THE mystery of Thanksgiving (WHY YOU SHOULD NOT JOKE WITH IT)

August 27, 2020 Celegen

The Mystery of Thanksgiving (WHY YOU SHOULD NOT JOKE WITH IT)

What is mystery?
Something secret or unexplainable, unknown, puzzling.

Our hymn makes us to understand that the ways of God is mysterious and unsearchable

Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret of God is with those that fear him

Daniel 2:16-23, 28-30,46-47

Only God reveals mysteries and he delights to reveal it to us if we come closer to him, and pay attention willingly.

What is Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is an expression of gratitude, appreciation and gratefulness to someone or God.

Thanksoffering is what we bring or give to God in symbolic of thanks.

Why must we give thanks?

Psalm 107:1, 118, 106:1,105:1,108:4, 117, 136
Because he is good and his mercy endureth forever.

If you want to know if the lord is good and his mercies endureth forever

Go to the hospital, mortuary, burial ground and observe, then you will have a reason to give thanks and appreciate him.. There is always a reason to thank God, infinite and uncountable reasons.

Thanksgiving is the mother of praise, adoration, upliftment, benevolence, appreciation, acknowledgment, blessedness and exaltation of God.

If you don’t know how to thank God, you cannot have a true heart of praise for him.

Thanksgiving is the mother of praise and honor of God.

Why do we give thanks?

All living things give thanks to God

Psalm 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord

Hymn
Era Ile won dupe
Yonrin Okun won dupe
E je ka wa na dupe

Where Thanksgiving flows, praise glows.

Romans 1:21, Isaiah 1:2,3 Deuteronomy 32:6, Psalm 106:7,21, Jeremiah 2:11-13

Ungratefulness and Unthankfulness before God brings one down and humbles, and humiliates until one acknowledges God

Daniel 5:18-21
Nebuchadnezzar was humiliated and humbled despite his power and splendor to acknowledge, honor and praise God.

This is what happens to the ungrateful, they are brought down.

Ungratefulness and unthankfulness before God is like pride before God.

Thanksgiving is like the food of God. He doesn’t eat anything, or desire anything except thanks and praises.

We are admonish to give thanks in all things because the lord is good and merciful.

Thanksgiving embraces dancing, song of praise, rejoicing and instruments played before the lord.

2 Samuel 6:14
Then David danced before the lord with all his might

Thanksgiving is a symbol of humility before God.

Psalm 69:30-31
Thanksgiving and praises pleases the lord

Psalm 95:2, Psalm 100:4

In the presence of God, there is fulness of joy
Praise is an embodiment of joy and gladness before God

We are to come into the presence of God with a joyful Thanksgiving and praise in our heart.

True praise gives glory to God and acknowledges God’s greatness and awesomeness.

Leviticus 22:29
And when you offer a sacrifice of Thanksgiving to the lord, offer it of your own free will

When we are giving thanks to the lord, the heart must be willing and thankful. It’s not about what we are bringing for God but it’s the heart condition that God looks.

Psalm 30:4, Psalm 92:1-4
It is a good thing to praise the Lord, and exalt his name.
There is nothing God wants from us more than worship, thanks and praises.

Now the Mystery in CCC

First in our worship and Service, Thanksgiving and praise is infused at first, we pray and sing hymn of thanksgiving.

When it’s time for ope,

We chant 7 or 3 Halleluyah before we proceed inside

Halleluyah is a signal of thanks and praise, and exaltation to God

Hymn
Halleluyah latorun wa
Pelu Orin ayo

Halleluyah and Song of Joy

This hymn is sang on joyful and thankful occasions like naming ceremony and Easter Sunday.

Hymn
Awa yo dupe 2ce
Ore tolugbala se funwa
Oba aye o le se
Awa to dupe
Halleluyah a dupe, Halleluyah a dupe

Genesis 8:21
Thanksgiving/offering brings a sweet aroma before God and pleases God.

Thanksgiving provokes Divine Covenant and unleashes God’s decree and glory.

1 Kings 8:5
Also King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.

In verse 10-11, The glory of the Lord filled the house of the lord.

Verse 62,63, 64
Solomon offered thanksoffering to God and provoked Divine covenant and glory.

Matthew 15:36
And he took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to this disciples.

Christ Thanksgiving provoked Divine Provision and Multiplication.

Thanksgiving is a very powerful weapon to tap into the riches and power of God. It is wire that connects into the flow of God.

Thanksgiving is more than a mystery but yet it has mystical power.

Leviticus 22:29
And when you offer a sacrifice of Thanksgiving to the lord, offer it of your own free will

Whatever you bring to God, as offering is just a representation, and God will not come down to eat it, in fact he doesn’t need it, it is the heart condition that God is after.
Is the heart thankful?
Is the heart willing?

The Thanksgiving God hates

Luke 18:14
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.

God looks at the heart and not the face

Why did God disrespect cain offering?
His heart content. It had sin lurking in the corner
Genesis 4 :4-7

There is nothing we are looking for in the lord that we cannot receive in thanksoffering.

Our thanksoffering in CCC are covenantal and symbolic

Sword(ida) signifies victory
Water signifies relief
Candles signifies light of God
Incense and perfume signify Sweet smell which provokes covenant
Altar cloth signifies covering and honor

Bible signifies life. Etc
During the old CCC days, you do Thanksgiving with what you have.
Unlike today where our Thanksgiving is for showoff and pride.

Our choristers do not sing true songs of Thanksgiving and praises.
We praise human than God in our songs

We have songs given for Thanksgiving in CCC and peculiar angels that recognize this songs to take our offerings to God.

But today we have borrowed songs not ours and lost our identity and song.

When we sing songs that the angels do not know, they stand and keep looking at us

Hymn
Halleluyah ni Orin wa
Halleluyah wa ninu ise wa

If you want to see the immediate power of God in CCC, go and do Thanksgiving.

Most celestians don’t value Thanksgiving anymore today.

During Harvest, we do not wait for thanksgiving, instead we go to eat rice and all sorts. Forgetting that harvest is a symbol of Thanksgiving. Harvest is a Thanksgiving Service.

When it’s time for Thanksgiving, many dont wait, or the ones that wait are few, and only few receive the blessing in Thanksgiving.

Those if you have a problem at working place, just go to church and do Thanksgiving, you will see the power of God in a different dimension.

There are angels that work for receive our thanks to God in heaven.

After the Thanksgiving, we chant 7 halleluyah again, it’s a symbol of Thanksgiving

Hymn
Ope lo ye o
Baba olore
Iyin lo ye o
Olorun wa
Hosanna ye o
Ose o baba

We also chant Hossana and Ebenezer.

There is victory, blessing, fruitfulness, protection, power whatever we want in Thanksgiving.

When you are asked or given message to be doing thanks, there is a divine mystery and secret about to be unravelled, a divine door about to be open and a divine covenant about to be fulfilled.

Hymn
Duru wura nke Tantan

The levites receiving the thanksoffering stand as an Oracle of God, in Christ the order of Aaron the high priest and Melchizedek.

Ingredients of Thanksgiving

Dancing

2 Samuel 6:12-23

David danced before the lord in all humility, leaping and whirling before the lord, he undignified himself for God to be magnified

Micah despised him and faced the consequences.

If you dance before the lord, your enemies are in trouble. Those who despise you will be put to shame

Even if you don’t have one naira to put in the offering bowl, dance to God with all your night and power. Dancing is part of Thanksgiving.

Singing
Psalm 100 tells us how important it is to sing of the Lord’s praise, and have mouth of Thanksgiving.

Hymn
Be mi ba legberun ahon
Fun yin Olugbala
Ogo olorun Oba mi
Fun Isegun ore re.

An Heart of Joy and Humility

Hymn
Ta lo ye ka fope fun
Jesu ni ka fope fun

Do not come into the presence of God with an heart of unforgiveness and pride. Such offering will not be accepted and will be disrespected like that of cain.

If you haven’t forgiven someone before Thanksoffering, drop the offering and forgive the person first because it will not be accepted.

Your Thanksgiving must holy and blameless.

Many bring Thanksgiving with grudges in heart against the neighbor in the church, house and workplace and expect it to be accepted. God will not accept such.

Thanksgiving releases the Power of God.

One King applied a non-logical approach to a logical one

2 chronicles 20:1-30

He used Thanksgiving, Praise to win a battle.

To the military man, this doesn’t make sense. People coming with Spears, chariots and horses. He approached them with Thanksgiving and praises

What happened? He Invited the angel of confusion into the enemies camp.

Our spiritual battles and warfare can be won by giving praise and thanks to God.

Whatever situation we are facing let us give thanks to God. This is our victory.

By Tola Adele