have started living life. Discover that the value of life is beyond you, And then is when you truly start to live. He says seek you first the kingdom. My life is more than myself. I cannot be selfish. I cannot be selfish. I pay school fees of people. I give allowance to people. Yet I'm a young man doing ministry, and I have names of myself.

I give mercilessly ridiculously. This is how I know I will always be blessed. I will never lack a thing. Till Jesus comes, I will always abound. My life is completely sold out to the kingdom. All I do is for the kingdom. I've... I don't even care about my health. I don't care about myself. I don't care about my strength.

I don't care about my body. There are times I've not slept for three days, and I'm minishing up and now preparing preachings, preparing sermons because I must bless lives. Why do we do it? We have sold ourselves to the kingdom. We are not left of our we are not left of our own anymore. We are not left of our own I've anymore. Been offered to a diet. Life finally is not my home. I've been offered to a diet. Listen.

Listen. This is how to rise. I'm telling you how to rise under God. Believe what I'm saying and you will prosper. Don't believe it. Regret it forever. I tell you. I tell you. This is how men rise. That my life will give glory to God for I live for one that is bigger than myself.

This is why I go into business because I'm a kingdom financier. I must finance his kingdom. There is... There there are visions and purposes that must not die under my watch. There are doctors that must go to school, and I'm sent to them. There are students that must not die on the street. This is the reason why I'm going to business. Listen. I'm learning a trade for this reason. So when I make profit, I can give.

I can give and give and give again. Hear me? Hear me? Hear me? Hear Hear me? Me? I live below I live below 30% of my of my wealth. I give out more than 70% of what comes to me. More than 70% of what comes to me. Don't do this if you're not led.

This stone has eaten some of us up, and the remaining 30% is extremely comfortable for me to survive. Very soon, it will come to a point where 1% can buy a private jet. Hear me? Hear me? We we don't think that we give because we have. We give because we are givers. When the bible says the Lord the Lord gives seed to the sower. Go and read that scripture again. The Lord does not give seed to the person that we sow. He gives seed to the sower.

God has tested you, are filled. You... That what I was saying last year, two months ago. Yeah. No. It is not the sower. It is not the sower. It is not the sower. Some of our lives have been wasted on the order of sacrifice. Wasted on the altar of sacrifice.

Are you with me? Is not spend my life not a waste. Not a waste. My lover. Spend my life not a waste. Not a waste. My lover. Hear me? Back on Sunday. Ready for their exams and all of them passed.

Somebody think, listen to me. Listen. If I realize that I I I I I checked my result and it was not the best I could do, what I will sacrifice to have a better result is not good. It's not God. I don't know how we... How how how we think the dictionary. My finances is not as I think it will be. What I will sacrifice to improve my finances can never be God. Can never be God. Why do you think God is the reason why it's not helping the the the interview?

I hear so many foolish people say foolish things. Because I I came to church. I started having attacks. Let me steal. Who who has deceived us? Why do we talk like fools like this? You hear me? Seeking first the kingdom. Seeking first. Listen.

If your up... If your pursuit for money and for wealth has made you lose God, you are wrong. Let me tell you now you are wrong. Stop whatever you are doing and find the truth. Find the life. There are people that have lost God for ministry. The guy is busy doing ministry, going from studio to studio, meeting to meeting, crusade after crusade. Yet there's no prayer life. There's no study life. He has completely lost record of what God would have him do.

He don't even know what the what the kingdom is anymore. He has no idea what the kingdom is anymore. He's not doing ministry for money. When you get to that point, let me tell them that you won't manipulate people for money. Those are the kind of people that say, come and buy miracle this, 10,000 naira. These days, it has become about money. No longer about the kingdom, about money. How much can enter into the man of God's pocket? Whenever you see a man of God manipulating people for money, then the priority has changed. The priority has changed.

That time will never come when I will beg people for money. Never. Never. And yet we'll prosper and help millions of people. Millions of people. Listen. Listen. Sir. Listen. I checked from January till now, and I saw that I've given money close to eight digits.

Close to eight digits that I have given. Close to eight digits. I said, my god. I didn't even know. This is why we live. This is what makes it make sense. And people will look at us and will receive favor like never before, help like never before, glory like never before. When God sees that you are all about his kingdom, there is nothing he will not give you. There is nothing he will not give you. If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me, not unto you.

It means if your ministry is about lifting yourself up, nobody will come. If I be lifted up if I be lifted up, why do you want to be popular? Why do you want to be influential? Listen. If it is all about the kingdom, then you would desire influence. You didn't see that? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. You would desire... You you would want to be great because you know what your greatness does for the kingdom.

You are like a brand ambassador. Yes, sir. No brand goes to a man who is not popular to sign an agreement with them. Everybody is looking for popular people. That's the power of influence. What now happens when you become popular knowing what you represent in Christ? If you say... If you if you if you are a if you are a doctor and you have a groundbreaking discovery in your in your field and you win a Nobel Prize and you have an interview in CNN, everybody wants to know you and what you represent. Do you know that because of that, there are a lot of young people who are doctors who look up to you? Yes, sir.

Who will listen to what you have to say? Yes, And if you tell them, before I go into laboratory, I speak in tongues. Ah. Jesus Christ. Yes, sir. You will see your emails flooded. Sir, what is tongues? What is tongues? What is tongues? I want to this.

I want to that. I want to this. I don't know people. I don't know people saying they will come and say, get ready with me as I go to work today. Naked body. And I say, this is this is my lipstick. It came from. This is my tunica. It came from. This is the word of God.

This is the spirit of truth, and you stand there as a kingdom influencer. Listen. This is why what what brings influence is not the crave for influence. There must be something that you are doing, a value you are exchanging that will make men sick for you. Do you understand what I'm saying? It's not... Don't just go there and say, I want to be a feminist influencer. Now put camera on your face with empty barrier. Doing nothing. No.

You must be exchanging value. Then people will gather around that value. When they see what you are offering, then you will mentor them because they will listen to you. You don't have to be a man of God. You don't have to be a man of God. That is how the kingdom of God spreads. You contest for positions of power. You can do more as an MD of a bank than as a clerk in a bank. Yes, sir. Yes.

So when you... If you get there as a clerk, then you look up, you say, that position is mine. How do I get there? See, as thou a man. Trigentness walk. It shall stand before kings and not before men men. Alright. No problem. 7AM, I come to walk. I'm punctual.

I'm diligent. I'm hardworking. I never make any mistake. I'm... I have integrity. I have honor. How did David become a king? Every time he wins a battle, he will take gift to the hell out of Israel. So my people that are my superior, when they pay me salary, I will go to the current MD. I will give him a gift.

Thank you so much for what you have been doing. I want to honor you with this. You gotta do that. What kind of employer is this? Fifteen years I've been serving. Nobody had ever done this before. You're wise as servants. Gentle as those. When the guy is transferred or promoted and they say, who can you recommend? There's a guy.

There's there's one guy. I don't even know what department is in, but he is the one. Say, are you sure? I vouch for you. Ah, that is how men rise. That is how men rise. A a man... It... Men must lift men. Yes, sir.

If a man of influence likes you, you are blessed. Yes, sir. How does it happen? Seek ye first the kingdom. If you will title my teaching, seek ye first the kingdom. This is only an introduction. If you are if you are if you are in the army, this is why God will lift you. There's a there's a the man in the general right now. I love that man so much. Everything is extremely excellent in the army.

Yet powerful in the kingdom. Powerful in the kingdom. Through him, several soldiers are now believers. Through him. Through him. But we need many. Many people that will go into that same place. Soldier. Finish school one, do your NDA. Go there fast.

And rise in the ranks. Rise in the ranks. God has told you this is the field I'm I'm sending you into. Let it be about the kingdom. Then it will make sense. Let your pursuit for a first class be about the kingdom. Rout everything in your life about the kingdom. Let it never be about yourself. Hear me. We believe you were blessed by this message to connect with the Disciples Christian Network and get more from Apostle Emmanuel.

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