Move to the Next Level

By John Chasteen and Olatunde Adepoju

The bible in II Corinthians 3:18, says we go from glory to glory. God expects us as His children to move from one level of glory to another. In other words, we are not expected to be stagnant in our Christian walk. The book, Move to the Next Level talks about the five levels every Christian must go through in their Christian walk; what to do to move from one level to the next. The five levels will prepare us for heaven and for the second coming of Christ. Great prophets and men of God went through these stages. Particular reference is made to Abraham, the father of faith, Paul the Apostle, the apostles of Jesus Christ who became martyrs for the sake of the gospel and many others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 22, 2007
• ISBN: 9781469118352

John Chasteen

Pastor Bola Adepoju received her Bachelors of Arts degree at Spelman College and her MBA from Atlanta University, both in Atlanta. She and her husband have pioneered churches and they currently lead Northern Star Ministries, a ministry that reaches out to youths and families and teaches on leadership both in the church and in the secular world. She is an intercessor and a motivational speaker whose passion is to women. Her love for the unsaved, afflicted and oppressed has taken her on mission trips to villages in Nigeria, West Africa, for evangelism and deliverance. Her passion about her relationship with God, her love for Him and His truth and her desire for people and women in particular to excel is the message she preaches everywhere she goes. She has put into writing what her heart speaks to women of all ages and color.

Book preview

Copyright © 2007 by Olatunde Adepoju.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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38556

Contents

APPRECIATION & DEDICATION

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

APPRECIATION & DEDICATION

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This book is specifically dedicated to the Almighty God, the giver of life. It is in Him I live, I move and I have my being. I want to thank Him for sustaining me through the turbulence in my life, for giving me peace always and the wisdom to write this book.

I bless Him for His golden gift to me, my wife, Omobola Adepoju. She is my best friend, my sweetheart, my companion and the only reason that I got married and am still married. She has been gracious enough to edit this book with her wealth of writing skills and professionalism.

I appreciate my parents for their love, care and for the values they taught me that have helped to shape my life. Special thanks to Professor Carolyn Driver, my instructor and mentor in leadership, who has poured a lot into me within a short time. To the entire leadership of Christ Discipleship Ministries, I say a big thank you.

I cannot forget to mention Southwestern Christian University, under the leadership of Dr. Garnet Pike, for its prolific instructors who have through their teaching brought revolution into my life and opened my eyes to what church and leadership is and is not. Thank you for your wealth of knowledge. You all have poured into me in more ways than one. Finally, my sincere gratitude goes to Professor John Chasteen, the Assistant Dean at Southwestern University, who without hesitation, accepted to write the foreword to this book. The God of heaven will exceed all your expectations in Jesus’ name.

FOREWORD

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Most of the people I know have a strong desire to go to the next level. However, they don’t know how to get there. Consequently, they live in the lowlands of Christianity, in the realms of defeat, discouragement and frustration. Saved? Yes. Victorious? Hardly. This book is about moving out of the lowlands of Christianity into your glorious inheritance in Christ. It is accomplished by moving from one level to the next.

Olatunde has written an excellent book on the mechanics of moving forward in God. In the book, he explores the patterns and characteristics of the various levels of growth in God. It’s an instructional book, one that will challenge you to move beyond your current level into all that God has for you.

I first met Olatunde at one of our classes at the Southwestern Christian University Graduate School. As one of his professors, I have to say he brings great sense of hunger to the classroom. His demeanor reminds me of the students at Berea, found in the book of Acts, chapter seventeen. Verse 11 says, They received the word of God with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

In my opinion, this heart attitude qualifies him to author such a book and makes him worthy of readership. I know you’ll be blessed as you read his book, Move up To the Next Level. Enjoy!

John Chasteen

Assistant Dean

Southwestern Christian University Graduate School

INTRODUCTION

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The Bible says in II Corinthians 3:18, And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. God expects us to move from one level of glory to another. The five levels in our Christian walk explained in this book came as a result of a revelation God gave me during one of my morning prayer walk. It is not a set standard or historical order. Day by day the heavens declare His glory. (Psalm 19:1). There is a revelation in each day if we can only catch it. God instructed me to proclaim that He does not think like men and that to enter into His Kingdom we must go through the following:

1. The Entry level - The level of salvation.

2. In His Presence level - The level at which we walk with God, relate with Him, know Him and know His ways through His Word. It is also at this level that we draw closer to Him in worship and in prayer.

3. The Obedience level - The level at which we must obey God completely without wavering. At this level, we are expected to put our absolute trust and confidence in God.

4. The Blessing Exchange level - The level at which we give up something for something greater in faith and in expectation.

5. The Sold-Out level - The level at which we are willing to give all without expecting anything in return. We are at this level willing to surrender all because of our belief. It is a level whereby people are willing to die for the sake of the gospel.

When Abraham was called, he walked with God, and obeyed God to the end. Each time he gave, he received from God. His willingness to give, most especially, his child of promise, demonstrated his dedication and commitment to God.

Majority of Christians get stuck at the Obedience level because their obedience to God comes in conflict with their will, and most especially, their flesh. Willingness to conform to this world, the lust of the