We give all glory to God as we welcome every one of us very warmly to this year annual convention.
For forty-one years, God has been faithful. We bless his holy name over the governing mission council. We bless his name over the pastors, all the ministers, and all workers, and every member of Christ’s Salvation Victory Mission International. We thank God over every child of God that is present in this year’s convention.
The theme of this year is Greater Glory.
In Isaiah chapter 40 reading from verse three: “The voice of him that cried in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
Verse four: “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.”
Verse five: “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.”
This year’s convention is very unique. It is decentralized. We are not meeting together in one place at the camp as we used to do, but God has directed us to meet at every parish, at every branch, so that each of these branches can go out for evangelism. We can go out and win souls.
The target of this year’s convention is to fulfill the mandate, the Great Commission—that we should go into all the world and preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word of God instructs us that we must go to the highways and the byways. We must go to the streets. We must go to the corners. We must go to places where people don’t pay attention to the things of the kingdom.
So this year convention, as we come together to pray, as we come together to break the bread, Lord, we are also to go out there and witness Jesus Christ. So every one of us, young and old, we have this responsibility to talk to people about Jesus, to bring them to the saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior.
So I want to encourage you in your parish, in your department, as a family, and individually: preach Jesus this week. Talk to somebody about Jesus this week. Bring someone to the Lord this week. Share your testimony of the goodness of God with somebody this week. Let’s make this week a week of being the light and the salt of the earth. Let’s encourage people to come to the church, to come to the program, and then most importantly, to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
I want to thank God for you. Thank God for your support, and I want to thank you for all that God has been using each and every one of you in keeping the flag of Christ flying in this mission.
It is my prayer that if the Lord tarries, we will be able to hold another convention next year. And between now and that next year, the glory of God will be revealed, and the whole earth shall see it. That is, the greater glory will manifest in every area of your life. In the name of Jesus.
Father Lord, we want to thank you because you are the almighty. Thank you for another year. Father Lord, as we gather to this year’s convention, we pray that your presence and your power will bring down your glory even upon our lives, that we shall see your glory like never before in the name of Jesus. We commit every program, every prayer session, every evangelistic effort, every minister that will be officiating—we commit everything about this year’s convention into your hands, oh Lord. Please take absolute control. That when we shall gather on Sunday for Thanksgiving, we will have a lot of reasons to glorify your name. Thank you, Father.
In Jesus mighty name, we have prayed. Amen.
Congratulations.
Happy convention.
