The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has said a man can’t claim to be free indeed if he is still poor. He however explained that wealth simply means the ability to meet one’s needs and not go borrowing.
Adeboye made the submission at the monthly Thanksgiving Service of the church in Lagos on Sunday, October 1. His message was pre-recorded as no live audience was shown along with the delivery.
The RCCG pastor who spoke on the topic, Free Indeed, said man is a trinity: body, soul, and spirit.
He explained, ‘You live in a body you have a soul but you are a spirit being. When we talk about being free, we are talking about freedom in the three beings. You can not claim you are free indeed if you have a problem physically and spiritually. To be free indeed, you must not be in bondage physically and spiritually.’
Making allusion to the slavery regime in the US, he said, ‘We can go down the history lane what happened to the black man when they were freed in the US. They had no land, no place to go. They were free but had nothing to use to establish their freedom. They later became laborers to the people they were supposed to be free from.
He added also that a person who is sick can’t claim to be truly free. ‘You might be the richest man on earth. If you are sick, you will be tied down in the hospital. We all know the story of Naamam in the Bible. He was a successful General in the army. But he was a leper. As wealthy as he was, he could not embrace his children.’
I borrowed from my driver
Sharing a personal testimony, he said, “Before I was born again I had a driver that I paid salary regularly. But by the middle of the month, I was borrowing money from my driver. But when I became born again things changed. I had friends who came to drink in my house. When I became born again and discovered I couldn’t even entertain people with alcohol. Soon all my friends disappeared. I began to have friends who loved me.
“Before I was saved, I was regularly sick, at least once in two weeks. I was always sick until I got born again and the almighty God chased out sickness from my family.”
Read also: Holy Communion: How not to take it: https://churchtimesnigeria.net/holy-communion-pastor-adeboye/
He noted that there are more prisoners outside the prison walls than inside the prison. ‘Somebody who is saved, born again, whole physically, whole mentally, and in prison might be better than the one outside that is wealthy, famous and you can’t even sleep at night because of fear. When God was setting the children of Israel free, not a single one was sick. The people were loaded with money when they came out of Israel because God asked them to collect the salary the Egyptians owed their fathers for years in slavery.’
Fear has torment
Referring to 1 John 4v18, he said God wants every child of his to experience freedom both spiritually and physically. He said also that those who still have fear can’t claim to be truly free. ‘Fear has torment. You can’t be truly free if you are still afraid of death.
“When Jesus saves your soul, he destroys fear from your life. The moment you come to Jesus you will die at your appointed time. He will keep you alive till the time he wants to take you home. The moment the fear of death is gone, you will know what is called freedom indeed.
“When Jesus comes to your life fear disappears. God has put everything under believers. When you are in Christ you know the meaning of true freedom.”
He urged believers to join forces to bring salvation to Nigeria. “You have a responsibility to keep praying for the nation. The more we are saved, the easier we can say we are free. You can enjoy independence and still be in slavery to the kingdom of darkness. ”
While urging people to come to Jesus he said, “If you consider my responsibility and the places I have had to travel and my blood pressure remains normal, you will know that you can be free indeed.”
The RCCG Overseer said, “When Jesus sets you free, he heals you too. When he went to cross for you he took stripes to make us free. When he saves your soul, he makes sure your needs are met.’