Speaking from the theme for the year, “The Year of the Holy Spirit,” Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, while ministering at the January 22 Sunday service, urged the church to forget every threat of the devil and be confident in the Holy Spirit.
Citing Romans 6:8, Ephesians 6:15–17, and Acts 2:38, he explained that any believer who has Christ living in them has life through the Holy Spirit and is dead to sin.
According to him, the proof of the Holy Spirit comes upon a believer at baptism. However, he added that it takes desires and knowledge for such a believer to experience it.
The Senior Pastor said, “When you are baptized in the name of Jesus, it settles everything in every area of your life. “No Christian should say he or she has no proof of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit comes on every believer, but it takes desire and knowledge for Him to come upon a believer.
“When the Holy Spirit comes upon a believer, he comes fully, and at the center of the gospel of the kingdom is the ministry of the Holy Spirit.”
Referencing Ephesians 5:18, Pastor Taiwo told his listeners that believers need to be kingdom conscious. He said this would help them operate more with the Holy Spirit.
The cleric said: “If you are a true Christian, there should be a yearning for the Holy Ghost. As a believer, you cannot afford to forget or do without the Holy Spirit at any point in your life. It is time to let the Holy Ghost do His work in the church. We should not replace the Holy Ghost with technology.
“Our natural man cannot do anything; we all need the help of the Holy Spirit to make it through life; therefore, we have to allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in our lives so that we can access the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.”
He rounded off his message by urging the congregation to yield more to the Holy Spirit, as He wants to provide the motivation and the power of Christlikeness that will turn people towards Him.
He said this can only be achieved through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. “You cannot be thinking and talking in the Holy Ghost and not move in His power or His fruits,” he said.
