In the build-up to the 2020 Convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, which ends on Sunday, one of the concerns of some people was how they were going to get their handkerchiefs or other mantles anointed in a virtual situation.
Recently, anointing of mantles by the General Overseer of the Church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has been a regular feature at major events of the church, withparticipants even from other churches looking forward to it.
And the reason is simple: There are several testimonies of how the mantles have been used to perform miracles.
The following are some of examples known to members of the church:
• From Pastor Adeboye: I happened to be at home on the day a particular pastor came to my house. My son came to my room to tell me there was a pastor weeping outside. I felt it must be serious, so I went down to meet him, but by the time I arrived he had left. He, however, left behind a handkerchief and his phone number. So I asked my son to phone him to come back. He came back and it was obvious he was very worried. I prayed over the handkerchief and I told him that his wife whom the doctors said had no hope to live, would walk back home on her own. God gave her brand new kidney and a brand new liver.
• On a Saturday of a Holy Ghost service in Dublin recently, a lady came forward to testify of how she had been in coma for four months! They couldn’t burry her because she was still breathing. Then her pastor came from Nigeria with a handkerchief that we had anointed by waving of hands. He tied the handkerchief round her hand and stepped out. By the time he returned 30 minutes later, the lady was out of the coma.
• A church member testified that ten days after the December, 2016 Holy Ghost Congress, he received a call from his hometown that his mother had passed. And the news put him into confusion. He was crying for mercy in his house in Ibadan, when he remembered the mantle (handkerchief) he received during the Congress. And suddenly, he also remembered that one of his younger brothers in his town attended the Congress and also had the handkerchief. So he called him to go to their house and place the handkerchief on his mother. The brother was afraid but he encouraged him to do so.He went to the house and placed the handkerchief on his mother and called back that he had done that. They had a short prayer, and to the Glory of God his mother came back to life.
On Friday, which was usually the peak of the Convention that would have had over two million people fill the auditoriums at the Redemption Camp, the virtual nature of the service did not stop the anointing of mantles.
Over the years, sources say, the General Overseer had grown spiritually through praying, fasting and God’s grace from anointing by physical contact, such as laying of hands, to transmitting anointing without physical contact.
On Friday, as he in recent Conventions, he raised his hand and prayed as people waved handkerchiefs in his direction.
For those, who had feared there would be no such exercise, the only difference was that last year, they were in the same auditorium with Pastor Adeboye and the top pastors of the church.
This year’s convention has been a leveler that made everyone around the world participate virtually – no special advantage sharing an auditorium.
Before the anointing of handkerchiefs, Pastor Adeboye, in a presentation on the Wonders of God, showed the power behind the church – the miracles, signs and wonders.
He had also revealed what God promised participants at the convention:
• The Almighty God says as a result of this convention I will increase laughter in many of your homes.
• Quite a few businesses will not survive the lock down but yours will emerge stronger.
• Before this lockdown is over, the siege on your destiny will be gone.
• The next is for ministers. He says you will begin to see traces of your father’s anointing in your ministrations.
• The doors of opportunities that your running up and down didn’t allow you to see will be manifest to you during this lock down.
• This is for someone in particular: You are already great you will become much greater.
• For someone: But He will understand. Someone promise to fight you to the end, that’s no problem, you will win.
• There is a particular family, every member of the family will receive a miracle during this convention
• By the time this convention is over the word wonderful will be coming out of your mouth.
Adeboye’s text for the sermon was Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
He explained that “Wonderful,” the first name given to Him, is combination is two words: Wonder and full, and Wonderful means full of wonders.
“Everything about God is wonderful,” he said. “All of His works are wonderful; His testimonies are wonderful; His knowledge is wonderful; and His counsel is wonderful.”
He then spoke at length on seven things about God that are really wonderful:
• Wonders of His size: The only way to describe his size is wonderful. His legs are wonderful because He is sitting in Heaven but His legs reach the Earth; His everlasting arms are wonderful; He is so big that the Heaven of Heavens can’t contain Him. His nose is so wonderful He could breathe for the sea to part; and His ears are so large that He can hear the prayers of everybody at the same time. God is very big but the greatest wonder is that He can make Himself small enough to dwell in you; as big as He is, He does not lose His greatness at the same time. “I’m assuring somebody today that it doesn’t matter the forces gathering around you, Greater is He that in you than He that is in the world.”
• Wonders of His love: The Bible describes Him as love the love that is willing to give His all. The Almighty God is an all-giving God. If you are one of the people He loves, and I believe so, He will set you up for major and uncommon breakthroughs. The secret behind God’s relationship with Solomon is that, according to the Bible when Solomon was born, God loved him. If He loves you, He sets you up for major and uncommon miracles and He does it in such a way that nobody can complain.
• Wonders of His mercy: God is rich in mercy and it is because of the mercy God we are not consumed; it is because of the mercy of the Almighty God we are still alive today. If you want to really cry to God, don’t tell Him how good you are or what you have done, just ask for mercy.
• Wonders of His glory: His glory is so intense that Angels stand thousands of kilometres away from Him. As glorious as the stars are, you can only see them at night, but describing Jesus as bright and morning star explains how intense the glory is – so much that it shines during the day. You may ask how this applies to you. Glory is the opposite of shame. The glory in you means anything that can cause shame, by the Glory of God, they will be kept far away from you.
• Wonders of His name: One of the wonders of His name is that His names are many: He is the Way out of trouble, lockdown, barrenness, failure, defeat. Not only is Jesus the way out of problems, He is also the way to miracles, breakthrough, peace, success, promotion and everything beautiful even to Heaven. He is the way out of no way. He is also the Truth: You can’t do anything against the truth. The fact that He is the truth guarantees you freedom – when the truth sets you free, you are free indeed. No matter what you try, the truth will always remain the truth. Thank God, He saved us from our sin and anyone that is saved must remember that we are saved to be holy. He is the life, who can give resurrection to your eyes, hand legs and womb because He is the resurrection and the life. His many names are powerful: If you are at crossroads and you are helpless, His Name is there for you to call upon.
• Wonders of His blood: The blood saves and cleanses us from all sin. That Blood that has been cleansing us from sins for more than two thousand years now is still powerful; It hasn’t lost its power! It guarantees our security and healing; gives us access to Holy of Holies; and guarantees your victory over Satan.
• Wonders of His anger: It doesn’t matter what anybody may tell you, God is not a Father Christmas. He loves and His love is wonderful, but He chastises too. If He loves you, but be careful, don’t toy with Him. If God loves you, He won’t leave you on your own. He won’t watch you go astray. Be careful, don’t joke with Him, don’t toy with sin, He is a holy God. When God decides to show His anger and He does it in a wonderful way. One prayer I pray every day is that God please don’t make me do what will make you get angry with me. The more He loves you, the more you need to be careful. God can be wonderfully angry so those of you who have not surrendered your lives to Him should know that God is angry with the wicked every day and surrender your life to Him today.
Earlier, there had been programmes of children, teens, youths and young adults.
There was the popular praise and worship lead by a much reduced Mass Choir, and Pastor Folu Adeboye prayed the usual prayer for nations and leaders.
