 If you are truly a great mind by the grace of God, then shout a mighty halleluja. Hallelujah. Amen. I noticed some people were still quiet. I think these are people still hoping to be great minds. But if you know and truly know that you are a great mind, then I think your halleluja should be much louder than my own. Hallelujah. Amen. Amen. Amen. God bless you all. I'm extremely honored to have been invited to speak to this very distinguished gathering of professionals, of intellectuals, business people, entrepreneurs. On the topic, and the topic has been well, in my view it has been well spoken about already, exercising kingdom dominion. After listening to Daddy and the Lord, who laid a powerful spiritual basis for it, and then Pastor Emmanuel, who demonstrated in practical terms how to exercise kingdom dominion in the marketplace. First, I am greatly encouraged. I must say that I am greatly encouraged and I do feel that I am empowered to be much more useful and much more active and powerful in the marketplace. So I want to thank you very much, Pastor Emmanuel, for that. I would just very quickly add a few of some of my own thoughts to the topic. I define kingdom dominion as transforming your own sphere of influence by simply practicing the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Transforming your own sphere of influence. And Pastor Emmanuel has already mentioned that, that wherever it is that you are, transforming it, dominating your own sphere, whatever that sphere may be. But I want to refer very quickly to a scripture. Second Kings chapter 2 verse 19 to 22. Second Kings chapter 2 verse 19 to 22. I will just read that scripture. Second Kings, then the man of the city said to Elisha, Please notice the situation of this city is pleasant as my Lord sees. But the water is bad and the ground barren. And he said, bring me a new bowl and put salt in it so they brought it to him. Then he went out of the source of the water and cast in the salt there. And said, those says the Lord, I've healed this water from it. There shall be no more death or barrenness. So the water remains healed to this day according to the word of Elisha which he spoke. Elisha called for physical salt. Physical salt. And he poured it into the source of the bad water. And the water was healed. Scripture describes you and I as the salt of the earth. In Matthew 5 verse 13 to 16 it says you are the salt of the earth. You and I are the salt of the earth. That's what the scripture says in verse 13. But it goes on to say that if salt loses its favor how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but we thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. But we, because we are the salt of the earth, it means that in this nation, in whatever capacity we find ourselves, we are the salt that has been poured out by God into the source of the problem. Just as Elisha poured salt to the source of the problem. You and I, in whatever field we find ourselves, we are that salt that has been poured there. In politics or in business or in entertainment or in education or in ministry, wherever it is we are that salt that has been poured there. Scripture also says that we are the light of the world. In verse 14 of the same scripture says that you and I are the light of the world. We are a city that is set on a hill and we cannot be hidden. Scripture goes on to say that you cannot light a lamp and put it under a basket. But on a lamp stand and it gives light to all who are in the house. Our light is supposed to benefit everybody, all. And then it goes on to say that our light must shine, must so shine before men, that they will see the glory of our Father. They will see our good works and then glorify our Father in heaven. When our light shines, God will be glorified. But our light can only shine from our good works. So it's so important for us to understand that we are obliged, we are obliged, we are compelled by Scripture. It is our obligation to be the light, to be the salt. And it's so important for us to understand that salt cannot operate. It cannot operate or it does not operate except to flavor. The purpose of salt is to improve the taste, to make the taste better. Years ago when I was appointed as the attorney general of Lagos State, I was in 1999. I was a Christian. In fact I had just become, well not just, I became a Christian in 1994. But by 1999 I was appointed attorney general. So it was a period of about five years. But all through that time, from 1994 when I became a Christian, a born again Christian, I was only interacting with Christians. And you know how it is. When you are born again, when you are spirit filled, you are working in, you are just doing all manner of things, you are excited about the gospel, you are doing all sorts of things for God. All my interaction was with Christians. I mean I didn't even know that people still drank, that people still drank and smoked. I completely forgot that there were people on this earth who were doing all sorts of crazy things. Anyway when I was appointed attorney general, one of the very early days after my appointment, I had a meeting with a group of other advisors of the governor at the time. It was in a very small room. In that small room were about four or five of us. There was a gentleman who was smoking a pipe another one was smoking a cigarette but by the time we started the meeting only the one that was smoking the pipe continued to smoke his pipe. This was a small air conditioned room. So the smoke became so much in the place that tears began to come out of my eyes. So I said to the man, why would you just stop this thing? This is very uncomfortable. So he looked at me and said, faster, faster, faster. Anyway he put off the pipe. But at this time the smoke was all over the place. So as I stepped out of the meeting, my hair was smelling of tobacco, my body was smelling of tobacco, everything was smelling of tobacco. And I was just getting so upset and I was thinking to myself, you are a pastor. What if a member of your congregation comes now and smells this tobacco all over you and says pastor, do you also occasionally, what will you say? And I was getting very upset and wondering is this the right place for me to be? Should I be in the company of these kinds of people? Is this even a right, am I even doing the right thing? And I heard the Lord speak to me that salt, you are salt. If salt is not inside this tube, if it's not inside this soup, how can it make a difference? How can you make a difference if you are not right inside the trouble? That's where you are supposed to be. I was so convinced that that was exactly where I ought to be because God spoke to me about it. So wherever it is that we find ourselves, no matter the circumstances, no matter how dark, no matter how bad, that is where we are meant to be. If you are salt, you are meant to flavor. If you are light, there's no point you're being a light in light. You can only be a light in darkness to make a difference. Romans 8 verse 18, scripture says for the earnest Romans 8 verse 19, beg your pardon. Scripture says that for the earnest expectations of the creation, eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. The earnest expectations of the creation eagerly awaits the revealing of the sons of God. You and I are eagerly awaited by the creation, in other words, by our own nation. By this society, this is our own creation. We are eagerly awaited. Everything that is wrong, everything that is corrupt, everything that requires repair is saying where are the sons of God? Where are the sons of God? That's what it says. God has given us authority. 1 Timothy 3 verse 18. 1 Timothy 3 verse 18. The scripture describes the church, you and I, the church, as the pillar and the foundation of truth. The pillar and the foundation of truth. That is how the Bible describes us. In 1 Timothy 3 verse 15, it says, if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to understand yourself. In the house of God, which is the pillar and the foundation of the ground of truth, depending on the one that you use. The church is therefore the key to the transformation of society. And when we say the church will refer to you and I, we are the key to the transformation of the society. What the church does, what is preached, how we behave, is what will transform our societies. The responsibility for the destiny of the nation is ours. The responsibility for the destiny of the nation is ours. The responsibility for the destinies of business, the destinies of politics, the destinies of education. The destinies of this nation is ours. Everything we read in scripture about us ama ni tumindra kupa salid maru tkProb kutia lozande turu na ya iksu我們i k guarding wa kita n wristata faku tke rising na wei na wumputhi matatgo na wei wala kujeru kufa wala k SUBSCRIBE pave java java diz targe lu partico этой m Nós compassion tisha Namati Nani humabuh survival tisha tisha hf entrevah Only to those who are called by the name of the Lord Jesus. It does not refer to anybody else. It says it's we who are called by his name. We pray, we humble ourselves, but most importantly that we turn from our evil ways. That's what it says. It doesn't say that other people should turn from their evil ways in order to heal the land. It says those of us who are called by his name are required to turn from our evil ways so that the land will be blessed. The responsibility for prayers for our nation is ours. To seek his face on behalf of our nation is ours. Even the responsibility to turn from evil ways is ours. The Bible believes that a nation will not do well if the believers are doing evil or they refuse to turn from their ways. That is what the Bible says. That's what the scripture says. The scripture imposes on the church the responsibility for transforming the nation. That's what the scripture does. The gospel also gives us a mandate. There's a clear mandate. We call it the Great Commission. Matthew 28 verse 18 to 20 is the mandate that has been given to us. All power is given to me in heaven and earth. This is Jesus Christ speaking. Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. The scripture is so clear about our mandate. Our mandate is absolutely clear. We are supposed to go out and disciple the nations. We are supposed to go out and teach the nations to observe the scripture. What are those things we are supposed to teach the nation? We'll come to that in a moment. Matthew 1 verse 28 is part of that mandate. The five-fold mandate is contained in Genesis 1 verse 28. Scripture says that God blessed them and said be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdu it, have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth. So there's a five-fold mandate, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdu it, have dominion. We are required to do all of these, these are the mandates that have been given to us. So when we look at the scripture that tells us about how to have dominion, subduing and all that, a good working definition is one that tells us that we have not subdued the nation. Until the principles, the values, the virtues of the kingdom of God have been accepted as a normal way of life in our society. So this is what it means to go and teach them to observe and to do all things whatsoever that he has commanded us. It is so that we can teach the nations, our own nation, all of the principles of scripture that are important to transform our nation. So we are anointed, we are anointed to do this. Pharaoh was in search of a man who could handle the economy of Egypt in the time of farming. The Bible says that he actually asked for a man who had the anointing of God. They are anointing to deal with the economy, not the anointing to raise the dead or heal the sick. But it's the same anointing that you use to raise the dead or heal the sick that you can also use to heal the economy because it is the same God, the same spirit of God. The anointing is used in different ways. So if you look at Genesis 41 verse 38 to 40, Pharaoh said to his servants, can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit, only in whom there is the spirit of God, can we find someone who has the spirit of God? In other words, can we find an anointed man of God? Can we find someone who is anointed? And then Joseph said, you know, Joseph went on and spoke, you know, about what, you know, what he was. And then Pharaoh said, look, God has already shown you all of these things. There's no one as designing as wise as you. You shall be over my house, over my people, and according to your word, only in this regard will you be, will I be superior to you. It was very clear that what God wanted and what God still wants is that the anointing which he has given each and every believer must be to transform our society in our own space. Whatever that space may be, 1st Corinthians 12 verse 4, 1st Corinthians 12 verse 4, all the way to 7, but the same spirit, there are diversities of gifts, but it's the same anointing. There are differences of ministries, but it's the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it's the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. We are anointed to be the best entertainers. We are anointed to be the best in technology and innovation. We are anointed to be the best in business, to be the most talented and creative entrepreneurs. That is the nature of the anointing of God. So we are already anointed. We have the spirit of God, the spirit of excellence as Pastor Emmanuel pointed out. All of these come with the anointing of God. So sometimes you ask ourselves, so how do we then operate? How can the principles, the values and the virtues of the kingdom become accepted as a way of life? Are there any examples in history, for example, where the gospel of Jesus Christ has transformed societies by the actions of men and women like yourself and myself? Yes, there are examples. There are good examples in history. Many of us who are, those of us who are students of history, have heard about the protestant reformation, the protestant reformation. When believers like you and I in Europe and in America and later Asia changed their world by observing the principles of scripture in their everyday lives. Some sociologists and historians, Ashton, for example, or Weber, all agree that even the industrial revolution and the prosperity of the West, prosperity of Europe and then America, were benefited greatly from the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, especially through the way that the gospel was preached first by the Puritans and how they practiced the gospel. The strict observance of gospel principles, especially righteous behavior, were so crucial. The way the believers worked in factories and offices led to the description of hard work, diligence, service and integrity as the Puritanica work ethic. In other words, because of the way Christians worked, because of the way they behaved, work itself, hard work, diligence was described as Puritanica work ethic. In other words, it was described as if hard work means the way Christians behaved. So the Germans, for example, in their catechisms, in churches, in those days, many of the protestant churches, they would take the 10 commandments, say for instance, thou shalt not steal and they will analyze it in detail. What does stealing mean? If you look at some of their catechisms, they will say, stealing means when you steal the time of your employer. For example, if you are praying when you should be working, they will say stealing and I use the example of praying when we are working because it's an example of doing something good at the wrong time. And they will give you different examples of stealing. And that was how they taught in the churches. So they would look at the various dimensions. If you even remember the invention of the mechanical clock, the invention of the mechanical, not the hourglass, the mechanical clock, was in Bavaria by Christians. They invented the clock so that they could be sure that people will work the hours that they were required to work. And pay a tithe. So the clock was important for that purpose. There was a French philosopher who was not even a Christian, Alex de Tocqueville, who was writing about what he discovered about America, why America was great. He said I looked around and he was talking, this was in the 18th century. He said I looked around in the 19th century. He said I looked around everywhere in America. I was wondering why is this country great. He said I looked at the harbors, I looked at the railways, I looked at everything. I was trying to find out why is this country great. He said I couldn't discover it until I got to their churches and discovered what they were preaching. And I realized that America is great because of what was being preached on their pulpits. What were they preaching on their pulpits? What were they preaching? What was being preached? Because if we ask ourselves what was being preached then we will know why the gospel transformed their society. The influence of the gospel was what transformed Europe and America and later on Asia. And I'll explain how come Asia, Asia beginning with Japan was an old established civilization. In fact, Asia and Japan and China were ahead of European civilization, Western civilization. They were well ahead, generations ahead. They were already writing when European civilization was still considered barbaric. They were writing, they had writing, they had all sorts of things. But by the 18th century the European civilization had taken over. So even the Japanese began to wonder why is it that these Europeans have suddenly moved ahead of us. For those who studied the history they will know that the reason was because of the gospel of Jesus Christ the transformative nature of the gospel and the various principles. And we'll look at those principles in one minute. But in 1871 Mpro Meiji of Japan just three years after what is called the Meiji Restoration gathered a group of people together, intellectual statesmen and people like that and 50 students. And he said go to the UK and America and find out what exactly is the reason why these people are great. They also came to negotiate treaties and all of that, they had three major objectives but I take the one objective that concerns us which is the reason for the greatness of Europe and the greatness of America. So that team of scholars went there. In fact of the 50 students many of the students were left behind to study. They started the principles that made these nations great. And as you know the Japanese copy very well. They copied those principles. Later China was to copy from Japan those same principles that made Europe great and made America great. What were those principles? The first principle is the principle of righteousness. Righteousness. And we've heard from Pastor Emmanuel already principle of integrity. Proverbs 14 verse 34 Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 13 verse 34 Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people. The principle applies to a man or woman because a nation is first a person. So in Genesis 12 verse 2 A part of it, Genesis 12 verse 2 God speaking to Abraham says I will make you a great nation. So when we talk about a nation we talk first about the individual because every individual is actually a nation. So righteousness is the hallmark of the children of God. Righteousness exalts a nation. Yes we become righteous by grace. Scripture says in Matthew 6 verse 32 to 33 Scripture says that we are indeed after all the gentiles seek these things but your heavenly father knows that you need all of these things. These are the worldly things but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. We are already living in the righteousness of Christ. We are already in the righteousness of Christ but the true mark of the believer is that we are practicing righteousness that we are practicing it. First John 3 verse 10 this is what marks out the children of God. Say the children of God and the children of the devil the distinguishing factor whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God nor is he who does not love his brother. So righteousness, the practice of righteousness is what makes us out as true believers but what does this righteousness mean? What does it mean? I think first it means integrity. Matthew 5 verse 37 Matthew 5 verse 37 let your yes be yes and your no be no. Let it be clear where you stand. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Honesty, forthrightness, trustworthiness we must be trustworthy we must be trustworthy if we are not trustworthy there is no way that we can truly benefit from everything that God has promised us and our nations cannot benefit we must be trustworthy the puritans which we have spoken about the born again Christians of those days were preferred for work they were the preferred candidates in interviews for work because everyone knew that they would be diligent and trustworthy it was impossible for them not to find work because they were considered trustworthy you can imagine a situation in Nigeria today if you were to say that in this place if we even say in the chapel of blessing every person who is here is trustworthy it will be impossible for us for the persons not to find work impossible because everybody is in search of trustworthy people we are all in search of honest people to work with or to work for us we are looking for honest partners even thieves that I always say are looking for honest people to keep their money with even thieves yes everybody is looking for honest people honest men and women we are all in search of honest people what does integrity mean it means respect for credit and obligation and I was so excited when Pastor Emmanuel talked about the fund that was created in his church to assist and empower people and what happened to the fund I have experienced a very similar thing anyone who is a pastor who has pastor for any length of time I have experienced it because we all do these things in fact in my own church when the first church I pastor after we had done it many people did not pay back but what was worse was that at vigils people will now begin to pray that those who are old those who you owe should forget the debt has a kind of prayer that people now start praying so you now have to tell them the scripture says the wicked borrows and does not repay Sam 37 verse 21 the wicked borrows and does not repay that's what Sam 37 verse 21 says when you borrow repay because if you don't repay how will we be able to give others from that same credit respect for credit and obligation is an important spiritual principle very important spiritual principle integrity we must show that we are able we must show that we are honest law and that we are trustworthy we must show that we are trustworthy I'll never forget how I'm sure some of us know of a bookstore in Lagos the bookstore is owned by pastor Remy Morgan one of our pastors in 1995 when we were all at the Redeemed Christian Church of God we all he started a business business of buying and selling Christian books he started with Bibles at the time he was trying to order Bibles from abroad but nobody was prepared to give credit to Nigerians nobody even to buy Bibles he said no no no because so many people had come bought Bibles sold Bibles and didn't return money this was people buying Bibles but somehow he got favor and started to get some Bibles on credit because he paid back because he consistently paid back his credit became bigger and bigger he was able to expand the bookstore today I believe that bookstore is definitely the leading Christian bookstore in the whole of the country even in West Africa the leading bookstore because of the consistency of an individual who chose to have integrity the whole world is waiting for people of integrity and without integrity there is very little we can do same goes for savings and investments I'm not going to talk about that principle but the second principle which we also need to practice is the principle of service and diligence and I'm talking about the principles that made other nations great the same principles that the Japanese saw when they went on that visit to the United Kingdom and to America the same principles the principles of service and diligence this is the principle of the Gospel that says that the greatest person is the servant the leader must be prepared to be the servant of all Mark 10 verse 43 to 45 Mark 10 verse 43 to 45 he says it shall not be so among you but whoever desires to be great among you shall be your servant and whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all for even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many so being a servant being ready to be a servant in fact the word minister although these days we are honorable to it the word minister actually means servant so we are supposed to be servants if we want to be leaders the other feature of it is hard work and planning hard work and planning that's the other feature of service and diligence hard work and planning is the hallmark of the Christian hard work and planning the puritans those old believers were so hardworking and so diligent that hard work as I've said earlier was named after them the Puritanic work ethic many historians and sociologists attribute the economic development of the west to that work ethic that ethic of hard work we are as believers dedicated, loyal, loyal, honest because the reason why we are loyal the reason why we are honest is because we do not serve man we serve God in whatever position we find ourselves we report to God not to man we report to God that is the reason why we cannot but be loyal we cannot but be trustworthy we cannot but be hardworking we cannot but be diligent we are not under man we are under God that's the reason whatever anybody may say however anybody may choose to look at it our responsibility is first and foremost to the one who created us and to the one who gave us a new life to God Almighty that's our responsibility that is why we cannot afford the other thing is planning look 14 verse 28 look 14 verse 28 it says for which of you intending to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost whether it has enough to finish it or not so planning is a normal part of our own existence as Christians planning is basic for us hard work is basic John 9 verse 4 hard work is basic Jesus said I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day the night is coming when no one can work hard work is so basic it is so fundamental to the way that we operate if a Christian is not hardworking he cannot rightly describe himself as a Christian because it's the basic part of our work and this is why Jesus himself said but he came here to work and that while it is day in other words why we have strength we must work that's the whole purpose of work that's the whole purpose of being here we must work you know sometimes because of the way we preach young men and young women today believe that life should be a function of miracles I was talking to her excellency on our way here it's about miracles if somebody comes to church and gives a testimony and he says praise the Lord brothers and sisters I started my business 2 years ago now God has helped me I have now bought an Okada but nobody will clap you will look at him as you have looked at me now nobody will clap is that a testimony but if the same fellow comes and says praise the Lord I started my business 2 years ago now if you look at that black jeep outside there it is the one the Lord has given me people will stand up and clap they will not ask the question how did you how how did you do it how did you go and buy when did you get the money by what means was it honest no, nobody wants to ask that question what the scripture teaches us is that we are supposed to build whatever it is we are doing line by line precept by precept nobody suddenly just becomes rich it is very it is most likely a dishonest most likely a dishonest thing anybody who shows up and says suddenly I became rich we have to ask a question nobody suddenly becomes rich it is line by line people build businesses the reason why businesses have survived all over the world business the reason why believers were able to come forth with testimony is because they built their businesses line by line precept by precept if we begin to preach a gospel that gives people the impression that they can just suddenly become rich we are misleading people that is not the gospel of Jesus Christ we are misleading them it is line by line precept by precept and that is what the scripture tells us that is what the gospel tells us that is how all over the world the big businesses built by Christians all over the world were based mainly on hard work and many of those businesses survived till this day the other principle in service and diligence is time consciousness time consciousness acroxiasis 3 vs 1 to everything there is a season a time for every purpose under heaven to every to everything for the season there is a time for every purpose under the earth we must be conscious of time whatever it is we must be prepared we must be conscious of time and so all of these principles were the sort of principles that made all of these countries great because the believers in those countries took their responsibilities seriously and whatever space they were in whether it was education or business or politics they took their place and they were serious but let me say something that is so important and that believers must accept as part of the responsibilities were there in 2 Timothy 3 vs 12 to 13 2 Timothy 3 vs 12 to 13 the scripture says yes all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution anybody who wants to practice righteousness in the marketplace whatever that marketplace may be whether it is business or politics wherever if you want to practice righteousness you will suffer persecution scripture says but evil men will grow and imposters will grow worse and worse deceiving and being deceived but it says if you are going to practice righteousness in the marketplace you must be persecuted if you are not persecuted there is a problem perhaps we are compromising persecution is a part of righteousness look at the society such as ours where over time corruption has been accepted as a way of life if you don't accept the corruption wherever you are whether you are in politics government or business you will be persecuted that's how it works you will be persecuted there is no way you will not be persecuted if people agree if the rule is that there should be corruption and you don't follow that rule then you will be persecuted if the rule in a place is that oh we take bribes here we collect it into a pool and we share it you the Christian who says I will not participate you will be persecuted that's how it works but the important thing to bear in mind always the important thing to bear in mind always is that we are designed to win in the end that's the design of God we are designed we are designed to win and there is no way we will not win there is no way there is no way that righteousness will not prevail there is no way righteousness will prevail there is no way the major thing is that we must be prepared we must be prepared to take the persecution if we are not prepared to take the persecution as they say if you want to if you join them I am trying to remember if you can't beat them that's what but that is not the place of the Christian oh no no no no the place of the Christian is to stand and stand and remain standing and we will prevail there is no question at all in my mind that we will prevail whether it's in politics in government or wherever it is that you are working whatever that sphere of influence is you will prevail because I've had experience in government my experience in government I have served in the state I'm now serving in the federal government and I'm fully confident because I've seen it seen it time and time again what we are supposed to do is do what we are supposed to be loyal be faithful be honest, be forthright stand because everything is going to come at you it will come at you but the scripture says we are neither dismayed nor fearful we cannot be dismayed or fearful because every one of those battles God Himself has said the battle is mine so I want to urge all of us to be able to stand wherever it is take your position and remain there people who are going to attack they will say all sorts of things but take your position and remain there God is able if God be for us who can be against us and I urge you remain standing wherever you are even if you are falling stand up again no matter how many times stand up God Almighty is ready He is ready He is prepared at all times He has no problems whatsoever He has seen this before nothing surprises him whatever you are going through you have seen it before and you will prevail in the end in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ let's just stand up and we'll just take one single prayer point we'll just pray unto the Lord we'll just say just ask the Lord Lord God Almighty say after me Lord God Almighty thank you for your work today I ask that you will help me where I am functioning today help me to stand help me to stand help me to prevail help me to prevail help me to win the battle is yours thank you Almighty God in Jesus mighty name we have prayed amen praise the Lord