The Secrets of Apostolic Success: A Manual for Spiritual Awakening

By Oppong Kyekyeku

It is certainly clear to every believer the distinction between the early church and our contemporary church. Spiritually speaking, it seems we are serving a different God or Christ. For example, the early church evangelized extensively; but now, especially the western churches, are sleeping excessively. They healed the sick, but now the church folks are sick with all kinds of diseases without cure. They cast out evil Spirits, but now there are evil Spirit possessors in the church more than ever before. They were sufficient in every spectrum of life, but now the church members are deficient in every spectrum of life. They shared everything with each other, but now Christians are keeping everything for themselves, even tithes. They were selfless with the attitude of putting others first, but now the church folks are selfish with the attitude of me, I, and myself first. They were willing to die for Christ at any cost, but now Christians want Christ to die for them again for no cost. Finally, they turned their world upside down, but now the world is turning the church upside down. The church needs to wake up; otherwise, our next generation will suffer the defeat of apostasy as the children of Israel suffered after the death of Joshua.

This book is meant to assure you that you have all that it takes, by the grace God has given to you through Jesus Christ, to do exactly what the apostles did. aEURoeAll things are possible.aEUR Absolutely nothing is impossible to you if you put your faith in Christ Jesus into action as others did. This is your moment while everyone is sleeping or ignoring authentic, supernatural power since challenges produce champions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781645592716

Book preview

Waiting Marks Success

Apparently, the word wait has become taboo in our modern society due to the speed of technological advancement. Everything ought to be now, immediate; otherwise, it’s deemed not needed. Nevertheless, the now philosophy is carnal attitude, which does not work in the spiritual realm of faith. The first-century believers did not walk by now but by faith. The Scriptures express faith as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV). No matter how long it took, they had audacity to wait and believed God that He would fulfill what He had promised, and God never disappointed them. Substantially, He became faithful and real to them in every aspect of their ways.

Considerably, they adopted the character of God on waiting from the creation accounts. For example, the entire universe and everything in it could have been created conceivably in less than one full day, but God used six days to do so. The biblical accounts of creation tell us that everything was created by God’s spoken word, Let there be…and there was. Except human beings that we were created differently. Per the Scripture, The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7, KJV).

Obviously, to say, Let there be, does not take more than five seconds, and we have twenty-four hours in a day. Every hour is sixty minutes, which total 1,440 minutes for a day; and every minute also is equivalent to sixty seconds, which total 86,400 seconds a day. Then why did God wait for a day to create only one thing when He could have created everything in a day? Because waiting is His character; He understood the importance of waiting.

When Adam fell in the garden, God promised right away for redemption: the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. But since waiting is in His character, He waited until the sixty-second generation of human life before sending the Redeemer (Christ Jesus) to come to the world for that purpose. Again, God promised Abraham a son and land to his descendants, but God allowed him to wait for twenty-five good year before his son Isaac was born, and his descendants also waited for another 430 years before the land was given to them because He understood the essence of waiting.

When Jesus was a twelve-year-old boy, He had everything it takes to start His ministry, according to Luke 2:41–51. However, because He knew the character of His Father—like father like son—He waited another eighteen years till He was thirty before His ministry began. Subsequently, the first miracle Jesus did was based on waiting. At the wedding in Cana, when they ran out of wine and His mother approached Him, He did not go ahead right away to do anything; instead, He addressed her, My hour has not yet come (John 2:4). But He later altered their worries into joyful celebration because of the power of waiting. Jesus’ disciples followed Him for three years; and when He was ascending to heaven to be with the Father, He asked them to wait till they receive the Holy Spirit before they could begin the Great Commission.

Every mission stated was urgent, so why was it necessary that everyone hinge on waiting, especially the early church? Because patience is God’s character. There is a waiting school curriculum for the children of God who want to be used to go through, and the syllabus starts from proclivity for waiting.

Proclivity for Waiting

Understandably, OxfordDictionaries.com defines the word proclivity as a tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition towards a particular thing. The definition is revealing three compositions of waiting as follows: waiting is a choice, waiting needs consistency, and waiting gives focus.

Waiting is a Choice

Even though Jesus commanded His disciples to wait until they receive the promise from the Father, they still had the choice of whether they would wait or go their ways outside the will of their Master. The disciples had been with Jesus for three years and were schooled about waiting from Him. They acknowledged the importance of waiting, so they chose to wait in a place (Jerusalem) where their Master asked them to be till the Holy Spirit came upon them.

On the contrary, when Samuel asked king Saul to wait at Gilgal for him to come and offer a sacrifice before the battle began, nonetheless, since waiting is a choice, Saul chose to wait for seven partial days; but because he thought Samuel delayed—he arrived at God’s appointed time—Saul couldn’t wait any longer, and he offered the sacrifice by himself, which was not the order. Lack of waiting is the path that causes people to do what is right at the wrong time. Saul had excuses for the action of his choice by blaming Samuel for delaying and his men who scattered from him; however, it didn’t stop the consequence he faced—the loss of his kingdom—because waiting is individual choice.

Christians today have substantial excuses in our lives (more than even Saul) when it comes to waiting. For example, young people in the church can’t wait to have proper marriage before they have sex. Now it is common in the church that two members are sleeping together without being married, but nobody, including the leaders, is saying anything to them simply because if anyone says anything, the church will lose them. So for lack of waiting, holiness is diminishing from the church even though God wants us to live a holy life: Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Peter 1:16, KJV).

Holiness is God’s character to differentiate His children of light from the children of darkness since the day He called Abraham. Without holiness, it is impossible to see God! Again, contemporary Christians are having a tough time waiting for God’s direction in our lives for everything we are doing. It is true that we pray all the time, but the book of James is telling us that we talk to God for our own pleasures (selfish purpose; James 4:3). For instance, when we pray, and God did not answer our prayer the way we want, we reject it and keep on asking, and it seems we know better than Him. Nonetheless, He is omniscient; His ways are different from us (Isaiah 55:8–9). When was the last time you sincerely waited before God for Him to speak to you? The first church did not make any move without waiting to receive God’s direction, and God was real to them since they had time to wait.

Even now that we have the Bible (the whole counsel of God), our tendency is to choose our interest. No wonder majority of Christians are not making any difference in this world since they are living without God’s word. And without the Word of God there is no direction for any child of God. Subsequently, the most dangerous thing a child of God will do is to make a decision or make a move without waiting for God’s direction. Though it might seem good in your own sight, you’re doomed to fail miserably. That’s why Christian divorces are skyrocketing, and failures and disappointments are on the upsurge in Christian communities.

Are you waiting for the Lord on the man or woman you want to marry? Or because she is beautiful, or he has money you want to go ahead anyway? My wife told me a story about a certain female who is possibly in her late thirties, never married, and jobless, and a middle-class man who had his house, car, and owned a business came forward to ask her to marry him. But this woman refused, and her reason was she is looking for a millionaire to marry, not middle class. Are you waiting for God in the business you want to invest in, or because you have the money you are going ahead anyway? Are you waiting for God for the ministry you want to begin, or you do feel by the way people are talking that the hand of the Lord is on you, so it’s the right thing to do now?

Know that not all right things succeed all the time except the direction of God. It was the right thing for David to bring the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem from the house of Abinadab at Baale Judah; but for lack of direction from God, it resulted in fatality of a young Uzzah who also was trying to do the right thing to save the ark of God from falling (2 Samuel 6:1–11).

Are you waiting for the direction from God on what to do next since you lost that job, or just filling new applications anyhow because you qualify? In that tough life situation, are you waiting by seeking the face of the Lord for His direction in your life, or asking Him merely to take away that cup from you? One of my favorite scriptures is in Proverbs 3:5–6, saying, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. King Solomon wrote this text when he had experienced all kinds of life: wisdom, wealth, and pleasures. He came to the conclusion that the only secret of success a man can achieve on this land of the living is not getting all the wisdom nor wealth but finding God’s direction in your life. Obviously, you cannot have God’s direction without waiting for Him.

On January 12, 2015, I had a vehicular accident crossing a street and was hospitalized for twenty-one days for fragmented leg fractures. At that time, the pastoral board had set intensive programs for the church that year; and since I am the senior pastor, I would be responsible for most of them. Besides that, I was always moving, praying, studying, fixing the church, working as a carpenter to feed my family, supporting the church financially, visiting the members, and hospital visitations. I was then planning to get permit to visit prisons and write books. How could I do all these things and particularly write books? All the things I was doing were necessary and wealthy but not all of them were directed from God. For lack of waiting, as soon as I saw the need, I would jump in and never quit until the job was done. Don’t get me wrong for doing more for the kingdom, but I want you to wait for the Lord’s direction in every aspect of your life if you want to succeed because waiting till you get direction marks success in every spectrum of life.

During my stay at the hospital, I took my pain as prayer to wait and seek the face of the Lord. I cared less how long it would take; I was willing to wait. Lo and behold, by the time I was discharged from the hospital, God showed me new direction. During my waiting, God spoke to me, Quit your job and take care of my church. You cannot wait if you are not willing to obey and act upon the voice that comes from the Lord during your waiting period.

Since He knows the best, the message doesn’t usually come to favor you in your comfort zone normally if you really want to do the will of God. But in life, if you are expecting the unexpected, then you must do and accept the unexpected. When I was quitting my job, I had nothing and did not know how I was going to survive, but I knew my God—who knows best—will never send me anywhere His grace and provision are not sufficient. James Hudson Taylor said, God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.

I got a very small amount of money from the accident settlement because I did not sue the insurance company. However, since I quit my job and am doing what God is expecting me to do, I’m living a peaceful life I never had from the very day God called me until now. The church is growing spiritually, nothing bothers me at all, and the most exciting thing about the whole equation is my dreams are being fulfilled. I am having time to write books and enough time with the church, my family, and myself, and it all began with waiting. My book Audacity of Speaking in Tongues was well received by publishing companies. Every publishing company that received the manuscript was interested and accepted to print it because waiting marks success. To God be the glory! There is success in waiting if you’ll go beyond your comfort zone. Waiting is the secret that marked the early church’s success.

Waiting Needs Consistency

Beginning is nothing but the end. Anybody can start everything, but just a few always finish with good results. That notion gives vibrant connotation to the phrase, The end justifies the means. Jesus said, But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13, NIV). Likewise, the Apostle Paul accused Galatian believers for starting spiritually but ending carnally! Waiting needs consistency.

Jesus commanded his disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me’ (Acts 1:4, NKJV). Substantially, not to depart is the key to the disciples’ success because Jesus knew the secret behind waiting; you cannot give up during waiting and achieve anything. He exemplifies with The Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25. According to Jesus, all of them were waiting for a bridegroom, perhaps through invitation. When they prepared to go, five of them took extra oil for their lamps because they did not know how long they were going to be waiting till their bridegroom came. These virgins discovered that the secret of waiting that marks success is consistency; therefore, Jesus called them wise virgins. They did not take anything for granted to miss their goal of seeing the bridegroom. Consequently, to carry the lamp and the oil at the same time and go to a wedding ceremony is anomalous. We don’t know the distance they were traveling; however, no matter how long or short the distance is, waiting needs consistency, so they had no choice but to carry the oil lamp if they sincerely wanted to achieve their objective.

Though the bridegroom delayed, nothing bothered the virgins because they unleashed the consistency of waiting. The Scripture says, And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps (Matthew 25:6–7). Their consistency paid off. After they arose and trimmed their lamps, they refilled them and walked majestically and successfully to meet the bridegroom without any worry.

On the other hand, the other five virgins considered it unnecessary to take the oil with them. Thinking, to travel with oil to the wedding is unsafe since it could deface your clothing. After all, if they run short of it, all that it takes is money, and it would not be a problem for them at all. However, one thing they were missing—and the same mistake many people are making—is believing money solves every problem, and that is completely delusion.

Detectably, in life not every problem can solve by money; otherwise, only poor people will have problems. But many millionaires and billionaires have the highest divorce and family chaos records in every generation. Upon all their wealth, they cannot stay faithful to their partners or discipline their children because faithfulness is priceless, and no amount of money can afford it. Only the fear of God grants you to be faithful in all spectra of life. These five virgins thought they were wise in the sight of men; nonetheless, Jesus called them foolish virgins because waiting needs genuine consistency, not obliteration.

They comfortably traveled to the place, had their lamp lightened, and they were in the room together with the guests, waiting for the bridegroom, but he delayed more than expected, and they all fell asleep. At midnight, they heard a cry, Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out and meet him! They all arose, but the problem came when all of them trimmed their lamp. At that point, all of them needed their lamp to be refilled; and since they have no extra oil, they asked from their fellows, but waiting cannot be shared or borrowed.

Unprecedentedly, they step out to seek for the oil. Though they got it, on their return, the door was shut; they tried their best knocking, but nobody opened it to them. Because waiting needs consistency, and sincere consistency of waiting is not to depart. Therefore, there is zero tolerance in partial waiting, especially in the kingdom of God. For lack of consistency of waiting caused them to miss what they had spent possibly their fortune for, and that was shame to them. Waiting needs consistency therefore, be wise enough not to depart from waiting upon Jesus.

Our contemporary church, as well as individually, are absolutely suffering for lack of consistency in every range of life both spiritually and physically. We are only eagerly seeking for all the promises of God without willingness to continuously wait for the condition pertaining to the promise. But before the early church succeeded, they first abided with the condition not to depart from Jerusalem.

Jesus is not commanding His church this time not to depart from Jerusalem, since the Holy Spirit has already come, but not to depart from His word! Christians are supposed to wait upon the Word of God only, not people’s opinions if we want to make a difference in this hostile world. The scriptures encourage those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV).

The secret of success for the early church was consistent waiting for the directions of God. Their success was much bigger than the short time they spent to wait; hence, they fulfilled all waiting obligations. Are you willing to wait consistently upon the Lord in every area of your life? Waiting upon the Lord consistently for His direction is the secret weapon they used for the mark of success for the early church because waiting upon the Lord exalts you to inherit the land (Psalm 37:34, KJV).

Waiting Gives Focus

Finally, proclivity of waiting does not only need consistency, but it also gives focus. No one can be consistent without a focus. Jesus said to a man He called to follow Him, but wanted first to go to bid farewell to his household, Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:62, NLT). Jesus wanted this man’s focus, or his attention be on Him alone, but the man had a different focus other than the purpose Jesus had for his life. And what gets our focus gets us.

Jesus’ physical personality has become focus to His disciples for three interminable years; however, He is going to depart from them, and they would not see His physical appearance anymore. So there should be something that has to give these disciples focus; otherwise, they would be scattered again, and the work of Jesus will be brought to nothing. Therefore, He gave them focus by assuring the Holy Spirit who would be upon them not long after He was talking to them. Conditionally, the promise could not be received anywhere except Jerusalem where none of them come from. There is no sea in Jerusalem for fishing, and perhaps no friends for them because of their relationship with Jesus. Thus, to accept to stay in Jerusalem gives you one focus: waiting till you receive the promised.

The environment matters. The church today is losing focus on spiritual things because we are too friendly to the world and the things in the world. Our focus is wealth rather than the Word of God. We are living in our comfort environments where our own people are surrounding us, and that gives us the focus of self-popularity, not seriously preaching the gospel. Today’s Christians are still standing on the sea of the old nature, which we were called to depart from, as the Bible states, Go ye, but we tranquilly want to receive the promise from the Father.

The environment you wait in determines your focus. When Elijah was about to be taken into heaven, his servant Elisha persistently followed him from Bethel to Jordan. On the other side of Jordan, which was the destination for Elijah to be ascended to heaven, he asked Elisha what he needs from him? A double portion of your spirit be upon me, he responded.

It is hard for me to give to you. Nevertheless, if you see me taken away, then you will receive, Elijah replied (2 Kings 2:9–12).

Elisha’s request, Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me, was impossible for Elijah to provide since he is not the one who gives, but only God who does. However, Elijah knew the secret to receive what is impossible from God at Mount Carmel when the rain that had stopped for three and half years came down mightily through his focus.

To receive supernatural empowerment or double portion from God is not based on how long or old or young you have been in the Lord but how serious you can focus on your demand. It is a totally false concept for many Christian veterans and others that the longevity of faith in Christ guarantees your maturity and that maturity will guarantee supernatural powers. Elisha did not receive the double portion of Elijah’s anointing because he had served his master faithfully, nor that he was his first servant, nor that he could pray more than the students of the prophet, nor his relationship with Elijah, but because Elijah said, If you see me going. In other words, do not depart from here with sincere focus till you receive what you are asking.

Sincere focus on God is the key to loose both heaven and hell, to unleash impossibility to become possibility. Peter and John charged the crippled man who asked them for silver at Solomon’s beautiful gate to look at them; in other words, to give them his focus! And since he did it, he was healed instantly from the impossible infirmity. Just give God your focus, and your breakthrough is certain.

The secret of the success for the early church was they gave all their focus to God, and God met all their needs. They are all gone, but it is your turn for the double portion of God’s supernatural empowerment to be released on you, and the key is to only focus on the Word. Since they did it, you can also do if you start to focus as they did. God will never let you wait without a purpose.

Purpose of Waiting

Obviously, it’s crystal clear that waiting without a purpose is a waste of time; and as far as Christianity is concerned, time is essence. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16, KJV). In order for Jesus not to waste His disciples’ time, He gave them a purpose to pursue during their waiting period: And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me’ (Acts 1:4, NKJV). What is the promise of the Father? The Holy Spirit (John 14:26). And why is the Holy Spirit essential for the disciples to wait in Jerusalem in this context? John portrays the Holy Spirit as He (person), Advocate, Teacher, Comforter, and Helper; but Evangelist Luke gives us the summary purpose of the Holy Spirit: power—power to enable believers to fulfill the great commission. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8, NKJV).

There are three elements controlling our physical world we are living in apart from God: power, money, and pleasure—but power rules all of them. A man in my hometown said, If power is purchased by a mother. Buy it with your mother, and after you have received it, you can indeed set your mother free. Power is vital in every gamut of life both physical and spiritual. God created us by power, with power, and for power.

Four components of power are being given to man: fruitfulness, multiplication, subdue, and dominion (Genesis 1:26–28). Fruitfulness is creativity; it’s the tree that creates its own fruits per its nature, and creativity needs strength to achieve its expectation. The strength or ability of the tree determines its production. Multiplication does not originate anything, but it increases what is there already. Therefore, God used fruitfulness and multiplication so that whatever fruit you will create is not going to be stagnant but increase in every spectrum of life. Multiplication never works where there is no fruit or substance; nevertheless, through Jesus, God has given you the ability you need to be fruitful so that multiplication can work through your life. You are to subdue or take over whatever has been created and multiplied.

Dominion is possessing or occupying your territory; again, through Jesus, God has given every place on this earth to be under your dominion. The image of God we were created in is not our personality since God is a spirit; rather, power within us that exhibits the presence of God on this planet earth. The purpose God has set for human beings is to have dominion over all His creation, which in fact He gave to us; but through Adam, we sold our power to the devil in the garden and lost our dominion. Therefore, we became fearful, vulnerable, and powerless to everything God has created. The enhancement of life we ought to enjoy became a threat to us, and anxiety captured our state of thinking, sickness threatening our physical bodies, death shadowing over our lives, and the struggles of life was out of control. However, some few people were given limited power for humanity’s sake such as kings, emperors, high priests, governors, and the elders. But instead of helping the poor with their given power, because of their vulnerabilities, they exploited the poor with fear, so that day by day, the susceptible become powerless.

Consequently, this type of abusive power went on long before Jesus came, and Jesus witnessed how the Roman authorities were treating their subjects because of their given power. He also witnessed how the religious leaders were taking advantage of their own people who indeed were in need of help the most. He saw them powerless as sheep without shepherd. Therefore, He was convinced that His church needs nothing but power. Power that would make a difference from pride, abuse, and exploitation of the weak. Power to set the captives free, power to heal the sick, power to cast out demons, power to resurrect the dead, power to possess destinies, power to live beyond the norm, power to overcome sin, power over fear, power to face the future with hope and confidence despite your present condition, etc.

Power and purpose work together because the taproot of purpose is power. Purpose breeds power; and without purpose, power becomes dangerous and useless. It is power given to the president that purposed him/her to execute policies in mind; apart from that given power, the president is like any ordinary citizen. It is the power entrusted to police officers that cause them to arrest any law breaker.

Since Jesus wants Christians to be different and live beyond ordinary; because of the great commission, He said, Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Everyone can tread upon serpents, scorpions, and all the power of the enemy, but the difference is the aftermath. Those with power from the Holy Spirit will go free without harm, but those with no power will be devastated and hurt. The Bible makes this distinction vibrant in Acts 19:11–16 when Paul’s handkerchiefs and aprons were healing the sick and casting out demons. Then seven sons of