The Transformational Gospel Pt. 4 by Apostle Michael Orokpo: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Office of the Christ

The gospel has three major components. The first is the message of Christ and His finished works — Christ crucified. The second is the revelation of who you have become through union with Christ — the new creation. The third, which is our focus, is the responsibility that flows from that new identity: the applied gospel, or what I call the transformational gospel.

Before we go there, we must understand who we are representing and through what authority. When Paul said "we preach Christ," he was speaking of four distinct revelations.

• Jesus as God the Son — eternally co-equal with the Father and the Spirit. John 1:1, John 8:58. He is God. Many religions miss this and call Him a great prophet. He is not a prophet. He is God.
• Jesus as Son of God — God in flesh, running the errand of the Father within the administration of the Godhead. He reduced the scope of His divine operation to the single assignment of salvation. That is why He could say the Father is greater — it is based on responsibility in that season, not on essence. 1 Timothy 3:16: God was manifest in the flesh.
• Jesus as Son of Man — representing man's interest in the realm of God. Daniel 7:13-14 — dominion was given to Him on our behalf. That is why you and I have a stake in God's realm. 1 John 2:1 — we have an Advocate with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous. He stands there for us.
• Jesus as the Christ — the anointed One and His anointing. This is an office. Not just a person running errands, but a structure created by God to bring you and me into legitimate empowerment to represent God. In Acts 10:38, He was anointed with the Holy Ghost and power. In Acts 1:8, you were also anointed with the Holy Ghost and power. The same substance.

This is why ministry is not about you. When you go into a city, you are not going as yourself. You are going in an office. The office is ancient. The office is eternal. When a minister of state speaks, he speaks on behalf of the president — not as himself. The authority flows from the office, not from the man. That is why village people cannot follow you where you are going in Christ. They see you. God sees an office.

When I know Jesus as the Christ, I step out with audacity. I am going in an office. Let no one despise thy youth — it is not your youth they are seeing when you speak from the office. Demons flee from the office.

The Applied Gospel — Eight Components

If salvation is genuine, it must move from conversion to culture. If those in power are truly Christians, government should reflect mercy, compassion, integrity, and generosity. When civilization does not reflect the culture of heaven, it means either the salvation is not genuine or those who are saved have not applied what they have received.

So when we preach the gospel, we do not just preach Christ crucified and the new creation and stop. We preach the applied gospel — because a gospel not applied to civilization becomes a nuisance to society.

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Apostle Michael Orokpo
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1. Righteousness — Lived, Not Just Confessed

   Proverbs 14:34 — "Righteousness exalts a nation; sin is a reproach to any people." If righteous men are truly present in a nation and the nation is not being exalted, it means those men are sick — because the nature of righteousness, when genuinely present, will support the lifestyle. Just as I did not pray to walk on two legs — I had the nature of a man, and that nature supported walking — a man who truly has the righteousness of God will naturally live it out.

   If you are in charge of money and you steal it, you are a thief — not a Christian, regardless of what you confess. We have built systems that manage iniquity and run them through secrecy. 1 John 3:10 — "Whoever does not do righteousness is not of God." The proof of righteousness is not our talking. If you know the truth, the truth will make you free — and freedom means it shows. Secret purity. You will die before you violate the principles governing your community.

2. Dignity of Labor and Productivity

   Colossians 3:23 — "Whatsoever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord and not unto men." 2 Thessalonians 3:10 — Paul said if any man will not work, neither shall he eat. Work is not just about money. Work is an educational system in the realm of God. The Hebrew word for work is a word that means to become. God made Adam walk the garden even when he had everything — because that is where discipline is formed, where diligence is learned, where character is shaped.

   A gospel that makes people indolent in the name of believing for miracle money has failed them. God can supply miraculously — absolutely. But the moral program and agenda of God involves work. You cannot spend a million-naira loan on a crusade when you are still in the season of building your capacity. That is not faith. That is irresponsibility.

   People should leave church and become better employees, better business owners, better professionals — because of what they heard. They should be called the best staff of the year and when asked why, say: the Bible says do everything as unto the Lord, so I am not working for your company — I am working for Jesus.

3. Compassion and Care for the Poor

   James 1:27 — "Pure religion undefiled is to care for widows and orphans." Matthew 25:35-40 — the basis of eternal reward Jesus described was the works of compassion. A Christian senator can loot the funds of a constituency and buy a fleet of cars — and still be given a microphone in church to massage his ego. That altar must refuse to be used for that.

   You are a believer. This is April. Have you helped one person this year? One? But you have begged over a hundred. He said give, and it shall be given unto you. The poor need government to work. But when government fails, your hands must open.

4. Stewardship and Resource Management

   After Jesus multiplied bread and fish and fed five thousand, He said: "Gather every fragment. Let nothing be wasted." Not every loaf — every fragment. That is the standard of God's economy. Luke 16:12 — if you are not faithful in little, you cannot be faithful in much. Those God will promote will first demonstrate faithfulness in resource management. Wherever you are called, they should seek your wisdom on how to manage resources — as they sought Joseph's.

5. Family Structure and Order

   The first institution God created was not the church. It was the family. Ephesians 5:21-30 — God expects you to lead a wife who is submissive, and to love your wife. To discipline your children. To raise obedient children. Society fails because Christianity fails at home. A woman who kneels before her pastor but insults her husband has been taught religion — not the way of God. A man who is pastor of a church but cannot manage his immediate family has a problem at the foundation. When family order is restored, the sanity of society returns.

6. Wisdom

   1 Corinthians 2:16 — you have the mind of Christ. Wherever a Christian is, there should be order, guidance, leadership. Anywhere there is a genuine believer, they should bring the wisdom of God to create God's system within that environment. Hosea 4:6 — "My people perish for lack of knowledge." But we have come into the gospel — and in the gospel, we now have the mind of Christ.

7. Peace and Conflict Resolution

   Matthew 5:9 — blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Most wars today are fought for ego and greed — for the proceeds of war, to satisfy pride. There are times when force is the only language available. But most of the time, wisdom must be given a chance. If we cannot even secure peace inside the choir — if in the pastorate people are fighting over who leads worship — how can we take peace to the world? We are called salt. How can we season what we ourselves have contaminated?

8. General Application of Kingdom Culture and Ethics

   Galatians 5:22-23 — the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Matthew 5 — the kingdom culture as described in the Sermon on the Mount. You must first be known for mercy, humility, truthfulness, and integrity — and then you will be positioned to implement it in the systems you enter.

   When I refused to distribute exam questions at a school where I taught, I lost my job. For months, there was no income. The obedience cost me. But that school owner today watches my ministry and acknowledges I am a man of God. Those who compromise do not realize that their credibility was the price they paid.