Rev. Hezekiah Duro-Aina of the Conquerors Assembly, Egbeda, Lagos, has urged Christians to arise from spiritual slumber, saying that popularity on social media does not guarantee recognition in heaven.
Duro-Aina, the senior pastor of the church, gave the charge during the Grace Celebration 2026 on Thursday at the church auditorium.
The 5-day programme, which began on Sept. 30, is scheduled to end on Sunday.
Duro-Aina said many Christians had become popular on social media but lacked genuine spiritual relationships with Jesus Christ.
“Many Christians are popular on social media, but they are not known in heaven,” he said.
He urged Christians facing disappointment, depression, failure, rejection and other challenges not to surrender to hopelessness.
“God is saying to you tonight, arise, there is a greater place I have for you; there is a better place I have for you,” he said.
The cleric said Christians should understand that setbacks, disappointments and losses were not necessarily the end of their journeys.
He urged those who had lost businesses, relationships, investments or opportunities to remain hopeful and trust God for restoration.
“It does not matter what they did to you. Whatever they did to you is going to work together for your good,” he said.
Duro-Aina also urged Christians not to allow depression and self-pity to prevent them from fulfilling their destinies.
“Whatever has depressed you has regressed you. You cannot enjoy progress when you are depressed,” he said.
He referenced Isaiah 60:1, urging Christians to “arise from the depression and frustration in which circumstances have kept you” and rise to a new life.
The pastor said Christians who had experienced failure should not allow such experiences to define their future.
“That you failed does not make you a failure. Failure is not permanent,” he said, urging them to rise whenever they fell.
Duro-Aina cited the biblical accounts of Elijah, Samson and other figures to illustrate the possibility of restoration after periods of despair and failure.
He said God told Elijah to arise after the prophet became depressed and asked to die following threats from Jezebel.
“There is still a great journey ahead of you,” he said, adding that Christians should not allow oppression, failure or rejection to convince them that their journey had ended.
The cleric also called on Christians to arise from spiritual slumber, warning that many believers had become spiritually insensitive.
He said Christians should remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit and maintain a consistent relationship with God.
“How spiritually alert are you? What is the status of your spirituality? What is the depth of your walk with God?” he asked.
Duro-Aina said Christians should not replace genuine spirituality with religious activities, stressing that church attendance alone was insufficient.
He said some Christians were popular on social media but lacked a genuine connection with Christ.
“They pray every morning, but they have no sensitivity to the Holy Ghost. They are still the same way they were before they got born again,” he said.
The pastor further condemned attempts to redefine sinful acts as mere mistakes or describe deliberate wrongdoing as wisdom.
“God has already defined sin. He does not call sin mistake. Sin is sin,” he said.
He urged Christians struggling with sinful habits to repent genuinely rather than relying on the doctrine of grace as justification for continued wrongdoing.
“If you do not come out of your sin and rise out of your sin, no matter the prophecy of this conference, you will remain on the floor,” he said.
Duro-Aina said Christians needed to rekindle their commitment to prayer, righteousness and spiritual growth.
“Where is your fire? What happened to your fire?” he asked, urging believers to return to their former devotion to God.
He also encouraged Christians facing difficult circumstances to maintain hope, stressing that their present condition should not determine their future.
“Life has not treated you good, but God will treat you good,” he said.
Duro-Aina concluded by urging the congregation to seek God’s mercy, break free from sinful habits and embrace righteousness.
He prayed for those attending the celebration, declaring that every hold of depression, rejection and sin would be broken in their lives.
The cleric also invited those who were not born again to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ.
(NAN)
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