Pastor Oladele urges youths to keep on keeping on, says no one has excuse not to serve Him

CAC President, Pastor Samuel O. Oladele 

By Boluwatife Oparinde 

The President, Christ Apostolic Church, Nigeria and Overseas, Pastor Samuel O. Oladele has admonished youths of the church to keep on keeping on, not to go (burn) out, saying they shouldn't be afraid of storms, strong wind and billows. 

Reacting to the introduction of the CAC Youth Director, Pastor S. O. Gbuyiro who mentioned how the he had been in the ministry from age thirteen, Pastor Oladele said he couldn't but ask himself what would have happened if he did not respond to God's call.

"If I had said no to God at the age of thirteen, I would have been replaced because he is God of another. Don't get lost because God has some duplicates. Stay and the Lord will strengthen you," he said.

Speaking at the 2023 CAC International Youth Conference and Thanksgiving Celebration, Ikeji 1 Conference center, the President noted that there are cloud of witnesses cheering Christians up on the Christian race, saying that the cloud of witnesses are there not to testify against, but to encourage believers to keep on keeping on.

Taking his text from Daniel 1:8-19, the clergyman related that one of the cloud of witnesses Christians are being surrounded with is Daniel, explaining that if is not taken and their footsteps not followed, they could turn and stand to testify against believers.

Describing how riches is not an excuse for standing or serving God, the CAC President said that those of the cloud of witnesses who were rich on earth, would stand to testify how they still served while they were rich on earth, same with the poor.

Pastor Oladele citing Paul and Peter as cases of literacy and illiteracy, says that Paul who had an intimidating intellectual profile encountered Christ, and Peter who was an illiterate yet served the Lord, would stand against Christians how they stood for God despite their ugly experiences and circumstances.

"No one has any excuse before the Lord not to know the Lord. The temptation before the youths is to live for the present in the present."

Applying the biblical description of the madman at Gadara to the prevalence of mere religiosity among youths, the clergyman cited that there are members of the choir, members of the church who are under the bondage of religion, adding that, "today, you are here, ask yourself, are you a Christian or just being bound under the chains? Religion cannot save."

According to him, "As we are here this afternoon, think about yourself. The Bible says when he saw Jesus, he ran towards Him and all those demons were sent packing and the Bible says he was in his right mind. There are youths today who have lost their minds, but in the midst of corruption, we have an example of Daniel who was an example of someone who stood on his age."

"By the help of God, a teenager and a youth can become someone who stands for God.One thing about Daniel is that he started devoton to God early in his life. Remember your creator now. This is the language of the Bible. The bible uses the word now as in today. No procrastination. What you want to do, do it now," he said.

"I don't scare people. But there are certain harsh realities of life. It was a crisis for Daniel living in the king's palace. It was a crisis for Joseph in prison. You will also experience your crisis. You are going to meet with crisis. Crisis are everywhere but them like Daniel, if you are able to grow and stand form in character, you will scale through. It is better to know the Lord in your early years," he concluded.