Purpose Of Thanksgiving by Apostle Michael Orokpo: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Ministry of the Word and Its Three Dimensions

There are many ministries in the body of Christ availed to us by the Holy Spirit and the Father. There is the ministry of men, where God anoints and sends men to different generations with the counsel and possibilities of God. There is the ministry of angels, where angelic functionaries are commissioned to bring His verities to people and generations — even Jesus, while on earth, received of the ministry of angels; after being tempted on the mount, angels came and strengthened Him. There is the ministry of the Spirit, where the Holy Ghost breaks upon His people and does supernatural things by His will.

But there is one ministry that everyone must have, because the work of the Lord in salvation begins there — the ministry of the word. God trains people through the word. God blesses people through the word. Everything achievable through every other ministry can be achieved through the ministry of the word and of the Spirit.

Many Christians know only one way to be blessed: a man of God laying hands on them or prophesying over them. This is why we have turned men of God into gods of men — because we have refused to receive from the many channels God has made available. 1 Corinthians 3:21 says do not glory in men, for all things are yours. And 2 Peter 1:3 gives context: all things that pertain to life and godliness have been made available, if you will apprehend the knowledge that makes them accessible. Your inability to receive is why you may be struggling.

The ministry of the word operates in three dimensions:

First Dimension: The Graph (Graphe) — Building You Up

This is the written word. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 says the holy scriptures are able to make you wise unto salvation; all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction — so that the man of God will be perfect, thoroughly furnished to advance the works of God. Paul said, "I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to keep you, build you up, and give you an inheritance." Hebrews 5:14 shows that strong meat belongs to those of full age who, by reason of the use of the word, have exercised their senses to discern between good and evil.

Second Dimension: The Logos — Upgrading Your Intellect

God wants you to think like Him. John 1:1-4 describes how the logos brings light and illumination so you think beyond the realms of darkness, at the level of the mind of God. Romans 8:5-6 says the carnal mind — one that operates only at the level of logic — produces death. But 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 says we have received the spirit of God, not the spirit of the world; the natural man cannot receive the things of God, but we have the mind of Christ. At this level of the logos, reading the Bible may give you a multi-million dollar idea, a kingdom strategy. The logos gives you a creative, productive mind to turn chaos to order, desert to forest, death to life.

Third Dimension: The Rhema — Becoming God's Amplifier

At the level of the rhema, the voice of God comes to you. Matthew 4:3-4 captures it: when Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones to bread, He replied that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every rhema that proceeds from the mouth of God. That rhema is power; it is what brings faith to your heart. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the rhema of God. John 14:12 makes this clear: the works Jesus did, you can do also — and greater — because it is Jesus doing it in you. When He sends His word to you and you animate it, it is still Jesus working, but now you are the embodiment of those divine possibilities.

Thanksgiving as a Channel of Divine Possibilities

When we understand that the ministry of the word has many tributaries — laying on of hands, prophecy — we must not reduce ourselves to any one channel. One of the channels the word reveals to us is thanksgiving. The reason we thank God is not just because we are grateful. Beyond gratitude, we have understood from the ministry of the word that thanksgiving is a mystery, and God is using it as a channel of producing divine possibilities. Philemon 1:6 says the communication of your faith becomes effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing that is in you. Without this consciousness, you cannot have the result.

Seven Mysteries of Thanksgiving

First Mystery: Thanksgiving Grants Access

Luke 17:14-17 — ten lepers were healed as they went to show themselves to the priests. One came back to give thanks, and Jesus asked, "Where are the nine?" The one who returned received a level of access the other nine never had. Even Jesus wanted to see thanksgiving before opening Himself completely. Thanksgiving grants access to God, to the things of the spirit, and to men.

Psalm 100:4 says enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise. Those gates are not open to everybody. Many people labor in fasting and prayer trying to break into realms in God but never make thanksgiving part of their prayer, and that is why they remain locked out. Four prayers make you invincible: Lord help me, Lord have mercy on me, Lord thank you, Lord show me your will. Thanksgiving must be part of your altar.

Daniel knew this secret. Daniel 2:19-23 — when the king's secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision, look at how he entered: "I thank Thee and praise Thee, O God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might." He entered through thanksgiving. There are many prophets and apostles who have no access — in the realm of God and in the realm of men — because ingratitude shut that door against them.

Second Mystery: Thanksgiving Produces Multiplication

Habakkuk 3:17-19 — the prophet said although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall there be fruit in the vine, the labor of the olive shall fail, the flock shall be cut off — yet he said, "I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." The Lord God is his strength. He knew: when you are thankful, you are fruitful. You cannot be dry when you are full of thanksgiving.

Psalm 67:5-6 says, "Let the people praise Thee, and then the earth shall yield her increase." There is a way to multiply by investment — the natural way, which anybody can do. But there is another way: when you give thanks, the earth yields its increase.

John 6:11-13 — Jesus fed five thousand men, not counting women and children, from five loaves and two fish in a desert. There was no ground to sow, no time to invest. What did He do? He lifted the loaves and the fish and gave thanks. Thanksgiving transformed scarcity into supernatural multiplication. Your ministry can multiply, your health can multiply, your business can multiply — substitute lamentation for thanksgiving and watch what happens.

Third Mystery: Thanksgiving Engenders Deliverance

There are battles where you will not have the strength to fight. All your connections will fail, the anointing will seem absent, and even the law will be broken against you. But there is one thing left — thanksgiving. Acts 16:25 — at midnight in prison, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God; the prisoners heard them, and suddenly the foundation of the prison shook. The doors opened on their own accord, and the very jailer who was supposed to keep them behind bars was the one who let them out. When you give thanks, God decorates your deliverance in a way that turns your enemies into your advocates.

Jonah 2:9-10 — when everything failed for Jonah in the belly of the fish, thanksgiving was the key. On account of it, the fish received a commandment from the Lord to vomit him on dry ground. There is nothing that can swallow you up when you know this mystery.

Fourth Mystery: Thanksgiving Makes You Whole

Deliverance is one thing; wholeness is another. You can be delivered from a condition, yet the effect of what you went through can remain — poverty that re-engineers the soul, oppression that limits your daring even after you are free. Luke 17:17-19 — nine lepers were healed, but the one who came back to give thanks received something beyond healing; Jesus said to him, "Be made whole." Nine received deliverance. The tenth received wholeness. There are invisible chains that came from your foundations or from circumstances you suffered that keep you from breaking certain realms even after God has delivered you — until thanksgiving makes you whole.

Fifth Mystery: Thanksgiving Creates Atmosphere for the Miraculous

There are atmospheres that support miracles, signs, and wonders. One of the fastest ways to create such an atmosphere is thanksgiving. John 11:25-26 — Jesus declared, "I am the resurrection and the life." But when He went to the tomb of Lazarus to practicalize this, He did not shout immediately. John 11:40-41 — He gave thanks first: "I thank You, O Father, that You always hear Me." The moment He gave thanks, He knew it was impossible for the supernatural not to happen. Carry the atmosphere of thanksgiving wherever you go.

How to Give Thanks

1. Heart posture of gratitude — Thanksgiving does not begin with your mouth; it begins with your heart. Malachi 2:2 says lay it to heart to give glory to His name. Count your blessings intentionally. The songs are vehicles, but make sure your own heart is right.
2. Utterance of praise — Say it. Hosea 14:2 says carry with you words. He wants to hear it. In heaven, the four and twenty elders said it out loud: "Worthy is the Lamb." Do not let gossip, bitterness, or complaint fill your lips.
3. Singing and dancing — Psalm 100:1-3 and Psalm 69:30 — make a joyful noise; magnify Him with singing. Do not allow your voice to be lost in someone else's. God hears from your heart and your mouth — sing your own, dance your own.
4. Use your platform — Make known His deeds among the people. Do not be ashamed on your handles and in your spaces to declare what God has done for you. This is how you provoke increase.
5. Present gifts and offerings — 2 Corinthians 9:7 — every man according as he has purposed in his heart, let him give not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. A man displays the value of his worship often through giving. Prepare for thanksgiving offerings — do not be taken off guard.

Access that has been denied — as you return to the altar of thanksgiving, let the gates open for you in the realm of God and in the realm of men. Whatever has held you back, the chains are broken. Out of you shall proceed the voice of thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry. The Lord says: I will multiply them, they shall not be few; I will glorify them, they shall not be small. Receive the seed of greatness in the name of Jesus Christ.