By Anthony
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The atmosphere at Acts of Restoration and Compassion (ARC) Church on the first Sunday service in August, 2026, was charged with worship, thanksgiving, fervent prayers and life-transforming revelations, as worshippers gathered for another extraordinary service marked by prophetic declarations, biblical insights and a baby dedication.
The service opened with earnest prayers for members to excel in every area of life after which the choir rendered soulful praise and worship session before tge lead pastor, Rev Paul Chikwem, was ushered onto the podium by Pastor Emeka Success
Rev Chikwem began with intercessions to God to deliver the oppressed, strengthen the weak, restore backsliders, save souls and empower believers to do greater exploits for His Kingdom.
He tgen expresed special appreciation to everyone who contributed to the success of the recently concluded 14th Anniversary of Papa’s Move Outreach, describing it as a divine mission that has gone beyond Lagos to make significant impact across several Nigerian cities and even the Diaspora. He declared that the movement had come to stay because of the unmistakable hand of God driving it.
Prayers were offered that God would reward every member who laboured to make the anniversary a success with undiminishing grace, divine support and supernatural favour. He further declared that those who refused to turn their backs on God’s work would never lack helpers, while God Himself would advertise and prosper whatever they lay their hands upon.
The servant of God tgen delved into tge message of the day, title:
“The God of Abraham” .
Preaching from Genesis 12:1-4, the minister urged the congregation to open their hearts to receive divine truth, reminding them that God relates with people according to their divine destiny rather than their present condition.
Using Abraham as the central example, he explained that Scripture refers to “the God of Abraham” because God saw Abraham’s future long before it became a reality. Though Abram had no child, God already saw him as the father of many nations and changed his name accordingly.
He noted that God called Gideon a mighty warrior while he was hiding in fear, renamed barren Sarai as Sarah, and declared that He knew Jeremiah before he was formed in his mother’s womb. While men judge by outward appearance, God sees the spirit and the destiny hidden within every individual.
He drew lessons from Jeremiah’s visit to the potter’s house, and encouraged believers never to abandon their dreams or quit because of temporary failures. As long as the clay remained in the potter’s hands, it could still be remoulded into something better.
He warned against constantly abandoning marriages, churches, businesses or visions because of imperfections, stressing that no human institution is completely free from faults.
“Settle down and keep building,” he admonished. “If a project fails, it is the project that failed, not you. Dust yourself up and begin again. Don’t advertise your failures. Let people celebrate your success story instead.”
He further observed that only the pot was marred, not the potter’s hands. Likewise, God is able to remake every life that remains yielded to Him.
The Man of God identified three major characteristics of the God of Abraham:
First, He is the God of divine choice. Abraham was chosen purely by grace, not qualification. God’s choice is never determined by human opinion or influence.
Second, when God chooses a person, He often separates that individual from certain associations and environments in order to fulfil divine purpose.
Third, He is the God who shows. Until God opens a person’s eyes, opportunities may remain unnoticed. He illustrated this with Hagar, whose eyes God opened to see the well of water that had always been nearby whileshe languished in thirst and lamentation.
Members who had abandoned their divine calling were encouraged to return to it, while everyone was reminded not to despise people based on appearance.
Chikwem noted that God often sends destiny helpers in unexpected forms, citing the servant, who was abandoned by his master after raiding Ziklag but who eventually directed David after he had first shown him kindness. He urged believers never to abuse grace or look down on those they have the opportunity to help today, as today’s beneficiary may become tomorrow’s destiny helper.
The uplifting service concluded with powerful prophetic declarations over the congregation, as the cleric prayed for restoration, divine direction, open doors and fresh encounters with God.
A major highlight of the service was the joyful dedication of a baby boy, bringing the congregation into a celebration of God’s faithfulness and the gift of new life.
