There Is More Pt. 1 by Apostle Michael Orokpo: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Errand of the Word

When we study the word of God it is important for us to understand the errand of the word. The word of God is not designed or given to us merely as a system of education. In John 6:63, Jesus said the words he speaks are spirit and they are life. When God is talking, God is doing to you, in you, and through you much more than educating you. He is reconstructing and re-engineering your world altogether. In Psalm 107:20, he sent his word to them and healed them and delivered them from all their oppression. It doesn't matter the extent of damage that your life has suffered. The moment the word of God begins to come, there is hope, there is possibility of re-engineering and remaking until you become everything God had in mind when he began the project of your creation.

Having More Is God's Idea

When you are dealing with a God that is the creator, more is normal. That is how he designed man to operate. Imagine for a second that this same world that is able to accommodate over 8 billion of us and we have not yet tamed - God gave it to one man. In Genesis 1:28, after God created the man, he said, "And God blessed him. And God said, Be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue the earth, have dominion over the fowls of the air, the fish of the waters, and everything that creepeth upon the face of the earth." God handed over a world able to accommodate 8 billion people to one man. That is the idea of God concerning increase.

God is a progressive God. He said the path of the justified is as a shining light, Proverbs 4:18, it shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. There is no such thing as having arrived - wherever you are, there is more to possess. We are not discussing this for the purpose of personal gain. We are talking enhanced capacity for the sake of God's agenda. There is nothing you have that is enough. The more you have, the better, because more persons are blessed and kingdom advances.

Take for instance on the subject of asking. In Ephesians 3:20, God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all you ask or think. Some of us have not even exhausted the bandwidth of asking. Whatever you ask is not enough because God has more to give than you can think or ask. And God goes forward and says eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, nor has it occurred to the heart of man the things that God is willing and able to do, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10. So what we are dealing with here is beyond what you can ever ask or ever imagine. This is what God is inviting us into - so that mediocrity is broken, so that capacity is developed for the purpose of kingdom advancement.

Having more is God's idea. It was God who told Adam, I've given you the whole world. So long as your objective is pure, so long as it is about God and about others before you, God wants you to have more.

In John 14:12, Jesus said, "The works that I do you shall do also, and greater works than these shall ye do because I go to my father." This is not human ambition. This is what God himself planted into our spirit so that we are not limited in our lifetime. In John 15:2, Jesus said, "Any branch that does not produce more, my father will cut it off. But those who are fruitful, he will prune them so that they produce more fruit." It is an abomination to be stagnated. God expects you to keep flourishing and keep being fruitful.

When I read my Bible I saw the investment of God in the man in the garden. Number one, when God created Adam, he gave Adam his image. In Genesis 1:26, let us make man in our image. When God created man he gave man a capacity to be able to host the totality of God. Man can contain him. Man can reflect him. That is the meaning of image. And then he said, "Let us make him in our likeness." The word likeness means a model. We are God's models. When God wants to brag that he has capacity, we are the ones God uses. God gave man his image, his likeness, his authority, his presence, and his life force. The man was a package container hosting divinity.

The Bible said in 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, the first man Adam was a living soul, but the last man Adam was the Lord from heaven - a quickening spirit. No matter how powerful the first Adam was, he was an earthly man. But in the new testament, you and I are not living souls. We are in the order of the quickening spirit. We have borne the image of Christ. In 1 John 5:11-13, this is the record: God has given us eternal life and this life is in his son. The same life that sustains God is the life that sustains you. I carry the righteousness of God. I carry the name of Jesus. I am his legal representative on the earth.

Seven Areas of More

Let me show you seven areas of more.

1. More Knowledge of God

   The Bible says his ways are past finding out. The more you know, the more there is to know. Paul said in Philippians 3:10 - this was an apostle who had had third heaven encounters - "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being made conformable unto his death." Knowing God is not about having one or two scriptures you are quoting. It is about becoming conformable. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, with unveiled face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed. In John 8:32, he said you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. In Daniel 11:32, they that do know their God shall be strong and they shall do exploit. You cannot know God and be weak. It is impossible. Something about God will wake up on your inside. The knowledge of God literally makes God to be awoken on your inside. In 1 John 1:1-2, John said that which was from the beginning which we heard, which we saw, which we looked upon - he was talking about dimensions of God until it becomes your definition. That is what God wants. Know him. Empowerment will be on the increase because if you know him, you become like him.

2. More Access in the Spirit

   There are virgin realms in the spirit. Whatever you think you have heard of or seen, there are dimensions that men have not entered. After all that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Samson have seen, after all that Peter and all the disciples of Jesus have seen, Paul comes later and tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:9 that eyes have not seen. Abraham was the father of all nations. Moses entered the strongest kingdom on earth called Egypt without an army and shut it down with ten plagues. Elijah called down fire from heaven. Joshua commanded the sun to stand still. David hosted the Shekinah glory for 38 years. All of these dimensions have been wrought. And Paul still says eyes have not seen, ears have not heard. There are more dimensions. The Bible says in Hebrews, behind them is a desolate wilderness and before them is fire. Whatever you have seen in God, never get satisfied. He says remember not the former things - behold, he does a new thing. There is more. I don't know the area that your destiny is calling for. But what you have now, this version of you, cannot take nations.

3. More Power

   He said we are for signs and we are for wonders. Every one of us is designated to walk in the demonstration of the supernatural. In Mark 16:17, he said these signs shall follow them that believe - in my name shall they cast out devils. We are not known by our theology alone. We have tangible proofs to explain and give expression to our faith. From Moses shutting down Egypt, to Elijah calling down fire, to Joshua stopping the sun, to Jesus healing the sick and casting out devils with his word alone, the pattern is consistent. In Matthew 8:16, the Bible says he healed them all and cast out the devils by his words. He spoke, and broken and battered men were restored. And this is the man that told me I can do more.

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   Apostle Michael Orokpo

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   There is a dimension of power you carry. It is not just people falling down in church. That favor can break you out. Don't you know that favor can make all the difference? In Esther 5:2, Esther found favor with the king when she entered where the law forbade. Before Esther answered, the king said, "Even to half of my kingdom." I don't know any spell as powerful as favor. These are the powers that our God has to offer. Don't be a prisoner. Just walk with this God. If discernment does not work, favor will work. If favor does not work, mercy prevails over judgment. We don't die like that. We fulfill our destiny. When we finish, we bless our children and we gather ourselves unto glory. That is how we transit. Insist on power. The Bible says the communication of your faith becomes effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing in you in Christ Jesus, Philemon 1:6. If you don't contend, it will happen. If you keep quiet, your destiny will be limited.

4. More Fruitfulness, Impact, and Resources

   God created man, created a beautiful garden, and the first thing God said was be fruitful. Fruitfulness results in impact and impact results in surplus. Your life should become more impactful in every sphere God has placed you. If you are in ministry, it is time for your voice to go beyond your immediate territory. If you are in business, it is time to outgrow that first outlet. Anything God does is both eternal and global. He said begin from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, to the uttermost part of the earth. The impact must increase. The resources must increase.

   Look at the men God dealt with in scripture. Abraham alone had 318 trained servants that could go to war - not counting children and wives. Ten times Laban cheated Jacob and could not contain him. When Jacob was leaving Laban, Jacob was ten times greater than Laban. If you get satisfied, your blessings stop. Tell yourself: wherever I am is a starting point. This is a game of dominion. This is not about what is in your account. It is dominion.

5. More Territories

   God is a God of territories. Read the book of Joshua. Joshua conquered 21 kingdoms and thought he had done so much and God said, "You are old and stricken in age. See the land is before you. There is more. There are more territories to take." You never settle. You keep pressing. In Psalm 2:8, it says, "Ask of me and I will give you the heathen for an inheritance and the uttermost part of the earth for thy possession." This is not ambition. It is not about you. It is about God and it is about others. Take the media. Take the academia. Take the government. Take physical geography. Don't relax. Take more for God, because if you allow it desolate, the enemy will possess it. The person who has more territory is the one who determines the thought pattern, the ideology, the direction that men should go. Until we go there, the values of our God will not be established in those territories. Wherever you find grace, dominate. If you have money, buy land. If you have access in media, dominate. If you have connection in government, take over. If you cannot enter yourself, sponsor people to go there and let them advance godly values. Don't be indolent. Don't sit down.

6. More Harvest

   The reason we are doing all that we are doing is that at the end of the day, we will win some to God. In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus said, "The harvest truly is plenteous but the laborers are few. Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he may bring more laborers into the field." Anybody you see perishing, you must understand that is the blood of Jesus wasting. In John 3:16, God gave his only begotten son to die to save the whole world. God is grieved when men perish and it is your duty to ensure that they do not. God expects you to utilize the finished works of Christ in a very effective manner so that nobody within your sphere of influence goes to hell. It is not good return on investment.

   You can go out yourself. If you cannot go, join those who are praying for souls to be won. If you cannot join those who are praying, give your money to those who are doing it. By all means have a contribution. It's not about increasing the church size of your congregation. It is about increasing the volume of people in the kingdom.

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Walking Through The Epistles: Galatians 3

by Pastor Dolapo Lawal

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Forces That Provoke More

This more is not a product of wishful thinking. It is a product of definite ordinances and spiritual protocols. There are precursors that make them happen.

1. Engage the Mysteries of the Kingdom

   In Deuteronomy 29:29, the secret things belong to God, but the things that are revealed, they belong to us and to our children forever. We possess inheritance when secret things are opened to us. One of the mysteries of the Bible is what God did in Genesis 1:2. The earth was void, darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the spirit of the Lord hovered upon the face of the waters, and God said, "Light be." God did not make any statement when there was chaos because he did not want to increase the potential of the chaos. He allowed the Spirit to brood. When the Spirit was done brooding, God began to say what he wanted to see. Any area of your life where you want to reproduce, stir the Holy Ghost on your inside. When the Holy Ghost is stirred, speak spirit-filled words and you will be shocked that a new operation will begin. Whatever stirs your spirit, engage it. It can be worship, fasting, listening to a sermon, long hours of prayer. When you get your spirit stirred, begin to say what you want to see. You will be amazed at the swiftness with which it will be reproduced. Opportunities respond to pressure. Possibilities respond to pressure.

   We were supposed to go for a meeting and the budget came back to me at over $40,000. I didn't have that money anymore. But in my spirit I sensed to withdraw myself, go to an isolated place and stir my spirit. I provoked my spirit. When I felt charged, I made declarations and rested. In less than 48 hours, a stranger reached out to us from the US and credited $45,000. Anything can come from anywhere so long as it is in this world. God is the governor of the realm. Even a hidden king can be put under pressure to sponsor your project. When Daniel fasted and prayed for the deliverance of Israel, God moved a Persian king - present-day Iran - who did not even know God, to mobilize Israel back to Jerusalem. There are people who may never know God, but when you stir the realm, God is king. He will move them. They will play their part in your life and disappear. That is why it is called mysteries.

2. Sustain Hunger

   Hunger - insatiable appetite - is the gateway for more. The moment you become satisfied, the operation stops. The realm responds to hunger. As long as you are satisfied, God will wait. The psalmist said, "Oh God, thou art my God. Early will I seek thee. My soul thirsted for thee. My flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is." He was thirsty for God like a man who has not drunk water in a desert. That is why the guy kept increasing. David fought 66 battles and did not lose one. David operated in seven horns of the anointing - he was a king, a poet, a warrior, a psalmist, a shepherd. There was hunger that could not be sanctioned. In 2 Kings 4:3-4, the prophet told the widow, "Gather vessels, gather not a few." The woman gathered a few. When she kept pouring, the moment the last vessel was filled, the oil stopped. The day you become satisfied, that day you stop.

   One of the persons inspiring me in the last two years is a man who does two crusades every week, sometimes two apostolic conferences in two different nations in one week. After watching him, my spirit began to open. I began to demand it. In the last 32 days I organized six conferences in six nations - Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, back to Nigeria, then to Canada, then to Fiji Island. 32 days, six conferences, six nations, because hunger came. The more hunger comes, the more capacity is given. Learn to make yourself hungry.

3. Build Capacity

   In Isaiah 54:2, the Bible says, "Enlarge your tent. Stretch forth the place of your habitation. Spare not. Lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes." If you do not create structure, you cannot have more. Don't just hunger for more - build systems. God always respects structure. Any area you want more, go and study the structures that are required and build them. I knew I needed structure. So we designed a system, trained people, built partnerships and synergy. Today the number is increasing and the influence is increasing. Without structure, you cannot accommodate more. Go and sit down and trust the Lord to give you wisdom to build structure in the area where you are trusting him for increase.

   Then sharpen your vision. You can only receive to the degree that you see. In Genesis 13:14, God wanted to bless Abraham but God could not until he said, "Look north, south, east, and west. As far as your eyes can see, I have given it to you." In Genesis 15:5-6, God wanted to give Abraham a child but could not until he took him outside and said, "Look up, count the stars." We have allowed the devil to darken our understanding and shade our vision. In Habakkuk 2:1, the prophet said, "I will stand on my watch and I will see what he will say to me." In Jeremiah 33:3, ask of me, I will answer, and I will show you great and mighty things that you know not of. If you cannot tell what you want to be in two years, your vision needs sharpening. Craft where you want to go. Because if you can't see, you can't have.

4. Obedience

   If you want more, you must demonstrate maturity and compliance to obedience. In Deuteronomy 28:1-2, it shall come to pass if you observe and do all that he commands, the Lord thy God will set you on high above all nations and all these blessings shall come on you and overtake you. You cannot say you are expecting more and yet you are not obedient to the things of God. Even the things you need, you don't know them. Until God begins to speak, he enlarges your dreams. People who have abundance and continue to have are people who have mastered faithfulness. In Luke 16:10, if you are faithful in little, then you are going to be faithful in much. Your faithfulness in little is what qualifies you for much. If you are looking for more, it is not just about asking. It is about becoming faithful with what you currently have.

5. Engage the Prophetic

   If you want more, engage the prophetic. In Ezekiel 37, God took the prophet to a valley of dry bones. He said, "Can these bones live?" And God said, "Prophesy to the bones." He prophesied as he was commanded and bones began to connect to bones. When the particles were assembled, bones connected to bone without a brain having intelligence. Then the sinews came. Then the flesh. Then God said, "Prophesy to the wind." The wind entered them and they rose up as an exceeding great army. The prophetic has the power to direct and to create. You don't need a prophet to appear - because we all have the Holy Spirit, all of us can prophesy. In Job 22:28, you shall decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee. Stop gossiping. Stop complaining. Stop lamenting. Begin to prophesy. Declare now and you shall be justified. God says, "I the Lord, I perform the words of my servants. I confirm the counsels of my messengers." If you will declare tonight in faith, God will honor it.

   The Bible says in Habakkuk 3:19, the Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like hinds' feet and he will cause me to walk in my high places. This was the way of the patriarchs. They knew how to prophesy. They knew how to declare. They knew how to proclaim. And God hearkened. He gave you words so that you can exercise dominion. Words are not decorative. This world was created by words. Words are instruments of dominion. When you speak, things happen. Don't wait for others to speak about your destiny.