What Crossover Services are Like in Nigerian Churches

I can’t possibly make this up (maybe I can). Crossover services happen once a year. It is a time to get inspired and motivated for the year to come, and Nigerian pastors never fail in their divine mandate to motivate and inspire.A typical example is the sermon delivered by Pastor Sunday Monday, head pastor of the Angelic Orchestra Sanctuary (AOS).The Crossover Sermon as Delivered by Pastor Sunday Monday Inspired by Divine Impartation.Brethren, what a year! What a year to live through! On behalf of the host of heaven and the angelic orchestra, I congratulate you for making it to the last hours of twenty-twenty.Twenty-twenty was a year of double double. Turn to your neighbour and say “double double.” In case you have quickly forgotten, I lost a tooth on the first of January twenty-twenty. And on the second, I lost my anointed handkerchief. What a year! It started with a bucketful of despair but is ending on a positive note. Now, I have a extra front tooth and a cabinet full of handkerchiefs. Amen!Tonight, I’m preaching a sermon on “Taking a Leap.” Tell your neighbour “I take a leap;” no, no… look straight into his eyeballs, hold him by the neck and shout “I take a leap.” Amen!But how do you take a leap? How do you take a leap and don’t lose your teeth? I want you to imagine twenty-twenty as an obstacle, a fence and on the other side is prosperity and abundance of life. Tonight, I will be giving five ways to take a leap. At the end, you will for yourself decide on which way to adopt. Now, bring out your jotter and jot things down.Five Ways to Take a Final Leap over Twenty-twenty Fence:One. Look before you leap. I call this “Look before you leap” because if you leap before looking, you will definitely lose all 32 teeth. The devil doesn’t want you to look. He wants you to jump to your ruin. The devil used the same strategy on me at the beginning of twenty-twenty. I was celebrating with other brethren in the church during the Vision2020 jamboree and ended up spending all the tithes of the previous year.Don’t fall for the trick of luxurious living. The devil is happy when you spend lavishly, he doesn’t want you to invest. He wants you to cruise until you crash. That won’t be your portion, Amen!Two. Reduce your speed. Yes, reduce your speed. Tap the person sitting in front of your back and tell him to “reduce your speed.” Because if you go too fast, you will not only crash but also run out of gas. And you need gas to continue forging ahead. Eat well, sleep well, work hard — not too fast though.Don’t compete in taking a leap. When you compete, you lose focus of your track and pay more attention on other’s track. And once distracted, you will end up broken, drained and hospitalised (and with no teeth). I advise you as a man of God, with a cabinet full of anointed handkerchiefs: Run a good race in twenty-twenty-one but ensure not to run another man’s race. Amen!Three. One hole at a time. Calm down, let me explain this. Fences don’t have steps, but to take a leap over this twenty-twenty fence and be on a different scale in twenty-twenty-one, you must create holes. Holes are alternative plans in case you fall. You can easily put your foot on Plan C if Plan A and B fail, or even save Plan X, Y, Z for later. Once you have all these holes bored in, you are sure to progress.But beware of rats — rats will come in guise of pets but they are really pests trying to snoop in on your plans and eat the fleshy parts leaving you with bones. What unforgettable lessons twenty-twenty has taught us, now we know true friends from fake ones. If you let the rats in, they will eat your biscuits and finish your sweet.Four. Don’t climb alone. Yes, you need friends of like-minds to climb alongside. Don’t be like Brother Simpleton Titus. You may have all the anointing in the world, you may sing like Angel Monalisa, you may be the most intelligent in the group but don’t let pride in, because you can’t accomplish much alone. Brother Simpleton learnt his lesson the hard way, he stole my anointed handkerchief to open up his own ministry but the fire of Elijah descended from heaven and burnt down his church building.In essence, what I’m saying is that you need friends, loyal friends. You also need to make new productive friends in twenty twenty-one. So, don’t climb alone. Amen somebody!Five, and most important. Follow the ladder. Turn to your right and say “Follow the ladder.” Turn to your left and say “I will follow the ladder to heaven.” Yes, the ladder is sure. The ladder is strong. The ladder is the grace of God. This ladder cannot break. Even if by midyear you weigh 200lbs, the ladder will still bear you up. Amen. Now, I charge you, go into the new year with one giant leap. Glory! Hallelujah!Now, tell me, are you not motivated for the new year?