In consonance with the central Easter retreat, GEWC Kogi State mission held her Easter retreat from 29th March to 1st April 2018 with the theme "It is Finished" at GEWC Ageva Church, with a series of talks handled by the Senior pastor, Pst. Tammy Daniel Amapakabo.

The mission in Kogi is growing by the day. Souls are being added to the body of Christ. The climax of the 2018 Easter Retreat was the baptism of 5 members and it rounded off with a communion service. Glory to God.

A 2-day crusade organized by Ogbum-Nu-Abali church tagged “Escape for your life” was held at the Ogbum-Nu-Abali Market Square from Friday 6th to Saturday 7th April, 2018. The crusade was hosted by Pastor (Dr.) Alex Fubara; the Senior Pastor of Ogbum-Nu-Abali Church.

Present in this crusade were, Evang. Miriam Ohuoba the Zonal Minister of Nkpogu Zone, Pastor Gift Ejimadu the Senior Pastor of Ahiamakara Church, Pastor Steve Oparaodu, the Zonal Minister of Base Zone, Pastor Chris Israel the Senior Pastor of Club Road Church and his wife. Pastor Chris Israel spoke on the topic “Let Jesus help you” (John 5: 1- 9). In his message, he talked stressed that life without Christ is hopeless, men will forget a person but Christ will never forget that person. Sin brings frustration and deception and makes the devil have upper hand over a person. When Christ remembers a person, no situation or force can hold that person bound. When the man at the pool of Bethesda met Christ, he was made well and he carried the bed. The bed the man was carrying signifies that the bed had power over the man for 38 years. Anyone who has not accepted Christ has no life as Jesus Christ is the Life. After the message prayers were made for those who wanted to accept Christ into their lives and prayers was also made for healing and deliverance.

The second day of the crusade witnessed God’s magnificent power. Evangelist Miriam Ohuoba ministered as she took her text from Hebrews 13:8 which reads “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever”. She introduced God as the creator that was not created, the monarch of the universe. She said there might be gods, but there is only One God who sits on the throne. He is the divine architect and that the Holy Spirit is the force that carries God’s power. She said everything that claims to be god, died and all gone to hell fire, but Jesus Christ is unchangeable. He came, died, rose from death, and He was proclaimed the Living God. That is why He introduces Himself as the I Am. 

As she continued her message, she said what Jesus did yesterday He can still do today, what the world call death, Jesus calls sleep (Luke 16: 20-31). Jesus is Life, because death could not hold Jesus Christ, death was unable to hold Lazarus. He can change all situations but no situation can change Him, no man has been able to call his child I AM from the beginning of creation that is to show the uniqueness and power of God.

In conclusion, she said although Abraham’s father was an idol worshipper, when Abraham came out to identify with God, he was called a friend of God and the father of all nations. If God was able to make Abraham, He will also make anyone who identifies with Him.

After the sermon, she invited everyone who wishes to be a friend of God to come and identify with Him, a great number of persons gave their life to Christ.

God was indeed present in the crusade and proved Himself to be God. Despite the heavy down pour of rain during the day, immediately it was time for the crusade, the rain stopped. The crusade was a huge success with souls won into God’s kingdom. Glory be to God.

The International Director of Greater Evangelism World Crusade, Pastor Isaac Olori had an interactive session on Relationship and Marriage with the youths of the Ministry on 14^th April, 2018 at GEWC Rainbow Town Church. He gave all the youths opportunity to ask questions which he answered. A few of the questions and answers include the following;

What is the stance of the Ministry on dating and engagement. Can singles date before engagement or get engaged then start courtship/marriage arrangements?

Pastor Olori: Dating is worldly, it goes with romantic fun. It started at the beginning of the 21^st century but that is not the biblical principle on how to find a wife/husband.

Courtship is if a brother has prayerfully found a life partner, talked with the lady and the lady agrees then they start praying and studying together. Marriage is a calling. Unfortunately, some married people live in the house as only roommates which is very wrong. In courtship, you get to know each other. If there has been a mistake in the past, courtship is the time to share. It is the time to plan how your home will be, how many children you want to have, how to manage your finances etc. You meet from time to time for a specific moment and purpose. Try to be as transparent as much as possible during courtship, meet in places that will not leave you susceptible to temptation.

Does the choice of a life partner go with any carnal tendency for it to be realistic?

Pastor Olori: The choice of a life partner does not start with carnal tendencies and should not. It must start from spiritual tendencies and if it is God, the others will follow. Big houses, cars, money, shapes etc can change over time, so carnal tendencies should not be the pivot of the relationship. The couple can even start with one room and over time, things will change. For example, my wife and myself started with a borrowed one room apartment but today the story is different.

In praying for a life partner, how wrong or right is it to have someone in mind before seeking the face of God to perfect it if it’s his will?

Pastor Olori: Sometimes God will answer you according to your desire (1 Peter 4:7, Ezekiel 14:1-4). If you must pray on a serious matter like marriage you should have a sober mind. Most times, dreams come out of the multitude of things you think.

What should be done in a situation where a born-again brother or sister is married and thereafter discovered his or her partner covered up with deceptions and lies to get married to the one in question?

Pastor Olori: There is nothing you can do, you have to find a way to prayerfully deal with it. That is why you are encouraged to pray and get adequate information about the person you intend to marry before marriage.

As a brother, how much should you have in your account before proposing to a sister?

Pastor Olori: You should have a consistent income because when you get married it is your source of income that should provide some basic needs for the home. The demand will go beyond just taking care of yourself, you will have to take care of your wife and children inclusive. Young people getting married should plan such that you pay less for your wedding gowns, suits, invitation cards, gifts, reception halls, etc. Make your wedding ceremony as simple as possible as you cannot satisfy everybody. If you pray and God leads you to propose without a job you can go ahead but before you get to the official level of marriage, the man should have a job or source of income.

Is white wedding compulsory in GEWC, what is our stand?

Pastor Olori: White wedding is not compulsory but everyone is encouraged to have church/marriage blessing after the traditional marriage.

After answering the questions from the youths, Pastor Isaac V. Olori went ahead to minister on what he titled “The Conclusion of the Matter”.

He said the youth is the future of the Ministry of GEWC, and should see themselves as stakeholders. They should not allow any situation to cause them to chicken out of the Ministry of GEWC. If Jesus tarries, youths have more stake in the Ministry than the older ones in the Ministry.

Speaking further he said marriage starts with relationship and it is sustained by relationship. How the relationship starts will determine how long it will last. Relationship connects you with the person you are in a relationship with. Treat relationships seriously and not casually, define and set boundaries from the very beginning of the relationship. If you do not define it, you will find yourself talking about marriage when that relationship has nothing to do with marriage. Unguided relationships can lead to emotional decisions that are taken in the flesh. These sometimes can lead to lust and immoral affairs which will wreck your spiritual life.

Watch it, when you have a relationship with an unbeliever, show the Christ that is in you. Look for ways to witness Christ to that unbeliever else you may enter into compromise. The bible says do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14-16). It is a matter of the heart and God's commandment is clear. For marriage, the believer is incompatible with the unbeliever. As a believer, God is your Father, when you marry an unbeliever; the devil is your father in law. In relationships, you must be careful on how you relate with the unbeliever so that you do not fall into immorality.

General points about marriage

Marriage is too important to be engaged in without God's leading (Proverbs 3:5-7). After your salvation the next most important thing is your marriage. Your marriage will either make or mare you and some have backslidden because of wrong marriage (Proverbs 19:14). The power of finding is when you pray and allow God to lead you (Genesis 1:31, Genesis 2:18). Other highlights include:

1. You must have a correct heart disposition to God and to his word (Matthew 6:33).
2. You must learn to wait upon the Lord.
3. You must learn to discern God's will in marriage.
4. Know the word of God for yourself.
5. Ensure you maintain purity. The bible says flee fornication and immorality because the devil is after the future of the child of God. Keep your relationship pure.
6. God is interested in you, your future, therefore, seek the kingdom of God and He will take care of your marriage when the time comes.

He prayed with the youths for God to help them to do His will.

Some of the great testimonies we heard include that of Bro.  Samuel who had been diagnosed of brain tumor but was healed. He explained how he had experienced severe pain in his head at the beginning of the year. To alleviate this pain, he took some medications but to no avail. At some point, he lost his appetite and vomited for two days. Getting to the hospital, he was diagnosed of malaria.  He later went home where he lost consciousness.  He was taken back to the hospital, where more tests and scans were done and the result showed that he had a brain tumor.  He later heard that the International Director was going to be in a church in Bayelsa, and he requested that his brother take him there, believing that God would pass through the Int’l Director to heal him.  As the International Director prayed, he mentioned a case concerning a tumor and said, “this is your time of breakthrough” and he believed this word.  After the service, the International Director was told of my case and he came towards me.  As he approached my direction, I felt the presence of God.

He prayed and said, “if the doctors could not cure you, may God recreate a new brain for you”. He was so angry in his spirit and prayed fervently for me, and left. Just a little while after the prayers, it looked as if I was poured chilly water on my head.  The tumor had vanished and everything in me became normal. I became instantly healed.

The second testimony was that of Sis Fyne Tariah from Igbo Etche church of Nkpogu Zone, who testified of God’s healing on her left breast. She recounted how she had experienced this pain since 2016, and since then till 2017, she had gone to several hospitals and nothing was found. In 2017, the pain persisted and she started bleeding from that breast.  She went for check up again but nothing was found rather medications for ulcer and other illnesses was given to her. Sis Fyne testified how she prayed earnestly for her healing at the 2017 End of year retreat, and God intervened in her situation. During one of the sessions, as God’s servant, the International Director began to pray, she experienced something like lightning proceed from the microphone and strike her breast.  Since December 2017 till date, the breast pain stopped, the bleeding stopped and she is completely healed.

The final testimony was that of Bro. Faith Mark from Mile one church, who God healed from reoccurring illnesses.  He recounted how he slumped and fainted after a drama programme held in his church in November 2017, only to find himself in the hospital when he gained consciousness. He was diagnosed of partial stroke and had a blood pressure of over 190 which was too high for his age (between 19 -23). He was treated and discharged.  He stated that after that he realized he kept falling ill, gasping for breath, could not laugh or yawn, and could not eat any solid food like garri (cassava). He decided to attend the healing service in March 2018 and God healed him during the prayer session. When he went back to check his blood pressure, it had returned to normal.

God indeed blessed us immensely this month. God’s word was brought to us by Past. Isaac Olori, the International Director. The sermon was titled “God remembered Hannah”.  Introducing the sermon, he said that God remembering someone does not imply the person was forgotten but means God wants to intervene in that person’s situation.  He also said that the topic meant that the time of favor had come. Highlights of his sermon include:

The Challenges Of Hannah Before God Intervened

1. God closed her womb (verse 5). This implies that Hannah’s barrenness was not natural or medical hence no doctor could solve the problem. Humans are limited but God is bigger. It does not matter what the problem is, we should look beyond the issue and see a big God. It is God that enables. When God enables you, nothing can be impossible with you.   He stressed that sometimes we may not understand God’s purpose until He has finished his plan.  For every child of God, God has a plan/purpose. Some doors are closed because there is something specially reserved and it could be God is giving you time to prepare to receive that package. Romans 8:28 makes us understand that if God can close the womb, He can also open it.  When God comes into any situation, he changes the situation.

1. Her mate became her rival and taunted her cruelly (Verse 6).
2. Hannah was misjudged by the priest. Hannah, even in that atmosphere knew how to handle the situation. Some would have flared up at the priest.
3. She found herself in a time of spiritual darkness. 1 Samuel 3:1 sheds light on the prevalent spiritual atmosphere during the time of Hannah. It was period when the Word of God was scarce, this implies that men were sleeping. Yet in such a time, Hannah was distinct and God remembered her.

Some Things That Provoke Divine Visitation (Hannah As A Case Study)

1. Hannah remained committed in her dedication to the Lord (Habakkuk 3:17 & 18). When the salvation of the Lord touches any area of your life things must change.
2. Hannah was a woman of prayer (Verse 10). She took her bitterness and anguish to God in prayer. In fact, God listened to her heart as no sound could be heard while she prayed. The power of prayer is not in the sound but in the heart.  When your heart is poured out to God, answers will come.  Some prayers are dry prayers, lacking passion, hence there is no result.  Your prayer affords you the opportunity to pour out the bitterness and anguish in your soul rather than store it up.
3. Hannah was carrying Samuel in her loins and it seemed God had closed her womb but the agency of prayer opened it up. The comfort of man is empty. Even when her husband tried to comfort her, it was not enough as her desire had not come to fulfilment.
4. Hannah knew how to fight a good fight. One of her problems was the insults from her mate but she never responded. She did not fight with her husband or mate. God remembers those who are strong in spirit.
5. She left the place where she was reminded of her torture to the place where she would receive her reward – the House of God. She focused on God’s intervention.
6. She keyed into a higher goal that is, a goal of service. Hannah knew what she wanted from God. Many of us have been looking for a blessing but this has been tied down because we are looking for it to satisfy our lust. It is necessary to point that God was looking for a man to replace Eli and Hannah willing gave up Samuel to God.

Finally, you cannot loan to God and suffer loss. Hannah had other children but Samuel who opened the womb was God’s servant.  Heaven knew Samuel because he was God’s agenda. Hannah paid the price of godly living, commitment and dedication.  With her prayer, she got a priestly blessing.  She was operating by faith. Faith makes everything possible.

The 2018 Easter retreat started on the 29^th day of March through the 1^st day of April 2018, with the THEME ‘’IT IS FINISHED’’.  The retreat started off on an exciting mode as brethren rejoiced during the praise and worship session.

The International Director, Pastor Isaac Olori gave the opening talk, expounding the meaning of the prayers Jesus made on the cross and its significance (Luke 23:34, Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34).  He explained that Jesus’ prayer ‘’Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” reaches even to the worse sinner. He said, no one under normal circumstances will pray for his killer in that manner, meaning there is no room for revenge as God’s children. The thief on the cross also benefitted from his mercies.

Speaking further, he said when Jesus declared “It is finished”, that was the summary of Easter. It was a declaration of victory not a cry of defeat. It was an announcement which heaven and earth needed to hear and that the effect of it is continuous, a sense of finality, nothing can be subtracted or added. He added that it was not a sign of resignation but rather He had accomplished everything He came for.

Other excepts of his talk can be found below:

Jesus accomplished His mission on earth and this meant the following;

• He fulfilled everything prophesied concerning him (Acts 3:18, Acts 13:28). If Jesus fulfilled everything about Himself up till death, then He can also fulfill that which concerns us.
• He fulfilled all the sacrifices and ceremonies (Colossians 2:16 -17), hence we do not have to carry out those rigorous sacrifices anymore.

Pastor Isaac Olori, concluded by reminding us that the perfect (Jesus) gave Himself for the imperfect (us). The phrase ‘’IT IS FINISHED’’ means ‘’paid in full’’ in business terms, this means that everything about our sins has been paid in full, we owe Satan nothing (Romans 8:33).

The second day of the retreat was a dazzling moment in the presence of God and a buildup of the first day of the retreat. After a joyous moment of praise in God’s presence, a solemn moment of prayer, everyone decentralized to their various bible study class.
The topic of the bible study was “The Work of the Cross” (John 19:13-18). The Bible study explained that the phrase, “The work of the cross” simply means the work that the cross of Christ accomplishes in the lives of the believer (Hebrews 12:2).
Wonderful works of the cross include:
The sacrifice on the cross brought about our salvation/redemption (Titus 2:14).
The power of the curse of the law that was hanging against man was removed through the work of the Cross (Galatians 3:13).
Faith in the work of the cross makes the believer righteous before God (2nd Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus disarmed the rulers, authorities and powers of darkness and put them to an open shame (Colossians 2:15).
The cross produces in us the crucified life and a crucified world (Galatians 6:14; Galatians 5:24).
By the cross, the power and bondage of death was destroyed (Hebrews 2:14-15).
The power of the blood of Jesus Christ opened access to God for us. The curtain of the Temple tore into two from top to bottom as Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27:50-51).
Afterwards, with joy and expectation, everyone was attentive as the last Easter message of our founding father of blessed memory, Apostle G. D. Numbere was played. In his message, he said Easter is about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter took place in three days and in four places which are first in Heaven, secondly on Earth, thirdly under the ground and finally again in Heaven.

Easter Began in Heaven: Easter began in heaven and ended in heaven, God created angels the same way He created man. Angels are powerful, holy and they are Spirits (2 Peter 2:11). The seed of Abraham (man) is sinful, weak and dust (Genesis 2:7, Genesis 3:19). Angels and Men were lost entities because both man and angels sinned against God (Romans 3:23; Jude 6). Now God had to make a decision on whom to save, the question is who would God choose? Praise God, He chose to save the seed of Abraham (man). Apostle G. D. Numbere asked a thought seeking question, “If an individual was asked to choose between good and bad, strong and weak, holy and sinful, which would he choose?” He would definitely go for the good, holy and strong. God however, chose to save and reckon with the bad, sinful and unholy man (Hebrews 2:16). Easter is about making a choice, the decision/choice to save the seed of Abraham (man) was made in heaven and that was where Easter began.
On Earth (Hebrew 10:5)
No sacrifice could save any man so Jesus took the nature, the body of man (dust and ashes). Sacrifice and offerings cannot wash away sin, even the blood of animals (Hebrew 10:4), cannot wash away sin, hence the decision made by Jesus, to take on the body of man. This body that God put Himself into is what came in at Christmas. During Christmas, Jesus came in as a Human being (Hebrews 10:7).

Why did Jesus take a human body? (Leviticus 17:11)
The life of the animal is in the blood because it is the blood that make us live. Jesus took the human body so that he could carry blood. It was this body with the blood that was born on Christmas day. This blood was given to make an atonement of the soul of man.
Jesus made Himself humble and took the form of a servant, He made himself of no reputation, he was made in the likeness of man. Christians should be like minded, to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). He made Himself as nothing and was made in form of man. Whoever must be great will be a servant(Philippians 2:5-8). What Jesus did is mind blowing that he lowered himself to the level of man. The bible admonishes us to humble ourselves because if Jesus humbles us them we are dead. Whoever must be great must be a servant. Imagine the one who created man, think about how big heaven is, the one who created heaven and bigger than heaven and earth reduced Himself to the form of the man that he created, there is nothing worse than that.
Afterwards, the International Director, Pastor Isaac V. Olori gave a talk on the topic: “What is finished?” (John 12:31-33). Excerpts from his teaching can be found below.
When a person is about to die, people pay attention to the utterances of that person at that moment. “It is finished”, was the last statement Jesus made at the cross. Everything that has to do with our redemption is finished so the Christian owes the devil nothing. The believer is a new person, his matter has been settled, everything has been paid for.
The Defeat of Satan
Satan was permanently defeated when Jesus declared “It is finished” on the cross. Satan is the God of this world. There are two kingdoms on earth (Ephesians 2:2), the kingdom of darkness and kingdom of God. When God takes dominion over the life of the believer then the kingdom of God is on the earth (Colossians 1:13). Satan was judged on the cross, God determined his status in life and he is under the feet of the believer. His rule over humanity was taken from him and he was cast out. The dominion of the devil over the life of the believer is finished.
On the cross Jesus accomplished bringing God’s kingdom down on earth (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Every unbeliever who is not born again is under the kingdom of darkness but for the believer, Satan has been cast out because the believer is of the Kingdom of His dear Son. By the work of the cross, the believer is a citizen of heaven, of a different heritage. Therefore, the light of the kingdom of heaven should affect the believer (Ephesians 2:2).
How Jesus Defeated the devil
Jesus disarmed the devil. The laws were given as a temporary provision to direct man and lead him to Christ but there was no man that could keep it. (Colossians 2:4-15)The blood of Jesus is a blotter that cleans all of the sins of man and the records of sins.

Jesus canceled the reign of death (Romans 5:12-21). If Jesus had not come, there would not bey resurrection. Adam spread sin to everyone (1 Corinthians 15 :10,12-14, 2 Corinthians 3:6-15, Hebrew 2:14-15) but Jesus came to take away sin (Romans 6:9, Romans 8:2).

When Jesus defeated the devil
Jesus destroyed the power of sin (Romans 6:2).
The believer gained access to the holy of holies (Hebrews 4:16).
The cross provided healing, deliverance for all (Matthew 8:17, James 5:13-16).
Jesus became a curse for the believer (Matthew 8: 17)
The work of the cross opened a way for the believer to be endued with the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.
There is provision for healing on the work of the cross. All the believer needs now is to claim their healing (James 5:13-16).
The work of the cross has opened a way so believers can be redeemed with the power and anointing of the Holy Ghost.
The believer has the capacity to carry the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Joel 1:28; Joel 2:29; Galatians 3:13-14, John 7:37-39).
In conclusion, the devil recognizes what has happened on the cross, he knows that he has been defeated so he brought a strategy to conceal the truth about His dethronement (Matthew 28:10-15; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4). One of the strategy of the devil is to blind the heart of the believer and unbeliever so that they do live in ignorance and not know the truth about the mystery of the cross. The work of the cross will not have effect on those who do not believe, ignorant and blinded (Matthew 13:15).

The third day of the Easter retreat was characterized by great lessons from a book review, an awesome playlet, and a talk on the Gethsemane Experience. Prof Nze Jebbin reviewed the book “Digging Deep” by Apostle G. D. Numbere.

The book reviewer, Prof Nze Jebbin in conclusion said that “Digging Deep” stresses the importance of putting into action, the words and instructions of God. Details of the book review can be found here.

The next session led us into a talk from the President of the Women Fellowship International, Pastor (Dr.) N. E Numbere. The talk was titled “The Gethsemane Experience”. She highlighted the experience of Jesus at Gethsemane from Matthew 26:36-56, Mark 14:32-50, Luke 22:39-46, John 18:1-12. Gethsemane is the Hebrew word for the English word “Oil Press”. Some key points from this talk include:

• The Lord adjured His disciples to pray so they would not fall into temptation. Overconfidence was what made Peter deny Christ.
• As Christians, we must take the word of God seriously and be dependable when given a responsibility by God. God should be able to count on us to fulfil His tasks.
• Jesus was not afraid of dying.
• The Lord needed to be at Gethsemane so He could pray because of the task He had to carry out. He knew it was a time to pray, prevail and agonize.
• Christ agonized because he was going to make atonement for our sins in order to reconcile us to God (Hebrews 9:22, Revelation 14, Habakkuk 1:13).
• Jesus prayed until He got a breakthrough. The prayer of Jesus at Gethsemane was in three sections (Matthew 26:36, 39, 42, 44). If you do not pray, you will not hear God speak to you.

What made Jesus agonize more was the fact that God was going to turn His back on Him. When Jesus yielded to the will of God by saying “Let your will be done…”, He was able to pray through. Thereafter, He got up and faced the cross with so much might.

Other relevant points include:

• The victory on the cross was assured because of the victory in Gethsemane.
• Jesus had to be the Lamb that was slain in order to be the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Isaiah 53:7).

• When you learn to travail in the place of prayer, God will send His angel to strengthen you (Matthew 4:1). However, we are not to pray to angels but God will send them to us when it is necessary.
• The first Adam failed in a garden of Eden but the second Adam succeeded in the garden of Gethsemane (1 Corinthians 15:21-22, Revelation 5:1-9).
• God did not send His Son to die for angels but man.
• Without Gethsemane there will be no cross.
• The battle we are in, as Christians, is not a physical battle (2 Corinthians 10:4) and so we do not need physical weapons but spiritual weapons through prayer.

She concluded by saying, “If you want to see results, you must pray, as God is looking for those who will travail in prayers and achieve victory”.

The Significance of The Resurrection Of Jesus: 2018 Easter Sunday

The 4-day Easter Retreat came to a climax on Sunday, 1^st April 2018 which was also celebrated as Easter Sunday, all over the world. It was characterized by great thanks, praises and a communion service. Bro. Baridudor Baridudum testified how God restored the joy of his salvation and lost glory.

The sermon was delivered by God’s servant, Pastor Isaac V. Olori, the International Director. The topic of the sermon was “The Significance of The Resurrection Of Jesus” (John 20:1-17). Introducing the sermon, he said that the resurrection of Jesus was the consummation of our redemption, hence understanding that Christ is risen, not just mentally but in our spirit man, is the secret of victory. He also pointed out that there is a calculated attempt by the enemy to obscure the fact that Christ is risen, as he is ready to carry out any act to ensure we do not believe this truth.

Analyzing the character of the disciples (Peter, John and Mary) from the main text, he stated that the heart with which we seek the Lord will determine the level He will reveal Himself to us. Mary received a higher revelation than the other disciples because she yearned for answers, by staying at the sepulcher. The attitude of these disciples shows that there are three categories of disciples; one exemplified by John who ran quickly and got to the sepulcher first but did not enter, the second exemplified by Peter, who came later but entered into the sepulcher before John followed suit, and finally Mary, who stayed back even when the other two disciples had gone away. Indeed, to get a higher revelation of the personality of Jesus and the deep secrets of God, we need to pay a price.

Some relevant points from this sermon are:

• Understanding is the key to unveiling the mystery to what the death and resurrection of Christ accomplished for us. It is the scripture that reveals the purpose and plan of God for our lives.
• The greatest damage the enemy has done to the church is ignorance. When you know God, your life and walk with Jesus will not remain the same.
• The same sepulcher that the other two disciples entered was the same Mary entered but the other two were not qualified to see the angels because they were casual. In fact, the angels interacted with Mary (John 20:13). Mary’s attitude indicated that she was ready to go an extra mile for Him. When Jesus called her name she got the revelation that He was Jesus (John 20:16). At this point Mary became a carrier of good news.
• Your thirst and desire for God is what will keep you ahead of your peers.
• When your heart is touched and goes out for God, nothing will be too big for God. Many are struggling in their walk with God because their heart is cold. It is the heart that makes the difference.

The significance of the resurrection

• The empty tomb confirms the testimony that He is risen and that He is the Son of God (Romans 1:3-4). The secret of the empty tomb is that He is risen. When the power of God comes down, no power of darkness can stop God’s purpose for your life. The power of God works with the Spirit of holiness, hence any power that does not come through the spirit of holiness is from the pit of hell. If everything written in scripture about Jesus came to pass, then it means the scripture is true and it will work for you (Matthew 24:25).
• His resurrection sealed His victory over Satan and death (Romans 6:9, Acts 2:24). It was impossible for death to hold Jesus down. Death and Satan are helpless. (Psalm 16:10, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

• It authenticates/validates our faith. It makes our faith different (1 Corinthians 15:17). Any other faith not hinged on the resurrection of Jesus is pointless, vain and empty.
• Forgiveness of sin is possible. Apart from Christ’s bodily resurrection, we have a Savior and hope of eternal life.
• It brought us into a lively hope. A lively hope means a hope of living again by resurrection (1 Peter 1:3; John 3:3). His resurrection is the reason a man can be born again. When we are born again, we have a lively hope. Everyone that dies in Christ will rise again (Romans 6:5).
• It reveals God’s innumerable greatness of power towards us (Ephesians 1:18-23). The power in a believer is the same power God wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead. So if you are experiencing Him in a low realm, then the problem is not the power or the giver of the power but you (Romans 8:11). God wants to see your life demonstrating resurrection.
• The resurrection of Jesus gives assurance of future judgment (Acts 17:30-31). If you ignore the sacrifice Christ made on the cross and you do not want to surrender completely, then you are on a path to judgment.