Pastor Exhorts Church to Look Beyond Material to Eternal
LONDON – Jonathan Oloyede has exhorted Christians not to be distracted by money or fame but to seek eternal treasures in Heaven.
"Heaven is real, Hell is real and it's all going to be over very soon," said the pastor of City Chapel in east London Tuesday night.
"I want to encourage everyone to get on with the real business of the Kingdom and dragging people back from the precipice of Hell to Heaven," he said. "Don't get distracted running after money or fame. Become enraptured in making sure that one more soul does not go to eternal damnation."
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Oloyede made the call at RCCG Victory House in south London, where members are in the midst of a 21-day prayer and fast for the capital and nation.
He spoke of the shortness of life and reminded the congregation that wise believers were those who prepared for the time when they would be called to give an account of their life on Earth.
"Soon and very soon you and I are going to stand before our maker and He is going to ask you 'what did you do with the 60-something years I gave you?' 'What did you do with 40 years of ministry?' 'What did you do with your life for the Lord?'" he said.
"I want to challenge you to look beyond the material, look beyond the immediate issues we have right now, to look into eternity and decide what kind of future you want to have because too many times we have an earthly ambition and not a heavenly goal."
Oloyede, who also convenes the Global Day of Prayer in London, urged Christians to drop their own agendas and start praying for God's.
"People come to prayer meetings these days to pray for themselves but when you come to pray for God's agenda, He draws you close and says 'thank you for being concerned about what I am concerned about.'"
He exhorted Christians not to be reckless with the revelations they had received from God, and to spend more time listening to the Good News than catching up on the bad news in the media.
"We are good at fasting from food. I want to encourage you to fast from distractions," he said, stressing the need for purity. "You might not eat but you fill your heart and your mind with all kinds of junk … Make sure that the manna you are eating from the Lord far outweighs what the world is feeding you."
