Healing Miracles And Revival Conference by Apostle Michael Orokpo: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Created for Dominion

Genesis 1:26: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion." Our existence is not an accident. It is a deliberate, well-intentioned project of God.

The earth we live on now is actually its third face. Genesis 1:1 records the first creation; a rebellion against God's authority left it void and dark, described in Genesis 1:2. From that verse through the days of Noah was the second face of the earth, destroyed again through humanity's rebellion, and re-created into the third face we now inhabit — the one in which God finally instituted man, in Genesis 1:26, as the governing agent of His agenda on the earth.

Man was given two qualifications: God's image, so that to look upon a man is to see a reflection of God, and God's likeness, so that his character embodies divinity. This is the only accurate way to define yourself — not by circumstance, but by the model God had in mind at creation. As big as the earth is, God once entrusted its entirety to only two people, Adam and Eve. A room full of people carries more than enough capacity to change a nation, a continent, the world — the intrinsic capacity was given at creation.

Three Things That Hold a Man Back

The problem of man is not incompetence. It is threefold: not knowing his God, not knowing himself, and not knowing why he is here.

Knowing your God is foundational — Daniel 11:32 says those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits. When you know your God is a Creator with the capacity to remake anything no matter how damaged, impossibility stops being a category you accept for yourself.

Knowing yourself follows directly, because God does not only reveal Himself to you — in revealing Himself, He reveals you to yourself, since you are a reflection of His own reality. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says we are changed, metamorphosed, from one level of glory to another as we behold Him.

Knowing why you are here is the third discovery. Once a person knows their God, knows who they are in Him, and knows their assignment, it becomes impossible for that life to remain limited. The real obstacle was never ethnicity, gender, birthplace, or economic status — it was simply not knowing these three things.

Jesus as the Pattern Man

John 1:1,14: the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God came in the likeness of a man to pay the price for sin, since it was man who fell — but beyond forgiveness, He came to restore humanity to the original plan of walking in dominion. Jesus became the pattern for what a man carrying God's character and authority looks like, which is why the Father said at His baptism, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" — God's own definition of what a man is meant to be.

Because Christ overcame sin, failure, and death, every excuse for staying small loses its weight. Read the Bible not merely to quote it, but to replicate what you read.

From Believer to Sent

There are three levels believers are brought into. The first is simply becoming a believer — receiving the life of God in your spirit through faith, as in John 3:16. The second is becoming a disciple — no longer just carrying the life of God but being taught His ways, until compromise is no longer acceptable and the philosophy of the kingdom becomes your own philosophy, in keeping with Hebrews 1:1-3. The goal of discipleship is transformation, not mere church membership. As Ephesians 4:11 notes, some are given as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints until all reach the fullness of the stature of Christ. Believers were first called Christians in Antioch not because they were merely born again, but because they looked like Jesus.

The third level is being sent — commissioned as a witness into government, media, academia, business, and ministry, as in Acts 1:8. The goal was never simply to fill a church; it is to disciple people and release them into the world that needs them.

Eight Stages of Natural Growth

Every believer must rise through eight stages of natural existence, or leave this life unsatisfied with what could have been.

1. Consciousness

   Life begins as an unearned, supernatural gift — winning the biological race among over a billion competing cells before birth is a reminder that no one begins as a failure. Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee."

2. Development

   A life without training or skill cannot be impactful, regardless of age — it is never too late to begin. Physical development matters, but the size of the mind matters more than the size of the muscle. Preparation must precede opportunity, so that when a platform comes, it becomes promotion rather than embarrassment.

3. Principles

   A developed life is no longer lived spontaneously but is governed by principle — hard work, honor, and integrity that need no supervision to be maintained.

4. Values

   Three kinds of values must be built: spiritual values (love, mercy, compassion, humility, sincerity), moral values (guarding sexual integrity and faithfulness), and ethical values (honesty and follow-through). Without these, no anointing or prophecy poured over a life can take root, because character has not yet been prepared to carry it.

5. Productivity

   Something must ultimately crystallize out of a developed, principled, value-driven life to bless a generation — vision, wisdom, and excellence that make that life count rather than remain hireable at anyone else's price.

6. Influence

   Influence is not popularity — it is the ability to affect how people think, decide, and live, regardless of the age, gender, or background of the one carrying it.

7. Leadership

   As influence grows too large for one person to sustain alone, leadership becomes necessary — replicating yourself in others and delegating so that people can do the work as well as, or better than, you would.

8. Legacy

   Legacy is what outlives you. Isaiah 60:15 speaks of being made "an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations." True lifespan is not measured by the years lived, but by the duration of impact left behind.

Seven Marks of a Life That Is Sent

Beyond natural growth, there is a supernatural dimension that must also be cultivated in a life meant to be sent into the world.

1. Initiated by God

   Even Jesus, who could have succeeded at anything He attempted, never moved until the Father spoke. A life initiated by God carries the backing of the One who sent it — the way a diplomat is protected not as an individual but as a representative of the nation behind them, per Romans 8:14.

2. Christ-Focused

   Every assignment exists to bring glory to Christ, not to personal ambition, as reflected in Colossians 1:12-18.

3. Spirit-Empowered

   Intelligence and experience alone are not sufficient once a person steps into any sphere of influence — spiritual opposition becomes real at a certain height of visibility. Acts 1:8 promises power that turns natural credentials into supernatural effectiveness.

4. Love-Motivated

   Nothing needs to be proven once a person understands they are already a child of God. 1 John 4:8 and 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 ground every action in love rather than self-interest — the same self-interest that leads to corruption, exploitation, and the mortgaging of a nation's future for momentary pleasure.

5. Service-Focused

   Mark 10:42-45 records Jesus washing His disciples' feet as an example: greatness is measured by service, not position. Nations become great when people in power are motivated by service rather than salary alone.

6. Fruit-Bearing

   John 15:8 ties the Father's glory to fruitfulness. Every believer has something unique to offer, regardless of how many others occupy the same field — and whatever God begins in one place is meant to become both eternal and global in its reach.

7. Eternity-Minded

   2 Corinthians 4:17-18 and Revelation 20:11 are reminders that a day of account is coming. What is done in secret, unseen by any human supervisor, is seen by God — and that awareness alone should shape how power, position, and opportunity are handled.

Closing Prayer