By Anthony
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It was a deeply charged and spiritually invigorating Sunday at the Acts of Restoration and Compassion Church as worshippers gathered in earnest expectation under the leadership of the Lead Pastor, Rev Paul Chikwem.
The atmosphere was thick with faith, prayer, and anticipation as the congregation leaned into a powerful message drawn from John 11:23–25, anchored on the profound declaration: “Your brother will rise again.”
From the outset, Pastor Chikwem challenged the congregation to rethink their understanding of resurrection. Drawing from the encounter between Martha and Jesus Christ, he pointed out what he described as Martha’s “theological misplacement”, reducing resurrection to a distant event rather than recognising it as a present and living personality.
“Resurrection is not just something that happens,” he declared. “Resurrection is a Person. When He is present, nothing stays dead.”
The message unfolded in three powerful dimensions:
First, he emphasized that the power of resurrection is inseparable from the person of Christ. Wherever Jesus is present, death loses its grip. “Nothing dies where Jesus is,” he proclaimed, stirring the congregation into moments of intense prayer. He urged worshippers to believe for restoration in every area of their lives, declaring that every dead thing that ought to live would receive life again.
Secondly, the pastor addressed the issue of delay. Referencing the complaint that Jesus had arrived too late to save Lazarus, he reframed the narrative. According to him, what appears as delay is often a setup for divine manifestation. “Jesus did not come late; He came for testimony,” he said emphatically, adding that resurrection power overrides every form of delay and brings about undeniable evidence of God’s intervention.
In the third dimension, Pastor Chikwem confronted the yoke of limitation. He recalled how those around Jesus insisted that Lazarus’ condition had gone beyond remedy, declaring, “By now, he stinks.” Yet, he stressed, such limitations do not apply where resurrection power is at work. “Too late is not in the vocabulary of Jesus,” he said, leading the congregation in declarations against every form of stagnation and impossibility.
Culminating the message, he highlighted the authority to call forth what has been buried. Just as Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave, believers were charged to speak life into dormant and lost opportunities. “Look into every area of your life,” he urged, “and call forth what must come alive again.” He referenced situations where efforts seem fruitless or where gains are mysteriously lost, affirming that divine restoration is still possible.
The service closed with fervent prayers and prophetic declarations, as congregants lifted their voices, calling forth life into their personal circumstances. It was a morning marked not just by teaching, but by a renewed conviction that resurrection is not a distant hope, but a present reality embodied in Christ.
