THE LORD HAS FOUND A MAN

By Pastor Tayo Adeyemi
 New Wine Church, London

Sunday 04 December 2011

Foundation Scripture: 1 Samuel 13: 14
As you probably already know, it was Pastor Michael’s 50^th birthday last Thursday.  So today, I’m dedicating my entire message to him. Now right there is my first problem! Just take a look at him.  How can anyone believe that he is 50?  It just isn’t fair! Just take a look at me – I look like I’m 10 years older than him; yet he is the one who is 10 years older than me.  But seriously, Pastor Michael I want to say happy birthday and many happy returns.  We rejoice with you as you attain this significant milestone. And we know that you have just entered into a new season in your life: a season of rest, a season of release and a season of restoration.  Over the years, you have been faithful in serving God and His people. I now decree that you enter into your harvest and into your reward.  Your life is about to shift into a whole new dimension – a dimension of supernatural and exponential increase - a dimension where the glory of God upon your life is intensified and magnified.  Get ready: God is about to blow your mind and amaze people as they observe your rising and shining.
Now church, I want to take this opportunity to highlight certain qualities about Pastor Michael that are worthy of emulation. I want to share with you five things about this man that every believer should aspire on to.  These are the five qualities that God is looking for in a man or woman after his own heart.

1.  He is a man under authority
Pastor Michael is a man who truly understands spiritual authority and spiritual positioning. In the years that I have known him – and that’s almost 20 years now – He has never once followed his own agenda.  At his birthday celebration on Thursday, Rev Celia had this to say about him: he never presents himself; he always presents his Senior Pastor and his Church. Ladies and Gentlemen, here is a man who knows how to be a faithful servant and a true follower. Here is a man who knows the power of being a number 2. You see in our society today, people have been conditioned to think that they are not truly successful unless they are number 1. But look through the bible, there are many men whose greatness lays  in the fact that they were very good at being number 2. Some of them eventually became a number 1; but those examples were few and far between. Many fulfilled the call of God upon their lives by being the best number 2 they could be. And in being a great number 2, they became number 1 in God’s eyes. Pastor Michael has never had the ambition to usurp authority or to promote himself; and this is the reason why God is blessing him immensely.  The example of the centurion whose servant was sick in Matthew 8: 9 is noteworthy: Here, the centurion said to Jesus ‘For I also am a man under authority’ – In saying ‘also’, he recognised Jesus as being as a man under authority as well as possessing authority himself.
The truth is, you will never be a man or a woman of authority unless you are first a man or woman under authority. When your position yourself under God ordained spiritual authority, you become empowered to command situations and cause them to obey you.  Angels will be at your beck and call; they will come and go at your command. Demons will tremble under the sound of your voice.  This Roman Centurion recognised that Jesus had placed himself under the authority of the Father. Therefore, he knew that whatever Jesus said concerning his servant would come to pass instantly.


2.    He is a man of excellence
If you want to see the personification of the spirit of excellence, just watch Pastor Michael at work.  Many times, guest ministers commend on the spirit of excellence that they perceive in this house. Well let me assure you, excellence doesn’t just happen – there is usually someone behind the scenes who drives it. In this house, that person is Pastor Michael. He understands my spirit, and has come to recognise that ‘if it’s not quite, then it’s not right’. I wish I could tell you that everyone who works with me embodies that same spirit, but that would be a lie. In a million years, some people just don’t get it. And the reason is, they have not made a quality decision to embrace the spirit of excellence.  You see, excellence is a spirit. Before it manifests in the things that you see or feel or hear, it first exists in the heart.  In Daniel 6: 3 we are told ‘Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him’. When you carry the spirit of excellence, you will be distinguished; you will never have to chase promotion ever again in your life; because promotion will always pursue you. In Daniel 5:12, the spirit of excellence upon Daniel qualified him to be invited into their highest council in the land.
When you carry the spirit of excellence, people will not be able to make significant decisions until you arrive. What is the spirit of excellence? Here is my simple definition – excellence is simply improving on your last performance. Excellence is not about glitz or glamour or showing off; it is about being the best you can be at every given point in time.  The spirit of excellence will open doors for you and cause people to beat a path to your doorstep from all over the world.


3.    He is man of passion
Pastor Michael never does things by halves. He either does not get involved at all, or he pours his everything into it. Many times, passion is the difference between success and failure; the difference between being acknowledged and being ignored; the difference between being exceptional and being good.  If you really want to light up a room, don’t use a twenty watt bulb – use a hundred watt bulb. Passion is the difference between twenty watts and hundred watts. Passion is the difference between a lit matchstick and a blazing forest.
If you want to get something done, give it to a man who is not just on fire, but who can also set others on fire. Pastor Michael is that man. Ecclesiastes 9: 10 says, ‘Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.’ A man with passion will be chosen over a man with qualifications any day. Why is it that recruiters do not employ people purely on the basis of their CV? Why do they insist on an interview? It’s because they are looking for two things – passion and attitude. They want to feel your temperature before they employ you. They want to know if you are a wet rag or a blazing flame.
Another quality that goes hand in hand with passion, especially for believers is compassion. There are many people who are passionate but not compassionate.  Pastor Michael is not just a man of passion, he is also a man of compassion. If you do not know him well, it is easy to misunderstand him, because he is very resolute and very strong willed and he is a no nonsense man. People don’t like that because they want someone they can walk all over and treat as a doormat. So if a person is firm, they say he is difficult. What they are really saying is ‘that guy won’t let me take him for a ride’. But when you really get to know him, you will discover that Pastor Michael is a man with a large heart.  He is kind, compassionate and generous.


4.    He is a man of diligence
Proverbs 22:29 says that a diligent man will stand before kings. Pastor Michael is the epitome of diligence. He is very hardworking, almost to the point of being a workaholic. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to force him to get out of the office and just go home. But seriously church, the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary! God has used the life of many bible characters to demonstrate that diligence is a godly virtue. I am not asking you to be a workaholic; but I promise you, if you are not hardworking, you will not be successful and you will not make lastly impact. This is the truth folks, God does not reward laziness.  When your boss, your colleagues, or even the people you supervise describe you, can they call you diligent? That scripture says, a diligent man, a skilful worker will always be in demand. Are you the kind of person that everyone will miss when you leave your job? 
Diligence means putting your very best into whatever you do. It means not cutting corners; it means not dodging responsibility; it means the people who work with you can depend on you. It means you are an asset and not a liability. When I commit something – anything – into Pastor Michael’s hand, I have an assurance that it is as good as done. I don’t have to chase him up, or tackle him to the ground to get an update.  Diligent people make the people they serve look better than they are. To be diligent is to be dependable. To be diligent is to be reliable. To be diligent is to be consistent. Pastor Michael is all of these things and more.


5.    He is a faithful man
Faithfulness is one of the rarest qualities in people today. Yet the bible says it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. While the world is looking for skill and ability, God is looking for faithfulness. To be faithful is to be trustworthy, to be devoted, to be dependable, to be steadfast, to be unwavering, to be reliable, and to be loyal. I can say with any fear of contradiction that Pastor Michael is a faithful man. He has been faithful in little things; no wonder God is now making him ruler over great things. Look very closely; faithfulness always precedes promotion. Many have forfeited great blessings because they have failed the test of faithfulness. Proverbs 28:20 says ‘A faithful man will abound in blessings.’
One of the cornerstones of faithfulness is loyalty. There are many leaders today who have to constantly look over their shoulder because they are not sure if the people they lead will stab them in the back. And I can tell you, I have had my own fair share of backstabbers in life. But with Pastor Michael, I have never, repeat never, had to look over my shoulder. Let me make it clear to you, this guy is so loyal, I can trust him with my life. Now pay attention; that is a very serious thing I have just said. Can people say that about you? Are you faithful, are you loyal, are you reliable and are you dependable? Potiphar trusted Joseph with everything in his house because Joseph was a faithful man. Pharaoh trusted Joseph to run the country because he was a faithful man. I promise you, if you can just learn to lay down your own agenda and embrace the spirit of faithfulness and loyalty, there is no limit to how high you will rise. I believe that these are the qualities that have served Pastor Michael in good stead all these years and I assure you; these are qualities that are well pleasing to God. In Hebrews 13:7 we are told to remember those who rule over us and to follow their faith and consider the outcome of their conduct. In Pastor Michael, we see a shining example of a man under authority, an excellent spirit, passion, diligence and faithfulness; in Pastor Michael the Lord has found a man.