GHGM

A friend recently told me about a church that filled a stadium during their crusade. At first, I was impressed. But then I discovered something I didn’t know before there are people whose actual occupation is crusade mobilization. They have a database, a base, and hundreds of contacts they can call whenever there’s a program. They negotiate fees,  sometimes ₦2,000 per person, sometimes less. Their job is simple: show up, fill the seats, shout “Amen,” respond on cue. The stadium looks full. The atmosphere looks charged. The photos look powerful. But many of the people are there for one reason which is money. Now imagine a young minister watching from afar. He sees the crowd and cries, “God, do this for me too!” Not knowing that what he’s admiring have been carefully arranged. And that’s the danger. We have slowly shifted from pursuing the Source to competing with results. We are no longer comparing grace, we are comparing crowds. Meanwhile, some of those crowds were purchased. This ...

Spiritual Gifts Are Not for Show Speaker: Evangelist John Emmanuel Dickson Text:1 Corinthians 12:7 Spiritual gifts are not given to believers to impress people or prove spirituality. They are given to serve, to edify the Church, and to glorify God. The Bible says, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). This means spiritual gifts are for the benefit of others, not for personal display. Paul also reminds us that even if we speak in tongues, prophesy, or have great faith, without love, we are nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1–2). Love—not performance—is the true evidence of spiritual maturity. Jesus warned against practicing righteousness to be seen by others (Matthew 6:1). When spiritual gifts become a stage performance, they lose their eternal value. The Holy Spirit does not anoint us for attention but for service. Ephesians 4:12 says gifts are given “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ...