Thanksgiving: it’s very unwise thing to waste time, because time cannot be wasted—Pst Adeboye
By Exponent News. 1st December, 2024.
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God -RCCG- pastor Enoch Adeboye has said men should not waiste their time as it very unwise thing to waisted time because time cannot be wasted. Speaking during the Thanksgiving of the Church on a topic in my father’s House, Adeboye said everyone would surely die and go home which is heaven or hell.
He said the Igbo people as a tribe valued their country home and as a matter of fact ,when Christmas come , they all traveled to their village to celebrate. His words
“In this case, he is talking about where I will be finally. You know, I like my brothers, the Igbos. Everywhere they go, to trade and do whatever they want to do, they have accommodations there. They call Christmas time. Where do they go? They go to the village. And if you go to the villages, you will be amazed at mansions.”
“I mean, you will be amazed. The village itself may have a total of maybe 20, 25 houses. And there you see one mighty mansion there. It belongs to somebody who works in Lagos. And there is nothing you can do to keep a normal Igbo man in Lagos.Because Christmas time, he has gone to the village, my last resting place.”
Similarly, the man of God said the moment we are born into this world, our journey has started gradually closer to where we came from.
“It will amaze you that the moment you are born, you begin a journey. A journey back to where you came from. Every day after you are born is a day less on your journey to your final home.”
“That’s why nobody ever asks you, how young is your child? What do they ask? How old? Even if he is only two days old, he is old, not young. Why? Because we are walking steadily back to somewhere which will be a final resting place. ”
According to him, he said the Bible declared that we are all pilgrimage in this world. ” The Bible may declare we are on a pilgrimage. Everybody, whether you like it or not, you are steadily moving on”
He urged us not to waiste time and ensure to serve God. “That’s why it’s a very unwise thing to waste time. Because time cannot be wasted.He is the one who says he is wasting time, that he is wasting himself. ”
“Time goes on, steadily, like a river flowing. In Genesis 47, from verse 7 to 9, Pharaoh asked Jacob, How old are you? Oh, he said, the years of my pilgrimage is 130. I’ve been on this journey for 130 years. When Joseph wanted to die, In Genesis 50, from verse 24 to 26, He told his brethren, I’m in Egypt. Prime Minister, big man.”
He explained how Moses took bones of Jacob home when they left Egypt. His words ” When the children of Israel were to leave Egypt, Moses took the bones of Jacob with him-Home.
He said, but God is going to visit you. When I die, it is time for God to send you back to your homeland. Don’t leave my bones here. It’s not my home.Take me back to my home. And so in Exodus 13, verse 19, Hundreds of years later, When the children of Israel were to leave Egypt, Moses took the bones of Jacob with him.Home. ”
“We’re all going somewhere called home. And it’s a compulsory journey.There’s nothing you can do to say I won’t go. You are going.Anytime my children look at me and say, Daddy, you are growing old. I always laugh. I say, what about you? We are growing old together. Yes.Very soon I will be 83. That’s one year extra. By that time, you will be one year extra.”
That every body we exit this world one day. ” We are all going. There is no exception at all. Exodus 1, verse 8. Exodus 1, verse 8 tells us, Pharaoh, as great as he was, died.And a new king arose. The kings will die. Kingmakers will die”
In another development, Adeboye said everyone both rich or poor would die as Bible tells us. “The Bible tells us, 1 Samuel 25, verse 1. 1 Samuel 25, verse 1.It says Samuel died. Samuel was the original kingmaker in Israel.He was the one who made Saul king.
And later on, when he removed Saul from being king, I mean, when God removed Saul from being king,he was the one who anointed David to be king. Kingmakers will die.Just like the king.
Prophets will die. It doesn’t matter the anointing. Whether the general will say Alexis or not, he is going.Why? 2 Kings chapter 13, you can read from verse 14 to 21.
2 Kings 13, from verse 14 to 21. It says. And Elisha was sick, with the sickness with which he died. What happened? How could somebody with double portion anointing die? Even the anointing kept on working after he was dead. The anointing didn’t die. But the kind of the anointing died.Prophets will go. Kings will go. Kingmakers will go.General Overseers will go.The Bible says, Whether you are wise or you are foolish, you will die. Ecclesiastes chapter 2, verse 16.Ecclesiastes 2, verse 16. The wise and the foolish, they die alike. So you may have phD., you will die.You may never have more than primary school, you will go. Death is no respect of persons. The rich will die.
No, no matter how wealthy you become, you can be the richest man in the whole world. You are going. What about the poor? I mean, if the rich is going to die, how can the poor escape? Luke chapter 16, from verse 19 to 31.”
He said the Bible also confirmed this that we are going to journey back home. ” Luke 16, from verse 19 to 31. It talks about a man who was so rich, every day in his life was Christmas. I mean, every day was feast time. He would just wake up in the morning, dress joyously, and then begin to feast. And then there was a poor fellow called Lazarus. He would come and just take whatever crumbs fell down from the table.
They were enough. Those, the eggs, what do you call it now? The eggs rags. They were enough to feed that man.
And the interesting thing was that the rich man didn’t even bother to take as much crumbs as he liked. He didn’t do anything to him, or didn’t quarrel with him, didn’t chase him away. But both of them died.The rich man died. The poor man died also. That brings us to this crucial topic.Because I don’t know why they chose this topic for this period. When we die, where are we going? Because there are two kinds of houses over there.When we finish.”
According to him, when we died, God would separate us in heaven into two groups, those in the right and those in the left .
” Matthew 25. You can read it from verse 31 to 46.Matthew 25 from verse 31 to 46.Jesus Christ said, a day is coming. When every one of us will be gathered together. They will put some people on the right. They are called sheep. They put another group on the left. They are called goats.He said, when is that day coming? I don’t know. But everything that is happening according to what is in the Bible shows clearly. It is closer than you think.”
He said ” What sends somebody to heaven does not really have anything to do with where he is living. Today, now, Russia is fighting Ukraine. It started like a joke. Everybody thought that the battle, the whole thing would be over within a short period. But Russia is big. Ukraine is not that big.
Little by little, the thing is escalating. And Russia is. I am not joking. If this boy misbehaves, I have something that I can use.But what he can use can be something that is detonated in Ukraine and it will affect those who are in Nigeria. Anything. From a distance, you can’t even imagine.
Anything can happen that will say, hey, the end has come. And then when that end comes, God will group us into two groups. One on the right. One on the left. We will read that passage. And then he will say, alright, those of you on the left, go to that place that I have prepared for you by God in my Father’s house.And those of you who didn’t do the way, what I expect you to do, go to the other house. And the Bible refers to as hell. Please brethren, don’t let anybody deceive you.
The idea of two homes had been known to our forefathers. That’s why they sing among my people. They say, hey, don’t be wicked or not.
Because you are going somewhere and when you get to the gate, he will give an account. Oh, our forefathers, I’m talking of far, far, far, far before Christianity or Islam came, they knew that the world we are in. It’s not the end of the story.
No, no, no.That is shown in their behaviors. You will be amazed how strict they are when it comes to how you must behave towards your neighbors.”
He also talked about the cultural faithfulness among the people of old doing Agricultural business without them being bat the location of their goods but they would meet their money after a customer has purchased goods but the culture has changed this day .
” In those days, when I was younger, you would be going to the farm and beside the road, they would put bananas in heaps. And then they would put the cost of one heap there. May be one penny. And somebody, and then the farmer would go home with him, go back to his work and be working.When he comes in the evening, all the heaps that have been bought will have the money there waiting for him”
“You go and put your banana along the road in Ebute -meta and put the naira to show this is how much and come back in the evening and the banana will be gone and there will be no naira waiting for you.”
” But they go further than that. If you are going and you came across the layers of bananas, maybe five layers, and you have money to buy all, you do not buy all. You leave at least one heap behind. Why? Because somebody else is coming who will also need bananas”
He said the culture of faithfulness to the marital oath in dose days among our forefathers was strict but now the reverse is the case.
“Just think of their standards. How strict. As young as I was in those days, when a visitor comes to visit my dad and there are two seats. My dad is sitting on one, my mum is sitting on another, and this stranger comes and he is a man. My mother automatically out of respect for the friend of his husband will stand up to offer the seat
And you would think that what the man would do is to go straight and sit on the chair that has been vacated by my mum. No. My dad would get up, sit on the chair vacated by my mum so that his friend can sit on his own chair. Why? You don’t want to share the heap of your friend’s wife. That’s the standard there. That’s why you can travel for years and put your wife in care of your friend. Do that today”
He called for the respect to the ethics of the laws of the Bible.
“So what is in the Bible, that’s why the Bible says those who died before the days of Jesus Christ, they had the law written in their hearts. God has put in their hearts the way they must behave if they are to enter into my father’s house.
The other house that is called hell. The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 5 verse 14 , Isaiah 5 verse 14 says hell is constantly enlarging its mouth. Because more and more people will be coming there.
That’s why the Bible says wide is the gate that goes to hell. Many people will walk there. Narrow is the gate that goes to my father’s house.
Few there be that will find it. I pray you be among the few. That’s why the Bible tells us when the end is about to take place there will be all manners of doctrines.
Evil preachers will begin to preach in a way that will say relax. It’s not as difficult as somebody like Father Adeboye is making it. Don’t mind him.It’s old fashioned. All right. Narrow is the gate.
And I believe this is because God loves you more than anyone and that’s why somehow he brought this topic up at a time like this. At a time like this when we should be talking about things that we’ll be clapping and jumping off and say Amen. Hallelujah.
My beloved brothers and sisters , the end is nearer than you think.Things are getting worse and worse and worse ”
