Christian Youths And Career Development - Pst Sam Makanju — Pastor Sam Makanju

Thank the Lord, that God will help me to be as fast as possible. I want to thank God for the leadership of this wonderful fellowship. Um I'm also a unificationist by the grace of God. Um University of Ilorin. I was vice president twice by the mercies of God. And um so anytime and I'm among um unification member, I know that even though I'm not in Ilorin, I am in another Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. We are one family in Christ. Hallelujah. So I want to thank God for the leaders, uh the pastor. Oh, you you you call him Papa. I think I heard you say Papa the other time. Praise the Lord. Don't mind me. I like using the word pastor. So, I I want to celebrate the pastor. Can you celebrate your pastor please? Hallelujah. Um I want to thank God for the life of my wonderful sister. Sister Bookola Denipekun. God bless you. Thank you for having me around. You know, the the the funny thing was that uh two days before she called me, I was I was because I I was planning for a camp meeting um that we hold by July. So, I was praying in my heart that Lord, I need to get people in uh U-Foskiwa to attend the camp meeting. So, I was just praying in my heart two days before she called me. Um Pastor Jibola can bear me witness. He knows the best I'm talking about. So, I was praying, I said, "Lord," this exactly was what I said. I said, "God, open the door of U-Foskiwa Polytechnic for me." Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Do you know the funny thing? You can stand before a door, if you don't have the key, you can't enter. My house, my father's house is opposite this your school. Opposite your school. And you know, as near as my house is, I've been trying to gain entrance to your school spiritually for years. There are times I will come to your school, I will pray around, do prayer walk in the midnight. There are times I will go to the stadium, you know, when the whole school is empty, I will just knee down in the stadium and be praying. I said, "Lord, open this school." Hallelujah. So, the the two days after she called me and said, "Uh, we would like you to we would like to have you around." I was I was um driving with Pastor Jibola. I just told him, I said, "God has answered my prayer." Uh so, I believe that me standing before you today is is an answered to prayers of many years. And I believe strongly, Hallelujah. that someone's life will receive a redirection today. Amen. In the name of Jesus. Amen. I've been told to talk on Christian youth and their choice of career. But I recoined it and I call it Christian youth and career development. Just permit me. I will still meet your target by the grace of God. Uh Christian youth and career development. Now in this topic there are three main words I would like to properly explain. Uh when you are writing project, there's a place you get to. In writing project, uh for some of us in social sciences, uh I think it's after chapter one, they will write operation operational definition of terms. Praise the Lord. Don't mind me, I'm in the academics. So, you know, after your chapter one, I think that's the last thing they will write. definition of terms. In our own field, we call it operational definition of terms because the reason why we use the word operational is because what um goat may mean in uh in law may differ from what goat means in agric. Goat is an exhibit in law, goat is an animal in agriculture. It has a name. It has a botanical name, do you understand? So, we call it operational definition of term. Now, the reason why we use the word operational is because um there is an application of that word in the context of our field. So, there we'll do a a definition for these three uh words. Today and when we have done that properly, it will give us a a a very sound focus on um how you can develop your career in life. Amen. Amen. Now, should I tell you something very shocking that actually school is not for you to get certificates. The major problem in Nigeria today is that many of us go to school for certification. So, when we are going to school, we come for ND, and all we are targeting is to have a upper class or distinction in ND or have the upper class or distinction in HND. That's our target. So, we have a three uh circuit journey. I did that when I was in school too. You either come from class to fellowship, fellowship to library, that's all. Praise the Lord. If you are in that shoe, shout, "Hallelujah." Ehen. So, class to fellowship, fellowship to library, nowhere else. And that's beautiful actually. There's nothing wrong with that. But later on in time, I've discovered that school is not just for you to get the certificate. Banking on finance, national diploma in banking on finance or higher national diploma in banking on finance. The intention of school, that is why it's called school, is for self-discovery. What did I call it? To discover yourself. That is why the the the the the the main people that are the frontliners in technological world, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, all of them were school dropouts. You know, sometimes when we're in school, they say, "Ah, Mark Zuckerberg was a dropout. Steve Jobs was a dropout. Uh, Bill Gates was a dropout." And some of those people to come and tell you, "You can drop out of school and still make it." And I tell them, I just I told one of my friends, I said, "If you drop out of school in Nigeria, you are a jew." Because actually, they didn't drop out of school because they failed. No. They dropped out of school because they've achieved the reason why they came to school. You know, when Mark when Mark was in school, he was a tech person. He was a technology person. I don't know maybe any of us who have watched the film um the film that was done about his life, how he how he started Facebook with some of his friend and things like that. Now, one thing I've discovered about him was that based on that film and from some of the books I've read concerning him, is that he was a kind of person that was tech-driven, facing technology, blah, blah, blah, go to club, come back to tech, go to club, come back to tech, and things like that. And the moment he eat it on Facebook, and he has done Facebook to cover the community where he was, and Facebook was spreading all over the US, he had to drop out of school, not because he failed, but because he felt that he has achieved the reason why he came to school. He has discovered himself. Are you following? So, the problem we are having in Nigeria today is that our school had not been structured for you to discover yourself. In fact, in school, they kill you. Yes, they kill yourself. That is why a lecturer, you know, I'm in the academics and I tell I tell I tell some people who are lecturer, I tell look if if all you do is to give your students questions and you expect them to answer those questions the same way you taught them in in class, you are a failure as a lecturer. Yes, because actually, the intention of you teaching them is to bring their their idea. Look, I can teach you a and the idea of tertiary institution is for you to think outside the box and bring BC to it. So, when you come to class and I'm talking, you can engage me intellectually and say, "Sir, why don't you look at it at this from this perspective?" That is what is called self-discovery. You are bringing out a dimension inside of them that was not brought out in secondary school. Please do you get it? In secondary school, they expect you to say 1 + 1 is equal to 2. But when you are coming to tertiary institution, you say 1 + 1, it may not be equal to 2 if it's not properly explained. So, if you say 1 + 1 is equal to 11, you have to explain it. If you can prove it to me that 1 + 1 is equal to 11 and it's well proven, so be it. That's self-discovery. Please, are you following? So, the problem we are having is that many of us you come to school, you you want to think outside the box, but they kill you from thinking outside the box. Anybody that thinks outside the box in Nigeria, that academic system, most of most of the times, many of them end up coming out with a pass. I I had a roommate when I was sorry I have not touched Bible. I will still touch Bible. If she knows with touch Bible, you'll be tired. Now, I have a friend. Let me just share this stories. I have a a roommate when I was in school. I was in finance, 200 level. He's a guy, but he's he bears a his name is Chima. Praise the Lord. Now, this guy, um, that was 2009. This guy was in charge of University of Ilorin's uh, Freetel what do they call it now? Forgotten the name, but uh, it's it's it's what gives you access to the internet. uh, all over University of Ilorin. So, he was in charge. The guy was doing computer science in University of Ilorin. The guy teaches his lecturer programming and yet the guy is in third class. I'm telling you I know I look I'm standing before God so I'm telling you a true life story. Do you know this guy? I'm telling you someone who is handling University of Ilorin website, handling University of Ilorin computer-based test, handling University of Ilorin internet-based database, he's the one handling all those stuff. His lecturer couldn't handle it. He's the one handling it. This is a guy who will sit down on his chair. I'm not exaggerating for two days on his chair. He won't sleep. The only thing he will just do, he will go downstairs and go and buy boga. You know what we call boga? Bread and akara. He will buy bread and akara with um drink. So he will buy it, sit down on his computer for two days, I mean 48 hours. He won't bathe, he won't brush. The only thing we do is eat, go to toilet, come back. 48 hours nonstop. You will sleep, you will wake up, you will meet him there. You will go to class, you will come back, you will meet him there. You will do everything, you will come back, you will just put earphones on his ears, big earphones, and he will be doing everything. When it's done like after two days, he may now sleep off for over 12 hours. You just sleep like a log of wood. He's a computer guru. Yet, he was doing computer science in University of Ilorin, and he was having he had an extra year. He had third class, and he had an extra year. But should I tell you something? Many of his friends who are second-class upper, who had first-class today, they were being employed by him because he discovered himself. He has the skill, he has the gifts. They have the knowledge, but they don't have the skill. What matters in life is not what you know, it's what you can do. Please, are you following? God bless you. So, that's set you. I want us to look at three words, like I said, one, Christian, two, youth, three, career. In fact, I'm going to do a proper um word explanation on the word career because the word career has been murdered up. That has been murdered up. Now, who is a Christian? Let's start with that. Who is a Christian? A Christian is not someone who is born in church. A Christian is not someone who wear white garment. A Christian is not someone who can preach or who can pray. I can preach and may not be a Christian. They are who can who can stand and talk very well. So, if they know Bible, they will preach. But yet, they may not believe what they are preaching. Please, do you understand? So, preaching doesn't make you a Christian. Singing doesn't make you one. Uh coming to church regularly doesn't make you one. Just the same way that you were born in a garage does not make you a car. Do you understand? If they give you in a car in a garage, does that make you a car? You are human. So, if you were born in a church, you were the white garment or you were born there does not make you a Christian. What makes you a Christian? A Christian is someone who has acknowledged his sinfulness. A Christian is someone who has acknowledged his sinfulness, one, and his helplessness to solve the problem of sin. A Christian is someone who has acknowledged his sinfulness and his helplessness to solve the problem of sin, and he has put his trust in Jesus as his Savior from sin and as his Lord in life. Let me explain again. A Christian is someone who has acknowledged his sinfulness and his helplessness to save himself from sin, and who has put his trust in Jesus as his Savior from sin, and as his Lord in life. If you take time, you go and read first Corinthians 15:1 to 4, Paul was talking about the gospel that I preached to the Corinthians, to the church in Corinth. And he told them, he said, "I preach unto you how that Jesus died for our sins according to scripture." How that he was buried, and he was raised from the dead according to scripture, and was seen by Cephas and every other apostle. In Romans chapter 10, when you read from verse 9 to verse 12, you will see scripture explaining to us that um what gets a man saved is that you believe in your heart that the Lord Jesus, and you confess with your mouth that God raised him from the dead, and you'll be saved. Praise the Lord. So, let me explain it a little. Who is a Christian? He's someone who has come to a point and say, "Look, I'm a sinner. I can't help myself from this thing called sin. This sin is beyond my help." So, he has acknowledged his sinfulness and his helplessness to to save himself from sin. "So, this sin I can't save myself from it." That's the first thing. Then, he didn't just stop there. He said, "Jesus has paid the price for my sin." So, he trusts what Jesus did on the cross for him. When the heart man believeth, with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. So, he won't just stop in believing, he will also confess that "Jesus, oh, I can't help myself with this. I just find out that even though I try not to sin, I keep sinning. I can't help myself. So, what I need to do is to believe that you paid for this thing that I'm committing. You have done it on my behalf. Thank you. I believe you." But you know, if he stopped there, that means he can just keep sinning, and he will be trusting God. But no, he won't stop there. He will now make Jesus the Lord of his life. The problem in the body of Christ today is that many of us will make Jesus our Savior, but we didn't make him our Lord. So, he saves you. Anytime you are in "Olúwa bámì, a túgbàe," but the moment, "ehn?" wa túpwé ruwa se kini o? A sígbó. Is your Savior, but it's not your Lord. So, what makes a Christian is that he is both your Savior and your what? And your Lord. Lord means what does Who can tell me the meaning of Lord? Tell me the meaning of Lord. Lord, give me Yoruba for Lord. Olúwa Olúwa ni lẹ Yoruba. Támá ni yenkan lo luwa me. Ki ni tumai? My Lord, the person who is in charge of your life. Look in correct Yoruba traditional marriage, the husband is the olúwa of the wife. Do you understand? And that is why when the wife wake up in the morning, what does he do in Yoruba culture? He will kneel down and will say, "Olúwa mi, eni a jiki, eni a jisi, ama ki lori kie." Do you understand? So, when Jesus become your Lord, what that is why the Yoruba will say in the adage, "Woni o be ti ba le le ije." Ehen, so when you say Jesus is your Lord, there are things your Oluwa doesn't eat, you don't cook it. Do you understand it now? So, there are there are ways of life that your Oluwa does not agree with, you don't live it. So, it's both your Savior and your Lord. Please, is that clear? We get it clear. So, Christian, that's clear. Youth, um Proverbs, I think 20 is it Is it 20 29? Let me check. Proverbs um yeah, 20 29. He said, "The glory of a youth, the glory of a young man is in their strength." So, I say youth is not defined by age. Youth is defined by strength. That's what scripture says. He said, "The glory of a young man is what?" Is in their strength, and the beauty of the old is in the gray hair. But do you know the funny thing, sir? Ehn? I am just a little over 30, and I have gray hair on my head. It's dark so you won't see. But I know before I become 40, my whole year will be gray hair. And that does not mean I'm old.…