TheCable

Seeing the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church (RCCG) preach effortlessly from the pulpit gives the impression that he could do it for hours on end.

Your belief is reinforced by the knowledge that he spends days in the presence of God before he mounts the pulpit at the church’s major events such as the ongoing 2021 annual convention.

You would therefore not be surprised when he recalled that there was a time when he preached eight long sermons in Nigeria.

But you may be surprised to hear him say that at his current age of 79, he cannot try that – preach eight long sermons.

The difference, he says, is in the glory of youth, which was the title of his ministration to end the second day of the church’s 69th annual convention on Tuesday.

The day was largely devoted to youths who dominated programmes like praise, worship, sermons, talk shows, and drama — all held virtually.

For their contributions to the church, the youths were also rewarded with the announcement of the establishment of an executive council for youths, which shall meet with the governing council of the church every December to discuss plans and programmes for the young adults and youths of RCCG.

In his sermon, Enoch Adeboye, general overseer, explained that the glory of youth is strength, which is part of God’s design of humans.

And one of the benefits of the glory is that when the strength of the old and elderly is waning, the strength of the youth comes in to support.

He cited the example of David, who as a youth killed Goliath the giant, but later in life, he was so tired during a battle with the Philistines that a youth had to save him.

The general overseer traced the source of the strength of the youth to God himself, explaining that it is only those who keep a good relationship with him that have their strength renewed.

He said that having a good relationship with God requires purity (holiness) to ensure that the glory or strength is not contaminated.

He listed some of the reasons for youths to ensure purity in their lives.

* Youths must live a pure life to avoid physical contamination, which is the cause of most sicknesses.

* They must be pure to avoid mental contamination through association with people who have no fear of God.

* To avoid spiritual contamination, they have to avoid the company of people who do not walk in the ways of the Lord.

* Samson, born be a Judge, was a strong man with unusual strength but through his association with wrong women, he became contaminated and ended as a captive. We have to be maritally pure.

* We have to be pure for our prayers answered and to reach our goals.

Making the altar call, which he always does towards the end of his sermons, he reminded his audience that we can only talk about purity when we have surrendered our lives to God.

Much earlier in the day, the general overseer announced some of the decisions made by the governing council of the church, which met during the week, as follows:

* The establishment of an executive council for the youths.

* The creation of 27 provinces in Nigeria out of the 28 that applied.

* Approval of the ordination of people during the Year 2021 national convention:

(a) 10,802 deacons and deaconess

(b) 4,725 assistant pastors

(c) 2,230 full pastors

(d) 58 honourary elders

* The appointment of James Fadel as a new assistant general overseer (AGO). He joined the church in the early 1970s and is the continental overseer of the Americas.